African Hunting Gazette

It wasn’t long that I had been running the AHG and it was a real treat meeting Johan Calitz for dinner in the town of Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa. It was many years back and he had almost been killed by a buffalo attack. I was spellbound list

Shoulder or life-size mount? If you’re hunting a bushbuck, perhaps consider and negotiate with your taxidermist to do a life-size / full mount. I am sure they’d prefer doing a full mount, and we can have it ocean-freighted back home. The difference i

Built on a 30mm main tube, Steiner’s Predator 4 series of 4:1 zoom ratio riflescopes features three configurations—2.5-10x42, 4-16x50 and 6-24x50—offering an optimal fit for virtually every hunting scenario. Each scope features an E3 illuminated reti

I hope all is well on your side of the world. We’re settling into summer here. When we were leaving Afton to hurry to the airport, it was such a rushed affair that I don’t think I took the chance to thank you for being a fantastic host and to tell yo

Danene van der Westhuyzen’s From the Veld – Recipes and Reflections from Namibia (Tip Africa Publishing, 2020, 242 pages) is more than just another cookbook. Much more. It’s part autobiography, part photo montage and part homage to the land, the wild

English: Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest Latin: Alcelaphus lichtensteini German: Lichtenstein-Kuhantilope French: Bubale de Lichtenstein Spanish: Alcelafo de Lichtenstein Total length: 2.01 – 2.5 m (6.6‘– 8.2‘) Tail: 48 cm (18.9”) Shoulder Height: 1

The loudest antihunting campaigners include the Born Free Foundation (see https:// www.bornfree.org.uk/trophy-hunting ), the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting (see https://bantrophyhunting.org), the War on Wildlife Project (see https:// waronwildlife.co

To the trackers, chefs, camp staff, skinners and other essential personnel, all those backstage, and their families from whom they are away for large portions of the year - this is for you. A safari is a theater, in which there are many roles to be p

Tim showed up. I have worked with Hendrik from Matwetwe Safaris for almost fourteen years now. We do many hunting trade shows together and this was another one of those weekends. I had just been at Hendrik’s place in South Africa six months earlier w

AS chance would have it, I unexpectedly found myself having both time and opportunity to organize a safari for myself in the middle of the pandemic that has plagued our world this year. The question of what to hunt was not really a question at all. I

In 2015 we travelled back to Tanzania, this time in the foothills of Kilimanjaro, an arid area called Maasailand. As the name would suggest, the Maasai inhabited this land – a unique opportunity to hunt among the indigenous people, their homes and th

It was a particularly hot day in the bushveld of central Namibia. It always seems to be a particularly hot day when you are hunting in Namibia! At any rate, the stalk had proceeded excruciatingly slowly. In the last hour we must have covered all of 4

• Oribi • Blue Duiker • Common Duiker (also called Grey Duiker) • Red Forest Duiker (also called Red Duiker) • Cape Grysbok (also called Southern Grysbok) • Sharp's Grysbok (also called Northern Grysbok) • Klipspringer • Damara Dik-Dik • Steenbok • S

My first safari was in 2004, a small self-catered affair with some friends in South Africa’s Free State, tacked onto the end of a vacation trip during which my wife and I had spent a month traveling through the country and seeing the beautiful sights

Later, I understood that my apathy was misplaced, but the photos of southern impala rams I had seen showed horns that were so…well…small and unimposing compared to those of animals from further north. As a biologist and a hunter, I know it is unfair

Richard Christian was my American client, much older than me. I was a young man then, employed by Zambia Safaris as a professional hunter. Richard arrived on a scheduled Saturday early morning flight, and landed in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. His hunt

An adventurous week had passed with many exciting hunting scenarios, walking and stalking, sitting in an elevated blind or a pit blind, acquiring lifetime memories and some great trophy animals. This particular waterhole is one of two water sources f

The plans for my first big-game hunting experience were hatched on a remote beach on Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Curious readers may find this a rather unusual setting for an introduction to hunting. However, Mexico is my home, and sport fishing is my oc

Having the gear and clothing you need, when you need it, can make or break your wingshooting safari. Depending on the birds you’re targeting, and the terrain you’re hunting, your days can be rather sedentary (think doves and pigeons, or waterfowl), l

I first read this quote a good three years ago, and the message immediately resonated with me. I may not be 50 years of age, but the welfare of the ecosystem I love and the wonderful fauna and flora we are blessed with mean a great deal to me - it wo

The first thing I would like to mention is communication. Before my first trip in 2009 I read somewhere that a safari had three parts: There is the anticipation, the actual hunt, and the reliving it when your trophies arrive. Each phase should be enj

… and was sent for a period of two years to the Cape Colony to recover from recurring fevers. Also aboard the three-masted Indiaman Buckinghamshire to Africa was another shikari, lawyer and reputed foxhunter William Richardson of the Bombay Civil Ser

Unsurprisingly, my chosen career path was forestry. I met my future wife, was married and entered forestry training at the provincial technology institute. My first job landed us in a remote (one road in and out) community where we quickly found our

Not many companies still make double rifles, but for London gunmaker John Rigby & Co. their Rising Bite double rifle which was reintroduced in 2015, after a break in production of over 80 years, is still in demand. The double rifle, once the mainstay

Throughout modern firearm history, only a few calibers have gained almost cult-like status across the globe. Ask any hunter to name some of these and the answer will invariably include the .375 H&H. It is easy to understand why. One obvious reason is

Phil had become a very good friend of hunter Jeff and his family. Jeff had taken several of Africa’s cats over the years but wanted to go on one last big cat safari, and wanted Phil as his guide. The Save Valley Conservancy is one of the finest hunti

Sadly, Bob is no longer with us. He died last October of cancer, after four years of different treatments. In spite of becoming steadily weaker, he steadfastly remained in his house on the edge of the Brazos River, but for the last year or so was una

This prompted the hunter to grab the scope dial with his trigger hand and twist it back and forth as he swept the gyrating muzzle back and forth. Our target jogged out of sight. I too have failed to see game almost begging for a bullet. Our eyes may

Wildlife use in Africa is categorized typically as either consumptive (hunting tourism) or non-consumptive (photo tourism). These definitions give the impression that hunting tourism is not sustainable and detrimental to wildlife numbers, while photo

Alas, the old-style safari is no more. First, you need vast expanses of unfettered hunting territory, like the old concessions of colonial Tanganyika, and these no longer exist. Second, you need a safari crew that really knows the business of setting