HUNTING RIGS & WHAT TO HAVE ON THEM FOR HUNTING

This Hardbody has a 37cm ground clearance in the front and a 42 cm clearance at the back, it is rigged with a decent size tyre and size, it is a strong truck, it drives like you are driving on air its so soft on the road.

To most of us nighters we hunt alone, far from people, and in the dark.  We travel on sandy, dusty and rocky roads, so the bakkie we use MUST be reliable. This is not about the bakkies and what’s best but to illustrate what they should have on them to make it a rig for calling.
In general I love Isuzu bakkies, more so a 250D - a bullet proof bakkie and engine, drives soft and has good road handling on sand not to talk about the fuel consumption! It’s really light on fuel!
But I also love Nissan, these two bakkies are soft to drive unlike Toyota, Toyota is far too hard for a farm bakkie. Nissan is much underrated in SA for farms; they are solid trucks and well built – I speak namely about a Hardbody bakkie. I will use my Nissan Hard body in this topic as a guideline, and share what I have on it to make my hunts easier, it is a Hardbody, long wheel base, and has a 37cm ground clearance in front and a 42 cm at the rear, and has soft Good Year Michelin tyres fitted for an even softer drive on sandy roads. I was given a field course on my bakkie so know more or less how to replace and fix most things on it if it breaks down miles from the farmhouse. I carry two spares - one under the bakkie at the rear and the other in the back.

Just above the spade on right, above the handle, you can see the animal sonic device. I have one on each side.

SET UP

HOOKS, RAILINGS, RACK, BOX, ANIMAL SONIC CHASERS, SHOVEL, TOOLS etc

It consists of a number of things to make my hunt more user friendly. The hooks can be bad news and injure a person, so I have at the rear of the trailies holes drilled, and slip in hooks as needed, then put the bolt on the top to secure, this way no hooks are open while climbing on and off the bakkie, it can be dangerous in the dark! I hang predators up at the rear with gate slightly open with a stake pole, this way they don’t bleed on camo net etc. It also saves you from any ticks that they may have.

The cattle railings, I have a solid strong one with a gate that opens at the rear and can be opened all the way and secures at the side to allow doors to be open all the time. I drilled holes in the rear door that allows the hooks to be placed when needed. My railings are the same height as the cab and I have a pulley wheel on them so I can hoist them off the bakkie with a block and tackle in the workshop if I need my railings off, it makes taking them off very easy. See the pulley wheel in the front of the railings.

The railings are also the exact height to hide the chair and other stuff, so just the rifle and light show at the top of the bakkie after a net is around it. It also has a special camo cover I use around the railings as a fixture when callings so I can drive from one place to another. All I need to put up is the side and front piece to cover the cab – this all makes it fast to set up at different places in the dark.

I have a RACK in the front of rear to lay a rifle on or put other stuff in like callers, remotes etc, it is deep and nothing can fall out when driving from one place to another. It comes in handy, I normally put my 12 beers in it while I drink them at a single hour calling spot, I like beer! But generally that storage box helps you as nothing falls about or makes a noise at night (hey! Just fooling about those beers!)

Then a BOX, now this is cool! I made mine with a side entrance, and all my netting is stored in here, then it is all kept nice and tidy, and I also put my electronic callers in here, and other stuff like flask, food etc. It is just a simple BOX that keeps all your stuff in. It also makes a nice seat if needed.

Next to it is my SHOVEL, I always have this, just in case I need to bury something or dig out the bakkie etc etc. I also have an axe fixed near that shovel.

Then I have a set of two ANIMAL SONIC whistles, it omits a sound that animals can hear and scares away any animal in the road etc while you are driving, it works by the air from outside as you drive. I have them mounted on my bakkie facing forwards. This helps you from having yourself drive into a Kudu at night! WARNING- remember to close the hole while hunting so you don’t scare a cat or jackal driving from one place to another.

I carry a can of DOOM to spray predators with to kill any ticks, it works well. This also goes in my box, with tools, tyre repair kit and tyre inflation canisters, tow ropes, jumpers and water canisters etc. I also keep a hot water bottle for the lady in my box; it’s nice to keep a person warm if needed.

My wife comes with me often so I always take a hot water bottle with for her and a couple cushions to sit on.

GENERAL

Your bakkie must work for you; personally I don’t want mine to full of stuff, just what I need and nothing on it that isn’t needed. It must be comfortable and user friendly.

This photo showing hooks – also is of an African Wildcat, it’s the first African Wildcat I called with WHITE LEGS, normally they are black and grey, like the tail, but the tail is how its recognised as an African Wildcat, black and grey circles.

I have hunted like this for over 20 years, and in all that time cannot say that I needed anything else. This style of hunting rig is exactly what you need, nothing more.