Jim's Blog
Tiny Canoe Leads to Big Success
Yesterday I was so tired I couldn't blog cause I had to stay up late and skin out a camen. We got an 8-foot-4 camen yesterday, so it was a great day ... and a collared peccary. So that's really cool. The camen was excellent. We went down a jungle river for about four hours, just Matt and I in a canoe. It was really cool, we saw capybara too, but I didn't see one big enough. And then we got this really big, old camen. Perfect footage. Dropped him right there on the bank and then we had to come back here and skin him because there are no skinners. There is no hunting, so no one knows anything about skinning or salting or fleshing, so I have to do it all myself. So that's why I was so tired last night.
Today we went out and found a goat where a puma had killed during the night so we went and got the local dogs. But they're just scruffer dogs. They did get a puma up a tree. It was a big male, but before anyone could even get close to it, it was gone. The dogs weren't barking enough. So then we continued on to a natural lake out here all covered in weeds along the shoreline, and again Matt and I took the canoe and we found tons of tracks of tapier, and crab-eating raccoon and then we saw a gray-brown Brocket deer and I sneaked right along the shore and tried to shoot from the canoe and missed at 80 yards, I was sick! So we went did a loop around the lake again and came back and he was out again this time I got even closer about 70 yards, made a shot, but it was right before dark, and he went running in the jungle 20 feet away and so we couldn't find any blood last night know we hit him on the footage so tomorrow morning we're going to go back ther eand try to find him. We looked with flashlights in the dark, but it was too thick.
I'm really having issues with the pure blackpowder down here and I don't really know what it's doing. I don't have enough bullets or powder to find out what it's doing. Last night I also issed a shot at a European wild boar. But I don't know what is going on with the powder. I'm holding dead on, and it's just not happeneing. So I'm a little worried about that beause I'm suppposed to be going after Asian river buffalo too. We saw some yesterday evening, they're huge. I tried to change my powder load and also my bullet to a Nosler solid, but because it's loose powder it got into all the threads and it took me about 10 minutes to change the load. But that's OK. Tomorrow we are going to fly to where the jaguar darting place is and try to dart a jaguar.
Len they are trying to get him into palliative care. It's not looking good; he is in pain. They've got him on morphine. Louise is now handling it a lot better. She's resigned herself. Palliative care is the last step. They are just waiting for a bed in palliative care. They don't know if it will be one week, two weeks. He's strong because he walks and he's healthy ... so that's still up and down.
The Next Day ...
I don't have any news on Len, but it wasn't looking good. So far he's still hanging in there, and we're still hoping for some kind of miracle. Hunting wise doing good. We tried to get that Brocket deer from yesterday, I don't know what happened. I'm using blackpowder that you can buy down here, I'm not sure of what it's doing. I haven't had enough shots with it. It was doing haywire stuff for sure. Because I apparently missed two shots at a Brocket deer yesterday. And I know I was holding dead steady on them. So it's probably just not as consistent, I guess. I don't have enough bullets to keep testing it. But it's all we could get in South America.
The good news is that today we got a tapier. Fantastic we're at a big huge lake. Matt and I cruise around the lake with our canoe, just a little tiny canoe. This morning right at first light we were crusiing around. Crazy birds, piranha in the water and imagine the coolest jungly stuff in this lake, so it was fantastic. It's a beautiful male tapier. I made sure of that beause my license is only good for males. Made a perfect shot. The blackpowder worked; he only went about 50 yards and tipped over. We are ecstatic, right over the shoulder video. Beautiful big white head on him with a mane, long nose, we're so happy. We're going to have a beer tonight to celebrate. First legal foreign hunter license ever. First one to come out of South America in a long, long time if ever. That was the biggest deal was the tapier. We still have the puma to go after.
We're still hoping. But it's all tempered because our hearts are with Len right now. Keeping vigil. Corey Knowlton has gone back home. He darted a jaguar here and got good footage for "The Professionals." The first episodes of "The Professionals" are off to the Outdoor Channel, so we can't wait until they air. Make sure everybody watches.
The Next Day ...
First news about Len. Yesterday was a real bad day. Today Louise went in there and Len was feeding himself and wanting her to bring in some salad from his garden and smuggle in two cases of beer and tell his friends that they are going to have a party in his room. The prognosis is not good at all, but Len is a tough old bird.
On the hunting end we had a great day. We got a beautiful gray-brown Brocket deer and then we went out hunting the capybara, the biggest rodent in the world. Today I saw a monster. We sneaked up within 80 yards and made a perfect shot all on camera; really exciting, we got him and he's a giant. We're having a real good last couple days. We're still trying to find a jaguar to dart ... puma tracks today, but nothing big enough to go after. Otherwise the hunt is going very well. Hard south wind blowing tonight. Cold for the first time I've been here which will be good for the cat hunting. So we're doing good. Keep our fingers crossed for Len, jaguar and puma.
6/20/2010
