Baboon.

[oowee]

Just back from a trip to South Africa wing shooting in Bloemfontein.


A cracking ten days on the ducks, geese and Pigeons but also got the chance to stalk a baboon.
I have been trying to arrange this over the last couple of years but despite outfitters offering baboon shooting very few really want to stalk them. I had been offered the chance to shoot one from the buggy earlier in the week but turned the chance down to have a go on foot. My guide Conea had been brought up in the mountains close by and offered to take me. He has no love of the creatures as they have killed some of his dogs and are regular raiders of his farm. Following a lot of discussion over how best to do it we decided on an early morning raid. The trick being to get passed the patrolling baboons that guard the troop, without being spotted first.
Up at 0400 we headed to the mountains and climbed to the top of the ridge a distance of about 2 miles and a climb of about 200m just as the sun came up. Above the quarry we set out over the plateau to get to the ridge over the caves where the baboons hang out. The climb was a complete b****** and our bag carrier Tarbu was feeling the pain

. After two hours we approached the ridge and began glassing for guards. Nothing in sight we spotted the first of the troop on the valley floor below, heading our way with a booty of maize. Now the big question how to get off the top of the escarpment into a firing position. Deciding on a route we began the climb down a gully beside the cliff face, a route that should put us at the point where the baboons would begin the climb up to their caves.
We were making good progress when a call went out below us.We had been spotted by an unseen pair of eyes on the rocks below. We quickly dropped down behind some rocks and started to look for the guard, still calling below. It took at least 10 minutes to see it sitting on a vantage point about 150 m to our right and 50 meters below us. I set up the rifle on the rocks and readied for the shot. As we were now hidden from the baboon it climbed up the cliff face to get a better view point of our location. It was now about 175m away but above us. I took the shot and heard the bullet strike home. The animal dropped to its knees and clung precariously to the cliff face. I hoped it would drop but it pulled itself to safety and disappeared. We waited 15 minutes to see if it would come out higher up and the started the climb over to it. It had dropped less than a metre from where it was shot.
It took then the best part of an hour to climb down the rest of the cliffs to the track leading through the woods below. After half a mile we saw the first of the baboon troop coming the opposite way on the track. They saw us first and began to scream. Others came from all directions and were all around us in the woods screeching and challenging us. There was no clear shot as they ran from clearing to clearing. Tarbu carrying the body of the baboon we had shot seemed to be upsetting them even more than we were and he quickly caught up with us. Having seen many films where the man at the back of the line suddenly disappears I made sure to stay in the middle for the rest of the way.
It was a most exhausting but fantastic experience and one I plan to repeat.
Firing point


Kudu

Waterbuck

Spurwing

 

[A Guy Out West]

I too have heard the bark of the baboon. Baboons are so wary, until you see for yourself how smart and wary they are, it's almost unbelievable. Sounds like you had a great experience, good for you.

 

[shakey jake]

Well done mate, im glad you got one might sound daft but wbat happens to the meat?

 

[tusker]

Well done mate, im glad you got one might sound daft but wbat happens to the meat?

Most places I have hunted they use the carcass for Leopard bait, some of the locals, workers take it to eat but wont admit to it.
Tusker

 

[Heym SR20]

As a teenager was sent out with an old Brno .22rf to go and shoot baboons raiding the mealie fields. Never got a shot at one though. They were huge, and actually glad I did n't get a shot. I think a 22 would probably have just annoyed one!

 

[oowee]

Most of the meat from the smaller stuff is left out in the sun to mature before being eaten by the locals. I was told they wont eat baboon. The larger carcass are sold to dealers.

Well done mate, im glad you got one might sound daft but wbat happens to the meat?

 

[User00033]

I have been trying to arrange this over the last couple of years but despite outfitters offering baboon shooting very few really want to stalk them.

I am not surprised to hear that, not at all.

Bobbejaan is the toughest, mostly mentally challenging hunting I’ve ever done, and oftentimes extremely tough physically too. I showed my Afrikaans wife your story this morning, we both enjoyed it very much. Brings back so many memories, generally ones of despair, humiliation and extreme frustration with the occasional moment of victorious glee though to be honest I remember the successes more as relief. So you did very well to get one first time.

The baboon to me was just too cunning. Meticulously organised, amazing ability to assess risk and adjust tactics accordingly. They were public enemy number one on the farm. The country we hunted was similar to your photos, kopjes looking down on the fields below, the only way to have half a chance of success was either proper long range shooting (600-700m+) or to walk way far around the back and climb up and around the troop at night, and then wait. We got busted a few times at dawn before we could get a shot off, its very taxing.

I’ve got lots of stories about being raided by baboons, in the Eastern Transvaal and Scarborough in the Cape... for another time.

 

[oowee]

Thank's for the reply Dodgyknees despite others wanting to shoot bigger game i was only interested in the Baboon and now i am addicted. I can see from your comments that you have shared the challenge . It's the first time i hunt something which is not just trying to get away, but trying to outsmart and as you say working as a team against your best efforts. A true challenge.

 

[levigsp]

Fantastic story and great animals to hunt. One was missed last year and then spent 3 days shouting from the trees! very clever animal and one not to be left of the safari want list.

 

[john.d.m]

Very challenging, hard work sometimes, but really intriguing to watch and hunt, as very cunning and seem to have almost human ability to think and plan and know whats going on around them and they should never be underestimated !
But saying that one of the most memorable few days I had in Zim, was during the maize harvest, I sat on side of the road, with 30-06, cool box, umbrella and my smokes, and picked a few off which came to pick up the spilt maize where it had fallen off the trailers.
Have to admit, I was very lucky going to mates place, as they were treated as a pest, so no $.
Can be a bit of a shock to some people sometimes how big they are, and had one which I had hit, so was following hard, and seems like he came to a " enough is enough" point and I didnt have to follow no more, as he was coming to me !