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Dalke covers the distance

Dalke partners up on another hunt, participates in dangerous game and long-distance shot challenge.
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Nikita Dalke

Only one episode remains in the Extreme Huntress series and Kimberley's Nikita Dalke has put herself in a good position over her fellow competitors following her sweep of a long distance shooting challenge.

Dalke is competing for the title of Extreme Huntress against six other contestants for a reality show that was filmed over the summer in Hondo, Texas. Episodes began airing late in the fall and the winner will be crowned in January in Dallas.

Dalke partnered up with Margaret Botha for a hunt; the latter getting her first and only kill of the show, while also participating in a dangerous game and long-distance shooting event.

Botha, who hails from South Africa, got her first animal of the show—a black buck—after many days of frustrating hunts.

"I was very excited for her," said Dalke, "A huge weight lifted off her shoulders, especially with that being the last hunt that we were there."

Dalke was Botha's hunting partner, but she stayed at the jeep while Botha and the ranch manager went ahead to make the stalk and the kill.

"They probably got it about 10-15 minutes before dark, so it was a fairly quick hunt," Dalke said. "Jim and I sat there for about an hour before we heard the gunshot. She pulled a really good stalk and she had some coverage with some long grass and bush because they were out in the open and made a good shot."

The ladies then took in the second part of a dangerous game challenge, where they had to shoot at a moving target of a charging Cape buffalo with a .375 Ruger.

The .375 is a large calibre with a long reach, making it a little more difficult for Dalke to operate.

"It was a tough challenge," she said. "If the gun would've fit me properly, I would've done a lot better, but it is what it is."

Shooters had to hit the target in the head to score points and Amanda Caldwell and Erika Bergmark won the challenge.

However, following that event, Dalke was able to show off her skills in the long-range distance competition.

"I've done some long range shooting at home here with my husband," Dalke said. "It was a little intimidating, I had to rattle off 10 shots in 3 minutes, but I didn't try to focus on that, I tried to focus on not fumbling because I fumbled a couple times in the dangerous game challenge and it cost me a lot of points, but the long-range, I was pretty comfortable there."

Targets were set up at 200, 300 and 400 yards. Shooters had four shots at 200, two shots at 300 and four shots at 400.

Dalke made her grouping in the 200-yard target and pumped two shots at 300-yards before moving to the 400-yard bullseye.

She pulled the trigger and the 400-yard target promptly exploded in cinematic fashion.

"If you hit the orange, the very centre of it, it would explode," Dalke said, noting that the centre was filled with tannerite, which is an explosive.

"My first shot, I hit the tannerite, but I was so focused on pulling my bolt, ejecting the shell, grabbing a cartridge, loading, putting it in and in that motion," she added. "I automatically went to grab another one and load it in, then i realized there was no target left.

"It was nice redemption."

That effectively won the challenge for her as she collected 120 points—the maximum available for the event.

In terms of points, Dalke is only 10 behind Bergmark, who has 391. The public can also help Dalke's mission to be crowned the Extreme Huntress by voting online at www.extremehuntress.com and making a submission on the vote tab.

One final episode remains before the winner is named at a banquet in January in Dallas.

 



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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