The next morning we stalked springbok up down and around the hills, no luck, but a great stalk trying to close the 168 yards down to a 120.  Springbok are about 60 lbs. We tracked a nice one down into the flats and got a shot at about 90 yards.  Boom! one to the spine and he was down for the count.  The PH says it is currently number 10ish in the SCI listing.  We also saw black wildebeest, red hartebeest and duiker.

Traveled to Mafigeni that evening, heavy dense thorn bush 80yards max shots, 130 yards broken visibility.  Started hunting Oryx and impala.  Made a stalk on an impala but a shot did not present itself.  Took a stand while the trackers drove game to us.  I was flanked by three nice Oryx who walked within 35 yards before the guide made enough noise to get me to turn around.  I pulled up but they bolted.  We stayed in position and Oryx and impala were running all around us, but no clear shots.  While we were watching, a huge waterbuck nearly ran over us.

After brunch we headed out for Oryx.  We took another stand and the trackers started pushing game.  One large bull and three large cows flanked us at about 60-75 yards.  The lead bull presented a shot about the time the cows spotted us.  I took careful aim for the heart and dropped the hammer on a 300 grain freedom arms bullet at 1680fps.  He staggered and almost fell but regained his footing and started running after the cows with me right behind him at full charge.  I can't remember looking through the scope, I just instinctively cocked, lead, and fired right when he went behind heavy branches at about fifty yards.  Branches went flying everywhere.  He staggered a little farther and dropped to his haunches and fell flat.  I gave him an insurance shot through the heart and that what that.  The first shots went right through the front leg joint, the heart, and lodged against the skin on the far side.  The next plowed right through 10' of heavy brush and smashed through the lungs and lodged on the far side skin.  The hole was six inches above the first.  The third zipped him.  Six points under the record book minimum, but still a huge animal 450ish.  Turned and saw the impala coming.  Had a shot on a nice bull, but a doe stood behind him.  I would have killed them both with the 300 Freedom Arms bone smashers.  I was just as glad, I was still shaking from charging a wounded Oryx and giving him a dose of 454 wup-ass.  Apparently the Oryx (gemsbok) can be very mean with those yard long horns.  Game catchers talk about tossing empty cigarette packs in the air and they skewer them every time like expert fencers, but they thrust with a 40 inch neck vice a man's arm.

We dropped the Oryx off at the skinning camp and the hands started in on him.  They were very glad they didn't have to chase a wounded animal half way across the low veldt.  We took off for Wildebeest.  We saw a nice young bull at 80-100yards but passed him by.    We turned the corner and there was a large black animal with large curling horns looking straight at us.  The broken bosses and the size made me think it was a female buff, but Claude said no it was a huge wildebeest.  We got within 20 yards of the heard and the old bull came toward us.  I cocked the gun and he spun turning quartering away and I sent a 300 grainer right through his heart and out his chest.  It didn't even phase him, not like the Oryx, about a hundred yards off we heard him fall dead.  The heart was disintegrated and the bullet exited out the far shoulder.