By Mia Ungerer

June 10, 2013

South Africa still offers an excellent variety of affordable game while hunting according to the tried & trusted “walk and stalk” method.

On May 31, exactly one month into the 2013 hunting season, my daughter Mia and I were slowly following our guide/tracker, Samuel, as he was cautiously walking through the dense bush. Mia was carrying my 9,3 x 62 loaded with 286grain Hornady Interlocks travelling at around 2250 f/s.

Late rains in the Thabazimbi area provided a final spurt of growth just before the onset of fall/autumn, making it very difficult to hunt. Yet, we have been in the bush since early morning, have seen plenty but opportunities were scarce. By late afternoon, I guess we had about an hour’s worth of light left; Samuel suddenly stopped and dropped to his knees. We followed and looking at where he was gazing, we could vaguely make out the shape of 4 kudus browsing. Mia and Samuel carefully moved to behind a bush while I stayed put. He then slowly set up the shooting sticks and Mia rested the rifle over it. By now the kudus have moved out of my sight, but I was watching Mia. I would see the trigger finger slowly creep towards the trigger, then she would relax. Move a yard to the left and again the finger creeping to the trigger, again to relax. Another step to the left, I saw her taking a deep breath, watched the finger touch the trigger and heard and felt the roar of the rifle.

Samuel motioned that we should stay still, while the kudus burst away, crashing through the bush. After a minute Samuel turned to me and asked: “How many kudu did you counted running away ?” I answered”: “Three” . Nodding in agreement, he remarked: “But there were four”.

Mia and Samuel then walked to where the kudu were standing while I had my range finder trained on her back. At 59m they stopped, looked down and then frantically beckoned me to join then them. There, at their feet, was Mia’s first kudu, shot through the neck. It was only then that I noticed the red drop of blood above her right eye where the 9,3 had left his mark.
Here is a good hunter and a proud dad !