by Franco Giulietti

The Craft of a South African Stalk

On the one hand you have the stealthness of the predator, and on the other hand you have the alertness of the prey. Our hunting ancestors knew all about the importance of being stealthy while stalking their weekly rations. Their survival depended on their ability to blend in with the landscape – to be stealth. It was even more difficult for them as they had to get much closer to their prey.

There are certain hunting areas in South Africa which seems impossible to conduct a walk-and-stalk. One area that comes to mind is the Karoo. There the landscape is flat with scattered small thorn trees along dry riverbeds and the odd meter-high bush. Occasional ridges and rocky crops will provide sufficient cover but it often means a substantial detour. There is also no guarantee that the cover will take you close enough to the prey.

Stealthness is the key word for a successful stalk. You have to move slowly and keep very, very low. It’s all about determination, technique and the amount of time you are willing to invest.

You also have to know your prey – their characteristics and habits. Prey species are inherently alert, but there are times when they drop their guard just slightly while enjoying a leafy meal, playing or arguing. For some reason animals are also less alert while the sun is low. These are the times when a hunter would be able to carry out a successful stalk.

Patience also has a role to play. It’s best to put the stalking on hold when the prey is resting in a place where it has all the advantages. Eventually the prey will get up and start nibbling on a few tasty leaves. The prey’s attention will be distracted and you can continue your stalk.

However, if the place where the prey is feeding provides you with no advantage, you’ll be better off waiting until the prey moves to a more accessible position. Whatever you do, never lose sight of your prey. This may sound odd, but when you find yourself in a landscape unlike the Karoo, with an ever changing topography and a variety of vegetation between you and the prey it’s a matter of now you see it and now you don’t.

From a hilltop it’s easy to spot and keep track of the prey. However, on a level terrain covered with long grass it’s a different story. Then you would find it helpful to memorize a few markers to keep you on the right track. These markers could be for example two identifiable trees on either side of the prey. At least you’ll have a general indication of what direction to go.

Depending on the terrain, you might find yourself in a landscape with no markers at all. Then you’ll have to rely on your sense of direction along with a little help from the sun and wind. If you have no sense of direction, you might as well take out your harmonica and play a farewell song to your prey.

Even when it looks like an easy stalk, take time to familiarize yourself with the surroundings. Make sure there are no other animals between you and your prey. Remember, they don’t know that you’re not there to hunt them. If they get a whiff of you they will take off before you’ll have time to blink your eyes, and you can bet your old boots that your prey will go with them.

Once again – patience will do the trick. Plan your stalking route with precision. Use the natural features of the land - the hills, bushes, shadows and trees to your advantage. Also make sure the direction of the wind, even if it’s just a slight breeze, is not against you.

So, while you patiently wait and move in stealth mode, scan the landscape for possible alarmists, test the wind direction frequently and still keep your eyes on the prey, be sure to tread as light as an angel with those heavy hunting boots of yours. The prey doesn’t need visible proof of your presence. Any unauthorized noise will serve as an alarm.

When you near the end of the stalk and you start feeling the glow of success, be cautious – be very cautious. Now is not the time to be impatient or overly confident. Keep reminding yourself that the stalk is not over before you stand next to your trophy.

One wrong move and you can go home. This is where your knowledge of the prey species comes into effect. All animals lift their heads from time to time while feeding to make sure all is still well. When it does lift its head you must become part of the landscape – a rock formation, tree or anthill.

When I say you must become part of the landscape, I don’t mean you must make a sudden movement. If you think about it, in a camouflage environment something only becomes visible when there is movement. Many times I would stare into a bush and see nothing but as soon as the buck moves, even the slightest movement, I see it.

The same principle applies for the prey. It might not be totally convinced that you are out there but when it looks up and you freeze in your tracks, the prey will think nothing of it. However, the prey will see when you make a sudden movement to hide yourself and realize it’s too dangerous to stick around.

So, when you see the prey behaving nervously keep still for as long as it takes to put the prey at ease. Ignore signals to your brain that you’re painfully uncomfortable or you need to scratch an itchy spot. Think of yourself as a live fossil frozen in time. And never take your eyes off the prey.

When the prey becomes suspicious, it will start walking in semi-circles. It will try to use its nose to confirm your presence. If the wind or breeze is in your favour, you have nothing to worry about.

However, you’ll have to make a quick decision if you know the wind is about to tell the prey you’re hiding in the bush. You can choose to take a quick shot, which will probably not be very wise, or you can admire the graceful getaway of the prey and its friends and hope to see them another day.

Coming back to whether or not to take a quick shot. In some cases it can be very successful. But more often than not, depending on the hunter, a quick shot ends up in a miss or a wounded animal on the run. Now, you can have a few seconds of advantage by standing up, become visible to the prey and fire the shot. The prey will be so surprised that it will take a few seconds before it decides to run and in which direction to run. That is the only time you can show yourself to the prey. In this scenario there is no room for hesitation. You have to be quicker than lightning or you will fail.

As you can see, it’s quite tricky to be stealthy while stalking a prey. It’s a form of art and only practice will result in perfection. A successful stalk is a challenge no true hunter can walk away from. However, the reward for a determined, patient and willing hunter will be the fond memories shared with keen listeners around a blazing camp fire and the proud ownership of a well deserved trophy.