IT WAS good to be back on the Sneeuberg mountains for our third hunt in as many years. Schoonberg and Magnum farms straddle the Gats River, an ancient watercourse that starts as a fountain high in the Sneeuberg mountains and empties into the Nqweba Dam above the town of Graaff Reinet. It is harsh country; dry and hot in summer and icy cold in winter. Rocks, more rocks, rugged kloofs and cliffs dominate the landscape.
These farms, including my home farm, are part of the 70 000 hectare low-fenced Amandelhoogte Conservancy, so we manage our game populations in consultation with fellow-members and are issued a quota per species as approved by the relevant Conservation Department and these neighbours. Kudu populations, in particular, we monitor carefully as they fluctuate depending on seasonal weather patterns. For the last few years we have seen an increase in kudu numbers in these mountains but hunting them remains a challenge.
Mark Biggs and his
