Searching for Sable

May 5, 2023 | Archive, Hunting Stories

By Darrell Sterling

 

I have always admired the regal appearance of the jet-black sable with its long sweeping horns. They are one of the most iconic and majestic plains-game animals in all of Africa. A dozen years ago they used to be very expensive to hunt. And I wasn’t sure if I would ever get that chance…

 

I had lined up a safari with Monkane Safaris. Owner Kerneels Viljoen had asked if I was interested in hunting for a sable. Of course I was, but said it was a little out of my price range. However, he was kind enough to work with me to make this hunt possible. Thankfully, the price has gone done over the years as more and more farms have been raising sables, and I was now fortunate because my outfitter had made it impossible for me to say no.

 

My safari had been going extremely well. I had taken a couple of animals that will surely qualify for the record books, a beautiful nyala, and an extremely large eland, and much as I had enjoyed the challenge of hunting these animals, my focus was on getting a magnificent sable. That day finally came.  We were going to a farm that had plenty of nice sables. I should get my chance to fill my tag of my dream animal.

 

I slept little that night, looking forward to the next day. My daughter Misty Sterling who had been hunting with me every day of the safari also had little sleep from excitement. We both were extremely anxious to start this hunt.

 

We rolled into this new hunting area at first light and hunted hard, driving for miles. We found some fresh tracks next to one of the many dirt roads we had been crisscrossing and grabbed the shooting sticks to see if we could catch up with the sable that had made the tracks. We started out slowly, but as the tracks become fresher our pace picked up. The wind was in our favor as well, so my PH Gerhard Smit wanted to take advantage of the tactical edge.

 

My guide pushed through the thick brush, avoiding the thorny bushes that were everywhere. My daughter and I were not so fortunate. We seemed to get stuck in one thornbush after the next. We tried to keep up, but the fast pace was not helping, and I had blood running down my legs and sweat pouring down my back as I struggled to keep close to the guide. I was afraid he would stop and throw up the shooting sticks only to find that I was 30 yards behind him. I turned around many times to check on my daughter – she was also getting beaten up pretty good by the dense bush.

I decided that we needed to slow down, or we were going to be a real mess if the pace kept up. We had already gone about three miles and Gerhard showed no sign of slowing down. I caught up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. I told him we could walk all day through the bush as we had done on previous days but not at the pace he was on. I showed him my legs and told him we needed to slow down at least a little. But Gerhard explained that with the wind and the sign in tracks, he felt the need to push our advantage. I understood, and as much as I wanted a big sable, it would be hard for me to take an accurate shot if I was out of breath and bleeding from a million cuts.

 

Gerhard understood and slowed down the pursuit of the fresh tracks. We went another mile or so when the track mixed in with more sable tracks. He signaled for the truck to swing by and pick us up. We checked round the area for another hour till past noon and saw hardly any animals, let alone a sable, so the decision was made to try another farm.

 

We drove over to the new area and on the way, I ate my packed lunch. We did not stop for the usual safari siesta but it seemed as if we might just push through, so I decided to fill up knowing we could be in for a long day. It was a good thing that I did.

 

We arrived at the new farm that displayed a sable on their sign, which I thought had to be a good omen. We saw animals, including a steenbok, as soon as we entered the property, but it was almost the heat of the day before we finally saw our first sable. I was beginning to tire as we had not stopped since first light. My daughter looked a little weary, but I could tell she was still excited, which only helped to lift my spirits.

 

The day wore on. Generally, when hunting, one goes for the largest animal possible, and the cost does not change with size, but it is different with sable. It works similarly with whitetail deer – the larger the animal, the higher the price. The first sable we had seen in six hours of hard hunting was a giant and was too big and expensive for this old cowboy to shoot. It was a little depressing having to pass on a massive old bull. I did see my first ever roan and was really impressed with the animal, and it is now on my list.

We drove further only to find five sable bulls milling about. Quickly, three pairs of binoculars went up, studying the group. A couple where brownish which meant they were not fully mature, but three were midnight black with long sweeping horns. I was worried that they all might be too big, but one bull caught my eye. He looked to be the right size and age. I asked my PH about it, and he replied that was the one that they were really looking over. I was happy to have spotted the correct bull.

 

I heard the magic words, “Lets get down to take a closer look.” Instantly my heart started pounding. We slowly exited the vehicle and made our way around the small herd to take an even closer look.

 

We had a representative from the farm with us and my guide chatted with him trying to decide if that bull was the right one for me. He was a very big bull, and my guide could get into trouble if I shot a one over the size limit that I was contracted to hunt.

 

There was much discussion. I reminded my guide that when we stopped in town a couple of days ago that I had bought him a carton of cigarettes and some candy and I was more than willing to bribe him with more smokes and candy! I was joking and having fun, but I had also told him that if the bull was the wrong size, then we would keep looking or go to another farm. Anyway, he still wanted to take a better look, so we stalked even closer to the herd. At one point he put the sticks up and told me to get ready. I got my Ruger .30-06 up on the sticks, my pulse hammering away. I was told to hold steady while they made the final decision.

 

Then the herd quickly moved away. We were now in catch-up mode and took off on foot. My adrenaline was really going now. We moved along silently through the brush to catch up to where the small group of bulls had settled down. I was sweating heavily now and trying to calm my nerves. My PH chatted again with the farmhand, and they decided it was a go. The sticks went up!

 

It was extremely difficult to identify the bull we needed as the animals milled about and changing places. It was tough getting a bead on which one was which. We finally figured out which bull was to be mine when the wind shifted, sending the herd off in a sprint.

 

We had to head quickly to the truck if we were going to get catch up and try to outflank them. We got ahead of them and jumped out of the truck moving through the brush trying to get in front of them, anticipating where they might go. The problem again was trying to pick the right bull from a small herd of animals that all looked very similar. The two guides conferred, figuring which one was the chosen one.

The sticks again went up. I was worn out as my emotions had ebbed and flowed numerous times in the last thirty minutes. I got my gun up but was half expecting us to have to move yet again, but instead I was told which bull to aim at. I tried to follow the bull as he weaved in and out of the pack. Then he pulled slightly away, and I told my guide I was going to take him. He verified which one I had zeroed in on, and once that was confirmed he told me to take the shot. I had been dragged through thorns, dense bush, and emotionally put through the ringer, but once given the green light I snapped off a shot that smacked the bull hard. He bucked and ran but only went about 25 yards before piling up in a bush. We got the binoculars and saw the bull tangled up in a very large bush. He wasn’t moving much but his ears were up still, so I was told to take another shot.

 

We moved closer and my gun went back up on the sticks. Another round went into the downed bull. The first shot had been a double-lung shot and some follow-up shots ensured the old sable was mine.

 

We dragged him out from under the bush marveling at his size and mass. My guide looked at me, smiled and said, “I might be in trouble, he is a big one.” My search for a sable was over. Nothing is quite as satisfying as a dream being realized. I would like to thank my PH Gerhard Smit and Monkane Safaris for a terrific old sable bull.  

First Global Human-Wildlife Conflict Summit

Apr 11, 2023 | News

Hundreds of representatives from conservation organisations, academia, governments, businesses and indigenous and local communities from six continents and 70 countries met for the International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence, hosted by the IUCN at Oxford University, England, between 30 March and 1 April 2023.

 

This event also saw the publication of the IUCN SSC Guidelines on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence, which will inform the creation of urgently-needed national policies and support action on the ground.

 

“Human-wildlife conflict presents a challenge in every country worldwide, with disagreements over how to coexist with wildlife leading to stalemates and eroding support for protecting nature. Effectively managing how humans interact with wildlife is fundamental to achieving conservation goals, as highlighted in the recently agreed Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Dr Alexandra Zimmermann, Chair of the IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence Specialist Group and Senior Research Fellow at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Oxford University.

 

“This event, the largest ever convening of human-wildlife conflict and coexistence experts from around the world, is vital to supporting all those working towards enabling coexistence with wildlife and to achieving this component of the Framework by 2030.”

 

This important gathering generated a great amount of information which can be accessed here: https://www.hwcconference.org/Conference-Programme. At this website you will also find 85 pages of abstracts of the numerous and diverse contributions from attendees from many corners of the planet. Human-Wildlife conflicts include a wide variety of wild species, from carnivores, cranes and cormorants to elephants, snakes, crocodiles, bears, baboons and more. The subject should be of interest to hunters, who will often meet with members of rural communities during their time in the field, in Africa or on other continents. The topic of human-wildlife conflict is bound to be raised around many a campfire!

 

The tolerance that rural communities extend to wild animals can be enhanced through managing human-wildlife conflicts through various interventions. And, of course, if wildlife species are financially beneficial to these communities, if they are sought after and paid for by hunters, for example, they will attain even higher levels of tolerance because of their monetary value. Communities that derive benefits from hunted species will always prefer that outcome rather than the simplistic elimination of the ‘problem species’ from their environment, without any benefits.

 

The subject matter covered in this conference is vast, so apart from encouraging readers to visit the website and browse through the abstracts, I have selected just three excerpts from the abstracts to give you an idea of some of the interesting subjects that were presented at the meeting.

 

Understanding CBNRM in Namibia

Save the Rhino Trust Ranger Namibia with zebra-carcass. © Marcus Westberg

Tavolaro, F.M.1,2, O’Riain, M.J.1 , Brown, C.2 , Redpath, S.M.3
 1 Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, South Africa 2Namibian Chamber of Environment, Namibia 3 School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom

 

Mitigating human-wildlife conflicts is a top priority in conservation, but to ensure it is sustainable one must first understand the drivers and then empower local communities to take responsibility. For instance, people’s tolerance and attitudes towards wildlife may be influenced by how different species negatively impact their livelihoods or by their knowledge and understanding of them. Furthermore, according to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), human behaviour is guided by three predictors (i.e. attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control) which tend to change from one behaviour to another in terms of importance. One can use the TPB model to investigate why people make specific decisions about a behaviour (e.g. killing problem animals) and then learn which predictor is most important for that behaviour and which predictor needs to be the target of behaviour change interventions. The community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) system, which links conservation to poverty alleviation through sustainable use of natural resources, is a key development strategy for rural Namibia and many claim it has greatly increased the coexistence of communities with wildlife. We are currently carrying out a mixed-method questionnaire across conservancies to assess community member’s attitudes and tolerance of wildlife. We include the TPB with regards to retaliatory killing of problem animals, as well as quantify people’s perceived costs and benefits of living in a conservancy alongside wildlife. The overall goal of our research is to better understand and tackle conservation conflicts in Namibian communal conservancies. By better integrating the underpinning social context with the material impacts and evaluation of conflicts across communal conservancies, we hope to enhance effective conflict management and long-term conservation benefits.

 

Mitigating HWC caused by institutional mismatch: Addressing value conflicts in international wildlife trade policy

 

Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes1 , Francis Vorhies2
 1 School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford 2African Wildlife Economy Institute, Stellenbosch University

 

Southern Africa has a relatively impressive track record of conserving dangerous and endangered animal species such as rhinos, elephants and lions. To mitigate HWC, Southern African conservation agencies have employed a range of effective measures: from simply erecting fences to developing institutional arrangements that enable varying degrees of private and communal wildlife ownership, accompanied by consequent benefit flows from sustainable harvest and trade of wildlife products. In specific instances, such as for Namibia’s communal conservancies and South Africa’s private nature reserves and wildlife ranches, these approaches have demonstrated very clear success in significantly expanding the ranges of species that would not otherwise be tolerated by local rural communities outside of fenced public protected areas. However, these gains are now under threat and even in retreat, following increasingly restrictive and unpredictable international trade policy interventions promoted and imposed by various state and non-state actors, through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and related initiatives. Such interventions may be influenced by ignorance of Southern African wildlife conservation and trade mechanisms, conflicting values relating to wildlife utilisation, or a combination of both. To avoid inevitable consequent increases in localised HWC, such as those recently experienced in Botswana, these conflictual international trade policy interventions must be addressed effectively. This paper highlights the main areas of concern, including inherent structural problems within the CITES mechanism. It will further discuss attempts to address the conflict to date, consider unexplored avenues for research and experimentation with policy conflict mitigation and propose a way forward.

 

Success of vertically hanging electric fence to mitigate human-elephant conflict

  1. Wijeyamohan1,2
 1Department of Bio-Science, Vavuniya Campus of the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka 2The Wiiliam H. Darr School of Agriculture, Missouri State University, USA

 

The electric fence is the best solution to live side by side with wild elephants rather that co-existing to share the same resources. The current horizontal electric fence (HEF) has become unsuccessful against the wild elephants. Both in Africa and Asia, the intelligent, desperate wild elephants have learnt to break HEF by various means; by pushing or pulling the unprotected supporting poles, pulling the neutral wire that runs in between the charged hot wires and dropping heavy objects on to the fence. Tuskers use their tusk to break this fence effortlessly. The solution is vertically hanging electric fence (VHEF). Here the horizontal wires are placed at higher elevation (above 15 feet) on an extending arm of an upside down “L” shaped post. Then the vertical, straight hot wires are hung downwards at 1 m interval, in two rows, which stop at 4 feet above the ground. The VHEF has already been installed in three locations in Sri Lanka for more than two years where the HEF was ineffective for many years. The fence has proved 100% success so far. The VHEF has number of advantages over the HEF. In VHEF, the hanging wires cannot be pushed or pulled even with the tusks as the one end of the wires are free and have no attachments. The earth wire is shallowly buried outside the fence, where the elephant expected to stand. This is to maximize the electric flow during the driest season. When elephant come into contact with multiple points, it gets confused and unable to break the fence. The pole cannot be reached as it is 8 feet away from the hanging hot wires. People and their livestock can move across the fence as there are enough space in between the wires, it is impermeable only to wild elephants.

 

While this meeting has been hailed as the first global gathering of its kind, work on resolving human-wildlife conflict has been undertaken in southern Africa for quite a long time. In the 1980s, the Endangered Wildlife Trust was involved in a pilot project that persuaded wildlife tourism companies to contribute to an insurance scheme whereby livestock owners would be compensated for their animals killed by carnivores, to discourage them from killing the carnivores themselves.

 

The work of Philip Stander over several decades pioneered the use of satellite collars fitted to lions to provide an early warning network for livestock farmers about lions entering their areas. Using signals and maps received on their mobile phones, livestock farmers are alerted to potential lion incursions and can take appropriate action to prevent livestock losses. As the population of desert lions increases in Namibia, the same system is being used to track lions approaching resorts on the Atlantic coast, thus decreasing the potential for potentially dangerous and possibly fatal human-wildlife contacts.

 

A better understanding of human-wildlife conflicts, and innovative ways to resolve them, will surely benefit the wildlife and biodiversity of Africa as the future growth of the human population on the continent seems inevitable.

Dr John Ledger is a past Director of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, now a consultant, writer and teacher on the environment, energy and wildlife; he is a columnist for the African Hunting Gazette. He lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. John.Ledger@wol.co.za

Campfire Thoughts & Reminiscences Part 16

Apr 5, 2023 | Archive, News, News

Written by Neil Harmse

 

 

Chapter 17. Why Wingshooting

 

I think there are as many reasons hunters pursue game as there are hunters – and those who hunt feathered game are no exception. When I decided to sell off my rifles and, instead, take up my sport of ‘shooting flying’, I had to seriously consider this change in my hunting options.

 

I have always enjoyed and thrilled in the challenge of tracking and following game animals in their natural habitat, studying their habits and their ways of eluding a hunter. The kill was simply an end to the challenge.

 

I have also always enjoyed the challenge of wingshooting, especially with a well-made and well-balanced shotgun. My shotguns are mostly of a vintage variety and I feel there is nothing as satisfying as stepping out into the veld in pursuit of either terrestrial game birds or waterfowl with a gun made over 100 years ago, knowing that it will do the work it was designed for the day it left the maker’s bench. The beauty and balance of these old English guns are a joy to behold.

 

Another reason I decided to take up wingshooting, as opposed to game hunting, was that because I was advancing in years, this sport was less strenuous and could be shared with a good companion or two for an enjoyable day’s outing, whereas game hunting was a more solitary pursuit. My good friend and hunting ‘buddy’ of about 45 years, Terry Murfin, was always ready to join in a shoot and many a day or weekend was spent walking behind a well-trained pointer, letting the dog work out where the birds were and holding them in position for a point while Terry and I strolled along, chatting about mutual interests and past experiences. Once the dogs were showing the point, we would take turns having the first shot, the way gentlemen hunters and friends should. This made for a really great day’s outing and a thoroughly enjoyable shoot. We would never worry about shooting a lot of birds and were quite satisfied with a brace or two for the pot, taken in an ethical and sporting way.

 

Unfortunately, Terry has now passed away and is sorely missed when I am in the veld on a shoot. I am fortunate that my son, Craig, and grandson, Kyle, also enjoy the sport and – having been brought up to respect the idea of ethical hunting – will hopefully also be my companions in the years ahead.

 

I have mentioned how good it is to hunt with a well-trained dog and would like to add a few thoughts on this topic. Whatever breed of dog you decide will suit your type of shooting, you will experience a lot of pride and pleasure in having one that helps to find the birds and add to the bag. My choice has always been for the pointing breeds, with the German short-haired pointer being a favourite. For more than 12 years, my trusted four-legged companion has been my GSP, ‘Storm’. When I first saw her, I was sitting on the veranda of my friend Dave Fowler’s clubhouse. Dave was a breeder and trainer of hunting dogs. I noticed a scrawny, young pup trying to scramble and climb over a mesh wire fence to reach us. After a few attempts, she managed to get over the fence and, with a proud wave of her stumpy tail, came to join us. I said to Dave that this dog showed guts and determination and would make a great hunting dog. He asked whether I would like to have her and I agreed with pleasure. Storm became one of my best four-legged companions and together we shared many enjoyable hunts. She passed away about two years ago and now rests in the veld on one of our favourite shooting farms near Koster in North West Province.

 

In Storm’s later years, I bought a young GSP to work with her and be trained by her. His name is Rocky and although he shows great promise, I am not sure whether he will be able to live up to Storm’s reputation. Only time will tell.

 

It is the companionship of a good friend and a good dog that make wingshooting the enjoyable sport it is reputed to be.

To order Campfire Thoughts & Reminiscences – the complete book with illustrations (US $15 excluding S&H), contact Andrew Meyer at andrewisikhova@icloud.com

World’s Longest Buffalo Hunt!

Apr 5, 2023 | Archive, Hunting Stories, News

By Jim Thorn

 

I hunted with Monterra Safaris in May 2021.  On that hunt I had an opportunity to take a Cape buffalo that was giving them some problems.  Of course, my only bad shot of the entire hunt was on this buffalo.  Not nervous, not in a bad position, the PHs set me up perfectly – I just flat out pulled it to the right.  I felt terrible as the PHs had put me in the perfect spot at the right time, and I blew it.  On top of that, I felt bad for the animal that was now wounded and hurt.  My shot went too far forward, entering and exiting his brisket.  He bled enough, though finally it was down to very small droplets that stopped all together, but we were able to track him for three days until the blood trail quit. We bumped him twice, but no shots were taken as he ran away instead of towards us. I even hired a helicopter for half a day to try to find him. My time ran out and I had to leave with him still out there.

 

The PHs and I decided that if the lions or hyenas hadn’t taken him, or they found him hurting, that they would shoot him.  Or, if they found his skull, they would let me know.  About two months later I received a call from Almayne Hughes (PH), and Ross Hare (PH and owner of the property) that they found the buff. Alive! And thriving!  They recognized the distinct bosses and horns, and the oxpeckers on the entry and exit wound sites confirmed.  He had rejoined the herd and was fat and sassy.  Their question to me was: “Shall we shoot him for you or do you want to shoot him?”  Now my budget was stretched with my first trip in May, but he was thriving and not in pain and I was obsessed with having left him there, so I said I would go shoot him! (I have a most understanding wife).

Arrangements were made and I made the trip the first two weeks of October.  It took about three days, but we found him crossing a large plain.  After our squat running and then sneaking from bush to bush, the buff came into range. At about the 50-yard mark Almayne set up the sticks and I brought the .458 Win Mag to bear. I didn’t pull to the right this time. The bullet hit his shoulder and both lungs.  He ran about 30 yards and turned to face us, but he was dead on his feet.  Another opposite shoulder shot knocked him down and then the finishing spine shot brought the final bellow.  Close inspection showed the healed scars from my errant shot months before. It was an emotional close to the world’s longest buffalo hunt.

He green-scored 42”.  Because I was there, the guys put me on a really nice 51” kudu for icing on the cake. 

 

I can’t speak highly enough of the way Monterra Safaris treated me on this odyssey of mine. Not only in their hunting knowledge and professionalism but in their kindness and compassion towards me and their conservation ideals.

 

Sixty-three-year-old Jim lives with his wife of 40 years in southwest Louisiana, about 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and 30 miles from Texas, in the path of several natural disasters. He has hunted unguided in Louisiana, Texas, and Kentucky and in the USA, and taken guided hunts for bear and wolf in Alberta, Canada. Jim dreamed of hunting Africa for decades, researched and planned for years, packed for months, and then lived his dream for 23 days. The tattoo on his arm is the motto of the East African Professional Hunter’s Association:  “Neither fear nor foolhardiness”

Classic and Contemporary African Hunting Literature

Apr 5, 2023 | Archive, News

Cries of the Savanna

Sue Tidwell (Circle T Publishing Company, 2021, 426 pages.)
Reviewed by Ken Bailey

 

Sue Tidwell knew little about hunting in Africa or the complexities of game management, hunting ethics and human-wildlife interactions when she accompanied her husband on a 21-day hunt for leopard, buffalo and plains game in Tanzania. She returned home with her eyes and mind expanded, and spent the next three years researching, compiling and, eventually, capturing in words what she’d discovered. Cries of the Savanna is the result of those efforts.

 

Other than Ruark’s renowned Horn of the Hunter, I can’t think of a book that distills the myriad thoughts a first-time, or even experienced, hunter visiting Africa experiences on safari. In a well-organized manner she touches on everything from the emotions associated with killing hard-won, revered and charismatic animals like leopards and buffalo, to the at-times life and death challenges indigenous African people face on a daily basis living with these animals. To complement this, her in-depth research on the life history and current status of many of the species she encountered, from vultures to hippopotamus, ensures that her thoughts and emotions are balanced with science.

 

Tidwell is clearly an emotional woman, in the best sense of the word, and willingly shares with the reader her near-paranoid fear of snakes, her frequent tears of sadness and elation whenever her husband takes an animal, and her self-effacing response to ending up arse-first in a pile of eland entrails. She laughs, she cries and she finds herself immersed in deep, confounding thought as her safari unfolds; you’ll surely experience the same emotions as you read of her experiences.

 

A theme throughout Cries of the Savanna is the author’s growing relationships with the safari staff, especially Lilian, a young female game scout with whom she develops a deep bond. It’s through the lenses of these locals that Sue truly comes to understand that the harsh truths of hunting in Africa are far more complex that most visiting western hunters imagine. In fact, the heart of this book is her coming to terms with how to reconcile those differences.

 

To be honest, my expectations were muted when I purchased this book from Sue at the most recent SCI convention – I was just doing my part to support a fellow writer. But with the turn of every page I became increasing engrossed and captivated. Sue has very effectively accomplished the goal to which most writers aspire – putting into easy-to-understand language the full range of thoughts and emotions that many of us experience, but have difficulty articulating.

 

I used to tell every first-time hunter to Africa that they should read Horn of the Hunter before they embark on their safari. Move over Mr. Ruark. While your words are as compelling as ever, Cries of the Savanna offers something that Ruark simply cannot – a contemporary commentary on the African hunting experience and all its touchpoints in a world that is concurrently becoming both smaller, yet more complicated.

BUY A COPY OF YOUR OWN

GPO’s SPECTRA  6X 4.5-27x50i SFP

Mar 22, 2023 | Archive, Product News

Designed as the ultimate long-range, high-performance riflescope, the German Precision Optics (GPO) SPECTRA 6X 4.5-27x50i SFP has been built to give premium performance for those who hunt game in environments where shooting at extended ranges is often required.

 

With a second focal plane riflescope, the reticle is placed behind the magnification lenses on the erector tube assembly, and the reticle remains the same size as the scope’s variable power is turned up or down, making a fine subtension ballistic reticle with an illuminated center micro-dot for longer shots.

 

The SPECTRA™ 4.5-27x50i SFP’s large 50mm objective lens system transmits a great deal of light to your eye, while the 4.5-27X variable power range gives you ample magnification for both close and the longest-range shots. Throw in the proprietary iCONTROL™ microdot illumination and shot placement on dark targets will make you a believer. This scope comes standard with DoubleHD™ objective lens technology with fully-multi coated lenses, iCONTROL illumination, PASSIONtrac™ ZERO-STOP-LOCK turrets to assist your shooting scenario. The turrets provide +/- 30 inches/MOA of adjustment range at 100 yards.

 

Features

 

GPObright: A proprietary coating process that maximizes light transmission through each surface of an optical element. As light hits an optical surface, normal uncoated high-performance glass can reflect up to 5 percent of that light, redirecting this light so it does not transmit through the optical system. However, when these high-performance lenses are vacuum coated with GPObright lens coatings, up to 99.7 percent of the available light passes through each optical surface. Furthermore, when every surface of the entire optical system is properly coated, total light transmission can reach up to more than 92 percent, making the optical image of a GPO binocular or riflescope “bright,” even in the lowest light conditions.

 

Double HD Objective Lens Technology: This is the final product, created when multiple extra-low dispersion lenses are chemically laminated to make a single, multilayer high-performance optical lens. Laminating multiple lenses minimizes light reflection on the surface of multiple lenses, creates enhanced resolution and color contrast images, and minimizes chromatic aberrations. This benefit is clearly visible with all GPO products supporting this feature. This high-performance process is routinely found in the photographic market and with the highest-quality photographic lens manufacturers but has now transitioned into premium sporting optics.

 

iControl Illumination: This assures users always have a live battery by automatically powering down the illumination when the electronic module has been stationary for more than 3 hours, and alerts users when the battery has only 15 percent remaining battery life.

 

This scope is crafted from a one-piece 30mm anodized, nitrogen-filled aluminum main tube that has zero-stop locking turrets, precise ¼ MOA click adjustments, CCW click rotation, removable magnification throw lever, 3rd turret parallax adjustment, fast focus ocular, and multiple rotation engraving.

Maven’s New RS3.2 Riflescope

Mar 13, 2023 | Archive, Product News

Maven Outdoor Equipment Company has expanded its award-winning line of premium riflescopes to introduce the RS3.2. Based on the brand’s popular RS.3, the new RS3.2 has expanded upon the original model’s design to broaden its offering within the RS Series line-up.

 

The RS3.2 features a 5-30x magnification range on a 50mm objective lens and introduces a larger, more tactile elevation turret in addition to an internal and toolless zero-stop to offer precise dialing and adjustment capabilities. Maven also incorporated end-user feedback to include a new capped windage turret.

 

Like all riflescopes in the brand’s premium RS Series, RS3.2 also features crystal clear ED glass for tack-sharp clarity in addition to a silky focus mechanism, precision-milled adjustments, solid click detents, and durable anodizing to resist heavy use.

 

With an expansive magnification range, detailed MOA or MIL reticles, side parallax adjustment, and custom turret options, the RS3.2 is a robust first focal plane scope designed for long-range hunters and shooters. Thanks to Maven’s direct-to-consumer business model, it offers great value on a scope that provides precision, accuracy, and reliability for long-range performance, all qualities Maven is known for.

Leupold BX-4 Range HD Rangefinding Binocular

Mar 13, 2023 | Archive, Product News

Meet the BX-4 Range HD TBR/W rangefinding binocular from Leupold & Stevens.

 

The BX-4 Range HD TBR/W 10x42mm fuses Leupold’s DNA engine and ballistics software with the optical performance diehard hunters and shooters demand.

 

A true hybrid of tech and optical performance, the BX-4 Range HD combines Leupold’s DNA laser engine and ballistics software with the company’s BX-4 binocular, allowing hunters and shooters to spot and range targets at the same time without wasting valuable seconds switching between gear. Its high contrast red OLED display delivers visible readouts in any light, and its edge-to-edge resolution makes glassing sessions easy on the eyes.

 

The BX-4 Range HD is built around Leupold’s Elite Optical System. It delivers excellent dawn-to-dusk light transmission for a bright image when it matters most, elite-level glare reduction in harsh light, and the resolution and clarity diehard hunters and shooters demand.

 

Looking for a ballistic solution that promises something as simple as range, dial, shoot? Leupold’s True Ballistic Range/Wind (TBR/W) technology takes precision to the next level by offering 25 selectable ballistics groups that account for your preferred cartridge, helping you dial in the exact range of your target. Using the rifleman’s rule on an angled 600-yard shot could result in a 10-15-inch margin of error when compared to the dead-on accuracy of Leupold’s TBR/W. And with TBR/W’s 10-mph wind holds, you’ll have all the information you need to experience more first-shot hits. Combine that accuracy with Leupold’s Custom Dial System and you’ll be on target in seconds. The BX-4 Range HD ranges reflective targets at 2,600 yards, trees at 1,600 yards and deer-sized game at 1,100 yards.

 

Further, it is ambidextrous. Left-handed consumers can access the easy-to-use menu and configure the unit to be operated with the left hand.

 

The BX-4 Range HD delivers superior ruggedness and is tested for extreme climates. It is waterproof and fogproof.

Steiner Predator 8 Series

Mar 13, 2023 | Archive, Product News

Steiner, the leader in high-performance optics for military, law enforcement, and hunting has unveiled their latest riflescope series.  Boasting 8x zoom, the Predator 8 riflescopes join the Steiner Predator 4 series to provide discerning big game hunters the pinnacle of versatility and precision in premium hunting optics.

 

Built on a rugged 30mm tube chassis, the Predator 8 delivers all the key features required of a go-anywhere optic. Class-leading optical clarity with industry-leading light transmission, a massive field of view, and an illuminated reticle with 11 brightness settings ensure a fast and crisp sight picture in the most challenging lighting conditions. Foul weather and harsh climates also offer no resistance to the Predator 8’s performance thanks to the shockproof, fogproof and waterproof design and broad -13°F to +145°F operating temperature.

 

The Predator 8 is offered in three different 8x zoom ranges: 2-16×42, 3-24×50, and 4-32×56. Hunters looking to take advantage of the riflescopes’ precision reticle adjustment to accurately compensate for bullet drop at long distances will appreciate the audible and tactile 1/4 MOA ballistic turret. Included are different numbered turret rings that allow the shooter to customize the turret for quick elevation adjustment at pre-selected distances. The ballistic turret also provides a zero mode to permit fast and precise dial-back to the zero setting.

 

The Predator 8 2-16x42mm and the 3-24x50mm riflescopes both come with the Steiner E3 second focal plane reticle. Designed for the most popular big game cartridges with holdover compensation out to 400 yards and cascading windage dots to easily adjust for 10 mph crosswind, the E3 reticle quickly serves up aiming solutions when the pressure is on. For maximum long-range precision, the Predator 8 4-32x56mm stands ready with its high magnification and SCR (Special Competition Reticle) combination.

 

Delivering the best in German precision, the Predator 8 series promises apex optical and ballistic compensation performance in a tough, weather-resistant platform suitable for any hunting adventure… anywhere.

An Artistic Vision: what exactly is that in the world of taxidermy?

Mar 10, 2023 | News

By Richard Lendrum

 

I spent a couple of days in late February with Aaron and his wife Samantha in Douglasville Pennsylvania. It gave me a chance to get, first-hand, an insight as to what this gent has done over the past 19 years – and it was fascinating. Aside from his passion for pin ball machines, trucks, old Land Cruisers, fishing, and restoring an old jail – and, obviously, taxidermy – it is his passion for Africa that was incredible. And what he has developed there is going to be a base for the promotion of African hunting safaris, for a long time, something I have been working towards setting up. But for now – let’s introduce this man who simply cannot keep still. I asked him how it all started…

 

Oh, long story short: I was born and raised in up-state Watertown, New York, and had a huge love for both the outdoors, wildlife, and artistry. I joined the marine corps when I was 18 years old, and served three years overseas in the Middle East, and ended up coming back, intending to go to law school. And while I was doing that, I ended up shooting a nice buck here, took it to a local taxidermist and it immediately jump-started my desire to at least partake in the artform of taxidermy. At the time, maybe not for clients and maybe not at the grand scale we’re at now, but I always loved the beauty and the artistry, and creating life from death when it comes to taxidermy.

So, when I was in college I started my company, and within six months I became famous in the industry, kind of known as a prodigy, and started doing a lot of work for Cabela’s, their stores, and demonstrations. At one point in my career I was the only taxidermist in the United States that was fully endorsed by Cabela’s. So my life kind of made a decision for itself and showed taxidermy to be my path. I ended up graduating college, and by then my company was a couple of years old. With my love for global travel and adventure, being in the Middle East, specialising in all the dangerous countries, I immediately fell in love with the adventure aspect of this crazy thing called the hunting industry.

 

I remember that the first time I went to Africa, I absolutely fell in love with it. It felt like my home away from home. That’s why Africa is my passion. I am on the board of Wild Sheep. I have written for several magazines including Safari, Hunting Four, and of course Wild Sheep magazine. But I still call Africa home. I’ve been to Africa over 20 times and that’s what I’m passionate about, bringing all the positivity that we can towards Africa – its animals, the continent, the culture. And that’s why we push so hard to be positive, positive, upbeat, motivated. The African continent is so broad and diverse. There’s so much to do. It’s not just as simple

a continent like East Asia where you might have, say 15 to 20 different species. Africa has hundreds of different species. And it’s absolutely my passion.

 

I asked Aaron which his most challenging animal was to mount.

 

It has to be an eland. An eland is the most challenging of all of the African animals, besides cats, of course. Lions and leopards are the most difficult, but that’s what we specialise in – the difficult stuff.  But absolute pain in the butt, an eland is hands down, because of the sheer size, the amount of fat wrinkles, and the lack of hair almost the most difficult on earth to mount, to hit a homerun on. It’s still fun, it’s still enjoyable, but it’s just like anything else in the industry – it’s taxing. Very taxing.

 

But my favorite is a buffalo. Buffaloes, kudus – anything creative and artistic. That’s why we named our company Artistic Visions, because we wanted to display the trophies in the most elegant and classy way – possibly to impress a wife or a girlfriend. Most times a hunter will be able to go back and share that experience of Africa with them – and that’s what we try and create as a memory. A memory and a piece that are all-in-one. And that’s kind of what we’re famous for, our stack work where we can put three, four or five mounts on a single base that completes a picture of your entire safari without taking up a lot of time, energy, space. And it’s also very cost-effective.

I asked him what his vision was for a base.

 

It’s exciting times. We’re in such rarefied air right now that the sky is literally the limit – no pun intended. We’re keen to start this new venture with African Hunting Gazette and possible shows. Our location on the east coast, and specifically in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey… actually, it’s four or five states if you add in Maryland and Delaware. There are five states that are within an hour’s drive of us. So it’s going to be, hopefully, fingers crossed, a new epicentre of adventure and elegance, class, artistry. We’re proud to have John Banovich have his paintings here, so we’ll be the east coast gallery for him. We are also proud to be working with Afton House and African Hunting Gazette. It is definitely exciting! A little bit nerve-wracking, but great things start from great beginnings.

 

Email Aaron Simser: info@artisticvisionswildlife.com or visit www.artisticvisionswildlife.com

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