Babooner, I like that. Creativity and humor!
As some of you know I have another addiction, besides this website and bowhunting mature whitetail, and that is bowhunting and photography in Africa. I've got my fifth trip, this time with my wife and daughter coming up this July.
When hunting in Africa guinea fowl and baboons around a water hole are like confidence decoys. They are so wary and cautious that when other animals see them relaxed at a water hole they figure it must be safe and are more likely to come in. For that reason hunters usually don't alarm them and that is usually the case with me.
On that particular day I was hidden in a pit blind/fake termite mound watching a water hole in northern South Africa. The shooting hole was at ground level. A troup of baboons had moved in and I was having a great time watching and videotaping them. A big male was suspicous and came up to the shooting hole for a peek then moved off and sat down.
Next three trophy quality red hartebeest bulls came in one by one. I finally figured out which one I wanted to 'let the air out of' (a Stan Potts phrase). The shot went exactly where I wanted and the bull ran 20 yards and dropped.
The other two bulls ran off a bit but the baboons just sat there. The dominant male baboon happened to be presenting a good shot. I'd already made some disturbance with the hartebeest shot and I'd need to be calling the PH to come get the hartebeest anyway so it seemed like a good time to harvest a babooner.
The shot was good and another pass through. He spun toward me and made a mad dash directly for the termite mound. My first reaction was 'Oh xxxx! He knows I'm here and he's coming in!'
Fortunately he ran past and piled up just behind the blind. I figure he got me last though because he died with his hand in a tight fist except for his second digit which apparently had been injured previously. It was sticking straight out in the universal primate signal instructing me where to put it.
That is my 'babooner' story and I'm sticking to it,
Old Buck
