Lion & Gemsbok (Oryx) Kalahari hunting update from overseas, POV video.

Thanks, I find them to be the most beautiful antelope personally. I respect how hardy they are as well, in many areas of the Kalahari they are the sole large inhabitant, thriving in areas where literally nothing else a fraction of its size can. They have a fighting instinct and armaments to match, in the video if you listen carefully as we walk the PH says, to paraphrase, "If it jumps up, you must shoot it. Watch the horns." He goes into discussing the danger of the horns and their tenacity after the clip cuts out. They've had an agitated male gore and kill other animals with disturbing frequency. I respect an animal like that- beautiful, hardy, and brave.
 
Ardent said:
Very tough question to answer only because of all the areas, many places you can hunt Lion (prime in my mind being Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, RSA and for RSA only if you go to the proper places). Lion is actually doing much better than many think, or what one may read on Wikipedia, and this isn't just a hunter's bias. They are increasing presently in many areas, some actively due to human attention as a result of the value on them hunting introduces, others just because. Throughout Southern Africa many hundreds are sustainably hunted annually, so not hard to get a hunt if one wants one. Once that's decided and one decides to go, there's a lot of homework and questions I'll try to cover in my Lion hunt write up to come.
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Great video, I had a go pro that I lost sheep hunting this past season. I need to go back to the same spot and hope to find it. I'm looking forward to your lion write up as that is my goal on down the road, do you have video of the lion hunt? I have ordered a 375 h&h and am patiently waiting. What grain bullet did you use on this hunt? Did you use two different bullets? Sorry for all the questions, I want to book a hunt that includes lion and plains game. Thanks for sharing.
 
jpappy said:
Great video, I had a go pro that I lost sheep hunting this past season. I need to go back to the same spot and hope to find it. I'm looking forward to your lion write up as that is my goal on down the road, do you have video of the lion hunt? I have ordered a 375 h&h and am patiently waiting. What grain bullet did you use on this hunt? Did you use two different bullets? Sorry for all the questions, I want to book a hunt that includes lion and plains game. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes I have a Lion video from the same perspective, it just requires a lot of editing as the video has about 4hrs total length right now, 99% of it tracking, every time we thought we were close I'd start the camera- took a long time to actually get close. Bullets being a double rifle you have extremely little choice, as they are regulated for a single bullet weight and velocity, 300gr in this case. So it was 300gr soft points in each chamber, I'd encourage using the same in a bolt gun. Lion aren't large (well it's relative to African game, this fellow weighed as much as many small cow elk) but they are remarkably tough and tenacious. 300gr will also serve your plains gaming perfectly and is the .375 H&H standard weight.
 
But...but...but...that can't be legal! Lions are critically endangered, just like elephants and zebras...I read it on the internet!!!:)

Congrats, and thanks for posting that. I look forward to more. It's a good thing I'm not overly religious, because my jealousy towards someone who can still shoot iron sights like that is bordering on sinful!
 
They have a fighting instinct and armaments to match
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I've seen that nature. My first gemsbuck ran quite a ways, then backed in into a V of logs to wait for us. I'm not saying he was setting an ambush, but it was obvious to me that he had ran as far as he was going to and elected to fight it out from there. He died waiting.

The second was a few days later. I pegged it corner to corner with a .375 and it ran a short distance before backing into a clump of thornbush and waiting. You have respect something that wants to go down swinging, the only way it knows how. For a second there, I almost felt bad. Got over it though.
 
jjohnwm said:
But...but...but...that can't be legal! Lions are critically endangered, just like elephants and zebras...I read it on the internet!!!:)

Congrats, and thanks for posting that. I look forward to more. It's a good thing I'm not overly religious, because my jealousy towards someone who can still shoot iron sights like that is bordering on sinful!
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Too kind, the wife enforced impending end of the hunt sure helped too. I made a some very fortunate shots this trip, in fact it rendered the Lion a bit boring as there was little drama. The Merkel and I have good chemistry, so far when I shoot things with it, they die. It has amassed a record of five one shot kills, one two shot (though the first was fatal, it was waiting to die). Almost was worried to jinx it on that Gemsbok long shot, but it worked there too.
 
Dogleg said:
I've seen that nature. My first gemsbuck ran quite a ways, then backed in into a V of logs to wait for us. I'm not saying he was setting an ambush, but it was obvious to me that he had ran as far as he was going to and elected to fight it out from there. He died waiting.

The second was a few days later. I pegged it corner to corner with a .375 and it ran a short distance before backing into a clump of thornbush and waiting. You have respect something that wants to go down swinging, the only way it knows how. For a second there, I almost felt bad. Got over it though.
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I have great admiration for them, for on government land where everything else has been wiped out above Steenbok, you can still find the odd Oryx / Gemsbok in the Kalahari. The PH described having a bull kill a couple other Gemsbok around him when wounded once as well, they can get steaming mad and have spirit. Such a beautiful animal to boot.
 
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