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I just had to know everything there is to know about bows and bowhunting. I worked part-time saving every cent I could to buy myself my first bow.
In February 2006 I had saved enough to buy myself a second-hand bow. I saw an ad in the Africa’s Bowhunter for a Mathews LX kit and bought it. I received the package a few days later in the post, but when I opened it, I saw I had to assemble it myself. I quickly put everything on the bow and started shooting. In my excitement I fastened the prongs of my rest to tight and stripped the thread. The next day I went to the nearest shop and bought a new rest and so the practicing started. I shot everyday and started tuning with broadheads. This was a nightmare with arrows flying everywhere except where I wanted them to go. Eventually after two months of practice I was able to hit a plate with broadheads at 30m. I thought I was ready for my first hunt.
April holidays started, and I had a few weeks to hunt. My grandfather had a farm 3 kilometers outside of town with a few warthogs and I thought a pig would be a great first animal with the bow. I have hunted several warthogs with the rifle and knew the that their sense of smell is excellent, and that sight is their weak point and in the tall grass they might be easier to stalk. As a rifle hunter I never had to get this close to an animal before and it meant that I blew lots of stalks. Some because I was so focused on one animal, that I didn’t notice another, some because the wind would swirl and carry my scent to them, others I blew because of a lack of patience wanting to make things happen. It took me 8 tries before I managed to get a shot at a warthog, but what did I do? You guessed it, I missed the shot. The adrenaline got the better of me and I aimed with my 50m pin on a pig that was hardly 20m from me. Saying I was disgusted would be an understatement. I had thoughts of selling my bow and taking up another hobby.