by Franco Giulietti

Take the Shot

Hunting is not just about taking the shot. Hunting is so much more. It is about spending time in nature; enjoying the tranquillity. It is about rejuvenating your lungs with fresh air, exchanging the city stench with the sweet smell of nature and gain from a good dose of exercise while perfecting your stalking abilities. All this contributes to a memorable hunt with the trophy as an added bonus.

I know from experience all the feelings and temptations that goes hand in hand with a hunt. So, I would like to talk about important factors that should be considered before taking the shot. The factors I am about to point out may seem logic, but in the heat of the moment, excitement cancels out logic and you may make mistakes you will regret for a long, long time.

Once you have spotted the trophy, try to get as close as possible. The closer you are, the more accurate you will shoot. Long shots are more spectacular, but you have to be confident in your shooting skills. It is best to patiently move closer to a more sensible shooting distance. Hunting in Africa does not always allow for a close shot. My advice is to be prepared and spend enough time on the shooting range for you to get comfortable with long shots.

The million dollar question – How far is the animal? Now you can use a range-finder, but if you don’t have one (like me), you have to learn how to judge accurately. Judging distance is difficult for the untrained eye, but it does come with practice and experience.

I cannot stress the safety factor enough. Don’t even consider a shot before you are absolutely 100% sure that it is indeed a trophy. This may sound strange, but many hunters’ camouflages are so authentic that they actually appear to be a trophy.

The next step is to scan the trophy’s immediate surroundings. Be certain that nobody is behind the trophy for quite a distance. The possibility is always there that you hit the trophy, but the bullet might travel straight through its body and continue for at least a few hundred meters.

While it is important not to take more time than is necessary to take the shot, it is more important that you do not regret the shot you are about to take. Remember, the time you spent to be safe, is time well spent. It does not matter if the trophy gets away.

What does matter is that it will still be alive for you to hunt another day. What does matter is that you will experience the challenge the trophy has offered you, and when it finally takes its rightful place in your trophy room, you will honour it as a worthy adversary. Your hunting story will testify to you being an ethical and responsible hunter – the qualities every hunter should strive for.

At this point you are comfortable with the shooting distance; you have made sure that the shot will be safe – now it’s time to assume the shooting position. A responsible hunter will have practised different shooting positions to the extent that it will be an instinctive reaction. You cannot think of going on a hunt if you have no idea of how to get into a required shooting position. It has been said that the speed at which a hunter assumes a shooting position, is the mark of an experienced hunter. It is all about the magic word: practice.

If your surroundings do not allow a dead-rest, you’ll have to make do with what you can find. Your surroundings will dictate the best position you can use, the prone, sitting, kneeling or standing position. This is why it is so important to practice these positions at the shooting range. Forget about the bench rest – you don’t have one in the bush. The bench rest is only good to check your rifle’s accuracy.

Let’s discuss the various positions for a moment. Normally I use my binoculars to secure a steady shot in the prone position. I place the binoculars on top of my hat to protect the lenses and with my rifle resting on the binoculars it gives me a rock steady shot.

PRONE POSITION: Here you can see my binoculars on top of my hat steadying my rifle for a steady shot.

The sitting position can be fairly steady because both elbows are resting on your legs. Unfortunately there is a lot of tension on your back. So, when I consider taking a shot in the sitting position, I make sure there is a tree or a rock I can sit against. The support relieves the tension on my back and only then does this become a very steady position to shoot from.

SITTING POSITION: This becomes a very solid position by resting your back.

The kneeling position is my favourite because height wise I normally have no problem in obstacles obscuring my line of sight on my target. With my left arm resting on my left knee and my right arm pressed against my body I avoid potential movement.

KNEELING POSITION: This position is not as steady, but you are higher up and you can get into this position very quickly.

The standing position is the most difficult position to hold your rifle steady. The only suggestion I can make is to bring your left arm right up against your body to eliminate movement from the shoulder joint, elbow and wrist. As you can see from the photo all the weight of the rifle has been transferred to the left hand. That leaves my right hand free to only squeeze the trigger.

STANDING POSITION: Practising the standing position as much as possible can only improve your overall shooting ability.

By practicing these various positions you’ll go into the bush prepared for any situation because you will know your capabilities. If you can shoot well standing up, any other position will be a breeze for you.

Once you have assumed a shooting position, wait for the trophy to relax and become a clear target in order for you to take a sure shot. Should the trophy be nervous, you will have to read its body language to judge what it will be likely to do next. Trust your observations and consequently you will have a good idea of how long you can afford to wait before taking the shot.

After you identified your trophy, make sure that there are no hidden animals in front or behind your target. It does happen that a hunter hits his trophy as well as a hidden trophy – this can be a very costly mistake. What happens is the trophies stand in a line that obscures the hunter’s visibility, only to find out after the shot that he got two trophies for the price of two trophies with one shot.

Whenever you fire at a trophy in a herd, it’s a good habit to look at the other trophies when they start running. If you hit one of them by accident, hopefully you’ll see a trace of blood on it or tell from its behaviour that all is not well. Be kind to Lady Luck so that you never wound two trophies with one shot, because then you have a big expensive problem on hand. Then again, this should not happen when you are accompanied by a professional hunter who is worthy of this profession.

Fitness is a much overlooked factor when it comes to hunting. To stalk a trophy takes a lot of energy, and if you are huffing and puffing by the time you have to take the shot, you won’t be steady enough, even with a dead-rest. Wait till your breathing has calmed down and you feel steady. Know yourself, know your fitness level and pace yourself accordingly while you are stalking the trophy.

A wise hunter will do his homework before dashing off into the bush to hunt. With this I mean you have to consider the logistics of the shot.

1. At what angle is the trophy standing to the line the bullet will take?
2. At what point on the outside of the trophy will you have to aim to hit the internal organs?
3. What is the range?
4. According to the range at which your rifle is zeroed, can you hold spot on or will you have to hold either over or under?
   It’s imperative to know your trajectory.
5. What is the direction and strength of the wind?

Regular practice on the shooting range in various weather conditions can only improve your shooting skills.

When you set your sights on the trophy, know exactly where you intend the bullet to hit. Concentrate on this mark to the extent that the rest of the trophy becomes invisible to you. The finger automatically points to what the eye is looking at. In this case the finger will, through the sights, be directly linked to the rifle muzzle.

Only once the sights are aligned on the specific trophy do you slip the safety catch off and feel for the trigger. When you are ready, you squeeze the shot and follow through with your cheek against the stock. With the lighter recoiling calibres you’ll be able to see the reaction of the animal through the sights. With heavier calibres you’ll loose sight of what is happening. Don’t jerk your head off the stock to see what happened, keep your head down. You’ll know soon enough if it was a good shot.

The best advice I can offer you in my humble opinion is to know your personal limitations and trust your instincts. When you feel unsure about the shot you are about to take – don’t take it. Even when your professional hunter urges you to take the shot, and you have the slightest doubt – don’t take the shot.

The problems and disappointments that can result from irresponsible shooting are not worth it. Besides, it is not ethical to take a shot that is nothing more than a wild chance. Sure, you do get the lucky wild shot, but more often than not it results in disappointment and a lot of hard work finding a wounded trophy lost and dying in the bush.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all miss shots are irresponsible. We all have a few miss shots every now and then. There are many factors that cause hunters to miss. The wind can ruin an otherwise perfect shot for you and misjudging the distance of the animal.

I am talking about the shot a hunter takes when he knows it is not a sure shot, but hope to get lucky. When it comes to dangerous game, a wild shot might just result in the wounded trophy teaching you a fatal lesson.

Remember, it is your hunt, it is your money and it is your conscience. Ultimately it is your choice to either take the shot or to come back another day with your integrity in tact.