The author, his son Ivan and the bluewildebeest he shot.

Henk du Plessis and his prize.

Johan Pont (left) the farm owner, with Johan van der Merwe who shot this fine bluewildebeest.

By Johan Smit

What makes the difference between an extremely successful traditional bowhunt and an experience that you would rather not talk about? You know you are going to get those questions from your friends, colleagues and perhaps even your wife, on returning from a hunting trip. I am sure there are fellow bowhunters that can relate to the feeling when you have to reply that “the big one got away”. It hurts even more when the dent in your bank account is quite noticeable. Not to even mention the dent in your ego. Well, in my opinion, this need not be the case. With much practise and the certainty that your equipment is set up for maximum performance, the chances of success are better than ever.

This was our experience as a group of traditional bowhunters during a recent bowhunt on Johan Pont’s ranch near Potgietersrus. On arrival the Friday evening, I could immediately experience the hospitality of the owner. Sometimes when you meet the owner of a ranch, there is a sense of: “May I not wound this weekend”. We felt so at ease in Johan’s company that I knew from the start this weekend was going to be successful. My expectations were even higher after tips were shared by some experienced bowhunters like Henk du Plessis.

As usual, we stayed up fairly late on the first evening, redefining the meaning of music and sharpening some broadheads. The well-setup tents provided for the necessary rest required for the next morning’s hunting experience. Not pushed for time, we ensured that our shooting was up to standard after having breakfast.

My first experience of the hides was different, but I soon discovered that hides made of reeds and grasses are effective. The morning temperature was quite chilly and I had problems staying awake. Half asleep, I was disturbed by a noise outside the hide around 12:00. An impala herd had gathered around the hide. A one-and-a-half-horn ram kept his distance, never allowing me the opportunity to hunt him. Nevertheless, I waited patiently until an ewe gave me the perfect opportunity. For the first time in my hunting career I aimed for a spot and the 500-grain arrow, tipped with a 165-grain TreeShark, zipped through the animal exactly where I aimed. She was down in a second and after finding her I realised why the blood spoor was so little. The exit wound was so severe that a big portion of the lung pushed through the action wound and blocked it completely.

Henk arrived with the owner and his son to collect my impala. Henk also informed me that he shot a blue wildebeest cow from the tri-pod that he had set up on a previous occasion. Being an experienced hunter and a great shot, Henk ensured that the animal was down in a matter of seconds after being shot while it walked past the tri-pod set-up. Again the 56-pound longbow and a 500-grain arrow, tipped with the massive 16-grain TreeShark completed the task. I must admit that by this time I was an almost fully-converted TreeShark fan.

Back at the camp, around 13:00, I could not wait to share the story of my success – especially after my previous not-so-successful hunt. We regained our strength and focus and around 15:30 everyone was back in the hides. This time, however, it was a different story because the animals appeared so quickly that there was almost no time to get ready. The two wildebeest appeared to be a little bit nervous and only on the third attempt did I get a perfect broadside shot at a young bull. This time my 45-pound recurve with the same arrow set-up produced the energy I designed it to have. I hit the mark of my focus, but this time the animal ran further. It is important to make sure where to shoot the animal and not rely purely on book knowledge. The spoor, although initially difficult to follow, became more and more evident until it could have been followed by a blind man. This broadhead is just incredible.

Nelius, the first to be left at one of the hides, was also the first to harvest his animal. The 55-pound selfbow propelled the 620-grain arrow with enough momentum to bring down the wildebeest cow within seconds. The arrow, equipped with a Zwickey to ensure maximum penetration, killed the animal within 120 yards. Wildebeest are tough animals, as many rifle hunters can confirm. For this reason, be sure your shot placement is 100 per cent correct.

By that time, I discovered that I was the last person to harvest a wildebeest. After they had assisted me in the tracking of my quarry, I followed Johan van der Merwe and Henk du Plessis to the spot where Johan’s wildebeest was left. With a solid lungshot placement, Johan’s wildebeest was down in seconds. The 70-pound longbow, equipped with a heavy 72-grain arrow, left a big entrance and exit wound. I was astonished to see that this wildebeest ran down a tree with a trunk approximately 12cm in diameter. I am continually overwhelmed by the survival instinct of African game. For those who want to challenge this continent, be prepared.

Our thanks to the owner for a perfect hunting weekend. Friendship, hard work and TreeSharks made this a very successful weekend.