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T H E O F F I C IA L PU B LIC ATION OF H OUS T ON S AFARI CLUB F OUND AT I ON • S P RI NG 2 019
2 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
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TABLE of
CONTENTS
FEATURES
SPRING 2019
2 019 H S C F C ON V E N T ION 18 CONVENTION CHAIR MESSAGE
28 YOUTH WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE
48 ED PHILLIPS: AUCTIONEER
19 CONVENTION CHAIRS
50 2019 HSCF MEMBERSHIP
20 CONVENTION
52 HUNTING FOR ACCESS
22 EXHIBIT HALL
39 YOUTH HUNTING
24 2019 OUTSTANDING
40 HUNTING AWARDS
& FRIEND
SPONSORS
SURVEY RESPONSE
AT MULTIPLE LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
54 GLOBAL RESCUE: OUT OF NOWHERE
HUNTER OF THE YEAR
26 2019 PROFESSIONAL HUNTER OF THE YEAR
60 GREAT FISH & GAME GRILLING
30 FRIDAY NIGHT 32 PHOTO AWARDS AWARDS
42 GAZELLES LUNCHEON 44 SATURDAY NIGHT GALA
By Scott Leysath
66 THE POWER OF A WORD: HAS “TROPHY” BECOME A LETHAL ADJECTIVE FOR HUNTING?
By Shane P. Mahoney
26
70 THE TWO-YEAR SABLE By Tim Herald
78 EXPLORE SOUTH AMERICA WITH ESPLANADE TRAVEL
84 MEMBERCLICKS 88 DUE DILIGENCE: MAKE YOUR
SAFARI ALL THAT IT CAN TRULY BE
By Max Prasac
90 CHAMPIONING THE TAHR IN NEW ZEALAND
By Roger Duxfield
94 HOW TO DEFEAT THE ANTI-HUNTERS
By Will Coggin
98 PH SPOTLIGHT: LOUIS VAN BERGEN 100 FLIGHTS OF FUN & FELLOWSHIP: 4TH ANNUAL EUROPEAN STYLE TOWER PHEASANT SHOOT
COVER ARTWORK:
2019 HSCF Convention Photography Awards, Best in Show by Suzanne Hixson
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OUR MISSION Preserving the sport of
hunting through education,
conservation and the promotion
of our hunting heritage.
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2018-2019 HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB FOUNDATION OFFICERS Mitzy McCorvey–President Tommy Morrison–Immediate Past President JD Burrows–President Elect Patrick Bryan Anderson–Vice President Mark Brueggeman–Vice President Mark King–Treasurer Jerry Henderson–Secretary HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB FOUNDATION DIRECTORS 2018–2020 Matt Pyle Darrell Kainer Monica Williamson Mills Shaun Nelson 2017–2019 Michael Van Ambrose Jeff Birmingham Linda Cunningham Matt Mann Travis Simpson HEADQUARTERS STAFF Joe Betar, Executive Director Angi McCarthy, Office Manager Carla Nielsen, Marketing & Publications Manager Nancy Oka, Director, Events & Membership Charlotte Betar, Media Sales Vic Williams, Editorial Consultant Nate Silva, Design Consultant Alliance Printing and Graphics Hunter’s Horn™ is published quarterly by Houston Safari Club Foundation 9432 Katy Freeway, Suite 350 Houston, Texas 77055 713.623.8844 (p) 713.623.8866 (f) info@hscfdn.org www.hscfdn.org © Copyright 2019 Houston Safari Club Foundation Houston Safari Club Foundation welcomes contributing articles, photos and research. Houston Safari Club Foundation reserves the right to edit submissions for spelling, grammar, clarity, organization and punctuation and to abridge length. Houston Safari Club Foundation reserves the right not to publish submissions. Content may not be repurposed without the express written consent of the author and publisher. Please submit materials with a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish materials to be returned. Houston Safari Club Foundation is not responsible for lost or unsolicited submissions. Digital submissions are preferred. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to Houston Safari Club Foundation, its members, employees or affiliates. Houston Safari Club Foundation reserves the right to refuse any advertisement believed to be incompatible with our mission or deemed competitive or contrary to the best interests of Houston Safari Club Foundation.
U PCOMING EV EN TS APRIL 13
JUNE 6
Sporting Clays Tournament Greater Houston Gun Club
Craig Boddington; 6:30 PM to 9 PM, location TBD
MAY 2
JULY 11
Rick Franco, COO, Heroes and Horses, From the battlefields of Afghanistan to conservation in Zimbabwe
Trophy Room reception; Ned Holmes’ Residence
SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 7
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE MITZY MCCORVEY, HSCF PRESIDENT
C
ongratulations to Houston Safari Club Foundation for hosting a fabulous convention – Foundation for Tomorrow. We added about 30 to 40 new exhibitors this year and still had a waiting list. That is incredible. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the dedicated and hardworking volunteers for making this a successful weekend, for without all of you, this would not have been possible. I would like to congratulate Convention Chairman, Jeff Birmingham and his Committee Chairs for a job well done! Jeff did a fantastic job of organizing the committees and keeping everyone moving forward and getting things accomplished. Gene Human and Matt Pyle, Firearms Co-Chairs did a wonderful job of securing various firearms and arranging the transporting of them to and from the convention. Our Games Chairman, Bryan Ray, did a great job at bringing the Big Board back, as well as some new games for Friday night. As always, Melanie and John Pepper put together some fantastic artwork. The Gazelles luncheon was a hit thanks to Dawn and Jody Simpson. They had the largest crowd ever in attendance. I would also like to say thank you to Court Murtland for stepping up to Chair the Volunteer Committee. He did an amazing job of getting everyone scheduled for their different time slots during the move in and move out times as well as being wherever he was needed. YWCE was a great success as usual…. thank you, David and Susan Kalich. Lloyd Swiedom, once again, did a fine job on the Hunting Awards as well as Matt Mann with the Photography Awards. We had a great lineup of live auction items in all three of our auctions thanks to Darrell Kainer and Mark King. Hunter Comiskey is moving the Membership committee forward while coming up with new ideas to entice new members. Thank you, Christina Ray, for getting the HSCF store up to par with numerous new items, which, I am told, there were many items that sold out and had to be ordered. The raffle, chaired by Kevin Ormston with help from Eric Grunwald, had some great items and hunts as well. Thank you both. A special thanks to Jerry Henderson for his many years of service taking care of exhibitors and to Mark Brueggeman for taking on Sponsors and Table sales. I would also like to thank Gary Rose for his fine work on the Scholarships that is never ending. And a whole host of gratitude to Deb and Ralph Cunningham, Barrett Simpson and Mark and Julianne King for everything you do to support the club. The office of HSCF - Joe Betar, Nancy Oka, Angi McCarthy, and Carla Nielsen – did a fantastic job before, during and after the convention. Their continuing efforts to support the club and problem solve in the background, show through valiantly in everything they do. I appreciate everything they have done and continue to do.
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Congratulations to Darrell Kainer for being awarded the Frank Green Achievement Award, Brian and Christina Ray and Barrett Simpson on their receipt of the President’s Award and Steve Smith for being named as the 2019 Hunter of the Year. The Convention may be over, but there are still many events upcoming, such as the Annual Sporting Clays Tournament at the Greater Houston Gun Club on Saturday, April 13. This is always a great event, so make sure you get a team together and sign up! In May, Rick Franco, COO, Heroes and Horses, will speak about his journey from the battlefields of Afghanistan to his conservation work in Zimbabwe. In June, Craig Boddington will return for what I know will be a great meeting as his hunting experiences are far reaching and always interesting and informative. If you are not a member of HSCF, I encourage you to join us and become an advocate for preserving the sport of hunting. You will meet many like-minded people as well as enjoy our many activities throughout the year. We, as members of Houston Safari Club Foundation, should continue to educate and recruit members to help us in our mission of preserving the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and the promotion of our hunting heritage. Have a great Spring and remember, it is up to each and every one of us to work towards educating others and teaching those who are unaware…. that hunting is conservation. Yours in conservation and hunting,
Mitzy McCorvey HSCF President
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR‘S MESSAGE JOE BETAR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
T
hank you! Thank you! Thank you! The 2019 HSCF Hunting Expo & Convention is complete and because of you, it was a great success! Members, volunteers, exhibitors, sponsors and all of you that supported our largest fundraising event of the year made it possible. The incredible HSCF staff, Board of Directors and our supporting vendors are to be thanked in addition for their tireless efforts. There are so many moving parts and details involved in this three-day event. We could not have done it without you. The funds raised at the Convention will be used to provide scholarships, youth education and support hunting and conservation projects at home and abroad. Planning for the 2020 Convention is already underway. We would appreciate any suggestions you may have in improving this grand annual event. A big congratulations to our 2019 award winners. Please be thinking now about entering our photo and hunting award contests as you head into the field over the next year. 2020 will be another busy and interesting year. We will relocate our offices later this year and our staff is busy preparing. You will receive more information about our new location in Houston later this year as well. Your HSCF staff is also planning great membership events. The “next big thing” is our annual Sporting Clays Tournament, to be held at Greater Houston Gun Club, Saturday, April 13. Call the office or register online today at hscfdn.org/events/sporting-clays-tournament. If you wish to assist with this event, give us a call. Be sure to check the website at hscfdn.org/upcoming-events/ for updated information on all upcoming events. Also, if you have not done so already, subscribe to our free e-newsletter for all HSCF updates at hscfdn.org/media-publications/ publications/. Your HSC Board (our 501(c)(4) legislative and policy organization) is busy keeping a watchful eye on protecting your hunting rights by being actively involved in domestic and international legislative and policy issues. Our nation’s capital will be a difficult climate to navigate over the next few years, with the current discord between political parties. We will, however, continue to press to keep hunting, conservation, land and wildlife issues at the forefront of our discussions, so that the future of hunting does not get lost in the shuffle. Once again, a bill has been introduced to Modernize the Pittman-Robertson Act, to the 116th Congress. Our efforts to push this across the finish line last year were hampered by other priorities in DC and the mid-term elections. Through the American System of Conservation
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Funding, sportsmen and women contribute nearly $800 million annually from hunting and recreational shooting-related excise taxes to the Pittman-Robertson Fund. These funds are provided back to state fish and wildlife agencies for conservation programs. Jeff Crane, President of our conservation partner, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) states, “Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus leadership has made this important legislation a priority by introducing it in the first month of the 116th Congress. Providing more flexibility to state agencies to use Pittman-Robertson (P-R) dollars for recruitment and retention of hunters and recreational shooters is an important step to ensure the future of state-based conservation funding.” This bill is noted as H.R. 877. Please contact your Senators and Representatives to voice your support of this critical legislation. As I do quite frequently, I ask that you please be involved in your organization. If you have a desire to serve on our Board, be a Committee Chair or volunteer, please contact me directly at 832.767.1881. We would be honored by your participation. Also, please do not forget to encourage your family, friends and associates to become a member of HSCF today. There is indeed strength in numbers! Yours in Conservation,
Joe Betar
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HSCF LIFE MEMBERS Bob Abernathy John Abraham Charlotte Alexander Richard Alexander Crystal Allison Shannon Alston Michael Ambrose Anne Avara Dannine Avara Jacob Avara Skip Avara Paul Babaz Camp Bailey Cope Bailey Freddie Bailey Kenneth Bailey Frank Baird Jo Baird Mike Baird Jack Barksdale L. Irvin Barnhart* Wendy Barnhart James Bell Lyndel Berry Tony Bessette Charlotte Betar Joe Betar James Biggerstaff Jeff Birmingham Craig Boddington Werner Boeer Jay Bonano E. Bond Greg Bond Pete Bonora Jeri Booth Frederick (Tony) Box Luanne Bozeman W. Steven Bozeman James Braus John Bridgwater Jack Brittingham Elizabeth Brueggeman Mark Brueggeman Joe Bruno Aaron Bulkley Matt Burke Robert Burke Byron Burris Grady Burris Quint Burris Prentiss Burt Daniel Butler Turner Butts Don Byrne C. Cagle Dennis Cain Thomas Cain Rick Callison Alex Campbell Bill Carter* Ivan Carter Paul Carter 12 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
Ben Case Barbara Cavender-Lewis Preston Cavner Chris Caywood Tracey Cearley Alan Cegielski Doug Centilli Christopher Clark James Clark Steve Clark Craig Clendenin Stephen Coale Randall Coleman* Russell Coleman Joe Collett Dwayne Collier Frank Comiskey Kevin Comiskey Alan “Bink” Cooke Dian Cooper Rocky Cooper George Councill Steve Crawford Kenneth Crockett Gary Crouch Deb Cunningham Ford Cunningham Linda Cunningham Ralph Cunningham Ralph Daigle Joe Davis Laurent Delagrange Armando DeLeon Armando DeLeon Charlie Desautels Elliot Desautels Gregory Desautels Perry Dillon Randy Donato Barry Donoho Tim Doucet Megan Doyel James (Red) Duke* Jan Duncan Scott Duncan Bruce Edwards Robert Elkins Walton Eller Susan Ellerbeck* Gary Ellison Will Ellison Shaun Essery Travis Findley Charlene Floyd Tommy Fogle Randy Fowler Nathan Foyil* Michael Franklin Bobby Frederick Aaron Freeman Donald French Warren Gallant Randal Garrett
Scott Garrett Tanya Garrett Zachary Garrett Paul Geiger Frank Giacalone Gary Glesby Carl Godfrey Russell Gordy Jeff Gorski William Gouldin Sandra Green Kevin Gregory Edward Guinn Dodd Hackman Clayton Hagerman Cory Hall James Halley Greg Harvey Charles Head Jerry Henderson Mark Herfort Heinert Hertling Robert Hibbert Greg Hill Loren Hill Steven Hill Nicholas Hinze Edward Hoffman William Holder Bill Honza Gene Human Tanya Hurlburt Terry Hurlburt Harold Inman* Justin Itzel Keith Itzel John Jackson Jack Jensen W.A. Jentsch Clay Johnson Todd Johnson Robert Jones Harris Junell Darrell Kainer David Kalich Susan Kalich Kirk Kanady Michelle Kangas Gaye Kelsey John Kelsey Julianne King Mark King Rick Kirk Jim Klentzman Robert Kneppler Philip Koehne George Kollitides Tommy Kolwes Phil Koonce George Kopecky Keith Lake Fred Lamas Wayne LaPierre
HSCF LIFE MEMBERS Joel Latham Kyle Lehne Richard Leibman John Lindholm Tom Lipar Bryant Littlefield Mark Livesay Ricardo Longoria Cody Loverin Doug Luger David Mafrige Shane Mahoney Paige Manard D Martin John Martin James Masten Chad Matherne Wyatt McBride Mitzy McCorvey Tony McCorvey Ed McCrory Vickie McMillan-Hayes Travis McWilliams Gerald Meinecke Lewis Metzger Greg Mills Brook Minx Howard Monsour Forrest Montealegre Paul Montealegre G.L. Moore Reed Morian Tommy Morrison Ron Mostyn Dustin Mykyte Shannon Nash Bob Neese Rob Neilson Scott Nelson Shaun Nelson William B. Newlin Rudy Nix K. Nunnally Carol O’Day Kerry O’Day Charles Onstead Kevin Ormston Neal Overstreet John Painter Michael Park Michael Parr Steve Pate Trevor Penny John Pepper Melanie Pepper Stephanie Perry Will Perry Timothy Peter Bryce Phillips Carson Phillips Dusty Phillips Wilson (Woody) Phillips Thomas Powell
Kevin Poynter Andrew Pratt Kymberly Pratt Charles Prince Sharon Propes Carlos Ramirez Bryan Ray Christina Ray Lawrence Rearick William Reed Gayle Rettig Keith Riggs John Robberson Larry Robinson Mike Robinson* Chuck Rod Robert Rod Stephen Rogers William Rohrbach William Roosevelt Gary Rose Mark Rose Jerry Rubenstein Chris Ruhman John Rulon Gerald Russell Byron Sadler Sandra Sadler Michael Sample William Sample Michael Sandeen Corey Schaefer Scott Scheinin Robert Scherer Wade Schindewolf Adam Schindler George Severence Wayne Sheets John Shelby Richard Shepherd Jason Shrieve William Simmons Austin Simpson Autumn Simpson Barret Simpson Becky Simpson Dawn Simpson Jacob Simpson Jody Simpson Michael Simpson Mike Simpson Travis Simpson Tristan Simpson Weston Simpson Sam Skipper Jason Smith Mandy Smith Steve Smith Tom Snyder Norman Speer Kaylee Stacy Mary Edith Stacy Larry Stifflemire
Mark Stouse Randy Strickland H. Stuart Greg Stube David Swan Lloyd Swiedom Sally Swiedom Leah Symens Tyler Symens Peter Tam Stephen Tam Larry Tatom Terry Taylor Mark Terpstra Heidi Thomas Robert Thomas J.B. Tinney John Tobin Pete Trammell Ted Trout* Hal Tryon Don Turner Phillip Veale Thom Venus Amanda Vick William Vick Juan Villaveces Glenn Vincent Pierre Vorster Joshua Walker Greg Walla Rob Walsh John Waltz Dana Weber Rick Weber Larry Weishuhn Brian Welker Denise Welker Robert Wells Brian Welsh Lawrence West Matt West Bruce Whitmire Bill Wilkinson* Ron Willenborg Steve Willenborg Gregory Williamson Alan Winslette Robby Winstead Kurt Wiseman John Wood Bill Woodall J.D. Woods Patricia Woods Debi Young Preston Young Brian Zaitz
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SCT CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE MATT MANN, SPORTING CLAYS TOURNAMENT CHAIRMAN
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he 2019 HSCF Sporting categories. You need not be an exClays Tournament will pert marksman to enjoy this event, be held on Saturday, novice shooters are encouraged to April 13, 2019, at the attend, so invite your friends, coGreater Houston Gun Club. This workers, and clients to come out tournament has become one of the this year to be a part of this exciting HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB FOUNDATION event for a worthy cause. biggest and most popular charity sporting clays tournaments in the The tournament is a 501(c) Houston area, and we expect even (3) event, and proceeds support more shooters this year. The tourHSCF’s mission of preserving the nament provides numerous sponsorship, marketing, and sport of hunting through education, conservation and the networking opportunities for individuals and companies promotion of our hunting heritage. Funds raised go towards alike, as well as prizes, games, raffles, great food, and fun. programs benefitting habitat and species preservation, youth This year, the timing will be different than years past. In education programs, veterans hunting programs and more. hopes to beat the heat and attract more shooters, the tourWe still have many sponsorship opportunities and would nament will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m. Food greatly appreciate your support. If you are interested, please trucks will be available for breakfast and coffee, and a BBQ email me at matt@lgland.com. lunch, beer, and beverages are included in your registraPlease mark your calendars and register for the event. We tion. There will be a variety of new games and prizes this guarantee you will have a great time of shooting, fellowyear, so get ready to have some fun while raising money ship, and fundraising for a worthy cause. We look forward for HSCF’s mission. to seeing you there! This tournament is for everyone, not just HSCF members. We will have ladies’ teams, veterans’ teams, and youth Thanks, teams, along with team and individual awards for various Matt Mann TM
SPORTING CLAYS TOURNAMENT
16 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 17
2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Convention Chair Message
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he 2019 Convention season ended with a bang as the Houston Safari Club Foundation hosted its 2nd convention at the GRB/Hilton of the Americas. Our successful efforts to raise funds for education and conservation paired perfectly with the 2019 theme, Foundation For Tomorrow, as we continue to work to promote the future of hunting and conservation we lay the groundwork for future generations to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. The HSCF staff and convention committee was able to rework the GRB floor space to enable us to increase the number of exhibitors this year. Their time and effort not only increased exhibitor space for the 2019 convention but also increased the variety of offerings from around the world. Last year there was a huge upswing in convention visitor numbers due largely to the move downtown. This increase continued upward this year and we welcomed many new visitors to the convention floor, especially Friday and Saturday afternoon. The Friday and Saturday night banquets were enjoyed by all in attendance. The entertainers, Corey Morrow and Kevin Fowler, had the crowds dancing and singing until the late hours of the night. It was two great parties and if you were unable to attend this year don’t miss out on next year’s event. A big thank you to all of our donors for their generosity and to the big-hearted buyers for your support to HSCF and our missions.
18 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Convention Chairs ART COMMITTEE
John Pepper Melanie Pepper
2019 CONVENTION CHAIR
Jeff Birmingham
CONVENTION ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
Barret Simpson
DECORATIONS-BANQUETS COMMITTEE
Julianne King
EXHIBITS COMMITTEE
Jerry Henderson
FEMALE HUNTER OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE
Denise Welker
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Ralph Cunningham
FIREARMS COMMITTEE
Matt Pyle Gene Human
GAMES COMMITTEE
Bryan Ray
GAZELLES LUNCHEON COMMITTEE
Dawn Simpson Jody Simpson
GRANTS COMMITTEE
Shaun Nelson
HUNTING AWARDS COMMITTEE
Lloyd Swiedom
LIVE AUCTION COMMITTEE
Darrell Kainer Mark King
MALE HUNTER OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE
William (Bill) Newlin Travis Simpson
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Hunter Comiskey
MERCHANDISE COMMITTEE
Christina Ray
PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS COMMITTEE
RAFFLE COMMITTEE
Kevin Ormston
RAFFLE COMMITTEE
Eric Grunwald
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
Gary Rose
SCHOLARSHIP-YOUTH HUNTER OF THE YEAR COMMITTEE
Deb Cunningham
SPONSORS & TABLE SALES COMMITTEE
Mark Brueggeman SPORTING CLAYS TOURNAMENT
Matt Mann
VOLUNTEERS COMMITTEE
Court Murtland
YOUTH/YWCE COMMITTEE
Susan Kalich David Kalich
Matt Mann
Thank you! SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 19
2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Convention Sponsors COR P OR AT E SP ONSOR S
PL AT I N U M SP ONSOR S
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U N DE RW R I T I NG SP ONSOR S
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Art by L. Mower
SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 21
2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Exhibit Hall
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1: Pointer Outfitters 2: Pete Stewart, Karen Mehall, Sandy Reagan, Phil Phillips and Deb Cunningham. 3: Blue Pepper, Melanie Pepper, Emeric, Tristan Pepper and John Pepper 4: Arlette Lamas and friends. 5: Bryan Ray, Tommy Morrison, Barret Simpson, Mark King, Travis Simpson and JD Burrows. 6: Earle and Tina Freeman
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
2019 Outstanding Hunter of the Year
STEVE SMITH By Suzanne Hixson
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rowing up in a small town in east Texas, my husband had no idea that hunting would eventually take him to some of the wildest and most remote parts of the world. Steve was a young boy when he first accompanied his father on a deer hunt but he knew right then that hunting was something he wanted to do. His mother would sit in a blind with him, which led her to also develop an interest in hunting that lasted well into her eighties. She often teased Steve that no matter how big an elk he shot it would never be as big as hers. Being a smart son, he always agreed. As a young man Steve continued to hunt deer on his family’s farm. Shortly after we began dating he had me sitting alongside him on a very chilly day as he bow hunted. I knew then that I was going to marry a hunter. Work slowed his hunting somewhat but his desire to pursue more and larger North American game still took him to several of the western lower 48 states, Alaska and Canada. I was quite content to see him head off to camp with his buddies. Then about 12 years ago Steve decided he wanted to hunt in Africa. I told him there was no way he was going without me this time. We started making plans for our “one and only” African safari. At about the same time Steve put himself on a waiting list for a polar bear hunt. He recalled watching “Wild Kingdom” with his dad, who declared that to hunt bears on the frozen sea would be the ultimate experience. Steve was informed that his chances were slim as no one ever cancelled a polar bear hunt. When he got the call that indeed a hunt had become available he had about ten minutes to make a decision. In a matter of days he gathered his gear and took off to Nunavut for a ten-day adventure on the ice. He hunted from a dogsled with indigenous guides and was rewarded with a magnificent old bear. Less than a month after Steve’s return from the Arctic we were on a plane to Zimbabwe to hunt cape buffalo and leopard. Steve fell in love with Africa. So did I. The course of our lives had just taken a major detour. On the flight home Steve set a goal to hunt the big five before his 50th birthday. He was 47. We soon became very familiar with the outfitters’ vernacular, “one hunter and one observer.” Africa called us back again and again. Zimbabwe, our first love, led us to Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, and Namibia — unique and foreign places yet we were always made to feel at home. From the forests of Cameroon in search of bongo to the swamps of Uganda tracking sitatunga, we were exposed not only to exotic wildlife but to ways of life very different from our own. As Steve so perfectly stated during the HSCF awards banquet, “It isn’t just about the hunts. It’s about the people you meet, the places
you go, and the cultures you experience. We have made lifelong friends all over this world. We’ve seen what hunting contributes to conservation of wildlife and to local communities and we’ve tried to play a role in those efforts whenever we can.” Steve did achieve that goal of hunting the big five and then set even more goals, including a plan to hunt six continents. I remember arriving in Tajikistan to hunt Marco Polo and the guide asking Steve how many sheep hunts he had completed. Steve told him this was his first. He figured he’d start at the top. At 16,000 feet above sea level, it was indeed at the top. Steve firmly believes that the hands of his late father, who was an army sniper, guided him to make that perfect shot. In early 2017 Steve was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer which put our lives on another more serious detour. During a follow-up visit with his surgeon we asked how soon Steve could travel and if “recoil” was an issue. The doctor looked puzzled, then smiled with understanding and encouraged us to carry on. We immediately booked a trip to Argentina with Steve’s sights set on water buffalo and puma. Just last May, only weeks after completing a year of treatments, Steve accomplished his goal of hunting six continents by jumping out of a helicopter and wading through waist deep snow to pursue chamois and tahr in New Zealand. That family farm where Steve nurtured his love of hunting and the outdoors is now ours. Steve wasn’t planning to hunt last Thanksgiving Day when he stepped out of the house wearing just his flip-flops and an old fleece. It was brisk in east Texas, probably much like the mornings he hunted as a boy with his mom and dad. It was definitely reminiscent of another cold day almost 35 years ago when he took his girlfriend on her first hunt. But on this Thanksgiving morning a deer we’d never seen before grazed on acorns near a fence row. Steve retrieved his rifle. He didn’t bother with his boots. Moments later he squeezed the trigger on the biggest buck ever taken on the property. I was blessed to observe it all come full circle. To say it has been a privilege to have been the “one observer” on our hunting travels is an understatement. Steve proposed to me on a bear hunt in Quebec and for our 25th wedding anniversary he took me nilgai hunting in south Texas. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am married to a man who pursues his passions ethically and honestly. He is quick to tell anyone that if you live your life in this way then you owe no one an apology. He is a proud hunter and he is proud to be a member of the Houston Safari Club Foundation. Steve is truly grateful to the club for recognizing him as the Outstanding Hunter of the Year. Receiving this award before a room filled with people he respects and admires was an incredible honor. ★
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
2019 Professional Hunter of the Year
WANGANUI SAFARIS The Hunting Life From New Zealand To Houston
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grew up on a remote family farm in Jerusalem, New Zealand, on the Wanganui River. We were sheep and cattle farmers, but I got the hunting bug bad when, at 10 years old, my Dad gave me his .303 to go shoot a big boar that his sheep dogs were bailing. From that day on, whenever I wasn’t at school, I hunted goats, pigs and deer as well as trapping possums for money in the winter. With huge areas of bush surrounding our farm and no predators, it was a constant battle to keep wild animal numbers from taking over the good land we farmed. Pigs would kill hundreds of lambs if unchecked and opossums’ numbers were out of control. During our best winter my brother and I shot 300 stags and over 1,000 goats. All meat was retrieved on horseback or three-wheeled Honda bikes, then sold to meat buyers in Wanganui. This on top of over 1,000 possums poisoned and skinned. At 15, I shot my first trophy fallow buck and shortly after I took a giant boar with dogs in the middle of the night. Every dollar I earned went into buying new guns and finding new areas to hunt. In the late 1970s and ’80s, deer and goats were suddenly worth way more alive than dead so we moved from hunting to trapping deer and goats and jumping out of Hughes 500 helicopters, catching deer and goats. It was a fun time and was better business than farming sheep and cattle. In the late ’80s I persuaded my dad to give up sheep farming and get into the trophy hunting business. We built a lodge and headed to the SCI show in Reno. There were about 300 exhibitors in total and only five New Zealand outfitters. We only sold one hunt to a car salesman from Nebraska at the show and we remain great friends to this day. Undeterred, we returned the following year and attending the Dallas Safaris show as well as SCI. The DSC show was held at the DFW Marriott and was even smaller than SCI. The shows were great fun and the Kiwis and African outfitters always teamed up to talk rugby and party hard, especially at the famous Reno Hilton (now Grand Sierra) bar. In the following year we added the Houston and Nebraska shows to Dallas and Reno. In the early ’90s Kelly Samson of Klineburger Travel asked me to head to Mongolia to hunt elk. One hunting trip turned into a business of selling Russian deer velvet and hard horn in Hong Kong. I loved Mongolia and the people, but the breakup of the Soviet Union and free market policies ended our business. During our many travels we got terribly sick drinking fermented horse milk in remote yurts, rode horrible little ponies with horrible wooden saddles, saw thousands of elk, saw the elusive snow leopard and succeeded in getting detained for three days by the Russian military — they thought we were CIA spies.
Trips to Australia to hunt water buffalo and dingos out of Darwin and Rusa on Marble Island were also completed. By now we had two small boys, Earl and William, in tow so they joined us at many U.S. hunting shows. They started hunting rabbits as soon as they could hold a .22 chipmunk rifle. After the hunting season we brought the boys an 85cc go kart for something to do on our weekends off. That little kart turned into a money-eating hobby that ended with Earl winning Porsche Carrera Cup twice and Porsche Super Cup. He was then signed as Porsche factory driver and has since gone on to win the world’s biggest and most famous endurance race, the 24 hours of Le Mans, twice with Porsche. William put himself through university, graduating with a degree in Bachelor of Design. He then headed straight to Kuala Lumpur to become a highly successful driver, racing Porsche, and has formed a race car company with Earl running four cars as well driver coaching all over Asia. Over the years Wanganui Safaris has supported many hunting conservation projects, but our greatest pleasure has been in projects as diverse as supporting housing for breast cancer patients in Mexico and hosting many Wounded Warriors over many years. We have now been attending the U.S. show circuit for 31 years and without question Chrissie and our favorite show is the Houston Safari show. Why? Because Houston is a small show with a great group of passionate volunteers supporting hunting and conservation. We know when we support HSCF the money raised will be used in the best possible way to enhance hunting. As a company Chrissie and I have had the pleasure of hosting so many HSCF hunters. We look forward to shooting many more giant stags and celebrating with the Green Stuff that we are famous for. A final word: HSCF hunter and auctioneer and our dear friend Ed Phillips passed away recently. Ed and his wife LaNell hunted with us many times, including in March 2018 when we had a wonderful wedding ceremony on our ranch for his son, Sloan, and daughter in-law Veronica. RIP Ed. ★
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
For The Love Of Wildlife BY SUSAN KALICH YWCE CO-CHAIRMAN
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t’s approximately 8:00 a.m. on the first day of the HSCF Expo and Convention. I watch as the 150 participants begin to arrive, enduring the hustle of registration and then tentatively entering the large meeting room of the hotel. And, after months of planning, I choose that moment to question: “Will they make that one special observation, and turn it into a learning experience?” “Have we created a program that reflects our mission?” “Will they see the program line-up as exciting and fun?” Despite my doubts, I must brace myself for the flurry of activity, the unexpected fires to put out, and then - the day begins It was exciting to see the many new volunteers working the room, wearing their HSCF “#WEHUNTWEGIVE” t-shirts and sharing their own hunting, fishing and conservation experiences with the participants. This is a new feature to YWCE this year, and a valued enhancement. Teachers told us that the one on one conversations helped to reinforce their classroom experience. It’s time to begin, and loud chatter gives way to the opening remarks and a welcome by HSCF Executive Director, Joe Betar. Joe also introduced and showed the newly produced Youth Activities video which is an excellent reflection of the program. Several of our young video rock “stars” were in the room, and it was great fun watching their reaction to seeing themselves on the screen. After a few housekeeping remarks, participants made their way to the first of the
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1 three workshops they would attend that morning. Each workshop was 45 minutes, with a quick break in-between. All workshop speakers are professionals and the some of the best, if not the best, in their respective fields. Participants had these six topics to choose from: The Art of Taxidermy was led by Caleb Townley of Conroe Taxidermy. This is a popular workshop for the young lovers of wildlife, with an artful side. It’s a career many participants hadn’t considered until attending YWCE, and they are wowed by the creativity involved. Texas Wildlife Law Enforcement, with Officer Hennie Volshenk, provided an open dialogue with our outdoors first responders, providing insight to their many functions, shared exciting stories from the job, and the qualifications necessary to pursue this honorable career. Wildlife Biology and Management
drew a lot of interest, and Gary Rose crammed a large amount of information in a short period of time as he walked his participants round the Expo floor. He cleverly uses the displays to demonstrate his topic, and shares his life experiences that brought him to his chosen career. Sustainable Hunting: A Conservation Tool was new to the YWCE workshop list. Briana Miles, the East Texas Field Operations Coordinator for the Texas Youth Hunting Program, brought this new idea to the table by engaging our participants and encouraging them to become stewards of the land and be the next generation of conservationists. Hunting Opportunities for Texas Youth is the perfect workshop to be led by Heidi Rao, Hunter Education Specialist for Texas Parks and Wildlife and mother of four young hunters of her own. An excellent mentor, Heidi brings her knowledge
2 and information of how and where young hunters can go to see hunter education and affordable hunting opportunities in Texas. “So, You Think You Know Texas Wildlife?” was brought to the program to provide these urban participants some straight talk about the wildlife around them. Tracey Prothro, Superintendent of Natural Resource Programs for the City of Baytown, gives an excellent delivery of the facts and fiction around our beloved Texas wildlife, lands and habitat. She’s an experienced instructor and created a lot of active dialogue in her workshops. It’s now 11:15 a.m. and we adjourn from the fast pace of workshops, to lunch and closing activities. Now we wrap up. After a quick introduction, Deb Cunningham spent a few minutes sharing her experiences supporting HSCF’s #WEHUNTWEGIVE initiative. She talked about the many ways hunters give back to the world in the many forms of wildlife and habitat conservation, support of the peoples of the world and the enormous results of their generosity. Deb was touched by the participants who came up to her afterwards to ask more direct questions of her experiences. Our program is finalized with the moving presentation by the honored wildlife artist, Vickie McMillan Hayes, who tossed a “don’t ever give up on yourself ” challenge to the floor, and then invited each of the 150 young participants to contribute a personal paintbrush stroke to her canvas that would be auctioned off later that evening at the Friday night HSCF convention banquet, with all proceeds going back to the Youth Activities Program. My earlier concerns melt away as I listen to the cautious excitement and sharing of experiences between the newly energized participants. So much information to process. We all wanted to be an effective model for learning and had to be authentic
3 1: Group of participants pose after a session in The Art of Taxidermy. 2: Serious concentration! 3: YWCE class painting with Wildlife Artist Vickie McMillan-Hayes 4: Exhibitor Stephen Tam (Tam Safaris) with YWCE students
4 regarding our own thoughts, feelings, and values. To our valued volunteers, speakers and office staff - Mission Accomplished! It’s now 12:00 noon. Participants are now enjoying free time and walking the Expo floor. They will be heading back to school soon. The 2019 Youth Wildlife/ Conservation Experience is now history. Planning for the 2020 version has already begun. I again wonder - Will it meet the challenge? YWCE is indeed about wildlife, and conservation, and experiences. Hunting and fishing are a huge part of the variety of ideas and discussions taking place. Our goal is to introduce and expose 150 young people to our love of these sports and all things around those sports, with
the understanding that we are responsible for creating an environment of support that gives them an opportunity to develop their own ideas, express their feelings, take risks, make choices, and most of all, grow to be strong, thinking individuals. YWCE clearly does this. YWCE (Youth Wildlife/Conservation Experience), as part of the HSCF expo and convention, introduces area high school students to the many possibilities their love of the outdoors can hold, whether participating in our honorable sport, as a career or in community service. It is the feature event for the HSCF Youth Activities Program, which is dedicated to preserving the future of conservation through youth mentoring programs and education. ★ SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 29
2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Friday Night
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1: 2018 Dan L. Duncan scholarship recipients and their guests. 2: Leah Symens, Becky Simpson, Jody Simpson 3: 2019 HSCF Photography Award winners with photography chair Matt Mann & HSC/HSCF Executive Director Joe Betar.
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4: Gary Rose and the 2018 Dan L. Duncan scholarship recipients 5: 2019 Professional Hunter of the Year recipient Paul Bamber & Bruno Rosich. 6: Wesley Anderson (a.k.a. superstar) 7: Christina Ray working hard at the big board. 8: BSA Hunting Crew .30-06 9: HSCF President Elect JD Burrows.
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10: Some of the 2019 Youth Hunting Award winners.
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
PHOTO Awards PHO T O AWA R D S S P ON S OR
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BEST IN SHOW: Suzanne Hixson
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2019 W i n n e r s
LANDSCAPE FIRST PLACE: Cope Bailey
WILDLIFE FIRST PLACE: Douglas Moore
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2019 W i n n e r s
ADVENTURE FIRST PLACE: Will Ellison
IPHONE, IPAD, SMARTPHONE FIRST PLACE: Matt Pyle
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FISHING | FIRST PLACE: Monica Mills
HUNTING | FIRST PLACE: Melcom Van Staden SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 35
2019 W i n n e r s m entions
2019 H o n o r a b l e
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE | FIRST PLACE: Suzanne Hixson
WILDLIFE | HONORABLE MENTION: Frank Comiskey 36 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
INDIGENOUS | HONORABLE MENTION: Linda Donaho
FISHING | HONORABLE MENTION: Ryan Corrigan
HUNTING | HONORABLE MENTION: Will Ellison SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 37
m entions
2019 H o n o r a b l e
IPHONE, IPAD, SMARTPHONE HONORABLE MENTION: Douglas Moore
LANDSCAPE HONORABLE MENTION: Lynn Dempsey
ADVENTURE HONORABLE MENTION: Linda Donaho
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Youth Hunting Awards YO U T H 13 & B E LOW
Texas Dall Sheep Kaylee Ann Stacy
Nubian Ibex Kaylee Ann Stacy
GOLD:
Whitetail Deer Colton Comiskey
BRONZE:
SILVER:
BRONZE:
Black Wildebeest Emeric Pepper
Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest Tristan Pepper
Axis Deer Evan Munguia
BRONZE:
Whitetail Deer Chase Comiskey
BRONZE:
Whitetail Deer Viola Marie Bulkley
BRONZE:
BRONZE:
YO U T H ( 14 -1 8)
Whitetail Deer Forrest Montealegre
Whitetail Deer Forrest Montealegre
GOLD:
Cape Buffalo Turner Clay Butts
SILVER:
Red Sheep Chloe Pepper
BRONZE:
BRONZE:
Blackbuck Antelope Mallory Potts
BRONZE:
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Hunting Awards Whitetail Rifle; Free Range Blake Boeker
Alternative Methods
Continents
Muzzleloader
GOLD: Stephen Coale
SILVER: Scott Garrett
Rifle; Estate
Europe Shotgun
Terry Rathert
Handgun; Estate Scott Garrett
Crossbow; Free Range Dr. Lloyd Swiedom
Crossbow; Estate Des Woods
Marco Polo Argali
Addax
Josh Harris
Archery; Free Range
Asia
BRONZE: Lee Phillips Whitetail Deer
GOLD: Fred Lamas Roe Deer
SILVER: Anthony Butts Eurasian Wild Boar
North America North America Estate GOLD: Rocky Cooper Trans Caspian Urial
SILVER: Fred Lamas Sika Deer
BRONZE: Fred Lamas
South Pacific GOLD: Al Iandoli Red Stag
SILVER: Scott Garrett Axis Deer
BRONZE: Mary Edith Stacy Javan Rusa
Hybrid Ibex
Africa Plains Game
Archery
North America Free Range GOLD: Craig Phillips
Archery Free Range
Brown Bear
GOLD: Dr. Lloyd Swiedom
SILVER: Aaron Bulkley
Axis Deer
Grizzly Bear
SILVER: John Christlieb
BRONZE: Kevin Ormston
Cape Eland
Mule Deer
North America Introduced GOLD: Mary Edith Stacy
Archery Estate
Fallow Deer
GOLD: Jeff Birmingham
SILVER: Mary Edith Stacy
Sable
Oryx
SILVER: Gib Surles
BRONZE: Mary Edith Stacy
Sable
Nilgai
BRONZE: Gib Surles Eland
SILVER: Keith Riggs East African Greater Kudu
BRONZE: Turner Clay Butts Cape Grysbok
Africa Dangerous Game
BRONZE: Jeff Birmingham Sitka Blacktail Deer
GOLD: Craig Phillips Abyssinian Greater Kudu
GOLD: Gary Ellison Leopard
SILVER: Gary Ellison Cape Buffalo; Archery
BRONZE: Keith Riggs Cape Buffalo
2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Hunting Award Sponsors Title Sponsor
Silver Sponsors Alliance Printing Angie & JD Burrows G’Sell’s Whitetails Carolyn & William Newlin Craig Phillips Cindi & John Rulon Pro Cargo USA
Gold Sponsors Australian Outfitters
Bronze Sponsor Marla & Herb Atkinson
Connie & Stephen Coale
Anita & John Colglazier
Hunter & Frank Comiskey
Julianne & Mark King
Mitzy & Tony McCorvey
Sally & Lloyd Swiedom
Dan L. Duncan Scholarship Program Sponsors Ellen & Hank Bachmann Legacy Sponsor
Connie & Stephen Coale Patron Sponsor
Deb & Ralph Cunningham Legacy Sponsor
Mackenzie & Rudy Nix Patron Sponsor
Ann & Randy Fowler Legacy Sponsor
Melanie & John Pepper Patron Sponsor
Mitzy & Tony McCorvey Legacy Sponsor
Craig E. Power/Cokinos Patron Sponsor
Edwin Smith Legacy Sponsor
Denise & Brian Welker Patron Sponsor
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Gazelles Luncheon
GAZELLE SPONSORS Presenting Sponsor In Loving Memory of Suzanne Ambrose
Platinum Sponsors Barbara Crow Beeler Conroe Taxidermy Deb & Ralph Cunningham Ann & Marc Laird New Latitudes Charters Sandra & Byron Sadler
Gold Sponsors 1
Rhoda Clark Gay & Bob Rod Rummel Creek Builders Upstream International/ Bryan Anderson
Silver Sponsors Wendy Barnhart Angie & JD Burrows Suzanne Hixson & Steve Smith Cheryl & Darrell Kainer
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Julianne & Mark King Arlette & Fred Lamas Mitzy & Tony McCorvey Pug & Ron Mostyn Carolyn & William Newlin Melanie & John Pepper Susie & Matt Pyle Christina & Bryan Ray “Cindi & John Rulon Pro Cargo USA” MaryAnn & Gerald Russell Sporting International/ Anna & Tommy Morrison Sally & Lloyd Swiedom Town Center Automotive Laurie-Leigh & Trey White
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Bronze Sponsor John Bowers
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1: Deb Cunningham 2: Bryan Ray & Mark King 3: Melanie Pepper, John Pepper & Denise Welker. 4: Steve Smith, Suzanne Hixson, Angie Nelson & Shaun Nelson 5: Susie Pyle & Matt Pyle. 6: Brandi Ratliff, Denise Welker, Mitzy McCorvey & McKenna Ratliff. 7: Gisela Hausman, Gay Rod and Pug Mostyn 8: Mackenzie Nix, Dawn Simpson & LaurieLeigh White. 9: Kathy Rainey & Frank Comiskey. 10: Display in memory of Suzanne Ambrose 11: Jody Simpson, Dawn Simpson & Lisa Rodriguez
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2019 HSCF CONVENTION
Saturday Night Gala
1 1: HSCF President Mitzy McCorvey & 2019 Convention Chair Jeff Birmingham 2: HSCF Past President Tommy Morrison and Anna Morrison 3: Mike Ambrose & Charlotte Betar
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4 4: Barbara Fausti 5: Gunwerks new custom Long Range Rifle Package auction item. 6: Sloan Phillips, Maddy Cadenhead, LaNei Cadenhead Phillips, Veronica Phillips 7: 2019 Hunter of the Year Steve Smith 8: Dr. Joe Agris, HSCF President Mitzy McCorvey and Terry Agris 9: HSCF President Mitzy McCorvey
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11 10: Byron Sadler, Sandra Sadler, Mitzy McCorvey and Dr. Joe Agris 11: Tommy Morrison & 2019 Frank Green Award winner Darrell Kainer 12: 2019 Convention Chair Jeff Birmingham 13: HSCF President Mitzy McCorvey & 2019 President Award winner Barret Simpson
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14: HSCF President Mitzy McCorvey & 2019 President Award winners Christina Ray & Bryan Ray. 15: Arlette & Fred Lamas 16: Bryan Ray 17: Dawn Simpson, Travis Simpson, Mike Simpson, Brian Gilroy
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SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 47
ED PHILLIPS AUCTIONEER & FRIEND
By Mitzy McCorvey We lost a dear friend on December 8, 2018. Edward Lee “Ed” Phillips wore many hats. He was a husband, father, grandfather, teacher, rancher, auctioneer and friend to everyone he met. Ed never met a stranger. You could talk to him for 10 minutes and you felt like you knew him for 10 years. Ed graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Animal Science, then went to Auctioneer school. He then met and married LaNell and continued to Sam Houston University for a master’s degree and teaching certification in Ag Education. He taught Ag Science at Buffalo High School for 34 years, along with cattle ranching and auctioneering. I can only imagine what kind of impact he made on the many students he taught over the years. He was the auctioneer for Houston Safari Club for over 30 years as well as numerous other non-profit organizations. He also enjoyed fishing with his grandkids and had hunted in Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.
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I had the pleasure, one spring Friday, of showing Ed around our ranch. He called to see if Tony and I were at the ranch. I was there with Anna Morrison, getting ready for a party. He was in the area, coming from one auction and heading to another one, and wanted to come by and visit if we had time. I told him to come on, we would love to have him. We gave him something to eat and went for a ride. We were looking at our cows and he began talking about them and about how great they looked. I took this as a great compliment coming from him as I knew he was very knowledgeable about cattle. I will never forget that afternoon…visiting with a friend … and he was a great friend to everyone he met. We will miss him terribly. For those interested in making a donation to his scholarship fund, contact the Ed Phillips LCYLS (Leon County Youth Livestock Show) Scholarship fund, 1123 CR 273, Buffalo, Texas 75831
2018
HSCF Membership Survey Response JOE BETAR, HSCF/HSC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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eedback is a great thing! It helps stimulate growth, change and overall improvement. The last two years have seen quite a few changes for our organization. Our structure has been redefined to allow Houston Safari Club, our 501(c)(4), to independently function as our legislative and policy branch. Houston Safari Club Foundation, our 501(c) (3), now serves as host for membership, our scholarship & grants programs, publishing and Convention. By the way, each has its own website. Keep up to date with HSC at houstonsafariclub. org and HSCF at hscfdn.org. In late 2018, we launched our latest membership survey. The response was good, and we received great feedback and recommendations. To be honest, though, a few responses indicated some members were unsure of the happenings within our organization. So, I am taking a few minutes of your time, and a bit of space in Hunter’s Horn, to hopefully shed light on some of your comments and questions. I hope these responses help you to learn more about HSCF.
MEMBERSHIP
Many respondents expressed why they liked being part of HSCF. Among them: fellowship with other hunters, the scholarship program; our grants program, our commitment to conservation, our support of hunting, anti-poaching support, and the sharing of experiences. A few comments expressed concerns that the organization has felt “cliquish” or segmented for many years. HSCF and HSC are organizations that belong to and represent its members. We welcome all to join and all to participate. The staff is always available to provide information about our organizations. I highly encourage you to attend events, volunteer, serve as a committee chair, or tell us if you are interested in being a Board member. We want as many people as possible to be involved. We need you! There were a few requests for more member benefits in the form of discounts and special offers for members. Guess what? We already have that! See the website at hscfdn.org/giving-back/member-rewards/ for the latest offerings.
PUBLICATIONS
Ninety percent of respondents read our newsletter, The Bush Telegraph. Ninety-five percent of respondents read our 50 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
award-winning magazine, Hunter’s Horn. Eleven percent of you read a digital version of Hunter’s Horn on your smart phone, tablet or computer. We received suggestions on content for future issues of Hunter’s Horn and plan on incorporating some of those ideas. Several of you asked that we feature more member stories. We try to do this in each issue, as they are submitted. You can help us by submitting more member stories and photos and we will be sure to include them. All submissions should be sent via email to carla@hscfdn.org or by mail to: Houston Safari Club Foundation; Attention: Editor; 9432 Katy Freeway, Suite 350 Houston, TX 77055 Grants Program: Some of you requested updates on grants and how we spend our money. Please read my “Executive Director’s Message” each month as this is where I provide grant updates. We also ask our grant recipients to provide article updates for the magazine. Member & Outfitter Spotlights: Several of you wish to learn more about HSCF members and outfitters from around the world. Great idea, and we look forward to these articles. If you are or know a member, an outfitter or PH that wishes to be featured, please contact us today. Scholarship Program and Progress Reports: We award 25-$6,000 scholarships annually. Scholarship recipients and information about their studies and field work are included in each issue of Hunter’s Horn throughout the year. Legislative Updates: These are provided within my message each issue and are accompanied by articles on policy and legislation by various authors and partners, like Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation and NRA. International Hunt Planning: On a regular basis, we provide travel and planning articles for international excursions. Please be on the lookout for these articles as provided by international hunters and travel agencies. Conservation and Hunter Recruitment: Please refer to the articles contributed by Shane Mahoney of Conservation Visions
and the articles about our youth programs for subject matter in this area. Other desired subjects include trophy shipping, firearms shipping and transport, trophy room design, technology reviews (satellite phones, game cameras, etc.). We will do our best to include these in the future.
providing more monthly events with guest speakers. Several of you gave us good marks in the monthly event effort. It is not easy to meet the request of every member. Please continue to send us your ideas on desired locations, topics and speakers. We will do our best to implement these ideas.
VETERAN’S PROGRAM
A whopping 84 percent of respondents stated they attend Convention. Many of you had a very positive response about the move downtown. Quite a few of you recommended seminars or instructional sessions. We will evaluate the feasibility of seminars for future conventions. Some respondents stated we needed more communication about Convention. Please be sure to read the notices and announcements provided in Hunter’s Horn, twice monthly in the Bush Telegraph, various e-blasts and on social media.
There were a couple of comments and seemed to be some confusion about how we support military Veteran’s programs. I would like to address that here. For a non-profit organization to raise money specifically for a cause, that cause must be part or congruent with the organization’s mission statement. Veteran’s outreach is not part of our mission statement. Therefore, we cannot legally raise funds and designate them specifically for Veteran’s programs. Rather than hosting Veteran’s hunting trips, with very limited personnel resources, we felt it was more responsible to provide financial support to organizations that provide these services as their core mission. We also continue to connect Veteran’s programs to landowners that may wish to host hunts and provide volunteers to support these efforts. I have a son who is active duty U.S. Navy. I understand the importance of our military. HSCF will always continue to support our Veterans.
MONTHLY EVENTS
We work to offer a variety of topics and types of monthly events. The survey revealed that 60 percent of respondents attend one to three events annually. Many of you stated that location, day of the week, and scheduling conflicts as primary reasons that may affect your attendance at events. Quite a few of you mentioned
CONVENTION
SOCIAL MEDIA
Over 50 percent of you follow us on social media. Both HSCF and HSC have social media available on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other channels. You can click to these channels by using the buttons provided on the websites and at the bottom of our digital communications. Look to these channels for daily updates, news and information about your organization. We encourage you to visit these channels and participate, communicate and comment on our posts. Please feel free to provide ideas and input to me or any member of the HSCF staff and Board of Directors. Our goal is to optimize your membership experience while we work to protect the future of hunting. Thank you! ★ SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 51
52 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
Hunting for Access at Multiple Levels of Government BY ANDY TREHARNE, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF WESTERN STATES, CONGRESSIONAL SPORTSMEN’S FOUNDATION
A
ccess to places to hunt and fish is crucial to the continuation of our outdoor pastimes. A study conducted for the National Shooting Sports Foundation found that 50 percent of American hunters felt that a lack of access impacted their ability to enjoy hunting or influenced a decision not to participate. The same study found that 49 percent agreed that a lack of places to hunt influenced their behavior. These concerns are particularly salient in parts of the country where the majority of hunters rely on access to public land for their hunting pursuits. Many sportsmen and women are concerned with problems associated with access restrictions on private land, unintended consequences of development, unclear signage, government-enforced closures of public lands, and lands once open to hunting being parceled out when sold or leased. These challenges call for unique and innovative solutions. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) is currently developing a comprehensive report that will summarize the importance of access and highlight existing state-based programs that represent unique and successful approaches to improving recreational access for sportsmen and women across the West. CSF’s goal is to provide sportsmen and women, state legislators, governors, state agencies, and other stakeholders with information to inspire policy changes that benefit outdoor-oriented constituencies. The report’s publication will provide a unique opportunity for the sportsmen’s community to highlight the importance of recreational access to lands and waters that can accommodate hunting, angling, recreational shooting, and trapping. However, due to the complexity of addressing access issues—particularly in the western states that feature vast tracts of public land—decisions made at the federal
level also have a significant impact on state-led programs and the access initiatives of sporting conservation groups. Many readers may have followed the ongoing saga associated with reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the United States Congress. While this program has a proven track record of providing the American public with recreation opportunities (including hunting and fishing access), the program remains expired at the time of this writing due to the politics of Washington, DC. Since its early days, money appropriated to LWCF has been split between the state side of the program and the federal side. The state side provides matching grants to states and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities while the federal side is used to acquire lands, waters, and interests therein necessary to achieve the natural, cultural, wildlife, and recreation management objectives of federal land management agencies. Over time, appropriations made to the state side have decreased relative to the Federal side which has grown as a percentage of overall funding throughout the years. Recent proposals to reauthorize LWCF suggest that Congress may be interested in reversing this trend by allocating up to 40 percent of funds directed to the program to the State side. Should this occur, it will be incumbent upon sportsmen and women to work with our state elected officials, state fish and wildlife agencies and sporting community partners to ensure that hunters and anglers have an opportunity to realize the benefits of LWCF’s state side by using increased funding to leverage existing access programs and develop new ones. CSF looks forward to working with the Houston Safari Club and other partners in the sporting community to ensure that this priority becomes a reality. ★
SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 53
OUT OF
NOWHERE
A Life Changed on an African Safari Contributed by Global Rescue
54 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
“It was a like a loud sound, almost like a roar. I yelled ‘lion’ and took off running before I saw the animal. It was about four seconds from the time I saw the animal until it gored me.” Walking through the Tsitsingombe River Valley in Zimbabwe, Global Rescue member Angie Heister had no idea that her life was about to change dramatically. Angie and her husband were 10 days into their trip. “Our guide was shooting birds to cook for us for lunch,” said Angie. “We’d already finished the dangerous game hunting and were in an area where we believed there weren’t any buffalo. We were going down a dirt road with the grass about eight feet tall around us. With the direction of the wind and the noise we’d been making, that buffalo really should not have been there. He should have gone. Animals will usually run away when they see you but this animal didn’t. He waited for us. You never know what’s in the mind of a wild animal, but I often wonder if maybe he was injured and didn’t want to move, and we got too close and scared him. It was a loud sound, almost like a roar. I yelled ‘lion’ and took off running before I saw the animal.” The male Cape buffalo emerged from behind a Ziziphus bush and came rushing toward Angie and her husband. The bull first hit Angie’s husband, knocking him over. Angie was next. “It was about four seconds from the time I saw the animal until it gored me. It just happened so fast,” she said. “The horn gored me, and I was thrown. What I didn’t know at the time was that it dislocated my spine. The animal had knocked my husband unconscious. The next thing I knew, I’m lying on the ground. I’d heard stories about these animals and how mean they are, so I was trying to cover my head with my arms because I was expecting the animal to come back. That’s the reputation they have. It’s a miracle that the animal did not come back. He kept going. “I realized I couldn’t move my legs but I wasn’t really processing what that meant,” Angie continued. “I didn’t realize that I was
Angie Heister and her husband, Robert
bleeding. The professional hunter came over to assess the situation. He and the guide realized I couldn’t walk, but didn’t realize how much I was bleeding. I knew that I was having trouble breathing, and it was all I could do to say, ‘I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe!’ We didn’t know it at the time, but my ribs were broken and my lungs had collapsed.” Angie was losing blood quickly, with a gaping wound on her left side. Their guide attempted to staunch her bleeding before bringing her to the nearest suitable landing area for a helicopter. He called Global Rescue. A helicopter arrived within an hour and transported Angie to a facility in Victoria Falls. In the emergency room, she was stabilized and her injuries were assessed. She had no sensation in her lower extremities and had lost a life-threatening amount of blood. Global Rescue physicians consulted with Angie’s attending physician and recommended that Angie be transported immediately to South Africa. Global Rescue performed a medical evacuation, bringing Angie via a
medically equipped jet to a world-class trauma center in Johannesburg. “Luckily it was decided that Global Rescue could take me to Johannesburg, which was a fantastic thing,” noted Angie. “It was a tier one health center—a fantastic hospital with great medical care. Later, I did some research which confirmed it was a really great hospital. But at the time, all you know is that you’re in a country that you didn’t plan to go to, you’re in a hospital, you can’t move your legs, and you can’t feel your legs. You just don’t even have any idea what’s ahead.” In Johannesburg, Angie was evaluated by neuro and trauma surgeons. In the meantime, Global Rescue dispatched the first of three paramedics to oversee her care. After a thorough review of Angie’s condition with specialists from Johns Hopkins medicine, the physicians determined that she required emergency surgery to fuse the vertebrae in her spine. The buffalo attack left her spinal cord severely bruised and her lower extremities would remain paralyzed for an unknown period of time. “The trauma surgeon cleaned out the wound and tried to determine the extent of my injuries while trying to keep me alive,” said Angie. “The doctor later told me that the wound was big enough to fit his wrist and forearm through, and that he could see my bowels and the bottom of my lungs. It really is unbelievable that the horn didn’t hit an artery and I didn’t bleed to death. They said my spinal cord was dislocated and they needed to do surgery, but it would probably be two weeks before I was stable enough for that surgery. They put rods in my spine, and the doctors told me the area was very bruised and swollen. “Global Rescue sent over their first paramedic to assess my situation,” Angie continued. “My husband was still in shock. Family had asked if they should come over but he told them no because he still didn’t SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 55
know what was going on. He said several times that it was a tremendous help to have Global Rescue’s paramedic there to sit down and explain to him all the different things that were happening to me, and to say ‘we’re checking everything that they’re doing and what they’re doing is the right thing.’ You just can’t imagine the feeling when you’re that far away from home and in shock. You just can’t process what happened. Having Global Rescue there was an incredibly important thing. “Global Rescue sent a second paramedic who took charge of gathering all of the medical tests and coordinating with the doctors there to validate that I was getting the right treatment. Before the accident, I was a health nut. I worked out four or five days a week, running and lifting weights. I was in reasonably good shape. After the accident, I had trouble even holding a fork.” As rehab progressed, the Global Rescue team worked closely with Angie on her options for rehabilitation back in Dallas. “Global Rescue started the conversation about where to take me when I got home,” said Angie. “I didn’t know anything about rehab centers, yet it looked like I would have to go to one. At this point, I didn’t realize that I would be paralyzed for the rest of my life, you know? My thinking was, I had the surgery and the doctor said I’ve got to give it six months. I thought I would start working on learning how to live like that, just in case. I wasn’t going to wait six months before trying anything. But it hadn’t set in mentally that this was going to be the new world. “We were looking at rehab places in the suburbs of Dallas Metroplex. Now I laugh when I drive around and see all these little places because most of them are guaranteed to get you back on the football field really fast. They’re all geared toward a high school sports injury. I didn’t realize what a specialized rehab it is for spinal cord injury. Global Rescue had been recommending Baylor as the best one. As I look back, so much of the advice we received from Global Rescue was so critical because at the time, we just didn’t know anything. “At the same time, Global Rescue began to discuss how we would be getting back home. There were countless logistics that Global Rescue handled that we would never have considered—what type of aircraft, ideal countries in which to refuel, and on and on. The medical oversight by Global Rescue was fantastic. The Global Rescue paramedic suggested that I do more rehab before I traveled. At the time, I thought he’d lost his mind. 56 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
African acacia tree
Now looking back, I can see that he was 100 percent right. “Having the Global Rescue team look at my situation and say, ‘In this many weeks you should be so much stronger and then you should be able to do this’ – well, it was just imperative. I don’t quite have the words to explain how important it was having Global Rescue help us figure out where we were going to be in a day or a week or a few weeks, because we were just lost. “After I was moved to the rehab unit of the Johannesburg hospital, I was learning how to transfer from the bed into my wheelchair or from the wheelchair into another seat. It’s a very hard thing to learn. A few days before we were scheduled to travel, Global Rescue’s third paramedic arrived. He was wonderful. I can’t even imagine had it been just my husband and me trying to get home. There’s no way physically we could have done it.” Global Rescue evacuated Angie back home to Dallas.
COMING HOME
“We were back in Dallas on the way to Baylor and the Global Rescue paramedic told the driver to slow down on the turns since I didn’t have good balance. He was watching out for things like that. He took the best care ever, ever, ever.”
After approximately six weeks in rehab, Angie was discharged to go home. “The first six months were pure hell,” said Angie. “We had to have our bathroom remodeled because I couldn’t get in the shower. I had hired a caregiver to stay with me. At first I had to have 24- hour support, so it was the caregiver, my daughter, and my husband. Gradually, I got stronger and started with two hours all by myself. Finally, we let the caregiver go and I was truly ok just to be by myself in the house. “To put it in perspective, I was a software consultant before the accident. I traveled a lot. I was executive platinum and traveled 100,000 flight miles a year. I was at home two weekends a month usually. I went from that lifestyle to a complete shut-in except for weekends. It was a shock. It just turned my life upside down.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Years after that fateful day, Angie maintains a positive outlook on life, despite remaining paralyzed from the accident. Her determination brought her back to enjoying traveling and her independence while helping others cope with the transition to life in a wheelchair. “I took classes so I could drive again and bought a van that is modified with a ramp and hand controls. It was months before
I dared to get on the highway. It was like learning to drive again but I was terrified. Now I drive to a lot of places every day by myself, even the highway. It’s no big deal but it really took a long time to get back to that. Now I’m perfectly good: I go places by myself all the time. If my husband is out of town, I’m ok in the house by myself, even during the night.”
IMPORTANCE OF MENTORING
“I had incredible support early on. There was a lady named Lynn I had worked with and when I was lying in the hospital in Africa, I remembered her coming to work in a wheelchair. There wasn’t anything special about it. To me, she’s superwoman. She has been in a wheelchair for 30 years and is so strong and independent. She won a silver medal on horseback at the Paralympics in Australia. Lynn would come over and show me things. For example, I was having trouble getting up a little one-inch step from the garage into the house. Now it’s no big deal, but at the time I didn’t have the balance or the strength, so she showed me a different way to do it. She told me that there were things like this they’ll never show you in rehab. You’re only going to learn this from other people in chairs. She was so right. “I’m actually mentoring some ladies now. Statistically, people who end up with spinal cord injuries are usually young males between 15 and 30 years old, basically risk takers. A 50-year-old grandmother is not your usual spinal cord injury patient. So, occasionally when they have ladies who have gone through some car wrecks or other accidents, (Baylor) has called me. I try to help these ladies and tell them that when I came home from the hospital, I couldn’t do suchand-such either, but I do it all the time now. I try to give them that encouragement and tell them to keep working at it. “Lynn told me it would take two years to adjust, but I think it’s more like three. Most days now, it’s no big deal, but occasionally I have a bad day or something happens that I can’t do and it’s so frustrating. The whole family has adjusted. They say it’s not just the individual who goes through this; it’s your whole family because everybody has to adjust. It took a long time to get there and it took a lot of work and a lot of support from family.
TRAVELING AGAIN
“We’ve started traveling,” continued Angie. “It took about a year but we’ve gone to Los Angeles several times to see family.
Angie on safari prior to the attack
My husband and I took a vacation and traveled to New England in September. We’ve been to Vegas a few times, and to Florida and North Carolina. We travel a lot so that’s good. “During one of our trips, we spent an evening with one of the Global Rescue paramedics who deployed to help us. It was wonderful to see him. What does this tell you about the people at Global Rescue when, so many years later, we’re still staying in touch?”
ANGIE’S ADVICE
“As I look back, I’m so thankful that we had a Global Rescue membership before we traveled,” said Angie. “My husband had been to Africa twice before and had had such a wonderful time. He loved it and wanted to share that with me. I was going with him on this trip. I’m the non-adventurous type and I insisted that we get it. He had seen Global Rescue at one of the safari conventions and was familiar with it so we bought the memberships. It never occurred to me I would be the one who would need it. I was always thinking, ‘It’s going to be my husband. What if something happens in the middle of the hunt or if he gets hurt by an animal?’ Never in a thousand years did it ever occur to me that I would be the one that needed the help from Global Rescue. I’m guessing it would have cost somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000 to get me home had we not been Global Rescue members. “Any time my friends are traveling anywhere, I tell them they must get a Global Rescue membership. People don’t understand that travel insurance is so different than having Global Rescue personnel come to you and personally take care of you and
bring you home. I can’t imagine my husband being able to get me home alone and having no one else to help me make the flight home. It’s just not the same when you’re in that kind of situation. You really need what Global Rescue provides. You need somebody there who has access to resources and experience and knows what to do, because you’re just lost and in shock and you just don’t know what’s going on. You’re so short sighted, just trying to get through the next day. You think, am I going to be breathing again tomorrow? You’re not in any kind of shape to be making arrangements to fly home.”
ANGIE’S ADVICE FOR TRAVELERS
If you’re traveling to an area that’s not very well developed, do some research to get an idea of what hospitals and services are in the area. Is it like the U.S. where you get treated and then pay or do you have to pay before they admit you? Check whether your health insurance works in places you are traveling to and determine if you should purchase a special health insurance policy. Carry a satellite phone and extra batteries. Have a Global Rescue membership. Angie said, “Anytime anyone is traveling, I tell them, ‘You’ve got to get Global Rescue.’ I can’t even imagine what would have happened had we not had Global Rescue. I would have ended up in Zambia in a lessthan-stellar hospital. I might not even have lived had I not gotten to a tier-one trauma center. I would have gotten an infection in that wound. The fact that I never got an infection is a miracle and I know it’s because I got to a good hospital. As you probably know, I think very highly of Global Rescue.” ★ SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 57
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Annual Offspring to Sell
Male
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$12,000
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10
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Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
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8
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59
Great Fish & Game Grilling BY SCOTT LEYSATH
If you’re the type of person who needs to know the exact time and temperature required to cook a good steak, perhaps grilling isn’t for you. There are a few more variables to consider when cooking outdoors over a gas, charcoal or real wood flame. Cooking indoors is a much more controlled environment. You set the oven on 350 degrees and that’s what you get. Unless you just can’t stop yourself from opening the oven door every few minutes and letting the heat out, you can easily calculate when the meat will be ready to eat. No flare-ups, running out of propane or loss of coals while cooking. That’s what makes cooking outdoors more fun, at least to me. It’s more art than science. I’m often asked, “What’s the best way to grill a deer steak?” It depends on the steak. If I’m given a hunk of meat and I don’t know much about the age, sex or location from which the animal came, I’ll cut out a small piece, season it with a little salt and pepper and lightly brown it in a hot skillet. If it’s tough or off-tasting, that’s going to take a bit more work. In general, tough cuts aren’t going to get tender when cooked on a hot grill. But if you cook your steaks well-done, you might not notice.
GRILL PREP
Whether your grill is gas, charcoal or wood fired, the grate has to be clean, hot and greased. Take a wire brush and remove any leftover burnt bits from the last barbecue. Wipe it down with a clean, wet cloth to remove any debris. Nobody wants to eat stray wire bristles from the brush. Apply a coating of oil. Pan sprays work OK when the grill is cold, but a clean rag dipped in vegetable oil works better and it is more economical. DO NOT SPRAY PAN SPRAY ONTO A HOT GRILL. The oil will ignite and can cause serious burns. Whether you prefer to grill over wood coals, charcoal, 60 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
pellet-fueled heat or gas, that’s a personal preference. Gas is, by far, the easiest. There was a time when I wouldn’t cook a steak over anything but real wood coals. I now own just about every type of grill and I use them all. When time is short, I’ll fire up the propane grill and it will be good to go in about 10 minutes and nobody complains. If I’ve got plenty of time, I might load up the pellet grill or fire up a pile of pear wood until I get white-hot coals.
BEFORE PUTTING GAME TO FLAME
Meat, especially wild game, will taste better after it has been seasoned. Domestic meats like beef and pork are loaded with flavorful fat. Ducks and deer are constantly on the move and don’t have the chance to get fat. Many wild game cooks add fat and flavor by wrapping their game meats in bacon or grinding bacon or other fatty meats with leaner game meat. Rub or brush olive oil, salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning blend into the meat, cover and refrigerate for several hours. The seasoning will barely penetrate the meat, but doing so a few hours before grilling will intensify the flavor to the bite as the seasoning has a chance to bind to the outside.
Seasoning Steaks
LET IT REST?
Conventional culinary wisdom tells us that we should let meat rest at room temperature for 20 or 30 minutes before cooking. This supposedly allows the temperature throughout it to be more even. I’ve said it a zillion times myself. Recently, I read about a test that compared grilling a frozen steak to an identical one that had rested at room temperature prior to grilling. When they were both cooked to the same internal temperature, moisture content at the center was the same. I’ve since tried it several times with both steaks and burgers and it’s true! When cooking a frozen steak or burger, reduce the temperature to prevent the outside from burning before the middle is cooked. For those of us who prefer their meat rare to medium-rare, going from freezer to grill works just fine since the middle is much less likely to overcook.
Resting Hindquarter Roast
FIRE IT UP
Before adding anything to the grill, it has to be hot. You want to hear the sizzle of searing meat, letting you know that you’ll get a good sear on the outside. A big part of why we grill is to get the meat charred on the outside and impart a smoky flavor. We often hear TV chefs talk about how searing meat “seals in the juices.” It doesn’t, but it does make the meat taste better. As a general rule, the thicker the meat, the
Duck Burgers on Grill
SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 61
lower the grilling temperature. If it’s too hot, a thick deer steak or Canada goose breast will be burnt on the outside before it is cooked in the center. Just because you’re in a hurry doesn’t mean that you should crank up the heat and cook it faster. It takes more time and lower temperatures to properly cook larger cuts of meat. While a mallard breast fillet will only take 6 to 7 minutes to cook over a hot flame, a whole duck will take 20 to 25 minutes over a medium-hot flame. If you do find that your grill tends to flare up, it could probably use a good cleaning. Keep a spray bottle loaded with water handy to cool it down and keep the flames from burning the meat.
QUARTER TURN, THEN FLIP
Once you place meat on a grill, do not turn or flip it until it moves easily. It it’s stuck to the grill, it’s not ready to flip. Wait until it is well-marked by the hot grill, then give it a quarter turn to create the diamond-shaped grill marks like you see in a restaurant. Pro chefs know to place any meat on a grill “presentation side down”. That means cooking the side that will be facing up on the plate first. Once the “up” side is cooked, flip it over and cook to desired doneness.
Rested Venison Steak
WHEN IS IT DONE?
While resting meat isn’t all that necessary prior to cooking, it sure helps to let it rest after you remove it from the grill. This allows the juices to redistribute within the meat and reduces the amount of juicy goodness that some folks find off-putting. If you think that the juice that runs out of a steak is blood, it isn’t. It is a protein called myoglobin that is found in muscle tissue. Letting it rest means less juice running out of the center when sliced and juicier, more tender meat in your mouth. A medium-rare deer steak tastes very different from one that has been cooked until it is well-done. Some people can’t handle the sight of a juicy, red piece of meat. Others feel the same way about one that has been cooked until the only colors are shades of gray. It’s a personal choice, but do keep in mind that leaner game meats will taste more livery and gamey when they have been cooked past medium. With game meats, I shoot for an internal temperature of 130 degrees. Leaner game isn’t as forgiving as a fatty ribeye steak when overcooked. The ribeye will still be good at 145 degrees. The elk steak will be tougher and more gamey than when cooked to a lower internal temperature. If you are relatively new to grilling and are concerned about when the meat is done, use a meat thermometer. They range in price and features, but a $5 thermometer will usually do the 62 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
Elk Steaks on Grill
trick. If you get serious about grilling, there are wireless digital thermometers that will let you know the exact internal temperature of the meat on the grill while you’re watching the ballgame indoors. Set the target temperature and the receiving unit will chime when the meat has reached that temperature. OK, so maybe grilling isn’t so much of an art.
SOUTHWESTERN PORTABELLA “BURGER”
Earthy mushrooms and wild game just seem like they are meant to be together. You can also make this using smaller
mushrooms for a tasty appetizer or sandwich the full-sized version between two slices of sturdy bread for a fantastic sandwich. Start by using the edge of a spoon to scrape out the gills of the portabella mushrooms. ingredients
4 servings
• • • • • • • • • • •
2 teaspoons olive oil 1/3 cup onion, finely diced 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 cups ground venison salt and pepper pinch ground cumin 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 4 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed 4 slices pepper jack cheese
Southwestern Portabella Burger
1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper and garlic. Sauté for 4 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add ground venison and cook until evenly browned. While browning, season with salt, pepper and cumin. Once browned, mix in cilantro. 2. Remove the gills from the mushrooms by scraping out with the edge of a spoon. Place equal portions of the venison mixture into each mushroom. Top with cheese. Place on a medium-hot grill until cheese is melted.
MIXED SEAFOOD GRILL
When restaurants don’t have enough of any one item, they’ll combine a few proteins for a daily “Mixed Grill” special. So, why not do this at home? You use up low-inventory items and your diners get a variety of meats and fish. let’s face it, you can save a little money if you mix in some fish with highdollar lobster and scallops. You can stretch your food dollar and still make a great impression on your guests. Everyone gets one-half of a lobster, a couple of large scallops, a few large shrimp and a portion of fish, preferably something that you caught yourself. Home cooks lean towards overcooking fish and shellfish. Some of the same folks complain about how their fish is dry. Cooking fish less, not soaking it in marinades, will result in a more moist and flavorful fish. If you find yourself drowning fish in buttermilk or potent elixirs to make them smell better, well, should you really eat stinky fish? If it smells bad, there’s a reason for it and I either throw it away or use it for catfish or turtle bait. It has either been mishandled or has outlived the freezer. Fish does not get better with age.
Mixed Seafood Grill
REDFISH ON THE HALF SHELL
Some folks claim that this is an original Texas creation, but there are more than a few Louisianans
Redfish on the Half Shell
SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 63
Planked Fish
who might take exception. The concept is simple and is pretty much eliminates the problem of having fish stick to the grill. Keeping the scales intact provides the fish fillets with a layer of protection between flesh and flame. Start with salt, pepper, butter and citrus and add any other ingredients – herbs, hot spices, garlic, etc. – to make it your own. No reason to flip the fish. Just take your time over medium-low heat. To speed up the cooking process, close the lid on the grill or cover the fish with a foil pan while grilling. A perfect eating-sized fish measures between 18 and 24 inches. ingredients
4 servings
• • • • • • •
4 redfish fillets, scales and skin intact salt and pepper pinch or two paprika 8 tablespoons butter, cut into 8 slices 4 garlic cloves, chopped 4 slices each lemon and lime 1 each lemon and lime, halved
1. Heat the grill to medium-hot. Season the flesh side of each fillet with salt, pepper and paprika. Place 2 slices of butter on each fillet. Top with garlic and 1 slice of lemon and lime. 2. Place fillets, skin side down, on the preheated grill. While grilling, squeeze halved lemon and lime over fish. When flesh is just 64 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
Planked Venison
cooked and flaky, remove from the grill and serve in the “shell.”
PLANK IT
The concept seems reasonable enough. You stick a hunk of meat or fish on a board and set the board on fire over your outdoor grill grate. The wafting smoke from the burning plank adds smoky flavor to whatever’s on-board, so to speak. It seems that most folks use the plank method for fish, but I’ve found that it
works great on a hunk of venison or pretty much anything that’s worth grilling. Cedar planks are the most readily available, although I’ve used alder, oak and any nonsappy wood planks that I could scavenge. It’s important that you don’t use any wood that’s been treated, like the cedar shakes on your roof. They need to be pure of any treatments or coatings since they will eventually catch on fire and infuse your venison with whatever’s in the wood. I’ve actually had good luck with thin-cut slash scraps scrounged up around milling operations. Hardware stores, cooking stores and grocery markets usually have them stocked somewhere near the charcoal and lighter fluid. Another word of caution – don’t use lighter fluid on your planks. 1. Submerge a plank in a tub of water. Put a rock or heavy can on top of the plank to keep it under water. Soak it for 30 minutes. Grilled Vegetables
2. Place the seasoned meat or fish on the plank and place the plank over a mediumhot grill. Close the lid. Watch the smoke screaming out of the ‘cue as the plank does its job. Check it every few minutes. If you leave the lid off, the plank will likely catch on fire, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Keep a spray bottle of water on hand to douse the flames. 3. When the meat or fish is cooked to your desired doneness, remove it from the plank and give the plank a good hosing so that you might be able to use it again.
GRILLED VEGETABLES
As long as you’ve got the grill fired up, don’t forget the vegetables. In-season peppers, asparagus, squash and mushrooms are all good grillers. Slice them thicker than when sautéing so they don’t get too mushy. Once they’re marked, they’re good to go. You can also quickly mark them on a hot grill, cool and reheat later.
GRILLED MARINATED QUAIL
When quail is done, it should still be just a tad pink at the thigh joint. Some quail recipes suggest that you should cook them “until the juices run clear.” Considering how little fat there is on a quail, if you grill them too long, there won’t be any juices. When properly grilled, quail are tender and moist, but leaving them on the grill a few minutes too long will make them dry and chewy. This Asian-inspired marinade will add flavor and moisture.
Grilled Marinated Quail
• • • • • • • •
3 green onions, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 2/3 cup sake, dry sherry or dry white wine 1/4 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons sesame oil 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
ingredients
1. In a large bowl, whisk all marinade ingredients well. Add quail and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate, turning often, for 3 to 4 hours.
• 8 whole quail, seasoned with salt and pepper • Marinade
2. Place marinated quail on a medium-hot grill until lightly browned on all sides. ★
4 servings
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LIFE MEM
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The Power of a Word MEM
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Has “trophy” become a lethal adjective for hunting? BY SHANE P. MAHONEY
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought...” —George Orwell, 1984
I
have always believed in the power of words. They have the capacity to inspire us, to lead us to powerful achievements and to great sacrifice. They can carry us to war; encourage us to peace. Weightless and without physical dimension, words remain agile weapons in our search for good and evil… and for truth. Words carriage our thoughts. They transport our ideas. They give color, tone and emphasis to our impressions. We should be careful when we use them; thoughtful when we hear them. We should remember that Adolph Hitler visited untold misery on the world through his rhetorical power. Nelson Mandela did the opposite. His rhetoric dispatched frontiers of gratuitous violence to the cradles of justice and reconciliation. So perhaps we can all agree: words really do matter. If this is true, then we ought to carefully consider the words we use to convey messages about things we 66 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
believe in. If our words do not match the true feelings or impressions we wish to convey then our audiences will hear something quite different than what we intend. Further, if we don’t listen carefully to the words of others we too run the risk of hearing, and responding to the wrong message. In choosing a word carelessly we may inadvertently choose sides or create divisions that need not have existed. Over time these crippled exchanges undermine any hope of reconciliation between points of view that often hold much in common but which eventually settle upon the differences between them, no matter how small. This is how opportunities are lost and coalitions are sacrificed. Words can be the architects of conflict, or the engineers of progress. None of us who care about hunting and the conservation of wildlife can any longer ignore the influence the word trophy now exerts on public
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attitudes and activism against hunting. The evidence is everywhere, from public opinion surveys to newspaper and television exposes, to the cackling of social media and the slightly more refined discussions in our halls of political power. Indeed, while many of us have tried to explain how the word is misinterpreted and how, in a real sense, we are all trophy hunters, seeking to acquire mementos or remembrances of our hunting experiences — whether photos, horns, antlers or capes — it just doesn’t seem to matter. Nor does it seem to matter that many of the world’s most respected conservation organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature support legal, sustainable hunting in many parts of the world because they see the proof of its value in conserving wildlife and supporting human livelihoods. Sadly, no matter how we try and argue the case, the public worldwide has taken a clear and likely unchangeable position that is negative to trophy hunting. Furthermore, this has now largely become a values-based debate, not a scientific one. No matter how much hunters wish that animal conservation could be the basis of the discussion, it is the behaviour of the human beings involved and the very nature of the activity that are under scrutiny. This is the negative power of the word trophy. It has driven citizens to oppose a significant conservation mechanism. Lost to the public’s understanding is the idea that classic trophy hunters would pursue only mature animals that have already contributed to the genetic pool of the species, animals that are of an age where death is a pressing reality and likelihood, and animals that because of their physical size and attributes will uniquely attract international hunters and thus provide badly needed income to support local human communities and wider conservation campaigns. Rather, the broad public impression of the trophy hunter is of a wealthy, white male who seeks thrills and self-aggrandizement through the wilful killing of magnificent animals and who cares nothing for wildlife, except that they exist for him to shoot. From this perspective, any benefit to conservation or humanity that may derive from trophy hunting is accidental and not an acceptable reason or rationale. But the situation is even more complicated. Meat hunting, for example, is widely supported. Thus a motivational line is drawn between the word meat and the word trophy, even though the vast bulk of all meat from all hunted animals is utilized, including from most animals harvested by so-called trophy hunters. Frustrating isn’t it? From this vantage point we begin to see the convoluted world of words in which hunting is now immersed and we can begin to forecast how difficult it will be to disentangle it. It is now undeniable that communications on hunting must enter a maze of misinterpretation, confusion and sometimes deliberate distortion that can squander much of our time, money and talent if we are not cautious in
how we approach it. Many great intentions as well as great armies have been lost in swamps of exactly this kind. The point is this: the hunting community now, more than ever, needs to choose its words carefully. Yet communication on this issue is desperately required! Eliminate trophy hunting from areas such as parts of Africa and wildlife will suffer and suffer greatly…especially the big, dangerous and destructive species…the very ones that often plague local communities but which are the darlings of the western conservation conscience. Funny isn’t it that we in our high-rise condominiums in Brussels or New York want lions and elephants everywhere in Africa but cannot stand so much as a mosquito, cockroach or mouse in our own domiciles! It is marvellous what wealth and distance can afford. But local people will not accept wildlife-caused human fatality and crop destruction. In the absence of incentives, such as income from guiding hunters and the wild meat provided to them as a result…local people will kill the wildlife around them using whatever means they can. Regardless of this likely prospect, the fact remains that trophy hunting is unpalatable to a broad section of our modern public. That is the reality we face and must address. This is true in much of Europe and it is true in much of North America as well. What are we to do? How are we to address this hall of mirrors? In this context, the word modern is also highly relevant and highly problematic. It too is a word the hunting world needs to closely examine. Is there such a thing as a modern public and if so how should we approach it? Differently, I suggest. Yet it seems pretty obvious that many hunters think the world is the same one we grew up in or believe it can somehow be transformed back to that time, a time when our classic arguments favoring trophy hunting would be an easy sell to the public. Thus we promote the word “trophy” and believe that more statistics and better information will be our silver bullet. Once we present the public with our evidence, they will see the light of day and accept trophy hunting as a reputable undertaking of benefit to both wildlife and people, or so the expectation goes. Unfortunately, none of the foregoing assumptions are necessarily correct. First, the world really has changed; and second, for as long as we have been conducting public attitude surveys in the North America — forty years or so — a significant majority of the public has perceived trophy hunting as unacceptable. Thus presenting our arguments on trophy hunting’s benefits to conservation has obviously been of little impact for a very long time, probably because the public reaction is more against trophy hunting than for wildlife. So why do we think more of the same will work now? This long-standing opposition to trophy hunting also directly challenges the belief of those who see Facebook or other modern electronic communication vehicles as the fundamental cause of the public’s
The fact remains that trophy hunting is unpalatable to a broad section of our modern public. That is the reality we face and must address.
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reaction to this activity. Even before Facebook inventor Mark Zuckerberg was born (!) the American public was decidedly against trophy hunting. Who should we blame for this? Is it possible hunters were part of the problem? Could it be that our messaging, our photos, our magazines, our conventions, our websites, our advertisements, our terminology, our rhetoric, our modern heroes have all been a significant part of the problem, major influences shaping the public aversion to trophy hunting? I am afraid blaming the Internet is a childlike fallacy and a conclusion that will lead us down paths of false hope and useless effort. We can analyze the reasons to death, hold town hall meetings, focus groups and phone surveys of public attitudes…but the angst over trophy hunting is now a virus in the public conscience, reproducing itself and presenting unlimited variants to us who wish to challenge it. Like a lot of problems in life, it would be nice if the public reaction to trophy hunting could be blamed on one single cause or instrument. Unfortunately, it cannot. The reasons are many and their collective influence
is highly interwoven and complex… we cannot unravel this with a simple key. There is no painless, magic wand. So, is the word trophy now lethal to hunting? I suspect it is and believe we should deal with this reality. We should consider a guerrilla tactic for the language war we are engaged in. Let us leave the landscape of the big battle to those who oppose trophy hunting, Let us quietly retire the term trophy, burn the treasured icon they seek and leave nothing for the marauders to take. For many in the hunting community, surrendering the term will be difficult and a sign of capitulation. In reality we give nothing over. We hunt for the reasons we do. No one can take this from us. What the public can take, however, is hunting itself. Let us not lead them there. I see no reason to sacrifice the cultural, economic and conservation benefits of hunting for an adjective… for as powerful as the term trophy may be for some…it is just a word, isn’t it? Indeed, while I think of it, why don’t we drop all the hunting adjectives such as meat, trophy, and sport, and simply call it what it is…. hunting! ★
Born and raised in Newfoundland, Shane Mahoney is a leading international authority on wildlife conservation. A rare combination of scientist, hunter, angler, historian and philosopher, he brings a unique perspective to wildlife issues that has motivated and inspired audiences around the world.
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70 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
THE TWO-YEAR
SABLE In the wilds of Mozambique, the author pursues a particular sable bull throughout two safaris in consecutive years. BY TIM HERALD
To me, the sable antelope is worthy of its royal status, and personally, I find a jet-black bull the most striking of all the antelope on earth. Some may argue that the beautiful bongo, the elusive mountain nyala, or the majestic Lord Derby’s eland are superior trophies, and to each their own, but the fact that sable are a bit more common as far as numbers and distribution than these others does not diminish my reverence for this absolutely magnificent creature. To me, the sable antelope is worthy of its royal status, and personally, I find a jet-black bull the most striking of all the antelope on earth. Some may argue that the beautiful bongo, the elusive mountain nyala, or the majestic Lord Derby’s eland are superior trophies, and to each their own, but the fact that sable are a bit more common as far as numbers and distribution than these others does not diminish my reverence for this absolutely magnificent creature. The first time I hunted sable I was unsuccessful in bagging a bull, but that isn’t really a fair statement. I did have a sable on the license, and I did want one badly, but I was also trying to squeeze sable in with a leopard, buffalo and tuskless elephant all on a 10-day hunt. I was
successful on all the others, but only got to hunt sable one afternoon, and the herd we found gave us the slip in some thick mopane. When I booked my first hunt with Kambako Safaris in the wild and rugged Niassa Reserve of northern Mozambique, I again made sure to have a sable on the license. I was once more hunting leopard and buffalo, but I wanted to devote more time to hunting sable on this trip. The fact that I killed my leopard 15 minutes after daylight on the second day of the hunt certainly opened up some time to pursue sable. To put things in perspective, one needs to know about some special rules that Kambako Safaris abides by. First, they only shoot 6-year-old or older lions to work within
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Camp on Lugenda.
the Niassa Carnivore Project’s parameters. Secondly, they only shoot cats in daylight even though night hunting is legal. Third, Kambako only hunts dagga boy buffalo bulls and leaves the herds alone so they flourish and stay in the area, and lastly, they only take past prime breeding sable bulls. I had never heard of such a rule on sable, and Kambako Managing Director Jumbo Moore explained it to me. “We want our sable population to grow, and we want the herds comfortable within our area, so just like with our buffalo, we only take sable bulls that are out of the herds. We also look for secondary horn growth. If you look closely at the base of a sable’s horns, you will see a thickening on old bulls. The rings, or ridges, sort of fill in down at the bases. This secondary growth only starts when a sable is six years old, and it grows approximately an inch a year. We are very particular and try to make sure all the bulls we take are out of herds and have secondary growth. So you have to get a good look at a sable before you shoot it.” I was to learn a lesson on this during the afternoon of the day I took my leopard. My PH, Stu Taylor, told me about a big sable bull he had seen a few times in a certain area prior to my arrival. He knew it was the same bull because he had lots of secondary growth and the tip of one horn flared out while the other was straight. We went and checked the area and found the 72 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
“We want our sable population to grow, and we want the herds comfortable within our area, so just like with our buffalo, we only take sable bulls that are out of the herds.” —Kambako Managing Director Jumbo Moore bull’s tracks by a waterhole in a dry creek bed, but the tracks were a couple days old and not worth following. Stu then wanted to go up in the hills to an area where there are a few spring seeps and sable traditionally have called home. About 3 p.m., we were slipping around a hillside when our head tracker Davey pointed out some sable across a ravine 250 yards away. We crept ahead another 100 yards, and we could see about 20 sable calmly feeding on the slope. There was a big black bull in the middle of the herd that immediately caught my eye, and I looked at Stu
pleadingly. He smiled and whispered, “I wish we could go after him, but he is a herd bull and is off limits. I would guess him at about 42-inches. He is a gorgeous bull, but we just don’t shoot those herd bulls, sorry Tim.” To say that my heart didn’t sink would be a lie. This was the sable of my dreams, completely unaware of our presence, and I had to just watch him feed. To top that, even though Kambako’s average sable is right at 40-inches, a bull of 42-inches is a super trophy for the area. Though the official line for Roosevelt’s sable is the Ruvuma River on the Tanzania border (only 40 miles away), all of Kambako’s PH’s think that the sable in Niassa are indeed Roosevelt’s, and I believe some DNA testing has been done that supports this. The Niassa and Selous Game Reserves have a common corridor for wildlife, and it makes sense to me that the sable can easily move back and forth like the elephants and lions do. The sable in the Selous are Roosevelt’s, so… We took our buff on day seven of the safari, so we really ramped up our sable efforts then. We ended up putting a trail camera on the waterhole where Stu knew the big lone bull was drinking, and through the remainder of the safari, we found and followed his tracks a number of times. We felt that we were close on a couple of occasions, but we never actually laid eyes on the bull. When I hit the ground the following
Above: The author glasses a huge expanse of the Niassa Reserve Left: Niassa Lioness.
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Sable Setup Above: Niassa Hill | Below: Trophy shed
Sable are big hearty antelope, and bulls can weigh 550 pounds. The have a deceivingly high shoulder area through the way they are built and the fact that they have a bristly mane that stands up on their spinal area of the neck and shoulder. One must remember to shoot low, as it is a common mistake to hit sable too high and lose them.
TRIJICON ACCUPOINT
I think anything from a .300Win to a .375H&H is a perfect sable rifle and my current setup for large plainsgame is a .338 Win Fierce rifle topped with a Trijicon 4x16 Accupoint scope. I like magnification, and the 16x comes in handy for my not so great eyes on targets at 200 yards, and the 4x is perfect for close range work. I love the illuminated dot is the center of the crosshairs on the Trijicon that requires no battery, and on shorter shots, I almost shoot it like a red dot. That makes shooting very quick with both eyes open. The glass and light transmission are superb, and this has become my favorite all around scope for normal use. I am a huge Fan of Cutting Edge Bullets whether it is their Lazers that I shoot out of my 7mm, .300 and .338, or their Safari Raptors that I shoot out of my .416 and .470. These CEB’s are designed to enter an animal, shed blades that disperse in a star shape and do massive trauma, while the base acts as a jagged solid, and penetrates deeply, and often completely. In my experience, CEB’s are devastating on everything from Cape buffalo and brown bear out of big calibers, to bushbuck and whitetails in more conventional calibers. 74 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
Herald with his beautiful Roosevelt’s sable
August, Stu told me that he had recently seen “our” sable twice in the same area we had hunted him the year before. We were both keen to give this bull a try, and after checking lion baits and having an exciting encounter with two young males the first morning, we decided to go check on our flared horned sable during the afternoon. Our waterhole from the year before was completely dry, so we followed the sandy creek about a kilometer to where it joined a small river. There were a number of elephant boreholes close to a small seep where a herd had been digging in the sand to get to water, and it was there that Davey found the tracks of a lone bull sable. Stu and Davey felt like the tracks were fairly fresh, and soon it was evident that the sable was meandering in no particular hurry. He was weaving around in the riverbed, and Stu said he was feeding a bit on the edges, but he seemed to be looking for a water source. The elephant sign was as fresh as the sable tracks, so he might not have been able to drink if the elephants were at the water. We continued to follow the tracks for another twenty minutes or so, and suddenly Davey dropped to his knees and Stu threw up the shooting sticks. When I stepped up to the sticks, Stu was glassing, and I asked what he saw. The area was quite thick riverine and looked more like bushbuck habitat than that of sable, but when he whispered,
We had put in at least parts of seven days looking for him the year before, and there was not another sable in all of Mozambique that I would have rather taken. “sable bull,” I had already seen the black spot in the dense tangle. I could see the bull’s horns sweeping back toward his spine, and I slipped the safety off on my .300 Win. All I knew was that he was alone, he was about 80 yards away, and I had his shoulder covered with my crosshairs. I was just about to ask Stu if he could see secondary growth when he told me in no uncertain terms to “shoot that bull now!” I didn’t need to hear more than that, and I sent a CEB Lazer bullet immediately. The bull bucked and dashed into the thick vegetation, but I felt 100 percent confident that I had hit him well. We found his tracks and about 25 yards after that we found good blood. After 25 yards of following this sign, the country
opened up, and the blood spoor dried up. I was really second guessing my shot and wondering if I had hit a branch or some other obstruction as we continued on the sable’s tracks. With no blood for 50 yards, I was breaking out in a cold sweat even though it was 85 degrees, but then Stu pointed ahead, and I could see the sable was down about 70 yards in front of us. When we reached the fallen monarch, I was simply in awe. He was all I had ever hoped for in a sable bull. His dark coat was glorious, his long thick horns swept back like scimitars, and he had 6 ½” of secondary growth at his bases. Best of all, Stu pointed out that one horn flared out, and that confirmed that this was our bull from the year before. Even though I killed him on the first day of my second safari, Stu and I felt like we had definitely earned this bull. We had put in at least parts of seven days looking for him the year before, and there was not another sable in all of Mozambique that I would have rather taken. Not that it mattered, but his horns stretched the tape at 42 inches. The real prize to me was that our bull was aged at over 12 years old. He truly is royalty to me and is one of my most cherished mounts. To book a quality Sable hunt, or any other adventure worldwide, you may contact the author at tim@trophyadventures.com ★ SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 75
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76 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
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Explore South America with Esplanade Travel
BUENOS AIRES
F
rom rainforest to snow-capped mountains, expansive desert to tropical beaches, local craft markets to fast-paced cityscapes, South America has a lot to offer. Are you looking to relax while sipping an award-winning Malbec? Would you like to hike to Machu Picchu or to Torres del Paine? Is a beach in Colombia more your style, or do you prefer to sail on a luxury yacht in the Galapagos? You can do it all—and more. The options are endless, and with so much to see, you can count on returning time and again to this diverse and vibrant continent. From rainforest to snow-capped mountains, expansive desert to tropical beaches, local craft markets to fastpaced cityscapes, South America has a lot to offer. Are you looking to relax while sipping an award-winning Malbec? Would you like to hike to Machu Picchu or to Torres del Paine? Is a beach in Colombia more your style, or do you prefer to sail on a luxury yacht in the Galapagos? You can do it all—and more. The options are endless, and with so much to see, you can count on returning time and again to this diverse and vibrant continent.
78 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
ARGENTINA
Argentina’s sophisticated atmosphere and breathtaking landscapes are famous worldwide, and since the Reciprocity Fee was suspended a couple years ago it’s easier than ever for Americans to visit this amazing country. This may be the perfect time to put that lifetime dream of seeing Buenos Aires into action. Buenos Aires’ nickname, “Paris of the South,” is well-deserved with its European flavor. Tango, jazz, wine, theater and beautiful historical architecture are just some of its attractions.
IGUAZU FALLS
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CHILEAN PATAGONIA
Let us take you around the vibrant capital city, learning about the rich history of Argentina and attending a tango show (and, for the brave ones, learning to tango yourself ). No trip to Argentina would be complete without seeing the splendor of Iguazú Falls. A quick jaunt over to the Brazilian side as well will give you the full perspective. The Argentina side takes you right into the Falls, while the Brazilian side gives you a panoramic view. There are various walking paths around the Falls, so whether you take a short stroll or spend the whole day walking, you can enjoy the stunning landscape. Flights between Buenos Aires and Iguazu operate multiple times a day, but we recommend staying for a night or two to avoid being too rushed. If you only have one night, consider staying at the Sheraton Iguazu, the only hotel within the National Park. Venture south to the wine country of Mendoza, renowned for award-winning vines. Tour the region, sip Malbec against the dramatic backdrop of the Andes Mountains, and participate in an Argentine barbecue. You may discover a vintage so perfect you’ll have to ship a case home. Dancing, wine, waterfalls … sound like heaven? Well, in this diverse country, the fun doesn’t stop there. Travel further south to the Bariloche and Patagonia regions, where the scenery is breathtaking. The majority of Patagonia is in Argentina and the wildlife and landscapes of this stunning environment are the things an outdoorsman’s dreams are made of. From the shores of Peninsula Valdes 80 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
MACHU PICCHU
with abundant wildlife to hiking around the Perito Moreno Glacier, Patagonia is the next hot destination for the discerning traveler. Have we convinced you to pack your bags? Not quite? Then let us entice you with the most remote, bucket-list-worthy destination out there: Antarctica. Cruises to this wonderland of ice depart from Argentina, and combining the two destinations is not only seamless, but a unique trip you’ll be talking about for ages. No matter what you choose to do in this remarkable country, you will not be disappointed.
EASTER ISLAND
CHILE
Chile is truly one of the most remarkable places on Earth. A land of extremes and superlatives, this sliver of a country on the western edge of South America – over 2600 miles long, but only 110 miles wide – is home to the world’s driest desert among other natural phenomena. From snow-capped volcanoes and icy fjords to sunny beaches, fertile vineyards and underwater caves, almost every kind of landscape is here. Trekking in the dry Atacama, vineyard tours just outside of Santiago, and skiing year round in the Andes are just a few of the things one can do while in Chile. Consider Chilean Patagonia your next “bucket list” destination. Patagonia is a huge region spanning across Chile and Argentina, from the Andes Mountains to the southern tip of South America. While Argentine Patagonia is the most well-known among travelers, Chilean Patagonia, in southern Chile, is an up-and-coming destination with just as much to offer, plus the added benefit of being more remote with fewer people visiting each year. The number of activities available in this region is endless, from water activities, to wildlife viewing, to horseback riding, wine tasting, hiking, biking, fishing, and more. For those with a taste for adventure and a love for the great outdoors, there is no better destination. The highlight is visiting Torres del Paine, and you should dedicate an entire day to this stunning peak. Another must is a high-speed ride through the Patagonian Fjords, ending with a short hike for a view of the Serrano Glacier. It’s quite possible that Chilean Patagonia is heaven on earth for those seeking adventure, awe-inspiring scenery, or even just some time to relax in peace to appreciate natural beauty. Don’t let snow-capped mountains have all the fun – the Atacama Desert is a stunning destination for star-gazers and astronomers, or anyone who can appreciate an expansive night sky. Spend a day exploring the Tatio Geysers geothermal field or horseback riding through the dunes, and then head out to stargaze at night. The iconic Easter Island, known as Rapa Nui to the natives, is
counted as one of Chile’s many islands. Its friendly people, topnotch accommodations and dining, and wealth of recreational opportunities – not to mention the mysterious and intriguing moai statues – make it a memorable and always surprising destination. If Chile isn’t on your list, add it now and start planning.
PERU
Peru is a favorite destination of the Esplanade team. While Machu Picchu takes top billing as a bucket list item for many travelers, the country has so much more to offer. From the unexplainable Nazca Lines to the Sacred Valley, and from Lake Titicaca to the Amazon Rainforest, this country has something new to offer around every corner. Long before the invasion of the Spanish in the 16th century, the region that is now known as Peru was home to the mighty Inca Empire. The city of Cusco may not look like it now, but this metropolis was once the empire’s capital. You can travel back to that time period by visiting the nearby mountaintop site of Machu Picchu. Take the iconic Vistadome train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, and from there a quick bus ride up to the ruins. There are strict limits on how many guests are allowed on the site at once, and also for how long you can stay on the site, so be sure to plan your visit ahead of time. If you are fairly active and adventurous, hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is worth considering. Be sure to do a three-plus day itinerary and book well in advance so that you can hike up to Sun Gate as the sun rises over the ruins on your final day. It is a rare viewpoint of Machu Picchu and worth every drop of sweat. There is an alternate route available if you prefer to sleep at night in cottages rather than in a tent – get in touch and let us show you the various options! After enjoying Machu Picchu, hiking up Huayna Picchu, exploring Cusco, and taking a few day trips into the fascinating and beautiful Sacred Valley, leave some time to see other parts of the SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 81
country. Consider riding a luxury train from Cusco to Lake Titicaca, which takes you from the vibrancy of the historic Incan city to rural tranquility and magnificent lakeside landscapes. En route, you’ll see Colca Canyon with its majestic condors in flight. While many travelers aren’t excited by capital cities and tend to see them as just another stop on the way to their final destination, Lima is the exception. It’s certifiably a “foodie” town and special, exciting dining and cooking opportunities abound. There’s plenty of culture as well, with a rich history and captivating museums. In an era when we are so mired with commitments that vacation seems to be a foreign word, take the time to fully relax and enjoy the beautiful country of Peru.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
THE AMAZON RAINFOREST
This ancient region of dense rainforest is over 100 million years old – perhaps the oldest in the world. Surprises linger around every bend of this long, winding river with thousands of tributaries. Travelers could encounter a poison-dart frog, a hidden jaguar up in the leaves, or an anaconda snake. Endangered and undiscovered species and plants find refuge along this river, which is the second-longest in the world. Have you guessed the locale? It’s the one and only Amazon River and Basin, stretching from Peru through Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil. The Amazon has long held the imaginations of intrepid explorers throughout history. But for those of us who are less “Francisco de Orellana” (who was the first to navigate the entire length of the Amazon) and more “21st Century,” there’s a perfect option – a cruise along the river, where all the comforts of vacation combine with the intrigue of the rainforest. A river cruise offers an intimate look at the Amazonian region in Peru. Enjoy a suite with panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows to soak in the world’s most important waterway without disruption. During the day, excursions on smaller skiffs are offered, along with daily enrichment and nightly entertainment. Adventures on-board include a visit to Monkey Island, the Native Boras Community for a ceremonial dance demonstration, hiking along the Yarapa River Shore, piranha fishing, bottle-feeding endangered manatees, and a farewell dinner at Iquitos’ famous floating Al Frio y Fuego Restaurant. If you prefer to keep your feet on solid ground but still want to enjoy the rainforest, we suggest staying at a research center deep in the Amazon. With daily excursions and educational opportunities, you’ll learn about this endangered region while appreciating its beauty and wildlife.
ECUADOR
Ecuador is a small but spectacular country that is home to ancient ruins, part of the Amazon rainforest, picturesque towns, and the famous Galapagos Islands. The capital city of Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its historical layout and beauty. Quito is nearby to the unusual Avenue of the Volcanoes, a series of seven towering peaks that are in various stages of activity. Guayaquil is a stunning port city that is on the rise, in part to its position on the Rio Guayas. The Galapagos Islands are what makes the country most famous, and it’s not hard to see why. The exotic wildlife that is unique to 82 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
the islands has captured imaginations all over the world, most notably that of Charles Darwin. Perhaps you will also find yourself inspired by this wonderful country and its atmosphere.
THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
The Galapagos Islands lay over 600 miles off the coast of South America and yet they are now more accessible than ever. This secluded volcanic archipelago is home to unique animals that have evolved to survive their unusual environment, such as the blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, giant tortoises and flightless cormorants. One of the most exciting aspects of the wildlife is their lack of fear towards humanity. Close encounters are a regular occurrence. Famous naturalist Charles Darwin explored these islands on the HMS Beagle in the 19th century and now you can follow his footsteps in style. The La Pinta luxury yacht has 4-day, 5-day and 8-day voyages year-round that explore the various corners of the Galapagos — there is no bad time of year to visit this region of the world. There are also hotels on the islands that offer day boat trips and you can even split your stay between a yacht and a hotel. Hiking, snorkeling, and kayaking are some of the exploratory activities you can do in the islands and no visit is complete without a stop into the Charles Darwin Research Station. No matter how you choose to experience the Galapagos, it won’t be a trip you soon forget.
COLOMBIA
A visit to Colombia starts with a short 3-hour flight from Miami to Bogota. First on your list should be the Cathedral del Sal (Salt Cathedral), which was originally a salt mining location for 20 years before construction of the Cathedral began. What was initially a prayer room for miners before starting their shifts was turned into an entire cathedral, complete with life-size Stations of the Cross, located 200 meters below ground. With everything built from salt except the wooden pews and multi-color lights illuminating the sanctuaries, it is truly a spectacular sight. Venture an hour outside of Bogota to Laguna Guatavita, commonly referred to as El Lago Sagrado (The Sacred Lake). It is here that the Spanish armies encountered Colombia’s Muisca indigenous people making sacrifices of gold to the Sun-god. When the
AMAZON RAINFOREST
Spaniards saw men adorned in gold outfits, putting gold on rafts in the lake, the legend of El Dorado began. Over the next eight years, the Spanish built a dam to empty the lake and transported over 14 loads of gold back to Spain. Take a one-hour flight from Bogota to Pereira, the heart of Colombia’s coffee region. Visit a coffee plantation, learn about the coffee growing and roasting processes, and enjoy a coffee tasting to discover the different techniques used to make Colombian coffee so rich. Cartagena consists of the historic old city and the Miami-feeling new city on the coast. Walk along the old city within the nine-mile original brick fortress perimeter, which began construction in 1536 to protect the city from pirates and attacking armies. Colombia’s tourism industry is on the rise and any safety concerns you may have will be addressed before booking your trip. Consider adding this tropical paradise with plenty of history to your list.
The famous Carnival of Brazil that begins on Fat Tuesday is famous around the world for being one of the year’s best street parties. The elaborate costumes and samba styles found at Carnival are reminiscent of silver screen star Carmen Miranda, who exposed the world to Brazil’s bright culture in the early days of cinema. A visit to South America’s largest country is one of the most exciting experiences of a lifetime. While in Rio, make sure to visit the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain. It’s a beautiful site to visit, with great views of the city and mountains. Enjoy a gondola ride to the top of the mountain while learning about the history of the sugar cane days. It’s impossible to mention Brazil without giving space to its stunning beaches. Whether you’d like a resort atmosphere to enjoy with the whole family or a boutique hotel for a romantic getaway, Brazil offers something for everyone.
BRAZIL
South America is incredibly diverse with so much to offer that travelers find themselves returning time and again to explore new cities, vineyards, mountains, beaches, villages, lakes, and islands. Take some time to travel to this beautiful continent – no matter which country or region you choose, you can’t go wrong. Esplanade Travel focuses on international luxury travel, and unique custom-designed trips have been our trademark for 60 years. Our staff has collectively traveled to over 150 countries around the world, and we sell the destinations we know the best and love the most! Our primary destinations are Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, Italy, France, South America, India, United Arab Emirates and the islands of the South Pacific. ★
The rousing country of Brazil is world-renowned for its beautiful beaches, exuberant people and warm weather. The vast range of environments that can be found in Brazil’s 3.3 million square miles makes it one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet. As home to over 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil is home to thousands of species and more that have yet to be discovered. As it was once a Portuguese colony, Portugal’s culture had an impact on the country’s main language and religion. The diverse mix of European and African cultures created a new post-colonial Brazil that embraces well-known traditions such as samba and capoeira.
TIME TO GO!
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MEMBER CLICK S
R
eady to make the most of your HSCF Membership? Each time you sign up for an event, sponsorship or renew your membership, the HSCF membership management systemMemberClicks, is busy at work for you behind the scenes. Not only does MemberClicks (MC) provide you with the tools to register for events and handle your payment transactions, MC also offers you the opportunity to track invoices or update your contact information. MC even allows you to share hunting photos and connect with fellow members. This is the first in a series of tutorial articles HSCF is providing to help you take full advantage of your membership benefits. When you click on a link, within an email announcing an HSCF event, you will be redirected to MC. Once you are registered for an event, you may pay the registration fee when you sign up. Or, if you prefer to pay later, MC will generate generate an invoice and send you an email to verify your registration. Wondering if you already registered and/ or paid for an event or made a previous donation? Good news! You can view all previous activity just by looking at your profile. This can be done from your smart phone, tablet or computer! The system stores any and all forms completed for event registrations, sponsorships and all other transactions. In MC, you may also view upcoming events in the calendar and find any form you may need for donations and registrations. You may also update your contact information, renew an expiring membership or upgrade your membership! So, what are you waiting for? Make the most of your membership benefits today! Let’s get started!
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How do I find MemberClicks? Go to hscfdn.org, hover on the MEMBERSHIP tab and select Members Only. Once you click on Members Only, you will be taken straight into Members Only profile page on MemberClicks.
How do I Log-in?
Forgot your password or username? No worries. Click on the appropriate red link at the bottom of the page. Upon entering your email address, the system will send an email to assist you with logging into your profile.
What can I do once I am in MemberClicks? From your member page you can update your profile with your latest email address, cell phone number, and physical address. By keeping your profile up to date, you’ll never miss a copy of Hunter’s Horn or notification of our next exciting event.
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MEMBER CLICK S Speaking of events ... You can see what events are coming and register for them from several places on the Home page. 1
Option One: Click on the Event Form tab.
2
Click on the event of your choice to sign-up.
86 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
Events
(continued)
Option Two: View the Event Calendar tab, then click on the link of the event for which you want to register.
Option Three: Click on the event you desire from the Upcoming Events list on the side of the page
Whether you are just learning MemberClicks or want a refresher, there is now help available at the Home tab. An easy to follow presentation for new or current members can be found there. Look for more helpful information in your future issues of Hunter’s Horn. ★
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Due Diligence Make Your Safari All That It Can Truly Be BY MAX PRASAC
88 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
G
oing on safari can be a life-altering experience. It’s a long way to travel, and a big hit on your wallet. It’s a trip that requires major logistical planning, lots of paperwork, and months of preparation. And that’s just the act of getting there and back, not to mention the actual hunt. Make sure that its effects are positive and not a cause for depression or bad memories. I’ve compiled a number of issues to consider, pitfalls to watch for, and ways to ensure your safari is one that will conjure nothing but happy memories. First and foremost, make sure that you are hunting with a reputable outfitter. It is not impolite to request references and any professional outfit worth its salt will be prepared to provide them. Look for success rates and customer satisfaction. It’s your money and your imperative, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. Check to see if the country you intend to hunt requires a visa, and while you are at it, look to see if there are any travel advisements from the U.S. State Department. Your deeply discounted safari may be taking place in an area rife with civil unrest – something you should probably avoid in the name of self-preservation. There may be a good reason for the discount rates, but your outfitter might not be forthright with you and clearly, no one you will want to hunt with. Next on your due diligence list is the airline you choose to travel with. You will want to check for firearm protocol and connecting flights (the country you connect in may not be firearm friendly). You will need to fill out a U.S. Customs form 4457 for your firearms and other high-value equipment – this is your proof of ownership and you should have multiple copies on your person. Ensure the name on your firearms document, customs forms, airline documents, etc., match your passport. A good outfitter will point you in the right direction as to what you will need for paperwork. While we are discussing paperwork, it is a good idea to hire a “meet and greet” service prior to departure. They will make sure all of your Ts have been crossed and your paperwork is filled out properly and missing no vital information. This is some of the best money you can spend. Between the outfitter and meet and greet, your legal entry into the country you are hunting should be covered in its entirety without any surprises. They will also meet you at the airport, get you and your firearms into the country without a hitch, and take you to your next stop. While in country and hunting, you need to be aware of some other unique pitfalls. Worldwide hunting laws require a license to hunt legally. If your outfitter completes the license in the name of only one hunter (for the claim of saving you money), the others in the group have not hunted legally and are therefore poaching by definition. Ignorance of the laws will only take your defense so far. The outfitter pockets the license money that is literally a part of every hunting package sold. Be aware of this scam as it is more prevalent than you can imagine. Your hunt is over, and now you are thinking about taxidermy. Wrong, you thought about that long before you left on this trip and planned it out as part of your due diligence. Your taxidermist should be chosen like your outfitter and you should not hesitate to ask for references and examples of their work. Decide if you will have the taxidermy done in the country of origin or back in the U.S. Note that this can affect the cost of shipping (due to weight) significantly. If mounting in the U.S., get tags from your
Luggage and gun case tag.
taxidermist to identify your trophies. It is your responsibility to ensure that all export paperwork for trophies are compliant with USWFS policies. This ultra-complicated process can be handled in its entirety through the services provided by Safari Specialty Importers (www.safarispecialtyimporters.com) allowing the hunter to enjoy the hunt and leave the entire taxidermy import process in the hands of someone who knows how the system works inside and out. It’s worth the price you pay. Two final thoughts. Medevac insurance is a really good idea. You may not worry about your own disposition, but you should be concerned for the sake of your family if nothing else. Make sure your service will come and pull your bacon out of the fire if necessary to safety and/or medical attention. Many African nations are one half-step away from open hostility and you should have a contingency plan to move away from potential violence in a hurry. Lastly, practice, practice, practice and practice some more. This expensive and complicated sojourn is really all in support of the actual boots on the ground hunt. Do yourself a favor and get prepared by achieving a satisfactory competence with your chosen firearm(s). It’ll make the experience that much sweeter. ★ For more information regarding the importing and exporting of your trophies, contact Robert or Rosella Quartarone at: 1.845.943.5943 www.safarispecialtyimporters.com info@safarispecialtyimporters.com SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 89
CHAMPIONING
THE TAHR In New Zealand 90 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SPRING 2019
The Nation’s Outfitters and Recreational Hunters Support Conservation, But The Science Was Lacking. A brief insight by Roger Duxfield, Executive member New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association and New Zealand Game Animal Councillor As a result of recent government elections in 2017, a coalition government was formed with a Minister of Conservation from the Green Party who, incidentally, have no time for any introduced species — tahr being one of these. The Minister, Hon Eugenie Sage, was too busy to engage with the Game Animal Council (GAC) — that was, until she announced that she was going to cull 25,000 tahr. The reaction from the hunting community was immediate, taking down the Minister’s email system. This became a headline story in New Zealand’s mainstream media. Fighting funds were raised locally and swiftly; although I took a number of calls from international hunting organizations also offering support, I put those offers on hold as I was sure we could sort it out within New Zealand. The Minister turned to the GAC for advice. Hunters support conservation but 25 years of government inaction can not be turned around in six months. Some historical information: The Himalayan Tahr Control Plan 1993 (HTCP) is a statutory plan established under the Wild Animal Control Act 1977. This Act is the governing piece of New Zealand legislation for Himalayan Tahr and it gives effect to The Himalayan Tahr Management Policy 1991 (HTMP). The word “management” appears but in reality, the governing legislation is all about control of animal numbers. » SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 91
This image shows a side of a mountain and as a result of the tracking collars we can see where he walked and lived over a period of about a day (the collar sends out a signal to the satellite every few minutes) and we can use this science to better understand the impact that they can have on the environment.
The Control Plan basically divides tahr habitat into management units and sets population limits for those units. Units consist of public conservation land, pastoral lease and private land. The plan provides priorities for controlling tahr numbers which, in general terms, gives recreational and guided hunting first opportunity, then commercial (meat recovery) hunting and lastly official control (basically helicopter culling). The aim of legislation is a population ceiling of 10,000 tahr across the entire range of both public and private land. In 1993 this was estimated to be a population that would not have significant detrimental effects on the habitat yet provide sustainable hunting opportunities. It was however based on patterns of use as at 1993 and over the past 25 years this has changed considerably. For example, in 1993 there were estimated to be 15 hunting guides using the tahr resource. Today there are around 130 members of the NZ Professional Hunting Guides’ Association plus an unknown number of non-members. The plan also set out that monitoring programmes would be established to “form the basis for periodic review of the plan to ensure the achievement of conservation objectives.” Until about 2015, operation of the Control Plan consisted of the Department of Conservation (DOC) compiling an annual operational plan, having taken into account the previous year’s control operations and estimates of the trend in tahr populations. This plan set out the population control each sector would be required to undertake for that particular management unit. As part of that plan, recreational hunters would undertake organized recreational hunts to assist with control of numbers. Aerially assisted trophy hunters (AATH), as part of their permit to take trophy bulls, were also required to cull nannies, plus there was a small amount of commercial hunting. DOC and the hunting sector would meet annually to discuss the plans and modify as appropriate. DOC discontinued these meetings in 2015 despite the hunting sector expressing concerns that it would undermine control efforts. Additional research was also underway into the overall state of vegetation on public conservation land through several randomly located vegetation plots, some of which are in tahr habitat. Now the interesting bit was while all this was occurring, DOC commissioned Dave Ramsey of the Arthur Rylah Institute in Victoria, Australia to investigate tahr numbers. Aerial surveys were undertaken on 38 2 x 2 km plots sampled across the tahr range during 2016 and 2017. Density and abundance estimate from each plot were then used to estimate total tahr abundance on public conservation land as well as for each tahr management unit. In July 2018 Dave Ramsey published the preliminary results of
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his population study. The summary states: “The total abundance of tahr on public conservation land was estimated to be 35,633, with a 95% confidence interval of 17,347 53,920 tahr. Average tahr density within management units ranged from 10.3/km2 to 0.23/km2. Tahr density in the two exclusion zones averaged 0.06/km2 for MU E2 and 0.34/km2 for MU E1. Average tahr density was higher than the management threshold of 2.5 tahr/km2 on all management units except MU 7. Analysis of ungulate faecal pellet monitoring data conducted at each plot indicated inconsistent relationships between tahr density and the faecal pellet index (FPI). Additional data collection undertaken during 2018 may shed further light on these relationships.” He clearly states in his report: “Precision of total tahr abundance estimates for each management zone were generally poor, due mainly to the small numbers of sampled plots within each MU. Total abundance estimates were also highly dependent on the estimate of the number of plots within each zone that could have been sampled. This was estimated using a map of the Public Conservation Land overlaid on the Management unit boundaries. However, it is highly likely that not all of this area may be suitable for tahr, which would induce bias in estimates of total abundance.” Unfortunately, the detail and preliminary nature of the report has been lost with the focus immediately going on the number quoted in it. There are two vital points to be made here: Firstly, we do not know how many tahr there actually are. The preliminary results are that we can be 95 percent confident that the credible number is between 17,347 and 53,950 and any of those numbers is as likely at the next. The number of 35,633 now being quoted as the tahr population is simply halfway between the two numbers. Unfortunately, this number has been seized on and as we will see later is what decisions on control have been based on. Secondly, even the lower end of the estimate is well over the 10,000-limit set out in the Control Plan. In response to these results, the Minister and DOC signalled an intention to reduce numbers to within the parameters of the Tahr Control Plan, i.e. down to 10,000. Subsequent to the media storm, stakeholders were invited to a meeting on August 29 to discuss how they might be addressed in any population control plan. Central to all of this was that the fact that the use and benefits derived from the tahr resource by recreational, guided and latterly commercial hunters was now significantly greater to what it was in 1993. The change in use was the result of the growth in the guided hunting sector but also promotion of
recreational tahr hunting within New Zealand and overseas. The 1993 plan did not make provisions for such growth and changes but since no review of the plan had taken place in 25 years, it needed updating. Stakeholders did acknowledge that there needed to be a reduction in tahr numbers on public land, but this needed to take account the issues raised. On September 17 DOC sent a Letter of Expectation to the stakeholders and it set out the following:
PROPOSAL TO THE TAHR LIAISON GROUP
The amended approach and proposal to stakeholders involves: • NZDA, Safari Club International and Game Animal Council work together with their members to remove at least 2,500+ tahr from public conservation land and provide evidence and data • WARO operators to remove 3,000 tahr from public conservation land and provide evidence and data • AATH operators to remove 1,500 tahr from public conservation land using offsets and provide evidence and data • Professional Hunting Guides to remove 500 tahr from public conservation land and provide evidence and data • Over the same period, the Department will remove 10,000 animals (excluding Westland/Tai Poutini and Aoraki Mt Cook National Parks) from above 305 meters (1,000 feet) before the breeding starts mid-November 2018 starting from Management Units 1 (Rakaia-Rangitata) and Unit 3 (Gammack-Two Thumb) and including all management units (1 – 7) through to June 2019. More specifically: • The 10,000 animals DOC will remove, will be made up of 3,000 male tahr and 7,000 “other” tahr which will be a mix of nannies, juveniles and kids (excluding animals removed from the Westland/Tai Poutini and Aoraki Mt Cook National Parks) • We are planning to commence this control work before 30 September 2018. There has been much debate about the number of tahr that DOC was intending to have killed. So, to be clear, if we add up the numbers: NZDA, Safari Club International and Game Animal Council
2,500+
tahr
WARO operators
3,000
tahr
AATH operators
1,500
tahr
Professional Hunting Guides
500
tahr
Department of Conservation
10,000
tahr
In addition, DOC had culled 2,670 tahr from around Mt. Cook National Park in June this year so the total kill was to be 20,170 plus all the tahr that could be killed in the two national Parks. The Minister’s intention is to remove all tahr from Westland and Mt. Cook National Parks. These figures do not include any tahr on non-public conservation land; however, tahr on privately owned land are included in the 10,000 tahr population limit set out in the Tahr Control Plan. Getting a total kill of 25,000 or more was easily on the cards and you can see how the math was arrived at. Remember, the magic number from the Minister’s perspective is a current population of 35,633. Well, 35,000 less 25,000 equals 10,000. The problem with this equation is that we do not know if the 35,000 is accurate or not. If it is an over-estimate, then this would be catastrophic since once the tahr are dead it is too late. Killing 3,000 bulls, plus all bulls in the two national parks, plus
all the other tahr, all in the space of nine months would have decimated the guided hunting sector, killed off businesses looking to establish markets for tahr meat and severely curtailed recreational tahr hunting for many years. I am not sure if those responsible for that plan expected a reaction. What they got was an uprising that jelled together the whole hunting sector, with public and some politicians to generate a social media storm and was front and centre of mainstream media for weeks. It also raised more than $200,000 for a legal challenge. Battle lines were well and truly drawn and played out daily in the media. Meanwhile, the Minister of Conservation, Hon Eugenie Sage, had in her previous letter of expectation tasked the Game Animal Council (GAC) to: “Work with DOC and all the key hunting sector groups to develop a plan that will support DOC to bring the tahr population down within the limits of the 1993 Himalayan Tahr Control Plan” The Council had attended all the previous stakeholder meetings convened by DOC and provided advice and expertise to those meetings. The GAC now saw the need to chart a way forward that could address the goal of lowering the tahr population whilst at the same time mitigating the effects this would have on the hunting sector. After extensive engagement with the hunting sector the GAC tabled an alternative approach to the issue of tahr control. The full proposal can be viewed at: http://www.nzgameanimalcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/ Draft_GAC_Tahr_management_proposal_v01.pdf A second meeting of stakeholders attended by the Minister of Conservation was held on October 1 at which the GAC proposal was tabled. DOC took on board a number of the principles of the GAC proposal and formally acknowledged the contribution from the GAC. This was translated into a modified control program with the main points being: • A staged approach to reducing tahr numbers, • A total of 10,000 tahr being killed in the first year, • No bulls being killed except in exclusion zones (this was the existing situation). Then tragedy struck on October 18 when a helicopter setting off to commence the first stage of the culling operation crashed not far from Wanaka Airport, killing the pilot Nick Wallis and two DOC personnel, Paul Hondelink and Scott Theobald. All further operations have now been suspended as all aspects of the cull are being reviewed so at this time our only thoughts can be with the families of these three men. At this point we have people developing an APP so that recreational hunters can record their kills on their phones. Our big win to date is that no identifiable males are to be culled but there is a lot to be done around the science so that we can confidently state what numbers of Tahr our mountains can support. The Game Animal Council established in 2013 as a statutory body (which was set up with initial funding assistance from SCI) is making itself heard and representing our constituent members effectively by pushing for the scientific data to be put forward before any serious culling takes place. In summary, New Zealand is a great place to come and hunt, and without the support of our international hunting community the presence of Tahr in New Zealand would be under considerable pressure. They are CITES protected in their home range in the Himalayas. ★
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HOW TO
Defeat Anti-Hunters THE
BY WILL COGGIN Managing Director, Center for Consumer Freedom
In March 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt left the White House and embarked on the first vacation of his post-presidency life—a tenmonth-long tour of the African safari. Photos of Roosevelt on this expedition are not hard to find, but today’s rabid animal rights activists may be frozen in their tracks—even confused— when they hear that he was not only a hunter but one of America’s foremost environmentalists. Roosevelt’s crowning achievements include starting the widely beloved national parks system, and even taking a camping trip to Yosemite with John Muir. What’s more, Roosevelt was the biggest animal lover to ever sit in the Oval Office. His White House was a menagerie, home to a bear, a pig, a badger, a pony, a hyena, an owl, snakes, and multiple dogs. Roosevelt set out on his African expedition, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. His 94 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
company returned with more than 11,000 animal specimens to help one of the Institute’s new museums establish its collection. Today, that museum is fondly known as the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Here was a man who loved animals, nature, the great outdoors, firearms, and hunting. This wasn’t a lonely mantle at the time; he shared the twin roles of hunter and naturalist with esteemed figures, including Charles Darwin, Ernest Hemingway, and John James Audubon. Roosevelt — to this day — remains one of this country’s most wellliked leaders. Yet in the eyes of contemporary environmental activists, Roosevelt is a paradox. Today, animal activists like PETA tell us it’s impossible for a hunter to care about animals and the environment. Hunters know nothing is further from the truth. But does the public?
Protest outside HSUS’s fundraising gala in New York City, Nov. 2018
PUBLIC SENTIMENT IS EVERYTHING
The key to hunting’s future is public acceptance. A lack of public acceptance makes it easy for animal-rights lobbyists to pass laws making hunting more expensive and more difficult— and eventually banned. And the public is currently not a fan of safari hunting. Recent polling finds 86 percent of Americans disapprove of big-game hunting and 62 percent want to see it banned. There’s a sentimental value that people—many of whom don’t hunt but did grow up watching The Lion King—place on charismatic megafauna. Activists have opportunistically exploited this through campaigns such as “Cecil the Lion” to raise funds and stoke outrage. And they have turned this into political success. The wealthy anti-hunting Humane Society of the United States has pushed a number of initiatives to choke big-game hunting. In several states, it has pushed bans on selling lawfully obtained ivory antiques. In New Jersey, it pushed to ban imports of trophies from Africa. While that was overturned by an SCI court challenge, the Obama Administration catered to activists and slapped a federal import ban on certain trophies. Anti-hunting activists don’t need to ban safari hunting outright. If they can make it impossible to import or transfer trophies and stigmatize the public image of individual people who hunt, then they can effectively end it. They have a similar strategy attacking general hunting in the United States: Reduce the species, reduce the legal methods, reduce the seasons, and ban commonly used ammunition. It’s all designed to make hunting more expensive and harder to do so that fewer people will do it. Right now, the momentum is on their side because they control the conversation. To use a cliché, the hunters have become the hunted. Large organizations, including PETA and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), vilify hunters as “deplorable” or “murderers.” These positions are slowly becoming more mainstream, much to the detriment of the men and women who suffer these smears of their character. Even conservative stalwarts—typically not allies of anti-hunting activists—have been influenced. Fox News host Tucker Carlson will, every now and then, invite PETA representatives and vegan
activists on his show, often joking around and even ceding points to activists who manage to remain level-headed for the cameras. Radio host Michael Savage, who supported a Trump presidency since the day Trump announced his campaign in 2015, opposed Trump’s policy of reversing the Obama-era ban on the import of elephant trophies. In a significant criticism of the president’s administration, Fox News host Laura Ingraham similarly voiced her displeasure with the ban’s reversal. On Twitter, she posted: “I don’t understand how this move by [the Trump] Admin will not INCREASE the gruesome poaching of elephants.” Ingraham is not out of the mainstream on this issue. With the animal rights activists having such a significant effect on the public perception of safari hunting, her frustration is understandable—if misinformed.
CHANGING THE DEBATE
How can supporters of big-game hunting win over the public? It starts with playing offense. The concept is simple: In a game of football, the team that is on offense tends to score the most points and win the game. And right now, the anti-hunting activists are on offense, painting safari hunters as cruel, rich jerks who kill endangered species. This narrative doesn’t jive with reality, of course. Legal and regulated safari hunts are not what threaten African wildlife. Rather, poaching, habitat loss, and conflict with local people contribute significantly more to the dwindling numbers of some of Africa’s most cherished animals. But facts don’t matter if anti-hunters are controlling the narrative. They can only be put on defense if hunters develop their own offense-minded campaigns. Here’s one: Expose how little animal activists actually do to help endangered species. Animal activists have pounced on situations such as “Cecil the Lion” to raise money for their organizations. But their own tax records show they give next to nothing to actually help fight poaching or conserve species in Africa. PETA’s latest tax documents reveal the group didn’t send any money to the continent of Africa. Not one penny to help locals fight poachers—out of a $64 million budget. SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 95
What does it say about an organization that it is willing to invest money in, for example, creating a video showcasing men with vegetable genitalia—but it isn’t willing to send a few dollars to an African conservation group? Likewise, in 2016 the Humane Society of the United States sent only $5,000 to the Middle East and North Africa region, while Sub-Saharan Africa received just $262,000 in grants. Almost all of this went to feeding chimps in Liberia. This kind of money is mere pocket change considering the group’s nearly $113 million in donations. There doesn’t appear to be a single grant that went to anti-poaching efforts. Compare that to the $51 million HSUS had sitting in Caribbean hedge funds that year. This so-called “Humane Society” would rather have money sitting in offshore accounts than being used to help wildlife or pets. Contrast the spending of these activist groups to what hunters contribute to conservation. A few years ago, Botswana banned safari hunts, and has been grappling with the ramifications ever since. Sankuyo, a village with a rough population of 700, sits just east of the Okavango Delta — one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Before the ban on hunting, Sankuyo reported bringing in nearly $600,000 thanks to the 120 animals it offered to hunters in 2010—more money in this one instance than PETA and HSUS gave combined in the examples cited above. With Botswana’s hunting ban in effect, one consequence has been the explosive growth of the local large mammal population—and not for the better. Buffalo and elephants trample freshly plowed fields and eat produce before farmers can harvest it. Lions even entered Sankuyo, in search of livestock, forcing villagers to kill the predators for their own safety. Meanwhile, hunters continue helping wild populations through their financial support of local economies and conservation efforts. In Tanzania, age restrictions govern which lions can be killed. In some parts of the country, lions are seeing a population increase in concurrence with legal, regulated hunting. The animal activists say we should shoot animals with cameras, not guns, and that revenue lost via safari hunting bans can be replaced by increased tourism. Yet according to Joseph E. Mbaiwa, a University of Botswana researcher, his country’s ban on safari hunting has led to reduced tourism, which means less money for local communities. Among the rural population, the ban has fomented negative attitudes toward conservation efforts, and even resulted in an increase in illegal poaching. Botswana is currently reconsidering its ban on hunting.
KNOCKING ACTIVISTS OFF THE HIGH GROUND
Animal activists are able to play offense against hunters and others because they have moral credibility. They claim to wear a white (pith) hat. If they didn’t have that credibility, they wouldn’t be as effective in public messaging. And as it turns out, these self-described “animal protection” groups aren’t living up to their own missions. These groups are happy to fundraise off Cecil the Lion and do little to help African wildlife. Domestically, they’re not any better. PETA, for instance, has killed close to 40,000 animals at its headquarters in Virginia, according to documents it has filed with the state. That’s right: A group for the “ethical treatment of animals” that kills cats and dogs by the truckload. In some years PETA’s kill rate has exceeded 95%. PETA was even caught stealing a girl’s dog off her front porch 96 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019
in eastern Virginia and killing it. PETA paid about $50,000 to settle the subsequent lawsuit. The Humane Society of the United States, meanwhile, does not run a single pet shelter despite raising millions from ads that are full of dogs and cats. HSUS recently got a “D” grade from the well-respected CharityWatch for its poor spending practices. One recent tax return showed that about half of HSUS’s budget was spent on fundraising-related costs. These groups are all about the money and the media. The animals? They come second. Worse, their attitudes towards the animals they claim to represent can be downright bizarre. Hunters are awed by the animals themselves. To revisit Theodore Roosevelt’s account of his time in Africa, consider his reflections on the goliath of the savannah — the elephant: No other animal, not the lion himself, is so constant a theme of talk, and a subject of such unflagging interest round the campfires of African hunters and in the native villages of the African wilderness, as the elephant. This candid respect for the animals he hunts would likely shock the most radical anti-hunting activists. And yet Roosevelt’s appreciations stand in stark contrast to one of the most influential people in the animal liberation movement, Wayne Pacelle, who served as CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for more than a decade. Like Roosevelt, Pacelle spoke at length about animals. But Pacelle lacks the erudite thought and raw passion Roosevelt revealed when discussing his time around animals. It’s worth reading some quotes from the man who spearheaded the denigration of hunting. Shortly before joining HSUS, Pacelle said, “I don’t want to see another dog or cat born,” and even admitted, “I don’t have a hands-on fondness for animals.” (Pacelle resigned last year following a major sexual harassment scandal.) Likewise, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is not necessarily filled with the stereotype of what the public imagines animal lovers to be. Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, has advocated for the killing of all pit bulls. She wishes to see an end to pet ownership and has said “I will be the last person to condemn ALF,” referring to the Animal Liberation Front, an FBI-designed domestic terrorist group. (PETA gave $70,000 to the legal defense of an ALF arsonist in the 90’s.) Before PETA existed, Ingrid Newkirk’s first job working with animals was at a shelter. She recounts her time there in a detached manner: I’d go to work early before anyone got there, and I would just kill the animals myself, because I couldn’t stand to let them go through that. I must have killed a thousand of them, sometimes dozens every day. In Newkirk’s twisted mind, death was the best remedy for discomfort. A lawyer for PETA echoed this sentiment when arguing that elephants would be better off dead than imported from Swaziland and given a home in a U.S. zoo. Better dead than fed: That could be PETA’s motto. My organization, the Center for Consumer Freedom, has been battling HSUS, PETA, and other radical activists for years. Through sites such as www.PETAKillsAnimals.com and www. HumaneWatch.org, we educate the public about the radical agendas of animal liberation activists and encourage people to support
Billboards in Times Square
legitimate groups, such as their local pet shelter. Offense works. We’ve had success (according to polling) in driving down the public image of HSUS and PETA. Additionally, when activists are forced to play defense, they can’t spend as much time putting out false information. But these groups spend tens of millions a year on marketing. It’s a constant battle. Anybody who wants to preserve their hobbies or ways of life needs to invest in communications, because the activists are all in. It’s what they do, all day, every day: Put out propaganda that furthers their narrative.
THE NEW NARRATIVE
Consider what the public should know about the “other side of the story” when it comes to safari hunting. Safari hunters often pay top dollar to take down carefully selected animals that have either turned aggressive or are no longer part of the breeding stock. The proceeds from hunters go to local communities and wildlife conservation efforts. A century ago, the southern white rhino was on the brink of extinction, with only about 1,800 in the wild. Then, in 1968, limited and regulated trophy hunting was introduced as a way to incentivize the species’ recovery and to raise funds for increased conservation efforts. Today, there are estimated to be about 20,000 southern white rhinos. That’s a success story reminiscent of the CBS “60 Minutes” profile of Texas game ranches that had rehabilitated many endangered species populations. Contrast this story with the misdeeds of poachers. Last September, a story broke about the discovery of nearly 90 brutally mangled elephants near the Okavango Delta. The elephants had been killed for their tusks, and poachers attempted to hide the bodies with dry foliage. This was indiscriminate killing that did nothing to further conservation or to help local communities in Botswana. Poachers pose a threat to the continued existence of wild animals. Poaching should be mentioned among the more silent causes of population decline, including disease, habitat loss, and lack of prey. Why not lay the victims of poachers at the feet of anti-hunting groups? After all, here are groups that raise millions a year to help animals
and yet are doing little to fight poachers, in contrast to hunters. The activists should be shamed publicly. Or what about contrasting humble Africans who rely on safari hunting with wealthy animal charity executives who live in million-dollar homes? One could make the case that the anti-hunting activists are trying to impose themselves on Africa instead of allowing countries to have self-determination. If hunters do not take the time to bring their perspective to the public, they risk losing a wide swath of would-be allies, like Laura Ingraham. From a public relations standpoint, it’s difficult for consumers—or voters—to imagine the upside of an argument when public discourse on the matter is so blatantly one-sided. Safari hunts support local jobs in countries like Botswana and bolster the economies of countries in a way that photo tourism—often touted as an alternative income source—cannot. Furthermore, the hunts mitigate human-wildlife conflict, which can otherwise be a serious problem affecting crops and—in some cases—lives. It’s also worth making the point that legal and regulated hunts adhering to a sustainable quota actually help animals, especially when targeting animals that have grown aggressive to their own species, or those that are too old to breed. Theodore Roosevelt was the kind of man who could clearly articulate his love for animals and pair it with his understanding that hunting is an important conservation tool. As he said: In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wildlife, are ignorant of the fact that in reality, the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination. No respectable sportsman would wish for the world to be deprived of the iconic lion or the majestic elephant. Hunters have the ability to win the debate. Will they? ★ For more information, contact Will Coggin at: 202.463.7112 coggin@consumerfreedom.com SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 97
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Louis van Bergen Spiral Horn Safaris
1.
WHAT IS THE PRIMARY AREA AND GAME FOR WHICH YOU GUIDE?
We are based out of my game ranch in the Limpopo Province of South Africa bordering Botswana in the Rooibokkraal area. I mainly guide for quality Cape Buffalo and most plains game species like Sable, Roan and Kudu.
2.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE A CAREER AS A PROFESSIONAL HUNTER?
Our ranch has been in the family for over 30 years so I basically grew up hunting and ranching,I have always had a love for the animals. Learning how to work in with nature. In 2008 I was privileged enough to hunt Zambia for 9 months and knew I wanted to be a professional hunter and guide clients.
3.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST DANGEROUS HUNT?
Going after a wounded Cape Buffalo in thick brush in the rain (hearing them move was a challenge). It was tough to find the track and blood. At times it was pretty slow going but we finally got back on the bull, his right front shoulder
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was broken. The bull faced us on about 10 yards where the client could put another follow up shot in only to find out we where in the middle of the herd and have buffalo run from every direction. One cow with a calve broke away as close as 8 yards. The concern of being trapped by the herd was greater than that of the wounded bull. As it turns out the second shot was well placed and we could hear the bull bellow a minute or so after the second shot. Hunting buffalo in thick brush is very exciting it is amazing how a 2000 pound animal can move around without making a sound.
4.
WHAT DO YOU WANT A FIRST-TIME CLIENT TO KNOW BEFORE HUNTING WITH YOU?
All hunting is what you make of it. Be clear on how you would prefer to hunt, listen to advice and enjoy being out in the African bush. Be sure to remember where you are at all times and live in the moment.
5.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING HUNTING AND HUNTERS TODAY?
Division of hunters based moral high ground and emotion. We as hunters are our own worst enemy. We tend to be hardest on each other instead of standing together regardless of the manner in which we choose to hunt. We allow the door to be opened to so many topics with regards to hunting and scrutiny of anti-hunters with attacking each other in public. Hunting Ethics and morals are very important but we must be very careful where we launch our debates being constantly vigilant not to give anti-hunting organisations more ammunition against us. The most important tool to conservation is to put a value on an animal. This ensures that there will always be people (hunters, game ranchers, concession owners, governments) who can contribute and fight to conserve the species for future generations.
6.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HUNTING WEAPON AND/OR CALIBER?
I personally prefer to bow hunt, I like the fact that you can be very selective in what animal you take because of the fact that you have time to assess every animal that comes in to the watering hole. My favourite caliber is a 308, it is a very versatile caliber for most African plains game species, easy to handle most kids can use a 308 with great ease.
7.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT HUNTING?
In owning a game ranch there is always work to be done but when I get a break I like to do a little salt water fishing and get in a round or two of golf.
8.
FAVORITE MEAL?
Lamb chops done on the fire.
9.
WHY DO YOU HUNT?
Hunting has a way to make every man humble in experiencing God’s creation. Early mornings and late afternoons no one day is the same. There is something new to learn every day. There is nothing like tracking a herd of Cape Buffalo only to have the wind change as you get in position and see a cloud of dust, hear branches break and you have to start all over again with a new game plan.
10.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU COULD NOT DO YOUR JOB WITHOUT?
My Binoculars.
Louis van Bergen SPIRAL HORN SAFARIS
safari.spiralhorn@gmail.com www.spiralhorn.co.za Mobile + 27 76 577 6292
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Flights of Fun Fellowship On Saturday, February 9th, Houston Safari Club Foundation and WGO Outfitters hosted our 4th Annual European Style Tower Pheasant Shoot in Waller, Texas. Groups of shooters were present for both morning and afternoon flights. It was great to see so many HSCF members and their guests (and subsequent new members!) at this popular event. It was a bit cold and cloudy but the birds flew well nonetheless. Shooters from each flight convened around the campfire at noon to swap stories and enjoy a meal of delicious pheasant and sausage gumbo and homemade peach cobbler, If you have not attended this event before, be sure to put it on your calendar for next year. Sign up early as this event usually sells out! HSCF thanks WGO Outfitters, their guides and their great dogs for a terrific day of shooting and fellowship. We hope to see you there next year! ★
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: (281) 452-6223 • Fax: (281) 457-5412 • 15608 South Brentwood • Channelview, TX 77530-4018 E-Mail: sport@sportinginternational.com • www.sportinginternational.com HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING 2019