Hunting Update

The Hunt is over. In all, Papa and David brought home 6,000 lbs of meat to be shared with many as well as be our food stock for....quite a while. :)

Papa bagged: A Desert Tan Dahl Sheep and A Watusi (their story is shared in my last post.

 David bagged: A Jacob's Sheep 

David tracked this four horn Jacob's sheep to the top of a ridge and finally got a view at 85 yards. With only one shot with the 30.06 through the lungs at 85 yards, the sheep went down instantly. (At this time, they had already been tracking the water buffalo for 3 hours.)

.....And---the reason for their hunt---A Gigantic Water Buffalo

 After 6 hours of searching all over the mountains and forests of the the 2,200 acre ranch, trying to find these very fast, massive water buffalo, finally, to our hunters' shock (consisting of my dad, David, and a family friend), 15 of them came right towards them-just 30 yards away-packed tight together. After picking the bull of choice, they realized that with them being only 25 yards away and a number of the buffalo looking directly at them, the buffalo could easily stampede, and though they were in the forest, they weren't close enough to trees to be able to evade possible treachery.

What's more, getting a shot at the buffalo from more than 100 yards away was completely unrealistic because the trees were so close together. While waiting, the Buffalo herd studied the men and then quickly thundered off down the mountainside. After another and a half hour of hiking down and up the mountain trying to stay up with the herd, they found them on the other side of the mountain and had another opportunity at 70 yards, but the herd spotted them and began stampeding away from them (Praise God!), into the thickly forested valley, and NOT towards the men.

Half an hour later found the men watching a giant female water buffalo 100 yards a way with 4 little calves. The wind was towards the guys, and not smelling them, the female headed right toward the men.  David loaded his Elephant Rifle and Papa loaded his 30.06 as a backup, prepared to shoot near here if she got too close, in hopes that it would scare her and her calves away. As she kept heading straight for them, she saw them, and circled them at just 20 yards away. When she got right behind them, she studied them for a while and then kept going up the mountain.

Shortly after, 3 giants--over 2,000 lbs each--came from the same direction as the female-a tan, a black, and a gray water buffalo about 100 yards out. Papa viewed each one in his rifle scope and told David that each one looked like great meat, and so David chose the black one. David stood up and quickly setup his 2-legged, meanwhile the water buffalo continued walking past them at just 65 yards away, still not knowing the men were there. David confidently aimed his 375 Browning and waited until the tan buffalo sped up and was no longer in front of the black buffalo's side, and while the buffalo was walking, David fired a perfect shot right through both lungs. The 2,300 lb behemoth staggered for 10 seconds before dropping to the ground....

DAVID SLEW GOLIATH!!!!!