THE ANATOMY OF A BAD FIRST SHOT
The very first hunting lesson drilled into me by my father was to never, ever take a chance, but rather to wait for one. He, in turn, was taught this very same lesson by a very experienced hunter, a man who hunted scores of buffalo, lion and other dangerous animals by his lonesome self, without incident or mishap, for many years. By and large, this advice has stood me in good stead throughout my hunting career and I’ve luckily avoided serious mishaps thus far.
In March this year, I was enjoying an early-season hunt in the beautiful mopane bush near Musina. The farm was a beautiful piece of real estate bordering the Limpopo River, swollen by good rains, with Zimbabwe on the other side of the river.
The farm held plenty of game of various species. On the second
