By Joe Byers

Harold Prinsloo and Joe Byers

During my first sit at a Fahad waterhole, I saw dozens of animals and took a trophy warthog.  My piston-style broadhead left so much “sign” we decided to switch to a different hide the next day. 

                I came to Fahad as a journalist to write about a group of six rifle hunters as part of a media launch on the property.  As in the seventeen previous trips to Africa, I carried a bow and planned to have some fun when the “work” was done.  Retrieving the warthog with a vehicle caused quite a bit of commotion so I left the hide knowing that the trail camera would capture what I missed until the next day.  Fahad is arbitrarily divided into six districts and one of the rules of the camp is that no one hunts the same district on successive days, a policy to disperse hunting pressure. 

                “The ranch has 15,000 acres dedicated to bowhunting only, yet we are not really set up for bowhunters,” said Harold Prinsloo, my PH for the trip.  “This section is primarily where the game drives occur and you’ll see a noticed difference in how animals react to vehicles.  We have some hides in place, but they are not our best.  You also have miles and miles of excellent stalking along the Limpopo River, something you can do from camp.”

                In the back of my mind I tried to rationalize how the Prince must feel.  If I had a billion dollars and had a special game reserve to bring my special friends and business associates, wouldn’t I want them to see really big animals-giant kudu, gemsbok, impala, and the like?   For example, Rick Toms, a Maryland sportsman who had never made so much as an out-of-state hunt, took a 57-inch kudu bull the second day of the safari.  That’s a 180-inch whitetail by comparison. 

Final Day

                The last day of a safari is a melancholy affair.  “I don’t want this to end!”  Prinsloo knew of another hide in the rifle hunting area that was well suited for bow hunting and an excellent spot for a 40-inch gemsbok, a trophy I’ve sought for a long time.  “It’s made of stonework and has a chimney to disperse scent,” something that caught my attention.  A “scent stack” is one aspect of scent elimination North American’s haven’t yet tried.

                We arrived at 8:00 and immediately got settled in.  Waterhole hides are fantastic camera blinds as well and I had a long lens hoping to capture any creatures not big enough to shoot.  This was a text book set-up with an enclosure recesses three feet into the ground, offering one shooting window and very dark inside.  Sure enough the chimney was in place, however, I’m not sure how it worked. 

                A stiff wind blew early in the morning, yet mellowed around 10:00 and soon the first animal came to the water.  When I saw the gemsbok put its nose to the ground and its horns rose above its back, I knew this was a shooter.  “It’ll go 40 inches whispered Prinsloo and I readied for the shot.  The animal dawdled near the water and then turned broadside at 23 yards.  The unleashed arrow penetrated the heart leaving an easy trail to follow.  

                Two shots in two sittings is about all any archer can hope for, however, I wondered about the potential of this property.  Given the limited hunting pressure and the emphasis on quality game, surely some real monsters lived on this property, especially in the bowhunting zone.  Prinsloo seemed anxious to accommodate bowhunters and I’ve already reserved a week for 2010.   Given the game on this property, it’s like private land in Iowa, Yellowstone, and Denali National Parks all rolled into one. 

Whitetail Gear in Africa

                Rifle hunters often must bring a magnum caliber to Africa, yet bowhunters can use the same gear they use for whitetail deer.  I used a Bear Truth II compound set at 60 pounds, HellFire arrows, and Meatseeker broadheads.  The bow delivered plenty of energy even at my medium draw weight, the HellFire arrows were perfectly silent through the Whisker Biscuit rest, but the Meatseeker broadheads were devastating.  I had used this head on a safari in 2008 and took six animals with six shots, each taken squarely in the middle of the shoulder.  The Meatseeker’s not only penetrated well, but left a massive wound channel.  Kudu, gemsbok, wildebeest, all went down in less than 100 yards.

                Don’t forget your whitetail tricks either.  Bring your scent elimination clothing and scent spray, just don’t put it in your carry-on where it will be confiscated as a “liquid.”  You’ll want your binoculars and especially a good range finder.  I’ll cover the gear aspect another time, but if you are interested in a blind hunt or a stalking hunt, Fahad has incredible possibilities.

                I’ve already book a camp for August 14^th next year and can’t wait to spend a full week hunting in the bowhunting area.  Instead of taking photos of other, my critters will be in the spotlight.