The
vultures circling overhead were our first indication that something was amiss.
We'd been down this same trail the previous afternoon and everything had been
normal but now, it was obvious that something had not made it through the dark
African night. As we drove closer we could see a bloody corpse under a thorn
bush. It was a large male blesbok and most of the hind quarters had been
consumed. Our professional hunter, Gielie and tracker Jefferi carefully
surveyed the scene, like two CSI detectives looking for clues. Finally, Gielie
looked up and said, "Lion kill."
We
were half way through a 14-day South African safari with AAA Serapa Safaris and
had taken some great plains game trophies already including black wildebees,
Burchell's zebra, red lechwe, sable, blesbok, steenbok and impala but so far
lion had eluded us....well kind of. We'd seen plenty of tracks from male lions
and one huge male the previous day but it was lioness that was on Vanessa's
list. AAA Serapa Safaris is a true oasis in the remote South African savannah
that offers hunting for over 30 species of plains game and four of the big five African animals can be found on the massive 46,000 acre property but it is their
incredible lion hunting that they a world renown for. While they offer some of
the best maned lions in Africa, they offer the more affordable option of
hunting female lions as well. All of the lion hunts are tracking hunts on foot
and shots typically come at very close range. Lion or lioness, it is the true
dangerous game experience.
"Looks
like a couple young males and maybe a female," Gielie said to no one in
particular. "Let's drive around a bit and see if we can sort the tracks
out."
An
hour later we located two tracks and Gielie felt that it was a young male and a
female traveling together. "Are you ready?" A broad smile enveloped
his face as he looked Vanessa squarely in the eye.
Vanessa
reached for the .375 H&H and climbed down off the truck. Gielie figured the
tracks had been made some time during the night but he felt that following them
was worth a try. He carefully explained the plan to Vanessa and went over shot
placement in detail for a variety of scenarios and then placed his huge hand on
her shoulder in a reassuring manner. Vanessa dialed the scope down to its lowest
power, chambered a round and slid the safety rearward. She took a position
behind Gielie and Jefferi. The hunt was on.
For
the next several hours the track led us through the thick cover. At times it
was simple to follow and at others it took the skill of both Gielie and
Jefferie to unravel. While I've had the pleasure to see some masterful trackers
at work, they paled in comparison to the skill these two men possessed.
Occasionally, they would lose the track in the hard ground but after a few minutes
of circling, Gielie would whistle for us to join him. He wanted Vanessa close
behind. If we encountered the lioness, it would likely be close and the
possibility of a charge was real. While I was just the cameraman on the hunt,
my heart was racing rapidly and every sense in my body was at the highest
alert. While every Capstick cliche about hunting lions in the long grass raced
through my head, I kept reminding myself that this was the real deal. We were
hunting an animal that would just as soon see us dead as alive and it was well enough
armed to accomplish that in the blink of an eye.
Gielie
motioned Vanessa over. "They lied down here," he said in a hushed
tone.
In
the sand, even I could see the unmistakeable imprint of the lion's hip and her
long tail. There was only one track now and even though no one said it, we all knew
we were close. As I rounded a thorn bush, I saw Gielie motion to Vanessa to
come to him. He was extending the legs on the shooting sticks. I searched
frantically to find the lion and then there she was, bedded deep in the
shadows, only 20 yards away. Her yellow eyes showed disdain and seemed to stare
right into the depths of my soul. Her tail twitched and she emitted a low guttural growl just to further emphasize her disapproval at our presence.
Vanessa had the rifle trained on her but there was no shot. The lion was lying
with her butt to us. Gielie whistled. The lion growled.
The
stand off lasted for several minutes. Vanessa's eye never left the scope and
the lioness' icy stare remained locked on us. Suddenly, she rose and walked out
the back of the bush she'd been lying in. Gielie grabbed the shooting sticks
and urged Vanessa to follow. The lioness was now out of sight and we held our
breath at each step. We knew she was close. But how close? Then, movement about
40 yards distant caught our eye. The lioness was standing in the open.
"Shoot her in the shoulder," Gielie commanded.
The
lioness lurched forward at the report of the shot and then disappeared from
the small window of view that we had. Everyone was momentarily silent. The shot
had looked good....excellent in fact but the prospect of following up the lion
now faced us. There was a good chance she'd be lying in wait, ready to pounce.
Hopefully we'd see her before she had that opportunity.
We
moved slowly but deliberately. Vanessa was right at Gielie's side, rifle at the
ready. While Gielie carried his rifle too, he had made it clear to Vanessa
earlier that he would only shoot if someone's life was in imminent danger. This
was Vanessa's hunt to finish. Suddenly, a bush off to our left moved and the
tawny form of the lion revealed itself in the shadows. She was rising to her
feet and readying for the charge. Gielie grabbed Vanessa's arm and pulled her
to the right. She brought the 375 to her shoulder. While a tired cliche, time
did seem to stand still at that moment. The lioness dropped her haunches in
preparation to charge. We paced the distance off later....it was exactly eight
yards. One bound and the lioness would be on top of us. She let out another
low, guttural growl. Her face was covered in blood from feasting on the blesbok
we'd found earlier. The report of the .375 started time in motion again. The
250-grain bullet struck the lioness perfectly in the heart and while her mind
urged her forward, her body betrayed her wishes and she slumped to the ground.
I took my first breath it what seemed like several minutes. Vanessa had
fulfilled her dream of tracking and taking a lion on foot.
AAA
Serapa Safaris is a true dichotomy. On one side you have the very traditional
style hunting that involves tracking animals on foot with the most skilled
professional hunters and trackers in all of Africa. The property is massive at
46,000 acres, the list of available species long, the trophy quality
exceptional and the hunting very challenging. On the other hand you have a
five-star lodge in the middle of the dry South African savannah. Owners Apie
and Yolande Reynikie built this lodge with couples and families in mind.
Hunters are housed in individual chalets that feature full bathrooms with
soaker tubs that overlook the waterhole where a variety of animals are regular
visitors. The main lodge features sun deck, swimming pool, library, billiards
room, spa and a menu and wine selection to match. For the non hunters a variety
of activities including horseback riding and wildlife photography are
available.
We
hunted equally hard for the final seven days of our trip, although none of the
hunts were quite as tense as that of lion. I managed to take a great old eland
bull after two long days of tracking as well as a very nice nyala and
waterbuck. Both of these animals really allowed Gielie and Jefferi demonstrate
their tracking skills. We spotted both animals as they were running off and in
both instances, they were able to unravel the myriad of tracks and follow the
individual animals for several hours before we were able to get in position for
a shot. It truly was the most remarkable tracking I'd ever seen and it really
added to the experience of an already incredible hunt.
Vanessa
rounded out the hunt with a great springbok. While springbok were very
plentiful, stalking them on foot and getting into range for a shot off sticks
was another matter totally. But, after several blown stalks, Vanessa managed to
put one down with her 30-06.
Our
hunt with AAA Serapa Safaris was truly the hunt of a lifetime and is definitely
a destination we will return to.
Check
them out at:
www.lionhuntingsafaris.com
info@lionhuntingsafaris.com
or
contact their Canadian representatives, Mark and Cindy Zimmermann directly at mczimmermann@hotmail.ca
Rifles
Rocky Mountain Rifle 375 H&H, 250-grain Hornady GMX handloads, Zeiss 1.2-5x36 Duralyte scope
Tikka T3 semi custom (Rocky Mountain Rifles), Hornady Superformance 165-grain GMX, Zeiss 2-10x42 HD5 with Rapid Z 600 reticle
