After months of practicing, Mia Delport (12years) finally got her bow to 40 lbs. She was ready; ready for her first warthog.
Mia has been shooting bow since she was 9 years old. She cut her milk teeth on a Bowtech Diamond, and once she
mastered the basic principles of taking a breath, focusing on the kill zone, and a gentle trigger release, she progressed to a Bear Odyssey dual cam bow.
It was time to take it outside.
Girls will be girls, (but if you ask me, boys can be girls too). Day one in the blind, was somewhat of a clash of greatest wish and greatest fears.
Let me just say, “tampanne” is a tick like insect, which can cause some discomfort and harm. Not lethal by any means, but certainly a powerful dissuader for those who are sensitive to the creepy crawlies outside. Not only did father and daughter both have to deal with all the unpleasant insects, but also extreme temperatures of Namibia. It was a sweltering 40 C and 15:30 in the afternoon.
The pop up blind was strategically placed at exactly the same distance to her practice range. 15m was the ideal distance for her 40 pound pull, and a broadside shot.
Mia is a cool cat, and managed to keep her dad calm while she took aim. It is incredible, to see how the patient teachings of a father, translates into the confidence of a young hunter. It took one shot. It was not a perfect shot. Perhaps 2 inches off dead center, but it was a good shot, and also taught the fledgling tracker a few important rules. , watch, wait; then track.
She’ll take the lessons learnt and aspires to a trophy Red Hartebeest. Her father, Jannie Delport, is a hunting guide with his own hunting business, Toekoms Hunting Safaris in Namibia. Having three daughters, Jannie is happy that they share his passion for the veld, nature and hunting and he is also a bow hunter.