I like hunting each evening until its just too dark see anymore. Over my career I have found that the majority of my hunters and myself have taken most game in the last 30 minutes of daylight. Put another way If I was somehow confined to hunting 30 minutes a day it would be that last 30 minutes of light. Even with that limitation I would still have good success I'm sure!
Because we are usually hunting many miles from the camp or lodge when darkness has set in we usually have a long drive back. I like to try and continue hunting by calling in predators or whatever will respond. Often times we see them first and sometimes we just give it a shot in places where I have had luck in the past or frequently see jackals or other huntable critters.
This year we had some luck with this and some unusual visitors. Here are a few pictures of these events that we managed to collect.
Roger shot this Sivet cat one evening. I'm quite confident he was unsure of what this animal was at the moment but just as a well trained and experienced Safari hunter should(with me) When I said "shoot" he shot and the game dropped. Although with his 375HH I did not expect this little bugger to scurry off too far. Actually even with the 375 bullet this will be mounted lifesize!
Unfortunately this next critter will not be mounted lifesize. The 375 took it's toll on his hide. However even a blown up jackal is better then no jackal at all!
There were others we harvested too but this next couple photos was the most interesting animal we called in. The somewhat rare and very elusive ardwolf. I was within 25-30 feet of this guy before he figured out we we not what he thought we were. But a nice couple pictures of an unusual animal.
Here are a couple from other hunts as well.
An African Lynx I shot
spotted Genet I bonked on the noggin with a long stick after sneaking in on him. Thought we was finished until I reached to pick him up and he jumped and grabbed the cuff of my jacket and began shaking his head. That is the reason for the stunned look on my face and the death grip on his neck! This guy was so preoccupied with his stalk on a bushbaby that I was able to take advantage of his lack of attention to my stalk.
Many PH's don't have a strong desire or lots of experience with calling these small game species or animal oddities. I look forward to this as much as just about anything else on the trip. Its always nice when I have a hunter that also has this interest. There is a lot of things to see and hunt besides the typical big game we chase during daylight!
Most foreign hunters will never see a Ardwolf much less at a close 30 foot distance! I think these little adventures add a lot to the trip.
