June 2011

Wing shooting and game hunting is well under way while we wait in anticipation for confirmation on the new area in Zimbabwe. Whilst on the subject of game hunting I would love to mention one of our clients, Branko, a true gentleman and a credit to the sport of hunting. We met Branko during the Shooting Show earlier this year. After finalising the list of animals he wished to pursue, arrangements were made and the hunt took place in the FreeState and in Natal. In total eleven animals were taken and I was told by Branko himself that if he wanted to he could have doubled this number with ease. I also have to mention that Reinier, our professional hunter, was very impressed by the quality of markmanship. Congratulations Branko, I have waited now for years for him to compliment my shooting, but it seems waiting is the name of the game.....

May 2011

As the game bird season starts, hunters enjoy some of Southern Africas best wing shooting. With more areas aquired we can now truly say that we set the pace with wing shooting. A few groups of our Danish friends enjoy very good bags of dove and pigeon and two thirds through the month of May an eccess of 60 000 shells have been fired.

April 2011

During the Shooting Show we had the privilege of meeting Mr Peter Carr, editor-in-chief of Sporting Rifle magazine. Peter decided to join us for a couple of days in South Africa whilst out there paying a visit to the Rhino project they support. During this time Peter had the opportunity to pursue Mountain Reedbuck. The following article appeared in June's edition of Sporting Rifle magazine:

The mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula) is an antelope found in mountainous regions in three separate geographical areas: between eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon; from central Ethiopia to northern Tanzania through south-eastern Sudan, north-eastern Uganda and Kenya; and in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, as well as marginally in southern Mozambique and southeastern Botswana.
This antelope averages 75cm at the shoulder, and weighs around 30kg. It has a greyish fawn coat with a white underbelly and reddishbrown head and shoulders. A mature male has ridged horns averaging around 20cm, which curve forwards. As its name suggests, this animal lives in mountainous regions, preferring dry, grassy hill-slopes down to the lower mountain slopes, particularly where there is cover such as bushes or scattered trees, and usually near water, where it eats grasses and leaves. It commonly forms herds of around five individuals, usually including a single mature male who joins the female herd to mate.
Reedbuck are diurnal animals, but are mainly active in early morning and late evening and inactive during the heat of the day. It was with this in mind that I headed out with Reinier Linde of African Hunting Holidays on an April evening in South Africa's Free State to hunt one of these graceful antelope. I have been fortunate to have hunted many times in Africa, but this has mostly been confined to the bushveld or the northern regions of Namibia in riverine forest or, again, thick bush. Hunting in the FreeState was definitely going to be an entirely different experience.
The open vista of the highveld grasslands stretched out before us as we turned off the tar road and headed into the interior. We passed by a high-fenced lion enclosure that hosted photography clients and tourists, and I was
certainly impressed at the vast acreage and the amount of expenditure that had obviously been invested in such a slick operation. Eventually we left the lion reserve behind and the gradient became much steeper. We were in cattle country, so I spent a lot of time dismounting and attending to the gates. Reinier, being the ultimate professional, was
horrified at my insistence to do this myself, but I felt it was my duty to do so. The landscape was a continuation of vast grasslands with a range of mountains semi-circling the huge area, interspersed with smaller hills and sprinkled with a significant collection of rock kopjes. Springbok and blesbok were abundant, and we also encountered herds of both black and blue wildebeest.Eventually Reinier killed the engine and we scanned the face of the hill before us, carefully looking for mountain reedbuck couched in the grass as it was a little early yet to expect much movement. As it was the first time that I had hunted this antelope – or, indeed, this type of terrain – I wasn't quite sure what to look for. I knew what the
animal looked like, but its mannerisms and behaviour were alien to me. During the day they lie down among stones and are extremely well camouflaged, so a good pair of binoculars is essential to glass spots where they might be resting. We were both using Swarovski ELs, and Reinier soon spotted a small group of four mountain reedbuck. I
followed suit, seeing that they were at rest. We carried on along the track and around the back of the hill to gain some height. This is when things got a little hairy. The track turned right and into a steep ascent. Finally we pulled to a halt when we safely reached the ridgeline. After bolting home a round on Reiner's .30-06 and applying
the safety, I slung the rifle over one shoulder and followed the PH as he cautiously worked forward to peer down on to the face we had previously scanned. Unbelievably, we had dropped perfectly on to the group of mountain
reedbuck: two females, a yearling and a good buck. Reinier carefully assessed the trophy quality of the animal. I could see that his horns were well above his ears, but the PH – as his profession demands – was taking no chances. He wanted to wait until the buck looked in our direction so we could get a clear view of his headgear to confirm he was mature enough to shoot. I used the opportunity to carefully deploy the shooting sticks and get comfortable in a sitting position. After what seemed like an age, the buck did look in our direction, and my PH immediately confirmed he was a shooter.
Fitting to the rifle, I drew a bead plumb on the beast's shoulder. Confident on the shooting sticks' support, I squeezed off the round and took the ram square in the shoulder. He somersaulted backwards in spectacular fashion, and kicked his last as I reloaded and covered his position. The females let out a shrill whistle and bounded downhill with tails fanned out obliquely before turning across the face and gaining height, eventually disappearing over the ridge. Reinier pumped my hand in congratulation as we admired my first reedbuck, which sported a super set of horns. I settled down beside
my trophy as the PH headed back to the vehicle, where he would take a circuitous route down and around the hill and up a near-vertical incline to get as close as possible for recovery. Alone, I drank in the scenery in the late evening sun. I was certainly enjoying myself. The breathtaking scene in front of me was straight from the film Zulu, and I imagined hordes of Zulu impis swarming over the hills. A lion way down in the valley below vocally declared his ownership of the veld. George Adamson once said that the lion's roars translated to: "Who is the Lord of this land? I am… I am… I am." I wasn't about to disagree.

11 March 2011

With the Shooting Show been and gone life slowly return back to normal. Reinier and his team have been busy this week in the Northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal. Reports from Reinier is that the brush is very dense after the good rains South Africa had. Earlier this week they came across a very good trophy size Kudu only to see it disappear into the thicket again. After the dark caught up with them they decided to leave it untill the next morning. During this part of the year KwaZulu can be quite humid but needless to say their determination paid off and amongst the animals that were taken this week we thought you might enjoy this photo of the first Kudu after the Shooting Show. May the year produce many more and may the hunters experience some very successful trips.

1 March 2011

Just returned from The Shooting Show in Newark, have to congratulate John and Annie Bertrand on yet another very successful weekend! Met up with a number of our existing customers during the show and had a great time. We also met quite a number of people wishing to make use of some of our destinations. During the week before the show we found ourselves on the road visiting some of our friends that have been hunting with us and some that were on their way. Stayed outside Newark at Barry and Janice Malster's B&B. It is called The Old School and can be found on 01636 814208, absolutely brilliant! Dropped Reinier, our pro hunter, off at Heathrow on Monday ready to start hunting next week.

10 February 2011

Eventually I managed to get our new website online, even though there are some pages that still need attention. Been busy preparing for the forthcoming Shooting Show in Newark and are looking forward to seeing our friends at the Show and hope that we attract some new interest. We have a few exciting new venues for the year including rifle and bow hunting in Namibia in our quest to accommodate everybody. Recently I read that there are various companies in the UK advertising similar trips as us: could it be that we are doing something right? We still offer very unique trips and welcome the whole family to join us not just on a hunt or a fishing trip, but an African Hunting Holiday.
February has also seen the start of our new company, Barrel and Barb (www.barrelandbarb.com). Barrel and Barb will be taking over the fishing portfolio and also International hunting venues. They will also be present at the fortcoming Show. If you are heading to the Show in Newark please make sure to stop by our stand and enjoy a chat and a cup of coffee. We hope to see you there....

4 February 2011

Some of the hunting areas we offer have received some good rain over the last few weeks and we are looking forward to a great season. Wing Shooting areas were flooded for a short time but reports are that all is fine now. With the rain we were worried about some of the game birds as they breed over December/January but all seems well. With all this rain we are guaranteed some very good trophies for the year and animals will be in prestine condition. While out hunting for the elusive Caracal a client managed to bag himself one of the bigger specimens of the season.