and settled in behind my computer. I usually get to the office nice and early to give myself some
time to plan my day, read some e-mails and of course to visit a couple of bowhunting forums to see
what my fellow hunters are discussing. Whilst browsing, I logged into Facebook to see if any of my
friends have uploaded any new trophy photos, I came across a post by one of my now close friends
Danie Massyn, outfitter and owner of Lenyati Safaris.
He was advertising Giraffe bulls that he had available to be hunted for a very reasonable price, on
one of his many concessions available. Later that morning I contacted him to enquire about the
offer. Danie told me that he had five bulls available for a special price with all costs included on a
6200 hectare bowhunting concession near Alldays in the Limpopo province of South Africa, and that
three of the five bulls have already been booked that same morning!
So without hesitating I booked my Giraffe hunt, and confirmed a three day hunt with him to start on
the 4th of March 2011. As I was going to hunt the Giraffe with a compound bow, I needed some time
to prepare for the hunt, so it all worked out nicely.
one of his many concessions available. Later that morning I contacted him to enquire about the
offer. Danie told me that he had five bulls available for a special price with all costs included on a
6200 hectare bowhunting concession near Alldays in the Limpopo province of South Africa, and that
three of the five bulls have already been booked that same morning!
So without hesitating I booked my Giraffe hunt, and confirmed a three day hunt with him to start on
the 4th of March 2011. As I was going to hunt the Giraffe with a compound bow, I needed some time
to prepare for the hunt, so it all worked out nicely.
Hunting a Giraffe bull with archery equipment (or even with a rifle), is no easy task and there is a lot
of preparation involved before attempting to hunt this enormous animal that can grow up to
1400kg. I started out by visiting Archer’s Edge in Pretoria, which is arguably the most reputable
archery pro shop in South Africa. The the owner, Redge Grant and all of his employees are die hard
hunters and have a wealth of knowledge and a passion for the sport of bowhunting. I told Redge
about the Giraffe hunt, and he suggested that we immediately start with my setup. Bradley
Matthyssen (my “personal bow technician”) started working on my staff shooter Athens Exceed 300
compound bow, whilst Redge and I looked at the most suitable options available for my bow setup,
with regards to arrow weight, spine and broadhead choice for hunting Giraffe.
of preparation involved before attempting to hunt this enormous animal that can grow up to
1400kg. I started out by visiting Archer’s Edge in Pretoria, which is arguably the most reputable
archery pro shop in South Africa. The the owner, Redge Grant and all of his employees are die hard
hunters and have a wealth of knowledge and a passion for the sport of bowhunting. I told Redge
about the Giraffe hunt, and he suggested that we immediately start with my setup. Bradley
Matthyssen (my “personal bow technician”) started working on my staff shooter Athens Exceed 300
compound bow, whilst Redge and I looked at the most suitable options available for my bow setup,
with regards to arrow weight, spine and broadhead choice for hunting Giraffe.
We settled on Carbon Express Pile Driver Hunter Arrows, with 5 inch feather vanes, tipped with
315gr Grizzly Stik Nanook broadheads. The total arrow weight was 763gr, with a FOC value of 20%.
With my Athens Exceed 300 set at 70 pounds, I got 229fps with my 31 1/2” draw length. We did the
calculations and I was very happy with the outcome of 89 ft/lbs kinetic energy and a momentum
value of 0.78. The setup was adequate for Giraffe and Buffalo, which gave me some peace of mind.
With my new big game bow setup tuned to perfection, I had to spend some much needed time on
the range. I practiced 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards, as well as in between ranges, 25, 35 and 45 yards. I
spent the following week before the hunt speaking to fellow hunters that had taken Giraffe with a
compound bow. Everyone said the same thing: “Make sure your PH has a back up rifle of .458 or
bigger!” Two close friends of mine had wounded and lost Giraffe bulls the previous season, and I
tried to learn from their mistakes to make sure I take the animal down with one arrow as fast as
possible. I studied the animal’s vitals and the required shot placement every day, closing my eyes
and visualising the animal at various distances and standing in different positions.
315gr Grizzly Stik Nanook broadheads. The total arrow weight was 763gr, with a FOC value of 20%.
With my Athens Exceed 300 set at 70 pounds, I got 229fps with my 31 1/2” draw length. We did the
calculations and I was very happy with the outcome of 89 ft/lbs kinetic energy and a momentum
value of 0.78. The setup was adequate for Giraffe and Buffalo, which gave me some peace of mind.
With my new big game bow setup tuned to perfection, I had to spend some much needed time on
the range. I practiced 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards, as well as in between ranges, 25, 35 and 45 yards. I
spent the following week before the hunt speaking to fellow hunters that had taken Giraffe with a
compound bow. Everyone said the same thing: “Make sure your PH has a back up rifle of .458 or
bigger!” Two close friends of mine had wounded and lost Giraffe bulls the previous season, and I
tried to learn from their mistakes to make sure I take the animal down with one arrow as fast as
possible. I studied the animal’s vitals and the required shot placement every day, closing my eyes
and visualising the animal at various distances and standing in different positions.
One of the all time great golfers, Gary Player once said: “The more I practice, the luckier I get.” This
was something I took to heart to try and eliminate all possible human errors before going on the
hunt.
was something I took to heart to try and eliminate all possible human errors before going on the
hunt.
The time had come; it was 03:00 on the morning of the 4th of March 2011. Little did I know that this
was to be a very historically important day for my hunting career, as I left for Alldays with my best
friend and hunting companion Edu Van Staden. Arriving in Alldays some 4 hours later, we met up
with Danie from Lenyati Safaris and we drove to the luxurious lodge where we would stay for the
duration of the hunt. We unpacked, had some coffee and discussed possible tactics for the hunt as
Danie had been scouting the area that the five Giraffe bulls frequent for a couple of days prior to the
hunt. I took my bow out of its case and shot at 20, 30 and 40 yards to just make sure that the bow
and my nerves were all still in working order. Danie picked up the trackers, and we set off to start
the once in a lifetime hunt.
was to be a very historically important day for my hunting career, as I left for Alldays with my best
friend and hunting companion Edu Van Staden. Arriving in Alldays some 4 hours later, we met up
with Danie from Lenyati Safaris and we drove to the luxurious lodge where we would stay for the
duration of the hunt. We unpacked, had some coffee and discussed possible tactics for the hunt as
Danie had been scouting the area that the five Giraffe bulls frequent for a couple of days prior to the
hunt. I took my bow out of its case and shot at 20, 30 and 40 yards to just make sure that the bow
and my nerves were all still in working order. Danie picked up the trackers, and we set off to start
the once in a lifetime hunt.
We then drove to an old beacon in the bush where Danie climbed the high tower to see if he could
spot the Giraffe from the elevated structure. As he got down he said that they were about three
kilometres from us in an eastern direction. We took all the necessary gear from the hunting vehicle
and departed on foot in the direction of the Giraffe. The trackers with their amazing knowledge of
the bush and its inhabitants, Danie equipped with the rangefinder and binoculars, Edu with the
video camera and me with my bow and quiver. The wind was perfect, gently blowing towards us as
we approached the wary herd of Giraffe. What struck me first was how big these animals are when
you are on foot, their massive size alone are more than enough to doubt your equipment, let alone
their reputation as one of the toughest big game animals to hunt, that walk the African continent.
We then spent the following moments, picking one of the more mature bulls, and after deciding on
which one we would hunt, we started the stalk. You would think that these animals would be less
wary than Impala or other more common bushveld species, as they are not frequently hunted by
predators, but make no mistake, Giraffe are one of the most difficult creatures to approach, as you
can’t hide that easily from them, being so tall and blessed with good eyesight (the Giraffe in this
case, not myself) and also that within the blink of an eye, these enormous animals can disappear like
a needle in a haystack in the African bush! After some time we got closer to the bull I had chosen,
and Danie ranged him at 53 yards, a bit far for my liking, I didn’t take the shot, as I didn’t want to
take any chances. I was advised by Redge to limit the shot to a maximum of 40 yards if possible, for
my equipment to be able to deliver enough energy to penetrate the Giraffe’s thick skin and tough
bone structure. They following 3 hours we got within 50 -70 yards from the bull, several times, but
again, I wanted to make sure of my shot, as a wounded Giraffe would disappear like a thief in the
night on the 6200 hectare concession.
Finally we got within range, using the Sickle bush and abundant Acacia trees for some cover. Danie
ranged the bull at 42 yards, a distance that I was comfortable with, but this time, as luck would have
it, the bull was standing quartering towards us, and not enough to be able to get in a frontal shot,
which is the desired situation, as there is little bone in the way of the vitals when the animal is facing
you frontal. We waited for about a minute or two, with the Giraffe bull unaware of our presence,
before he decided to slowly walk away. With buck fever now making a firm presence as we got so
close to a shot, we continued the stalk toward the bull. Suddenly everything fell into place within a matter of seconds, and before I knew I was on fulldraw
ranged the bull at 42 yards, a distance that I was comfortable with, but this time, as luck would have
it, the bull was standing quartering towards us, and not enough to be able to get in a frontal shot,
which is the desired situation, as there is little bone in the way of the vitals when the animal is facing
you frontal. We waited for about a minute or two, with the Giraffe bull unaware of our presence,
before he decided to slowly walk away. With buck fever now making a firm presence as we got so
close to a shot, we continued the stalk toward the bull. Suddenly everything fell into place within a matter of seconds, and before I knew I was on fulldraw
with Danie ranging the bull standing ever so slightly quartering away from us at 37 yards. I took a
deep breath and settled my 40 yard pin just above the middle of the shoulder straight up the middle
of the front leg. I squeezed the crisp trigger of my Tru Ball Beast release, and I saw the arrow flying
toward the spot I had aimed for. It was almost as if it happened in slow motion, and the second as I
let the arrow fly, I knew that I could not have taken a better shot. The arrow hit home, with a distinct
“thwack” sound as it penetrated to the fletching on the right hand shoulder of the animal.
The Giraffe bull then starting galloping off with something that I cannot describe otherwise than a
“wheelie”, similar to that of the stunt that bikers perform when they lift a motorbike’s front wheel of
the ground. He then headed into the bush, and shortly thereafter we heard the sound of trees and
bushes braking under the weight of the animal as it went down. A mere twenty six seconds after
being hit (we later counted on the video) by the arrow he went down. We waited for a while before
approaching the bull cautiously, but the magnificent animal had expired by the time that we had got
to him. We all stood there for a couple of minutes, in amazement, staring at this beautiful creature,
with no one saying a word, just the sound of the wind playing in the leaves of the trees and the birds
chirping in the background. Danie congratulated me, and I then thanked him and the trackers for all
their help to get me within range of the bull. A quick photo session followed, before they started
slaughtering, as the sun took a firm place in the African sky and they had to get started as soon as
possible so that the meat would not go to waste.
“wheelie”, similar to that of the stunt that bikers perform when they lift a motorbike’s front wheel of
the ground. He then headed into the bush, and shortly thereafter we heard the sound of trees and
bushes braking under the weight of the animal as it went down. A mere twenty six seconds after
being hit (we later counted on the video) by the arrow he went down. We waited for a while before
approaching the bull cautiously, but the magnificent animal had expired by the time that we had got
to him. We all stood there for a couple of minutes, in amazement, staring at this beautiful creature,
with no one saying a word, just the sound of the wind playing in the leaves of the trees and the birds
chirping in the background. Danie congratulated me, and I then thanked him and the trackers for all
their help to get me within range of the bull. A quick photo session followed, before they started
slaughtering, as the sun took a firm place in the African sky and they had to get started as soon as
possible so that the meat would not go to waste.
I then walked away into the bush, took of my hat and closed my eyes as I took a knee to thank our
Creator for giving me this amazing opportunity to hunt one of his fine creatures.
That night, we celebrated the successful hunt around the camp fire under African stars, with a fine
scotch and new friends. Later that evening I opened a bottle of South African red wine that I had
acquired prior to the hunt, by the name of “Tall Horse” with a colourful Giraffe logo on the bottle,
something I thought would be quite appropriate to celebrate the hunt with, given the species that
was hunted.
Hunting a Giraffe with archery equipment is a “tall order”, but if you do your homework and you
practise enough you will be able to successfully hunt one of these spectacular animals. This was an
unbelievable experience for me, and a memory that I will surely treasure for the rest of my life.
Watch the Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqWhv2yKndY&list=UUd4HZ9NHMj5dzU4CoKZGyWA
© 2014 Hunter Hennie. All Rights Reserved.
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