I WAS hunting duiker on Nico van Jagter’s farm Victoriasdal, just a 25-minute drive from Still Bay, where I now live. Rain and wind had delayed my hunt earlier in the day, but weather often changes rapidly in this area, so I was back again now.
My plan was to hunt a certain shallow kloof where Nico had spotted duiker on numerous occasions. After parking the bakkie some distance away, I slipped through a stock fence at the top of the kloof and slowly descended the slope. Dense fynbos, in places waist-high, covered the one slope – good shelter for duiker. I intended using a small mouth caller to try to call a duiker within shooting range.
For my plan to work though, I had to take up position on the opposite, more open incline which afforded a better view of the densely vegetated slope that I expected to be inhabited by duiker. After crossing a small clearing at the bottom of the kloof and evaluating the terrain, I headed for a prominent (yellow bush), and
