MY GREATEST HUNT James C. Reed
The Family Safari An African adventure with four kids who love to hunt.
The Reed family glasses for game on a beautiful evening in South Africa.
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rabbing my arm, my professional hunter, Phillip, pressed his finger to his lips and in a hushed tone whispered, “James, look at this!” I turned to see what had his attention, and he pointed to my nine-yearold daughter, Eliza. She was sitting quietly, admiring and studying every inch of the beautiful springbok ram she had just taken. She was running her hands over his coat, feeling his horns, examining his hooves, silently taking it all in. Phillip said, “James, this is such a special moment.” My heart swelled with pride. Of all my hunting adventures, my most memorable are hunts with my children. I’ve been extremely fortunate to experience the bounty of Africa numerous times, often with my wife, Mariah. As my kids grew older and earned their hunting and shooting stripes, I began taking
them on their first safaris. Due to the expense of travel, I would take them one at a time, a couple of years apart. Then the onset of Covid put a halt on all our travel, and during this time my three youngest all reached the ages where I would normally have taken them to the Dark Continent. The travel bans and lockdowns were a jolt of reality that the opportunities for travel and adventure we have taken for granted can disappear in the blink of an eye. Once the travel bans lifted, I told Mariah we needed to bite the bullet and take them all to Africa while we could. I contacted my friends at Wintershoek Safaris, booked the tickets, and we were set for an epic adventure. Fourteen-year-old Josie, twelve-year-old Sarah, ten-year-old Wyatt, and nine-year-old Eliza were heading for Africa. Flights to Africa can be grueling, as are the long immigration lines and firearm importation hassles, but it’s all part of the adventure when you see the excitement in your children’s eyes and watch them absorb the experience. The kids passed the time on the f light looking through their Perfect Shot cards, choosing which animals they wanted to hunt, and studying shot placement for each species. Upon arrival at Wintershoek’s Nyara Lodge, we were greeted by managers Phillip and Bernie Coetzee. We arrived in darkness so I knew the dawn would bring the excitement of a whole new world for the kids. Despite the jet lag from flying halfway around the world, Mariah and I were awakened early by the chatter of the two youngest ones standing on the balcony glassing and spotting different species,
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