Jeff Goes For The Stripes

From game camera pictures we learned that Zebra were not coming into the water holes until between 12-am and 4-am. So on the 8th and final day of the hunt Will Smith (my PH) got permission for me to use a rifle to hunt the zebra. There were too many zebras populating the 15,000 acres of Konona West ranch; so the owner asked us to take a zebra if we could.

We woke up early and got right out after them at daylight. Right away we saw zebra standing in the road, so we jumped out of the back of the truck and put a stalk on them. However, they somehow busted us and left the party before it actually every started.

We then climbed a rather large Koppie (rocky hill; small mountain) and got several hundred feet above the bush country and glassed for zebras below.

Soon we spotted some Zebra several hundred yards from the base of of the Koppie we were on; so the chase was on. We climbed down the Koppie and put a stalk on the zebra.

When we got to the area we spotted them at we heard them and could smell them pretty well. Will glassed a nice mare at about 100 yards straight out, looking right at us and told me to get ready to shoot. I laid down on the rock to get a good rest for the shot; lined up the crossed hairs, and pulled the trigger:

"Click" was all that was heard. I had forgotten to close the bolt all the way.

So, I closed it; however, did not rework the action and when the zebra actually walked into about 40 yards it clicked again. Just then my PH told me the camera stopped working and not to take a shot unless I wanted it to be taken with out footage for viewing. So we pulled out and started to regather our composure.

Meanwhile the zebra ran far away; so, we began to stalk them all around the 15,000 acres. We climbed many more rather high Kippie's, and continued to glass the entire range in view.

After lunch we began drove around the free ranging area; we were running along the fence line and following some Ostriches when we crossed a dry river bed. Coming up on the other side we stopped to get pictures of the rather large birds when to my surprise I caught a glimpse of a fine Hart mans zebra trotting away from us about 30 yards away.

After pointing it out to my PH, he instructed me to get out of the truck and he guided me back to the river bed about 100 yards or so, and then up the river a couple hundred yards -- hoping to cut off the zebra.

We did -- I saw the zebra through the bush, coming right at us. Will pulled me over to the edge of the river bank and I kneeled down to get ready for a shot. I zeroed in on the right leg and pulled the trigger from only 50 yards away; nearly close enough to have taken the shot with my bow. The bullet entered in the front leg breaking it and entering the heart and lung area. The stallion spun around and my second shot anchored him.

At last I had my zebra. It was a fine Hartmans mountain zebra stallion. He was a very old specimen; his teeth were quite worn down. He was probably in his last year of life. However, he had survived for many years; avoiding the leopards and cheetas that regularly kill game in the area.