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I have to consider myself very fortunate. Hunting and fly-fishing in the foothills of the Eastern Slopes was simply an amazing place to hone one’s hunting and fishing skills.
Taught by my father at the age of 10 to call and track moose are some of the fondest memories engraved in my mind. My father wanted his children to enjoy the treasures of hunting, fishing and being in the wilderness in general. Many lessons that my grandfather passed on to my father belong to me now. I look forward to sharing them with my young family.
Hunting around Spirit River, Edson and Robb, Alberta for elk, moose and deer was a great training ground for some of the game I was to chase later in life.
It was for my 40th birthday that I would find myself in Kimberly, South Africa lucky enough to be hunting some of Africa’s famous plains game. Being my first ever hunt in that part of the world, my mind raced with questions like, what do I bring for clothes? What calibre of gun do I bring? What do these beasts taste like?
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| Grant poses with his Burchell’s zebra. |
Upon arrival in Kimberly, I met with one of my PH’s (professional hunters) at the airport. We soon embarked to the lodge where I settled into my quarters and met with the camp staff. I immediately unpacked my gear, all too anxious to get to the field and leave my mark in Africa.
The first thing we did was go to the range to make sure the rifle was up to task. The Remington Sendaro .300 win mag was grouping nicely; we were ready for the hunt first thing in the morning.
Morning started at 6:30 and I wasn’t able to sleep a wink. I was just too pumped up to get out there!
We soon departed camp to our hunting area. The amount of game we saw before getting to our area was simply mind blowing. I honestly believe I will never see concentrations of animals like this anywhere else in the world.
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| Grant with his big African eland. |
It wasn’t long before we had my first of many animals. My guide, Mike Birch, had us stalk for just under a kilometre. We were soon in shooting position. I was looking through the scope at a Birchell’s zebra... an exceptional one! The Range was 220 yards. Perfect! I took up position from behind a large boulder and readied myself. When the moment was right, I squeezed the trigger.
I could hear the 180-grain bullet slam the zebra hard. The zebra bucked and ran off, his herd hot on his trail. I chambered another round and felt immediate fear that my game had escaped. The experienced eyes of my guide begged to differ.
After a couple of minutes that seemed like hours, we ventured out to pick up a blood trail. We then got ready to track. The zebra left us a very good trail and it wasn’t far, maybe about 50 yards at best.
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| Grant with his gemsbok. |
We found our zebra in the golden South African grass. It was official; I became an African hunter and the first ever Albertan, let alone Canadian, to hunt with this outfitter.
The night was spent back at camp exchanging stories of hunting and fishing in Alberta. What a way to turn 40!
I was soon prepping myself for the African equivalent of our North American elk. The morning would have us in pursuit of kudu. This is the one African animal I really wanted badly and I was putting pressure on myself to get.
The first day of the kudu hunt was spent tracking and spotting. It was a fruitless day, putting many miles on the boots.
The next morning, we embarked back to a spot where we had spotted some kudu the day before. A little more glassing and walking and our kudu were in sight. These animals like the steep, rugged hills that are prevalent in some areas of the South African bushveld.
We silently stalked up the side of a mountain, making a guess as to where our kudu would present itself. After our climb, we were on the top and glassing the valley below. Our prediction was right! The kudu was right where we thought he might be, and he was coming closer. The wind was in our favour and the kudu bull was completely unaware of us being there. I took up position and placed the crosshair of my scope on the mature kudu bull. I made the compensation for shooting downhill and pulled the trigger. Again, the 180-grain .300 win mag met its mark with authority. The kudu was hit perfectly!
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| A nice South African springbok. |
There was no tracking to be had on this hunt. The kudu came to rest not 10 steps from where the shot was made. What a day!
The hits just kept on coming. Not long after, I would take Africa’s largest antelope, the eland. These beasts are bigger than our moose!
Out of the 10 days hunting, we had only two days that the weather was not cooperative. Most mornings were like our cool Alberta fall temperatures. The heat would build during the day and by mid afternoon we would be hunting in 25 degrees Celsius.
I couldn’t wait to get home to Alberta and share my stories with family and friends. I will be back to Alberta in the fall to hunt my favourite game of all, the Rocky Mountain elk.
I believe now more than ever the old saying “you can take the boy out of Alberta, but you can’t take Alberta out of the boy”.
One of the most frequent questions I had when I returned was what calibres are adequate for African plains game? My answer is simple. If it works on moose and elk, it will be right at home in Africa. Shot placement is absolutely the key to success! ■
For previous Reader Stories click here.
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