IMPACT SHOOTING: BABOON HUNTING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Hunting rarely gives you perfect conditions, plenty of time, and a stationary target. More often, the opportunity appears quickly, the wind isn’t doing what you want, and you have seconds to get behind the rifle and make a decision. That’s exactly what Pieter Malan of Impact Shooting encountered during a recent baboon hunt in South Africa. Running a rifle equipped with the MDT DRT Chassis, Malan faced everything from a fast 196-meter engagement to a 302-meter shot in a stiff crosswind. More importantly, the hunt provides a good look at what practical rifle shooting demands once you leave the controlled environment of the range. Let’s check it out.

A Fast Opportunity

The first opportunity came when Malan and his hunting partner, Fred, located a large troop of baboons moving through a valley. They had previously taken a baboon in the same area, so Malan grabbed a 15-round magazine before moving into position. The wind initially seemed to be working in their favor, blowing directly into their faces and reducing the chance the troop would pick up their scent. Unfortunately, baboons don’t rely solely on their noses. Within seconds of Malan getting into position, the troop’s exceptional eyesight came into play, and the hunters were spotted. Malan selected a baboon near the edge of the field at 196 meters and took the shot as it began moving left. As the troop scattered, he attempted a couple of quick follow-ups but narrowly missed.

Rather than remain in the original position, Malan repositioned toward another section of the valley, hoping the fleeing baboons would present another opportunity. While he and Fred were still discussing the first engagement, a lone baboon appeared at approximately 302 meters. Malan quickly dropped prone while Fred got the camera running, but this time the wind presented another challenge. According to Malan, it was coming hard from approximately the 10 o’clock direction, requiring nearly a mil of correction. Malan built his position, applied his wind hold, and broke the shot, watching the impact through his optic as the baboon fell down the rocks.

The sequence shows how quickly a field shooting problem can change. What began as a 196-meter engagement became a 302-meter shot requiring a new position and a substantial wind correction. Malan also addressed the baboon appearing silhouetted against the skyline in the footage, explaining that the surrounding land was part of the property they were hunting and that nobody was hunting farther downrange. It’s an important reminder that a camera doesn’t always show the complete shooting environment. That target identification, foreground, background, and what lies beyond the target all have to be accounted for before taking a shot.

The MDT DRT Connection

The hunt also lets us see the MDT DRT Chassis doing exactly what it was designed to do. Rather than building another lightweight hunting stock, MDT developed the DRT to bring elements of a precision-rifle chassis into a field-oriented platform. Weight matters when you’re carrying a rifle through hunting country, but so do rigidity, adjustability, ergonomics, and the ability to establish a repeatable shooting position quickly.

Malan’s hunt highlights that balance. No benches or prepared firing positions. He moved between locations, dropped prone when opportunities appeared, and got behind the rifle with very little time to settle in. The DRT provides the foundation, but the shooter still has to solve the problem.

That became even more apparent about an hour later when Malan and Fred spotted another group of baboons from the road. Once again, there wasn’t time for an elaborate setup. Malan exited the vehicle, dropped prone beside it, and quickly built a shooting position. The first round went slightly high, and Malan corrected and continued the engagement.

Why The Baboons Are Being Hunted

The final encounter also provided context for why baboons were being targeted on the property. Behind Malan were rows of almond trees, creating a concentrated and readily available food source for the animals. For the people managing the property, however, baboons feeding on those trees can mean crop damage and lost production.

That puts the hunt into a broader wildlife-management context. In agricultural areas, hunting can be one tool landowners use to reduce conflicts between wildlife and commercial crops. Malan even found one of the earlier baboons with its mouth packed with food, providing a firsthand look at exactly what the animals were doing on the property.

MDT DRT Chassis: Built For The Field

Malan’s hunt reminds you that the field rarely gives you the same problem twice. Distances change, the wind shifts, animals move, and you have to build shooting positions with whatever the terrain gives you. From the fast 196-meter engagement to the wind-heavy shot at 302 meters, the rifle and shooter had to adapt as quickly as the situation changed. That’s exactly where the MDT DRT Chassis fits in, bringing the adjustability and stability of a modern precision-rifle chassis into a platform built to be carried and used in the field. Pieter Malan and the Impact Shooting crew put that combination to work in South Africa, proving once again that the range may be where you prepare, but the field is where you find out if everything works.