Thanks for your kind comments gentlemen.

Unfortunately taking the cape was not a viable option for a couple of reasons: not obvious in the photo, but he had big patches of hair-loss, possibly mange, on the tops of his shoulders and it would have ended up looking like a very ratty taxidermy job! Also I got him at around 08:30 and it was already quite hot, almost midday by the time I reached camp, so not much chance of getting the cape into the salt in time.

Once again I anguished over which firearm to take on the trip, having a bunch of lovely vintage rifles including several Mannlichers, Lee Speeds, and a Kurz Mauser, but in the end I grabbed the Ruger RSI again. It is my culling rifle so it is in my hands killing game in the field more often than any other hardware in the gunsafe, and the short barrel is perfect for hill-climbing and fast running shots in the scrub if required.

Also my eyesight is not what it once was so I keep thinking a scope might be required, but in truth all shots so far have been well under 100 metres. Low light conditions at dawn or dusk however, often in thick bush, are a constant reality and the scope helps with shot placement on an animal that could be lost to the lantana if it makes 50 metres before expiring.