Stupid, Stupid, Hunter….

When You See That Once In a Lifetime Animal Don't Be A Stupid, Stupid, Hunter….

You can always make more money, you rarely can forget your regrets.

      Man – there it was…looking through the scope…a Kudu…64’ish…maybe 62. The bases of his horns were so big I couldn’t have put both hands around them… his horns went up and up and up… he was frozen looking at me – me, frozen looking at him…  eye glued to the scope, gripping a deadly 375 Ruger….  I had him, cross hairs on the throat - him looking right at me.

      Then I did the stupidest thing  - ever - in my life [a life filled with many stupid things],  I passed. Hendrik was hissing “take him, take him” – I passed…I passed…you know I still see that Kudu, sometimes I wake up thinking about him. What was I thinking? 

       I had just taken my leopard,  so I already had a big bill, plus I took a zebra, ca-ching…the bill adding up. Leann had taken animals at our previous stop in Kimberly – overall an expensive summer. I was thinking money, and I should have been thinking once in a lifetime Kudu…stupid, stupid.   

      Our stay at Nyala Lodge in the Limpopo was amazing. Luckily Hendrik and Estelle have donated another hunt to our chapter, this one being auctioned off  in our September 21 banquet.   They had outstanding game, the largest Nyala, not only I had ever seen, I had ever even heard about. The Kudu, as I said was majestic – the bush is thick on this lush side of the mountain, almost tropical in vegetation, but truly exceptional. Rare monkeys and guinea fowl that can’t be found anywhere else in Africa roam the ranch. It was so thick leopards regularly patrolled the land.  I nailed mine the first day at 4:30 in the afternoon, an amazing accomplishment. I’m the only person I know that shot a leopard at a waterfall! 

      I’m still a stupid hunter – I can’t get that Kudu out of my head.  I can’t believe I let it pass, I could always squeeze a few extra bucks out of my pocket, but I can’t squeeze a few extra 60 inch kudu’s from my backpack.  A word from a most regretful hunter, when you see a trophy bigger than any of your friends – take it. It’s no fun living with regrets.