manmagnum_102022

FOREWORD

Blades and hunting go hand-inhand: theone cannot be done without theother.And, if you are any thinglike me, andlove hunting, you’ll probably love knives too.

As with hunting, agood knife has a value far greater than its purchase price –unless, of course, youhavebeen deliberately misled to part with your hardearned cash. Both hunting and asharp blade add value to your life. Thehuntis not merelyabout bringingback the bil tong, but can, for example, be all about the magic of sittingaroundacampfire in the veld, looking up at the stars in wonder,preferably with onlya sharp knife as companion –although, everyonceina while, I’m known to actually takealong another human...

Some of my best (and worst) hunting memories include aknife somewhere in the tale. In one, which cannot be ranked as a‘best memory’ for me, Istupidly wanted to dispatch awounded gemsbuck with my knife. Iwas neatly rapped over the knuckles (mybrowactually) by a thick39-inch longhorn, leaving me dizzy and blinded.The dizziness wasfroma skull that felt as if it hadbeencracked (later,the doctor stated that ‘luckily’ I suffered only amild concussion) and the blindness wascaused by theblood streaming from the head wound into my eyes. The phrase ‘blind panic’suddenly had new meaningasIwas expecting the bull to turn me into an oversized kebab at anymoment.How Iescaped relatively unscathed remains amystery.I still have the knife, now aprizedtoken of the folly (read: sheer stupidity) of youth.Looking back, Icannot imagine that Iactually wanted to tackleafull-grown gemsbuck bull with such asmall knife. Afterwards I swore never again to tackle anylarge antelope with aknife, no matter the size of the blade.

Aknife can very easily become alife

saver, as I’veseen when abrave bystander stopped at acar accident and used his folder –acheap,simpleand smallish Joseph Rodgersknock-off –to cut free awoman trapped insidethe burning wreck. She could not get the safetybelt off or force open the smashed car door.The flimsy but razor-sharp blade slipped throughthe safetybelt like ahot knifethrough butter and she was unceremoniously helpedout through the window

As ayoungster Ioften abused my knives to open tins of food in the veld when the can opener went missing, or perhaps wasnot packed in the first place. Later aVictorinoxwitha can opener took overthis task and Istill use theopenernow on modern tins of spicy tomato relish (to go withpap)even though the new tins have ‘self-opening’ lids fitted with apull-tab.

Agood knife does not need to be expensive. Currently,the one Icarry every dayisaChinese-made model I bought earlier this year at HuntEx for R249. Ikeep it razorsharp and it’s apleasure to use.The same goes for hunting: Irarelyspend large sums on a single hunt as Iprefertogofor springbuck. This did not come aboutbecause I wasconsidering the price, but simply because Ilovespringbuck –they represent someofthe best hunting youcan get, the meat is superb and, well, Ican huntmore animals forthe price comparedtoother more expensiveanimals. This simply means more superb hunting forless.

Times aretough,but agood knife (no matter the brand) and agood hunt (no matterthe species) are still among the bestthings we can spend money on. I hope youenjoythe read and that it inspires youtoget that sorely needed knifeortostock up on must-havebiltong.

–by Phillip Hayes Magnum Editor

Hunting Knives

by PHILLIPHAYES

MYVERYfirst knife used exclusively for hunting wasaBuck476.It came witha hard sheath, probably plas tic, andithad aspear point, which made it less thanideal forskinning. However,I recall that Iboughtitspecificallyto administer the coup de grâce should a downed animal not have expired by the time we got to it.

As ayoung professional hunter this happenedwithseveral clientsIwas guiding, and insteadoffiring ashotatclose range with resulting damagetothe hide,

Apersonal choice

Idecided on aknife that could be slipped inbetween the cervical vertebrae as close as possible to the head. This meant there wasonly asmall(additional) hole in the skin which the taxidermyhad to fix when mounting the skin.

On smaller animalsthis worked well,

but on bigger animals it wasadifferent proposition altogether,asIsoonlearned. Being young and, well,stupid, Itried this method on an oryx but once, nearly loosing an eyeinthe process and sporting a bruised foreheadfor the next weekor two.

Isoonlearned thatevenablesbuck is extremely strong,and Ihad to bring all my power to bear to hold one down and use the knife to sever the spinal cord. On about my thirdattempt, ablesbuck ramsnapped its headbackwards

makes excellenthunting

affordable and made from excellentsteel.

and the tipofthe blade on my Buck knife brokeoff.The Buck got relegated to my boxholding sharpening toolsand was almostpermanentlyused by the skinners. During this time the sheath went missing.

Formyown useI‘upgraded’to something else,but it could not have been much of aknife as Icannot remember what Ibought. Later,duringa visit to Denmark Ibought afew Morakniv knives, probably what is now calledthe Companion. These knives, made in Sweden, had reasonable qualityblades, plastic handles andanuglybut practical plastic sheath. They worked so well that they became my team’sgo-to skinning knives. One found apermanent place in my own kit.

Theseknivesstood up to serious abusewhile remarkablyretaining a working cutting edge. Sharpening was sometimes done (out of necessity) on a cement floor,yet we got the job done.

Todaythe Morakniv knives still present good qualityataveryreasonable priceand even the cheapest model (betweenR300and R400)willprobably outlast most other knives, even with hard use. Also,Inever worried about abusing these knives, something I’d never do with acustom made knife.

InitiallyIdid not like the curved blade shape and the so-called Scandinavian bevel or edge, but Icould notargue with the practicalityofthe shape and edge. These blades simply seemed to be up to almost every taskI couldconjure up for them. The sharp tip even made them useful during caping.

The well-known Helle knivesare sim ilar in design and edge, made of more durablematerial andworkjust as well, but comeata price. However they make great hunting knives.

Swedish companyEKA, (established in 1882) makes aswingbladethatis about the most practical huntingknife youcan buy,the EKA G3. This knife has an ergonomically-designed handle that gives the user an optimal grip and has a great feel. Aquick and easy change between the conically ground knife blade and the bellyopener is achieved by holding down alocking button.

The blade andstomachopener are made of well-known Swedish steel,

Burger Magnum 20th Anniversaryhunting knife.

Cusom Burger knife, note similarities with the Magnum knife.

CRKTMinimalist,averysmall knifecapable of big tasks.

AcustomArno Bernardhunter.

tional ue to The fitted Blade blade

hardened to 57-59 HRC, which gives a very sharpand durable finish.The G3 knife also has aloopfor mounting awrist strap as aback-up carrymethod or to use when working. Orange or neon green handles are available, making it hard nottospot the knifeshould it fallin grass or abush. Theconcave belly opener,withits long sweeping cutting edge, is one of the best designs for the task (see photo) as I’vefound traditional belly openers to be mostly useless d thecutting edge being too small. knife comes with aCordura sheath f with abelt clip forvertical carry. B length is 100mm for traditional b and 80mm for the belly ripper,and the knife weighs 134 grams.

Another option Iuse is the CRKT Minimalist, specifically the Bowie style blade. This is asmall neck knife with a nylon sheath. The sheath has adetachable belt loop that can be fitted for horizontal beltcarry,the method Iprefer But, carried around the neck the130mm longknife (weighingonly 46 grams) is so lightand small youhardlynotice it, is within easy reach with both hands, and, most importantly,the blade size and shape and the contours of the handle make for avery efficient cutting tool. I would not use it for skinning all day, but field dressingiseasilyaccomplished. This small, lightweightpackage and rea sonable price(around R500) makes it my first choice when travelling light.

Amoreexpensiveand classierchoice in apractical blade shape is the Magnum 20thAnniversaryhuntingknife, made by FredBurger, if youcan layyour hands on one. Another option is an Arno Bernard hunting knife, specifically from their PH series. These knives have apractical shape and edge and functional handles.

Lastly,donot underestimate agood pocket knife as ahunting companion. I’veseenplentyofhunters use aboring looking folder,evenadirt cheap Okapi, to do the jobwell. The keyistohavea sharp knife on hand, even if it’s asharp blade on your multi-tool.Toensure a keen edgefor the durationofthe hunt, a small sharpener in atrouser pocket or a backpack is amust-have.Iuse aLansky BlademedicPocketSharpener, which is small and light, but able to sharpen most blades in the veld.

Taking care of your blade

The best waytotakecareof your blade is to keep it rust free and razorsharp.Sharpening is not an art as some think and thereare various sharpening systemsavailablethat works extremely well. Twocometo mind.The Lansky controlled angle sharpening system which normally has several stones included (mostly smooth, medium,course) andfixed angle for the edge. This method takes abit of time and with patience blades can become razorsharp.Itisalso agood system if youhavea piece where youdonot want to touch the blade with astone on any part but the cutting edge while sharpening.

The Warthog blade sharpenersystem is another very convenient kit that can returna keen edge to adullblade in a minute or two.Itisnot as versatile as theLanskyand abit bulky to carry with you, but if youhave it in camp what it lacks is made up in speed. Iuse mine on aweeklybasis on almost all the knives Iuse.

Not abusing ablade and a good sharpening system will go alongway to ensure longevity of the blade as it negates the

use of course stones, which eats away steel much faster.

To ensure the steel does not rustIapply avery thin layerof oil after sharpening and wipe it withaclean cloth. This is not needed as frequently on stainless steel as on, say, carbon steel,but remember this, stainless steel can also rust.Any qualityoil will do the job,but use it sparingly, andifyou often use your knife to prepare food, makesure that as much as possible of the oil is wiped off,or rinsed off with hot water,sothat youdonot ingest it.

When using aknife for skinning it is important to clean it properly after use as blood, skin and meat will get into all the openings, especially so with folders, and becomea health hazard that can smell bad. I normallykeep anail brush in my kit for cleaning knives after skinning.This helps to clean out the hard-to-reach areas.

Lastly,adullblade is more dangerous than asharp one. With asharpbladelessforce is needed to cut, and usingexcessiveforce with ablade in your hand is arecipetopokea knife into your hand, limb or even an eye.

Small Lanskysharpener forfield use.

ASpyderco Resilience with a50/50 blade.

Ed

ge

ed ols or ry

TToo fo Every Day Use

by JACO ERASMUS

Spyderco Native5Salt with serrated blade.

Edgedtoolsare probably theoldest toolknown to man. Beforeiron/ steel, manimprovised some form of edged toolsfromrocks, animal bones, animal teeth and even seashells. Anything that could be sharpened intoan edged tool, wasused for anything from farming, fishing, survival, weapons, food preparation... the list goes on. Todaywe still depend on edged tools in our dayto daylives and it is one tool that we cannot do without.

Getting the edge

We arefortunatetohaveanendless choice of knife shapes and sizes, handle scales, bladematerials andeventhe choice of serrated or non-serrated blades. Some prefer non-serrated blades mainly because of its ease of use, clean cuttingability andease of re-sharpening This makes sense especially if that par ticular knifeisyoureverydaycarry (EDC) knife used for everything from opening your mail, cutting boxes, foodpreparation and slicing your biltong.

Ioften hear peoplecomplainthat serrated blades tear rather than cut, and even thoughthis mightbetrue in some cases, Ihave found that agood serrated blade is avaluable asset when aggres sivecutting is needed. Ionce witnessed adoctor using afully serrated Spyderco Enduratocut throughvery heavyprotectiveleather clothing to assist someone who wasinvolved in amotorcycle accident.

Withthe right sharpening tool,some patience, and abit of practice, youcan easilyre-sharpen and maintain aser ratedblade to arazor edge. If youcan’t decide between the two blade types, some manufacturers offer what is known as a50/50 blade, which has a50% plain edgeand a50% serrated edge, so you get the best of both worlds.

But what is an EDC knife? It’s simply the knife youcarry daily in your pocket, on your belt or in ahandbag, backpack, etc. It’s theknife youhaveonhandto perform tasks that involvecutting.

If youdonot have a‘favourite’ knife that tagsalong withyou during your day, youare missingout.Once youstartcar rying aknife youwill be surprisedathow oftenitisused every single day.

Most popular are probably light weight folding knives witha pocket clip, whichoffer avery convenient wayto attach the knife to your clothes, mostly with the blade inside apocket.

Folder with finger flip perand thumb stud

By simply clipping it into your pants pocket you’ll hardly notice it’s there, yet youwill be able to deployitwithone hand.

Most knives with pocket clips offer the choice of tip-up or tip-downcarry,for both left-and right-handedusers,for easy access and quick deployment. This is achieved by simply changing the posi tion of thecliponthe knife. One method is not necessarily better than the other and, in the end, how youutilise this fea ture comes down to your personal pref erence

Somemanufacturers even go so far as to add different methodsfor onehanded openingontheir EDC knives.

This can be anything from ahole in the blade (think Spyderco), finger actuated flippers on the spine, or even spring loaded assistance to add to the ease of use.

Some peopleliketocarrya knife in a pouch on theirbelts, others prefer to carry afixed-blade for more heavy duty use and of course there is the humble, and these days underrated, multi-func tion folding pocket knife, agood example of this is the well-known Swiss Army Knife.

No matterwhat your preference, or in what configuration youcarry your EDC knife, the most important thing is to ensure that it is of good construction and sharp.A flimsy knife and adullblade makes for adangerous tool.

So,what is the best EDC knife out there? I’d sayprobablythe one youhave in your pocket right now

Asmall push dagger carried in my boot. It canbeemployedfor normal cutting tasks.

LargeCold Steel folder with serratedblade.

Multi-Tools

by BJ LEMMER

ITALL startedin1891whenthe Karl ElsenerCompany,whichlater became Victorinox, produced the first Swiss ArmyKnife andthe journey of the multi-function knife began.

The multi-function knife led to the development of the multi-tool (or super tool) which has become very popular Many used brands like Victorinox or Ger ber,and locally, the best known brand, Leatherman.

Although youmightnot be able to build anew shopping mall withyour mul ti-tool, alot of plumbers,electricians and craftsmanwillagree that agood quality multi-tool is an essential part of their equipment for many daily tasks.I know afew guyswith extensivemilitary and survival backgrounds that swear by their multi-tools and youwilloften hear them tell stories of how it savedthe day, even if it wasjustfor opening acan of peaches

after along dayinthe sticks.

My personal journey with SwissArmy Knives started quite differently.Ibought my first knock-offSwiss ArmyKnife at the age of 12 at acornercafé in Margate. It found apermanent place in my pocket, no matter where Iwentand was my first true EDC knife. It playedabig part in my adventures and helped to cre atesome great memories. It also got me into troubleatschool acoupleoftimes,

SUPERTOOL

until the same teacher that used to pun ish me, started using my knifefor small choresaroundthe classroom. Now,thir ty-seven years later,Istillcarry amul ti-purpose Swiss ArmyKnife every day.

Manygood qualitymulti-tools, like Leatherman, SOGand Gerber,toname afew,are locallyavailable, mostly at a price. However,budget-friendly versions are available,and the Tork Craft tool is one that youcould consider as an option. It’s price point will probably even enable youtokeep aspare one in your vehicle for emergencies.

Forme, the search for the perfect multi-tool is anever ending story, although all of the above-mentioned companies makegreat designs, there is alwaysthat one absolutely necessary tool missing from aspecific model, which in my case is avery good excuse to buy another model.

It is not that important which brand or model youhave, as almostall of these toolshavethe ability to makeadifference. Years ago,the editor of Magnum had to build leopard hides for aPolish client only to find that the boxwithcut ting tools wasmissing. AVictorinoxmul ti-tool, with asmall but excellent wood saw, waspressed into service, and to this dayheswears that the ‘Swiss Super Tool’ outperformed anyofthe tools in the missing box.

Carrying amulti-tool is one of the most practical things youcan do,asthe sharp blade, screw driver,saw and pliers can be usedonanalmostdaily basis even if the largest part of the work dayis spent in the confines of an office.Itis the closest you’ll get to the perfect every daycompanion.

ALeatherman Signal.

When carrying aneck knife, aquick release is essential to ensurethe rope or chain cannot strangle youifit should get snagged.

Neck Knives and Push Daggers

by JOHAN EKSTEEN

WEARINGaneckknife is avery practical –and oftenoverlooked –method of carrying afixed-blade knife discreetly.Neck knives are nothing new and are usually carried as back-up knivestoEDC folders or fixed blades.They are sometimes referred to as ‘last ditch’knives. Call it what you want, neck knives are agood wayto carry aprimary or secondary fixed-blade knife.

In bushcraftcommunities,neck knives are very popular for performing small camp chores that are not suitable

for thebiggerbushcraft survival knives. They also makefor agood all day… andnight companion. Withall the options available today,itshould be easy to find that perfect companion. For women who are looking for aself-de fence option,the neck knife can even tick that box.

In untrained hands, aneck knife is easier and faster to deploy, andithas no moving partsorpivot points that canfail or not open completelyunder stress.A neck knife that is constructed from one solidpiece of steel,isquick and ready at

By using paracordonthe sheath, this knifecan be carried around the neck or horizontally on the belt.

amoment’s notice.Throw in Karambit or Hawkbilldesigns and youhaveafor midableweapon, that should not be underestimated.

When it comes to versatilityand discreet carry,the neck knifereally shines.You might be working in office attire with abutton-up shirt and tie and can’t carry afixed-blade or pocket knife, but no one will know that youare carrying aneck knife.

Whether youare the type of person who likes to run in the early hours of the morning, acyclist who spendshours alone on adeserted road,orevenjust playing with your children on abeach in your favourite t-shirt and shorts, you don’thavealot of options for self-defence firearm carry,but aneck knifecan hang around your neck,discreetlyout of sight, until youneed it.

When hunting, aneck knife makes a lot of sense as it’s carried out of the way, probably under your shirt or jacket if you want to ensure it does not snagon branches, yetitcan be drawnwithone handonly. Asmall knife, likethe CRKT Minimalist Bowie, weighsonly 45 grams and is surprisingly effectiveateviscerat ing, skinningand bleeding an antelope. Of coursethe diminutivesizeisnot suit able for working meat all day, butitis more than adequate forfield dressing one or two animals in the veld.

Small push daggers,wornonachain or string around the neck, are often overlooked as EDC blades. This is probably because they look likeaknife intended for defencepurposes only However,these knives can easily be car ried around the neck andkept concealed (especially the smaller and lighter variants). It’s alsoapracticalknife offering several advantagesoveratraditional blade. It can be held in the hand while performing another task; it offersa lotof leverage when cutting and, with abit of practise,itcan performany task atradi tional knife can.

Also,asadefence knife, apushdag ger is about the easiest to master as you simply punch with the fist to (hopefully) keep an attacker at arm’slength. The hold on apushdaggerisalso very secure with less chance that you’ll drop the knife when fighting for your life.

Apush dagger with asheathissuitablefor carrying around the neck as well as on abelt or in aboot.

Iboughtthis fixed blade forR83 at aco-op. It’s small and lightweight enough to carryaround my neck.The paracordismyown add-on.

Ka-B

Bar LDK.

HandmadeKnives:

AreThey WorthIt?

by MIKESKELLERN

I HAVE alwaysbeen attracted to fine knives, fine guns and finetrout rods, sometimesbeyond my needs and often beyond my means. Ihavefilled my firearm licence quota with utilityguns; I have foursetsoftrout angling tackle; I have whatIneed –but Idonot own a Purdey or aHardy.

It’s different withknives. Relatively speaking, theyare moreaffordable even the finest custom knifecosts no more than aworking rifle. Moreover, it will last as long and giveasmuch pleasure. Youcan buyvery good factory made knives of all descriptions at rea sonableprices, but youwillnot get to own a‘Purdey’ or a‘Hardy’ this way. If youwant thebest, youmust consider a custom knife.

After failing to find exactly what I wanted at knife shows, Ihad an ivory handled hunting knife made to my specifications.Itisall Ihad hoped it wouldbe –Iuse it constantly and have never regrettedspending aboutthree times the price of an over-the-counter knife. The “bark” (outer surface of the tusk) handle retains the beautythat nature bestowed, anddoes not becomeslippery whenwet or bloodied.I useitfor skinning and cutting up game,for biltong

Theuns Prinsloo folder,owned by Magnum’s editor

cutting, and all manner of veld and camp chores. Ihave used ordinaryknives for more years thanIcaretomention, but the shape and balance of this custom knife turns achore into apleasure.

Idarenot allow camp staff to use it, they have thehabit of sharpening knives on the nearest suitable stone, but Ican see that they are awed by the beauty of the knife, and are impressed withits per formance.The blade is sweptbackfor skinning,while the point is low for control. The blade is strong, to separate joints when butchering, and thehollow grind makes for ease of sharpening.

Manyfactory-made knivesoffer the same features,sowhatisreally that dif ferent? Precision craftsmanshipfor one; superiorsteeland fittings foranother. Fine lines, goodbalance,with originality of design and artistry. What makesa Purdey abespokerifle or shotgun?

To see whatI had beenmissingall these years,Iboughta good custom skinner (it workswell, butcarry two knives?); then acustomcommando-

style dagger (I couldn’tresist its beautiful ugliness, not forsettling disputes); then Ineeded afolding knife for when not carrying the sheath knife…

One thing led to another,and now I notonly own several handmade knives –Ialso makethem. The equipment has set me back abob or two more than I would have spent on buying more knives, and Ihaveformally andfinally kissed goodbye to my free time. But, in compensation, Ican now talk knife lan guage, andIhave my owntableatknife

shows instead of justbeing an admirer. I also understand whyhandmade knives cost more than production items.

What makes thedifference? Fora start, custom folders can take aweek or so of meticulous work with costly equipment. Therecan be more than500 operations involved in making agentleman’s pocket knife. When so much time is spent in the design andmaking of aknife likethis, it is notworth using anything but the best materials. The action should be likethat of awell-tunedtrigger: smoothand withaclean snap, butnever loose.

The best steels are expensiveand are more difficult to machine and heat treat than other ordinary carbon steel. Greater resistancetocorrosion, greater strength and better edge holding properties are features the knife maker looks for when choosing steel for an expensive handmade knife. Customknivesare cut, ground, hammered, or carved out of solidblocks or slabs of the originalmate rials, by hand.The most popular style is the hunting pattern with exoticSouth Africanhardwood,hornorivory handles. But of course youcan buy or commission aheavily embellished and engraved presentation piece or ‘art’knife –whatever suits your fancy.

HarryWolhuter commemorative knifeinayellowwood case made by Owen Wood in the 1980s.

There is alwayssomething new happening in the knife world –recent developments in handmade folding knives include new opening and closing mecha nisms, brilliantly anodized titanium and niobiummetals, tinyscrews… liner lock ers, mid- and button locks…

Agood way to get acquainted and keep up-to-date with custom knives is to visit aknife show where youcan com pare styles and skills and talk to the makers. Whynot payavisit and decide for yourself if handmade knivesare worthwhile?

The Knifemakers’ Guild sets stand ards of skill and craftsmanship thus protecting knife buyers and the good name of its membership. Visit www.kgsa.co.za for more information.

This article first appeared in Magnum,November1991

Supremely practical Andrew Franklandhunter.

Blades

by JACO ERASMUS

Strong working tools

Asmall fixed-blade carried on astring around the neck.

WEALL know the expression:

“Don’tbring aknife to agun fight”but the expression, “A knifenever runsout of bullets” alsohas sometruth to it. And, this is not just relevant for defence purposes, but also for asur vival situationout in the middle of nowhere.

Forages, people have used knives, especially fixed-blade knives to defend themselves.Evenwithall thehigh-tech weaponry around, militariesacross the world, especially special operation units, still recognise the value of agood fixedbladetacticalknifeand still issue them to their troopsaspart of their standard equipment. Apart from defence use, fixed-blade knives playother important roles on the battle field from preparing food, building shelters, opening cans and crates, digging holes and anumber of other cutting tasks.

It is not only in the military where fixed-blade tacticalknivesare used in this way. Game rangers and anti-poach ingunits use fixedbladesonadaily basis as partoftheir standard equip-

Puma La OlaOlive, ahigh quality hunting knife.

ment.Of course with these jobs, no one will look twice if you have alargefixed-blade knifeonyour personasthere is no need to be discreet. As normal civilians, we maynot need to dig holes in the ground, open cans or crates or build improvised shelters every day, but we can still benefit from asmallish, good qualityfixed-blade knife as it is generally easier to deploythan afolder,and has amuch stronger design.

Selecting afixed-bladeknife woulddepend on the situation and circumstances where you’d need such ablade. How ever,some keyfeatures are important on anyknife, thefirst being reliability. Afixed blade will probablybeput to use for serious cutting tasks and be abusedmore than adelicate folder.Therefore afulltang knife made of steel at least 3mm thick is required andthe qualityofsteelwouldplaya bigger part than with that used for ordinary folders.

Afixed blade knife shouldbeabletocut anything you throw at it, from splitting wood fora fire, cuttingthick rope, cable ties, seatbelts, boxesand even your biltong (hopefully abig piece).

Agood tactical fixed-blade knife with a90degree cut spine can be used to strikeaspark from aferro rod, scrape the bark off atree, or makefine kindling to start afireinanemergency.Survival experts agree, if they can have only one thing to improve their chances in an emergency,itwould be aquality fixed-blade knife.

Choosing afixed blade that can be used for prolonged periods is also important. If youare going to use your knife for tough cutting jobs, youdon’twant ahandle thatcauses ‘hot

Ka-Bar TDI carried horizontally on my belt

spots’ during useasthese spotscan easilyturntoblisters.Makesure the grip fits your hands well and that the texture is not too rough.If youalreadyhaveaknife with roughhandles they canbesanded down for asmoother finish and, for slippery handles, stretch plaster can be used as awrap.

Probably the most important consideration is ease of carry.Manyknife-lovers have that one big, scary knife (that in theorycan be used to save theworld)in their collection, but we seldom or never carryit, because it is justtoo bigand impractical. So it’s relegated to ashelf andforgotten. No matter how goodor beautiful aknife is, if it’s not comfortable to carry on you, it will not get used. Remember, thesame goes for your choice of handgun.

Youhavetochoose afixed-blade knifethat youcan, and will,actually carry on you. This meansitsimplycan not be too big or heavy.Weare very for tunate to have manysuppliersand brands to choose from, so finding the rightsized knife is not that difficult. And, of course, there are manyknifemakers who will gladly makea customknife to your specifications.

Withcarry options in mind,Kydex sheathshavemadeour liveseasier and there are numerous carry options to

choose from like outside thewaist band, inside the waist band, or vertical-and horizontal-carry.

With some imagination, youcan carry your tactical fixed-blade knife comfortably in multiple places and positions so,get creativewithyour carry methods. Icarry aKa-BarTDI in ahorizontal semi appendix positionevery day. This is aknife Iwould nothaveconsidered a few years back. The TDI’sdesign did not makesense to me untilIheld it in my hand. Forthe last three years, this Ka-Bar has beenmydaily companion and is abletohandle everything life throws at it, whether it’s cheese cake on aSundayafternoon at home, or something morespicy at twoo’clock in the morning in adarkalley.

If youabsolutely must have abig fixed-blade knife there is the option of keeping it in your vehicle or,ifyou are likemeand carry asmall backpack where-everyou go,this offersanideal means of transporting alarger knife

Forskinning your game, afixed blade is one of the best options. It is normally more comfortablethan afolder to usefor long periods –and an awful lot easier to clean. Forhunting, the knife sizedoes not really matter,asitwould probably be carriedinabackpack but, amediumto small blade witha handle that is com fortable to handle is the best option.

Bigger blades can be carried com fortably in asheath on the belt in the veld but, if youprefer asmallfixed blade,a lightweight knife carried around the neckisvery practical and completely out of the way. Yet, it can easily be reached with either hand.

Schrade offers quality blades at reasonable prices.

VitalKnowledge

by GREGOR WOODS

Thenext best thingto x-rayeyes

SHOTplacementisthe single most important factor in hunting.Even the most powerful cartridgewillwound if the bullet doesnot hit avital organ.Far too manyhunters, in their excitement, simply aim for the centre of the animal. Ihaveasked various accomplices, while watchingananimal run off after their shot, where they aimed, and they couldn’ttell me –they hadsimplyaimed

SPINALLUNGS CORD

HEART

SCBRAIN APULA

MAIN ARTERIES

‘at the animal’. Some aim at whatever patchofhide they can see through the bush. Thisisinexcusable. Hunters have amoral obligation to killthe quarry as surely,quickly andcleanly as possible with the first shot.

Most shot-placement literature shows photos of animals superimposed with red dots indicating the aiming points. In manycasesthese show the

animal in only two positions: fully broadside and directly frontal. In thehunting field, however,the animal maybestandingatvarious other angles, requiring very different aiming points if thebullet is to hit the vital organs. Instead of memorising reddots on the outer sur face of theanimal, youshouldbementally visualising the positionofthe vital organs inside theanimal, and aiming

Fig1shows the locality of the vital organs and the major bones.

accordingly,whichcould mean anywhere on its body forward of thehind legs, depending on theangle at which it is standing.

Shotstothe brain and spinalcord (ahead of the shoulders) bringinstanta neous death, but are the riskiest, as we shall discuss presently.Heart-lung shots are safer. Without oxygen (derived from blood)the brainimmediately dies. The heart pumps blood straight into the lungs where it picks up oxygen, which is then carried directly to the brain via the carotid arteries. Destroying the heart and/or lungs, or opening amainheart artery, cuts off the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain, bringing death within seconds. Heart-lung shots are therefore quick, sure and humane. Shots which fail to hit the vital organs bring varying degrees of prolonged suffering priorto death,and must be avoided.

To achievesuccessfulheart-lung shots requires acartridge powerful enough to reach these organs, and abul let with sufficient momentum (read

Themassive rumen with its stodgy contentsforms only partof the intestines which a bullet must penetrate to reachthe vitals if fired at an angle from behind

This wasa perfectly placed broadside heart shot on abig kudu bull,but at thehigh velocityofa .300 WinMag,the fragile 180gr Winchester Silvertip bullet completely disintegrated, failing to reach thevitals.

‘sufficiently heavy and strongly constructed’)toreach anddestroythese organs, irrespectiveofthe tissue or bone it mayencounter on the way.

This article deals only with expand ing bullets, not full metal jacket or ‘monolithic’ solidsintended for pachyderms. The ‘premium grade’ expanding bullets available today –the various all-copper, partitioned and/or bonded-core designs –render bullet failure less likely,but are costly; the average hunter still settles for ‘conventional’ gradebullets(no special reinforcing features). It is wise, therefore to learn something about ter minal bullet performance andwound ballistics.

Abulletpassing throughtissue creates twoformsofcavitation: temporary and permanent. The permanent cavityor‘woundchannel’ is caused by the expandingfrontal surface of the bul let as it crushes tissue in its path. The temporarycavityiscaused by bullet energy radially forcing tissue away from

Fig2:Lightweightbullets

its path, forming amuch larger cavity aroundand behind the bullet. The tem porary cavityinstantly closes up again, leavingonly thepermanent cavity. The sizeand progression of the temporary cavityare mainlydetermined by the velocityofthe bullet, thus diminish as the bullet slows down in the tissue. Violent temporary cavitation can be rapidly fatal if it takes place within theheartlung chamber,collapsing the lungs. It is also responsible for much wasted meat due to bruising (bloodshot tissue). But temporary cavitationcannotberelied upon to kill

Fragile high-velocitybullets can cause cavernous entrance wounds without penetrating anyfurther.They either disintegrate on impact or expandsorapidly that their large frontal surface immediately impedes their progress; they canfailtoreach thevitalorgans. Ideally,bulletexpansion should be design-controlled (as with ‘premiumgrade’ bullets) so that the projectile holds together,retaining enough weight (for momentum)toreachthe vitals, with itsdiameteratits largest as it penetrates those organs. ‘Conventional grade’bul lets can also achievethis provided they are heavyand strike at modest velo cities.

Fig5 shows howfigures 2,3 and 4are interpreted.

Fig3:

Fig4:

Obviously,the same bullet will not perform ideally in all situations: it will expand morerapidly if it hastosmash though heavy shoulder bone, than if arib or afew centimetres of soft tissue form the only obstruction it encounters en route to the vitals.Terminal bullet per formance also depends on range (velocityslows exponentially with distance) andonthe sizeand weight of theanimal. Your load and bullet must be appropriate to the situation.

Study basic animalanatomy to learn how shot placement is determinedby the angleatwhich the quarry is stand ing. Mostnovices are advised to aim “just behind the shoulder”. This is sound meat-saving advice, butisapplicable only if the animal is standing broadside or at aslightangle away from the shooter. If it is standing at an angle towards the hunter,abulletplaced behind the shoulderwillmiss the lungs and pass through the abdomen. Asurer broadside shotistohold the vertical crosshair directly on the animal’sfront leg (if upright) with the junction (reticle) centrally in the ‘vital triangle’ formed by the shoulder bones (usually visible externally as a‘V’ on its side). This shot avoids the shoulder bones to hit the top of the heart or the main arteries above it, and also penetrates the lungs. It wastes some shoulder meat, but it provides amargin for error and the cer taintyofaquick kill.

If an animal is facingyou at an angle (“three-quarters on”), your best shot is for the point of the shoulder(thejunc

tion of humerus and shoulder blade) whichwillangle the bullet’spaththrough the upper heart or arteries and on through the lungs. However,this shot requires aheavy,strongly constructed bullet to smash through the shoulder bonewhile retaining enoughmomentum to penetrate the vitals. Obviously,large animalsrequire heavierand stronger bullets. Even on impala-sized game, lightweighthigh velocity.243 bullets can disintegrateonthese bones. If the animalisatamore acute angle (facing you

more directly) aimmore toward the centre of the chest. Alwayspicture the localityofthe vitals within the animal.

Animalsangling away from youare tricky,allowing very little margin for error.Ashotplacedtoo far to theouter sidewillhit theshoulderbut miss the vitals. Toofar the other waywillrequire the bullet to penetrate too much abdominal area –itmay not reach the vitals.

Frontalshots are safeiftheyhit centrally.You have adeep vertical mar gin for error– low shots will hit the heart;highshots thearteriesorneck bone. However,frontalshots offer a very narrowtarget and if theystray to one side, can miss even the lungs. Also, an animal often seems to be facing you directlywhen it’s actually at aslight angle; such shots frequently missthe vitals, exiting behind the shoulder.This often occurs when blue wildebeest stand in deep shade,appearingas black silhouettes. An animal thus wounded can run all daywithimpunity. If youare well above the animal, shoot ing downwards, avoid frontalchest shots as the head and neck get in the way.

Never shoot at an animal facing directlyawayfrom youunless it is already wounded.The bullet must trav erse toomuch muscle,bone, rumen and intestines to reach the vitals.

BRAIN SHOTS

Brain shots kill instantly,waste no meat, neither is the meat tainted by

Fig6shows the importanceof visualising the vital organs within the animal,rather than simply aiming behind the shoulder.When the animal is standing at an angle towards youashot placed behind the shoulder canmissthe vitals.

adrenaline and lactic acid resulting from a panic-stricken run.

Fornight culling, when the mesmer ised animal stares motionlessly at the spotlight, brain shots are relatively safe. But the brain is atinytarget, and in the daytime, the head is the most likely body part to suddenly move as youpress the trigger

Under field conditions, brain shots risk abrokenjaw or awound through the muzzle. Also,you must know your bullet’s trajectory to the centimetre, and in the veld, accurate range estimation is difficult. Without arangefinder,don’trisk a brain shot. If youtakeone, aim at eyeor earhole level and up; from the side, aim well back on the skull.

NECK SHOTS

Well-placed neck shots have the same effect as brain shots, bar for minor meat damage. However,they are very tricky, especially if the animal is broadside with its neck extended laterally

Your shot must damage the spinal cord –athin, horizontal line which makes an even smallertarget than the brain, thus trajectory becomes even more critical. Sometimes clipping the neck-bone

Look closely at the (optically fore shortened) shoulder to observe aperfect top-of-the-heartshot (not the spot on the pointofthe shoulder,but the hole behind it,faintly oozingblood).

Although this animal

down,

shoulder

triangle’referred to in the text.

will sufficiently damage the spinal cord; other times not.

Toooften, neck shots resultinaper forated gullet or aspinal dorsal bone being hit –the felled animalregains consciousness and flees.Ifthe animal is fac ing you, this offers somevertical margin for error but not lateral. Ihave taken such shots on kudu and heardthe bullet strikebone, yetfailedtokill.

Close to the head, the target is more locatable but, likethe head,subject to suddenmovements. Nearer the shoulders the spinal cord is difficult to locate precisely and the heaviersurrounding bone requires astrong,heavy bullet. Never risk aneck shot on buffalo.

SPINE SHOTS

Again, the spinal cord is your target, and to smash through thespine requires a strong, heavy bullet. Ihaveseen several ‘conventional’ grade bullets disintegrate

on the spinesofanimalsrangingfrom springbuck to kudu. Thespinal cordis not easy to visualise within the broad mass of an animal in the field. Manynov ices assume thespine runs in amore-or lesslevel line along the animal’supper back. In fact it curves downward within the chesttothe centre of the neck base.

Another drawback of spine shots is thatthey ruin much of the best meat the rugstringe or ‘back-straps’ (tender loin)which runthe length of the spine on either side.

To ensurerapid death, spine shots should be aimed well forward, which also wastesshoulder meat. Likeneck shots,if spine shots go slightly high,they often strikeonly adorsal bone, felling the animal which, seconds or minutes later,isup and running again. However,spine shots are useful when it is essential that the animal drops in its tracks –aswhen close to ano-go boundary

HEARTSHOTS

Helix

low in thebrisket –lower thanmost people imagine.

is asmall target

quicklyand usually

Youshould aim slightlyhigh to hitthe top of theheart or its major arteries With broadside shots this avoids heavy bone,and if your shotgoes abit low,it will stillhit theheart; if high, youwill still hit arteries and

LUNG SHOTS

lungs offer the biggest target from anyangleand aresurrounded by other vital parts: heart, spinal cord,aorta, etc. Broadside lung shots are safest placed in thecentreofthe ‘vital triangle’ butifyou want to save shoulder meat, aim just fractionally behind the shoulder –your bulletwillencounter no morethanarib and probably exit the far side, leaving a double blood trail. Death is rapid.

Some Bushveld Basics

by IAN MYBURGH

Masteringthe fundamentals

HERE is something for the youngsters andnewcomers: let’s discuss afew of the fundamentals of hunting procedure, and then consider an example of practical application.

First of all, what should youcarry on ahunt? Iwillassume that your rifle hasalready beenproperly sighted in with the particular loads you’ll be hunting with, and at adistance appropriate to the terrain, and that youempirically checked its zero after arriving at the hunting venue. That said, youstill need to

carry spare ammo (not just amagazine full). Anyhuntcan go wrong, with youneeding more than your usual number of shots –whether to finish off an animal, to signal an emergency or,if your rifle takes afall, to fire afew sighters to recheck the scope. Alwayscarry an appropriate knife or multi-tool. While not essential in bushveld terrain, apairoflightweight 8x25 binocularscan be agreat help.Carryacigarette lighterormatches (waterproof them) in case youget lost and need to makea fire

for warmth and signalling. Huntersdid without theGPS until only very recently,but makenomistake, you’d be wise to carry one, not only to prevent getting lost but to mark the position of carcassesfor later recovery.Anash bag for silently determining wind direction is useful. Shooting sticks can be very helpful and sometimes essential to success, but are anuisancetocarry with your rifle. If youare accompanied by an unarmed tracker who doesn’tmind carrying them, takethem.

Always carry drinking water in the vehicle, and food if on an all dayouting. Whether or not youcarry water and/or food on your person(or on the tracker’s person) depends on howfar youwillbefootingit, the nature of the terrain,and the general circumstances. ‘Energy bars’can help.Takeany medication that is imperativefor you, such as insulin,heartpills, etc. Even on agameranch, if in terrain where vehicles cannot go,a serious ankle or knee injury late in the daycan meananight spent in theveld.A‘space blanket’takes up as much room as a hanky, andcan save your life. Finally,think of the little things youmight need. Toilet paper.Manyahunthas beenmadevery unpleasant for want of sun-screenorlip-ice, or spare spectacles. As for clothing, wear well broken-in boots, asensiblehat,

and either dark khaki, sombre green, olivedrab, armybrowns or ‘camo’ clothing. Do not wear white or pale, washed out khaki.

Now, some huntingbasics.Think when choosingyour dates. Hunting during the fullmoon phase canbedifficultasthe game has had sufficient moonlight to feed during the night, hence lies low during the day. During cold snaps, game tends to hole up in sheltered areas, but if there is sunshine, they often move to high ground where the air is warmer and where theycan catch direct sunrays. Hunting in windy conditions is acontroversial issue. Some believe it can be ideal,asthe winddirection is more likely to remain constant, and the sounds of your move ments are drowned out by the rustling of wind in the bush. On the other hand, the animals know that wind makes it difficult for them to hear approaching predators, which makes them very much more alert and skittish.

Coveranythingthat might glint in the sun to reveal your presence. Asweat band to coveryour watch is agoodidea. Hunting in overcast weather reduces light reflections, so you need not worry unduly about your scope or bino lenses, face

PHO TO BY PHILIP HUEBSCH

and hands or other reflectivesurfaces. But it also makes the game much more difficult to spot. In the FreeState Ihavehad great success on overcast days, as my quarry waseasily visible in theopenterrain,and my stalks madeeasierasthe sun did not givemyposition away

Time of dayisimportant.The various speciesdiffer in their habits, somebeing nocturnal, some diurnal, while somecan be activeanytime. There are alwaysexceptions, but broadly speaking, game movesabout more in the early mornings and late afternoons thanduringthe hotter midday hours.Inthe early morning, the animals oftenseemlessalert while slowly warming up in the sun. Typically,impala likelow thorn bush or thefringes of open sectionsofveldearly in themorning.Prob ably,more game is shot in thelate afternoon and earlyevening than at other times, because both diurnal and nocturnal animals can be on the move at that time. However,this is also a bad time to take ashot unless youare certainofa clean kill,for if awoundedanimal runs off,you canrun outoflight before you

PHO TO BY PHILIP HUEBSCH

find it. Generally, if youmakethe effort to be up early,you will be rewarded, notonly with game sightings,but also because the bush comes aliveand is at its best in the early morning.

Favourable wind direction is alwaysaprimary concern, but, in bushveld, if this also allows youtohavethe sun behind you, so much the better.This will enable youtospot sunlight reflect ing off the quarry’shide or horns, and can also makeitharderfor them to see you(animals also find it difficult to see when looking intothe sun). Be aware, however, that on open grassy plains, the sunbehindyou shows youupasasharp black silhouette against the uniform pale grass, and this can giveyou away.

Read up on the food preferences of your intendedquarry, and learn to identifythose trees, bushes and grasses. Impala, for instance, will often be found aroundacacia, as they favour the pods, andwilleat them from the tree andthoseonthe ground. Kudu, on the other hand, cannot resist the vaalbos with its thin grey leavesand dark berries.

Youshould be constantly checking thegroundfor tracks, droppings, freshgreen leaves, etc. Sometimes, the colour of the soil can be apointer –tosomeextent, this determines what vegetation will be growing there. Impala seem often to be found in red soil regionswhere rainfall is appropriate. Youwon’t find impala in the red sands of the Kalahari,however.Bear in mind also,that animals tend to follow the lines of least resist ance, so they walk on well-used game trails, cattle and goat trails,roads, etc. Always walk very slowly,witha minimum of jerky movements (don’tswatorwaveawayflies, mopani bees, etc). Stop frequently to look into every likely spot. Novicestend to look at the open patches; youmust learn to look into the bushes and shadows, look through the bushes. And don’t expecttosee the wholeanimal standing thereasheappears in thefield guide book. Lookfor sunlight reflecting off asmall patch of hide, look for vertical lines (the side of aleg or neck) andlateral lines (anunderbelly or the top of aback). Look for movements –a horn tip,aflickering tail or aswivellingear

Now,somepractical application.Wewere huntingona 65 000ha concession north-west of Pilanesberg. In such alarge area it’s common to walk 15 to 25 kilometres in aday.Ilikethis kind of hunting, where your skills are really put to the test. Waterholes are dotted around,posinganextra challenge,as youcannoteasily predict the habits or movements of the game. That day, Brenton decided to stayincamptoadd the final touches to his lamb potjie.Jarda chose to try an area fivekilometres south-eastofcamp.Wedescribedour respectiveroutes to eachother –you should alwayshaveagood ideawhere to look for another hunter should something go wrong. We use quad bikes to save timegetting into the hunting area,and to recovercarcasses.

Iheadednorth for akilometreand left my quad under a beautiful camelthorn tree. It was3pm –I had amaximum of threehours until darkness. Ichecked the wind and choseto takeanortherly direction which led me parallel with the eastern bankofadeepriverbed.Withthe sun sinking on my left,my best chance of spottinggameinthe dwindling light would be to look to my right, while also watching the ground for sign.

Ifound apathwiththe spoor of three impala –fairlylarge tracks, normally indicativeofa bachelor herd. Eweshave

Twoyoung knypkoppe.

Author’s beautifulram at last light.

smaller hoovesand usually, but not always, go in larger groups. Iestimated that the tracks were from at least middaybecause insectshad already left their marks over them. This meantthe impala would be looking for agood place to feed and spend the night. Icrossed anarrow, deep tributary and continued in the direction Ithought they would take, until Ifound their spoor again.

After awhile Ispotted anicecluster of acacia at theedge of apan.Istuck to the fringes and worked my way around the pan. The sun wasnow casting long shadows. As Ireached the other side, ared flash caught my eye. Although Ihaveshot manyimpala, my heart stillskips abeat at this point in ahunt. Therethey were, three rams,two knypkoppe or juveniles,and one big boy. My problem wasthat they were already withdraw ing intothe thickets, soontobelosttothe approaching dark ness. Icrawledinunder a swarthaak for coverand then slowly stood up amongits branches. This provided me with adead rest, but limited anymovement. The rams were moving continually between two large acacia bushes picking up fallen pods. I had to be quite sure of my shot, for there would be very little time for afollow-up.The first youngster walked across the gap without stopping, followed by the other knypkop.The last ram had to be thebig boy. My hairtrigger set, Iwaited, fully focussed. The big rammovedinto view and stopped briefly.My crosshair settled just above the heart.The shot shattered the stillness andaSwainson’sfrancolin loudlyprotestedthe distur bance.Iquickly recovered from the recoil,reloaded and looked through thescope. Theyoungramsbounded offashort distance thenstopped to lookback. With herd animals this is a sure sign that one of their number is down or in difficulty. I extricated myself from the bush and walked overtothe ram, which wasalready dead. On seeing me,the youngsters silently vanished into the thickets.

The ramwas in his prime and afine specimen.Using the last minutes of light Itook apicture with my pocketcamera, marked hispositiononmyGPS,then walked back to my quad. Leaving the GPS on, Ipurposely took aroute that Icould back track on the quad in the dark.

IphonedJarda to tellhim Iwouldneedhis helpwiththe recovery,then IsentanSMS giving him my quad’sco-ordi nates. By the time Ireached my bikeitwas pitch dark and Jarda wasalready there. Itook the lead on my quad, backtrack ing according to the GPS,withJarda following closebehind. We crossed the tributary with some difficulty, then disaster struck when we still had another kilometre to go.Mybike’sfan came on and blew its fuse which cut out the ignition, stoppingthe bike. Fortunately Ialwayscarry agood toolkit and ahead lamp. Ireplaced the fuse, which lastedonly until the next time the fan wasactivated, less than200 metreson. As Ihad only onefuse leftofahigher amperage, we decided to continue on Jarda’s quad, recoverthe ram, get back to my quad, then attempt to disconnect the fan and returntocamp.

We finally arrived back in camp at 20h30, to arather irate Irishman and apotjie that wasnow soup.Wegutted the animal, hung it in atree, andsprayed the open parts with avinegar water solutiontokeep offthe flies. Thenweretired to the warm embrace of the fire. The promise of prepared liver the next morning enabled Brenton to forgiveus, and we all enjoyedour evening around the fire.

This article first appeared in Magnum,September 2012.

Jardapreparing his quad forthe recovery.

BBiltong, Glorious Biltong

by Gregor Woods

Hunting forbiltong –nobetter pastime

THE WORD biltong comes from the old High Dutch word bille,today’ s Afrikaansequivalentofwhich is boude, meaninghindquarters or buttocks, and another Dutch word tong,meaning tongue or tongue-shaped. Theparts of the animal most commonly used for biltongwerethe hindquarters, andthe strips of rawmeat resemble tongues, hence the name.

Ihavealwaysbeen intrigued by the enigma that is biltong.I mean, when you consider what it is –raw meat that has beensalted anddried until hard and tough to chew –faceit, it doesn’tsound likemuch, does it? When Idescribe it to foreigners, they wrinkle their noses in disgust.

So whatisitabout this stuffthat makes South Africans pursue it as

though it holds the secret to happiness and eternal youth? Consider the insane price that it retails for –haveyou ever checkedthe weight on that little cellophane packet of sliced biltong and calculated the per-kilogram cost of it? It’ll makeyou wonder whybiltong isn’ttraded on the hard assets exchange. Yetthere is not asupermarket, liquor store or corner café that doesn’tstockit. It sells.

Another thing that amazes me is the effect thatbiltong can have on people. I’ve knownproud, hard men, who,ifthey lost all they had in this world, would probably face their fate stoically, never think ing to ask for your help; but let them see biltong hanging in your garage and they go all weak,smile sheepishly and plead, “Aw, giveusjust one stick.”I also know women who arefiercely anti-hunting,and who regard me as acruel, depraved mur derer; but when Icomebackfroma hunting trip the first thing they sayis, “So where’sthe biltong?”

Nothing brings out thesmiles likebiltong. If Ihad used my brainswhen Iwas young and single Iwouldn’thavewasted my time buying flowers and boxesof chocolates; I’d have gone a-courting with biltong.

Someone suggested it is acultural thing: historical tradition and all that. It is truethatbiltongplayedanenormously

TheubiquitousVictorinox(Swiss Army)knives’non-serratedblades arebest forslicing drybiltong.

important role in South African history, and, perversely, in British history.Long before canned foods, biltong wasan essential factor in enabling the Voortrek kers to trek intothe unknown wilds of Africa to escape British rule. Later,dur ing the Anglo-Boer war, the comparatively tinyBoer army, madeupnot of trained soldiers, but of farmers, manyof them white-bearded old men and young boys with peach-fuzz on their cheeks, took on the most powerful army on earth. How did this ragtag band of Boers manage to sustainsuch asuccessful guerilla waragainst the might of the British Empirefor so long? Bushcraft, guts, determination –and biltong. But is biltong’sromantic history the reason for its enduring popularity?I

doubt it.English-speaking South Africans (descendants of the British settlers) are just as fond of biltong as the Afrikaans-speaking descendantsofthe Boers. The Rhodesian settlers were mostly British, and their descendants are equally fond of biltong, as are the descendants of the German settlers of South West Africa. Is it perhaps our romantic association of biltong with the thrill of the hunt, thecall of the wild, the camaraderie of thecampfire? Nope. I know plentyofwomen who have never been anywhere where youcould notplug in ahair-drier(andagain,manyofwhom are passionately anti-hunting) who would rathereat biltong than smoked salmon and caviar.Biltongjusthas something about it. There is no explaining it, butif youwereborn and raisedinsouthern Africa,chances are youcan’tresist the stuff.Properly made, it has aunique flavour.The enigma is, whyare we about

Members of the Alcelaphinae family of antelope, such as the blue wildebeest,makeparticularly tastybiltong.

GALL O/G ET TY IM AG ES

the only ones in the world who think so?

It is very much worth your while to make your own biltong,rather than to buyit. Astrange fact about biltong is that, for something that is so simple to make, it can range in qualityand flavour all theway from divine to disgusting, depending on the meat and method used. Once youhavetasted really good biltong (and it does not require complex recipes or methods), youwillrealize what youare missing when youbuy the commercially made stuff.Spicing has much to do with this, but let’s start with the meat.

The flavour of biltong differs according to the species of animal used. Personal tastes vary,ofcourse, but whatI look for in biltong is that certain, unique taste which only game meat can produce –itcannot be duplicated in beef.And I find that, paradoxically,the very quality that puts me off certain species for use as table meat, is what makes those speciesthe mostsuitable forbiltong. Iam talking about gameyness.

With most foods, cookingintensifies flavours, both pleasant and unpleasant. Thus gamey tasting meat is unpleasant as cooked tablefare. However,when meat dries as biltong, the gameytaste is

far less evident and not at all unpleasant, somehow it becomes atantalizing enhancement. Just ahint remains, but it mustbethere foryourbiltongtohave that unique ‘wild’ flavour.And certain antelope species are more gameytasting than others –inparticular, the Alcelaphinae family whichincludes blesbuck, the wildebeests, hartebeests, tsessebe, etc.

In my opinion, these animalsmake outstanding biltong, whereas eland, for example,while beingone of the very fin est table meats obtainable,makes rather bland biltong.(Somehow, springbuckis an exception as it makes the finest biltong of all, and also the finesttable meat. Ihavenoexplanation for this.)

Forthe same reason, mature male animals (of anyspecies) are notnor mally palatable as table fare, but make good biltong –again,being more gamey than females or sub-adult males. Tendernessisall important,I hatebiltong that is liketyre tread to chew.Several factorsinfluence this, and Istrongly advise youtoread “Think Venison” in the May1999edition of Magnum.Though it is about venison as table meat, the dis cussion on the shooting,handling and ripening of thecarcass applies equally to biltong meat.

Then there is the choice of cut. In terms of flavour,itdoesn’t reallymake anydifference to biltong, butintermsof tenderness and sinew content,the part of the animal youuse is the mostimpor tant factor of all. While on this point, let me illustratewhy biltong is so appallingly expensive.

Non-hunterssee an enormous kudu bull and say, “Shisslaaik,that’s alot of biltong!”But remove its innards, skin and head, andthe animalcomes down to half of its liveweight. Of this remaining weight, the bones alone make up 17 to 20%. Next,interms of biltong, all that is really suitable for use are the loins and hindquarters. The neck, shoulders and flanks are just too full of sinew

Then, woe is you, the meatitself loses between 60% and 70% of its weight(andvolume) as it dries intobil tong! When youfinallycompare the meagre rows of slender dry sticks with the memory of the massive carcass, and takeinto account theamountoftime and work that wentinto the butchering and biltong-making (not to mention the price youpaidfor theanimal,daily rates, transport, wife’s compensatoryholiday, etc), it is really quite depressing. Ican developa rather sharp turnofphrase

Springbuck is an exceptionwhen it comes to qualityofmeat. It makes the finest biltong and is excellenttable meat.

with recipients who say, “Hell, is that all Iget, when youshot awhole kudu?”

Back to the loinsand hind legs.The choicest biltong (most tender) comes fromthe loins (rugstringe). Theseare the longcolumnsofmeatthat run along either side of the spine all the way from thetops of the hind legs to the shoulder hump. Each can be cut out in one piece, then the outer sinew must be removed (the silvery white ‘skin’ on the surface of one side). Forthis youneed avery sharp knife and amodicum of patience.

Next, the boude.The hindquarter of akuduorgemsbuck can appear daunt ing to the uninitiated, but it is really just amatterofseparating each muscle from the others. The individual muscles are all naturally partitionedbylayers of sinew, so just start at an obvious division and sliceand pulluntil each comes away.Itis most important to separate the muscles individually,sothat when youcome to slicethemupinto strips, youcan getthe grain of the meat going longitudinally.

Biltong strips must alwaysbecut with the grain, not across it,sothat when youfinally cut the dried biltong into bite-sizedslices,you are slicing across the grain. This is crucial to mak ing it tender to chew

Remove the surface sinew as youdid with the loins. The thickness of the strips should depend on factors likeclimatic temperature and humidity(toothick and they maygorotten or mouldy) and on how dry youlikeyourbiltong.Iliketoeat mine when it is still soft and ruby-red in themiddle, at itsmost flavoursome. Oth ers like it to snap likewoodonbending.

In acold, dryclimate youcan cut the strips anything up to two inches thick, and hasten thedryingprocess by blow ing an electric fan on them. In Natal’s coastalclimate, afan is almost essential. But it is agood idea to vary the thick ness. This waythey don’tall become ready at the same time,and youcan gauge the dryness of thethicker onesby eating the thinner ones as they dry

Biltong must cure overnight before hanging, and for this youneedcontain ersmadeofplastic, stainless steel, enamel-plated steel, glass or glazed ceramic.Never use aluminium or copper

Forfairlylarge quantities,a plastic baby’sbathisgood. Youneed to make yourself acouple of shakers with fairly large perforations for the coriander and vinegar,use anyglass pickle or jam jars and punch some holes in the metal lids. You’llneed metal hooks forhanging the strips.Ijustuse paper clips opened into an S-shape.

Youneed facilities to hang the biltong. If youuse lengths of wire for this, makethese taut and supported at regular intervals (such as by attaching the strandtoeach roof trussinthe garage) Unsupported wire sags under the weight of the meat,causing the hooks to slide towards the centre until the meat strips touch each other,which they must not do or they’ll spoil.

Alternatively,use barbed wire, which prevents sliding. Or youcan make aframe with diamond meshor chickenwirestretched across it, or any form of grid, and hang the strips from this. As far as the ingredients are concerned,personal taste, of course, rules To me, biltong has asubtle flavour,and this must not be overpowered by strong spices which, instead of enhancing the meat, draw attention to themselves.

This article first appeared in Magnum,July 2001.

Abiltong slicer makes cutting your biltong an easy task.

Using abiltong drier canhelp speed up the drying process.

THE springbuckisSouth Africa’s national animal and hunting springbuck in southern Africa is almost as important, culturally,asrugby and braa ivleis.

In terms of numbers taken each year, the springbuck has long been our most popular game animal. Historicallyithas ranked at the lower end of the price lists, and many hunters on alimited budget, would rather hunt sixspringbuckthan one gemsbuck.

Latin name: Antidorcas marsupialis Afrikaans name: Springbok

Distribution

Although prevalent on game farms all oversouthern Africa, the stronghold of the springbuck remains the Karoo,Kalahari and most of Namibia.

Habitat

Springbuck do bestinaridregions with open grassy plains, where they can see for long distances. They don’tlikebushveld or soft sand. Their reliance on fleetness of foot to escapepredatorsgives them apreference for ahard, firm foot ing, and they likedry pans.

Heat does not stress them and they will try to get out of the wind whentem peratures are very low. They thrivein

PHO TO BY DA RREN PA TT ERSON ON PEXELS

both the Namiband Kalahari deserts, which have extremes of temperature.

The great springbuck migrations are athing of the past. Today, fencesrestrict movements, boreholes provideyear round water,and landowners and game rangers keep the numbers in check.

Non-selectivefeeders, they are both grazers and browsers of manydifferent types of plants, bushes, trees, grasses, pods, fruits, etc. They also dig for roots and tubers, and eat wild melons such as tsamma and gemsbokkomkommer which can comprise up to 85% of water

Springbuck will drink if water is available, but can surviveindefinitelyonthe moisture derived from their feed (which is one reason they grazeatnight, when the moisture level is higher).

Description

Amedium sized, slender antelope, the springbuck has abright cinnamon brown back with abroad dark reddish-brown horizontal band on their flanks stretching from their frontlegstotheirbacklegs, separatingthe upperparts from the white underparts.They have awhite face with ablack line running from the eyes to the mouth. Their forehead has a brown/fawn patchand the nose can be white or marked with brown.

Both sexes carry horns.

They have adistinctivefan of long white hair whichliesfolded within a ‘pouch’ (actually two parallel, elongated folds of skin) on the springbuck’sback, above the hind legs.

Size

Standingabout 76cm at the shoulder, rams weigh 32 to 37kg. The ewesweigh roughly27kg.

Social Organization/ Breeding

Social organization is fairly fluid, but family herds of ewes, lambs and youngsters number from around twelveto twentyorthirty.Herds often congregate in large gatherings which cannumber in the thousands depending on available feed. Young rans are forced out to form bachelorherds of up to 30 or 40 animals.

The mature breeding rams (older than three years of age) are territorial, butare notboundtotheir territories year round. Breeding rams are usually loners, unless wooing afemale. The females move through territories and one ewe maybeservedbytwo or three different rams.

Gestation is about 160daysand a singlelambisborn.Lambs rely on their ability to ‘freeze’ to escapedetection, but it only takes them amonth or so to achieveadult running speed.

Aram with the tips of the horns swept backwards. Thetipsshould wear down with age.

BO TH PHO TO SO NT HIS PA GE BY PHILIP HUEBSCH

Habits

When the springbuck is alarmed or excited it pronks (stotts) on all four legs at once, bouncing high in the air,withits back arched during which time their ‘fan’ of long white hair at their rump stands erect. This fan of hairalso standserect forabout aminute at themoment the animaldies.

The springbuck covers little linear distanceduringits pronks. It keeps all four hoovesclose together,legs stiff, head down,backarched, and bounces vertically as though on apogo stick roughlytwo metres in height, butseldom progressing more than ametre or so between pronks.

Despite their pronking, springbuck are not really jumpers, and ordinary livestock fences usually contain them. If there is no jackal-proof mesh on the fence, they occasionally climb through thestrands,orcrawl underneath the fence.

Springbuck flicker their tails incessantly and unlikeother antelope who curl their tailsupovertheir rumps when fleeing, springbuck tuck their tailsbetween their legslikedogs. Not many animals will outrun them.

Spoor

Their spoor is narrowand sharp and measuresbetween 55 and 58mm long.

Calibre Choice

In the open terrainwhere youmostly hunt springbuck,longshots are regularly called for and the wind is often afactor, especially in the Kalahari and Karoo.In anylong-rangehunting situation, wind is bad newsbut,all elsebeingequal,heavierbullets areless wind-sensitivethan lighter ones. Abulletinthe 140-165gr class from acartridge with areasonably flat trajectory is amuch better choicefor Kalahari and Karoo springbuck hunts.

The best calibres are the .25-06, .270 Win, 7x64, .280 Rem, and 7mm RemMag.Consider the .243 as minimal, and forgetthe .22 centre-fire calibres. Cartridgesin.243 firing 90 to 100gr bullets work well if wind is not afactor.

If youlimit your shots to within 300m, youneed arifle that will group minute-of-angle; this will giveyou a 3-inch group at 300m –which is good enough, wind permitting.

As ameathunter,you will most likelybe doing voorsitskiet,where thegameis driven to within 150 to 200m of your position.

Trophy Assessment

Springbuck are not easy to get into the book and judging horn length is achal lengebecause the animals, as well as the horns, are relatively small. Also you seldom get close enough to get areally good look at their horns.

It is advisabletouse high qualitybinoculars of at least 10x whengoing after trophyanimals. Lookfor horns that appear twiceaslongasthe erectears, the latter being about 7inches longona mature ram. Amature springbuck has lyre-shaped horns and the bigger the ‘bell’orlyre-shape, the longer the horns.

Agood trophyram’s horns turn rear ward at the tips whereasthose of immature rams curveforward. To properly evaluate aset of horns youneed to look at them from the side.

The ewes have thin, spindly horns which lackthe heavyridgesofthose on mature rams.

Minimum measurement for Rowland Ward is 14" and minimum measurement for SCI is 30".

Hunting Tips

Springbuck are more activeinearly mornings and late afternoons and hunt ingtactics depend on theterrain (read ‘available cover’).

In the northern Cape, hunting by the walk-and-stalk methodoffers ahigh chance of success,asample coveris normallyavailable, enablingyou to stalk themasyou wouldbushveld species. However,someareas of thenorthern Capeare predominantlyopen grassland, and here ‘voorsitskiet’isa popular method.

THE FINEST VENISON IN AFRICA

Karoo springbuck huntingisknown for the ‘voorsit’method. Hunters are placedatpre-selected spotswithinthe hunting camp or fenced area. Horsemen then ride to adistant boundaryand proceed to drive the springbuckveryslowly throughthe camp towards the waiting hunters –itiscrucial not to get the animals running. Once the animals come

within range, the hunters select and shoot their quota,attachingtheir name tags to the carcasses. Every now and then the horsemen come around to collect thecarcasses, whichthey carryon the backs of their horses to aslaughter ingsport for proper field dressing.

Walk-and-stalk hunting can also be undertaken in the Karoo,but obviously, the success rate is much lower. Be sure to takeample protectionfor your knees and palms.

In the sand dunes of the Kalahari, the predominantmethodistohuntfrom

an appropriate vehicle. However,hunting on foot in theKalahari is possible and very satisfying using thedunes as covertoget reasonablyclose although some land owners will notpermit it. In other parts of theKalahari it is astonishingly flat,and youreallystruggle to get within300 to 400 metres.

Common practice in the Kalahari (as on most Karoo farms)istocharge per kilogram, irrespectiveofthe sex of the animal. This enables land owners to controlthe gender mix as theydeem best in managing their herds.

Ascope is almost essential. Checkin advance with the land owner for the range at which youshould expect to shoot then zero your scope at that range.

As in all hunting, shot placement in crucial.Head-shotsare controversial.Ina situation where youknowyou canreliably put down your quarry with aperfect brain-shot,head-shotsonspringbuckwill certainly save meat. This is not alarge animal and if youhit it ‘op die knoppe’ (shoulder bumps) youwill throwaway most of the forequarter due to meat bruising.

There is really just one safe choice for themeat hunter –withthe animal standing perfectly broadside, aim for the lungs just marginally behind the shoulder and justbelow the dark horizontal body stripe. An average adult ram’sheart-lung area, viewed broadside, is roughly an 8-inch (20cm) circle.

Asuccessful driven huntsupplied enough biltong and meattolastuntil the startofthe next hunting season.

PHO TO BY PHILIP HUEBSCH

An

Karoo.

Oldram

And, even if youhit slightlyfurther back,yourbulletwill stillpuncture the air-sealed heart-lung chamber,collapsing the lungs. Do not takeangling frontal shots –your bullet could end up in the back leg, destroying half your meat. Rather wait forthe animal to turn broad side.

How to Use the Meat

Springbuck meat is widely regarded as the finest venison Africa has to offer.Itis tender and has aunique flavour.Ifyou are shooting for the pot, considerthe amount of running the herd has just donebeforeyou pullthe trigger. The meat from an animal that has been runningwillalwaysbeofpoorer qualitythan one that wasunalarmed and at rest.

Aspringbuck doesn’tyield alot of meat. Chooseayoung ramorfemale and youcan prepare it as youwould mutton or beef. Don’t overcook and dry it out and it will be tender and delicious.

The shoulders can be braaied whole, or cut up as braai chops, pan chops, or stewed together with the shanks for theirmarrowbones. So your bullet must not hit the shoulder.Nor mustithit the spine. The rugstring of females and young rams provides superb steaks and roasts,and of older rams thefinest biltong of all. The back legs of females and young rams can be roasted whole like lamb,and that of older rams can be made into biltong.

Francoisvan Emmenes says, “Our familyuses the wholecarcass: front and hind legs and loins for roasts; loins and rump for schnitzels; front legs, neck and shanksfor potjie (pot) andstews; and forthe pièce de résistance –the fillets for sosaties, provided youwerelucky enough to bag several. Springbuck meat also makes excellent mince meat and sausage.”

General

The springbuckisone of Africa’smost athletic and colourful antelope and there is just no biltong likespringbuckbiltong Theyare naturally wary,have phenomenal eyesight and keen other senses, coupled with fleetness of foot –all mak ing for achallenginghuntintheir favour ite open terrain.

Material taken from: Gregor Woods –Springbuck:our Graceful Gazelle,October 2007 pg24; Koos Barnard– TrophyBuck,October 2007 pg44; Gregor Woods –Camp-Cooking Springbuck Venison, October2007pg46; Gregor Woods –Springbuck Hunting Today, March2020 pg40.

Afemale with typically thin horns.

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Camp-Cooking Springbuck Venison

Immediate eating options

YOU CAN cook your springbuck venison in camp where the carcass has notbeen hung(exceptperhaps fora day or two) and your facilities are basic. If youhangthe meat in atreeduringthe night so that it gets really cold right through to the bone, then wrap it in a blanket to insulate it during the dayand keep it in the shade, it will last for days without refrigeration in winter.

Springbuck liver is of the very finest, but, likeall liver,itisbest when at its freshest.When Ilived in South West Africa, once we had shot the first one or two springbuck, we’dheadstraight for the riverbed where we built a kameel doring fire and ate the livers on the spot. The fresher the better,and remember, liver does not freezewell.

Incidentally,ifyou have never braaied on akameeldoring (camel-thorn) fire, youdon’tknowwhat you’re missing. This wood imparts asubtle but unique flavortothe meat which no other wood can equal –and being very hard, it makes wonderfully long-lasting coals.

Anyhow,remove theliver from the carcass, beingvery carefulnot to rupture the gall bladder –a tinysac of fluid attached to theliver –ifthe contents of thisdrips onto the liver(or anyother meat) youcan throwitall away.The gall bladder must be removedbyslicing away alayerofliver beneath it, just thick enough to ensure that the sac is not sev ered or ruptured.

Liver shouldnot be braaied on the coals as this makes it too dry.You can alleviate dryness by taking abit of vet derm (colon,which is extremely fatty) with each bite of liver, but not everyone likes to eat vetderm. Slicing the liver thinly andfryingitinoil or fatisfine, but still not the best. In my opinion, there is really only one waytocookfresh springbuck liver.Keep the entire liver intact, and impale it on agreen stick(or metal fork). Now,build up the fireand hold the liver in the flames.Itwillswell up likea ball and then form acrust of charred meat. Discardthe burnt crustand tuck into the tenderestand tastiest liver that youhaveevereaten. It doesn’ttakevery longtocook –rather takeitoff too soon, as youcan alwaysput it back –but you’ll

quickly learn howtoget it cooked through, while still remaining juicy and succulent. Believeme–try it,and you’ll never do it anyother wayagain.

Anotherway of doing theliver,ifyou likevetderm,istomakea pofadder, whichissortofboere haggis. Dice up the liverinto small chucks (also the kidneys if youlike–remove theouter skins and cut out anywhite or yellowishtissue fromthe insides, thenwash them with vinegar). Dice some onions, mix it all together,add salt,pepper and spices, garlic, whatever takes your fancy.Now cleanout thevetderm andwash it out with water. Tie one end closedwith string, stuff the vetderm with the meat and onion mixture (it stretches to alarge diameter) until….well, until it lookslikea

by GREGOR WOODS

fat puff-adder.Tie theother end closed, and braaiitslowly overlow coals. Slice and eat.

Another wayofdoing liver as an hors d’oeuvreisinthe formof skilpadtjies. Forthis youneed pensvet,whichisa very thin membrane of fat found in the abdomen. Youcut small, flatslices of liver,justabit bigger and thicker than aR5coin, salt andspice them, and wrap theseinanenvelope of pensvet. Braai very brieflyoverthe coals–don’toverdo it.

Springbuck fillets are alwaysgood, andvery tender,nomatter howfresh And they are easilyaccessiblethrough thestomach cavity without having to skin the carcass (they areshort, narrow columns of meat located on either side of thespine toward the back legs). Springbuck fillets are prettysmall –men usually need two each –sounlessyou’ve shot at least one springbuck per mouth to be fed, youmay get complaints.The quickest way to prepare them is to slice them into ‘medallions’ one centimetre thick and fry them (briefly).

Springbuck makes good stew,but of course, this takes time, so unless someone is willing to remain in camp while you’re out hunting, it’s besttoleave this for when youget home. Some hunters tell me they get astew going in abig pot and keep adding ingredients to it each day. Ihave never tried this,but if you do,bevery careful about the stew going bad during the heat of the day, which can happen very quickly.Nothing will wreck your huntmore spectacularly than adose of food poisoning.

However,ifyou are prepared to dig a gatoond,you can makesomewonderful stews and even roasts. This is aderivativeofanantheap oven, only it doesn’t require the close proximityofaconvenient termite mound.

Before youleave home, find two sheets of iron, either square or round, flat or corrugated, one slightly bigger than the other.Atcamp,dig ahole about 50 to 60cm deep and just big enough to accept the smaller sheet of iron. During the evening, do the necessary preparation of your stew –cutting up,peeling, dicing, etc (leavethe peeling of the pota-

toesuntil morning, and then immerse them in water or they’ll turn black).

Before yougoout in themorning, build up asubstantial fire of hardwood likekameeldoring or leadwood, and whenyou have agood heap of glowing coals, scrape some asideand get your stewgoing(braise the onions, meat, etc add the tomatoes and other ingredients to the pot, and bring it to the boil for a while). Then shovela bed of glowing coals into the hole and spread them evenly.Now place the smaller sheet of ironoverthe coalsand standyour driepoot cast-iron potcontaining your stew (withplentyofliquid in it –beer, water, whatever,and with its lid on) on the iron. Place the larger sheet of iron overthe top of the hole, heap glowing coals onto the upper iron,spreadthem, then heap a good layerofsandontop of the coals (completely coverthem).

Now kill the main fire and go hunting. The coalsinthe gatoondand under the sand will stayhot enough to slow-cook the stew all dayata temperature high enough to prevent botulism. Ensure that it simmers for another half hourorso before serving. Forareally good stew recipe, refer to “The Secret of Venison Stew” (Magnum Sept ’03 edition).

Finally, springbuckcan be successfully braaied. My piècederésistanceisa whole springbuck shoulder braaied slowly overlow hardwood coals. You have probably heard it said that venison just cannot be braaied, as it is too dry Forthe most part that is true, but there are notable exceptions (eland T-bones are one) and springbuck shoulder is the mostnotable. Don’tsalt it;spice it if you wish,orjust layitonthe rooster as is whole, do not cut it up.Doitslowly,but don’toverdoit. It will be justasjuicy and succulent –and very tasty– as anything youcould wish for.

Youcan also braai springbuck chops, butyou have to be willing to butcherthe carcass in campand cut thespine up into chops (which is very hard work with a hand-saw). Don’tsplit the spine up the centre –justsaw it into ‘butterfly’ chops (each chop has two ‘wings’ with two ribs). Spicethese to taste (don’tsalt them until cooked) then coverthem with alayer of cooking oil and soak for two or three hours. Then briefly braai them (don’tdry them out). It makes for avery smokybraai,but it’s worththe trouble if youare outofother meat.

This article first appeared in Magnum,October 2007.

THE impala hasbeendescribedas the athlete of the antelopeworld He is superbly handsome, clean-cut, muscular andgraceful. Hisimmaculate image is enhanced by acoat thatisas sleek as burnished bronze.

Latin Name: Aepyceros melampus melampus Afrikaans name: Rooibok

Distribution

The impala species found in South Africa is the southern impala. Widely distributed throughout South Africa, impala are one of Southern Africa’smost prolific antelope species.Many, if notmost, younghuntersinSouthern Africa’s bushveld regions have been ‘blooded’ on impala.

Habitat

In their natural distributionrange, impala are chiefly savannah woodland and bushveld dwellers.Theydon’tlike open grassyplains, forestsordense coastal bush. Impala are highly adapt able as seen by successfultranslocations to game ranches aroundthe country.

Impala are non-selectivefeeders. Not onlyare they both browsers and grazers, but they eat awidevarietyof both feed types. And they arehighly adaptable –they will vary their diet from 75% grass and 25%browse, to the reverse of these proportions, depending on the time of year,and the habitat. They also eat seed pods, fruits, berries, etc.

Dependent on water,and often drink ing more than once aday if possible, impala are seldom found more than two or three kilometres from water

Herds stick to the same general areas, mainly because they eat such a wide variety of foods which they can get year round, hence have no reason to travel.

Description

Impalaappearstreamlined and perfectly proportioned. They have asort of threetier colouring system. Thehead,neck andupper bodyare arichred-brown, with the flanks –frombehind the shoulder–being apaletan colour,while the underside of the body is apurewhite. Thereisapalebrown line down the centre of the face. The ears are white on the inside, and are tipped with black. On the rump,oneithersideofthe tail, are two vertical stripes, which contrast sharply withtheir tanbackground.The tailhas asimilarstripe,but underneath it is pure white.

With itstrimbody and slenderlegs,it has an almost delicate appearance.

Onlythe maleshave horns which rise from the skull, then sweep backwards and outwards, gradually turning inwards near the tip.The tips generally point slightly forward. The horns are ringed, or ridged, for about two-thirds of their length, the remainder being smooth.

Theyhaveaprominent tuft of black hair covering ascent gland on the hock of each hind leg. When they leap in flight, theyspread an air-borne scent trail for younger animals to follow.

Size

Weightsvarywidely, but rams average around 57kg,and femalesaround 43kg Height at theshoulder is about 90cm.

Abig ramisheavy chested, while the females’ bodies seem to taper forward to small, narrow shoulders and slender necks.

Social Organization/ Breeding

Herds of females and young numbering up to twentyare the norm,attendedby asinglebreedingram.Such herds can often gather in large aggregates, particularly wherethere are no natural predators.

Whenthe youngmales reach about a year in age, thedominant male boots them out of his herd of females, and they go off to form herds of up to a dozen or so with the older bachelors.

During the rutting season (generally April/May) the bigger bachelors become aggressiveand challenge the reigning breeding ram. Fightsare brief but fierce, and deathscan occur –they don’tjust butt heads they try to stab each other. The average breeding ram’stenuredur ingthe rut is only about ten days before he is deposed by another.This keeps the gene pool nicely varied.

Rams sizeeachother up during the rut. Youcan approach quickly while theyare distracted. PHO TO

BY JE A N DA NIEL CA LA ME ON UNSPLASH

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Impala areoften found in bush. Care must be taken before pulling the trigger as twigs and branches canobscure the target.

Theydroplambs seven months after the rut in November and December.

Habits

Impala aremostactiveinthe early morning and later afternoon, resting or standing in coverduringthe middle hours of the day. They are very alert and wary,and alwayshavemanypairs of eyes lookingout for danger in all directions.Theyjumponlywhen alarmed, and then they all run and jump in differ ent directions –oftenoverimaginary obstacles.

To see themleap as they flee –nos trilsflaring andevery muscletautand rippling– is truly asight to takeyour breath away.Theycan jump up to 3 metres highand coveradistance of up to 12m with one leap

One of the reasons impala look so impeccably groomedisbecause they groom themselves by combing their coatswiththeirteeth.Groomingisdone throughout the dayand frequency varies according to season and habitat. In the areas of their bodies where their own teeth cannot reach, such as their necks, ears, etc, each impala grooms the next.

Spoor

Hoovesare sharp, neat and pointed and 40 to 60mm long.

MOST UNDERRATED ANTELOPE

Calibre Choice

Impala areastonishingly tenacious of life –the 6x45, .270 Sabi, 7x57, .30-30 Win and .303 are ideal calibres. The impor tant thing is to keep the velocitydown (no higher than 2400fps) to avoid meat bruising (impala areusuallyshotatrelatively close range). Whatever calibre youchoose,use the heaviest bullet available, so as to reduce velocity, and takecare with shot placement.

Most impala hunted in the Eastern Cape bushveld, will be withshotstaken at close to medium range. Formeat, Allan Frost suggests a7x57 or oneofthe .30 calibres using aheavy bullet.

Trophy Assessment

Southern impalaare not easy to get into the book. Trophyhunters should look for acombinationofbroad initial outward curvefromthe skull, adeep rearward sweep,and length of the smoothtips pointing straight up or splayedoutwards.

The most impressivetrophiesare not necessarily the longest, but thosewiththe thickest trunks and the heaviest ridges.

Atip for trophyhunters –the longer the smooth portion of the horn, the bet ter it will measure.

Minimum measurement for Rowland Ward is 236/8"and minimum measurement for SCI is 52".

Except forthe youngster in front, therest of these animals will makegood eating.

PHO TO BY PHILIP HUEBSCH

Hunting Tips

Theirnumbers, bright appearance (in direct sunshine) and constant nervousness (alwaysmoving andflickingtheir tails) makethem easy enough to locate although their habitatmakes stalking them tricky.Get the wind in your favour, move very slowly and quietly,sticking close to coverand shadewherever possible, and stopoften to look all around. Sometimes,before youspot them, you will be alerted to their position by the faintsound of hoofstamping on the ground as they chase away flies.Learn to look through the bushes.

Because of their habitat,you invari ably miss one or two tucked behind a bush as youpick your waythrough the cover. Then they spot youand sound the alarm. Moststalks will end prematurely as youhear awarning snort, or sometimes just asofter“fffffft!”followed by the light drumming of hooves. After that it becomes progressively more difficult, because once they know youare hunting them,theyremain extraalert,and in thick bush they have all the advantages.

They will invariably be moving among bushes,and there will be other impala between youand the one you want. Then it becomes acat and mouse game,beprepared to makemanystalks.

If there is no suitable cover, it is best to walk towards them at an oblique angle, as though youweregoing to pass them by.

Impala have an exasperating habit of bunching tightly together,especially when nervous –more so than anyother antelope species of my experience. This makes it very difficulttoget ashot with outthe risk of wounding asecond animal as the bulletexits (which it usuallydoes) Also they generally inhabit thick bush so youseldomsee awholeanimal–mostly just partsofanimals and then only fleet ing glimpses.Stalking them becomesa game of hide andseek, movinginbrief stages of just afew stepsatatime, raisingand lowering theriflemanytimes before youget ashot. Don’tbetempted to takeachancy shot– for their size, impala are amazingly toughand tenacious of life.

If your shotmerelycauses alight flesh wound, you’vegot big problems, because the wounded animal will remain with the herd, and the blood spoor,ifthere is one, will be churned up by the hooves of the other animals.

If an impala bounds off afteryour shot,makeanextra-diligentsearchfor blood –and overamuchwider radius than normal. Because of their speed and

Approaching aherdwith hundreds of watchful eyes canbeadaunting task.

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agility(long leaps and bounds) they oftentravelfurther than other antelope before the first drop of blood falls to the ground.

Dead ones can be very hard to see on the ground,and wounded onesoften crawlinto bushes.

Allan Frost explains that for those hunting impala in thevalleybushveld of some parts of the East Cape, where

walk-and-stalk hunting is just not an option because the bush is too dense and the thorns too savage, voorsit shooting is usedi.e. patiently waiting for game to appear at likely spotsoverknown distances. He suggests that hunters try not to advertise theirpresencemore than is absolutely necessary.Stayhidden, and don’tget too close when taking ashot. Go for aneck shot so as not to damage

the meat. Whenthe animal drops, the rest of the herd with usually go off in a seriesofhigh bounds, all in different directions. Markthe spotwhere the animalhas fallen, and stay hidden or try to move off withoutbeingseen. Only after the herd has settled down completely,go and collect the carcass. The sound of a shot at areasonable distance will not spook theherd, as they do notconnect a single report with danger.This procedure will make it alot easiertohuntthe same herd someother time.

HowtoUse the Meat

Impala are widely regarded as the commonfareofthe veld –the biltong buck. Biltonghunters should look for bachelor herds. Fortable meat, hunt thefamily herds and takeout the immature rams –the penkoppe (spikebucks) and knyp koppe (lyre-shapedhorns with tips pointing inwards).Youngimpala killed cleanly,makeexcellent table fare

Ayoungram or eweisdelicious, even without fancypreparation. But,the problem is that impala ewes are often pregnantduringhunting season.

Mature rams don’tmakegood eating at the best of times, but during the rut their testosterone and adrenalin levels soar,and their hides also secrete an oily substance which makes their coats greasy and smelly.

General

Gregor Woods believes the impala to be oneofour most underratedantelope Because it is so common and plentiful (and does not carry all that much meat), it has always beenshotinlargenum bers. Yetimpalahunting probably requires more patience than most, and can be somewhatexasperating although it makes for very pleasant hunting.

Amostimpressiveanimal, the impala has ahandsome appearance, beautiful colouring, attractivemarking, impressivehorns for his body size, very palatablemeat, and, hunted ethically,he makes achallenging quarry.

Material taken from: Gregor Woods –Hunting the Impala, August 1998 pg40; AllanFrost –East Cape Impa la, August 2008 pg38; Gregor Woods –Imapala: Africa’s Athlete, August 2008 pg44; Kevin Thomas –Impala in the Spekboom, June 2010 pg40; Tudor Howard-Davies –Graceful Antelope,January1986, pg32; Gregor Woods –The Breadand Butter Buck,June 1990 pg3.

Excellenttrophy. Note the horns opening up towardsthe tips.

Impala have beautifulcolouring and attractivemarkings.

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TO BY FR ANS VA NH EERDEN

KUDU Africa’s grey ghosts

THE kudu is ararecombination of beauty,gentility andstrength. Hunters find the kudu compelling and manyare taken every year for table meat, biltong and dried wors.

Latin Name: Tragelaphus strepsiceros Afrikaans name: Koedoe

Distribution

Southern Africa is blessed with an extremely wide distribution of the south ern greater kudu, and their adaptability to various habitats leavesusspoiled for choice when deciding where and how to hunt them. Theirdistributionrange is growing, probably due to the proliferation of boreholes and an abundance of foodinthe form of crops (maize, sunflowers, etc).

Habitat

Kudu favour broken savannah, hills and mountains. They love hilly country If found on the flat, there is alwaysa kloof,gorge, or bush-lined riverbed not far away.The only terrain kudu don’t like, apartfromgenuinewaterless desert, is opengrassland (which provides neither browsenor cover), andrain forests.

Kudu are almost exclusively browsers, butwilloccasionally eat new grass shoots.Theyalso eat seed pods and fruits, and in aridregions,succulents, tsama melons, etc. They will happily raid crops and vegetable gardens. But their primary dietisleaves–theylightly clamp the whole twig in theirmouth and then draw theirheads backwards, stripping the leaves fromthe twig between their front teethand uppergums.Con sequentlywhen browsing on atree, their heads continually move forward and backinshort, rapid,movements, which

makes it risky to takehead-shots.

Theydrink daily althoughcan access some of their moisture requirements from their feed. As they can easily jump livestock fences, they get access to waterfor livestock. In waterless regions, they travelfairdistances to drink at boreholes and youcan sometimes catch them out in the open.

Description

Kudu have atawny-brown to grey-brown coat, marked with white vertical stripes on their flankswhich vary greatlyin shape, sizeand pattern. They have a V-shapedbandonthe forehead between theeyesand white spotsontheir cheeks. Their ears are large and round and amature bull’sear is generally 12" long.

Only themales carry longspiral horns varying in lengthfrom40to60 inches –average is 45 to 48 inches for mature bulls.The horns do not begin to grow until thebullisbetween theagesof 6–12 months. They also have manes of long hair thatextendsfromthe back of thehead along thebacktothe tail, as well as abeard on the lower neck to the belly

Size

Kudu is one of the largest antelope species.Ingood areas, bulls can weigh as much as 300kg with ashoulder height of 1.4m; most cows weigh under 200kg with ashoulder height of 1.25m.

Social Organization/ Breeding

Kudu followthe usualsocial organization –family groups of cows, calves and immature animals up to two years old, with lone breedingbulls joining thecows forthe breeding season, and separate bachelor herds of bulls aged from three yearsup–you are quitelikely to see a lonecow,ora single cow with her calf,or two or three oldbulls together, or a young bullonhis own, or anypermutation of the above

During therutting season,the bull’s neck swells out likeabarrel, greatly enhancing his handsome looks. Breeding bulls have ahome range of two to three squarekilometres. The rut is roughly from April to July with the duration depending on the available browse, rainfall, human disturbance, etc.

Habits

Despite their large size, they are relatively lightly built, and famed for their leaping prowess and are able to clear fences and other obstacles with ease.

Astatuesque bull is apicture of stately dignity. All his movements are measured andregal,and even when he flees, with his greatcurled horns gracefully rocking behind him,itiswitha seemingly leisurely stride.

Most activeinthe early morning and late afternoon, but can be seen through out the day, kudu are to some extent

creatures of habit. The old bulls deserve every bit of theirwilyreputation being scarceand clever quarry.Theyare shy, secretiveand elusiveearning their reputation as the grey ghosts of Africa.

Spoor

The kudu has avery distinctiveelongated oval hoofprint that is 80 to 90mm long. As abullgets older,the shape of his hoovesalso changes slightly –their imprints appear less pointed and more rounded. Their front hoovesare bigger than their back hooves.

An excellentkudu bull and acow in thick bush.

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TO BY PHI LIP HUEBSCH

Calibre Choice

Kudu are big and heavy boned so always err on the side of caution and use enough gun. Also,a 300kg animal has a very heavy humerus whichtakes agood deal of bullet momentum to smash through to reach the vitals.

Forkuduuse .30-calibreswith220gr conventional designbullets at minimum. Gregor Woods prefers the .338 Sabi, 9.3x62and .375H&Hfor bushveld conditions, andfor the open areasofNamibia where longer shots are often required, the .338 WinMag or .375H&Horatleast a.300Magnum with strongly con structed bulletssuch as Nosler Partition, Swift, Rhino,Barnes-X, Stewart, Woodleigh, etc.

Forthe Eastern Cape youneed acalibre thatshootsflat and hits hard. You often have to takelongshots across a valley,and the bush is so thick and difficult to negotiate that youwanttoput him straight down. Follow-ups are par ticularly difficult in this terrain. Also use strongly-constructed, heavy-for-calibre bullets.

Trophy Assessment

Akudu’shorns are his crowning glory. Trophyquality is constantly improving due to superior veld and game manage menttechniques.

Once abullreaches the age of fiveorsix years, the numberofcurls or turns does not necessarilydetermine the overall

KUDU ARE SHY, SECRETIVE AND ELUSIVE

length and trophyquality.From this age on, bulls usually have between two full curlsand two-and-a-halfcurls. Atwocurler usually has tipsthat turninward or point straight upward. Trophyhunters must learntoassess the depth of the curls which is where the inches lie.

Anotherimportanttip is to try to view the horns from the front as well as the side. Viewed fromthe front, if the outside edgeofhis first curlextends to, and preferably beyond, the tip of his out stretched ear,heispotentially abig trophy(in terms of inches).

Minimum measurement for Rowland Ward is 54" and minimum measurement for SCI is 121".

Hunting Tips

Huntingkuduonfoot is not easy.Their hearing and eyesightare exceptional. Huntingmethods vary widely,depending on the terrain.

It’s alwaysagoodrule, if yousee a herd of cows, calves and youngsters, to wait patiently,for thereisoften abig bull with them andhewill invariably be the lasttoshow himself. Acow leads the

ANorthern Cape kudu.This is an excellentspecimen forthe area.

herd even when the bull is with them.

Kudu dislikethe cold,and they hate strong wind, especially cold wind, and they will seek shelter,makingthem very hard to find. On cold mornings,lookfor them in sunnypatches. In mountainous areas, climb to the heights before sunrise, and then just sit and watch. As the sun rises, it strikes thehilltops and mountain topsfirst,warming them. This flushes the kudu out of the kloofs and gorges, and they climb the slopes to get into the warm sun.

Otherwise in dry regions, find ariver bed, which will be lined with trees and bush,and seek them there by lookingfor fresh spoor and droppings.

In bushveld, try to find akoppie or highpoint from whichtoglass the sur rounding bush. Look for movement, and watch for the glint of sunlight reflecting off theirhides and catching thebulls’ horns.

Keep the wind favourable, walk very slowly,stopping often to search the bush for reflected sunlight or movement.Be as silent as possible. If yousee one, freeze, then scan the surrounding bush very carefully to try to locate others

manyagood stalk is ruined by spooking another animalyou didn’tknowwas there.

Akudubulloften stands stockstill under atreewithhis horns concealed in the branches, so look low downaround the tree trunks–sometimes one foreleg willgivehim away,aswillthe horizontal line of his brisket.

Akudu’sears are often constantly moving as he scans for danger sounds this movement can givehim away.Also keep your ears peeled; the hooves of this heavy animal often dislodge stones and makeanoise on hard ground– and his horns can clack against branches.

Good binoculars are essential –check every bush, treeorrock that mightconceal or camouflage akudu. Also check those youthink won’tconceal him –you will frequently be astonished.

In thethick stuff,where walk-andstalk hunting is nigh impossible, one popular method is to find asheltered spot on

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With the huntover, theworkstarts.Thisbullwas shot in the mountains and everything had to be carried out.Not an easy task with alarge animal likeakudu.

the side of amountain andwait for a kudu to show himself.Inthis shadowy habitat they are difficult to spot. Invari ably all yousee is ahead, aneck, or horns; the rest of the body is obscured by vegetation.The animal needs take only one step in anydirection to vanish. The shotsare oftentrickytoo.Most of the kudu youwillsee will be at 300m or further. Trytostalk to 200m or less.

In the Eastern Cape the use of beat ers to move thekudualong known escape routes towards strategically placedriflemen is also popular, and run ning shots are deemed the norm, risk and ethics notwithstanding.

In mountainous terrain carcass recovery becomes very hard work. You mayneed to cut apaththrough the dense bush with pangas and, after gut ting the animal on the spot, employat least fivemen to carry the carcass out. In extremely inaccessible areas, it’s oftenpreferable to quarter the carcass and carry it out piecemeal.

How to Use the Meat

Formeat or biltong hunters, kudu are not all that difficult to hunt –for all their reputation. The cows and the young bulls are not particularly cunning or elusive.

Kudu venison ranksamong the best, and the biltongholds an almost hallowed place in SouthernAfrican cuisine. As with all game, choose your animal wisely; old trophybulls are past their prime in more ways than oneand best used for biltong or dried wors. The best table fare comesfromcows or young ‘one-curl’ bulls.

General

Walk-and-stalk hunting for kuduintypical bushveld terrain must surely qualify as the ultimate challenge. Whether as a trophyorfor biltong, the majestic kudu rates highly for its sheer beauty, regal looks and the challenge it presents.

Materialtaken from: GregorWoods –Kudu –the Hunter’sGrail,June 2007 pg48; TokkieMostert Challengeofthe East Cape Kudu,June 2011 pg36; Francois vanEmmenis –Hunting the Grey Ghost, July 2018 pg60; Koos Barnard–Kudu,the Charismatic King, June 2021 pg24; Kevin Thomas –Kudu in the Mist, December 2013 pg46.

Acow taking abreak.Notethe antenna-likeears.

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QUIRKY,funny, charismatic, ugly, beautiful,lovable,plucky…there are manywords to describe warthogyet none of them seem quite enough to cap ture the essence of these comicalanimals.

Latin Name: Phacochoerus africanus Afrikaans name: Vlakvark

Distribution

Widely distributed in almost all of southern Africa’scountries,warthogare now foundthroughout South Africa as their numbers seem to be on the increase and theirrange expands. In some areas they are welcomed as they can be agood source of income on game farms but, in other areas, they are considered apest as theydig under and damagefences whichcan lead to stock lossesfor farm ers.

Habitat

Warthogsare normally associated with openwoodland, floodplains, vleis and open areasaroundwaterholes and pans.

Warthogssleepinholes in the ground left by antbears and other creatures or in water pipes, culverts, etc. They don’tdig the burrowsthemselves and,astheyare not territorial, their use of holestends to be opportunistic. They usually enter the holes at, or shortly after sunset and emerge in the morning. On entering,the adults do aquick whiparound and then scramblebackwards down these holes so as to be able to defend the entrance with their tusks.

The warthog’s main dietisgrass, preferably short, especially new grass shoots after aburn. They also eat roots, wild fruits and berries, crops if available, and occasionally carrion. Warthog are

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usually day-time feedersand kneeldown on their forelegs to feed.

They are not dependent on water, but alwaysstayneara watersource, and drink regularly when it is available.

Description

Koos Barnard describes warthog as nor mally grey in colour with amaneoflong, black to brown or yellowish bristly hair that generally lies flat along the body but can be erected when the animal is alarmed.Their thin tail is almost naked with only atuft of black hair right at the tip while the rest of their body is sparsely covered with dark, bristle-likehair.A warthog’slegs seem thin and relatively short for its body and they have protuber ant eyes which are set highontheir mas sivesloping heads. The ears are pointed and have white hair on the insides.

The large facial protuberances from which their name comes are not warts (which are abnormal growths) but simply outgrowthsofskin. The males have very large warts (fourorfiveinches long) on either side of the head just behind the eyes, and asmaller one on each cheek. The females have only one pair,justbelowthe eyes,whichisoften theonlyway to tell them from the males, and even this is inconclusiveinimmature animals.

Their tusks are enlarged canine teeth. The larger tusks grow from the upper jaw, andthough formidable in appearance, are used mostly for digging

and rooting. The smaller tusksgrowing from the lower jaw, are the ones used for fighting.The edges andtips of thelower tusks are perpetually sharpenedthrough contact with the upper tusks, andthey makedeadly weapons.

Size

Their body sizevaries quite widely –presumably depending on foodsupply.On average the adult boar stands 70cm at the shoulder and weighs 100kg, but can go to 120kg. Mature sows stand about 60cm at the shoulder,but weigh agood 30%lessthan the boars.

Social Organization/ Breeding

The usual social unitisasoundercom prising aboar,sow andher offspring which sometimes includes yearlings from the previous breeding season. Boars can be absent from sounders, and solitary boars are common. Litters can number between three andeight and theyoung mayspend up to two years with their mothers. The rut starts in Mayand the young are born after agestation period of about 160 to 180 days, meaning the first piglets arriveinNovember/December

Habits

They love to wallow in mud… so water holes are good places to start looking for

Warthogs love wallowing in water.

Awarthogtuskisbeautiful with lots of character. This piecebroke off when asow bumped her tusk against arock.

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activityorspoor.Their senses of hearing and smell are keen, and they also rely heavily on the alarm signals of otheranimals andbirds –particularly the oxpeck ers which sit on their backs picking ticks. Warthog alsouse regular rubbing posts to remove theticks and other parasites which they pick up when wallowing in mud.

Spoor

Warthog hoovesare quite narrow and split or clovenwith aroundedfront and back. They measure about 50mm long and 45mm wide. Sometimes the front end of the spoor is slightly narrower in diameter than the hindend.The dew claws usually mark clearly in the spoor.

Calibre Choice

Warthog are tough animals and require accurate shot placement to put them down.

Youngsters or novicehunters often optfor warthogsastheirfirst animaland maybegiven small-bore calibres which have low recoilbut insufficient power such as .22 centrefires or 6mm rifles loaded with lightweight 55 to 80gr bullets.

We suggest as aminimum, a6.5mm with quality 120gr bullets. However, mature boars are tough as tree stumps and a7x57 loadedwith150gr bullets, or, to be more certain, a.308 Win or .30-06 loaded with 180gr bullets are better suited.

Do notbeshy to use medium or even

STAY AWAY FROM HIGH VELOCITY CALIBRES

big bores –a.338 Sabi with 250grbullets,orthe .375H&Hwith300 grainersat 2200fps. Big bores likethe .458 can be used successfully with cast bullets on all non-dangerous bushveld species.

Gregor Woods says, “Stay away from high velocity numbers likethe .243 or .270. The heavier the bullet and more moderate the velocitythe better.At ranges within 80m, the 12ga slug works well, otherwiseuse something in the .30-06 class.”

Trophy Assessment

Aboar’s tusks, especially the upper ones, can be quite thick and long, and 16-inchers are not uncommon. Keep in mind that one third (ormore) of the length of an adult tusk maybeembed ded in the skull. When looking for atro phy, remember that atusk protruding about 7" (17.5cm) from the upper lip will makeagood trophy.

Minimum measurement for Rowland Ward is 13" and minimum measurement for SCI is 29".

Hunting Tips

Where huntedregularly,warthog are extremely alert and elusive. In open ter rain they can be difficult to approach althoughattimesthey seem to wander

Warthogdrink regularly.Byvisiting waterholes youcan closely study these animals.

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around with acarefree, no-need-to-bealert attitude. Although warthog prefer openbushland manyare shot in fairly long grass or places where vegetation often obscures their bodies. The hunter thushas to get fairly close and more oftenthan not shoot from the standing position. Forsuch shots, long shooting sticks come in very handy

Their eyesight is limited,soifyou are quiet and keep the wind favourableyou can get close, particularly if they are pre occupied with rooting.Asimplebut suc cessful technique is to approach when the head is down feeding, and to stopwhen the head is lifted. Of course this is difficult when afeeding sounder is encountered, but can still be achieved if youare patient. This enables youtotakehead shots, saving meat, but remember,despite their big heads,the tiny brain is situated highand very far back– aim between theear and eye. If feeding they will often lift their heads and stare in an attempt to identify the source of the noise, affording youa brief chance for ashot.

Heart/lung shots represent the safest waytoensure one-shot kills on these tough animals. When shootingfor the brain from the side, place the bullet just in front of the ear base. Side-on/ broadside, heart/lungshots are the easiest ones to take –come up the front leguntil

youare aiming at apoint above the elbow low on the shoulder as youwould when shooting antelope.

If yougiveyourself away,warthogs seldom offer astanding shot –they’ll be running, tails straight up like aerials Warthogs are not fast runners so don’t over-lead if youtakerunning shots. Wart hogs run with theirheads heldhigh, so hold just under the chin, depending on range and angle of course.

Kevin Thomas notesthat upon receiv ing awell-placed shot while standing motionless,warthog will often takeoff in adetermined ‘warthogdash’atthe fastest speed they’re capable of,literally‘running dead’ while crashing into scrub and bouncing off tree stumps, until they suddenly collapse hitting the ground hard.

Agood time to huntfor trophies is at the start of the rut in Maywhen mature boars in search of receptive sows are much more active.

They are courageous animals and won’thesitate to attack, so stayaway from awounded warthogand putinafin ishing shot from adistance.

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An oldboar taken in the Northern Cape.Notethe worn down righthand tusk.

How to Use the Meat

Warthogare popular with both trophy and meat huntersand,according to Francoisvan Emmenes, the average meathunter in southern Africa probably hunts awarthog every year or two and most warthogs are shot opportunistically while the hunter is afterother game.

Some won’tevenconsidereatingthe meat of warthog as apart from being grazers, they are also omnivorousand will eat carrion.

Warthog is considered one of Africa’s finest eating animals. The meat of mature boarsistough and gamey, but thatofayoungsow or ayearling(either sex) is very good to eat. If youplanto makesalamis or other kinds of mixed, processed and spicy meat products like cabanossi, amatureboar will do,but for potjie,roasts or other ordinary dishes, rather shoot ayoung one.

General

Warthog are comparatively low priced to hunt; young ones makegoodeating, and this is agood species foryoung or novice hunters to ‘cut their teeth’ on.

As Kevin Thomas says, “There is something about this comical, beautifully ugly animal that is uniquely African.”

Material takenfrom: Koos Barnard– Lovely Oddball, Wartsand All, April2010 pg22; GregorWoods –The Warthog: Africa’s PorcineParadox,August 1993 pg28; Francoisvan Emmenes –Pig Tales,November2017 pg46; Kevin Thomas –The Essential Warthog,January 2012pg30; Koos Barnard–Warthogs, August 2021pg54.

Note themane from head to tail on this male.

This warthoghas hisantenna-liketail up in the air.

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ASA medium-sized antelope, blesbuck offers an affordable biltong hunt that has alwaysbeen popular with local hunters. When hunted on footthey present achallenge requiring both stealth and patience.

Latin Name: Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi

Afrikaans name: Blesbok

Distribution

Now very common on alot of game farms all overSouth Africa, blesbuck were once on the brink of extinction having been hunted extensively fortheir meat and hides. What hasproventobe avery adaptable animal is now thriving in areas far beyond its original habitat even in Namibia.

Habitat

Blesbuckpreferopen,grassy plains whichmakes themeasy to locate, but not so easy to hunt as there is generally little to no coverfor the approaching hunter.

Almost exclusively grazers, their preference is for short to medium length grassesgenerally referred to as sweet veld. Being adaptable they also thrivein sourveld.They especiallylikethe sprout ing grass which appears aftera burn. Hardy and adaptable, blesbuck are capable of survivinginavariety of habitats. They are heavily dependent on water and drink at least once aday

Ablesbuck raminits natural habitat– mostly vast open areasthatmakes stalking difficult.Notethe white‘ivory’on frontofthe horns.

Description

Their colourvarieswidely from adull buff, through bright ginger-red, to almost black,withwhite on the belly and lower legs. The mature rams generally appear darker than the ewes. They also have awhite blazedown the front of the muzzle and ahorizontal brown strip which divides this blazeabove the eyes. Theyhaveanelongatedfaceand lyre shaped horns which are not very big rel ativetobody size.

Gregor Woods aptly describes ablesbuck as having, “a rathergoofy look when he stares balefully at youwithhis ears sticking straight out sideways.”

It is difficult to distinguish between the male and female,especially from a distance.Bothsexes carryhorns, the males’ being slightly thicker,withridges that stand out almost white. The ewes’ horns are auniform dark /black colour

Size

Blesbuck rams stand about 95cm at the shoulder; thefemalesare slightly smaller.Their weight varies according to habitat, the rams averaging around 80kg. The rams are generally heavier andhavethicker necks, while mature females can have aslightly pot-bellied appearance.

They dress out at about half their live weight when in average condition.

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Afemale with anew-born lamb.

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Their headsare usually10½ to 12" (26.7 to 30cm)longfromthe base of the horns to the tip of the nose.

Social Organization/ Breeding

Blesbuck are gregarious and territorial. Their social groupsare usually made of bachelors, or female herdswithcalves, or during the rut from March to May ‘harems’ of between 10 and 25 females jealously guarded by aterritorial ram. A breedingram is usually between 3and 4 yearsold andwill actively driveaway unwanted suitors. Mature blesbuck rams are sometimes seen alone, but ewes never.

The gestation period is about240 days after which asinglecalf is born. Births peak during November and December.

Habits

Amost notable characteristicofblesbuck is their oddhabit of continuallyshaking or nodding their heads up and down, almost violently.The reason for this remains unconfirmed although there are plentyofexplanations on offer.

Creatures of habitwhenonthe move,they canoftenbeseenina long, single file. Their routine movement sometimescreates distinct paths.

The rams have alovely run–very even-gaited and proud, likearacehorse. According to Koos Barnard,“In winter they love basking in the sun for long hours.They aretolerant of high temper atures and will feed or lie in the direct sunlight even in summer when the mer cury rises to 35°C.”

Spoor

The front feetmeasure about 70mm long and 45mm wide and areslightly bigger than the hind feet at about 65mm long and 40mm wide.

Calibre Choice

Youdon’tneedtoo much gun for blesbuck andshots beyond 250m areoften the norm.

Most modern centre-fire calibres from.243upwards areadequate for hunting blesbuck. In areas where the herds are difficult to approach, flat shooterslikea.243,.270, 7x64,etc are useful at ranges over250m.

Gregor Woodsfounda.243 Win with 95gr NoslerPartitionsat3150fps to be

THEBESTWAY TO STALK WITHIN RANGE IS TO CRAWL LEOPARD-STYLE OR ON HANDS AND KNEES

deadly for thelongshots in open terrain, but wasteful of meat, so he downloaded the same bulletto2700fpsand got more acceptable results. Another excellent cartridge for blesbuck is the .270 Sabiloadedtoaround2 350fps with a 150gr bullet.

In bushveld areas, they are shot at much shorter rangesand a7x57 with 145gr bullets loaded to 2450fpsor175 grainers loaded to 2200fpsare ideal.

Anycalibre of similarpower –.260 Remington, 6.5x55 Mauser or .308 Win –willalso do.These slowercalibres shoot flat enough out to 200m and waste littlemeat.

The average hunter should steer clear of the small .22 centre-firesand head shots!

Dependingonthe load, when zeroed at 250mfor plains game hunting, slower calibres such as the 7x57 and .308 shoot three to fiveinches high at 120-150m. To hit the ‘vital triangle’atcloser distances, youmust aimlow on the shoul der.Itisimportanttoknow your distancesand trajectories very well –not only at 100, 200 and 300m, but at 50m intervals as well.

Trophy Assessment

Koos Barnardsuggests that you, “Look for horns that appear to be one-and-ahalf times the length of the head –such an animalwillqualifyfor Rowland Ward. The ears are about sixinches long, so horns that appear to be 2½ times the length of the ears will measure 15 to 16".”

Norma Kalahari 150gr bullets in .308Win aregood forlonger range shots on tough blesbuck.Notethe deformed bullet recoveredfroma frontal shot.

Rowland Ward minimummeasurement is 164/8"and the SCI minimum measurement is 40".

Hunting Tips

Most activeinthe early mornings and late afternoons, blesbuck tendtolie up during the heat of the day. They also seem more activeinovercast or cold weather.Heat seems to makethem abit lethargicand possibly abit easier to approach.

Blesbuckspook easily in response to warnings from other animals. When a herd movesawayafter being spooked, the ramwilloften be at the rear,and maystopseveral times to lookback.

Otherwise they will takeoff and not slacken their pace.

When grazing on the short grass, their heads are below the level of the rank grass,which obscures their vision,ena blingthe hunter to get very close,provided he is quiet and the wind is in his favour.You can crawlalong, freezing everytime onelooks up,untilwithin 50m or less.

There is oftenscant coverfor stalking blesbuck making them difficult to approach on wide open plainsand long shots are the norm. Hunters often miss them cleanly and sometimes at fairly short ranges too

Because the blesbuck has quite abig head,somehuntersare tempted to try for head shots –bewarned, however,ifyou areslightlyoff target, the result is almost alwaysabulletthrough the sinuses or a broken jaw. So,these shots are not advised. They also have fairly prominent shoulder humps which can causeyou to aim too high and miss or woundthe ani mal.

Probably theeasiestway to hunt blesbuck on foot is to use high ground (where available) and search for them using binoculars. Another technique that works in open country is to approach the animals at an oblique angle by pretendingtowalk

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ON UNSPLASH

Blesbuck colours canvary. This ramhas adeep rich browncoat.

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past them.Thatway youcan often get to within 250m. But the best waytostalk withinrange is to crawl–leopard-style or on handsand kneesfor whichsome hunters liketouse lightweight kneepads and gloves. If crawling: once the animalshavespotted you, be patient, stop oftenand pretend to ‘graze’.

Youneed to stalk until youare within range of asure kill, and remember that patience is the name of the game. Move very slowly, movement morethan anything else, is what will give youaway.

Because they are territorial, they know their area well and will spot anything out of theordinarysomakesure that your clothes,rifle andriflerest blend in with the surroundings.

How to Use the Meat

While blesbuck venison is not as highly prized as that of springbuck, impala or reedbuck,itdoes make excellent biltong and dry wors.

As with anyvenison, much depends on the selection, killing and preparation. If youget ayoung female or very young ram, killed cleanlyand quickly(while unalarmed) and treat the carcass well, youwilldoubtless find the rugstring (loins) and fillets good eating.

Fortable meat youshould shoot females just overtwo years of age,as they provide the best meat and will not be pregnant(the ewes firstconceiveat about 2½ years).Blesbuck meat can alsobeminced and mixed withbeef to

reduce thegamey taste. Gregor Woods advisesagainst cooking amature blesbuck ram, especiallyifhewas chased or ranany distance after being shot –he’ll likely be as gameyasanold billy goat.

General

Once endemic to South Africa, blesbuck is avery popular choicefor local hunters. Depending on the terrain and the shot that presents,these techniques will prove useful to bag ablesbuck for some good eating biltong and dry wors.

Materialtaken from: Koos Barnard–BlesbuckChallenge on the Plains,July 2002 pg16; Koos Barnard– Blesbuck: Popular Plains Dweller,May 2021 pg52; Gregor Woods Bountiful Blesbuck,August 2009 pg36; Gregor Woods TheBlesbok:A True South African, June 1993 pg24; Koos Barnard– Bountiful Blesbuck,February2007 pg32.

Blesbuck meatisvery gamey; good forbiltong but if youplan to makeadish, agood recipebookwillgoa long waytoensure youprepare it the rightway.

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Knee pads arealmost compulsoryfor hunting blesbuck in open terrain.

Blesbuck prefer open areas but cansometimes be found in bushveld,which makes stalking alot easier.

THE blue wildebeest, or brindled gnu, is one of Africa’smost under rated game animals. They are challenging to hunt and their reputation for toughness is legendary.

Latin Name: Connochaetes taurinus taurinus

Afrikaansname: Blouwildebees

Distribution

Widely distributed throughout central southern Africaand east Africa southof the equator, theblue wildebeest is one of themostabundantgameanimals in southernAfrica and can now be found on game farms almost everywhere.

Habitat

Blue wildebeest are very adaptable. They arefoundinshort-grass plains bordering bush-covered acacia savannah and thriveinareasthatare neither too wet nor too arid.

Water is an essential habitatrequirement –blue wildebeest will drink twice a dayinsummer and at leastevery second dayorthird dayincoolerweather.

They arealmost exclusively grazers, and prefer short grass. Wildebeest have strangelywideand square mouths, ideally suited forcroppingshortgrass.

PHO TO BY PHILIP HUEBSCH

They often endupgrazing with Burchell’s zebrabecause both like short grass.In unrestricted wilderness areas, wildebeest travellongdistances to find fresh grass, literally following the rains.

Description

At its best,ablue wildebeest’scoatisa gunmetal grey which takes on ablueish hue. The superimposed brindle markings are dark charcoalgreytoblack– shadowy rather than pronounced–and the overall impression is of avelvety metallic sheen. Colouration can vary from region to region,withsomepopulations appearing more drab than others.

Theirimmense Roman-nosedhead, neck and shoulders are made to look all the bigger by their erect mane and beard. Their forequarters are dispropor tionately heavy compared to their hindquarters giving them alookreminiscent of aSpanish fighting bull.

They have amagnificent flowing tail and both sexes carry short curved horns. Identifying males fromfemalescan be difficult.

Sometimesthey walk with their heads slung low giving the impression thatthey carrythe weight of the world on their shoulders.

Size

Adultbulls standabout1.5mhigh at the shoulder andweigh up to 250kg. The cows are somewhat smaller but the dif ference is not that obvious.

TOUGHEST GAME ANIMAL IN AFRICA

Social Organization/ Breeding

Blue wildebeest are gregarious and gather in herds of up to 30 animals. In open unfenced areas they gatherin great numbers and migrate to find better grazing.

Social organization is quite fluid, but during the rut, atypical herd will comprise several cows and calvesand half grown animals.The territorial bulls are usually loners. Bachelor herds remain on the periphery of the herd’shome range.

Their ruttingseason normally starts in Marchand lasts until June. Adominant bull tries to herd cows into an establishedareaaroundhis midden and to keep them there. Cows maymove through territories of more than one bull and might mate with several bulls.

Followingagestation period of 250 days, most calves drop in mid-summer –althoughdroughts or early rain can change that. The reddish-fawn calves can walk within minutes of birth andcan run and keep up with the herd within24 hours.

Habits

Blue wildebeest have good hearing and sense of smellbut are extremelysensitivetoheat, and when hot they look miserable. They literally spend 50% of their timeresting up in whatever shade they can find during the day. This makes them hard to approach because they have

Close-up of ablue wildebeest bull.Theyare big,tough animals.

manypairs of eyes lookingout for danger in all directions. In the deep shade of the middayhours, their darkbodies all appear to join together into asolid, pitch black mass, so it is difficult to find atar get, and youoften cannot tell if thereare calves in the way.

Thebluewildebeestmysteriously seems to be able to keep going after absorbing shots that hunters would swear would have killedany other antelope this size. Theyalmostseeminde structible, and when wounded they somehow have thestamina and survival instincttokeep going longerthanother species. John Coleman has even awarded them the title of the ‘Toughest Game Animal in Africa’

They are popular with game farmers because they don’tnormally jump stock fences and are thus easy to keep

Spoor

The spoorisabout110 to 130mmlong and quite distinctive making it easy to identifyand follow.The tips of thefront hoovessoonweardown which gives the front spoor amore squared or rather trapezium-shaped appearance.

Calibre Choice

Awell-placedshotfroma .270 or a7x57 will do thejob.But if the bullet misses the vitals (byevenahair’sbreadth) their legendary inherent toughness ‘kicks in’ Heavier calibres are better.

Wildebeest are notoriously tough. A.375H&H will not be overkill.

Usepremium grade bullets.

In bushveld a.30-06, 8x57,9.3x62 or .375H&H with the heaviest possible bullets, is your best choice, while anyof the .300 Magnums or the.338 Winchester Magnum with premium grade bullets should do the trick in open country

Acontrolled-expansion bullet of suf ficiently large calibreand momentum, correctly placed so as to rip through a wildebeest’s heart or the centreofits lungs, will bring about theanimal’sdeath in short order.Ifhis vital organs are suf ficiently damaged, he will die.

Trophy Assessment

The most reliable waytodistinguish between the sexes is by the horns –itis the overall spread(theoutside curve of the horn) that is important. Atrophy

Being curious blue wildebeest will oftenstand andstare at you.

PHO TO BY PHILIP HUEBSCH

bull’shornsalwaysexceeds theear length. Cows rarely have that kindof spread. Abull’shorns also have thicker bases and aslightdownward sweep before the curl starts.

Some hunters alsouse face colourto identifybulls.Anadult bull’sfaceisusu allypitch black while that of acow or sub-adult hasanareaofbrown hairat thehorn base. However,these have been proventonot always be reliable factors.

Minimum measurement for Rowland Ward is 284/8 " and minimum measurement for SCIis70".

Hunting Tips

Blue wildebeest are most activeinthe early morning and late afternoon.

In open savannah, the spot and stalk method is the best waytohunt blue wildebeest. Get onto high ground early in the morning and use binoculars to spotthe animals, then plan astalk.

Theheartofawildebeestcow shot with a.308 using 165gr Hornady InterLockhandloads. This is not apremium grade bullet,but the velocitywas reduced to 2248fps to ensure optimal performance.

Youcan also use the oblique approach to get close enough for ashot. Unfortunately wildebeest often associatewith zebra, which have acute senses, and can make an undetected approach very difficult.

In areas of dense bushtwo persons can work together to pull off asuccessful stalk. It is amazing howdifferent the bush looksonce youhaveleft your high position.While one stalks, the other person waitsonhigh ground and when necessary directs the hunter towards the animal with handsignals.

While the blue wildebeest does not present much of achallenge in open country,indense bushveld hunting them is an entirely differentmatter.They become shyand secretive, and spend the hot hours of theday in deep shade where theirdarkbodies are difficult to spot. Even in mid-winter when most of the treeshave lost theirleavesand the branches appear almost black, they blend in so wellwith the surroundings that youcan walk right past them. In thick bush their abilityto become ‘invisible’ is amazing.

Determinewhere they grazeand drink and find out which routes they take. Another waytofind them is to listen for their strange metallic nasal snort. Hunting them during middayisusually awaste of time–unless youare patient and stalk very slowly and maydisturb them in their ‘beds’.Once alerted however,they will crash away,and after that getting close enough for ashot will be difficult.

Most wildebeest, especially in bushveld, are shot at 100 to 150m.

Wildebeest areoften found in the bush, making stalking easier but spotting them moredifficult.

Blue wildebeest calves canwalk within minutes of birth.

PHO TO BY BASIL DE KO CK

Their habit of momentarily standing and staring at you, presentsaproblem –you frequently end up having to takea frontal shot. But afrontal shot leaves youlittlemargin for error.Their black bodies merge with the shadows and you can’talwaystell whether they are straight in line or at an angle, andthis can result in wounding.

Hunters have anatural tendency to aim for the centre of anytarget. Gregor Woods calls this the “bull’s-eyesyn drome”

This is amistakeona wildebeestbull as they have ahigh,fleshy hump atop the shoulderand an erect mane of long black hair extending above thehump–all thisadds to the height of the per ceived profile. Youmust aim low in his vital area. Look for the wildebeest’s bris ket(lower chest, between his front legs) and know that his heart is situated right down at the bottom, thesameasin other antelope. Aim for the top of the

heart, and you’ll get the lungs as well.

Wildebeest have massiveheads and it is tempting to go for head shots, but again, hunterstend to aim for the centre of their target and thus shoot under the brain of an animalfacingthem. Place the crosshair in the middle of the forehead, slightly above the eyes.

The wildebeest’s reputation for toughness when wounded precedes him. Hunters,fearing alongfollow-up andthe shame of losing awoundedanimal, get nervous and can oftenpullthe shot.

Bluewildebeestwilldie likeany other if abulletofappropriatediameter, weight and construction, launched at a velocityconducive to controlled expansion withmaximum weightretention, penetrates the upperheartorthe heavy plumbing just above the heart. There is nothing magical about the wildebeest. His vitalorgans are situated in the same physiological position as those of other antelope, and if these organs suffer

sufficient trauma, hisdeathisasrapid as any.

How to Use the Meat

As abiltong animal, blue wildebeest offer good valuefor money.Blue wildebeest meat makes good biltong and wors, but it is notgood tablefare. Theback-straps however can be delicious if properly marinated.

General

Often referred to as the ‘clown’ of the veld because of its habit of cavorting madly at times, theblue wildebeest is sometimes regarded as an inferior quarry,dulland common. However,their ruggedlooks andtoughness appeal to plentyofhunters.

Material taken from: KoosBarnard –BlueWildebeest –Tough Customer,June 1999 pg82; Gregor Woods

Tough Wildebeest,October2014 pg25;Peter Flack GnuGatherings, December 1999 pg52; Gregor Woods

–The Blue Gnu,April 2005 pg16;Francois vanEmmenes –Blue Wildebeest Blues,April 2007 pg56.

Stuarts’Field Guide to the Tracks &Signs of Southern, Central an African Wildlife provides detailed coverage of tracks,droppin pellets,nests and shelters,and feeding signs,not only forma but also forbirds,reptiles,insects and other invertebrates.

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Biltong spices and recipe

by Gregor Woods

AMONGthe ingredientswhichsome people add to their biltongrecipes are cloves, garlic,Worcestershire sauce, peri-peri and even curry powder,all of which are anathema to me. I’vealso heard of people adding sugar,but a butcher told me this is done not for taste but to givethe surface of the biltonga cleanblack appearancewhichlooks good in the shop window

The onlyspices Iuse are coriander andblackpepper.Itismost important that youbuy whole coriander seedsand grindthemyourself–I promiseyou this will makeall the difference to the biltong flavour.The finely-powderedcoriander youbuy in little bottles has lost all its fla vour.You must grind the corianderjust before using it (and not too finely). Some people spread the coriander seeds in a pan or tray and lightlyroast them in the ovenbefore grinding them; Ihave tried this and it does enhance the flavour,but it is not essential, andifyou overdoit, they’re ruined. If yougrind more than youneed, store theremainderinthe freezeruntil next time,oritwill loseits flavour.

Ibought asmall electriccoffee bean grinder especially for this purpose, but I am sure youcould useablender or a

hand-cranked peppermill, or even arolling pin to crushthem. On the other hand, Idouse finely ground black pepper. Many prefer it to coarse-ground, but Iconsider pepper too strong aspicefor this –it spoils it for me when Icrush achunk of it betweenmyteethand my wholemouth explodes with thetaste of pepper.Iuse pepper sparinglyinbiltong.

Somepeople will also tell youthat coarse salt makes better biltong, but I cannot see how,asthe whole purpose is for it to dissolve anyway,and fine salt does so more readily, andisfar easier to apply evenly andinthe correctquantity Vinegar should be genuine brown grape vinegar, not synthetic (acetic acid). In my opinion, most commercially madebiltong is scarcely worth eating, one reason being thespicing. Thisisnot meant as a criticism of themakers, but is,asI under stand it, unavoidable, duetoalegal requirement.

In 1993 Iwentonanelephantcull in KrugerPark, whichincludeda visitto their meat processing plant where they made biltong and canned stew from the culled buffalo and elephant meat. The manager told me they had to soak their biltong meat in abrine made withthe oleo extract of spices, which is soluble.

Tips for theultimate treat

GALL O/G ET TY IM AG ES

This,hesaid, wasaDepartment of Health regulation applyingtoany preserved meat product intended for commercial use or sale to thepublic, including canned meat.* This is what gives commercially-made biltong that slightly ‘chemical’ taste(and after-taste) which is difficult to describe, but is somehow reminiscentof soysauce. *Thismay no longerapply since the SA BureauofStandardsbecame redundant.

To Make Biltong

First sprinkle some vinegar in the bottom of thecuring containerusingyour vinegar shaker –just enoughtowet thewhole surface. Then sprinkle the bottomwell with salt,corianderand alittle pepper Layone layerofthe strips of meat onto the bottom of the container,touching each other to form asolidmass. Now sprinkle vinegar all overthis layerofmeat (wet it thoroughly but don’tdrown it) followedbysalt, pepper and coriander.Itis importanttosprinkle the vinegar first;if youapply the salt and spices first, you will wash these off with thevinegar, hence the distribution will notbeeven. As forthe quantities to apply,this varies according to the thickness of the strips and to personal taste.

The salt is the trickiest part.Oversalted biltong is unpleasant, but undersalted biltong probablymore so,and may also go rotten. If in doubt, rather err on thesideoftoo much salt than too little, as biltongis, afterall, supposed to be a salty snack.Asarough guide, compare it with afresh steakfor the frying pan or braai;think of how much salt youwould putonasteak the samethickness as your strips of biltong, then apply roughly threeorfour times that amount to each layerofbiltongmeat.

In thecase of the pepper,however,I would putonthe sameamount as you would on afresh steak. Coriander is less

critical; youneed more of it than pepper, but youcan also overdo it.

Now layanother layerofmeat on top of the first, and apply the vinegar,salt and spices to this. Repeat the process until the container is full or yourun outof meat. Coverittokeep away theflies,and leaveittocure in acoolplaceovernight. The curing period is not critical, but no lessthanabout twelvehours, nor is there anypoint in leaving it longer.Then insert the hooks and hang it up.Tohasten the process (or in warmer weather) stand an electricfan about three or four metres away,sothat the breezegets all the sticks just gently swaying.

Usinga fan, Istart eating the thinner sticks after only three or four days, but then Ilikemybiltong soft. Forthe same reason, as soon as the thicker sticksare as Ilikethem,Itakethem down and freezethem to prevent them dryingfur ther.Rainyweather during the drying period is disastrous to biltong. If the forecast is forrain,freezethe meat. Iam oftenasked if biltong can be made from frozen meat –the answer is yes.

In fact, unlikefresh meat, freezing mayevenimprove biltong meat. Freezing causesthe juicesinmeat to expand, rupturingthe little vessels that contain them, which can only servetotenderise the meat slightly. This is whythawed meat alwaysleavesapuddle in thebowl –the freed juices run out of theruptured vessels, leaving the meat drier and less suc culent. But unlike meatthat is for cook ing, in thecase of biltong, removing the

juices is preciselywhat youwant.

Do notslicebiltong until youare about to eat it, otherwise it loses flavour Do not store biltonginplastic bags unless youare freezing it –store in cloth or paper bags

Some Biltong Ideas

Apartfrom beingthe world’s finestfinger-snack, biltong goes well with certain things. Finely shaved, it makes great salads (both fresh green and noodle salads). Biltong (tender and still soft) makes my all-time favouritesandwich (with let tuce). Somehow biltong and good quality fresh bread with butter really comple ment each other,whether wholewheat or whitebread.Cheese is also good with it, butitmustbeamild cheese, so as not to overpower thesubtleflavour of the bil tong.Mydoctor will kill me if he reads this, but as afinger snack, to scoop alit tle dab of butter with each slice of biltong is .well,todie for Biltong makes my favourite pizza. And tell your wife that dry,powdered biltong in asoufflé willmakeher the hostess withthe mostest

This article first appeared in Magnum,July 2001

by Br ia nM ar sh

On Hunting Jumbo

Tips andtricksfor elephanthunters

APROFESSIONALhunter (PH) with no experience on ele-

phant at all would have practically no chance of successfully hunting them with clients.Eventhe tiro PH is probably capable of tracking an individual buffalo.Their hoofs are hard and the edges sharp and even in hard groundtheir weight ensures some degree of spoor.Tracking elephant is different. The pads of their feet aresoftbycomparison andkeeping on an individualspoor,particularlywhen there is alot of other ele phantspoor about, is an art, so,tohunt them successfully a skilled tracker is amust.

OK then, the inexperiencedPHhas employedaskilled elephant tracker –let’s look at things fromthe tracker’s point of view: It is likely that he will be effectively unarmed. Even if he is carrying theclient’srifleitisprobablehecould notuse it to adequately protect himself in case of trouble. Let’s liken his situation to a‘not-impossible’scenario.Imagineyourself to be aqualified pilot who,for some reason, is compelledtotakethe back seat of an aircraft piloted by apupil. Apilot who is not only abouttomakehis first solo flight, but also across-countryrun Doubtlesslythe pupil would be capable of getting the aircraft offthe ground and into the air and even finding his destination and landing safely.BUT,ifbefore take-off for the returntripyou see storm clouds brewing on the horizon Ibelieveyou could be tempted to do something sneaky –likeletting the airout of one of the tyres!

Just as every good hunter will check out his rifle when he goes after elephant, so too willthe tracker check out the hunter to establish if he is safe to be with. Iverywellremembera laughableexperience –laughable40years later –I had with two Shangaans I’d employedastrackers. They had little diffi culty observing thatIwas very muchatiro at elephant hunting, whichmay illustrate my point. We picked up at thespoor of a

herdcrossingthe trackand,leaving the Land Rover(withthe lunch boxinit) parked in aclump of mopane trees, we set off to follow them.

The spoor eventually led into adense musimbitti thicket, which elephant particularly favour,where Iwas sure theherd were resting –but the trackers, who by now were well aware that Iwas not as experienced as Ihad tried to makeout, declined to go in afterthem. Instead they prowled around the outskirts of the ironwoods, scowling at the ground, and then suddenly their faces brightened. “See!”theyexclaimed, “we knew we were right nottofollowthem into the thickets. Here is their spoor where they came out again.”

Marvelling at theirincredibleperception,I set off behind the two Shangaans who trackedwhile Iearnestly searchedthe country ahead for the first sign of elephant, and then Isaw it. Adarkshape in aclump of mopane trees. Alow whistle brought my teamtoa halt and, with heart pounding, Islipped therifle frommyshoulderand snapped off the safety,ready to shoot an elephant. Except it wasn’tanelephant. It wasthe canvascanopyofthe Land Rover. Ihad not observed that they were track ing back along the same spoor we had started out on. There wasagreat dealofclicking and clucking from those two old scoundrels,socompletelydumbfounded were they that such a thingcould have happened, but as it waslunch-time they sug gested we call the whole thing off and settle down to eat. Those two old Shangaanshad absolutely no intention of letting me get into asituation whereIcould be of danger either to myselfortothem–and becauseofmylack of experience Icould not gauge what wasgoing on. Iuse thisasan example of the sort of situationthe newly-licensed PH, totally lacking or withlittleelephantexperience,could possibly run into;but canyou blame the tracker?The unarmed tracker is

likethe pilot in the back seatofthe student’s plane –com pletely reliant on the man up front –and if he sees storm clouds brewing he might also be tempted ‘to let the air out of one of the tyres’! Imagine if I’d been with aclientthat day...

The tiro needs some hands-on experience to learn the dif ferent procedures which go into the approach andshooting of an elephant compared, forexample,tothe approach and shootingofabuffalo –particularly when shooting from aherd. Because the same rules apply,any hunter proficient in the hunting of antelope will be as proficientinthe hunting of buffalo –uptothe point where the first shot is fired. Anewly wounded buffalo, even if aleg is broken, will always initially run away,as will the herd, but this is not the case with elephant.

My first really terrifying bull elephant charge occurred when taking a‘sitting-duck’ tuskless cow from aherd. While approaching abrowsing herd of elephantduringmyNuanetsi croppingdays, Ialmostwalked intothe cowwhichhad become separated from the others by laggingashort distance behind. Ishould have beenonthe look-out for stragglers and marked her,but my attentionwas focused too far ahead. Iknewbythe way shewas standing poised that I’dbeen caughtout, she was aware of me and about to alert theothers, so Iwhipped up the .470 and gave heranimmediate shot to the shoulder Elephant, likethe buffalo,willalwaysinitiallyrun when shot in the shoulder –except –unlikebuffalo, when the bullet breaks theshoulder.With one leg out of action an elephant is completely anchored, and if it’s acow she screams. On this occasion my bullet brokethe cow’sshoulder –and shescreamed.

Iknewthe herd wasonly ashort distance ahead. Ihad heard them but they were out of sight in the close mopane forest we werein, and thinking the commotion must cause them to fleeI immediately,and foolishly,lostinterest in them.

Pleased to have secured such an easy quarry,evenifshe had no tusks, Ihad position for afinishing brain shot. How silently an elephant charges. And how lucky it wasthat Ijusthappened to glance in the right direction. The bull charging to the cow’sdefence, absolutely silently and at tremendous speed, appeared likeawraith out of nowhere.Ihad been charged by elephantbefore and wasabletosuppress my urge to panic–just–but if I’d still beena completetiro,understand ably already nervous and excited...!

Awounded elephant screaming at close quarters is the most demoralizing sound I’veeverheard in the bush and anyhunter with anydegree of imagination is bound to be effectedinsome way. Avibration goes through youthat makes the ground seem to tremble. In “The Dicky Bird Syndrome” (Magnum February 1990), Idescribed the scatter-effect which follows when one memberofaparty bolts and triggers the others to follow.This is something every tiro elephant hunter needs to know about, and fully appreciate, so he can ‘psyche’ himself up to resist it. If he only half-turns to followwhen the others scatter he will will

Tracking elephant is learned over time with growing experience.

BASIL DE KOCK

have put himselfoff-balance,momentarily lostsight of hisvital target, and perhaps lost that vital second.

The tiro also needs to know when an elephant bull is seriously charging and when it is not. If an unwounded bull trumpets as he charges, ears extended, kicking up dust with its forefeet, youcan be sure he is ‘mock charging’ with the intention of frightening youoff.Abull’smock charge usually ceases the moment he sees youmoving away,but amock charge can suddenly turn into the real thing. If an elephant chargesabsolutely silently,ears flat against its sides and trunk rolledup under itschin, this is thereal thing and only abullet will turn or stopit. Buffalocowswith small calves will notusually chargeif they sense youatclose quarters. They will generally run and the calf will run with them, but elephant cows with small calves will invariably charge if they sense youatclose quarters –and unlikethe bulls they will not be play-acting.

Ibelievethat more charges, particularly from cows, have beeninitiatedbecause of whisperedconversations between client andPHwhenclose to elephant than from anyother causes. When about to approachanelephantget all your whispering overfirst and then rely on previously worked out hand signals.

Whispering is aforeign sound in the bush which an ele phant, with its vastly superior hearing to yours,can detect from aconsiderabledistance. The elephant maygivenosignthat it now knows that youare there, which makes it all the more interesting when, for no apparent reason, it suddenly charges.

Ihavebeen out with inexperienced elephant hunters who hadnoconceptionofthe importance of an ashbag. In my younger days Ismoked apipe and the tobacco of my choice wasHartley’s Magaliesburg which came packed in ahandy sized calico bag.These were exactly rightfor use as ashbags and when hunting elephant both Iand my tracker alwayshad one.Atthe ranges elephant are shot it is imperativethe hunter knows what the wind is doing every second of the time.Some hunters use an old sock filledwithash and others preferaplastic bottle with asmall hole drilled in the cap.Sometie their ashbag to theirbelt to keep it out of the way, butthis means losing sight of theelephantyou areapproaching whenhaving to glance downevery time yougiveita shake. Iholdmyown bag until Iamready to shoot,then slipitintomypocket, while my trackermovesupbeside me –continually shaking his.

But those little ashbags can have another use which might be of assistance. If youare oneofthose people whose hands tend to sweat whenstalking up on elephant, which mine did in my early days,your riflefeelsslipperyinyour grasp.Rollingthe ashbag around in your hands will givethem acoating of ash which will immediately dry them.

There’sanold hunter’s saying: “When hunting elephant get up as close as youcan –and then get ten yards closer”. Ele phant rely on their ears and trunks to alert them to dangerand it is not necessary to do aleopard crawltoget up close.Itis only necessary to be completely quietand stay on therightside of the wind. They arequick to spot movement but, if you

PHO TO BY GR AHA MH UNT ON UNSPLASH

remainstill behind even the most meagre coverwhen they look in your direction, it is unlikely they will see you. Iregard 20 metres to be the ideal range for ashoulder shot on elephant, and half that for abrain shot. Whysoclose? Isn’tanelephant’s shoulder as big as abarndoor and –surely –ten metres to hit atargetthe sizeofanelephant’shead!

Your target is not the head. It is only the brain. Fold this magazine in half across and liberally round off the corners and abit of the ends andsides andwhatyou have left is still abit larger than thesizeofyour target on abrain shot.Holdyour unopened magazine uprightagainst an elephant’s shoulder and that will more than coveryour maximum target areafor the shoulder shot. Perhaps youcan consistently hita folded Magnum off-hand with your heavy rifle at 60 metres on the range, but when your heart is pounding with excitement, and your hands are shaking from buck-fever,and your muscles are sagging from having carried that heavy rifle up hill and down dale in the Valley heat for the best part of the day...!

Let me tell youhere and now –itisnogood hitting an elephant, even with the heaviest rifle,just somewhere in thehead. Miss the brain and youhaveawounded elephant. To narrowly miss the brain may result in astunned elephant which should giveyou time to get in another shot,but miss the brainbymore

RIGHT:Aninteresting viewofthe back of an elephantear.

than afew centimetresand youmay have only vivid memories and aspent cartridge case to show for your elephant hunt.

To successfully brain shoot elephant, youmust know where the brain lies from anyand everyangle.When an experienced elephant huntershootsheisnot aimingataparticular mark at acertain distance from the elephant’s ear,orata particular wrinkle up or down from between the eyes on the elephant’s trunk, his target is inside theelephant’s head, and that is where he is looking and that is where he is aiming. He knows where the brain lies and he is aiming at his mentalimage of it.

BOTH PHOTOSBYBASIL DE KOCK

Aproperlyplaced brain shot is clean and causes the least disturbance in the herd;which is whymost hunters preferit. But remember the old hunter’s adage: “A brain-shot elephantis never dead untilithas been shotinthe heart.” Always,nomatter how dead it mightlook, putafollow-up bullet in theheart of a brain-shot elephant. Read the numerous accounts of the old hunters who all have talestotellof“dead”elephantdisappearing without their tails if youdon’tknowwhat Imean.

During croppingoperationsI brain shot anumber of elephantand managed to wound afew.Using adouble rifle Iwas mostly able to snap in aheartshot before the elephant could get away.From thisexperience Idevised atechnique for safari ops which ensuredthat no safari client of mine has ever lost his elephant wounded. Iwould instruct my clients to only takea brain shot and with the aidofdiagrams Iwould show them exactly where to shoot, but Iwould also makeitquite plain to them that, if the elephant wasstillonits feet one second after they had fired,itwas awounded elephant and Iwould be obliged to shoot it. Iwould alwaysendeavour to position the client for aside-on brain shot(theeasiest to take) and as he came up into the aim for the brain Iwould takeanaim on the shoulder. Abag of beans dropping off abakkiefalls no faster than abrain shot elephant, and if there wasstill an elephant in my sights theinstant after my client had fired –Ialso fired.

Some clients mighthave objected that Ihad shot their ele phant, none ever did, but if they had Iwould have toldthem I mostcertainly did not shoot theirelephant. Ihad backedthem, absolutely legitimately and correctly, on their woundedelephant, which after alliswhat the PH is there for

Believeme, nothing subdues asafari more than losing an elephantwounded. Quite apart from the moral issue of having pointlessly injured amagnificent animal, the result hassle will be enormous, and should an innocent person get killed as a result of it –changethe word ‘enormous’toread‘monumental’!

Hunting elephant is awhole new ball game and anumber of specialized rules apply

This is aphoto Itook years ago in the Natural History Museum in London. The sign reads: “These magnificent elephant tusks are believedtobethe heaviest ever recorded. They are said to come fromabull elephant killed near mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa, by an Arab hunterwho had been trailing it forseveral weeks. They were sold in Zanzibar,off the Tanzanian coast in 1898.

Theheavier of the two (on the left), 3.11 metres long and weighing 94 kilograms, waslater purchased by the Museum for £350. The other tusk, 3.18 metres long and weighing 89 kilograms, wassoldtothe museum in 1933 for an unspecified amount...”

The tusks are enormous, dwarfing the tallest human, and Ican only imagine the magnificent animal in real life. Iread somewhere that these tusks are no longer on display, butapparently now in storage. Phillip Hayes

Aclose-up photoofthe rough textureofelephant hide and signs of use on the tusk.

Thenew SAKOS20 is the first true hybrid rifle that can be precisely set up for hunters and precision shooters alike.Ithas an aluminium chasis underneath the neatly dressed up stock. Themodular structureadapts to changing lifestyles,making the S20 a truly future-proof bolt-action rifle. Some of the features include achoicebetween various adjustable stock configurations and amultiadjustabletrigger.

Buffalo HeartShots

by Doc ta ri

Stoppingabeast

OVER several decades, Ihavebeen fortunate to have either shot, or been in on the kill, of athree figure tally of these super-tough bovines. Being an enthusiastic student of terminal bullet performance and adedicated ‘bullet digger’Iperformed fairly detailed autopsies on as manyofthese buffalo as Icould.

The early 1980s were exciting times for Zimbabwean cattlemen. The bush warwas finallyover, theeconomy wasrecovering,and by atrade agreement known as the Lome Convention, Zimbabwean beef wasbeing exported to Europe in substantial quantities.This raised theprice of beef considerably and for atime the cattle industry boomed. To retainexport status, the strictest of veterinary regulations were imposed regarding the movement of cattle, and the containment of the buffalo herds, as an estimated 70-80% of Zimbabwean buffalo were carriersof

PHOTO BY GIO’SSTUDIO ON UNSPLASH

Doctari is the author of The PerfectShot,a definitiveworkonshot placement.

the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease.

Being alocal veterinarian, acattle rancher and arepresentative of the all-powerfulCattleProducers Association in what wasdeemed a‘beef export catchment area’,Iwas kept abusy man.

One afternoon, as Idrove up to our ranch house,Iwas stoppedbyone of my herdsmen. He appeared to be extremely distressed,and explained with rollingeyes, much huffing and puffing, and with his arms curled up overhis head so as to imitate alarge set of horns, how he had just been chased and very nearly killed by what he described as a Satani mombe (devil cow). As my ranchwas only about40miles (as the crow flies) from the ZambeziValleyescarpment, it could onlyhavebeen a buffalo,soI went to investigate. At the time the only rifle I possessed wasanold andwoefullyinaccurate Lee-Enfield .303, complete with awobblyfront sight, andmyonlyammowas

military FMJ.Tocut alongstory short, some fiveshots and lots of adrenalin later, Ihad my first buffalo ‘scalp’. My first shot (with thebuffalo standing almost fully broadside) hit low down, thankfully,justbehind the shoulder.This waswhere Ithought the heart to be, and when Idid an autopsy,Ifound that initial bullet embedded in the thickest part of the heart muscle. Inter estingly,itwas facing backwards –proof enough that military spitzerstumblewhen encounteringfairlysolid resistance. For the next two decades Ipursued buffalo with feverish enthusi asm, andsoonrealized that the heartshot takenlow down,just behindthe shoulder,isnot thebestoption forabroadside shot, as the buffalo invariably ranalongway and took quite some time to expire. No doubt this is whyour most experienced PHs all said, “Never follow up awounded buffalountil your client has had enough time to smokeatleast twocigarettes”

Iwas surprised to learn from medicaldoctors that it is not

The‘Vital Triagle’ismarkedonthe shoulder of this bull buffalo.

The‘topofthe heart’lies exactlyinthe centre of the‘Vital Triangle’. Ashot placed thus will also pass through the middle of the lungs –and is extremely effective.

uncommon for humans who have been stabbed or shot in the ventricles (the bottom portion of the heart) to survivesuch ordeals, provided of coursethat suchholes are closed surgically.Mydoctor friends tellmethatthe heart’spumping action and the tight-fitting heart sack tend to temporarily seal such holes, especially if they are angled or not too large –this is why such injuries are not immediately fatal. This got me thinking, as did the comment, “On the otherhand, no human survives a ruptured pulmonary artery or aortafor morethanacouple of minutes”

Ganyana, another Magnum contributor,told me that he

once found a.303 bullet embedded in the heart muscle of an apparently perfectly healthybuffalo killedduringacull.The bullet waswellcalloused in, indicating that it had been there for sometime, and it had evidently punctured at least one ventricular wall to get there.

With this in mind Istarted to experiment with high heart/ lung shots and found these extremely effective–one-shot kills on thebiggestbuffalobulls becamefairly common thereafter, even with smallercalibres likethe 9.3x62 and .375H&H, with strongly constructedbullets.

As the accompanying diagrams show,there is another good reason whythe highheart/lung shot is so effective, butto explain it fully,Ineed to get technical for awhile. The heartis simply afour-chambered pump that circulates the blood around the body via anetwork of arteries, capillaries and veins. All arteries are thick-walled and elastic and they carry blood away from theheart. Veins arethin-walled andreturnthe blood to it. Capillaries form the connections between the two.

The heart actually comprises two individual pumps joined together.Each has two parts, asmall, upper auricle and alower, larger ventricle. The auriclescan be considered as primer pumps forthe mainpumping chambers, the ventricles. De-oxy genatedblood returns to the right side of the heart, from where it is pumped via the pulmonary artery to the lungs for re-oxy genation.

From the lungs, blood returnsvia the pulmonary vein to the left side of the heartwhich then pumps it via the aorta and then the rest of the arterial system, throughout the body.Because the right ventricleonlyhas to pump blood to thenearbylungs, itsmuscularwalls arerelatively thin. In contrast, the left ventriclehas to pump blood with enough force to reach the tipof the nose and the point of the tail, hence its walls are consider ably thicker

From the sport hunting perspective, it is important to realize that all these large diameter arteries and veins, the ones that lie intertwined in ajunctioninthe centre of the chestcavity(the ‘plumbing’ as we call them), enter and leave from the top of the heart.

The lungs comprise two distincthalves, andare elasticin nature. Together with the heart and its ‘plumbing’,the lungs almost completely fill the chest cavity, andare kept in aful ly-expanded state by thenegativepressure (orvacuum)within thatcavity. If thechest cavity is punctured,air will be sucked intoit, causingthe lossofthis vacuum,and hence the collapse of the lungs. Thisiswhy the layman never gets to see the lungs in their normal, fully expanded state. Collapsed lungs are less than half the sizeoftheir normal, fully expanded state.

Photos 5and 6show what the right half of the lungs look likewhen fully inflated,viewed fromthe outside and inside. The dotted line showsthe position of the heart–notice thatnolung tissue covers the bottom portion of the heart (the ventricles). Notice also where some of the lungs’ ‘plumbing’ is situated.

An animal only dies when its central nervous system (what

Theheartwhen viewed from the rightside.

Thesameheart,viewedfromthe left. Notice howall the‘plumbing’ is situatedatthe top.

is usually referred to as the CNS) ceases to function. Thereare three ways to ‘switch off’the CNS: with abrain shot, aspine shot in theneckorshoulder region, or by stopping (or reduc ing) the oxygen supply to the brain (either by stopping the blood supply, or by reducing the amountofoxygen the blood carries). The brain runs on oxygen,lotsofit, anditwill cease to function when astate of anoxia (no oxygen) exists.

To createsuch astate, the hunter’s bullet must either disrupt the heart’s pumping capacity (a shot through the ventricles), or incapacitate the lungs (a behind-the-shoulder shot to collapse thelungs and to cause bleeding within the lung tissue so as to render them non-functional), or it must cause massive blood loss (bysevering amajor artery or vein), or acombina tion of all these factors. Obviously, acombination shot is by far the quickest killer as it achieves all theseobjectivesatonce. For this reason the high heart/lung shot is recommended.

With the animal standing broadside, ahigh heart shot through theauricles, or better still, through the ‘plumbing’,also passes

through the centre of the lungs, making this shot supremely effective–killing threebirds with one stone, so to speak.

Alow heartshot usually hits little, if any, lung tissue, and a buffalo taking such ahit can remain adangerfor quitesometime.

Ahigh, behind-the-shoulder lung shot willalso not be immediately fatal. Aclient andIonce followed abuffalo bull that had been shotright throughthe rear portionofboth lungs (too high and too far back) with a400gr solid from a.416 Rigby, for manymiles. When we eventually caught up late the following day, the bull wasstill very much alive and full of fight, andgiven the buffalo’sreputation forincredible toughness, I wasofthe impression that it might even have survived had we not concluded the affair

In an animal standing broadside, the top of the heart is easy to locate as it lies exactly in the middle of what is known as the ‘vital triangle’ whichisillustrated in the accompanying photos. Depending on an animal’ssizeand itsphysical and emotional state, its heart will be beating (i.e. fillingand then emptying)at anythingfrom 30 to about 140 times aminute, so anybullet striking the heartwilleitherfind it full, emptyorinthe process of either filling or emptying.

It is my belief that this too has an influence on the eventual outcome of the hunt. Heartsthat are struckwhile apparently full, seem to be more severely damaged (I’m convinced they can actually burst),than those which are struck when empty, and as aresult, are merely punctured. Iliken this to the effect of shootingplastic milkbottles that are either full of water or empty.

Another example is the heart of amature buffalo bull that wasshotinits right-hand side with a500gr monolithicsolid from a.458 Lott. As is so often the case with heart-shot animals,the bull tookoff in amad dash,only to pile up shortly thereafter.The heart’s left-handside had alarge hole where the .458 solid exited. In aphotgraphItook there wassomelung tissue in theupper right corner.Thiswas thesmall portion of the left lung that wascovering that partofthe heartasthe solid exited -and Icould clearly see the hole made by thebullet. It wasalmost .458 inches in diameter.Comparedtothe sizeofthe hole in the upper ventricle, it’s evident to me anyway,that the heart must have been full when all this took place, and it obviously burst in the process, blowing out alarge piece of heart muscle. It is no wonder the bull succumbed so quickly.

On very rare occasions, aheart-shot buffalo mayinstantly drop to the shot. Thisisaphenomenon which I’ve witnessed only twice in these super-toughanimals, butmanytimes in the smaller antelope species likeimpala and even in aleopard.On the first occasion, Isaw abig buffalo bull shotfromthe lefthand sidewitha400gr Woodleigh Weldcore from a.416.He dropped so quickly that Ithought the shot had gone high and hit the spine.Itlookedtomeasifthe bull wasdeadbefore it hit the ground. It neversomuch as even twitched, therewas no evidence of gasping (the last dying breaths) or corneal reflex when Ipoked its eyewiththe muzzle of my rifle aminute or two

Therightlung, when fully expanded and viewedfrom the outside.The position of the heartisindicated.

Therightlung, viewedfromthe ‘inside’. Notice wherethe heartlies and the position of the‘plumbing’.

later.Itsimplydied instantly.Anautopsy revealed that the bullhad been struck squarely in the left ventricle by thethen fully expanded bulletand to this dayI remainpuzzled as to how death (inother words, the switching off of the bull’s CNS) could have occurred so instantly. Space limitations prohibit afulldiscussionofthissubject here, especially as there areconflicting opinions as to what actually happens in such instances.

BUFFALOBULLS weigh about 750kg and females 700kg.They can run at 50km/h and liveupto20years.

They areplacid animalsthatwould rather retreatthan attack.However,when wounded they areconsidered one of the most dangerous animals on earth. Acharge can mostly only be stopped with afatal or disabling shot

Agood trophywill have aset of widespread,deeply curled horns with awide solid boss,but formanyhunters asolid boss and blunt, worn down horns or even ahorn with abroken tip of an old dagga boyisthe ultimate trophy.Thephotosabove andonthe leftshowthese differences.

Shots should not be taken further than around 100m and mostshots,ifguidedbya good professional hunter, willbeanything between 25 and 80 metres.

In most countries the .375H&H is the mini mum calibreallowed.Only solids and the best premium grade softs arerecommended,and professionalhunters should stick to solidsfor back-up work

Because most hunting is done at close range,open sights arefine,but aqualitylow powerscope (1 to 4or5 power) is agood investment.

Before yougoon ahuntmake surethat your big borerifleisutterly reliable, andtest it thoroughly with the ammo youintend to use on the hunt.