A Sable Hunting Safari Adventure in the Kalahari

The warming, mid-morning rays on our final day of hunting the Kalahari exposed the coal-black outline and distinctive white facial markings of the cagey sable we had been pursuing for several days. Though we were still several hundred yards away, my heart rate spiked, breath labored, and hands trembled as we made plans to execute a stalk and cut the distance on this special, and unique, bull.

Sable, often called the “Prince of the Plains,” are widely esteemed as one of the most impressive and regal antelope species in the world. The opportunity to hunt such an animal comes with an immense amount of respect and appreciation. Thanks to hunter dollars and extensive conservation efforts, there are more opportunities to hunt these impressive animals today than ever before. During my most recent excursion to the Dark Continent, hunting a sable bull was at the top of my priority list.

Eye of the Beholder

Chatter filled the dining room as hunters relived the events of a successful day in the bushveld. Despite the constant hum of excitement muddling my auditory perception, I was certain I heard someone mention a sighting of a one-horned sable bull. My ears perked, attempting to home in on the source, but to no avail. With a dozen or more hunters filling the room, and many conversations overlapping, I assumed my hearing was playing tricks on me and carried on with the remainder of the evening.

What no one in the room knew was my innate draw to pursuing all things unique. I am a firm believer that the “trophy” caliber of an animal truly lies in the eye of the beholder. What I consider a trophy may not even increase the heart rate of a fellow hunter. On the contrary, what trips your trigger may not so much as raise my eyebrow. And that is okay. We all hunt for different reasons and are 100% entitled to pursue what excites us. With that said, I have a knack for the obscurities and oddballs that typically don’t fit into the status quo of a “trophy.” In my eyes, the pursuit of a mature, one-horned sable bull, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Chasing Leads

Unable to ditch the thought of a one-horned sable, I raised the question to my PH, Gideon, the following morning. To my surprise, he confirmed there was indeed an old, one-horned sable bull that had roamed this concession for many years, but was rarely seen. Most hunters had no interest in the bull and the few that had pursued him repeatedly came up empty handed. Following a quick chat at lunch with Harry Claasen, owner and operator of Harry Claasen Safaris, the hunt for the one-horned sable bull was on. Seth Swerczek, my good friend and marketing communications manager at Hornady, and I still had four and a half days of hunting left, with several other species to pursue, but locating and outwitting the fabled one-horned sable became an underlying priority.

The next several days were met with success hunting a variety of plains game, but the one-horned bull repeatedly eluded us. Late in the morning on the fifth day, the radio cracked as another PH called to inform us they had just seen the bull. No more than an hour behind him, we spent the rest of the afternoon scouring the area, but our efforts were futile. Once again, the sable had seemingly vanished into the bush.

While eating lunch the following day, Harry informed us he had seen the bull again that morning, relatively close to where he was spotted the day prior. After several hours of searching, and with daylight fading, we finally caught a glimpse of the one-horned bull feeding in a raisin brush thicket. The Kalahari sand silenced our approach as we slipped into just under 50 yards of the unsuspecting bull. We were so close I could hear the swoosh of his tail swatting flies and his horns clank as he foraged through the branches. I stood at the ready, rifle steadied on the sticks with a fresh cartridge loaded in the chamber. Thick foliage made getting an ethical shot off nearly impossible, but if he took a few steps to the right, I would have a small window to squeeze the 160-gr. Hornady CX through to the vitals.

Within two steps of my shooting window, the ever so gentle breeze tickled the back of my neck as our scent drifted towards the bull. Without hesitation, the sable broke cover and made haste for safety. Deflated but not defeated, we were cautiously optimistic on the way back to the buggy. We had finally laid eyes on the bull and knew the direction he had traveled. This gave us a good starting point for the morning hunt, our final day in the Kalahari.

Perseverance

The last morning on safari always comes with a hint of sorrow knowing this will be the final day of hunting before beginning the long trek home. Gideon strategically drove the buggy around the perimeter of the “block” that we had watched the one-horned bull escape into the previous evening, in search of the sable’s fleeing tracks. Keep in mind these blocks are massive, encompassing thousands of acres. We knew where he was last night but given the countless pockets of impenetrable cover and the elusive nature of the bull, it still felt as if we were looking for a needle in a haystack.

Tracks of all shapes and sizes littered the road. Due to the fineness of the sand, definitive tracks were indistinguishable to my untrained eye. Fortunately, having grown up in the bush, Gideon could distinguish the impressions in the sand not only by species, but often by the sex of the animal as well. After more than an hour circling in search of the bull’s tracks, Gideon was confident it had never left the block we saw him go into the previous evening. The hunt was on.

Adrenaline spiked with the sighting of a jet-black sable working away from us through the acacia groves only to be let down when we realized a pair of sweeping horns adorned his head. He was an impressive bull, but our efforts were directed towards the one-horned bull. Carrying on, we meticulously dissected the bushveld in search of a flicker of an ear or the shimmer of a horn to give away the location of the elusive bull.

Call it luck, perseverance, or both, but our diligent pursuit was rewarded when we finally located the impressive one-horned sable in all his glory, basking in the late-morning rays on the edge of a dense, black thorn grove. Fortunately for us, he was unaware of our presence as we hastily made a plan to cut the distance. “Deep breath,” Swerczek whispered, as he watched my trembling hands fumble cartridges into the magazine. His voice of logic was a welcome and necessary reminder that I needed to get my composure together and do so now. After a few deep inhales and exhales, it was game time.

Using the scattered raisin brush for cover, we inched our way closer to the feeding bull. At 193 yards, we were out of cover and the bull, though unaware of our presence, was slowly making his way towards impenetrable brush, presumably to seek shade during the heat of the day. Judging his projected path, I would have two narrow windows of opportunity to make a lethal shot. Gideon stopped the bull with a high-pitched whistle as it walked through the first clearing, but the bull’s vitals were obscured behind some brush. The bull now knew we were there and continued his march towards cover.

As the bull approached the final shooting window, I was surprisingly calm and laser focused on the task at hand. Squared up to the sticks, I disengaged the safety and settled my crosshairs on the bull’s shoulder as he stepped into a narrow gap in the thick wall of black thorn. The percussion of the Gunwerks Nexus rifle, chambered in 7mm PRC, was immediately followed by the unmistakable thump of the 160-gr. Hornady CX bullet impacting the sable’s shoulder, dropping him to his final resting place.

On cue, my legs began to tremble, adrenaline spiked, and a flood of emotions rose to the surface as the pursuit of the one-horned sable bull had come to an exhilarating end. Upon further inspection, the bull was magnificent and old, with teeth worn to the gum line. I couldn’t help but imagine the epic battle or struggle for life that took place to break a horn and bony core measuring almost 10 inches in diameter. For nearly an hour, Gideon, Seth, and myself relived the events throughout the past week that had led to this moment and admired the very special bull that had eluded predators and other hunters for many years.

For me, the “trophy” lies in the experience and maturity of my intended target. The one-horned sable bull checked all of the boxes. Going head-to-head with a buck, bull, or bruin past their prime yields a chess match of epic proportions, one in which the animal often wins. That is okay. However, when the stars align and I do notch a tag on a “trophy” past its prime, regardless of what antlers or horns adorn their head, I feel a deep sense of appreciation for that animal and the long life they lived outwitting fellow hunters, battling brutal weather and fending off the constant barrage of predators. The trials and ultimate triumph in pursuit of the one-horned sable bull ranks near the top with some of my most cherished memories in the field.

Hornady CX

The monometal anatomy of Hornady’s CX bullet thrives in the wilds of Africa, delivering unmatched penetration through dense muscle and bone when you need it most. You see, game animals in Africa are built differently than the animals we are accustomed to pursuing in North America. The vital organs of African game sit much farther forward, tucked underneath the protective shield of the shoulder blade and muscles. This simple fact necessitates the need for a well-constructed, deep-penetrating bullet and few, if any, do it better than Hornady’s CX line.

The solid, monolithic copper CX bullet features an optimized geometric design to maximize ballistic coefficient and deliver extended downrange performance and precision. Hornady also tipped the CX with their proven Heat Shield Tip to resist deformity and provide a consistent BC throughout the entire flight of the bullet.

In the field, Hornady’s 160-gr. CX bullet (loaded in their Outfitter line), fired from my Gunwerk’s Nexus rifle chambered in 7mm PRC, delivered devastating terminal performance to some of Africa’s most notoriously tough big-game animals, including blue wildebeest, gemsbok, waterbuck and sable. I never doubted the CX and its capabilities, but following this safari there is absolutely no denying the impressive terminal capabilities of Hornady’s CX bullet.

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