By FX Jurgens
Most of my wingshooting is done in the area between Pretoria and Bela-Bela (Warmbaths) in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
This area includes the well-known Springbok Vlakte (Springbok Plains).
Here, the fertile soil is cultivated into large fields of maize and sunflower crops. Early in the wingshooting season, the fields of ripe sunflowers attract flocks of rock pigeons (kransduiwe).
It is also one of the best areas in the country to hunt typical bushveld bird species like Swainson’s Spurfowl (bosveldfisante), crested francolin (bospatryse) and the crafty helmeted guineafowl (gewone tarentaal).
The cultivated fields are bordered by areas of thick natural bush and supply the bushveld game birds with shelter from predators and with safe nesting sites. These natural areas with an abundant food source nearby is why bushveld game birds can be found here in record numbers. Of course, the fact that an area is home to a lot of birds does not automatically guarantee hunting success.
At the first sign of hunters, the spurfowl and guineafowl would immediately leave the cultivated fields and seek refuge in the thick bush. Here it takes patience, a bit of luck and the help of excellent gun dogs to find them.
Once again, I contacted Leslie van der Merwe of Leslie van der Merwe Safaris to organise a day of wingshooting for myself and some close friends. Leslie is a well-known professional hunter and wingshooter. He had also recently published an award-winning cookbook with game and game bird recipes.
I have hunted with Leslie many times before. He is an excellent host and my friends, colleagues and I have always enjoyed excellent sport under his tutelage. I had no doubt that he and his team would be able to help us outsmart the bushveld birds.
Early on a Saturday morning, we were to meet Leslie and Aki on a farm north of Pretoria. The farm consisted of harvested fields bordered by areas of thick natural bush. Excitedly, we saw flocks of spurfowl exiting the fields and ducking into the long grass as we drove up to the meeting place. Leslie greeted us and gave us the important safety briefing as we enjoyed coffee and rusks. We would be guided by Aki Ververis. He is a passionate hunter, dog breeder and trainer, and the owner of Kynigos Kennels. He brought his two German Shorthaired Pointers with him, Ariadne and Erato.
Ariadne had won many field trails in the past, and her companion Erato’s bloodline included seven field-trial winners and one international field-trial winner.
Both these dogs were the product of a breeding program that went back 40 years. We would again be amazed by their drive and abilities as the hunt progressed. The hunting party consisted of Theo, Wouter, Jacques and me. Jacques brought his fourteen-year-old son Liam along, and this would be his first bird hunt.
The first field we hunted was thick bushveld with tall thorn trees intermingled with high grass and patches of sickle bush. It was the perfect place for game birds to hide.
Aki took his shotgun from his shoulder and handed it to Liam.
“You stick close to me”, he instructed Liam.
We entered the field, keeping a distance of thirty meters between the guns as we set off.
The dogs immediately started combing the bush in front of us as their sensitive noses picked up the smell of our quarry.
I weaved through the patches of thick bush when a single guineafowl flushed next to me. Before I could lift my gun, the bird flew behind a tree and my shot only managed to defoliate the innocent tree. I was aware of shots being fired off to my right.
As we reached the end of the bushveld area where it met the cultivated field, we took stock of our first walk of the morning. Liam’s huge smile made no secret of the fact that he was the only gun that had had success. He had shot a guineafowl over a perfect point by Ariadne, and shot his second bird after he flushed it himself.
We entered the second field and this time we kept closer together. Aki accurately predicted that the spurfowl would keep in the bush close to the fence that separated the bushveld and the harvested fields.
The spurfowl sat tight, and it was beautiful to see the dogs go on point. Their energetic searching instantly transformed into single-minded purpose as they concentrated on the scent in front of them. One of the dogs would go on point, every muscle fiber in its body quivering, while the second dog would honour the point. At Aki’s command, the dogs would flush the birds and Jacques easily shot two Swainson’s. The birds fell in thick areas of grass but at Aki’s command the birds were retrieved to his hand.
A few chances were missed, but Wouter and Theo also took some birds.
Over a point from Erato, a covey of birds was flushed by Theo.
“Crested!” Aki called out as he identified the birds in flight.
My shot checked the flight of a single bird that crossed in front of me and I felt elated at having shot a crested francolin – in my opinion, the most beautiful bushveld game bird.
We took some photos for prosperity and then returned to where Leslie was waiting with coffee, soft drinks, and snacks to revive us.
We then drove to a different part of the farm. Here the farmer had cut the long grass for winter feed, and the plains of short grass were dotted with shrubs and stunted tree under which patches of tall grass remained.
We walked close together as the dogs went to work. Now we could really enjoy the symphony while watching them. Aki could read his dog’s body language and would warn us when the dogs were working a scent. He kept one eye on his dogs, one on the shooters’ positions, and he still kept his eyes open for spurfowl that were running between the grassy areas. He also kept an eye on the barometric pressure that influenced the scenting conditions.
The spurfowl would run from the dogs till the tall grass-strips ended. The dogs would follow the scent till the birds ran out of cover. There, the dogs would go on a solid point. We would rotate the shooters and Aki would give the flush command. Shots rang out and birds fell at regular intervals. Every shot bird was retrieved by Ariadne or Erato. Aki would fist bump the hunter and we all appreciated the beautiful bushveld game birds.
On driving to the next field, we noticed a large flock of guineafowl in the open. Aki herded them into a bushy area next to the open field. Here, we hoped, the guineas would sit tight as we walked up to them. We spread out and entered the field. The soft calls of the guineas were audible in the long grass in front of us.
Suddenly, the whole flock of birds flushed in front of us.
I was overcome as the flock of at least fifty birds flew in all directions. Like a lion that was surrounded by an entire herd of bounding gazelles, I could not choose a single target.
Three shots rang out to my right, and it was Wouter who scored a double. He was ecstatic with the successful flush.
The day was heating up, and we returned to where Leslie had made a fire, and we were served ice-cold soft drinks and hors d’oeuvres made from duck and goose breast chorizo. We relaxed around the fire as Leslie prepared a delicious lunch, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Leslie organised a plinking competition with a .22 rifle to keep us from nodding off. While we lunched and relaxed, Aki took Liam on a scouting trip to look for birds and to reconnoiter an area for the afternoon’s hunt.
As the day cooled off, we again took up our guns and drove to a field that had not been planted this season but that had been left to recover.
The matted brambles and tall grass were an absolute treasure-chest of birds.
Shortly after entering the field, we flushed two separate coveys of Swainson’s Spurfowl and Crested Francolin within meters of each other.
Our shooting did not disappoint. The Crested Francolin covey erupted close to me. A single bird flew high over my head and my first shot missed completely. My second shot, however, checked the bird’s flight, and it tumbled to earth.
This field held birds in abundance, and we flushed a single covey of Swainson’s Spurfowl that consisted of a dozen birds. Despite the thickets, the dogs found, pointed, and retrieved the birds without any difficulty.
As the sun approached the western horizon and the shadows lengthened, we gathered together to inspect the day’s bag. Leslie broke out the celebratory beers and we toasted each other on an exceptional day of bird hunting in the bushveld.
If you ever want to experience a truly memorable wingshooting experience, contact Leslie van der Merwe Safaris on lesliej375@outlook.com
