Oct 12, 2018 | News
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F28-29||target:%20_blank|”][vc_column_text]CASIO to Release New G-SHOCK RANGEMAN with the World’s First Solar-Assisted GPS Navigation
Designed for the Ultimate in Survival Toughness
CASIO, through its South African distributor James Ralph, has released the latest addition to its RANGEMAN series of watches. The new GPR-B1000 features the world’s first solar-assisted GPS navigation available in two models.
The RANGEMAN is designed for use in the most extreme conditions and incorporates Casio’s Triple Sensor feature to measure compass bearing, atmospheric pressure/altitude and temperature.
In addition to Triple Sensor, the new GPR-B1000 is capable of GPS navigation – a first for a G-SHOCK watch. The watch collects location data from GPS satellites to display the current location on a route or bearing to a destination, in real-time. The watch also saves track-and-point data in memory, (including longitude/latitude, altitude and temperature).
Using Bluetooth, the watch pairs with a smartphone to connect with the G-SHOCK Connected app, allowing the user to create routes or manage log data within the app. Track-and-point data saved in memory is displayed on a 3D map or as a timeline. The watch also receives data from time servers to keep accurate time anywhere in the world.
The GPR-B1000 features dual-wireless and solar charging systems. The GPS functions are usable for up to 33 hours on a wireless charge of about five hours. Even if the battery level drops below a usable level for GPS while outdoors, solar charging can be used to resume GPS functions for a limited time. The time display is kept powered at all times using solar charging, regardless of the status of GPS functions. The GPR-B1000 delivers toughness in construction and materials, with a dust- and mud-resistant structure and carbon fiber insert band.
GPS NAVIGATION
Navigate and Log
The watch collects location data from GPS satellites to display the current location on a route or bearing to a destination, in real-time. Turn on GPS navigation to automatically record tracks with either four-second or one-minute interval recording. (Saves up to 20 tracks in memory.)
Backtrack
The watch helps users navigate back to where they started, using track data to display the route back to the starting point and bearing.
Point Memory
The user can save point data (including date/time, longitude/latitude, altitude, atmospheric pressure, and temperature) by just pushing a button. Set point icons to indicate the type of point. (Saves up to 60 points.)
Bluetooth Smartphone Pairing to Connect with G-SHOCK Connected App
- Receives data from time servers to keep accurate time anywhere in the world. When paired with a smartphone, the watch receives data from time servers to keep accurate time anywhere in the world. Easily configures world time cities, alarms, and timers from the G-SHOCK Connected app.
- Start/End Point, Route Setting – Set the start/end points to use GPS to navigate to a destination and create routes.
- Display Tracks on 2D or 3D Maps – Display saved tracks on a 2D or 3D map in the G-SHOCK Connected app.
- Timeline display of waypoint data – Display saved waypoint data in a timeline. View photos taken with the smartphone while using GPS navigation, in the timeline.
Solar and Wireless Charging
The GPR-B1000 is equipped with dual wireless and solar charging systems to support activities in the outdoors. GPS navigation is usable for approximately 33 hours on a wireless charge of about five hours. If the battery becomes depleted, GPS functions can be resumed by charging the watch in bright light. (GPS functions are usable for one hour on a solar charge of approximately four hours in 50,000 lux conditions.) Regardless of the status of GPS functions, solar charging keeps the time display powered at all times.
Ceramic Case Back – A First for G-SHOCK
The watch uses a ceramic case back to support wireless charging and high-sensitivity GPS reception. The case back uses a 2.0 mm thick ceramic material, making the watch shock-resistant and waterproof down to 200 meters.
Tough Construction to Withstand Harsh Conditions
The watch is designed to withstand harsh conditions with dust- and dirt-proof, mud-resistant construction, low-temperature resistance down to -20°C (-4°F), a carbon fiber insert band, and sapphire crystal.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F28-29||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Oct 12, 2018 | News
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F122-123||target:%20_blank|”][vc_column_text]Hunting on hallowed ground
By Marc Newton
Images: http://tinyurl.com/nilebuffalo
Photography credit: Marc Newton
The Managing Director of gunmaker John Rigby & Co. is offered the chance of a lifetime: to shoot a Nile Buffalo in Uganda with the first London Best rifle made by the company since returning to London in 2013.
Uganda, to hunters, is a special place. Dubbed “The Pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill, this is the real Africa, untamed, beautiful and harsh. I’d been invited to join one of Rigby’s most loyal supporters and clients, now my great friend, Merle Sampson, to hunt Nile Buffalo. It was the stuff of my boyhood dreams, and not an offer to be turned down. What made this offer even more spectacular, is that Merle was letting me use his new London Best in .416 Rigby. Not only would this be the first buffalo for this rifle, but it was also the first gun produced by Rigby to be ordered from our London workshop since the company was repatriated to the UK.
We met at Kampala to drive the five hours to our first camp, based on the western shore of Lake Albert. In the distance the Blue Mountains of the Congo towered hazily, and as we sat down to our sundowners, a city of small fishing boats eased out from the edges of the water. Once the sun had set, each boat lit a lamp, and like so many stars they reflected in the dark water. Being on the equator, the heat and humidity was overwhelming, and despite the dangers of snakes, spiders and other nasties, we slept with every window and door open in the vain hope of a cooling breeze.
We hunted for several days in this spectacular area, Merle succeeding with Nile bushbuck and Defassa waterbuck, and both of us shooting Ugandan kob, an antelope that looks like a mixture of an impala and a waterbuck. The mighty buffalo, however, eluded us. The jungle is incredibly thick in this region, and despite frequently coming to within 20 yards of these unpredictable creatures, and being within sound and smell of them, getting a clean shot was proving difficult. We spent three days tracking the beasts, patiently waiting for them to come out of the thicket. On one such occasion, while we lay in wait, the tracker leapt into into the air like a springing sand grouse. A black mamba had slithered past him – a creature to be highly respected.
We decided it was time to try our luck further north, where the more open terrain would, we hoped, give us a greater chance of finding a Nile buffalo. Two-and-a-half hours on a Cessna 206 aircraft held together by gaffer tape and the pilot’s prayers brought us to the Karamoja region, famous for being the stamping ground of Walter “Karamoja” Bell, the renowned elephant hunter, who frequently used a .275 Rigby in his pursuits. Our tented camp was not far from the Lidepo Valley National Park, a few miles from the border of South Sudan and Kenya. What a place.
The infamous dictator, Idi Amin had a hunting palace in the area we were hunting and it could be seen in ruins overlooking the plains, a stark reminder of an extremely difficult time in Uganda’s history. The country’s wildlife populations suffered catastrophically under his regime and directly afterwards, when chaos reigned: rhinos were entirely wiped out, elephant populations dropped from an estimated 35,000 to 1,000. Elephants are perhaps Uganda’s greatest success story, with an 800% increase bringing the population to an estimated 8,000 today, thanks to a zero-tolerance policy on poaching. Hunting, which was reopened in 1994, brings in a large proportion of the financial support for the conservation taking place today. Our drive from the gravel airstrip to the camp gave us glimpses of the now abundant wildlife: hartebeests, roan, duikers, kob, tsessebe and vast herds of Nile buffalo, giving us the impression this might be easy. How wrong we were!
Finding an old bull
My intention was to shoot an old bull, one with character and past breeding age, rather than a trophy-sized head. Of course the old boys are the ones who know what hunting is about, and they seemed to have a built-in GPS system that led them, again and again, to the safety of the National Park. Two days of seeing plenty and stalking a few was a draining business, and though the territory was more open here, and therefore made for easier tracking, it was tough going. I could have got a shot at an estimated 45in bull, but he was a prime herd bull, and feeling sure of finding an older bull, I passed up the chance. We found an old bull with recent war wounds to his head, and tracked him until he, too, gave us the slip and crossed the park boundary.
As the last day of our trip dawned, I started to think about all of the bulls we had passed up. I didn’t regret my decision. Hunting is hunting, and I would have gleaned no pleasure from shooting an animal in its breeding prime. Rather come back another time and be even more satisfied when I finally caught up with my old dagga boy. I’d all but given up hope, until, at 5pm, our tracker spotted several old bulls in the distance through the bush. I readied the Rigby and started the stalk with our PH. I handle rifles all the time, but now I saw and felt the .416 in a different way. We crept closer and closer to a particularly old bull, a looming great beast, his battle scars evident from our position about 70 yards from him. The PH put up the sticks, and told me to take the shot when I was ready, but as sometimes happens, his view was different from mine, and I could only see the head and neck. Placing the rifle on the sticks, I waited. After what seemed like a lifetime, the old bull took a step forward, quartering towards us, giving me a clear view of his front.
I can’t remember squeezing the trigger, I was so focussed on the bull. It’s with absolute clarity, however, that I remember seeing his legs lift, and I can still hear the sound of the 400-grain bullet hitting something so massive. The bull staggered 40 yards, falling into a dip where we could still see him. We agreed to wait, and not to take a back-up shot unless there was immediate danger. Now, however, there was a different problem: a young bull was approaching from our other side. The fallen bull’s tail was still twitching, and as much to chase off the young bull as to make sure of the kill, the PH asked me to take the back-up shot. The solid ammunition went through the great creature’s spine, and sent the younger bull packing.
We waited five minutes before approaching the bull from his back end. Time and time again, I’d been warned that it’s the dead ones that will kill you, so we were extremely cautious.. While I’d been calm and focussed during the hunt, by now my hands were shaking thanks to the adrenaline coursing through my body. The bull was in his 13th year and had done his bit for the gene pool. The tips of his horns were well broomed and he weighed in at a vast 1,600lb. He was cut in half where he had fallen by the trackers, and everything was taken back to camp for butchering. That evening we feasted on his liver and onions, the best I’ve ever had. The remainder of the meat, including the stomach and the lungs, was distributed among the locals, with not a scrap wasted – whatever the greens wish to believe.
What an experience, and what a way to fulfil my boyhood dream. Hunting in the footsteps of Walter Bell, for such a magnificent animal is something that will be sharp in my memory forever. Merle later informed me, though I don’t recall it, that as we waited to check whether the bull was dead, I repeated over and over again, “My first buffalo, my first buffalo.”
Box out: The rifle
I was incredibly honoured to be allowed to use Merle’s .416 Rigby. This was the first buffalo for the rifle, and the rifle was the first to be produced by our London workshop in the new Rigby era. The rifle was commissioned by Merle in 2013, and is a London Best, with a single square bridge Mauser action. It has Holland & Holland pattern scope mounts and is engraved with the Big Five by renowned engraver Hendrik Frühauf.
Box out: The Nile Buffalo
Distinguished from its close relative, the Cape buffalo, by the fact that its horns rarely reach below its jaw, and the horns are more commonly separated at the base. No less dangerous, the Nile buffalo (Syncerus caffer aequinoctialis), is slightly lighter in colour and in weight than the Cape buffalo. Distributed across Uganda, Ethiopia, Eastern Chad, South Sudan, Somalia and Cameroon, Nile buffalo tend to move out of the dense jungle to the savanna regions when the rains come (March to November in the Lidepo Valley). Females first calve at four or five years old, and then usually only once every two years. Herds commonly consist of a few hundred, though they will congregate in their thousands, while the males spend much of their time in bachelor groups, though old bulls often prefer to be on their own.
KIT BOX
Rigby London Best rifle in .416
www.johnrigbyandco.com
Leica Geovid 8×42 binoculars
www.leica-sportoptics.com
Hornady DGX 400-grain ammunition
www.hornady.com[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F122-123||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”17782,17781,17780,17779″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Oct 12, 2018 | News
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F98-99||target:%20_blank|”][vc_column_text]World Record Kafue Lechwe?
by Strang Middleton
The alarm went off at 4 a.m., long after the first cup of coffee. We were up, packed and ready to go. It was a six-hour road trip from Lusaka into Blue Lagoon on awful roads, but we were so amped for our hunt that though only we got into our camping spot about mid-day, we still had time to check our bows and then get an evening hunt in.
The Kafue River splits into two blocks, the last natural remaining habitat of the Kafue lechwe – the north bank (Blue Lagoon) and the south bank (Lochinvar). The hunting areas border the Lochinvar and Blue Lagoon national parks where there are great numbers of lechwe, zebra, oribi and even buffalo. The birdlife in these natural wetlands is world-famous. But both these areas are under huge pressure from population encroachment and, therefore, poaching. However, I have been fortunate to have hunted both blocks in their prime.
Our main target was the Kafue lechwe. I was looking for a better than 31” specimen, and my friend Ras was after any “good bull”- it was his first time out here. The drive was bumpy and windy and slow, but it seemed to go by very quickly, what with all the talk about bows, arrows, ranges, broadheads, cammo, camp plans, and how on earth we would get close enough with a bow!
The Kafue lechwe Kobus leche kafuensis, is indigenous to Zambia and is the only place where you can get them, and the Kafue habitat is probably where the biggest of the lechwes are found, with males weighing in over 100kg. They live off the nutritious grasses associated with low and often flooded areas. It is not uncommon to find lechwes up to their necks feeding, and they will readily swim from A to B. They like to get their feet dry, so will normally forage in the water from early evening for a few hours into dark, and then from early hours into the mid-morning where they will then move back to higher and dry ground.
Ras and I reached my “favorite tree” at about 1 p.m. This was after our stop at the government scout entrance gate where all our documents and licenses were checked before we were issued the green light and given an accompanying national parks scout. My tree was a single Acacia albida which would throw enough shade to cover our tent and camp table and chairs! My tracker Ovi, and Fred the scout had a similar tree for their tent.
It was December, hot and muggy – we were fully expecting to get very wet as the rains were around. Not today it seemed. The kit was offloaded, and as Ovi prepared camp we got the “boys’ toys” out and set up. The camp was simple, and our three-day trip did not require the kitchen sink to come along. It was definitely a boys’ trip – basic food, beer, dry bed, and a tin tub to have a good bath in every evening! Our water was from a well dug 50 yards from camp, with the water level being less than two yards from the surface.
We were both using compound bows and were confidently shooting our arrows out to 80 yards with lethal consistency. Months of practise makes this very possible with today’s modern bows. I like to shoot GrizzlyStik arrows with Silver Flame Broadheads. This gives me awesome down-range energy and, with the heavy forward of center arrows and two-bladed broadhead, great momentum and penetration.
With bows set, range finders and binos strapped on, arrows tipped and checked with new broadheads and quivers fitted, it was time for a sandwich before we hit the plains hoping to catch some rutting action.
December is a tough time to hunt because you could get totally rained out. I had never hunted this late and really wanted to catch the rut if we were lucky. We had fine salt to rub and wrap and roll the capes before storing them in plastic barrels out of the rain if need be. The meat would all be taken off the bone and put into our freezer. Lechwe is one of my favorite meats to eat. Anything left over would be salted for the game scout and his family at the end of the trip.
The rut for the Kafue happens December/January, and bulls of five years or older are in their prime. Females will carry a calf seven to eight months before giving birth in August/September. We were coming into full moon, and this is known for extraordinary lechwe activity. Could we be lucky to witness a real strong bit of rutting? Lechwe generally are not aggressive rutters, but if you catch it right like we did – WOW!
As we hit the open plains it was very clear to me this was going to be an awesome hunt. The grass was cropped to stubble and the water was miles away in the distance. It is so flat there that you can literally travel at 60 km per hour and not have to hold the steering, so off we went in a south-east direction with open plains for as far as the eye could see. It was stunning.
Not long, and the scout tapped and pointed out the first “mirage” of lechwe in the distance. We headed over to them and saw it was a large herd of some 500 animals, but very few bulls. It was a nursing herd and the males in there were either old, OK-ish, or young – not what we were after. Onward we headed. Always bear in mind that this type of hunting takes you far from camp and there are no landmarks. Be sure to have a GPS unless you want to sleep on a truly mosquito-infested flood plain!
The plan to hunt a Kafue lechwe in 360 degrees of open nothingness is simple – get it right! As I mentioned, they will stay on high ground and then move to the water’s edge or swamp in the afternoons to feed. Over the year there have been huge worn travel routes, and along these you will find the odd anthill or mound with cover on it, or a patch of crocodile reeds. This is where you have to set yourself up. A cammo net is always useful. When the herd moves towards feeding grounds, you need to be there in the right place and ready to take a shot.
When using a rifle it is a lot easier. All you need is a good pair of binoculars, sturdy shooting sticks, and a rifle that will reach out there 300 yards or so. Also, a decent guide to tell you which animal to safely shoot.
The next herd of lechwe was much better-looking. It was probably 700 strong and spread over a wide area. As we got closer I stopped and climbed on top of my truck to glass. There were a lot of good bulls. And I quickly noticed the several breeding leks (areas) that had good mature bulls. And…wait for it…they were chasing and fighting and snorting everywhere! It was on! The lechwe have a really strange and characteristic run – head down, haunches in the air with the nose extended… unique to watch. Ras and I just sat and enjoyed the flow of the natural order.
It was mid-afternoon, time to start setting up if we were to get lucky. As we skirted the herd, between them and the swamp, we studied the terrain and trails, searching for the perfect spot. In the distance were some water pans with a fair bit of reed cover around them. Near to one of these were two bulls going at each other hammer and tongs! It was an unusual, aggressive battle. Both bulls looked very big. Because it was Ras up for his first flats lechwe, I had him get his stuff together. I skirted the herd and drove in toward the pools so he could use the reeds as cover to move in on the fighting bulls. I quickly went past, and he dropped out into the weeds as I drove on. We parked some 500 yards away and got the optics out to watch the show. At this stage the bulls were still locked and going at it!
We watched as Ras got to the selected patch of weeds about 75 yards away. The bulls were still hammering each other. He stood up and crossed the gap to the next patch of reeds which was only 35 yards from the bulls. They did not even look up! Now I was seeing what a rut-time hunt could be like – so exciting! Ras’s arrow went right through the lechwe, and only then did the bull break, with his pursuer hot on his tail! Ras literally had to chase off the other victor.
The moon was up and almost full. Ras had a 34” first-time lechwe hunted in the most awesome way. That was a big one, and taken with a bow. Could I really be this lucky tomorrow?
The campfire mood was jubilant, and the lechwe tenderloins were awesome. A few beers and a couple whiskeys later we hit the sack to be ready for the next day. Ras was snoring pretty quickly, but visions of great-horned, fighting studs kept me lingering at the edge of darkness for quite a while.
We were up at sparrows again with coffee, the cooler full of drinks, water, and lunch for the day. I was on a mission for a big boy.
The whole morning was spent finding the right herd with a decent setup. I found a herd with a few good bulls and one of about 35” coming back from the water. So I set myself up on a trail in a pretty awesome spot and the wait began. The lechwes came on pretty quickly, but unfortunately the wind was not being my friend, and the lead animals had the herd turned and splashing away at 200 yards, leaving me with that sunken feeling of failure after so much euphoria.
It was getting late and it was time to find a bit of shade under a lone tree, have some lunch, replenish the liquid levels, then the traditional nap.
The afternoon was spent trying to find a good bull. We saw plenty, but all the setups just would not work. It was a long way to camp and it was time to make our way back for a couple cold ones and a lechwe braai.
Our last day we were up early. The morning was tough with no chances. Fears of failure were creeping into my mind. It was close to lunch and we had a potjie with pap cooking at camp. As we trundled back I noticed a small herd of lechwe in the distance – they were a long way from water and way up the floodplain. This was where the animals get hammered by the city weekend warriors. I decide to look at some 30 lechwe out of interest. When I put my binos on them, one head stood out quite a bit. His horns were heavy and the spread tight. Not a great-looking bull – until he turned his head!
Right where we stopped there were two large trails about 100 yards apart, and not far was a nice clump of weed between them. Perfect. Now I needed some luck.
I suggested that Ras and the guys head right round with the truck and park the other side of the lechwe. They would see the car and instantly move toward the water. The weekend warriors had trained them well. The guys went about 3000 yards round them and came to a stop about 800 yards the other side of the herd which was already moving in my direction. I was tucked away nicely in the reeds with a chance to shoot to either trail to my left or right.
I hoped they would come right because the wind was better. They came left. There were three females in front followed by big boy – who now looked HUGE! Lots of control breathing was taking place in those weeds! As the females got past they obviously got a whiff. Noses up, they paused. Big boy stopped, quartering toward at 80 yards – no shot for me. The girls started to trot off and big boy came on at a brisk walk, meanwhile diverting off the trail, putting him at 67 yards. I had to try.
I drew my bow , settled my breathing , locked my 70-yard pin just under the lechwe’s elbow and started thinking of how much to lead him. Then he paused to look at the gap between him and his lead ladies. Well, before the P in pause was done, my arrow was launched. He ducked the arrow and started to turn away. It clipped the shoulder blade and continued through to hit the spine, which poleaxed the magnificent bull. I ran up, fumbling another arrow onto the string. He was as good as done, but I shot him once more, in the heart, to end it quicker. This magnificent and really old bull deserved an honorable death.
The feelings were elation, quivering emotion from the adrenaline, and then a sombering humbleness that could draw a tear. This warrior had survived so many years out here, avoided hundreds of rifle hunters and PHs with clients, and now here he was. And with my bow! Wow, wow, wow.
The guys arrived, and we just had to measure him. I’m not an inches guy, but perhaps he deserved it. My bull measured 37” green score, and I have still to measure him officially, though enough friends have convinced me that a bull that could be a new #1 – after decades of hunting and with a bow – just had to be entered and recognized.
After all, he was THE King of the Plains.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F98-99||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”17633,17634,17635,17636″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Oct 12, 2018 | News
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PH Petrie Boshoff – Buffaloes, Baloo and Boshoff!
African Hunting Gazette: Tell us about you and your family. When and where were you born?
Petrie Boshoff: I was born in August 1981 in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. I am married to Janine and I have a Jack Russell called Baloo.
AHG: How did you become a PH? How did it all begin?
PB: It all began when I was about 10 years old, accompanying some of my friends to their farms on weekends. When I was about 15 I had my first meeting with overseas clients, and at age 17 I decided, “this is what I want to do for a living.”
AHG: Which countries have you hunted and where are you hunting these days?
PB: I have hunted alone in Namibia, but with clients only in South Africa.
AHG: If you could return to any time or place in Africa, where would it be?
PB: I would have loved to hunt East Africa, with Bell and those guys, or in the Sudan for big elephants.
AHG: Which guns and ammo are you using to back-up on dangerous or wounded game?
PB: I use a Winchester model 70 chambered in .416 Remington Magnum. The ammo I like is Soft Barnes-X 400gr, and solids are also Barnes Solids 400 grain.
AHG: What are your recommendations on guns and ammo – for dangerous game and for plains game – to your hunting clients?
PB: For plains game I recommend .30-06 with 180-gr good quality soft-nose bullets, or .338 Win Mag. with 225-gr or 250-gr soft-nose bullets. On dangerous game I recommend .375 H&H with 300-gr bullets, or any of the .416 calibers with 400-gr bullets.
AHG: What is your favorite animal to hunt and why?
PB: Cape buffalo! I just love tracking them and getting a client into a good shooting position to make a good shot. And the danger factor surrounding a wounded buffalo might have something to do with it as well.
AHG: Looking back, which was your greatest trophy and why?
PB: It was a mountain zebra that I hunted myself in the Khomas Hochland in Namibia. Telling the farm owner I would like to try to walk and stalk it, and seeing the expression on his face was priceless. Just for some of the readers that don’t know the Khomas Hochland, it is a very mountainous area and the mountain zebra is a very wary animal, that will run for miles once spooked. At last he agreed, and off I went. It took me a day and a half to get a zebra standing still within shooting range. I eventually shot one at 288m up in the mountains, and it took a loooooooong time to recover it. It was still one of the toughest hunts I ever did.
AHG: What was your closest brush with death? Looking back: Anything you should have done differently?
PB: So far, I’ve only had one close encounter with a Cape Buffalo. We were tracking a herd of seven buffalo bulls from sunrise, and eventually caught up with them at about 11 o’ clock, when they were making their way down to the river for a drink. We decided to get between them and the river, and see if we could ambush them on one of the gametrails leading to the river. We set up in some thick ravine area and could see two game trails, one at 17m and one 44 metres. My client was shooting a .458 Win.Mag. with open sights and wanted a shot closer than 50metres. The local tracker told me the buffaloes always use the game trail at 44m, so everything should work out perfect…
Well, the seven buffalo bulls came out on the 17m trail. I told my client to shoot the second bull from the front, but as I stepped out next to my client, the lead bull stopped, turned towards us and started to drop its head. I told my client, “it’s gonna charge” and that he should shoot him.
He gave the buffalo a perfect top of the heart/double lung shot, but he still came charging. I tried to brainshoot him at 14m, but he stumbled over a dead stump and it resulted in him picking up his head and me shooting too low, only stunning him momentarily. My client shot him again in the heart/lung area while he was stunned. He continued the charge, and at about 3m my client shot him through the right horn and grazing his neck. At about 2m he was starting to drop his head to hook me and I spined him by shooting him where the neck joins the body. He ended up about 3 feet in front of me.
Not much I could or would have done differently.
AHG: How has the hunting industry changed over the years? And the hunting clients themselves?
PB: The industry got a lot more competitive. Everybody wants to have a piece of the pie. And clients? The average hunter is a lot older then say 10 years back.
AHG: Which qualities go into making a successful PH and or a successful hunting company?
PB: Patience, and being a people’s person. Also, you have to know how to communicate with your clients.
AHG: And which qualities go into making a good safari client?
PB: Trust and patience. Trust your PH’s judgement and wait till he tells you when and where to shoot.
AHG: If you should suggest one thing to your hunting clients to improve their experience of their safari, what would it be?
PB: Plenty of practise shooting fast off shooting sticks – sitting, kneeling and standing up. You never know what shot is going to present itself, so be ready for anything.
AHG: Based on your recent experience in the field, do you think that any species should be upgraded to Appendix I or downgraded to Appendix II or closed all together?
PB: I think the ban should be lifted on the hunting of leopard in South Africa. Every day we see more and more leopard activity. Leopards are going to lose at the end of the day, because cattle farmers are going to start poisoning or shooting them illegally for killing their livestock.
What can the hunting industry do to contribute to the long-term conservation of Africa’s wildlife?
PB: We have to look at the image we are putting out there. Photos of any animal covered in blood with guts hanging out, is not a good advertisement for the hunting industry. Look after the animals, and keep poaching in your specific area under control.
AHG: Ask your wife, if she could do it all over again, would she still….? What is her advice to future wives of PHs?
Janine: Yes, I would do it all over again. The downside is long times away from home, but to share his passion for hunting makes up for it. My advice for future wives of PHs? Support your husband in his work and let him live out his dream and passion for hunting.
AHG: Anyone you want to say thanks to? Or to GTH (Go to Hell)?
PB:To all the bunny- and tree-huggers out there. Remember that my food, poops on your food.
AHG: Any Last Words of Wisdom?
PB: Shoot straight and always use enough gun![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F120-121||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”17762,17763,17764,17765,17766,17767″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Oct 12, 2018 | News
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F106-107||target:%20_blank|”][vc_column_text]Guileless Guinea Fowl? Not a Chance!
By Ken Bailey
The guinea fowl is often dismissed as the simpleton of Africa’s gamebird world. They are, by all accounts, an odd-looking creature, sporting a weird horny helmet atop a red and blue bald head. Preferring to walk, or run, rather than fly, they have a peculiar bouncing gait that contributes to the impression that they’re less brain than birdbrain. They’re also remarkably common across southern Africa, further leading to the belief that guineas can’t be much of a sportsman’s quarry.
For those who’ve taken on the challenge, however, the reality is diametrically opposed to this impression. Guinea fowl are a classic example of why you should never judge a book by its cover, for lurking within that strange head is the mind of a cunning survivor, and if you’re going to best a guinea, you’d better bring your A game.
I’m not talking potting guineas on the ground, a popular pastime when hunting big game in an unabashed effort to put some meat in the stew pot. I’ve done that myself in Zimbabwe, plinking away from a distance with a .22. It was a simple and effective way to collect our dinner. Getting within shotgun range of guinea fowl, however, is a whole different story. You’re up against a foe that seemingly has the eyes of a falcon and the hearing of an elephant, and will bolt for cover at the first whiff of danger. And trust me, you’ll never catch up to a guinea on the run; I’d put my money on a guinea fowl in a 100-metre race with a wild turkey, and not think twice about spotting the turkey 20 metres.
There are two distinct methods for successfully wingshooting guinea fowl, with each having its pros and cons. No matter which you choose, it’s important to think through your strategy before you begin your hunt. To some extent guineas are creatures of habit – they have preferred locations for feeding and watering, and even for routes to escape cover. A little pre-hunt investment in time to discover the likely locations and preferences of the flocks you’ll be hunting can go a long way to increasing your success.
Mike Tyson once said that everybody has a fight plan until they get punched in the face. This is worth keeping in mind when hunting guineas, because just when you think you’ve got them figured out, they’ll do something totally unexpected. You need to be able and willing to adapt or risk going home frustrated.
Driven guinea fowl
Driving guinea fowl is akin to herding cats. For every time it unfolds as planned there are two times it all goes a little astray. The basic formula is to watch as guineas toddle into cover, plan a route for pushing them out, spread your shooters along the anticipated escape route, then send beaters into the cover to move the birds towards the gunners. The birds will run at first, but eventually they’ll lose their nerve or become annoyed (who knows how a guinea fowl thinks?) and flush. Hopefully they fly towards where your shooters are positioned. It all sounds simple enough but, as Mike Tyson forewarned, you must be prepared to adjust on the fly. Literally.
Hunting South Africa’s Limpopo province last year with outfitter/guides Mark Haldane, Robbie Stretton and Dylan Homes, I discovered that driving guinea fowl is a game of persistence and perseverance. There was no shortage of guineas in the area and we worked flocks as small as a couple dozen birds to more than 70. Over two days we planned and executed a dozen drives or so, some as short as a couple hundred yards, others extending a half mile or more. Despite having lots of manpower and dogpower helping out, those cagey guineas ensured it was a see-saw battle. We’d win one, then they’d win one.
On one particular drive we had nearly 75 guinea fowl trapped in a mixture of dense grass and acacia. I was in the group of gunners positioned in a shallow “U” along the anticipated escape route. Once we were all in place, the team of pushers and dogs moved forward in a quick march, eager to unsettle the unsuspecting guineas. A holler alerted us to the first flush, and in a matter of seconds the air was alive with rising guinea fowl. Unfortunately, they hadn’t read the same script we were following, and squirted through our line with near telepathic insight, between our last shooter and where we’d parked the trucks. Final tally – two guinea fowl down, and a bunch of frustrated beaters and gunners.
But you can’t give in with guineas, so after a quick refreshment for dogs and hunters alike, we regrouped, drove 10 minutes to another area and watched a flock of guineas scuttle across the trail and into the grass. Not having seen the entire flock before the first birds were safely into cover, we weren’t sure exactly how many were there, but it was definitely enough to make a drive worthwhile.
We repeated the routine of reading the cover and planning our strategy. Again I was on the shooting crew, and my expectation was eerily high as I listened to the dogs and beaters begin to work through the cover. This time our strategy worked.
Often the birds rise en masse, but on this occasion it was a series of flushes. I listened as down the line a series of pops told me the shooting had begun, then watched as dark-plumed birds intermittently fell from the sky. Soon enough I saw a flight of about 10 birds swing my way, trading off between furious flapping and peaceful gliding as they searched for distant safety. I raised my double and crunched the first bird as it passed overhead, then swung onto another, pulling it down too. With more birds headed my way, I quickly reloaded. This time I wing-tipped a bird and had to follow-up with a second shot to anchor it. Around me I heard the others continuing to shoot – we’d fooled ‘em this time. I reloaded again, but as suddenly as the barrage began it ended, and we each picked up our birds and reassembled at the trucks. It was all smiles as we admired the growing pile of guinea fowl at our feet. Not only did the plan and execution work to a “T”, but we’d be eating well that night.
Walk-up hunting
It’s difficult to hunt large flocks of guineas by walking up on them; you simply have too many eyes and ears to overcome. No matter how stealthily you sneak up on them, invariably a bird will bust you and, in a New York minute, the whole flock will be hell-bent for safe cover.
You can enjoy success on smaller flocks however, whether stand-alone groups or when following up dispersed birds after you’ve flushed a larger flock. On a hunt in Namibia a few years ago my outfitter and I tried unsuccessfully to close the distance on a flock of about 20 birds. As might be expected, our efforts were fruitless, as the birds simply ran ahead of us each time we got even remotely close. Eventually, however, they ran out of available cover and flushed. That was our cue to become more aggressive, and we hustled towards where we’d seen the now scattered flock resettle. Before they could re-covey we walked quickly but quietly through the grass to where we’d last seen individual and paired birds land. Rather than run as we got close, the still nervous guineas opted to flush again, this time within shooting range. We ended up taking four out of the group before we were done.
It certainly helps to have pointers when walking up guinea fowl. Pointing dog handlers I’ve spoken to tell me that guineas won’t hold well for pointers in sparse cover, like thin grasslands or crops where there’s little base cover, but they have success in dense grass and thornbush where the birds feel more secure.
Whether hunting with or without dogs, you must always be alert. As is typical for guinea fowl they are anything but consistent, and will flush as suddenly as a broken shoelace when you least expect it.
At the end of the day, guinea fowl hunting is among the more underrated shotgunning experiences available to African wingshooters. Those who’ve hunted them with any regularity both loathe and love these curious and unique birds. Either way, if you believe the road to redemption is paved with suffering and frustration, you should put guinea fowl hunting on your must-do list.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F106-107||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”17792,17793,17794,17795,17796,17797,17798,17799″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Oct 12, 2018 | News
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F8-9||target:%20_blank|”][vc_column_text]Flushing Africa…
Again I am sitting on my patio a few metres from the Sand River. Ducks are paddling in the slow-moving pools, and Egyptian geese are flying up and down raucously calling – the birdlife is magic…
The history of bird hunting – wingshooting – can go back to one of the greatest names in hunting: Frederick Courteney Selous. We see him in that classic picture, ensconced in a deck chair with an open book, and hung next to him is a recently shot Kori bustard. This majestic African bird is actually the world’s heaviest flying bird, weighing up to 40 pounds. Of course the ostrich is also the largest bird, but it can’t fly. However, it can run – and run fast! So while the ostrich does not belong in the wingshooting category, it is still a huntable bird and is featured in the issue.
Africa offers a diversity of game birds and, like her game, the birds are varied, colorful, and numerous – and also a challenge to he (and she) with the gun. We have run features on wingshooting, even featured some with the legendary Rovos Rail, but have not made it much of a focus. That is about to change. And to herald the change, we thought it was time that a bird should adorn the front cover.
My family has always been interested in wildlife – and birds in particular. Ever since I can remember. I was making catapults (some call them sling shots) from the time I was a little boy. Shooting at birds in the back yard and bushveld around our home was something that I just did. My bedroom walls were covered in pressed and dried birds’ wings. I did projects on birds in junior school, and my interest evolved to keeping waxbills in aviaries. I really loved the small seed eaters and today they are still my favorite bird family.
Getting back to the cover. The iconic guinea fowl is probably Africa’s most recognised game bird, be it the white spotted plumage, the shape of it flying, or the wonderful cackle the birds make at dusk and dawn. It’s Africa calling.
Wingshooting seems to be less offensive to the crazy antis. No soulful eyes, no names that they are called by, no collaring for tracking and scientific reasons. Oddly, birds seem to be lower on the totem pole of importance. Maybe it is the calm before the storm, who knows. For now, let’s capitalise on the fact that wingshooting is widely practised, is a hugely traditional sport, and is right here in Africa! We have the ingredients to attract and open up a new sector in a big way. And then to a good friend, Dieter Krieghoff, who I have been telling I will be moving to cover this – I can finally get that monkey off my back and say – at last – we have delivered!
Wingshooting will be receiving its due respect as we regularly bring you content from Ken Bailey with whom I recently went on a tremendous tour around South Africa, hosted by Bird Hunters Africa, with me being initiated into the “world of wing shooting” – to quote the title of a great book, published some 30 years back. Ken’s the hunting Editor of Outdoor Canada, and if we can get a fraction of the fanatic wingshooters from the northern hemisphere to experience the opportunities for feather-based hunting in Africa – things will be just fine.
Until then – brace yourself.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”orange” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Foctober-november-december-2018%2F%23october-november-december-2018%2F8-9||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”17641,17642,17640″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
