On day six we went back up to the high altitude forested areas looking for the elusive bushbuck, very cold, windy and overcast conditions made life very difficult for us and we failed on the bushbuck miserably. But on our way back down we spotted a lone sable bull off in the hills that was worth another look at.
The loose rocky ground left Brian cursing behind me, but he soldiered on as always. The way the terrain was and where the sable was feeding, we couldn’t get closer than 260 yards. The sable was slowly grazing his way towards us so we decided to get into a good position and wait for him to come to us. Almost an hour went by until he appeared where we thought he would. Brian squeezed a shot off but the bull just stood there, and casually walked into a thicket. Not wanting to lose sight of the thicket the sable had entered in case he was wounded, we sent our tracker Two Boy around and above him, even though the wind would then be wrong, it should push the sable closer to us. The plan worked perfectly, as Two Boy got close to that thicket the sable scampered out down the hill towards us on the opposite hill. As he stopped to look back at Two Boy, Brian made a perfect broadside shot! We had to use much man power and the land cruiser winch to get the Sable out the ravine, but it was all worth the effort! A monstrous old bull that measured 44”!!
We took the afternoon easy enjoying each other’s company by taking in the Kei Reserve’s vast vistas, glassing here and there. I could tell that Brian and Denise’s 3 week Ugandan Safari just prior to joining up with us was taking its toll. As we were about to stop and enjoy another African sunset and crack open a beer, a warthog appeared amongst a herd of waterbuck. Besides broken horned animals, Brian is also addicted to hunting warthog! I explained to Brian that he was a decent old boar but we could do better, ignoring every word, Brian got up onto the sticks and shot the pig. Smiles don’t lie they say….
That evening we surprised the Welkers with a “bush braai”, where the lodge staff set up a full on dining table with lanterns and bar above a waterfall in the Cememe River. As we drove down into the Cememe River, we were met by Matt and his staff with warm facecloths and G and T’s in hand. With a massive bonfire going, the Rance family joined in on the festivities and a lovely evening was had by all!
