One for the Road
Lunch with Leo, Okavango Delta, 2008. Yes, his tail is flicking. Yes, he was annoyed that we were disturbing his repast. And yes, we got out of there.By Terry Wieland RECOGNITION OF REALITY RETURNS TO BOTSWANA For good, one hopes There is one...
One for the Road
By Terry Wieland M’BOGO MAN It’s very difficult to write anything new about the Cape buffalo. It seems that everything that can be said, has been said, and more than once. From Robert Ruark (Horn of the Hunter) to South African novelist Stuart Cloete...
One for the Road
By Terry Wieland PACHYDERMIA When in elephant country, carry an elephant rifle Never having hunted elephant myself — at least, not intentionally — I’m hardly qualified to offer much more than some very circumspect opinions on what to do or...
South Africa Plans to Grow Biodiversity Economy
Wildlife has blossomed on privately-owned land in South Africa since legislation was passed in the 1970s, making the ownership of wild animals and their utilisation a viable alternative to conventional agriculture with crops and livestock. This has made South Africa...
One for the Road
By Terry Wieland The Travelling Library Blood, sweat, gun oil, dust and ashes When Theodore Roosevelt made his celebrated safari through East Africa, more than 110 years ago now, he took with him a veritable mountain of equipment. From rifles and...
One for the Road
By Terry Wieland The Fiercest Heart Stuart Cloete — soldier, novelist, elephant hunter In 1994, when I was holed up on a remote farm in the (then) Orange Free State, learning one last time that I am not a novelist, I found myself longing for something to...
One for the Road
A Masai homestead near the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania. The grass hut is perfect for the climate.By Terry Wieland Under Canvas The fine art of teamwork Many has been the paean to the joys of the old-time tented safari, wherein you set up camp for a few...
Book Review: Rift Valley Fever
Rift Valley Fever - A British Vet in Africa After training as a vet in Edinburgh, Hugh Cran set off to Kenya and spent the next 50 years at the sharp end, treating the cattle of Maasai herdsmen, wild animals, the horses and pets of ex-pats and the military and the...
Ensure your tipple travels safely with Rigby’s new Whisky Travel Case
There’s now no need to be concerned about your finest malt travelling with you thanks to John Rigby & Co.’s new bespoke leather and walnut whisky travel case. Expertly designed to keep your whisky bottle from smashing in transit, this exceptionally practical...
One for the Road
A Masai homestead near the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania. The grass hut is perfect for the climate.By Terry Wieland A Tale of Three Buffalo The things that stick with you In Horn of the Hunter, Robert Ruark describes two Cape buffalo he took on his first...
One for the Road
A Masai homestead near the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania. The grass hut is perfect for the climate.By Terry Wieland A Good Night's Sleep Grass, mud, and (ugh!) corrugated iron Fifty years ago, I found myself in the southern Sudan, in a small camp of...
Rigby Art unveils new limited edition wildlife collection
London gunmaker, John Rigby & Co.’s art department, Rigby Art, unveils three new limited edition fine art prints of a caracal wildcat, dik-dik antelope, and klipspringer antelope. Crafted by Rigby artist and engraver, Geoffrey Lignon, each piece showcases the...
Justin Prigmore unveils Big Five at DSCC
Award-winning, Scottish-based artist Justin Prigmore unveiled new original works and paint live at the John Rigby & Co. booth #4125 at the 2024 Dallas Safari Club (DSC) Convention. The four new works are all original oil paintings on Belgian linen and have been...
Classic and Contemporary African Hunting Literature
Hunting On Safari in East and Southern Africa Aubrey Wynne-Jones (Macmillan South Africa Ltd., 1980, 180 pages) Reviewed by Ken Bailey Like many others, early on I read the books of Capstick, Ruark and Hunter, dreaming of the day I could live out my own African...
One for the Road
Corbett’s .275 Rigby, and mementoes of his life and career, courtesy John Rigby & Co.By Terry Wieland Top of the Tree Jim Corbett and the Queen By a strange coincidence, I was in the midst of re-reading all of Jim Corbett’s books about India,...
Gin-Trapped Buffalo Leads to the Fall of a Zimbabwean Icon
The letter below was copied to me by an Alaskan hunter. What made the letter particularly meaningful is that just this week something terrible happened. When you read the letter below, you will see a reference to gin traps and how terrible they are. And the...
One for the Road
Elephant in the Okavango. Botswana has one of the few remaining healthy elephant populations—healthy to the point of threatening their own well-being through habitat destruction. Proper elephant management is difficult because of international opinion, made all the...
Classic and Contemporary African Hunting Literature
Rhino War Major General (Ret.) Johan Jooste with Tony Park (Ingwe Publishing, 2022, 268 pages) Reviewed by Ken Bailey Rhino War is a fascinating read describing the staggering level and sheer brutality of rhino poaching in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, and...
Karamojo Bell and his Small Bores – Stubborn Resolve or Logical Choice?
This highly ornate Rising Bite double rifle was refitted in Rigby’s London shop for a second barrel set in 9.3x62mm to accompany the original .350 Rigby Magnum barrels. The extension seen at the breech end of the barrels fits very precisely into the action face where...
Classic and Contemporary African Hunting Literature
Wato Brian Watson ( 2019, 321 pages) Reviewed by Ken Bailey Brian Watson’s Wato is purely and simply an enjoyable read. I suspect that’s in part because he’s one of us. Like many of us he took a fancy to guns, shooting and hunting as a child, and he grew up in...
Campfire Thoughts & Reminiscences Part 23
Written by Neil Harmse Chapter 24. A Martini Henry – Resurrecting an ‘Oldie’ A number of guns were put up for sale by a retired hunter and among these was a very rusty, badly pitted sporting Martini Henry .577/450 made by Isaac Hollis &...
Rigby welcomes celebrated wildlife artist Zoltán Boros
Red Stag with HindsLondon gunmaker John Rigby & Co. is delighted to announce the latest addition to its esteemed art department, Zoltán Boros. Hailing from Subotica, Serbia, Zoltán is known for his passion for wildlife and his exceptional talent in capturing the...
Local Cookbook, “Everyday Venison,” Clinches Prestigious World Gourmand Award
Leslie van der Merwe's recipe book, "Everyday Venison," was crowned the Best Game Meat Cook Book in the World at the esteemed Gourmand Awards Ceremony. The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, an institution founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau, recognizes...
Classic and Contemporary African Hunting Literature
Dangerous Game Quest Kim Stuart, (Fjermendal Press, 2021, 236 pages) Reviewed by Ken Bailey Kim Stuart’s Dangerous Game Quest – A Personal Journey is a compilation of stories describing his odyssey to become the first hunter to take each of the Magnificent Seven...
Campfire Thoughts & Reminiscences Part 22
Written by Neil Harmse Chapter 23. The Ultimate Big Bore For those big-bore shooters who always claim they are addicted to back pull, I have come across the ultimate rifle which should satisfy their every craving for brain rattling,...
Father of Them All
This Enfield-made Martini carbine in .303 British compares favorably with the much later Lee-Enfield No. 5 Mk. 1 – the famous Jungle Carbine.Even after the Martini-Henry rifle had been retired as the British service weapon, various manufacturers (including the royal...
Rigby’s Rising Bite Shotgun
Diggory Hadoke examines the re-emergence of Rigby’s classic shotgun in modern guise. When you buy a new British gun, you actually buy an old British gun, made recently. Every major maker still in business is selling products developed from patents dating back...
A View on Hunting by a Traditional Leader in Namibia
By Dr Margaret Jacobsohn Chief T J Mayuni, traditional leader of the Mafwe people in the Mashi district of Namibia and patron of Mayuni Conservancy, is an ardent conservationist and an animal lover. He can describe and recall the name of every dog he has owned since...
Campfire Thoughts & Reminiscences Part 21
Written by Neil Harmse Chapter 22. Useful Equipment for Shotgunners The long-awaited day has finally arrived. You have your licence for your new shotgun and have collected it from the gun shop – and the season is open! You cannot wait to get out...
Classic and Contemporary African Hunting Literature
Ask the Namibian Guides Diana Rupp, (Safari Press, 2013, 182 pages.) Reviewed by Ken Bailey Long-time Sports Afield editor Diana Rupp first hunted Africa in 2003, a plains game hunt in Namibia. Captured, as so many of us are, by Africa’s magic, she’s gone back...