A3 Trophy Hunts LLC : Day 5 continued.. Trouble in Paradise!

As I mentioned before, Day 4 was slower and the only animal harvested that day was my impala, the first of a few that we would harvest. Day 5 would have Michelle and Dad hunting together along with Jim and Henry. Instead of shooting from behind the camera, Michelle would get behind the rifle to try and redeem her earlier miss on an impala. When we seen just how sleek and beautiful the impala rams were, we thought a double pedestal impala mount would be a great addition to our house so the plan was for Michelle to hunt and harvest another impala ram if she could find a shooter while out with Dad. Dad would continue down his list of plains game and his focus today would be on a gemsbuck. Little did Michelle and Dad know that today would be a day of highs and lows.

One of my favorite photos I captured on our Safari! Michelle and Dad start the day in the hunting rig.

The group once again made their way around Mt. Carmel in the back of the hunting rig. Riding in the back of the rig gives you great views as you make your way around the plains but given some of the rocky terrain, it can make for a rough ride at times. In some spots, it takes all you can muster to hold on to avoid beating against the side of the rails or to be tossed out the back of the truck. This was all part of the experience that we'll remember forever. I remember after Day 1 Dad was one sore puppy after a full day of riding through the rocky terrain.

Michelle's towering ram

The first species on the hunting list encountered on Day 5 was a herd of impala. Michelle was first up so Dad handed over the .300 WSM to her. Michelle used the rail on the truck to steady herself for the 120 yard shot on a group of impala rams. As Michelle focused on her shot, Jim sorted through the rams to find a shooter. As luck would have it, there was a huge ram in the herd. Jim got Michelle dialed in as to which one to shoot and Michelle slowly squeezed the trigger.... and squeezed... and squeezed... Michelle found out the hard way that in her excitement to redeem herself, she had not yet released the safety. Now she was nervous that the rams would bolt so she quickly released the safety and began to settle back down for the shot. BOOM!! Before Michelle could steady her aim on the vitals, she prematurely squeezed off a round. The errant shot still found its mark but the group could tell that a follow shot would be necessary. Unfortunately, the rams made for cover and the brush quickly swallowed them up. As they approached the area the ram was last seen, the group fanned out in search of the ram. Dad was first to pick up the blood trail and Jim could tell by the direction of travel that the ram would be on the backside of Mt. Carmel. As the group rounded the mountain, Henry found the wounded ram. Michelle was able to make a perfect 100 yard shot to follow up and the ram tipped over. Thankfully, team effort paid off on this ram and despite a less than ideal first shot, Michelle was able to finally walk up and hold her ram, the largest to be taken by our group on this trip. What a ram it is! The photo session followed then the group hauled the ram back for skinning and caping and had lunch at the ranch. I will mention that Michelle continually reminds me that our double pedestal mount is going look more like Father and Son mounts as her rams towers over mine....

Michelle's redemption ram was the largest taken on our trip

Jim usually hunted with Dad but was able to help Michelle harvest her ram

Michelle's help. Dad found the blood trail while Henry was the one to turn up the wounded ram.

After lunch, the group headed back out in search of a gemsbuck for Dad. Feeling a bit relieved that they were able to find and follow up on Michelle's ram, the group had hopes of getting that feeling past them. Little did they know that their morning was only beginning the roller coaster of up and downs... more downs that ups. With the incredible amount of game in this area, it wasn't long before Dad was looking at a herd of gemsbuck. Jim was able to find a shooter in the herd and as Dad steadied himself for his first shot the bull turned broadside. Given Dad's record up until this shot, everyone thought this 100 yard shot was a chip shot. However, as Dad let his first round fly, the group could see the bullet hit low and behind the bull. Unsure of why he had missed, the group moved on in search of another herd. Shortly thereafter, Dad was preparing for his second attempt at a different gemsbuck. Making sure he didn't have the same results, Dad took his time but just as the first shot did, his second was also a clean miss. Now Dad was getting a little frustrated but the gemsbuck did not spook to bad and Dad was able to get a second shot at 150 yards but once again, shot #3 did not connect. By this point, Dad was a little embarassed, frustrated, and confused. He was sure his guide Jim had lost his confidence in the shooting skills he had seen Dad perform in the first few days. Not one to give up to easy, Dad persisted and soon enough the group was again on gemsbuck. This herd held a very long female that Dad liked so they closed the distance to 100 yards to make sure Dad would connect this time. As Dad fired shot #4 today he finally connected but the shot was a bit far back. The gemsbuck disappeared into the brush and trees so the group closed in and fanned out and began zig-zagging through the brush. The gemsbuck was relocated and Dad was able to finish the job and now stood over his fourth trophy. The group snapped more photos and headed back to the ranch. After the highs and lows of today, Dad made sure he visited the target range to sight in his rifle again. Sure enough, his rifle was shooting low and left, probably from bouncing around with Dad in the back of the hunting rig. This trip to the range help restore the confidence Dad has lost on the afternoon of Day 5. This was a much needed trip to the range as Chad’s rifle was only half way through its tour of South Africa. Before we would leave, this rifle would help us bring down many more animals.