Frans with second kill for the weekend

Frans with the warthog he shot

Martin with his prize

Rean withthe warthog that he shot

By Johan Smit

Five kills at Moselesele. Not bad for the traditional gang. We achieved this success with traditional gear at our favourite hunting venue. Just between you and me, you will have to look hard and far to beat the service offered by Moselesele (Sekelbos). The owner truly understands bowhunting. Don’t get me wrong; you have to prove you can shoot, thus a small test to group three arrows in a six-inch radius at 15 metres with your traditional gear is necessary. Unfortunately, this is why I again had to hunt with the compound bow.

It was Friday afternoon and we arrived with a big bang around 3 pm. Within minutes arrows were flying all over the place. We did talk to each other, but more so out of decency. What was important was to make sure the arrows flew true. At 4 pm we were all on the cruiser on our way to the hides. Of course, I did not get the favourite hide, but I didn’t care as we only had one hour of hunting time. I forgot that I was at Moselesele, however, where things happen quickly.

Rikus Human and I were the first to be dropped off, at Sunset hide. It wasn’t long before we experienced some activity but we had to take measures to counter the buckfever that took hold. Daylight faded quickly and around 5 pm Rikus shot his first wildebeest cow with a bow. His 70-pound Nova PSE penetrated fully with the Easton Excel 340 tipped with a Rocket arrowhead. To his delight the wildebeest was down in seconds and we both shared in his success.

I thought this was the first kill of the weekend, but when we stopped to pick up Martin Jacobson we were informed that he had shot at two impala. By now it was fairly dark and we were forced to use headlamps and spotlights. After about an hour Peter suggested that we continue tracking the spoor early the following day.

Soon Martin tasted success. With his 54-pound longbow at 30 inches draw, he achieved full penetration on two impala. The 420-grain Easton arrow tipped with a 110-grain Patriot two-blade did the job. His success story continued the following day when he shot an impressive kudu bull. Again he achieved good penetration and the kudu was down in 50 metres. In his words: “The best bow hunting experience ever”. I do not know who succeeded first with the traditional bow, but does it matter? On Saturday morning around 9 am I received a SMS from Frans Kriek. He had shot his first warthog with a traditional bow and was overwhelmed. The shot had come from an elevated hide. At a mere ten paces with perfect shot placement just above the herd, Frans’ arrow slashed all the major arteries. In fact, the shot was so severe that it broke the warthog’s higher front leg. Even with this severe impact the animal still managed to travel 30 yards. What can you expect with a recurve delivering 71 ft/pounds at 76-pound draw? The Easton 300 epic shaft, tipped with a 115-grain wasp broadhead did the job.

At the same time, Rean Steenkamp and crew were on the track of a warthog he had shot with his 50-pound recurve made by Johnny Snyman. The 620-grain Goldtip shaft, tipped with a massive 165-grain Simmons Tree-shark left a good enough spoor for the animal to be located at approximately 800 yards. Warthogs are extremely quick and we saw later on video how it had jumped the arrow at a mere 12 steps. This caused the shot placement to be slightly back, hence the longer tracking time.

After some time in the sunset hide I received another SMS from Frans, this time with a photo of a beautiful impala ram. He asked whether it was a knypkop. I couldn’t deny him this opportunity and confirmed that indeed it was. Within minutes I received the news that he had shot an impressive ram.

Martin, who assisted him in the tracking, was quite surprised to see the 21-incher after Frans told him that he had shot a knypkop. Although the shot was a little high the animal went down within 50 metres. Using the same set-up he used for the warthog, Frans said that the arrow passed so quickly through the animal that he was not sure of his shot placement.

Dalene Botha also shot her first impala with a Browning Compound set at 40 pounds. With a perfect shot placement the impala was down in seconds. Her husband, Riander shot one warthog with a PSE Spider set at 60 pounds.

Again, a very successful hunt at Moselesele. Besides the number of animal kills, the group also harvested some partridge and guinea fowl. This time the traditional bowhunters proved that they are also capable of bringing down animals with the same effectiveness as any other weapon. I believe that these gentlemen would agree, as with any sport you know your limitations. Shoot at the correct distance and make sure your equipment is set up for maximum efficiency.

Our actions will determine the future and success of bowhuntung. My son loves hunting with me and for that reason I would like to keep the sport, especially traditional bowhunting, alive. The true romance of bowhunting lies in the heart of the traditional bow.