Waterbuck camouflage

[smokepole]

Just thought to share Mother Nature's camouflage with you. I was out hunting and stumbled across this Waterbuck calf (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) - the mothers hide them for the first few weeks of their lives and come and visit them several times a day to suckle them. They camouflage themselves extremely well, as can be seen in the pics - the first one was taken at about 7 meters and the second and about 4m (12 odd foot). An interesting aspect about them is that at this stage of their lives they are completely odorless.


See if you can spot it - it is lying under the small tree/bush:

And closer up:

 

[John Fenna]

Amazing!
All I could see in the top picture was its eye!

 

[RonW]

I had to look at the second picy=ture first, befor I could see it in the first one!!
Guess I'm not much of a hunter, yet....

 

[CBJ]

wow thats amazing , thanks for sharing

Craig

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Like the others I had to look at the bottom picture first. Young cervidae are not exactly odorless, ( the mothers recognise & find them by their odor) & a predator will find them if the wind is in the right direction & it is close enough, but they do lack the "pungant gamey" pong.... .....In what part of the world are you ?

 

[Retired Member southey]

Fantastic pic matey!, and a cracking find, What were you out hunting? successful?

 

[Bushwhacker]

It's easier to see from a photo because it's bound to be in the centre of the shot and the black stripe and eyeshine gave it away, but out in the field you wouldn't stand much chance of seeing it when scanning the terrain.
Dear little thing and a good spot.

 

[smokepole]

Thanks for the comments Gents. I live in the Great Karoo in South Africa but these pics were taken in the Kalahari - when not making knives I do a bit of free lance Professional Hunting and I was out with a client after Zebra - and we were successful. Are pics of trophy hunts allowed on here? If so, then I can share.

It was while we were stalking the Zebra that I stumbled across this little guy - I had the client wait and was scouting ahead when I found him - we were taking a short cut across a small rocky hill (koppie or kopje in Afrikaans) to ambush the Zebra and I didn't want us exposed against the sky line in case they had gone further around the other side than I'd thought. Long story but we got a good stallion in the end.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Brilliant, here's the forum for hunting and all that good stuff matey, have a look at the sticky though just be on the good side of the rules.

 

[smokepole]

Thanks Southey, will do.

 

[smokepole]

OK, there is a pic of the mentioned Zebra posted under the relevant forum - here -http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/newthread.php?do=postthread&f=28

 

[smokepole]

Right, that didn't work.... Here it is then: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74971&p=910800#post910800