Hunters – We Are Caring

Robert harvested many excellent animals. Here he is with a very impressive Black Wildebeest. A beautiful animal indeed.

Hunt Details

Date of the hunt: May 12 – 20,  2024

Country: South Africa

Hunting area: Northern Limpopo

Outfitter satisfaction rating Excellent

PH & satisfaction rating: Undisclosed; Excellent

Rifle & cartridge details & satisfaction rating: Dart Rifle; Excellent

Ammunition & bullet details & satisfaction rating: 22 cal ignition of dart; Excellent

Riflescope details & satisfaction rating: N/A

Taxidermist & satisfaction rating: Jim Rice, Cutting Edge Taxidermy – Excellent (past experience from multiple safaris)

In 2014, Jim Rice of Cutting Edge Taxidermy introduced me to Africa and changed the trajectory of my life.  As a result, early in my journeys to the Dark Continent I vowed to only return if I too could introduce one or more “first time visitors/hunters” to the amazing experience that is Africa.  Be it a photo safari, a hunting trip for plains game, or the challenge of pursuing dangerous game, there is none as special as one’s first safari to Africa.  For this safari, I was joined by friends Jayke and Krystal Throgmartin.  This wonderful husband/wife team had dreamed of visiting Africa for over a decade and their time had finally come to make the journey.  We only get one “first safari” and I so wanted this to be a special experience for them.  In the end, mission accomplished!

As planned, our plane landed in Johannesburg, South Africa and what was born was truly an experience of a lifetime for the Throgmartin’s as well as for others in our hunting group.  Also sharing this safari experience were Robert Williams and Gary Acord.  Jayke, Robert, and Gary (along with several others) serve with me on the board of the Arkansas Chapter of Safari Club International (SCI). 

In preparing Jayke and Krystal for this safari, I made sure my coaching included the following, “You have to be flexible.  It’s called ‘hunting’ for a reason.  Sometimes things go well and other times, well, they don’t go as planned.  If I have learned anything over my 55 years of hunting, this I know.  Take each moment in stride, know there are ups and downs, and never lose sight of who we are as hunters and why we do what we do.”  

Our commitment to conservation clearly set the stage for this safari.  However, as hunters, our compassion and caring for the animals many times defines the safari experience and reminds us of what is truly important.

Upon landing in Johannesburg, we stayed overnight at the Afton Safari Lodge which is less than ten minutes from the airport.  As always, the team at Afton welcomed us with open arms and helped us quickly settle in so we could relax and unwind after a sixteen-hour flight.  The next morning, we were picked up by our outfitter and within a few hours were settled into our rooms at the concession.  Normally I acknowledge the outfitter by name and sing their praises for making our stay and hunt a wonderful experience.  While this was certainly the case for this safari, because of the nature of this hunt and for the protection of the wildlife, the outfitter will remain nameless, and our location not disclosed.  Here is why.

In Part 1 of this article, Hunters – We Are Conservation, I emphasized the role of hunters as conservationists.  Certainly, this safari had a conservation component as one of the highlights was darting, microchipping, taking vitals, and GPS tracking specific members of a small herd of White Rhino in South Africa.  As I noted, it was an honor to participate as part of the recovery team and interact with this beautiful and unique species. 

As this was Jayke and Krystal’s first visit to Africa, it was important they experienced Africa to its fullest (as much as possible in eight days on three or four concessions).  In preparing Jayke for his first safari, I encouraged him to be willing to “take what Africa offers” rather than be tightly fixed to a list of hopeful animals.  After all, we were hunting in multiple conditions, and some included very dense bush where sight distances are short and visibility notability limited.  As for Gary and Robert, they had previously hunted in Africa so by working with their Professional Hunters they were off and running on their own and they did very well.

Following along on Jayke and Krystal’s first Africa journey is one of the greatest joys I receive as a hunter.  As with most every safari hunter, Jayke started with his list of hopefuls followed by another list of opportunistic animals that would be considered.  Jayke even prioritized each list as to what he was hoping for first, second, third, etc.  Just as “Man plans and God laughs,” I believe “Africa chuckles as well.”  While we may be primarily hunting one species, we never know what will be around the next corner or behind the next bush.  One of the many things I love about hunting Africa is with a multitude of species to pursue, you just never know when you will encounter the next surprise.  Where else in the world can you be tracking a Kudu, catch movement out of the corner of your eye and turn to see three giraffe walking by?  That is Africa!  It didn’t take long for Jayke and Krystal to experience this magic.

Jayke smiles big with a very special zebra taken over a waterhole late in the safari.

For Jayke, God laughed, and Africa chuckled early on.  His first animal taken was a very nice blesbok.   Why did Africa chuckle?  The blesbok was last on his carefully crafted list!  The good news is Jayke embraced the idea of remaining flexible and as a result was blessed with nine wonderful animals taken in eight days.  Soon and they will all adorn his home, bring a multitude of memories, and be the subject of many stories.  So, you may be asking, “Where does compassion and caring fit into this story?”  Well, there were a few very special moments in this safari that I believe reveal the real heart of the majority of hunters.

First, early in the safari Jayke wounded an early morning gemsbok.  For those that have hunted this species, it is no surprise that they are very tough animals to take down.  In addition, because of their somewhat unusual body configuration it is very easy (in the midst of a quick shooting situation) to aim a little high on the front shoulder and miss the vital cavity.  When this happens, these animals can run for a very long distance and in some cases are not recovered.  I know firsthand from first safari.  We believe this is what happened with Jayke and his gemsbok. 

In this situation, it is very common and the right ethical choice to “make our best efforts to recover the wounded animal.”  If you have hunted very much this situation will eventually occur.  What is important in Jayke’s case is how the outfitter’s recovery team shifted into high gear, assisted by the neighbor’s recovery team, three PH’s, and for a portion of the day, Gary and me.  It was refreshing to watch a group of professionals that were relentless in, finding this animal, ending it’s suffering, and assuring it did not end up as food for the jackals and hyena.  It would have been so easy for the outfitter to end the search after a couple of hours, remind Jayke he is responsible for the trophy fee, and continue to hunt.  Instead, the search continued for well over nine hours and resulted in finding the animal, harvesting it with a final shot and assuring it did not go to waste.  Jayke was beyond thrilled and very impressed with the commitment of the outfitter and his team.

 The second example is similar to Jayke’s.  Early one day Gary made what looked like a very good shot on a nice steenbuck.  It went right down, and all looked good.  To our surprise, however, it jumped up and took off running.  I thought, “Now we have a very small antelope on the loose in hundreds of acres of tall, thick grass.  How in the world will we ever recover this animal?”  Again, a team of six trackers, two PH’s and three hunters (Robert, Gary and me), looked for hours to find this tiny animal in the tall dense grass.  We were truly searching for a needle in a very big haystack.  After several hours, the outfitter voiced an idea.  “Let’s come back at night with a spotlight and try to find the wounded animal and see if we can harvest it then.”  The theory was it was shot close to the spine and after the initial shock, it took off running.  That evening, two hours after sunset, we ventured out with spotlight looking for our little four-legged needle.   After two hours of searching, we saw a steenbok in the tall grass and it appeared to be the same one.  Robert was in the best position to take the shot and was successful. As we exited the bakkie we exchanged high-fives as it was definitely the one Gary wounded that morning.  Arriving back at the lodge, Gary was thrilled (and a little surprised) as he had been hunting in a neighboring concession, and we were just trying to help him recover his animal. 

Gary Acord with his fine Steenbok that was seemingly lost in the thick bush.  Patience, perseverance, a very wise outfitter, and a carefully placed shot by Robert Williams brought this little antelope into the salt at the end of another long day.

 After a little quiet consideration, I agreed to add that particular cape buffalo to my list even though it was the farthest thing from my mind when the safari started.   Although it took four days of hunting to finally spot the buffalo, we made a good stalk, and at 50 yards off of the sticks I made a perfect shot with a 450/400 3” double rifle with open sights which brought the animal’s suffering to a close.  With one shot, the buffalo ran no more than 30 yards and quickly expired.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to have had this safari experience.  I am also thankful for outfitters and professional hunters that are committed to conservation and to assuring the future of hunting.  I believe that we must all take responsibility for the conservation of habitat and wildlife.  I also believe as outfitters and hunters we must have compassion for the animals we hunt and practice good stewardship of that which has been entrusted to us.

This safari was so much more than just taking a bag of animals and getting the right picture or securing the best place in the record book.   Sure, we had plenty of mountain top experiences be it taking an amazing animal or helping with rhino conservation.   Still, we also took those opportunities to do the right thing in being compassionate, caring, and respectful about the animals we hunted.

History has proven, as hunters, we are in the best position to conserve the natural resources which have been entrusted to us and to show appreciation and respect for the animals we pursue.  We are not only hunters.  We are caring as well.