{"id":4207,"date":"2022-07-18T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/?p=4207"},"modified":"2022-11-08T13:51:46","modified_gmt":"2022-11-08T18:51:46","slug":"grants-gazzelle-in-massailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feathersandwhiskey.com\/?p=4207","title":{"rendered":"Grant’s Gazelle in Tanzania"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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By Michael Maynor <\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cClean miss!” I heard the words almost instantly after I squeezed the trigger on what I would later learn was an excellent Grant\u2019s gazelle. \u201cThe bullet went right over his back,\u201d my Professional Hunter JP Van Wyngaard yelled as we rushed to catch up with the ram that was now moving quickly away from us. I shook my head as I looked at the shooting sticks I was using; they were not the tripod style I was use to on but were a different setup that held the rifle in more of a cradle position. This setup  allowed the rifle to be a lot more stable, but it took longer to get into position and while you could move up and down quickly , sideways movement was not as easy without moving the complete system. <\/p>\n

We tried to set up on him a few more times, but this old warrior knew the game and  he would never let us get close again. Finally, we gave up and started the slow walk back to the truck. I felt a bit discouraged, but JP advised me he would rather have that than a wounded animal, and of course, I agreed. It really was the best outcome aside from getting my hands on him. I looked down at the Masailand dust coating our boots as we walked and decided to just put the whole business out of my mind. The Grant’s Gazelle is named after James Augustus Grant, a Scottish explorer in eastern Africa. The gazelle that carries his name can be found in Northern Tanzania, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and from the Kenya coast to lake Victoria. The Grant’s is related to the Soemmerrings gazelle and the Thomson’s gazelle.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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James Augustus Grant 4\/11\/1827- 2\/11\/1892 Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk https:\/\/wellcomeimages.org James William Grant. Stipple engraving by S. Hollyer after Urquart. By: S. HollyerPublished<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We arrived back at the truck and climbed up, and the command was given to start driving. I settled back in the seat and took a sip of water, and gazed out across the vast, open\u00a0 lunar-like, landscape. The area known as Masailand stretches from Tanzania to Kenya and is home to the Masai people. The Masai are herders that keep larger herds of cattle and goats. I am sitting in my canvas tent catching up on some writing before we leave to hunt Thomson\u2019s gazelle, and a herd of Maasai cattle have recently passed. I can still hear the faint sound of their cattle bells in the distance.\u00a0<\/p>

Our search for another shooter, Grant\u2019s, takes us far from camp and across the arid plains. Since the Masai are herders and not hunters, the area around our camp is teeming with game. We see many Grants rams, but when we are searching for a proper ram we see giraffes, zebras, ostrich, gerenuk, and lesser kudu.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Before taking a break for lunch, the decision is\u00a0 made that we will drive to the top of a distant hill and do some glassing. The Masai refer to this hill as \u201c Mlimarada,\u201d which means \u201c <\/i>the mountain to see everything or the whole thing<\/i><\/b>.\u201d<\/i> As the name suggests, it\u2019s a vantage point used by not only the local Masai, but game rangers that are looking for potential poachers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Once we reach the top of the hill we are greeted by a couple of Masai men and a dog resting under the shade of the only tree at the top of the hill. We spent some time glassing the land below and saw lots of Grant’s and other game taking refuge from the blazing African sun under any tree or bush that offers shade. Finally we decide that it’s time for lunch and we make our descent down the hill.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The shade of the Acacia tree was as welcoming to us as it had been for the Grant\u2019s that darted from under its canopy as we approached . The truck is parked and the dining table is unpacked and put into position and then the lunch box is unpacked. We dined on schnitzel made from Coke\u2019s Hartebeest and a delicious pasta salad. We rest under the shade of the tree and enjoy the cooling breeze, but soon it is time to once again take up the hunt.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0We traveled miles from our camp, and as it was growing later in the day, JP made\u00a0 the decision to turn towards camp and continue searching. Travel in Masailand is made difficult because of the rutted roads and washouts caused by erosion from the ground being a fine powder made from the many hooves of the cattle and goats that the herders walked\u00a0 across it daily as they graze. There is no patch of ground that does not have hoof prints on it, and during the rainy season, the land is washed away.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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