By Kevin Lynch
It was then I realized, this was the moment, the one I had dreamt of and prepared for, tactically for months yet conceptually for far longer. The spectacular morning sky was crisp at less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We were above the prevailing clouds, well more than 6000 feet of elevation, on what I would describe as a high-rolling mesa, blanketed in sparse winter vegetation. Staring through my scope, I could smell the rich dirt, laying prone next to Paul, my Professional Hunter, or PH for short. Absent better options for cover, we had crawled to this location, using a small rise in the African earth for cover.
We had seen an abundance of plains game that morning, including blesbok, mountain zebra, and springbok, but right now none of that mattered. My focus and reticle lay squarely on a mature red hartebeest, which I ranged at 478 yards. The bull momentarily split from the rest of the herd, and Paul whispered, “go bru.” As practiced on the range, I took a moderate breath, slowly exhaled, with a slight lean into the rifle’s buttstock, and squeezed the trigger, sending a 200 grain 300 Winchester Magnum round, rightly called “the Lord’s caliber,” into the animal’s vitals. The crack of the rifle was immediately followed with the rewarding sound of impact, and I watched the bull waver, and fall. It was all so surreal.
The week that ensued would see the entire crew take some truly amazing game, and enjoy unbridled camaraderie in the evenings, with ample stories that grew larger as did the count of local beer. I told my share of tales to this group of newly formed friends, all of them stories I never thought possible. You see, I’m a novice hunter, and despite a deep desire to hunt in Africa, I had placed this dream with a bushel of others, to be unrealized, pre-judging my skills to be inadequate to the task at hand. I imagined that to partake in and enjoy an African hunting safari would minimally take 10 to 15 years of experience, with 40 to 50 large game animals killed along the way. I was wrong. I often wonder, how many are like me, that never take the step, courageous or careless in the eye of the beholder, to go chase their safari dreams. How many have the desire yet lack the chalk marks to follow to make this a reality. To be clear, I don’t fashion myself as a “How To” author, so expect no checklist of important non-negotiable steps to prepare. My formula included hunting private land a tad less than a dozen times over a four-year period, killing 15 animals. I added a long-range shooting course which proved a phenomenal primer to comfortably tackling longer distances with confidence. There is no replacing ample range time, importantly shooting multiple positions and certainly upon sticks. Beyond that, I found that those who enjoyed this passion were often more than just friends, they were teachers, so I proudly wore the badge of a novice and garnered wisdom from all willing to share.
If like me, your gear and weapons will evolve, I wasn’t afraid to start modestly and work to a higher standard over time. The last ingredient remains attitudinal, as you have to be willing to accept imperfection and embrace the pursuit of amazing, and all between, or said simply, just put on your damned boots and go try. If you are like I was, sitting and reading this, be it with dreams of mule deer in Montana or elk in Oregon or boar on the Central Coast of California, those dreams can only be realized if you try, and like all great journeys, that starts with a single step. As the saying goes, “Jump In, The Water Is Fine.” Set your objective and prepare each day to a level worthy of the dream you shaped, and you will find it attainable.
Outfitter: Field Ethos x Outrider Adventures
Rifle: Allterra Mountain Shadow Steel
Caliber: 300 WinMag
Scope: Leupold VX5
Ammo: Hornady ELD-X Precision Hunter
Bipod: Spartan Precision Javelin Pro
Sling: Long Haul by Field Ethos
