|
 When
I purchased the rhino hunt donated by Wiets Safaris, I
knew it would be a great experience. My wife and I had
hunted with them twice before and we can wholeheartedly
endorse the high quality safari experience provided by
the Botes family. Still, a "catch and release" rhino
hunt would be an experience.
Learning the "do's and don'ts" of tranquilizing large
animals from the veterinarian was entirely different
than studying hand loading manuals and selecting premium
bullets. The distance the dart is accurate is directly
related to the air pressure you set. Too little pressure
and the dart fall short too much and the dart may bounce
out without injecting the sedative.
The Danish built dart rifle has a smooth trigger, but
its maximum range is 40 meters. Shot placement is
crucial, the shoulder on the hindquarters are preferred.
The shot must also be placed square into the muscle to
prevent deflection by the extremely tough hide.
The requirements of a darted hunt are strict. A
veterinarian must be present. At least one licensed
Professional Hunter must be with the client. The rhino
is insured in case of accident - you must provide your
own insurance on yourself. A rhino may not be darted
more than once. Your life and the health of the rhino is
the primary concern throughout the hunt. Oh yes, One
more thing to remember. When you shoot the rhino you
must pretend to be a termite mound. Stay still, stay low
and experience time in slow motion. The sedative is
strong but for 3 - 7 minutes you have 3 tons of
irritated rhino looking for the reason behind its sore
butt, and it's only a few yards away!
With 32 rhinos on the 25 000 acres square ranch the
first struggle is to find one of the big bulls. (Tracker
tracking the rhino) If the rhino is with a cow or a cow
and a calf you can only approach within a 100 yards.
Alone one can get to 65 yards before the natural alert
system kicks into you. Then there is the up close and
personal experience of crawling within a few yards of
the rhino with only a thin bush between you. No shot is
available through the limbs or head; you must make the
shot in the hindquarters or shoulder. You do not take
casual shots; this animal is to be taken seriously!
Thys Botes and Barry shared the PH role on my hunt. Each
wanted to get me closer than the other. Finally at 3:23
pm after over 6 hours of stalking, crawling and heart
pounding excitement, I placed a dart into the left hind
cheek of the rhino at 32 yards. Over the next 3 minutes
(which felt like 3 years!), we become the newest termite
mounds at the ranch as the rhino advanced to within 20
yards, looking for the source of the dart. As the rhino
started to weave and wobble the veterinarian took over,
helping lay the animal down properly for ease of
breathing and for photos.
Thys quickly measured the horns to be 31" long with a
24" base and 10 " long with a 19" base. Within an hour
of my shot the antidote had worn off and my "catch and
release" rhino hunt was concluded. The hunt itself may
be over, but the experience and memories of being "up
close and personal" with the huge animal will never
fade. |
