Woods Worm's Blog: NOBODY TOLD THE BLESBOK

To the hunter a good male blesbok is a cool looking antelope with a coat the color of red velvet cake, a bright and wide white nose, and cream colored horns that are thick at the base sweeping upward and curving in slightly. The general rule of thumb is they are pretty but not the hardest animal on the trophy list to bag. As we started out the first morning, I was expecting a relatively easy hunt. I assumed it was just a matter of finding the right animal. WELL...it seems nobody told the blesboks in the area that they were NOT to be as skittish as a whitertail and harder to bag than the all previous african game that I had hunted, other than kudu. After a full day and another morning hunting for blesbok I just could not get a shot. We had tried many stalks and I had my rifle on the shooting sticks at least 6 times. Twice, Frikkie gave me the "Take Him" command and both times the blesbok spooked before I could get clear shot off. The only shot I had fired so far was at a warthog that "was to be" used for meat for the construction workers who were building Frikkie's impressive new "camp"...I call it a really nice lodge. Notice I said WAS TO BE...because I missed. Just under him and I do mean JUST UNDER him. I guess that miss low was on my mind because late the second afternoon I finally got a shot a good blesbok and ended up firing a warning shot just over his back. It seemed like a long shot to me and I did not want to miss low again. I put the crosshairs just above his back and hit just where I held. The next time we caught up to him I did not make the same mistake twice. I finally had my blesbok...a very good one by trophy standards. After dinner, the day ended with Xante along for a night time game spotting ride in bush. We saw buffalo, kudu, rhino, and wildebeest. A perfecting ending to a perfect day that started with a 15th annivesary breakfast in blind over looking a waterhole.