We’re continuing our “1001 Questions to Ask Before Booking a Hunt in Africa” (click here for Part 1). Each question comes with an answer where we can give it, or with tips re: why you should ask it, what information to look for, and where to get it. This part deals with what you should bring, including the essential – your weapons.
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Many hunters are dreaming of a hunting adventure in Africa, but quite a few are reluctant to take the plunge, even though they can afford it. They suspect they don’t know enough about the continent and are concerned that their lack of knowledge will lead to disappointments. These concerns aren’t totally unfounded, and so we prepared a list of questions that you’ll probably want to have answered. Each question comes with an answer where we can give it, or with tips re: why you should ask it, what information to look for, and where to get it.
Some of your questions and concerns may sound dumb, others obvious, but do not feel shy to ask those questions.
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Springbuck is a strikingly marked, sleek, graceful, agile gazelle-like antelope and once the national emblem of South Africa; however, today it is only recognised as the name and logo for the national rugby team. The species name was translated from the Afrikaans word “Springbok”, which means “jumping buck”. The name was derived from its unique behavioural trait known as pronking: a leap in the air with an arched back and stiff legs.
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It is very important to establish a hunter’s maximum ethical hunting range (the distance at which they can confidently hit the target) and take this experience to the field. Recognising your shooting ability and remaining within your bounds are the key ingredient to confident shooting whether it be short or long-range
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Mike returned about four years later to hunt with us again, and sure enough he shot another 59½” kudu! Mike was now the owner of three 59½” kudu trophies from three or four different hunts. The personalized licence plate of his Toyota Land Cruiser at home reads ‘KUDU 60’ – which I think is very appropriate!
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In my youth I believed myself so hemmed in by circumstances and duties that I thought I should never break through such barriers into the real world beyond. Conventionalities which then looked like a granite wall I have discovered to be a delusion. I have learnt that human beings do not always understand the language in which duty calls, and that by the use of a little force a hole can be made through the thorny zariba of circumstances by which the poor, impounded creature, whether peasant or potentate, may escape to taste of life.
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The warthog is one of the five most popular hunting trophies in Africa. Read about warthog distribution, hunting tips, conservation status, trophy records, &c
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Veld, also spelt veldt, is a word from Afrikaans, the language of the Dutch colonists in South Africa. This word is used to describe a wide open grassland landscape.
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“I want to hunt in Africa, but I really don’t want to hunt game behind a fence.” This is a common statement I hear from hunters who are considering a trip to southern Africa for plains game. I used to feel the same way.
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Many a page in the “Wild Sports of Southern Africa” may seem appaling for modern readers, both for the blatant racism and for hunting practices described. However, it is a document of an epoch, and inspired many later hunters and explorers. Here we reproduce an abstract from it.
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By the end of my hunt I had done everything I said I would not: crawling two and three hundred yards at a time with legs that had been cut to shreds by razor grass, wading through chest-deep hippo channels, grabbing razor grass to keep from falling into rivers teeming with crocodiles, and lying flat on the ground with only the grass between me and a charging buffalo.
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Blesbok, or Blesbuck, is one of the most popular antelopes with hunters in South Africa. However, harvesting this dweller of open spaces is not easy.
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