Wayne Brush’s A Boy From Texas

The .270 roared just as the male bushbuck took a step forward, and I could tell immediately that the boy had hit him too far back - it quickly disappeared into the thick bush. With his rifle ready, the boy and I followed our PH for a short distance into the heavy bush. The PH turned to us and commented that we had best get the dogs - although small, wound ed bushbuck are dangerous.

Kevin Robertson's informative book on African game, The Perfect Shot, states: "Wounded Bushbuck are very aggressive, will not hesitate to charge, and can use their sharp-tipped horns to deadly effect, so treat them with the utmost respect. More than a handful of sport hunters have been sent to ' the happy hunting grounds' by these pugnacious little antelope."

After about a two-hour wait, our PH was back with the dogs. These hounds are trained to follow a blood trail, which greatly improves the chances of recovering a wounded animal. After following the barking dogs into the thick bush, we soon heard the unmistakable wail of the hounds at bay. As we neared the area where the hounds had the bushbuck bayed, we heard one of the dogs yelp in pain, and in a few seconds we heard the other dog. We knew the bushbuck had charged both dogs. He was finished with a shot from a distance of about fifteen feet away as the dogs continued to keep him at bay. The dogs had minor punctures from the horns but did not require a trip to the Vet.

The boy from Texas likes to fish, but prefers hunting. Having taken deer, turkey, feral hog and bobcat from his native Texas, he had proven himself a good shot and a determined hunter. He always enjoyed hearing of my hunting experiences in Africa, and when I offered him the chance to hunt South Africa he immediately accepted.

His parents and sister met my wife and me at the Dallas, Ft. Worth airport at 4.00 a.m. for the first leg of our trip to Blaauwkrantz Safaris, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The Rudmans have a quality operation, and the accommodation and food is excellent. They offer a number of plains game hunts on their 50,000-acre ranch with hunting access to over one million acres.

I could see concern in the eyes of the boy's mother. She was sending her not yet fifteen-year-old son halfway around the world on a hunting trip. Unfortunately, much of the news about Africa that we get in the U.S. is about some of the more troubled areas, and most people do not realize that South Africa is a friendly place that welcomes sportsman and tourism.

The flight from Dallas to Port Elizabeth, including layovers, takes over thirty hours. Blaauwkrantz had recommended at least three hours between flights in Johannsburg where we would clear customs and get our firearms permits. I had my form 4457 from US customs showing proof of ownership of the .270 cartridge rifle and the .50 calibre muzzleloader. I had also completed the SAP 520 form in advance.

These forms are necessary in order to get a temporary firearm permit if you are bringing guns into South Africa. I also had a letter from Blaauwkrantz stating that I would be hunting with them, as well as showing their outfitter number and the rifles' descriptions and calibres, plus the serial number and number of rounds for each rifle that we were bringing. (I had written giving all the necessary information to Blaauwkrantz). Some of the other hunters that I saw did not have their outfitters' number and a letter of intent, and were delayed until they could obtain this information. The officials were courteous and matter-of-fact. There were no problems in getting the permit as I had completed all the required forms. However, it is still a slow process, mainly due to their being understaffed and what appeared to be repetition in the process.

In Port Elizabeth we were greeted by Eardley Rudman, our professional hunter for our seven-day hunt. Another brief check of our firearms paperwork, and we were on our way to Blaauwkrantz. I could tell the boy was fascinated by the scenery on the drive to the lodge, with the novelty of seeing wild guinea fowl sitting on the utility lines and monkeys crossing the roadway as we sped along on the left side of the road in a Toyota truck that has the steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle. We soon reached the lodge and met the rest of the Rudman family and staff. After an excellent dinner with kudu as the main course, we turned in for a night's sleep in a comfortable bed.

The next morning we did a rifle check to be sure that the rifles were still on zero after the many flight changes and some rough luggage handling. I could tell the boy was somewhat anxious during the sight in as the PH was looking over his shoulder. However, in his normal shooting form he put the bullet in the bull. My muzzleloader also hit true, and Eardley said we were ready to hunt.

We then met our tracker and skinner, a very pleasant fellow with the appropriate name of Welcome. We loaded our gear and rifles into the 4x4 Toyota and headed out into the veld. Even after two previous trips, it still fascinated me to see the African game darting into the heavy bush as the truck made its way down the winding road. A large troupe of vervet monkeys crossed the road in front of us. One large male positioned himself in a tree about thirty yards away and looked us over. I asked the boy if he wanted to capture him and take him home to his sister! We had already picked the species of game that the boy would hunt, though not hunting them in any particular order.

After driving several miles through the thick bush and seeing a variety of game, the first animal to present a shot was a nice kudu bull. He was halfway up on a ridge about 140 yards away. What would normally be an easy shot for the boy was a clean miss. The bull bounded away and we were off to find another one. We covered a few more miles and suddenly Welcome was tapping on top of the truck for us to stop, when he informed Eardly that a good bull was in a narrow opening that we were about to cross.

We eased out of the truck, careful not to slam any doors, and sneaked out to the opening that ran to the top of the ridge. Eardly sized up the bull and said that he was a shooter. He positioned the shooting sticks and the boy cradled the Savage .270 in the fork. This time he appeared to be completely relaxed. I was standing behind the two but positioned myself where I could see the boy and the bull. I could see his finger tighten on the trigger and at the report of the rifle the kudu went down with hardly a twitch. The 150-grain Remington Express Core Lokt had performed perfectly. I was impressed with its performance and would continue to be even more impressed as the safari continued. At times I could almost see the .270 Winchester cartridge's most staunch supporter, famed outdoor writer Jack O'Conner, looking down from above, smiling and saying: "I told the world for 30 years".

We next spent a full day in the remote Zuurberg hunting for a trophy blesbok. The specific area that we hunted is called Intaba, meaning 'the mountain'. The view of the mountain range from all directions was absolutely breathtaking. A baboon barked his discontent with us being in his territory every few minutes, until we were out of his valley. Eardly said that it was probably a large troupe and that he was the dominant male. This was an exhausting hunt, but rewarding .The boy got a very nice buck, which we refer to as his 'mountain blesbok'. This was a hard day for all, especially Eardly and Welcome as the blesbok was shot over a mile from the truck, deep in the mountains. As he was climbing up a mountain trail, the boy found an old cartridge case which we later determined to be from a Martini Henry of about .577 calibre. I couldn't help but wonder if it dated back to the Boer wars and if it had been fired by an Englishman at a Boer as he passed through the valley below.

Before the hunt was over, seven species of game had fallen to the .270: kudu, impala, blesbok, duiker, bat-eared fox, a very large warthog and the bushbuck.

The day before we were to fly back I asked the boy if he was ready to go home. He replied that he would like to stay a few more days, but unfortunately it was time to return. After a call to Roland Peacock at Taxidermy Africa, the trophies were left for their expert care and mounting. The boy is now anxiously awaiting the arrival of his mounts.
As the plane neared the Dallas, Ft. Worth airport, I glanced over at him as he dozed in the seat beside me.

I was proud of him; we had had a great safari. The boy's name is Guy Christopher Charest, and he is my grandson.

Wayne Brush is a retired CEO of a public company and has hunted extensively in the lower 48, Alaska, Canada and three times in South Africa. He hunted originally with a cartridge rifle and then switched to a muzzleloader. In January of 07 he laid down his rifles and took up the bow. He first hunt with a bow is for black bear in Canada and he is looking forward to a plains game hunt with the bow in South Africa.

Wayne Brush is a retired CEO of a public company and has hunted extensively in the lower 48, Alaska, Canada and three times in South Africa. He hunted originally with a cartridge rifle and then switched to a muzzleloader. In January of 2007 he laid down his rifles and took up the bow. He first hunt with a bow is for black bear in Canada and he is looking forward to a plains game hunt with the bow in South Africa.