The night is eerily and uncharacteristically quiet. It is only 19:30, according to my Luminox, staring right at me from the dark blind Vaughn and I are sitting in. The Bushveld air is biting cold and dusty, and I cannot help but think how privileged we are to be sitting here, waiting for one of the most coveted predator trophies in all of modern Safari hunting, the Spotted Hyena.

The pressure on me as a Professional Hunter is now on. My mind trails off to the events of the previous 7 days. We are half way through the Bucket list hunt, and our 14 day marathon Safari in South Africa. Everything has gone without a hitch so far, and we have collected some great and memorable trophies. We have also laughed a lot, ate some of the best food in the world, and in general, just had an absolute blast. But this is it, the one hunt that has had me worried the most.

Last night was interesting for sure, with some great activity at the bait site, but no Hyena. From our hide-out, a young Leopard walked in front of the blind no more than 5 yards from us. An hour later, a BIG male Leopard calmly walked up to the bait and started feeding on it. He then walked around the bait and twice sat on his haunches looking right at us. We also heard the howling “whoooop” of our prey more than once, but nothing came in. Why? Did we do something wrong? Did the two Leopard have anything to do with it? Was it the wind? Or was it something to do with the full moon-a “Super Moon”, and the brightest and biggest full moon of 2013? All these thoughts kept me awake and constantly thinking during the previous night.

The next morning was a revelation of sorts. Of the three drags we made, all three had Hyena tracks running on them, but, only after we left. We got out of the hide just before midnight, and they came in the wee hours of the next morning.
Vaughn then suggested to Heinrich, our local assisting professional hunter, and to myself, that we should re-drag the area and freshen up the bait. All of us agreed that this strategy might make the difference that evening.

Right now the bait is only 60 yards away, stationed over a little open area cleared by erosion. Our blind is perfectly situated, in the shade of a very big thorn tree and covered with camouflage netting.

The full moon continues to casts its translucent light, and we again feel the eerie calm as we watch the bait tree and the surrounding area for any sign of activity. We wait and wait…remaining quiet and motionless. The moon’s light now finds its way partially into the blind and Vaughn places part of his camouflage clothing over the rifle barrel to avoid any glare from the moon.

A couple of hours later the still night air is suddenly shattered by a very clear and distinct “whoooop!”. He is still some ways off, but it sounds as if he is on one of the roads that had been freshly dragged again this afternoon. I can sense Vaughn, sitting next to me, beginning to focus all of his senses on the sound, and slowly but quietly settling himself upright and a little forward in his seat. Vaughn now has the rifle and scope tightly pulled against his upper right arm and face. The next “whoooooop” as well as a softer “giggle”, takes both of us by surprise as the Hyena is now only about 200-300 yards from us. I begin to think that he must be running hard onto that fresh stinking trail that we left for him earlier today.

No words or looks are needed or exchanged between the two of us. Vaughn sits totally focused and tucked in behind the sticks, waiting. I perch forward with the spotlight in my hands. We peer into the bright moonlight for some sign of the “spotted dog”. Nothing….did he smell us? Did we do something else wrong? A little shadow of doubt started to creep into my mind, but then…..there…..a large shadow moving down the road leading to the bait….The sloping body and odd gait reveal that this is the animal that we came for. The Swarovski binoculars confirm to me that it is a mature Spotted Hyena, and I give Vaughn the tapping signal on his leg that the light will shortly be coming on and that he will soon be in the clear to shoot.

BOOOOOM! Before the light even has a chance to come on, Mr. Spots is the unhappy recipient of a Barnes 200gr. TSX bullet from Vaughn’s .325 WSM MG Arms Model 70 Winchester. A short tirade of sounds from the Hyena, and then brief hopping and biting that abruptly ends within 15 seconds. A perfect heart shot, taken in the full of the moon and without the assistance of any artificial light!
Vaughn and I had discussed this scenario over and over during the previous night. IF the moon was bright enough, he would try to take the shot without the assistance of the light. Once he got the tap from me, he had the “green light” to make that determination himself and to take the shot if he felt comfortable and confident to do so.

The relief and jubilation that flooded over the both of us was indescribable! Let us just say that this was not my client’s first try for this special animal, but it surely was a very special and memorable hunt for both of us. And, it was certainly my humble privilege and honour to be the lucky P.H. to guide him to a successful conclusion of his quest for the “Spotted Dog”.

You are welcome to read the full report on the "Bucket List Hunt" by Use Enough Gun in the hunting reports section

Watch out Boddington and Flack, a new writer is budding.

Very nice!!

[quote]Watch out Boddington and Flack, a new writer is budding.

Yes, for sure...riveting!

Damn Charl, you're a writer too!

Great read.

A FUN Read! Those creatures run about the same
weight as leopards if I recall. Am I correct? I
tip my hat to both client and pro; each did his
part very well...

Enjoyed the great write Charl

D R Hunter: Yes, this one weighed over 140 lbs according to the scale at the skinning shed.

Thank you folks, I am hoping to get it published in one of the main hunting magazines. I browsed through my SCI magazine last night, and was disappointed in the lack of hunting stories. All advertisements!? I am going to send them an e-mail, but it looks as if they are dead set against the hunting articles?

The spotty, smelly dog has eluded me as well. Hope to get one at Malapati come October. Nice story.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
The spotty, smelly dog has eluded me as well. Hope to get one at Malapati come October. Nice story.

Good luck, Will. Malapati should be a good place for hyena. It was for me!

Infinito.
Greatly enjoyed your write up on the spotted hyena hunt with Use Enough Gun.

Kind regards
Jytte

Great story. Sounds like a proper hunt for hyena, love to do that some day. Thanks for sharing.