Go through these stages, just do not like the dead animal photo's. simple to treat malady - just do not take those photo's.
This was one of those Treeman show off hunts, the more business and cater for for clients hunts where after they had their change I quickly go get a few animals. Every now and again it just happens this way and i can not say I do not enjoy the awed response to my extreme proficiency and brilliant bush craft, This is known as "blerry lucky" to the old hands.
End of first day I said the newbies must stop shooting and that i was just going to pop off to one side to see if I could get something in last 40 minutes of light - when the newbies must stop shooting because i say nasty things when tracking by torch in my beer time.
I got one Impala a few minutes later.
Day two Cody and I each took our hunters out 3 times, but " I can not see it", "I can not see through scope" AND ONE FKIN " "I lost my rifle bolt" later we had no further animals.
Last 40 minutes of light I sent vehicle ahead and did a quick hunt and shot 2 Impala.
After a lot of grinning and looking important we went to collect the animals only to find one was not there.
That 40 minutes light left was now like 10 minutes.
Put dog on it she followed the spoor and then ended up at dead animal, the first dead animal. Went back to POI and she followed spoor all-over and then cut back to the first animal.
Sh was tracking the wounded buck over the wind trail of the first buck and then veering off on the obvious shortcut to animal.
Put 5 persons along fence 1 pole apart each and sent them into thick stuff at that distancing - nothing.
No blood, no foot spoor, but I saw and heard the hit.
Back to poles, two poles apart each person and walk it again - 100 m in, stop. turn around and plead with guys too look in and under the bush's, not just in front of them. Last walk and see lighT.
The one lightie was reeely starting to piss me the fk off, he was just so uninterested and you could just see he did not give two shits.
Just going through the motions.
We had just started on the back track to the start point when that same lightie called, 'Het hom" - "got him".
Lying right there where we had all walked back tracked, crossed over and stood at. In the relative open - right there!
Cody even said that this was where Rat turned back to first animal at the fence, in same opening.
So we got it, I shot 3 Impala. ( will post a thread on this tracking story)
No dead animals, but here some other photo's and a 0400 in morning wakey to hunt video.
These are the "must stop and take out of the road tortoises Cody collected, we put them deep into farm from the fence.
This is who this boy is, look at the face, the simple pleasure of the moment.
20240103_115828 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
This is John, my hero, 74 yrs old, and still surfing every day possible. This man dives yellowtail and muscle cracker every day possible weather providing, still does a easy minute bottom time and thinks nothing of swimming out therrrrrrrr to the drop off to just have a look if there are any what ever fish. A absolute legend of male ability - horticulturist by trade.
This is my original #4 303 I found and then let him have because he was so over the "real thing" If I recall correctly the rifle was manufactured on his birth year as well. 
20240103_055008 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
The old and the new - this stance of Johns more portrays his being and approach to life. Cody is very over Uncle John.
20240103_054956 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
This photo is very much who this child is, often come out to find him just, well ? Just ?? Being ?
20240103_052238 by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
I made this video of the early morning rising so as to hunt and get back before 10ish when the son gets dangerously hot.
WhatsApp Video 2024-01-08 at 23.16.04 (1) by David Frank Allen, on Flickr
