Jan 3, 2018 | News
A Public Guidance Position Statement
The TGA was asked (by many people) to “take sides” – which we would never do. We were also reluctant to “interfere in the domestic affairs of the wildlife industry” because that is against the mandate of our constitution. So we were considered ‘draad sitters’ by many which was unfortunate.
Finally, to satisfy public interest more than anything else – and to educate the public about how they should address this kind of situation – we produced this report.
Our own membership was asking what our attitude was towards all these issues – which was a major motivation for us writing the report!
You will note that – in opposition to the animal rightists objections to hunting in general – we thoroughly justified legal hunting; and we discussed the limited information we had to hand on the controversial “Captive Breeding of Lions and Ranch Lion Hunting (canned lion hunting)”.
Please share this document with those who are interested.
For clarity on our position on animal rightists, read and share our Animal Rights Doctrine – Public Guidance
Ron Thomson
Comment by John Rance
Here is the link to the full comment by John Rance (TGA Director) on the canned lion issues under debate.
Dec 24, 2017 | News
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A FLOWERING OF SERPENTS
One of the first questions you hear, when you announce that you’re going to Africa, is a tremulous, “But aren’t you afraid of snakes?”
Answer: “Yep. Terrified! What of it?”
If I let my life-long dislike of reptiles deter me, I would not hunt in south Texas, I’d avoid Alabama, and Australia would be out of the question. For that matter, I wouldn’t live in Missouri, where we have copperheads, water moccasins, and the occasional rattler.
Every so often, I sit back and count on my fingers the number of times, during 14 or 15 trips to Africa, totalling more than three years of my life, that I have even seen a snake. I have yet to run out of fingers. Snakes there certainly are, but they just haven’t bothered me.
Now, stories about snakes? You done come to the right place, pal. Where do you want me to start? Oh, wait: First, a word of advice. If you are a herpetophobe, fearing snakes to an irrational degree, the first question you should ask a prospective professional hunter is how he feels about them. If his face lights up and he assures you that he loves snakes and plays with them every chance he gets, thank him politely, back away, and sign on with someone else. Trust me on that one. I speak from experience.
People who actually like snakes can’t fathom people who don’t, just as cat lovers can’t relate to the benighted few who find cats repellent. Fortunately, there aren’t that many snake lovers; unfortunately, most of them seem to be PHs.
One time in Botswana I was waist-deep in a hippo pool, which was home to (by actual count) 14 hippos and one large crocodile. We were hunting ducks and geese, and my guide would fire a shot over the reeds, and birds would flush. One duck came zipping by and I dropped it into the water a few yards behind me. When I went to retrieve it, I found a large python curled around it, contemplating duck recipes. With whoops of joy, my PH handed me his gun, grabbed the python by the tail, and hauled it ashore, yelling at me all the while to be sure to get the duck.
The python turned out to be a young one — only 12 feet long, but he looked bigger to me — and we “played” with it on the bank for an hour, then allowed it to slither back into the water, shaking its serpentine head in disbelief and making reptilian mutterings. I knew how it felt. We kept the duck, which I thought was a trifle unfair.
Another time, I was staying with a friend on the edge of the Okavango. He had a permanent tent camp, and I had a mattress on the floor of the cook tent. Cook tents generally contain mice, and mice attract snakes. The night we arrived, around dusk, Clint pulled into his usual parking spot. I opened the door and jumped out, looking down as I did at a cobra, right under my feet. You can, I found, change trajectory in mid-air, and my feet missed the cobra by at least a yard.
“Oh,” Clint said, “I forgot to tell you. I killed that snake this morning. Found it behind the cook tent. Sorry.”
It was dead, but still. I can’t say I slept all that well the first couple of nights, but then I settled in and all was fine. The memory receded.
My particular horror is the Mozambique spitting cobra, which rears up and lets fly a stream of venom, aimed at your eyes, and is reputed to be accurate from several yards out. Blindness does not appeal to me. A friend who has a game ranch outside Bulawayo had her buildings constructed around an inner courtyard, one of which contained the shower and another a privy. As is normal in Africa (don’t ask me why) the privy was at the far end of a narrow room, with a tiny window in the wall above. She went out in the dead of night to do what people do in the dead of night. The generator was not running, but there was a full moon, so she didn’t bother with a flashlight.
As she settled in, she felt a stream of cool liquid hit her thigh. A spitting cobra was in there with her, probably right beside her in the darkness. The room was illuminated only by thin moonlight through the high window. What did she do?
“I closed my eyes and waited,” she said. “Then I made a dash for the door. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t run with your pants around your ankles.” The cobra also made its escape. The privy now has its very own flashlight, hanging outside the door.
Cobras are one thing. Mambas are another. Mambas make cobras seem almost friendly. Stuart Cloete, the great South African writer, wrote a blood-chilling novel called Mamba, which is about a love triangle, with the snake playing the same role it’s enjoyed since Genesis. Ever since reading that, 40 or 50 years ago, the mamba has haunted my dreams.
At the risk of overstating, they are reputed to be able to outrun a horse (if snakes can be said to run), outclimb a monkey, be extraordinarily deadly, and have the personality of a wolverine. There are black mambas and green mambas. The black is the more common, (and more aggressive) and is actually a dark brownish-grey.
The editor of one of the Big Three went to Botswana back in the early ‘90s. He was sleeping in his tent one night when something woke him up. He heard scurrying. A mouse. It scurried here. It scurried there. Eventually, he dropped back to sleep. In the morning, they went out hunting, and returned to camp for lunch. He walked into his tent and out through the back to the adjoining privy, which had the toilet on one side and the shower on the other. He glanced into the shower and there, halfway in through the drain hole, was the front half of a black mamba. At the sight of him, it reared up, but was unable to perform with mamba-like dexterity until it had pulled itself in through the drain, which was a tight fit. By the time it cleared the drain, our fearless editor was out through the front and calling for help.
The PH returned with some trackers and a shotgun, found the tent empty, and proceeded to beat the brush behind it. The mamba made tracks (so to speak) and got its head blown off.
Piecing it together, they concluded that the scurrying noises the editor heard the night before was a mouse, seeking to escape, while the mamba stalked it under the bed and over the wardrobe. This realization was too much. The editor was packed and heading for the airport before dark, and has never returned.
Another mamba story: I was in Tanzania on the edge of the Rift Valley, driving along a track past a Masai camp. We saw a mamba cross the track and go into a grain-storage hut through a crack in the wall. We stopped and advised the residents. Soon, a bunch of budding Masai morani, complete with spears and robes, had gathered around and were debating who was going to go in after it. Our trackers, both Masai themselves (and who insist on spelling it with one ‘a’) looked disgusted with the whole thing, and finally one climbed down, pulled aside the door frame, and went in. There was loud clattering as he beat his walking stick against the grain baskets. The mamba came out the way he went in, scattering the teenagers, while our other tracker nailed it. There then began the debate about who had panicked and run first, while we drove away.
Just so there is no mistake, yours truly would not have entered that hut for a 50-inch buffalo.
By scientific analysis, per gram of venom, the boomslang is (or was) reputed to be the deadliest snake in Africa, although I believe now some obscure adder from West Africa is considered deadlier. The boomslang (it means “tree snake” in Afrikaans) is a medium-sized green fellow with a shy and retiring nature. Not aggressive like the mamba (I guess you don’t need to be when you’re that well-armed), he is made less deadly by the fact that his fangs are in the back of his mouth, and it’s tough for him to get a good grip and inject much venom.
One time, staying on a farm outside Arusha, my PH was called to deal with “A snake! A snake!” in one of the store rooms. Having no idea what it might be, we grabbed a club and bucket and went to investigate. It turned out to be a baby boomslang, no more than eight or nine inches long, vivid green against the shavings on the floor. My PH was no snake lover, but he believed that all creatures have their place. We herded the little guy into the bucket, then released him in some brush on the edge of the farm.
I have other snake tales — cobras, mambas, puff adders — but we’ll save them for another time. Funny thing, though: Thinking about all this has made me realize that, much as I dislike snakes, Africa would not be the same without them. If only to terrorize the folks at home.
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Dec 24, 2017 | News, Uncategorized
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Classic .505 Gibbs Express Rifle
By John Mattera
.505 Gibbs—just the name commands respect. From the days of Hemingway’s The Green Hills of Africa, we have lived in awe of the reputation of this grand African caliber and the rifle that bears the name. It’s built for the singular purpose of delivering a well-placed behemoth round changing the nasty beast’s intentions post-haste.
From accounts of the fictional Robert Wilson off Hemingway’s pages through to today, the .505 Gibbs is a rifle of grand African proportions.
Predominantly the heavy tool of the professional hunter, it was designed and built to compete with the expensive-to-manufacture double rifle just after the turn of the last century—the Golden Era of the world we know as safari.
If a professional hunter wanted the added security of that third and fourth round with a turn-bolt rifle that could address any situation with authority, the .505 Gibbs was the answer.
But beware – it is not a rifle for the faint of heart!
Within the ranks of professionals today, there are still legends of the industry that rely on the .505 to sort things out and deliver their clients home safely at the end of a safari.
Simon Rodgers is just such a professional hunter. An old-school PH worthy of the name, applying the skills needed in the field for almost four decades since the early 80s, breaking into the hunting industry in Matetsi, Chete, and then off to Chewore North and South, Tsholotosho South, the Rifa Safari Area, and for the last fifteen years hunting exclusively in Mozambique, as the owner of Safaris de Mozambique.
His rifle of choice? Etched across the top of the barrel the legend reads: “George Gibbs Bristol & 35 Savile Row London W.” A genuine .505 Gibbs the tool of professionals. Rodger was in good company as the likes of J.A.Hunter, Bror Blixen and Tony Sanches-Arino – all legends of the hunt carried original Gibbs big-bore rifles in .505 as well.
Founded in Bristol in 1830 as “J & G Gibbs,” the Gibbs company produced fine rifles and developed wonderful cartridges for the London Trade. Renamed “G Gibbs & Company” in 1835, the small company soon gained an impressive reputation for their innovation and design. The Gibbs company manufactured high-quality muzzle-loading rifles and shotguns under the direction of the founder George Gibbs Senior. Then it expanded when George’s two sons—George C. and Herbert—joined their father.
A series of well-thought-out and crafted partnerships proved that the Gibbs family was more than just craftsmen – they were astute business men. The most telling example was their partnership with William Metford and the adoption of the Metford/Farquharson patent action. This made Gibbs the only manufacturer licensed to produce the most successful black-powder, falling-block rifle for the last part of the nineteenth century.
Gibbs may have made rifles for hunters, but the Gibbs family were shooters first.
George Gibbs Jr, the heir to the company, was arguably the best rifleman on the British Isles in his day. So it is safe to say that he understood accurate rifles.
While their rifle-building skills were noteworthy large, they produced a much more pedestrian- grade rifle than their counterparts—most without the frills and adornments that turn of the century English guns were noted for.
What the Gibbs company did exceedingly well was manufacture high-quality working rifles and design very good cartridges to go along with them.
Meanwhile, in Africa, some of Gibbs’s best big-game cartridges began life as target rounds. Like the infamous .461 Gibbs, which dominated the famous Wimbledon and Stirling long-range target meetings, it was to become a favorite dangerous-game round of its day, used and lauded by the great hunters like Frederick Selous, Arthur Neumann, and others, for decades. Selous’s very rifle still resides in the Bill Jones collection in Birmingham, Alabama.
The .505 Gibbs cartridge was designed in 1911, originally intended to be a rimmed cartridge for the double rifle market. However, Gibbs believed they could capture a greater share of the big-game market by mating this new cartridge to the Mauser bolt-action rifle, and introduced the new cartridge as the .505 Rimless Nitro Express, or just the .505 Rimless. The design was a unique bottleneck-cartridge with voluminous case capacity that helped the round operate under lower pressure.
This was very important at the turn of the twentieth century as the temperature sensitivity of cordite proved unreliable when compressed. This made the .505 cartridge less susceptible to the dangerous variations in temperatures as the mercury rose or fell in sub-equatorial Africa.
Operating at just under 40,000 psi, the massive case has a capacity of 178 grains by weight of water. Loaded with the measured amount of cordite it drove a 525-grain bullet, measuring .505 inch (12.8 mm) out of the muzzle at 2300 fps, well within the magic velocity-band for terminal success.
The bullet diameter is unique to the Gibbs, as most other big 50’s utilized bullets of .510 inches.
The only serious competition in the first half of the twentieth century came about with the introduction of the .500 Jeffery bolt-action rifle, which first appeared around 1920, originally designed by the August Schuler Company as the “12.7×70 mm Schuler”.
While the .500 Jeff was more powerful, the .505 proved much more reliable with a longer case- neck offering more reliable feeding. The Jeffery was also plagued by a rebated rim and operated at higher pressures, both contributing to extraction issues.
These concerns could prove problematic when your primary job is stopping dangerous game, and that second and third shot may be “the” game changer!
Rodgers’s rifle has the look of a weathered heavyweight prize fighter, a bit haggard about the edges, but still dangerous in the clutches. The wood is polished smooth from countless days in the field, and the checkering has long since lost its biting edge. The hand/pistol-grip is opened nicely as a heavy caliber rifle should be to prevent trigger-guard bite on recoil. The Monte Carlo raised cheek-piece also helps to dissipate energy as you touch off the round in the chamber. The recoil pad, heavy and thick, has seen much better times, now faded and worn. You can see the thought towards recoil management that went into the construction of this heavy rifle. It was designed and built by a shooter. The metal surfaces are worn in spots from untold sweat-filled miles of being carried, dragged and pushed through the bush.
At one time, the rifle sported a rear peep aperture where the base still resides. The folding leaf rear sight was seated atop the barrel with a barrel band swivel far enough in front to protect the hand from recoil, with a foldaway, hooded front sight and pop-up ivory bead. It was called a moon sight in the London trade, but I’ve always thought of them as lion sights.
The white ivory stands out against the tawny coat of a lion better than a small, gold bead.
Turn the rifle about in your hands and you notice that despite hard use, it is neither tired nor disheveled. The Gibbs is well cared for, cleaned and oiled ready for use, and can deliver that knock-out punch when needed.
What a storied work of art this old war-horse is!
By putting this cartridge into the time-proven, square-bridge, magnum Mauser action, George Gibbs built a hard-hitting and surprisingly accurate heavy thumper while operating at safer and more reliable case pressures, providing more hunters the opportunity to own a rifle capable of serious knock-down power with a greater round capacity at a more affordable price.
When you pick up and handle such a storied tool that has “seen the charge of the elephant,” it is a solemn experience. My thoughts are firmly planted in the history I now hold in my hands – the excitement and adventure that this rifle must have witnessed.
When you touch a dangerous-game rifle that has lived in the darkest of Africa for almost a century, the mind swirls as imagination fills in the missing pieces.
The worn surfaces smoothed over by years of arduous work paint a picture of hard use through difficult times. You turn the bolt and it rolls and closes fast, well-oiled and maintained, and you know instinctively loved!
The combination of good looks and raw power are melded together in this classic express rifle. Your mind races through the old-time African adventure this rifle must have seen. Fingering the cigar-sized cartridges as you feed them into the magazine only adds to the excitement, as they each seat with a “clunk.”
When you shoulder the rifle, it rises and falls in place between your hands, just heavy enough to handle the force of recoil that you know will come, but not overly so. The rifle is ready to stop the charge of any of Africa’s dangerous game.
The trail of Rodgers and this legendary Gibbs has been long and fraught with danger and intrigue for almost thirty years, through Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and places without a name.
Rodgers’ decision to arm himself with the big rifle came from a near-tragic encounter. After all, we learn much more from our failures than we do from our successes.
Armed with a .375 H&H proved humbling for Rogers when facing a charging Cape buffalo wounded by a client, and required a bit of dancing about and multiple rounds to sort out. He vowed then and there to never again be caught under-gunned for the situation. When the opportunity to purchase the original .505 Gibbs presented itself, Rodgers did not hesitate. He plonked down the cash and went home with a legendary rifle that was to become his constant companion over almost three decades.
While hunting with Simon Rodgers in Safaris de Mozambique outside of Cahorra Bassa late in 2016, I talked him into switching rifles with me for a day or two in the bush. He didn’t argue much. Why would he? I was handing over Philip Percival’s .470 Rigby to him as consolation. The look on his face spoke volumes, as if I offered the queen’s dowry.
I guess it was as if receiving royalty—to steal an old phrase: The silence was deafening.
So, with the temporary trade in hand, I had the good fortune to carry this great old Gibbs in the field for the last few days of our safari. However, much to my dismay, I only had the opportunity to fire it at a cardboard target, as the buffalo we sought remained elusive. Still, the experience for me was historic.
The recoil was not as bad as you would think. The low-operating pressure of the .505 on this well-built rifle gives the shooter a good shove back with its inertia, as opposed to shoulder-pounding cartridges like the .500 Jeffery or the .460 Weatherby which came along in 1957 and unseated these two classics in raw power.
Simon Rodger’s .505 Gibbs is a classic dangerous-game safari rifle with a deep, rich history. Some of its history is known, as stories attest to this rifle’s stopping power. Numerous elephants and buffalo have fallen to the incredible penetration of the .525 A-Square monolithic solids.
But like most of the old classic rifles that I have had the pleasure of hunting around, there are gaps in their stories, and some of its time-gone-by remains a mystery.
For me that may be the best, as I can let my mind wander across the decades, across the miles.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”12583,12584,12585,12586,12587″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Dec 21, 2017 | News, Rifles
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Krieghoff Semprio—One Rifle, Many Possibilities
By Monty Hudson
It’s been several years since Krieghoff unveiled the technology-laden Semprio. Krieghoff is perhaps best known for world-class shotguns and double rifles, and the Semprio is an entirely different kind of rifle. On close examination, Semprio is an engineer’s dream, complete with a reverse slide action and takedown technology that allows the shooter to change calibers quickly. That said, it’s not a traditional design, and requires a bit of study to fully appreciate it. Given the flexibility of the system and the maturity of the design, we thought this hunting season was the time to give the Semprio a new African field test.
For our field evaluation, Namibian PH Gunter Schwalm of Omalanga Safaris put Krieghoff’s
Semprio to work on plains game in northern Namibia. On a series of hunts in June and July 2017, the Semprio was front and center on impala, oryx, kudu and warthog. To add to the fun, the rifle was tested in the hands of both experienced Professional Hunters and clients with moderate hunting and shooting experience. The trophy results speak for themselves. For this test, rifles in 9.3×62 and .300 Winchester Magnum were combined with Schmidt and Bender optics, and produced consistent “dead right there” results.
Aesthetics: Taste in design is in the eye of the beholder. Semprio is sleek and clean. It appears almost futuristic, there are no bolt handles to catch or snag, and the optional synthetic stock eliminates most opportunities for water damage or scratches. Our PH evaluators call Semprio “Sleek and functional, all business”. Semprio is available with a high-grade Turkish walnut stock or a synthetic stock.
Handling: The rifle has fine balance, and at around nine pounds (with an appropriate scope) you can carry it without needing a masseuse at the end of the day. The traditional style stock is stable and does a fine job of distributing recoil, and the reverse slide action makes follow-up shots lightning-fast. This unique slide action where the bolt is stationary and the detachable magazine slides works beautifully and naturally with the recoil to set the shooter up for follow-on shots. Semprio excels when shooting moving targets off hand. Our PH staff especially appreciated the quick handling when used with open sights for off-hand follow-up shots. Off hand, the shooter never has to remove the stock from the shoulder or release the grip to reach for a bolt handle. The cheek weld also stays in place—the recoil actually assists in moving the fore stock forward, and closing the action readies the rifle for the next shot. Smooth. Shooting from sticks, the barrel must be lifted from the rest in order to cycle the action, and this takes a bit of practice.
Accuracy: The test rifles were very, very accurate. For this field test, all hunting and range work was conducted at distances of 200 metres or less. On the rifle range with factory Hornady ammunition, the rifles consistently produced groups of less than 1.5 inches, and many groups of less than 1.3 inches at 100 metres. The test rifles didn’t seem to care much about bullet weight, but I suspect a bit of effort in handloading could produce even better results. Punching paper is one thing, field accuracy can be something else. In the Namibian bush, the quick handling and no-slip stock allowed our hunters to get on target and stay on target.
Flexibility: The ability to quickly change calibers to suit the application, game, and hunting conditions truly makes the Semprio a multipurpose rifle. This takedown / caliber change feature sets Semprio apart from its competitors, allowing discreet travel and straightforward assembly. It takes a bit of practice to change barrels / calibers quickly, but this task becomes second nature after a few minutes of practice. Clients using the Semprio during this test reported that, “once you change calibers a couple of times you find it’s a simple process”. Our PH evaluators and clients all give the takedown design high marks.
Reliability: During this test the rifles were completely reliable and never failed to operate as advertised. The strength of the design, engineering and manufacturing makes Semprio a strong contender for hunts in the toughest conditions. PH Gunter Schwalm calls the rifle’s action, “Africa Proof – dust doesn’t stop it, the rifle works on time, every time”. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Value: To evaluate a rifle honestly, you have to set aside personal preferences, or at least try to admit any bias that may exist. I confess I am a bit of an old-school dinosaur, and I did not want to like this rifle. It’s different. It isn’t a double and it isn’t another bolt action rifle. My unwarranted bias to the “traditional” was exposed by the quality of this rifle. Semprio is just an entirely different animal – strong, reliable, flexible, accurate. Priced at around $5000.00, Kreighoff’s Semprio is not an inexpensive hunting rifle. This rifle is about value. Given the takedown design, the ability to configure for multiple caliber requirements, the tough construction, the fine accuracy and uber-fast off-hand handling, there is definitely a place for Semprio in our camp.
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Dec 18, 2017 | News
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]African Hunting Gazette: Tell our readers when and where you were born.
Philip Hennings: I was born in Namibia, the year of Independence, 1990.
AHG: And tell us all about your family.
PH: Both my parents are born in Germany, and migrated to Namibia in 1989 where they bought a farm near Windhoek. My father, Dietmar Hennings, has been a hunting professional since 1992, and is one of the core founders of the hunting conservancies in Namibia. My mother, Ute, is a designer and she has produced high-quality rugs made from sheep wool. After the divorce of my parents, my younger brother Jan and I moved with our mother to Cape Town, South Africa.
AHG: How did you become a PH? How did it all begin?
PH: I grew up in the wilderness parts of Namibia, and when I was five, my father took me in my baby seat when he went hunting for mountain zebra, gemsbok and kudu. At the age of nine I was privileged to shoot my first kudu for the meat to present to our village for Christmas. After finishing school, my intention was to become one of Namibia’s finest PHs. My parents were not very keen for me to only have a PH licence, so I went into aviation mechanics. I knew that mechanical skills are very important when working in the rural parts of Africa. After this qualification no one could tell me anymore what to do and what not to do! Now I was my own man, and pursued the life of a hunter in Africa. At 23 years of age I was hired by a Russian outfitter who had a hunting concession in the northern territories of Cameroon – they knew that I had grown up hunting in Africa and had the skills of managing their camp and being successful with their high-demanding clients.
AHG: Which countries have you hunted, and where are you hunting these days?
PH: In Africa – Cameroon and Namibia.
AHG: If you could return to any time or place in Africa, where would it be?
PH: The mountains of Namibia, especially during the rainy season – then it is a paradise!
AHG: Which guns and ammo are you using to back-up on dangerous or wounded game?
PH: I like .458 Lott with Norma PH bullets.
AHG: What are your recommendations on guns and ammo to your hunting clients – for dangerous game and for plains game?
PH: For plains game, nothing beats the .300 Win. Mag. with a good quality scope, and loaded with 180-gr bullets. For dangerous game – you need at least a 400-gr bullet, thus .416 and up!
AHG: What is your favorite animal to hunt and why?
PH: The eland. Its senses are phenomenal: it hears well, has a good sense of smell, and sees even better.
AHG: Looking back, which was your greatest trophy and why?
PH: The Lord Derby eland. I had only four days to hunt my own. The Land Cruiser was broken, my hunting team and I were physically exhausted after hunting the whole season. The car eventually gave up. Mentally, I almost gave up on getting my own giant eland. The Mbororo trackers did a voodoo ring of fire, and then eventually I got the truck running, and 15 minutes later, the track of my eland crossed the road. Last day magic!
AHG: What was your closest brush with death?
PH: We learn from experience, and there we are ultra-careful in dangerous situations!
AHG: How has the hunting industry changed over the years? And the hunting clients themselves?
Since the world has become a very fast place to live, hunting guests unfortunately don’t have so much time anymore.
AHG: Which qualities go into making a successful PH and or a successful hunting company?
PH: My PHs on my team are part of nature. They hunt sustainably and ethically, and will get you whatever you are looking for. In my whole career I’ve never come across hunters who are so honed and skilled and in tune with their surroundings. This makes us successful as hunters, and is what makes us successful as a company is that every guest feels welcome and is part of our family.
AHG: Which qualities go into making a good safari client?
PH: BE READY FOR THE ADVENTURE!
AHG: If you should suggest one thing to your hunting clients to improve their experience of their safari, what would it be?
PH: Nothing to improve – just be part of the experience!
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?
PH: It’s the people involved on the ground who make the difference.
AHG: What can the hunting industry do to contribute to the long-term conservation of Africa’s wildlife?
PH: Every conservationist must keep the wildlife close to his heart.
AHG: Anyone you want to say thanks to? Or to GTH (Go to Hell)?
PH: First I thank my father and mother who took the risk to leave Europe to live a life in Africa, and secondly, my father for guarding and handing over to me one of the best hunting areas in Africa. Then I thank my two native PHs Isaak Songo and Isak //Hoeb, both of whom have taught me the art of hunting and I know they would place their hand into the fire to protect my guests and myself from any dangerous situation. And I thank all hunting guests that visit and hunt with us to sustain the conservation hunting areas we have.
AHG: Any Last Words of Wisdom?
PH: We will act to protect our wildlife and the open horizon of Namibia!
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Dec 15, 2017 | News, PH Q&A
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hannes du Plessis – a genuine professional in every sense of the word.
African Hunting Gazette: When and where were you born?
Hannes du Plessis: I was born 6 February 1963 in Windhoek, Namibia.
AHG: Tell us about your family.
HdP: My wife, Geraldine, and I got married in 1990. Geraldine was born and raised in Namibia and also grew up on a farm. We have two daughters, Marie-Louise (25) and Caren (23).
AHG: How did you become a PH? How did it all begin?
HdP: Growing up on a farm in Namibia means that one gets exposed to hunting from a very young age. Since I can remember I went hunting with my father for meat purposes. Although he never was a professional hunter he taught me a lot about animals, their behavior, habits and mannerisms. Also, to respect the animals, even after you hunted them. I started off as a hunting guide and qualified as a PH in 1998.
AHG: Which countries have you hunted and where are you hunting these days?
HdP: I have only hunted in Namibia.
AHG: If you could return to any time or place in Africa, where would it be?
HdP: As a professional hunter, any place in Namibia. If I could return as a tourist to other African countries, I would most probably pick Vic Falls in Zimbabwe.
AHG: Which guns and ammo are you using to back-up wounded game?
HdP: I am making use of 7mm Magnum because it is a flat-shooting caliber, and the most common terrain where I am hunting is wide open spaces.
AHG: What are your recommendations on guns and ammo for plains game – to your hunting clients?
HdP: I would recommend any flat-shooting caliber between .270 through to .338.
AHG: What is your favorite animal to hunt and why?
HdP: My favorite would be the southern greater kudu. The Grey Ghost is always a challenge, and has the ability to elude one in no time.
AHG: Looking back, which was your greatest trophy and why?
HdP: For me, the greatest trophy does not necessarily appear in record books, but it is rather about the stalk with the client, finding a true trophy animal, and seeing the smile on the face of a satisfied client. I can remind myself of a lot of special moments like the one described. To me that is, after all, why we do what we do!
AHG: What was your closest brush with death?
HdP: Black mamba! A black mamba once crossed our path, or should I rather say we were in his way.
AHG: How has the hunting industry changed over the years? And the hunting clients themselves?
HdP: For trophy hunters, Namibia certainly became more popular the last 15 years. True hunters were, are, and will always portray the same kind of personality. However, it is noticeable that the number of younger hunters is decreasing. It is a problem all over the world, I would say, that the younger generation is hunting less probably due to increasing group pressure against hunting.
AHG: Which qualities go into making a successful PH and/or a successful hunting company?
HdP: A successful PH in my opinion is not the one who shoots record-book trophies, but should be a conservationist in the first instance. The PH should be prepared to shoot an older animal with his client instead of shooting an animal in his prime, even though the latter might be a more desirable option. A PH should have lots of patience, ensuring he gets his client in the best possible shooting position, and also be prepared to turn around if it is not a true trophy animal despite a tough stalk, lots of sweat and major effort. Walk back and find another opportunity to stalk the correct animal is all part of the game.
In my opinion the number of returning clients you have will always be a good testimonial as to whether you do most things correctly. If you are doing it for the money, rather stop today – business is business, and it will always be about the client and what satisfies him.
A successful outfitting company is a company that can ensure that all the aspects regarding a pleasant stay, such as accommodation, food, laundry service, hunting vehicles and a few others, are top-notch. The hunting component does not always go according to plan, but true hunters will know that it is about hunting, and not having another trophy in the truck at the end of the day.
AHG: Which qualities go into making a good safari client?
HdP: It’s a well-prepared client who has already done some research about the animals he / she would like to hunt, knows about shot placement, and has practiced at home to shoot.
AHG: If you should suggest one thing to your hunting clients to improve their experience of their safari, what would it be?
HdP: To keep a diary and take as many photos as possible, not only of the trophies, but also about nature, birds, live animals, sunrises and sunsets. These will be the memories to cherish for a long time after the safari. Take in every moment this beautiful African nature offers, because the safari will be over way too soon.
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?
HdP: I believe that in Namibia cheetahs are not endangered any more, and there is really justification to open USA for the import of cheetah trophies.
AHG: What can the hunting industry do to contribute to the long-term conservation of Africa’s wildlife?
HdP: Please continue ethical hunting, because if trophy hunting stops there is no value to the animals, and poaching will take over, and eventually most species will be wiped out.
AHG: Ask your wife, if she could do it all over again, would she still…?
HdP: Yes, no doubt she would do it again!
AHG: What is her advice to future wives of PHs?
Geraldine: Be prepared for long hours of work – sometimes (many times actually) before sunrise, and so often until just before midnight. Remember, it is a lifestyle choice. It isn’t really a family-friendly lifestyle (in the sense of Mom having to attend most school activities of kids all by herself while Dad is out hunting in the bush).
AHG: Are any of your children following in your footsteps?
HdP: Yes, Caren is also a qualified PH.
AHG: Anyone you want to say thanks to? Or to GTH (Go to Hell)?
HdP: Thanks to a few people who taught me a lot, namely my Dad, Dirk de Bod and Dawid Muller.
GTH to all the anti-hunters who so easily and quickly condemn trophy hunting based on false perceptions. Most of them don’t have any proof of how much they have contributed financially to the conservation of wildlife. Personally, I doubt it if they ever contribute financially at all. All bark but no bite.
AHG: Any Last Words of Wisdom?
HdP: Always remember that it is a privilege to be part of nature, wildlife and helping to contribute to conservation. The areas you hunt, the animals you hunt do not really belong to you, but to the next generation. Treat nature with respect and ensure you give it back to the next generation in better shape than you received it.
That basically to me sums up what our ethos as Professional Hunters should be.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”12625,12626,12627,12628,12629″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
