The best tracking job I've seen was one I experienced.

ie refer to it as

"The Long Trek"

When hunting wildebeest in 1994 I took a silly shot as it turned to flee - shot for the back of its neck and instead hit the beast in the left rear hip so the bullet racked through its side breaking two ribs.

The wildebeest all ran off without any obvious sign of being hit but I had serious concerns. Following them up at a fast jog for about a kilometre we sighted one standing under a tree by itself, but we couldn't spot any wound. When it had run off the ground under the tree was examined and several drops of blood were found.

The PH on sighting them ran off and at this point I realised if I ran at his speed I wouldn't last for very long in the heat (40 deg plus). A shot in the distance was heard. One or two trackers had stayed with me and they actually had to track the other three to find them as they ended up to be a couple of kilometres away by the time we caught up to them. We had FOUR trackers as 1) we were hunting in the Bubiana Conservancy and one of their game scouts was with us, 2) we had been hunting on another property and the game guard from there was with us for the whole hunt, 3) the PH had his own tracker whom he worked with and employed and 4) as the PH was not an employee, the outfitter had supplied a very experienced tracker to keep an eye on everything. The fact we had four was just as well.

The PH had just managed to crease the top of the back hips which was not as good as dropping it but managed to increase the blood flow and spoor.

We had a 2 litre water bottle, six men and 40 deg C plus heat. And off we went. For the next EIGHT hours I decided as the superfluous client that I would keep going as long as the PH and trackers kept tracking and thought they could find the animal.

The PH and trackers I believe thought as long as the client keeps going they would keep trying!

To our misfortune the lone wildebeest had joined up with a herd of very alert zebra. The zebra kept walking downwind and kept the wildebeest moving. By itself it might have stopped and stiffened up somewhat. Watching a kpoje in the distance it was not amusing to realise that we had passed it and it was well behind us and another in the distance was "approaching". When you pass five of them you realise the trek is long.

It was interesting to watch the trackers at work. Sometimes there was a blood droplet only every 50 or 100 metres, smeared on a thorn or a drop on the ground. And as the day went they got less and drier and drier. When the trackers lost the spoor us two whities used to look for whatever shade we could find - usually just three or four inches of shade made by a thin tree. Enough for ones head, no more. The trackers would back track or fan out in every direction, walking a large circle until the tracks were re-discovered. While the two game guard trackers were enthusiastic and trying to do a good job, it was very noticable that the PH's and outfitters tracker were tracking very well with considerable ease and one of the two lesser trackers usually quickly took the lead after the experienced ones refound the tracks.

As the client I will look at tracks but usually think it is more important to scan the brush ahead. One can sometimes walk straight into a herd lying down if everyone is looking at the ground. Indeed this very thing happened last year when hunting hartebeest.

Water was becoming a serious problem and when we passed a cattle tank or trough we stopped to drink. The trough was a low tank three of so feet high and cleaning away about a foot of slime you discovered water. I asked whether it was safe to drink and was told that it might be but I had to make my own decision. So I settled on filling my hat with water a couple of times and dousing myself that way and cooling off. Unfortunately Judea the PH's tracker pushed the water bottle into the trough and contaminated the clean water 0 which I could have drained down - before we realised it.

Many hours later I had to take a couple sips of water.

As evening approached it was decided to give up for the day and head to a nearby kopje (about six kilometres away) where a sand river flowed and dig for water. Judea, a very strong man, set off to retrieve the vehicle and bring it to meet us.

We reached a dirt road which made the walking easier and when we reached the kopje and the trackers laughingly told us, "No, not this one, the next one!" I called a halt for a rest. This made them laugh even more as they were waiting for me to break.

Walking the rest of the way we reached a waterhole and the PH and I had a swim and eventually coaxed the tracker George in. The others refused as they were worried about crocodiles. We all jumped when a large lizard lept into the water from the rocky bank.

Digging for water proved useless as the water retrieved that way was sour and not fit for drinking.

When Judea arrived we had warm cokes and he also had a lovely cold water canteen which I drank a litre from. Then Wayne the PH warned me that Judea had got this from another bore of trough. So my perserverance with not drinking was wasted anyway.

Per Wayne the PH we had walked 25 kilometres that day after the wildebeest was wounded until we gave up the hunt. Plus another six kilometres to the waterhole and extra in the morning prior to the wildebeest. Making it at least 33 kilometres that day in considerable heat. I had about nine slips of water until the gut full of bore water and several beers that night. I slept well that night and the PH had holes through the soles of his new hunting boots.

***

The next day the dead wildebeest was recovered about five kilometres further on where it finally had lain down, stiffened up and died.

The bullet holes were discovered and confirmed.

This wildebeest is on my trophy room wall and rightfully has a mournful face.

***

Bubiana Conservancy is a great place to hunt. It does not have lion but has a decent herd of elephant and about 30 black and white rhinos in addition to plains game.

When hunting plains game it does spice up one's hunt to cross the very fresh spoor (dung) of elephants or almost bump into a black rhino in the dark.

Black rhino were protected there by numerous game guards.