QUALITY AND QUANTITY, PART ONE

QUALITY AND QUANTITY

PART ONE

What do you see when you look at the United Kingdom with regard to hunting?  Do you see strict gun laws, red tape and an anti hunting population?  Its not difficult to see why some people may hold these views, the world is a small place today, and media coverage reaches almost every corner of it.  We have had some bad press in the UK with regard to hunting, but all is not what it seems.  For the resident and visiting sportsman there is a vast amount of some of the best hunting to be had anywhere in the world.  There is a huge diversity of sport to suit all preferences and pockets.  It doesn’t matter if your chosen quarry species are pheasants, grouse, wild fowl or deer there is something for every one.  A browse through the shooting magazines shows even more diversity, with days that can be purchased shooting pigeons, rabbits and other vermin, and not just for shotguns and rifles but air rifles.

 

 

 

 

I have hunted the length and breath of the UK and I can honestly say that the hospitality I have been given has been nothing short of fantastic.  We in the UK rather under estimate what we have here at our fingertips, we have a long tradition of hunting, and the infer structure that goes with it has been around for years and is part of our history.  This well maintained order is one of the reasons that hunting in the UK is virtually self-regulated.  The various clubs and organisations are there, to give advice and support when required, and form a vast fountain of knowledge, that they are more than willing to pass on.

We tend to look at places like America and think that it’s a huntin, fishin and shootin Mecca, and that American sports men and women are out every weekend bagging them selves a buck, not true, it would be true to say that they do have vast tracks of wilderness with a great variety of large game animals, but their seasons are short, in some cases as short as two days!  They can extend their seasons, but only if they are prepared to use a variety of hunting methods like archery or black powder.

 

 

 

UK’s seasons on the other hand are long, but with no detriment to the species involved, as a stalker with a six-month roebuck season to look forward to, I don’t feel pressured to be out on the first day, but if the season were only a few days long I’d be out there together with every other stalker.  That sort of hunting on mass, would lead to greater pressure on the animals and the environment, with the likely hood of serious accidents being increased, due to the amount of people on the ground at the same time.  The longer season on the other hand, means that hunting pressure is kept to a minimum, and deer managers and stalkers have the time to look their deer over, and formulate a proper culling program.

 

European and Scandinavian stalkers have a long tradition of hunting, and also enjoy long seasons, but at an individual level they do not enjoy the same freedom as stalkers here in the UK. 

DESTINATION AFRICA, PART THREE

DESTINATION AFRICA,

PART THREE

My first trip to South Africa, and a subsequent trip to Zimbabwe were booked through ECH Global owned and run by Robert Goss.  Through Bob Goss I got to meet the outfitter at Bob’s home, as he was staying with Bob for a couple of days before he flew back to Africa.  We discussed the animals available and all costs, allowing me to finish my wish list; I now had all the facts.  I chose kudu, zebra, warthog, gemsbok, impala, bushbuck, steenbok and duiker.  A mixture of sizes and prices, to be hunted over ten days in South Africa.  We were to hunt during the middle two weeks of May, in an area in South Africa’s northern province, close to the border with Zimbabwe.  The outfitter Fanie Steyn hunted an area of over 40,000 acres, belonging to his family, so we would be the only hunters on the ground

 

 

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My preparation over the next few months for the hunt included a lot of walking, and as much shooting on the range as I could get.  I already owned a Sauer model 90 in 375 Holland and Holland, I bought it as much for the nostalgia, of owning a rifle capable of taking Africa’s largest game, as I did for the “just in case I ever go” dreams I was having.  Although it packed quite a punch in the recoil department, it shot like a dream, regularly shooting cloverleaf groups at 100 meters.  It came with iron sights fitted, not wanting to loose this facility; I bought Apel swing off mounts, to attach a 1.5-6 x 42 Karl Kahles scope, a decision I have never regretted.  The bullets were to be 300 grain solids and soft points from Hornady, home loaded over a charge of Reloader 19, producing 2500 feet per second of velocity, that’s over 4100 foot pounds of energy.  I did consider taking a smaller calibre rifle as well, but decided that it would only complicate things, so it was to be a one-rifle safari for me.  This is where the .375HH comes into it’s own, using solids, you can shoot animals like duiker and steenbok which are smaller than muntjac, and not blow great holes in them, as you would with a soft point.  The soft point though would be used on larger antelope and zebra, where you need to impart as much shock as possible.  For toughs among you that aspire to some thing a little bigger, the 375HH can also legally be used on buffalo and elephant, so as you can see it really is a very versatile calibre.

 

If on the other hand you were hoping to take your stalking rifle with you, calibres like 270win, 308win, 30-06, and 7mm are all capable of take plains game, by that I mean antelope, zebra and pigs.  I would have to say that 243win and the 6mm calibres are in my opinion to small for most African hunting.  If you were to limit yourself to animals like springbok, impala, steenbok, duiker and klipspringer, then there wouldn’t be any problem, but animals like kudu, zebra, wildebeest and eland really need a bit more gun.  Lets face it; nobody wants to wound anything, nor do you want to be wasting precious time following up wounded game, so if you don’t own a larger calibre ask your outfitter if you can borrow one.  Shots at game in Africa are normally taken off shooting sticks, which you stand behind and rest the rifle on, if your not use to this style of shooting, I suggest you make your own shooting sticks and have a go on a range before you go, as a little practice could make a lot of difference.

 

 

 You will need a pair of binoculars, but because there is very little dawn or dusk in Africa, their light gathering qualities do not have to be great, you will for the most part, be using your binoculars in bright sun light.  This gives you the opportunity to use a smaller pair, like 10 x 25 for example, they are considerably smaller than what we would normally use for stalking in the UK, and much lighter, and after what could turn out to be many hours of walking under a hot sun, you will be glad you down sized.  The same applies to knives, you will not be required to clean out or skin any animals you shoot, this is the job of professional skinners, and will be all in with the price, so leave your buffalo skinning knife at home, a small knife is all you will require.  Other essential items will include a hat, and a camera, for those all-important trophy photos, and don’t forget a warm jacket, as on my last visit to Africa it snowed!

 

I hope this article has for toughs among you, who are thinking of going to Africa, provided you with some useful tips, and for others who thought Africa was beyond their reach, I hope to have shown you that Africa is not exclusively the play ground of rich and famous, it is with in the grasp of every one, it may take a year or two of saving to get there, but it will be worth every penny.  I only wish I could impart in words the way Africa will make you feel, and the experiences you will have, but that’s for you to find out for your selves.                

                                                                               

                  

                     

DESTINATION AFRICA, PART TWO

DESTINATION AFRICA

PART TWO

I scoured every source of information I could find, not just on locations and outfitters, but the types of animal available, and again price played a part in my selection.  Although I had not picked an outfitter, it soon became apparent that South Africa was perhaps the cheapest country in which to go on safari.  So with this in mind, I started to formulate my dream list, kudu was top of the list, followed by zebra and warthog.  In these three animals you have an antelope, a horse and a pig, in fact the kudu is the second largest of all the antelope, which carries the largest and most beautiful horns.  The zebra with it’s striking skin, is the epitome of Africa, and the only horse species to be regularly sport hunted, and the warthog, a tenacious animal with out sized teeth, which is relatively inexpensive to hunt.  There were other animals I was hoping to take, but being on a tight budget I needed to know how much the day rate would be, and any extras that I might incur, before I could finish my wish list of animals.

 

 

Most African safari outfitters these days advertise on the Internet, so if you have access to a computer, you can sift through hundreds of outfitters, comparing prices, available animals, locations, type of camp, and numerous other things that you deem important.  In my opinion the two most important factors for the average wage earning person, in choosing an outfitter are price and location.  You alone know what you can afford and what you are prepared to spend on a safari; location on the other hand has many factors to take into consideration. Lets start with which country, there are many countries with in Africa that allow sport hunting, some offer very specialist hunts for limited numbers of exotic game, not the sort of safari a first timer should consider, these are countries like the Central African Republic and Cameroon.  As a first timer, or even some one on their second or third safari, you would be well advised to keep to the southern and east African countries; these include South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Tanzania, you may want to check the political stability of any country your considering visiting, as it can change quite fast in Africa.   All of the countries listed have well-established safari operators, offering a wide selection of animals; here again you must make a choice.  If you specifically wanted to hunt gazelle like Thomson’s, or Grants then there is no point arriving in South Africa, and telling your professional hunter (PH) that these are your priorities, as they live a couple of thousand miles away in the east African countries of Tanzania and Kenya, so do a little home work before you get there.  You would be surprised how many people who turn up in Africa and simply make there mind up as what they want to hunt as they come across it in the bush.  This is not hunting, as to hunt is to search, if you do not know what you are looking for, then you are simply wandering and shooting, and there is little satisfaction in that.  You will get far more pleasure out of knowing that today you are hunting kudu for example, and passing up other animals you see along the way, and when your tracker points and your PH says take him he’s a good one, you will know this is what you came to Africa for.  The sense of achievement will stay with you forever, and every time you look at your hard won trophy or photograph of it, it will be with a sense of pride, and knowledge that you took it the right way.

 

 

 

So now you know what animals you want, and what countries they can be obtained in, the only thing left to decide upon is which outfitter to use.  This is where the success or failure of your hunt lies, although good outfitters out number bad ones by a hundred to one, you don’t want to be among that small percentage of hunters that have a bad experience.  If money wasn’t a problem, and we could afford the most prestigious outfitters, then a fantastic time would be guaranteed, but we are on a budget, and still want a fantastic time. The best information about an outfitter you should listen to, will come from first hand accounts from people you know and trust.  If you don’t know anybody that has been on safari, that you can ask, the outfitter will normally provide a list of past clients who will give him a reference.  The next method of checking an outfitters credentials, and making sure he can live up to his promises, is to book through an agent.  The agent should have visited the outfitter, and seen first hand how well he runs his camps, tried the food and accommodation, and seen what the ground is like, and most importantly seen the animals.  Again it comes down to trust, but if an unscrupulous agent repeatedly sold poor quality hunts, how long would he have a business for?  So it’s in every ones best interest if agents provide good impartial advice, about the outfitters they promote.  I have used agents in this country and the USA, for booking African safaris, and have had nothing but good experiences with both.