Three Time's The Charm

Our second day of hunting began early in the morning in hopes of following the wildebeest. We wolfed down breakfast and were jumping in to the back of the pick up at around 5 a.m. Unfortunately, we didn't have any luck with tracking once again, and had to give it up.

But it wasn't long until we spotted Oryx. The first time we stalked them that morning, they spooked before we had gotten close enough for a shot. During the second attempt, we spotted rhino tracks while we were making our way through the bush; the Oryx was walking away from us, which is never the ideal time to take a shot, as shooting too high can ruin a trophy head. But as they say, three time's the charm.

And they were right. We managed to get close to two of them. There wasn't any rain, so the flies and Mosquitos had come back out to reap havoc on anything and everything. The two Oryx were especially annoyed. They would reach their hind leg up towards their head and itch, and whip their tails in annoyance. Both were side by side, taking turns looking or grazing.

 We stepped out silently into the open towards them, and only then did Yakub spot a lone male Oryx laying in the grass. 

"Take the one lying down where the neck-" he began; we watched it stand up in surprise at the sight of three strange alien-looking life forms. 

"Take it now! Take it!" Yakub whispered.

I didn't even hear the shot. Barely felt the recoil. But suddenly we were running over to the Oryx which had fallen over and couldn't get up. It's a crazy feeling. A weird mix of awe and adrenalin.

 Yakub congratulated me, telling me that the shot was perfect. Dead on. Francis drove up in the truck, jumping out with a smile. He congratulated me as well. 

Yakub explained that there was a tradition in Namibia called "The Last Meal," which is done out of respect for the animal. He took a piece of shrub, breaking it in two. With the first half, he rubbed it in the wound, and gave it to the oryx -a last meal. With the second, he rubbed it in the wound, then rubbed it on my face and stuck it in my shirt pocket -showing that I had shot an animal. 

With that completed we loaded the animal in the back of the pick up and headed back to the lodge so my Oryx could be skinned and assessed for trophy. (For those who don't know, the thickness, length, and overall condition of the horns will determine trophy.) The horns were measured, and I watched the skinning. 

Halfway through the skinning process, Yakub brought out a plate of what I was to find out later was my Oryx's... balls. Yep. Not bad though. Actually quite good.

We still had a good three or four hours until lunch, so we went back out once more. All the animals must have heard the shot, despite the silencer, because the only things out after that were birds! We got to try out our skills at slingshot until lunch hit, and I came quite close to a dove more than once. 

Bad weather and a lack of animals cancelled afternoon hunting plans...