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T H E O F F I CIA L PU B LIC ATION OF HO US T ON S AFARI CLUB F OUND AT I ON • S UMMER 2019
2 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SUMMER 2019
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TABLE of
CONTENTS
FEATURES
30
16 SPORTSMEN’S PACKAGE
FINALLY SIGNED INTO LAW
By Sara Leonard
18 ANIMAL-RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ATTACK OVERSEAS AND AT HOME
By Brian Lynn
22 5 PRECAUTIONS FOR TRAVELING WITH MEDICATION
Contributed by Global Rescue
26 DO I LOOK FAT IN THESE WADERS? By Scott Leysath
30 MODERNITY IS MAKING US LESS HUMAN
By Brad Luttrell
38 THE END OF THE TRAIL By Shane Mahoney
40 TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE
HUNT, YOU MUST KNOW IT.
18
By John J. Jackson III
44 MOUNTAIN HUNTING’S BEST BARGAINS
By Tim Herald
52 EXPLORE AUSTRALIA WITH ESPLANADE TRAVEL
60 GAZELLES WOMEN’S DAY RETREAT RETURNS
By Jody Simpson
62 HSCF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: 5
MINUTES WITH HSCF MEMBER JERRY HENDERSON
64 HSCF PH SPOTLIGHT: MEET
AFRICA MAXIMUM SAFARIS
By Jacques Senekal
66 HUNTING WITH A CANON: ONE OBSERVER’S VIEW
By Suzanne Hixson
70 2018 DAN L. DUNCAN
SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE
78 FAUSTI: QUALITY
SHOTGUNS SINCE 1948
By Claudio Maltese
82 MEMBERCLICKS COVER ARTWORK:
‘The Crocodile Funeral,’ by Suzanne Hixson 4 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
64
62
SUMMER 2019
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52 44
78 SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 5
OUR MISSION Preserving the sport of
hunting through education,
conservation and the promotion
of our hunting heritage.
6 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
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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 Art Wright, Business Development Manager 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 JULY 11
SEPTEMBER 5
NOVEMBER 7
Trophy Room Reception at the residence of HSCF Member Ned Holmes
Wildlife Partners’ Brian Gilroy presents Exotic Wildlife Business in Texas
Trophy Room Reception at the residence of HSCF Life Member Randy Donato
AUGUST 1
SEPTEMBER 6
DECEMBER 5
Rick Franco; From the Battlefields of Afghanistan to Conservation in Zimbabwe
2019 HSCF Sporting Clays Tournament at Greater Houston Gun Club
HSCF Christmas Party at the House of Blues (Free event for HSCF Members)
OCTOBER 3
Jim VanSteenhouseThe Bear Man
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 7
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR‘S MESSAGE JOE BETAR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
H
opefully some of you were able to get out into the woods and fields to chase turkey this spring. After four different trips, I was finally able to take two Rios in the Texas Hill Country. The gobblers were “henned up” until late in the season this year. On several occasions, I had 10-12 mature Toms out of shooting range and unresponsive to calling. Hens were the only things on their minds early in the season and they were not going to leave their groups! We continue to encourage your attendance at our monthly meetings and events. Our May speaker was Froylan Hernandez, Director of the Texas Desert Bighorn Sheep Program. Froylan provided an excellent update on the success of the sheep program in Texas and the program’s history. HSCF was one of the first funding partners for this program and continues its support through our grants program. World renowned hunter, adventurer and author Craig Boddington joined us in June to provide updates on his latest adventures and writings. Upcoming events include a Trophy Room Mixer at the home of HSCF member Ned Holmes on July 11, Rick Franco discussing his adventures from the Battlefields of Afghanistan to Conservation in Zimbabwe on August 1, Brian Gilroy of HSCF Corporate Sponsor, Wildlife Partners, speaking on exotics in Texas, Jim VanSteenouse-The Bear Man, a survivor of a grizzly bear attack, on October 3, a Trophy Room Mixer at the home of HSCF member Randy Donato on November 7, and our annual Christmas party on December 5. Other exciting event announcements are forthcoming. If you sign up in advance, you will be eligible to win free admission to these events and a prize package, as we will draw one winner from “early-bird” signups. On the legislative and policy front, it is always important to stay informed about happenings at home and abroad. Hunting and hunters are continually under attack through inaccurate news and social media. The narrative is the same-hunting leads to the extinction of species. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (and many other expert bodies) state that hunting is not the main threat to animal survival. Their position is that hunting has led to increases in populations of rhino, elephant, lion, markhor, argali, chamois and others. The main problems facing these species are habitat loss and fragmentation, conflict with local people, prey-base depletion and illegal poaching. One argument that anti-hunters continually tout is that hunting and hunters do not give back to local communities. From a source in Namibia, recent data from one concession has shown that elephants hunted in conservancies generated almost $2 million in cash benefits back to conservancies, and this cash return was 54 percent of all hunting income received by conservancies and 21 percent of the total benefits received by conservancies. In addition, the total estimated value of the 333,900 kgs of meat generated from elephant hunting was over $500,000 and totaled 64 percent 8 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
of all meat distributed to conservancy members. You can always stay up to date on policy and legislation by reading our e-newsletters, The Bush Telegraph and The Pulse each month. If you have not subscribed, please do so at hscfdn.org/resources/ publications/ and houstonsafariclub.org/news/. It’s free! Preparations continue for HSCF’s annual Worldwide Hunting Expo and Convention, to be held at the Hilton Americas-Houston and George R. Brown Convention Center, January 24-26, 2020. Convention updates may be found here: hscfdn.org/convention/attendees/. Exciting announcements are coming soon about our entertainment lineup. New for 2020, we are bringing back the Thursday night exhibitor and volunteer appreciation party. A new cocktail reception will be held before the Friday night banquet. You can register now for the banquets-be sure to do so by December 1 to take advantage of discounted “early-bird” pricing. Also, submissions for hunting and photo awards are now being accepted at hscfdn.org/convention/awards/. We will be presenting a new award this year-HSCF Conservationist of the Year. This award recognizes individuals or organizations exemplifying a true servant’s heart for conservation. Nominees are considered for their conservation works related to education, advocacy, legislation, policy, environmental activities, and the protection and preservation of wildlife and habitat. Nominations
are now being accepted at hscfdn.org/convention/awards/. We are also working to accelerate the pace of the banquets through new program formats to be hosted by an emcee. Call the office today if you are interested in being a Committee Chair or Volunteer for this fun event. If you would like to help support this event, please contact me at joe@hscfdn.org or 832.767.1881 for sponsorship opportunities. Convention is our biggest fundraiser of the year in support of our scholarship, youth and grants programs. Attend both the Expo and the banquets! We need your support! I would like to sincerely thank both Wildlife Partners and Capital Farm Credit for their continued support of HSCF, as Corporate Partners. These companies believe in HSCF’s mission and continue to show their support year after year. We ask that you support them as well! We also welcome two new HSCF Member Rewards Program participants — Buddy Insurance and Gun and Trophy Insurance. This program allows HSCF members to take advantage of product and service discounts and these companies give back to HSCF! To learn more: hscfdn.org/giving-back/member-rewards/. We are pleased to announce Art Wright as the newest member of the HSCF team. Art will serve as HSCF’s Business Development Manager, responsible for advertising and banquet
sales, corporate sponsorships and convention and event sponsorships. Art brings to HSCF over 20 years of hunting, fishing and marine sales experience. Art also previously served as an Assistant Executive Director for Coastal Conservation Association (CCA). Please join me in welcoming Art to the HSCF family! As I write this, Board elections for the 2019-2020 year are underway. We will present the new Directors and Officers in the next issue of Hunter’s Horn. We are also preparing the 2019-2020 HSCF Member Directory. Be sure to update your contact information in your MemberClicks profile, or by calling the office, if your information has changed over the past year. Last, we will be relocating the HSCF office to a new location in early September. Look for announcements on our new location coming later this year. I hope each of you have a tremendous summer! Yours in Conservation,
Joe Betar
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE MITZY MCCORVEY, HSCF PRESIDENT
T
his time last year, I was beginning my term as President of Houston Safari Club Foundation. On one hand, it seems like it was only yesterday and on the other hand it seems eons ago! I have truly enjoyed the ride. We have accomplished quite a lot this past year, from changing to a foundation, growing the Convention, to adding a separate legislative arm for the club. It has been my honor to serve as the President of this wonderful organization. I am proud of what we do to preserve the sport of hunting. Teddy Roosevelt once said, “In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The excellent people who protest 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.” We truly make an impact on the hunting world around us. We may not be the largest organization, but we leave a huge footprint wherever we go. For instance, our scholarship program has given out 525 scholarships totaling about $2.25 million. We have also given over $3.7 million in grants for hunter funded wildlife, habitat and various other conservation initiatives. People know who we are, and we do make a difference. I would like to welcome the newest addition to the office staff, Art Wright. He will be managing HSCF’s business development and sales in the areas of advertising, sponsorships and banquet table sales. We are looking forward to him taking over these responsibilities. We have had several events since the convention. There was a good turnout and good times in February at the 4th Annual European Style Tower Pheasant Shoot as well as HSCF Weekend at the Hawkeye Hunting Club. In March, we hosted an evening at the 11 Below Brewing Company in appreciation of our Committee Chairs, volunteers and members. We had a nice gathering, and everyone enjoyed visiting and getting to know a few new members. Then, of course, at the end of March, we had the fabulous Y.O. Weekend hosted by Sandra and Byron Sadler. There were a lot of folks, new members and old, and a great time was had by all! This is done every other year, so if you
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didn’t make it this time, you will not want to miss it the next time it rolls around! Thank you, Anna and Tommy Morrison, for helping coordinate that wonderful weekend. The annual HSCF Sporting Clays Tournament was scheduled for April, but had to be re-scheduled, not once, but twice, due to rain. It is now scheduled for Friday, September 6, so if you have not signed up or couldn’t make it before, you now have time to sign up and join us at the Greater Houston Sports Club. Our May meeting featured Froylan Hernandez, who is the Desert Bighorn Sheep Program Leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife and he shared new information regarding the program and the new permitting system they are trying to create. Our monthly meeting in June featured the always interesting Craig Boddington. It is always a pleasure hosting him. I would like to thank Joe Betar, Angi McCarthy, Carla Nielsen and Nancy Oka for all their help this past year. They were truly “the calm in the storm” for me. They kept me focused (which is not always easy) and were continuously steering me in the directions that I needed to go! And to our members/volunteers… I say, “stay involved and continue to spread our message.” We can be successful only with your continued help and involvement. To J.D. Burrows, I know you are going to do an excellent job spreading our message as the next President of HSCF and I look forward to helping in any way I can. Again, to quote Teddy Roosevelt, “Believe you can, and you are halfway there.” See you on the flip side… Sincerely,
Mitzy McCorvey President, Houston Safari Club Foundation
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 11
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Jordan Anders
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SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 13
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 14 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING SUMMER2019 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 Salvatore Giannetti 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
HSCF LIFE MEMBERS Wayne LaPierre 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 James Stacy 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
*Deceased SUMMER SPRING 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 15
Sportsmen’s Package Finally Signed into Law President Trump Signs S. 47, The Strongest Conservation Bill Of The Decade. BY SARA LEONARD
A
fter years of working with Congress to pass a comprehensive package of legislation for America’s sportsmen and women, the Natural Resources Management Act (S. 47) was finally signed into law by President Trump on March 12. This was a truly bipartisan effort from the beginning. S. 47 was introduced right as the 116th Congress commenced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Member Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK), and received wide support from Congress, passing the Senate 92–8, followed by the House with a vote of 363–62. This bill is also widely supported by an array of organizations, as its conservation benefits are incredibly vast. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) joined 50 other wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation groups in submitting a request to both chambers of Congress urging timely consideration of S. 47. Working closely with partner organizations and CSC Members to get this bill passed proved successful. The sportsmen’s conservation provisions within this bill are considered to be common sense, and are critical for increasing public access to hunting, angling, recreational shooting, and other outdoor recreation opportunities across the country. Here are some key sportsmen’s conservation provisions that will be implemented: • Authorizing the transportation of archery equipment through National Park Service (NPS) Units. • Permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), including 3 percent or $15 million — whichever is greater — of annual appropriations made available for securing additional public hunting, fishing and recreational shooting access. • Requiring Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands to be open for
16 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting except as required for public safety, administration or compliance with existing laws. In cases where they are deemed necessary, closures will now be limited to the smallest area for the shortest area of time needed to address the issue requiring the closure. • Directing the NPS, BLM, USFS, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop strategies for providing access to federal lands where hunting, fishing, target shooting and other recreation are allowed but cannot be reasonably accessed by the public. Shortly after S. 47 was signed into law, then Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt went to work on implementing provisions within his department’s jurisdiction by signing Secretarial Order 3374 on March 27. This Order directs the Interior Department bureaus to prioritize S. 47, and clarifies the bureau roles to ensure timely and efficient implementation. Additionally, through the Federal Lands, Hunting, Fishing, and Shooting Sports Roundtable — led by CSF’s Senior Western States Director Andy Treharne as Roundtable Chair — conservation leaders including CSF and Houston Safari Club are working with each land management agency involved with the S. 47 implementation process. The access provision included in LWCF (bullet #2) — also called the Making Public Lands Public Initiative — is of particular importance to CSF. Recent studies estimate there are nearly 10 million acres of public lands across the west that are open to sporting activities, but the general public is currently unable to access these parcels due to a number of reasons. This provision will help address this by truly making public lands public. The signing of S. 47 into law marks a historic day and a major milestone for sportsmen’s access and conservation. ★
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 17
Animal-Rights Activists Attack Overseas and at Home
Using import bans and the Endangered Species Act, the animal-rights movement seeks to end worldwide hunting BY BRIAN LYNN, SPORTSMEN’S ALLIANCE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS 18 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
T
he first half of 2019 started with a deluge of legislation by animal rights organizations and legislators friendly to their cause and who embrace their ideology. The worldwide war to end hunting takes many shapes, and the animal-rights movement is using every iteration to force their views and lifestyles upon American sportsmen. Of course, every time anti-hunters pass legislation or a regulation that limits or bans hunting in the U.S. or abroad, they undermine the very foundation of what they purport to be protecting. It is the sportsman and woman, the hunter, angler, trapper and recreational shooter who funds wildlife management and conservation in the U.S., and who provide an economic incentive and the financial means to protect and conserve wildlife in Africa, Asia and other lands.
STILL HAUNTED BY “CECIL” THE LION
Perhaps the most egregious of these attacks is House Resolution 2245, also known as “The CECIL Act” (named for “Cecil” the lion). Introduced by Congressman Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ), the CECIL Act severely restricts the import and export of game taken outside the United States, while increasing the costs of obtaining any import and export permits that can still be issued. The bill also prohibits all import permits for elephants and lions taken in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. HR 2245 would abolish the distinction between endangered and threatened species, and worse, would extend the burdensome obstacles for obtaining import permits for legally hunted animals to species simply “proposed” for ESA listing. Imposing burdensome Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibitions on animals even proposed for listing would give them the same status as threatened and endangered species, but without the review of scientific evidence and a demonstrated need for protection actually presented. If passed, hunting of the proposed species would severely diminish, and years of pointless studies and red-tape lawsuits would likely ensue – similar to what is currently happening with attempts to delist the Western Great Lakes wolves and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bears. Note that the bill doesn’t define “proposed,” so activists will argue that any species they “propose” for listing in a petition cannot be imported. Animal-rights groups and politicians like Rep. Grijalva will stop at nothing to end all forms of hunting, whether here in the United States or around the world. “It’s no secret that Rep. Grijalva is an advocate of the radical agenda pushed by the Humane Society of the United States. Grijalva is a past recipient of the HSUS Humane Champion Award and has received a perfect score from HSUS on their issues every year since 2005,” said Bruce Tague, Sportsmen’s Alliance vice president of government affairs, noting that HSUS regularly pushes import bans on Africa’s Big Five. “What makes things much more serious this year is that Congressman Grijalva’s
party is in the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed him chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees federal conservation and species protection programs in the United States.” The language in H.R. 2245 is extremely crafty and dangerous. The bill maintains the illusion that an import permit process will still exist, but sets the criteria so high as to be a disguised prohibition. Finally, the bill would increase the permit fee from $100 to whatever it costs FWS to evaluate the permit criteria, including potentially sending a FWS employee to Africa to evaluate how an African country manages a particular species. This type of end-run around the existing Fish and Wildlife Service’s science-based management decisions is not only dangerous but could actually cause further harm to the species they claim to want to protect due to a loss of revenue from American hunters. “While making the case that he wants to save certain species in Africa, Rep. Grijalva is really looking to sneak in language to provide a road map to randomly choose species to list as protected and to ban all hunting,” said Tague. Whereas the CECIL Act seeks a sweeping victory for the animal-rights movement on a national stage, smaller moves at the state level are taking place with regularity. Import bans at the state level are a more subtle approach. By eliminating the ability SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 19
to import hides, horns or other parts of animals taken overseas, anti-hunters hope to end international hunting. These bans have been introduced in several states.
CONNECTICUT’S “BIG SIX” AND FELONIOUS TAXIDERMY
Connecticut Sen. Bob Duff ’s (D-Norwalk) Senate Bill 20, which banned the import, sale, transport and possession of African elephants, lions, leopards, rhinoceros, Cape buffalos and giraffes, passed the Joint Committee on Judiciary by a stunning vote of 31 to 5, and was sent to the Senate floor for a full vote. The large vote margin is stunning because the penalties in SB 20 were outright ridiculous. It treated possession of African game taxidermy the same as killing a human being. Violations of the new law would be a felony with a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to two years. These are the same penalties given to a person found guilty of manslaughter. “Animal-rights extremists used to be subtle, careful not to reveal their true views that humans and animals deserve equal rights,” said Tague. “SB 20 doesn’t hide it at all. Even worse than that, it treats someone who just buys a piece of legally obtained taxidermy the same as a criminal who has killed a person!” By preventing the import or possession of African big game trophies, the authors of Senate Bill 20 are basically banning a Connecticut resident from hunting those species. Hunting for big game in Africa is tightly regulated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which only issues import permits for hunts that occur in countries that maintain sound conservation plans. Money that flows into these countries actually helps maintain healthy populations of wildlife and prevents poaching. A recent report by Southwick and Associates, a leading economist for wildlife agencies, found that $326 million in direct spending from hunting in the top-eight hunting destination countries annually, actually “changes the attitudes of the local community and gives wildlife a positive value, providing incentives against poaching and mitigating human-wildlife conflict.” “So, in addition to equating the possession of legally obtained taxidermy with killing someone, this bill would actually do more harm than good to the animals the supporters purport to be trying to save,” said Tague. “You seriously can’t make this madness up.”
NEW YORK’S IMPORT BAN ON GIRAFFES
New York State Sen. Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore) pre-filed legislation in January to jumpstart the import-ban movement. Senate Bill 711 banned the importation of any body part of a giraffe. S 711 was a knee-jerk reaction to appease extremist animal-rights groups who have specifically protested the legal harvest of giraffes in Africa. While the sponsor believes his legislation will curry favor with animal-rights groups and garner positive press, it actually harms the scientific management and survival of giraffes. According to a Northwest University of South Africa report on hunting, an estimated $156 million from hunting and huntingassociated revenues were collected in South Africa in 2012. These revenues benefit the local communities in many ways, with the most important being huge financial incentives that discourage illegal poaching. “Like previous legislation that banned the import of African game, S 711 only makes it harder to manage wildlife in host countries, while also destroying the very mechanism that protects giraffes and other heavily poached African game for a worldwide 20 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
black market,” said Luke Houghton, associate director of state services for Sportsmen’s Alliance. Well-regulated American hunters must obtain the proper import permits from both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and be legally permitted to hunt those species in the range countries. Also, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service only issues import permits for hunts that occur in countries that maintain sound conservation plans that help improve threatened and endangered wildlife. The problem with even introducing a bill that a politician knows has zero chance of passing, is that it results in headlines and proposes a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. That can create the perception that regulation is actually needed, and that’s what has happened with giraffes. In late April, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) said that it would officially consider listing the giraffe as an endangered species. Under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission, the giraffe is recognized as a single species with nine subspecies. It is found in 21 African countries and has been extirpated in seven countries where they were historically found. The USFWS will now begin to review the biological, ecological and political evidence for the various giraffe populations. The ESA allows citizens to petition the Service to add new
species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, and this is where animal-rights organizations, such as the Humane Society of the United States and Center for Biological Diversity, both of which were quoted by the New York Times on the topic, can leverage emotional media coverage, social media outrage and their well-funded marketing influence to pressure politicians and agencies into adopting increased regulations or outright bans on hunting specific species.
PROTECTING SPORTSMEN IN THE COURTS AND AT THE BALLOT BOX
A SURPRISING VETO IN CALIFORNIA
The Humane Society of the United States created a solution for a problem that didn’t exist by ginning up media coverage of mountain lion hunting in the West, and then took their dog-and-pony show to Arizona and bankrolled a ballot initiative to end the hunting of the big cats, and even Canada lynx, which are non-existent in the state. A slow start to signature gathering, great grassroots opposition by sportsmen and a sexual scandal involving HSUS’ CEO, Wayne Pacelle, derailed the effort. But HSUS has clearly targeted lion hunting, and Arizona, as well as Colorado, where the organization was scheduled to present their lion “research” concerning hound hunting during a fish and game meeting, are in their crosshairs.
Last September, California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation that would have banned the import of most of Africa’s iconic Big 5 species, citing that the bill was unenforceable. The bill had passed with strong support in both of California’s legislative chambers. Senate Bill 1487, sponsored by Sen. Henry I. Stern (D- Canoga Park), passed the Assembly by a vote of 55 to 20. The bill had previously passed the California Senate 27-7. In his veto message, Gov. Brown stated, “…this bill, if enacted, would be unenforceable.” Also known as the Iconic African Species Protection Act, SB 1487 would have banned the importation of any part of elephants, lions, leopards and black or white rhinos unless they are being used for educational or scientific purposes. Anyone in violation of the act could have faced a fine of $5,000 to $40,000. Cape Buffaloes were not affected by SB 1487. California would have been the third state to place a ban on the importation of Big 5 species had SB 1487 been signed into law. The New Jersey legislature enacted a ban on all species of the Big 5 in 2016. Washington State voters approved a ballot initiative in 2015, which was pushed by the Humane Society of the United States, which banned the trade of ivory and parts of some animals, which include trophies from elephants, leopards, lions, rhinos, sharks and other animals.
JFK, NEWARK, LAGUARDIA AIRPORTS: POPULAR TARGETS
Close one of the major east coast port authorities to incoming animal parts from foreign countries and you can shut down the import process to every state those ports service. And in 2017, that’s exactly what New York Senator Brad M. Holyman (Manhattan) proposed. His legislation would have prevented hunters from bringing trophies of the African “Big Five” animals through the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, closing off access to several of the nation’s most popular airports. Senate Bill 120 would have stopped trophies at major airports such as JFK International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia Airport, Stewart International Airport, Teterboro Airport and Atlantic City International Airport. New Jersey approved similar legislation in 2016; however, the New York bill would apply to people from any state, whereas the New Jersey statute only applies to residents of that state. Meaning that even connecting flights destined for any other place in the U.S. would be banned from importing the animals through those major international hubs. The animal-rights movement continues to attack hunting, and when it comes to hunting overseas, they focus on manipulating the Endangered Species Act and import bans by leveraging their large marketing budgets to stir up social media outrage and garner mainstream media headlines. These threats are real, and they pose a real risk to sportsmen, conservation and, ultimately, wildlife itself. ★
Arizona’s Wildcat Ballot Initiative
Delisting the Grizzly Bear The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed a joint summary brief in the delisting of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears on behalf of their members, guides and outfitters in Montana and Wyoming, and sportsmen everywhere. When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife announced their decision to remove the distinct population of grizzly bears from protections of the Endangered Species Act, the Humane Society of the United States, Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club, among others, sued to stop the action. A judge vacated the delisting and placed the population back on the endangered species list. The Sportsmen’s Alliance, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the states and the federal government have appealed the ruling.
Taking a Governor to Court With a stroke of a pen, New Jersey Gov. Murphy threw scientific wildlife management out the window in order to pander to the state’s vocal animal-rights activists when he ended bear hunting on all statecontrolled public land. Despite his hopes, the newly elected governor admitted that he lacked the authority to cancel the hunt outright due to a court ruling the Sportsmen’s Alliance won in 2005. The Sportsmen’s Alliance, along with the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance and Safari Club International, has once again sued to stop the action and is appealing an initial ruling to protect scientific wildlife management in the most densely populated state. Since the action, two legislative bills were introduced that would end the hunt.
Precautions For Traveling With Medication Prepare In Advance Before You Go Abroad Contributed by Global Rescue www.globalrescue.com/hscf
22 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SUMMER 2019
FOR THE MOST PART, TRAVELERS WHO TAKE prescription medications of all kinds can travel without problems throughout much of the world. Houston Safari Club Foundation partners with Global Rescue, its recommended provider of travel risk and crisis response services. The Global Rescue Operations team offers the following advice to help keep our members informed and safe while they travel. Travelers should follow basic precautions when traveling with prescription medications: Medications should be in their original container with label affixed. Make a list of all your medications and their generic names in case you need to replace any medications during travel. Leave a copy with a family member or friend. Your pharmacist can create a Personal Medication Record, which lists the drug, regimen, and purpose. Carry a copy of the original prescription, and/or a letter from the prescribing physician (ideally translated into the language of your destination country). These documents should include both the brand name and the generic name. Carry only a supply of medication adequate for your itinerary, with enough for a few extra days or a week to allow for unforeseen circumstances. Carry medication in your carry-on baggage. In addition to the suggested precautions, some countries have restrictions on the type and/or quantity of medications that can cross their borders. The medications most often restricted are controlled substances, such as opiates and stimulants, and psychotropic medications, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics. However, even medications such as asthma inhalers and insulin may be restricted or prohibited in certain countries. Many countries allow people to bring in no more than a 30-day supply of even more routine medications. And, in some countries, certain over the counter medications are prohibited. How does a person navigate this patchwork of individual country requirements? The first step is to identify potential medication problems with your particular itinerary. You should complete this step at least 2-3 months prior to your trip to allow for sufficient time to remedy any concerns. Check with the foreign embassy of the country you will be visiting or passing through to make sure your medications are permitted in that country. You can also consult with the US Embassy located in the countries on your itinerary. Another resource is the individual country’s ministry of health department. Some countries that post medication restrictions will also detail the procedures you can take to bring restricted medications into that country. These procedures may include special procedures to grant permission and/or documentation requirements, among others. If you are traveling with a controlled drug, you should review medication regulations on the International Narcotics Control Board website. At least 6-8 weeks prior to departure, arrange a formal travel consult with an experienced travel medicine provider. This advanced timeline will allow adequate time to complete any vaccines needed for your destination, as well as to sort out specific medication issues. Your travel medicine specialist may have additional information on traveling with restricted medications, and can help
Be sure to bring medication in your carry-on baggage
you complete any necessary paperwork, if applicable. If you determine that a country on your itinerary has a ban on your medication, consider these options: Consult with your prescribing provider, and discuss an alternative medication that is not on the restricted list. Be sure to trial that medication for an adequate period of time prior to travel to assess for efficacy and any side effects. Consider obtaining your medication in the country of your destination. Some countries will not allow import of certain medications, but do allow prescribing of that same or similar medication by a licensed healthcare provider in-country. Your travel assistance partner can help you obtain a reliable source of medication in this situation. Global Rescue provides this service to its members. Consider changing your destination. If your destination country has an absolute ban on your medication, and your health requires that you continue your medication without interruption, you will not be able to travel to this destination at this time. A few “Don’ts”: Don’t attempt to enter a country with a banned medication. If discovered, your medication will be confiscated at a minimum, placing your health at risk. Many countries have severe penalties for possessing banned medications, including prison. Don’t have family or friends mail medications to you. Don’t assume you can access the medication in a foreign country just by presenting at an emergency department. Don’t purchase medications on the street, in open markets or from businesses that do not appear to be a legitimate pharmacy. Counterfeit and expired medications are common in developing countries. Don’t purchase medication from physicians in developing countries; they are less likely to store the medication correctly or have the correct medication in stock. Remember that it is essential to have both medical evacuation coverage as well as travel insurance protection when you travel. ★ SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 23
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SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 25
Do I Look Fat in These Waders? BY SCOTT LEYSATH
Elk Lettuce Wraps
26 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SUMMER 2019
Grilled Quail with LemonHerb Vinaigrette
That new pair of waders aren’t going to do you much good if you can’t fit into them. I know, “they’re sure making these things smaller than they used to.” All right, big fella, take a look in the mirror. Sure, you’re wearing the same pants you wore in high school, only now the belt line is a few inches lower. Take it from a guy whose weight has bounced up and down for decades, it’s always a good time to watch what you eat and, best of all, you don’t have to sacrifice flavor. I’m not trying to rain on your breakfast parade, but that pair of delicious biscuits and gravy costs you over one-thousand calories, sixty grams of fat and over eighty grams of carbohydrates. Some fortunate folks can eat biscuits and gravy and still maintain what looks like a healthy physique. I’m not one of them. Of course, if you spend the day doing physical labor, you can probably get away with it, until you work a little less and don’t cut back on the foods that you used to burn off. There’s no denying that fat and carbs equal flavor, but amping up on high-flavor ingredients will help ease the pain when you forego the bun and bacon on your next burger. When my britches get snug, I’ll still enjoy a burger, but pass on the buns, fries and cheese. OK, maybe two out of three. And to add more flavor, I’ll serve it on a bed of lettuce and sliced tomato, top it with roasted peppers, fresh cracked black pepper and a teaspoon or so of garlic mayonnaise. But what works for me might not do it for you. Make a mental list of the types of flavors you enjoy and add them to the recipe mix. Think fresh ingredients and more seasonings, but make an effort to ease up on the salt. Acidic vinegar and lemon and lime juices add “high notes” to any dish, bringing out the other added flavors. You might be surprised at how much more vibrant a deer steak tastes when it gets a big squeeze of lime just before it goes
from the grill to the table. As long as the grill is fired up, grill some vegetables and sliced onions to serve alongside that steak. Here’s a favorite marinade and dipping sauce that is great on anything with fur, feathers and fins. If you’re unfamiliar with ponzu, it’s a lower sodium, citrusy Asian sauce. It is most often found near the soy sauce at the grocery store. Look for one that is blended with soy sauce and use it in place of soy sauce. More flavor, less salt.
SPICY PONZU MARINADE AND DIPPING SAUCE
Great as a marinade and dipping sauce for any fish, game or domestic meat. Makes about 1 cup
• • • • • • •
1/3 cup ponzu sauce 1/3 cup rice vinegar 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 1/2 teaspoon fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced 2 green onions, white and green parts, minced 3 tablespoons olive oil
In a medium bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients. While whisking, add olive oil until emulsified. One of the biggest advantages of eating fish and game is the nutritional advantage over some domestic meats and processed foods. A three and one-half ounce portion of domestic beef contains 267 calories and 17 grams of fat. By comparison, the same SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 27
hunk of elk only costs you 137 calories and about 1 gram of fat. That elk is actually less caloric and has less fat than chicken breast. Given the choice, I’ll take the elk steak. Keep in mind that any recipe, including mine, should be adjusted to suit individual tastes. Most recipes that call for elk work just as well with any antlered game, waterfowl and some upland game. Any ground domestic meat dish can be swapped out with ground game. Adding domestic fat to ground game meat is commonplace. As an alternative, add more seasonings, grilled onions and garlic to the mix. When the next burger craving hits you, try these personal favorites of mine.
ELK LETTUCE WRAPS
Best served family-style so that diners can make their own lettuce wraps. 4 servings
• • • • • • • • • • • •
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 pound ground elk meat 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, ground coriander, chopped garlic, turmeric and pepper 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon Sriracha 2 tablespoons chopped fresh gingerroot 2 green onions, chopped 1/3 cup water chestnuts, diced 1 or 2 hot peppers, sliced into rings lettuce leaves
Dipping Sauce • 1/4 cup rice vinegar • 1/4 cup soy sauce • 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic • 1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot, minced • 1 green onion, minced • 1 teaspoon sesame oil • 1 teaspoon Sriracha 1. Combine dipping sauce ingredients and mix well. 2. Heat olive oil and sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add ground elk with ground cumin, ground coriander, chopped garlic, turmeric and pepper. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add soy sauce, lemon juice, Sriracha, sesame oil, gingerroot, green onions, water chestnuts and hot peppers. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. 3. To serve, place elk mixture in a bowl and serve with lettuce leaves and dipping sauce.
• • • •
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 4 garlic cloves, minced 3 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup fresh herbs (basil, oregano, cilantro, parsley, etc.- 1 or a combination of several), chopped • 2/3 cup olive oil 1. Season quail liberally with salt and pepper. 2. Prepare vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar with remaining ingredients except for olive oil. Whisk together to blend. While whisking, add oil in a thin stream until emulsified. Taste mixture and adjust flavors to suit your palate. Too sour? Add more honey. Too sweet? more lemon juice. Divide vinaigrette in half. 3. Place quail in a non-reactive container or heavy zipper-lock bag (but they often leak, so place the bag in a container) and add one-half of the vinaigrette. Mix well to coat and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours. Remove from refrigerator and discard liquid. 4. Place quail on a white-hot grill and cook until evenly browned on all sides, but not overcooked. While grilling, baste with remaining half of vinaigrette, reserving a few spoonfuls to drizzle over quail when plated.
GRILLED CITRUS MARINATED TROUT
This recipe works well with both freshwater and speckled trout. 4 servings
• 4 1-pound trout, cleaned, rinsed and patted dry (or the equivalent in larger fish) • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar • 1/3 cup orange juice • 3 garlic cloves, minced • 3 green onions, minced • 1/3 cup tomato, seeded and finely diced • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 3/4 cup olive oil • fresh vegetables for grilling – squash, bell pepper, asparagus, etc. 1. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar and next 7 ingredients. Add olive oil in a thin stream while whisking vigorously to emulsify. Place trout in a plastic or glass container and pour half of the mixture over. Reserve remaining half to baste fish and vegetables during grilling. Cover fish and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes.
GRILLED QUAIL WITH LEMON-HERB VINAIGRETTE
2. Prepare vegetables for grilling. Slice squash into 1/4-inch thick slices. Trim woody ends of asparagus. Seed and quarter bell pepper.
4 Servings
3. Remove fish from marinade and pat dry to avoid flare-ups from marinade while grilling. On a hot, well-lubricated grill, brown fish on one side, about 5 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. While cooking fish, place vegetables on grill and brown evenly. Vegetables should have grill marks, but should still be firm. Baste vegetables and fish with reserved marinade while cooking,
Try this with other upland game birds, rabbit and domestic poultry.
• • • •
8 quail, preferably with skin intact Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 28 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
Grilled Citrus Marinated Trout
saving a few tablespoons of the marinade to drizzle over cooked fish when served. Arrange vegetables on plates, top with cooked fish and drizzle reserved marinade over.
SMOKED SALMON SALAD WITH LEMON AND MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
Works well with any smoked fish or smoked upland game birds. 4 servings
• • • • • • •
1 pound hot-smoked salmon, broken into pieces 1 cup cucumber, diced or sliced into ribbons 1 bell pepper, any color, thinly sliced 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons capers, drained 1 1/2 cups cherry tomato, halved mixed salad greens
Smoked Salmon Salad with Lemon and Mustard Vinaigrette
Dressing • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1/2 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt • pinch freshly ground black pepper • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1. Prepare dressing. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a
bowl and whisk to blend. While whisking, add olive oil in a thin stream until emulsified. 2. Add salmon, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion and capers to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Add tomatoes and toss gently. 3. Arrange greens on plates and mound salmon mixture on greens. ★ SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 29
MODERNITY IS MAKING US LESS HUMAN How Technology Is the Real Adversary for Hunters, But Also the Answer BY BRAD LUTTRELL
GoWild Co-Founder and CEO, Brad Luttrell, had the idea for GoWild while checking trail cameras in 2016 in Kentucky.
30 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ SUMMER 2019
GoWild is a social media and activity tracking platform for hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts.
We’ve become distant from humans. Humans are top line predators. They use tools and have sophisticated languages. They cultivate with agriculture. They utilize resources from their environment. They create for both art and utility. Historically we’ve maintained that identity. But in only our most recent tick in the timeline have we began to evolve into something that seems less and less parallel with our ancestors. Today’s human is simply less human than we’ve been in thousands of years. Today’s human is an indirect predator. They find it to be more convenient and comfortable to pay others to do their hunting. Today’s human uses sophisticated languages to build technology, all so the majority can completely dissolve our native language with emojis and slang. Instead of growing our own food, today’s human conveniently shop products from all around the world with the click of a digital button. And instead of creating art or products ourselves or meeting artisans who do, we browse digitally to find anonymous creators via the internet. These are strange times. In many ways, we continue to distance ourselves from what made us human in the first place. Art, language, and of course, hunting. It’s not all bad, but it leaves one to wonder where it’s all headed. Thinkers like Sam Harris would tell you we are creating our replacements and that the robots will take over.
From his Ted Talk on just this: “At a certain point, we will build machines that are smarter than we are. And once we have machines that are smarter than we are, they will begin to improve themselves. And then we risk an intelligence explosion. It’s not that our machines will become spontaneously malevolent. The concern is really that we will build machines that are so much more competent than we are that the slightest divergence between their goals and our own could destroy us.” I’m not quite there. And in fact, I’m still hopeful. But when you hear Sam explain all of this in detail, it does make you wonder.
AN EVOLVING PERCEPTION OF ANIMALS
Humans are rapidly changing. This is a fact. A recent study by the University of Colorado found sweeping evidence that the public’s perception of animals is shifting. Researchers found large declines over time in several states for a group of people the university defined as “traditionalists.” These are people who believe animals should be used for purposes that benefit humans, like hunting and medical research. They identify a second group, which they call “mutualists,” who believe animals deserve the same rights as humans. These mutualists view animals as companions and part of their social networks and project human traits onto animals. SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 31
We’re living in a time when most of our population lives in cities. They don’t interact with wildlife. They don’t even know what a coyote looks like, they just see their neighbors complaining about them on Facebook or the Nextdoor app. Many of these city dwellers don’t know anything about the stability of the population of elephants in Africa, but in online surveys, they will respond with fervent passion against the hunting of elephants. It only makes sense — the more you interact with something, the more you know. The less you interact, the less direct knowledge you have, and the less theoretical knowledge you can pass on. If your only interaction with elephants is the zoo or your kid’s stuffed animals, you build a false perception of reality. But perception is reality. “What’s surprising is that the decline in traditionalists in some states is happening at a really rapid pace,” said Michael Manfredo, one of the study’s lead investigators and head of the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at CSU. This is the reality we live within today. What’s interesting to me is that question of animals like coyotes and mountain lions, which are killing more and more pets in certain regions and having conflicts with people in specific states. The study found that only 30 percent of residents in states like California, Arizona, and Nevada believed you should lethally remove animals that pose a threat to people’s pets. Even when in question of animal on animal, the mutualists believe in “letting nature take its course.” The problem is that nature did take its course, humans evolved and we changed the landscape and ecosystem. We cannot continue to impede the land, building migration corridor barricades
(which we call “interstates” and “highways”) and forcing animals to emigrate (caused by our suburban sprawl), and not take action to also manage those animals. I believe we have a duty to manage animals and continue to help them survive within a healthy ecosystem and herd, and sometimes, that means reducing some parts of the population. It can also mean fighting to save populations, and not hunting them in order to do so. On the question of whether coyotes who kill pets should be lethally removed, nearly 60 percent of residents in North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi and Alabama agreed, while only about 30 percent of residents in California, Arizona, Nevada, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut thought the animal should be killed. One final note from the University of Colorado study: “As income, education and urbanization increase, we see people adopting a more modernized lifestyle, resulting in less direct experience with wildlife,” explained Tara Teel, one of the lead investigators and a professor at CSU. “People aren’t as likely to interact with wildlife in their day-to-day lives. Instead, they learn about these animals in indirect ways, by seeing them on television or social media, where animals may be depicted as more humanlike. This helps shape a new way of thinking about wildlife and wildlife-related issues” Again, modern humanity is making us less human.
SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE: CONSERVATION
Few people can possibly understand nature’s dynamics like a hunter. We have direct contact with populations. And as hunters, we’re quick to tout our funding of conservation at the first bit of skepticism in what we do. And it’s true — along with firearms sales, conservation is largely funded by our participation in hunting. But does that alone make us conservationists? Many who work in the hunting industry live so close to the concept that hunting is conservation, we forget that to many people, hunting is just hunting. It’s how life is, it’s what they’ve always done. They aren’t thinking about how their tag just paid for a field biologist to do fawn counts or study how stream pollution is having an impact on native fish. In these cases, conservation is an unacknowledged byproduct of hunting. Some industry folks and organizations may get their feathers ruffled by that statement. And that’s OK. We don’t all have to agree on the exact definitions of conservation’s catalysts, because we all seem to agree it’s paramount to the future of our wildlife and wildlands. But in order to continue to build upon all of the great work we’re doing, we have to recruit, retain and re-engage hunters. We have to build the next generation of conservationists. And that might just mean getting more people to hunt, and accept that conservation is a great byproduct. However, as more and more people shift to a “mutualists” mindset that empathizes with animals, I propose we’ve never had a better time to show off the good work a hunter can do, and utilize this as part of our recruitment efforts.
ANTI-HUNTERS AREN’T KILLING HUNTING — NETFLIX IS GoWild Co-Founder and CEO, Brad Luttrell, founded GoWild as a communication platform for hunters, by hunters.
32 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
Cities are clearly pulling people away from their human nature, but so is technology. I know plenty of people who live in rural areas, and they too are hunting and fishing less. They’re
GoWild Co-Founder and CEO, Brad Luttrell. Photo by EXTOL Sports Magazine
not getting outside. I’ve said this dozens of times, and I know it sounds crazy at first, but hunting is not competing with antihunters. We’re competing with Netflix, games like Fortnite, and the total inability of a modern mind to be bored. Think about this: If you are in a doctor’s waiting room, elevator, and for many, even at a red light, you take the same action — you pull out your phone for that instant dose of stimulation and dopamine. These devices are addictive. The research proves it. In fact, many of the founders of these giant tech companies will not let their children watch TV or have any screen time, because they know at the core of what they personally built is the same psychological theories used to not only make junk food addictive but to put it at the checkout lane at the grocery store. That didn’t happen by a random grocery store manager’s idea, it was proven to trigger an impulse inside of you that you cannot control. It’s the same science that dog trainers use with their clickers. **Click click** followed by a reward. **Click click**, reward. On the next click, dogs will actually salivate at the sound of a clicker due to the idea of getting that treat. Long before Netflix, we didn’t have on-demand digital entertainment. Hunting was a resource of food and, sure, it contributed to conservation. But it was also a pastime. Families hunted together because it was fellowship and fun. Today, my nephews range from ages six to nine, and between three of them, they play three sports per weekend, often doing doubleheaders for each sport, meaning multiple hours of sports per weekend. In the 1970s and ’80s, that time might have been used for hunting. But as we’ve lost the demand for things to “pass the time,” we’ve taken away a big reason why people hunt. I know we like to lean on tradition and heritage, but truthfully, hunting also just provided something to do. Now that we don’t have as much demand for that, whether in cities or rural communities, we have
to find ways to make it relevant again. Am I oversimplifying the cause of hunting’s decline? Absolutely. Are there other factors at play? Of course. This is complex. But this is one angle that I hear very little about directly, but it’s always an indirect reason we all hunt less. “I wanted to get out and hunt this weekend but I’ve been busy.” You’ve probably thought that yourself. I know I’ve said it a couple of times just this turkey season alone. By acknowledging that we’re competing against a modern and indirect adversary, we can better counter it.
USING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE GOOD OF CONSERVATION
I’m a Co-Founder and CEO of GoWild, a digital platform whose community is made up entirely of outdoors enthusiasts. These are hunters, anglers, hikers, foragers, campers, rock climbers and the list goes on and on. While our interests may vary, one thing remains consistent with this like-minded group — we care. We care about each other, the environment, and the future. And we often find our app’s members are always looking to do more. In some ways, we’ve built our platform in similar ways to other social media apps you might be familiar with. We have some familiar functionality — you can post photos, direct message friends, scroll through a feed of content, etc. But it will feel different pretty quickly. While Facebook, Instagram, Google and YouTube all have some type of anti-hunting, anti-firearm or anti-bow policy, GoWild is catering to this audience’s needs. With our free app (Android or iOS), you can track your mileage, elevation and temperature from a variety of activities, including fishing, hunting, scouting, and even shed hunting. We have 40-plus ways to track your activities. You can log your trophies (deer, hogs, fish, and 200-plus more species) into our app and we’ll save your animal’s data and SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 33
GoWild Co-Founder and CEO, Brad Luttrell, loves to hunt whitetail, doves, turkeys, and as seen above, squirrels. Shown below with his 2017 Kentucky buck.
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photos. You can log wild game recipes, win camping gear (we do weekly giveaways, including bows, guns, coolers, camp, etc.). All of this functionality is building a place where hunters, anglers and outdoors enthusiasts can congregate, discuss and celebrate the outdoors. But it’s also a place to learn. And we’re making what is literally ingrained into our identity as humans, modern. I have had some people say, “Well, when I go into the woods I don’t want a social media app.” And that’s fine — I don’t want you to use it in that scenario if you’re already enjoying the outdoors. But we have to remember, that if we’re going to raise another generation of hunters and anglers, we are competing with Netflix, Fortnite and Snapchat (or whatever the newest, hottest social app is). GoWild is a chance to give them something modern, that also makes going outside fun. As we use this tool to help newbies learn (and it’s not just kids—many adult-onset hunters are using GoWild for furthering their outdoor education), we can create another generation of conservationists. We create people who can combat these mutualists who don’t believe in our lifestyle.
USING GOWILD WITH HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION
I believe conservation can and should go beyond buying a hunting or fishing license. In addition to supporting NGOs that are near and dear to our hearts, one of the best ways we can all help is with our time. So let’s do more. GoWild partnered with Houston Safari Club Foundation to promote an entire week dedicated to educating hunters and anglers on how to get involved and make an impact beyond their dollars. As Joe Betar, Executive Director of HSCF, once told me, “Conservation means something different to all of us. Our goal with this week is to get people involved in whatever area they’re passionate about because together, we can really make an impact overall.” For some, a national effort supported by a Texas nonprofit may seem strange. But here’s the thing—what’s good for conservation in the United States is good for Texas and vice versa. Many of Houston Safari Club Foundation’s initiatives reach far beyond Houston and Texas. We wanted to find an organization that truly cared about preserving the sport of hunting through education, conservation and the promotion of hunting heritage. Those beliefs extend beyond any state line. We’re hoping National Conservation Week is something that grows organically beyond GoWild or Houston Safari Club Foundation. I would love nothing more than to see this expand to be something promoted by hunting companies of all types and have zero mention to my brand. This isn’t about GoWild, and while it’s in partnership with Houston Safari Club Foundation, it’s not about just them either. It’s about protecting something I want my children to enjoy. It’s about promoting something that’s near and dear to my heart, as I’m hoping it’s near to yours as well. Together we’re advocating hunters and anglers find a way to get outside and get involved for our second National Conservation Week. The week will likely be in August again this year (we’re still finalizing the dates at the time of me writing this — stay in the know by downloading GoWild). Together, people can come together to get involved in conservation acts such as clearing trails, stream cleanups, planting trees, assisting with animal counts, habitat improvements, or fish sampling. And there are dozens more ways.
I encourage volunteers to check their state’s fish and wildlife agency’s website for local opportunities. Many states have sections outlining areas where they need help. And it’s easier than you think. Last year Kentucky’s Fish and Wildlife Department created an app for tracking turkey numbers this year. Simply by getting out and helping track the population count, you’re participating in the system. Team GoWild did a stream cleanup last year. We can all find a little way to help make a big impact overall. We should all be proud that we annually spend big money to contribute to conservation. But that shouldn’t be our only efforts. Remember, this is how we can extend our message to the mutualists to show them that hunters aren’t just hunters — we’re conservationists.
TECHNOLOGY HELPS—BUT WE NEED YOU, TOO
We still have well over 11.5 million hunters out there today. Some estimates are higher. These should be our best advocates and one heck of a sales force for advocating why this lifestyle is sustainable, ethical, moral and awesome. We should have people flocking to us to learn this craft and hunter numbers should be expanding. But they’re not — instead, we’ve seen a significant decline. Think about this: if only 10 percent of us would take someone new hunting each year, the hunting population could double in seven years. Imagine the collective power we’d have then. If you’re a veteran hunter, now is the time to pass knowledge on. Don’t let your “traditionalist” knowledge die. Utilizing modern channels like our app (free on iOS and Android) to help answer questions and share your story can be a great start to being in that 10 percent who is going to get out and create a new hunter. A few minutes answering questions on GoWild could be the difference in helping someone break down a barrier and becoming a hunter, or abandoning hunting altogether. If you’re the person learning, this platform is perfect for you. I used GoWild to source my archery questions last year in my first season as a bowhunter. I killed my first whitetail in Texas in November, much in thanks to the advice from the GoWild community. I hope you’ll join me and the tens of thousands of hunters, anglers and outdoors enthusiasts using GoWild. You can download GoWild for Android or iPhone by searching directly in the app stores or at downloadgowild.com.
LIGHT THE FIRE
Teaching is at the core of being human. So is hunting. This is who we are. It’s who we have always been, but just because it’s always been there for us, doesn’t mean it always will be. We are entering the most significant fight in the history of hunting. If we don’t take the recruitment challenge seriously, the “mutualists” and city dwellers are going to continue to chip away at our lifestyle. It’s time to regroup around our communal fire and get back to our roots. That’s going to look like congregating within digital communities, but also traditional ones like Houston Safari Club Foundation. Now’s the time to stand and work together. It’s the most human response I can imagine. Which is exactly what this modern dilemma demands. ★ Brad Luttrell is the Co-Founder and CEO of GoWild, a social media and activity tracking platform for outdoors enthusiasts. He’s an avid hunter and outdoor enthusiast. GoWild is based in Louisville, Kentucky. SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 35
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BY SHANE MAHONEY
“The extinction of the northern white rhino was greeted with a deafening, and disturbing, silence.”
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n March 19, 2018, Sudan, one of only three northern white rhinoceroses, the last male captured and removed from the wild, and the last male of his subspecies, died. At the age of forty-five, suffering from age-related complications and unable to stand or eat, he was euthanized at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where he had spent the last nine years of his life under the watch of a full-time armed guard. Unlike the death of the Zimbabwean lion, Cecil, which was covered by global media for months on end, Sudan’s death made few headlines; a subdued outcry that came too late to save an entire subspecies. Historically, the northern white rhino, one of two subspecies of the white rhinoceros, ranged over parts of Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and into Chad. As recently as 1960, northern white rhinos numbered more than 2,000 animals. However, by 1984, escalated poaching and illegal trade in rhino horn, combined with armed conflicts in the DRC and South Sudan, had devastated wild populations, reducing the subspecies to just fifteen animals. In 2006, the last four known individuals were sighted in Garamba National Park, DRC, and by 2008, it was generally accepted that the subspecies had become extinct in the wild. At that time, there were two northern white rhinos in captivity at the San Diego Zoo and six at the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic. In 2009, four animals, thought to be fertile, were moved from Dvůr Králové Zoo to Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya, where it was hoped the more natural conditions would stimulate breeding. The other four remaining captive individuals were too old to reproduce. Between 2011 and 2015, these four older animals died, as did one of two males from the group relocated to Kenya. This left the male known as Sudan in the company of his daughter, Najin, and granddaughter, Fatu. Only these two females remain now, neither of them in perfect health, or able to carry a pregnancy to term. Thus, the northern white rhino is now functionally extinct. They are what scientists sometimes refer to as “the living dead,” and many of their related kind may soon follow. Three of the world’s five rhino species (Indian, Javan, and Sumatran) are now critically endangered, meaning they, too, have an extremely high 38 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
risk of extinction. If the northern whites can disappear, what reasonable expectation can we have that these other rhino species will not follow? How many more of their “living dead” will we soon acknowledge? The question invites reflection on why such tragedies occur. Indeed, such phrasing might have been used to describe the predicament of another famous and named animal, Martha, the last known passenger pigeon. Martha died at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914. Incredibly, just twenty-five years prior to Martha’s demise, the passenger pigeon was thought to have been the most numerous bird on earth, with a population minimally estimated at five billion individuals. Its range extended throughout the primary forests of eastern North America and as far west as Montana and Texas, with breeding colonies as far north as Hudson Bay. Flocks were comprised of millions of individuals and their flights darkened the skies as an eclipse, driving a powerful wind before them and deafening the air to all other sounds. Yet, with astonishing speed, Martha and her species had blinked out of existence, forever lost to nature and humanity both. Martha’s death, too, made headlines, a full century before Sudan’s did. What, if anything, have we learned? Looking back, Martha’s death was a wake-up call, and became an enduring symbol of humanity’s relentless impact on the natural world. Indeed, the outrage over the passenger pigeon’s loss is remembered as a galvanizing moment in the history of North American conservation. This movement was to give rise to a diverse assemblage of citizen groups committed to preventing the next Martha. Their battle cry was “never again!” Prominent among these groups were the recreational hunters who celebrated the wise use of wildlife and denounced over-exploitation. These hunters also came to represent a powerful voice in a much wider conservation context, their membership committed to national parks and wildlife refuges and wilderness areas, as well as sustainable wildlife harvesting. The conservation principles they espoused would eventually extend well beyond the political and geographic boundaries of the continent. Today, North American hunters should stand as the realized dream of those who learned too late but, nevertheless, noted the extinction of the passenger pigeon and vowed not to let it happen
again. But where, since the time of Martha, has the hunting community been on the entire issue of endangered species and wildlife loss, globally or at home? Where, indeed, was the hunting community in 1996 when the IUCN Red List declared the northern white rhinoceros Critically Endangered? Where was the hunting community in 2004 when extinction of this sub-species loomed on the horizon? Did North American hunters, at some point, post-Martha, stop caring about wildlife generally and come to care only about those species that are, or can be, hunted? The hunting community is pretty vocal about hunting opportunities lost or imperiled, but what about wildlife itself ? These are questions hunters will soon answer, or society at large will answer for them. The loss of the northern white rhino is all the more disturbing because it was avoidable. We had plenty of warning and we knew poaching and the illegal trade in rhino horn, habitat loss, and human conflicts were all contributing factors. Despite our knowledge, we simply did not do enough to prevent the northern white rhino’s demise. The damage has been done now, and perhaps we are saddened by the northern white rhino’s fate, but where was out concern when it might have mattered? Have hunters, a century after North America’s conservation awakening, decided that extinction of wildlife species is merely the price of human progress? If so, the conservation awakening for hunters was not one that lasted. Hunters will never really be accepted as conservationists if we exhibit concern only for those animals classed as “game,” or “trophies.” Furthermore, we will not be viewed as conservationists if we choose to only invest in efforts to restore or conserve wildlife populations so they may be hunted. We are not conservationists if we remain unmoved and unmotivated by the conservation failure that has resulted in the functional extinction of the northern white rhino. We are not conservationists if we can stand by in silence and watch the extinction of a species — any species — occur in our lifetime, without feeling a sense of loss and a call to action. The extinction of the passenger pigeon was not just a wakeup call, but a cautionary tale, reminding us that any species, no
matter how numerous or iconic, can be imperiled. How accurate this warning has proven to be. Yet, today, the loss of wild species is proceeding at an unprecedented and accelerating pace worldwide. Perhaps the very commonness of extinction is setting a new baseline we are willing to accept. If so, then our conservation hopes, defined and spurred by wildlife losses in North America a century ago, will be shattered. The death of the last male northern white rhino and the tragic loss of so many other unique wildlife forms should represent a new beginning, an opportunity for hunters to rise and show the world that we really do care about all wildlife and to reestablish our broad credentials for conservation. Joining this fight for natural diversity worldwide is one of the best ways the hunting community can demonstrate its reputation for selfless advocacy and limit justified criticism of its far more frequently demonstrated promotion of vested interest. We cannot take on every issue, nor do we need to deny our focus on hunted species. What we can do, however, is financially and otherwise support programs for endangered species, including those we will never hunt. Unfortunately, we have many from which to choose. Perhaps, using Sudan as our motivation, we could start with his critically endangered cousins, and support existing conservation programs for the Javan and Sumatran rhinoceroses, before they, too, become the “living dead.” ★
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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To Understand Why We Hunt, You Must Know It. By John J. Jackson III
Aldo Leopold in contemplative moment during a hunt.
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“I have seen the royal lion, before sunrise, below a waning moon, crossing the grey plain on his way home from the kill, drawing a dark wake in the silvery grass.” — Karen Blixen, Letters from Africa 1914-1931
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hen called upon to explain why you hunt, is there a magic formula or “elevator statement” to answer the question? What does it mean in human terms to those that do it as distinguished from the conservation and ecosystem services provided by hunters which are far easier to define and express (conservation infrastructure, management budget revenue, law enforcement, research, habitat acquisition, etc.) No nonsense, the user-pay system works! The extraordinary force it holds over us is not simple and does not lend itself to easy description. This article briefly explores the heartfelt expressions of genuine hunters and hunting community leaders rather than statisticians and surveyors. Hunting holds a higher-order cultural, spiritual and emotional appeal that is too complex and extraordinary to lend itself to a simple explanation. It is a genuine, intense, complex, relationship with the natural world and the game that forever holds us captive. It is as genuine as life, but
how can we make others understand? How can the “call of the wild” be described, the euphoria one feels on a clear, blue sky spring day high on a mountainside, the exultation from having all your God-given senses really focused, the preparation and pushing yourself to new physical heights, the self-discovery and self-actualization when immersed in nature? The above title phrase, “know it,” is quoted from Aldo Leopold. He is considered the “Father of Wildlife Management” and authored key works such as Wildlife Management, still a fundamental textbook, and Sand County Almanac, the foundation of the land ethic and the entire environmental movement. He advised, “I suppose it is IMPOSSIBLE to explain this to those who do not KNOW IT.” (Emphasis added). In short, it can not be explained to non-hunters. They have to “know it.” I have come to accept this as axiomatic. Why we hunt defies explanation unless you know it. Others have verbalized the frustration of explaining
Hunting holds a higherorder cultural, spiritual and emotional appeal that is too complex and extraordinary to lend itself to a simple explanation. It is a genuine, intense, complex, relationship with the natural world and the game that forever holds us captive.
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“The way to hunt is for as long as you live against as long as there is such and such an animal; just as the way to paint is as long as there is you and colors and canvas, and to write as long as you can live and there is pencil and paper or ink or any machine to do it with, or anything you care to write about, and you feel a fool, and you are a fool, to do it any other way.” — Ernest Hemingway
why we hunt. Theodore Roosevelt wrote in The Wilderness Hunter that “No one, but he who has partaken thereof, can understand the keen delight of hunting in lonely lands.” He also wrote, “But there are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm.” A more contemporary hunter, Charley Dickey, in The Hunter’s Call (1983) wrote, “I breathe because my body needs oxygen. I eat because my body must have energy. I hunt because I am a hunter. These are simple things which I accept, and perhaps no explanation is possible.” Expressed differently, Ernest Hemingway in An African Journal (1972) wrote, “There is much mystic nonsense written about hunting but it is something that is much older than religion. Some are hunters and some are not.” In short, get used to it. Ron Spomer wrote that “Hunting is one of those pleasures that you won’t understand if you have to have it explained, which is good because folks who enjoy it can’t fully explain why.” Professor James Teer, one of Conservation Force’s own founding board members, agreed. “I decided long ago that the joys and societal values of hunting cannot be described adequately to non-hunters...” in It’s a Long Way from Llano, an autobiography, 2008. Perhaps a quote from Karen Blixen of Out of Africa fame is a good sum up the point. Until she hunted, really hunted, she did not understand though she was surrounded by hunters and certainly had an inquiring and capable mind. After returning from a hunting safari she wrote to her aunt in Europe, “I owe an honest apology to hunters whose ecstasy over hunting I have never before understood. There is nothing in all the world quite like it.” The confounding difficulty when explaining why one 42 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
hunts is compounded by the divergence of game species, conditions, methods and skills, preparation, places, obstacles and scenery, and even the elements. A small collection of hunter quotations proves the point while also partially expressing the rich diversity of hunting. Any claim by the uninitiated non-hunter that hunting does not have deeply rooted importance to those who hunt would be disingenuous. Aldo Leopold was not making it up. The tens of millions of hunters speak loudly of its hold on hunters. That should be respected and fostered. Its importance is as real and valuable to the human condition and quality of life as other higher order relationships that defy description like the love between men and women. It is so important to those that do it that it would be immoral to deprive us of it particularly when it has been proven to be such an essential tool of wildlife and habitat conservation. Hunters are an indispensable army, perhaps the largest in the world, of citizen conservationist and heroes. The growing human population and competition for survival space is making hunting even more relevant. Do not apologize for not being able to express the indescribable joys of the hunt to the uninitiated. Many of the best people in the world are and have been hunters and hunters are pillars of wildlife and habitat conservation, like it or not. But there is much more reason to examine why we hunt than explaining hunting to non-hunters. Certainly, we can heighten our own enjoyment and happiness from hunting by expressing what we can in words as well as all forms of art be that paintings, photography, sculpture, taxidermy, etc. ( Yes, taxidermy is an art form as well as a monument in celebration of the hunt and respect for the
animal). We hunters are fortunate to know hunting and homesick for it already.” intimately know nature through the eyes of a hunter but Similarly, Robert C. Ruark in Horn of the Hunter wrote, we can always gain by knowing it even better. “There was part of me, of us, back there on a hill in Aldo Leopold succeeded in partially expressing why Tanganyika, in a swamp in Tanganyika, in a tent and he hunted waterfowl when he wrote that he would go on a river and by a mountain in Tanganyika. There was to his blind an hour early to hear the goose music. He a part of me out there that would stay out there until I also explained, “A deer hunter habitually watches the came back to ransom that part of me...” next bend; the duck hunter watches the skyline; the bird Shortly before her death at the age of 77, Karen Blixen hunter watches the dog; the non-hunter does not watch.” wrote, “If I should wish anything back of my life, it would I must add that knowing it does not mean watching be to go back on safari once again with Bror.” it on TV and having Disney-stuffed animal-like toys Of course, no description of hunting can be comamong your possession or beloved pets in or outside of plete without a quotation from Jose Ortega y Gasset, your home. Nor is photographic voyeurism remotely like Meditations on Hunting (1972): “When one is hunting, the excitement and game changer of la Chasse. the air has another, more exquisite feel as it glides over Karen Blixen, In Shadows on the Grass, resorted to the skin or enters the lungs, the rocks require a more exanalogies when she wrote, “Hunting is ever a love afpressive physiognomy, and the vegetation is loaded with fair. The hunter is in love with the game, real hunters meaning. But all this is due to the fact that the hunter, are true animal lovers. while he advances or waits crouching, feels tied to the “The person who can take delight in a sweet tune withearth through an animal he pursues, whether the animal out wanting to learn it, in a beautiful woman without is in view, hidden or absent.” He also wrote that “Hunting wanting to possess her, or in a magnificent head of game submerges man deliberately in that formidable mystery without wanting to shoot it, has not got a human heart.” and therefore contains something of a religious rite and Jack O’Connor expressed the emotion in which homage is paid “magic on the mountain” in The to what is divine, transcendent, in Bighorn (1960). “The wild ram the laws of nature.” embodies the mystery and magic Many hunters have expressed of the mountains, the rocky the total fascination and infatcanyons, the snowy peaks, the uation they have for the game fragrant alpine meadows, the gray they pursue. In sum, according slide rock, the icy, dancing rills to Hugh Fosburgh in One Man’s fed by snowbank and glaciers, the Pleasure, “The essence of being a sweet, clean air of the high placreal good hunter is, paradoxically, es, and the sense of being alone to love the particular species of on the top of the world with the game you’re after and have enoreagles, the marmots, and the wild mous respect and consideration sheep themselves.” for it.” Karen Blixen said it diBARONES ANNE MALLALIEU So how does hunting hold up rectly with, “One feels that lions against popular outdoor recreare all that one lives for.” And ination? The golfer Sam Snead (1912-2002) wrote, “The directly when she wrote, “I have seen the royal lion, before only reason I ever played golf in the first place was so I sunrise, below a waning moon, crossing the grey plain could afford to hunt and fish.” on his way home from the kill, drawing a dark wake in Of course, hunting is far more than mere recreation for the silvery grass.” real hunters. Barones Anne Mallalieu: “Hunting is our So I too suppose that why we hunt and what it means heritage, it is our poetry, it is our art, it is our pleasure. to us cannot be described. The elevator statement reply It is where many of our best friendships are made, it is to those that ask might best be, “You have to know it our community. It is our whole way of life.” to understand, but I would not want to live without it.” Ernest Hemingway made no bones about his love You are on good footing to add that you are a steward of the chase: “The way to hunt is for as long as you live of the game you hunt, as, of course, hunters have to be, against as long as there is such and such an animal; just and you hunt and know the habitat as well as the game as the way to paint is as long as there is you and colors that you care so deeply about. Maybe add that like Aldo and canvas, and to write as long as you can live and there Leopold, you like the sound of goose music along with is pencil and paper or ink or any machine to do it with, the smell of marsh grass before daylight, the bugle of a or anything you care to write about, and you feel a fool, bull elk in a mountain meadow, the trumpet of a chargand are a fool, to do it any other way.” ing elephant, or hundreds of other experiences that one Hunting is to be enjoyed over and over again. Perhaps has to know to understand. Maybe tell them that because the ultimate hunt is a safari in Africa, the pantheon of you are a hunter you have had hundreds if not thousands hunting experiences. Hemingway, in Green Hills of Africa, of to-die-for experiences emerged in nature. Tell them wrote, “I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke you can not explain a love relationship or the feeling of up and was not happy.” And he wrote, “All I wanted to euphoria on a clear spring day, but it is some of the best do now was to get back to Africa. We had not left yet, life has to offer. but when I would wake in the night, I would lie listening, Thank you for asking. ★
“Hunting is our heritage, it is our poetry, it is our art, it is our pleasure. It is where many of our best friendships are made, it is our community. It is our whole way of life.”
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MOUNTAIN HUNTING’S
BEST BARGAINS By Tim Herald Mountain hunting conjures up images of majestic sheep in distant remote locations around the world, where hunters have pushed themselves to the breaking point to achieve what many consider the pinnacle of hunting. Unfortunately for many of us, those hunts — such as Marco Polo in Tajikistan, Stone sheep in British Columbia, or Altai argali in Mongolia — come with very high price tags. There are however a number of mountain hunts around the world where hunters can get the total experience including incredible landscapes, cultural diversity, beautiful trophies, physical challenges, and being “off the grid” without breaking the bank. » 44 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
Above: Tom Niederer and the author with a gorgeous old Mid-Asian ibex. Below: Having an accurate rifle/scope/load can make or break a mountain hunt
Some of the beautiful scenery from an ibex hunt in Kyrgyzstan
In my humble opinion, the best bang for the buck in mountain hunting these days is hunting ibex. Now, there are many ibex subspecies around the world, and some are more expensive than others, but in general, you can get a lot of mountain hunting in for ibex at a fraction of the cost of most sheep hunts. Let’s look at three of the most common ibex that are hunted as each is a completely different experience and hunt. The mid-Asian ibex is the largest of all the ibex species with males often weighing 250-300 pounds and horn lengths on good trophies being from 45 to over 50 inches. These are thick, stocky and powerful animals that live in some of the world’s most beautiful and rugged terrain. Though they are hunted in a number of countries, the best trophies generally come from the central Asian nations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In Kyrgyzstan, ibex are generally hunted from 10,000 to 13,500 feet whereas, in Kazakhstan, they may be found at somewhat lower altitudes, of 8,500-11,500. Most hunting is done from August through December, with October and November being prime for good capes and tolerable weather. These hunts are generally operated from spike camps while actually hunting and utilize a base camp before and after the hunt and sometimes during mid-hunt moves or resupplies. You will stay in portable tents, so good sleeping bags and air pads are a necessity. These can be very physical hunts though horses are commonly used and do the bulk of the climbing. Hunters should be in the best possible shape, and you just have to get acclimated to the altitude while there. Some folks struggle with this, and some have no problems at all. You just never know how these hunts will go, but if you book with a reputable outfitter, you should see plenty of animals, and have opportunities at good trophies if you can do your part physically and behind the trigger. I took a group of WTA clients on a 46 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
mid-Asian ibex hunt to Kyrgyzstan a couple of Octobers ago, and we had 100 percent success within six days. Shots ranged from 50425 yards, and we all had different experiences. I hunted with my good friend Tom Niederer 2x1 since our guns got held up in Paris and we had to borrow a rifle. We arrived in our hunting camp one afternoon, and we could glass two different groups of ibex from camp. We certainly felt good about starting the next morning. An hour before light, we mounted up and began an hour and a half ride up the mountain that covered about 2,000 vertical feet. It would have taken us the better part of a day to walk up the steep slopes. From our first glassing spot, we spotted a couple of nice looking billies; we rode a bit higher, dismounted, and walked on fairly flat ground about 250 yards, then peeked into a drainage. There was a beautiful ibex feeding away from us at about 300 yards. We lay down. Tom got on the rifle, I was on the rangefinder, with our guide Jose on the binos. We all waited patiently for the billy to turn broadside and present a shot as I called out yardages. The big goat was at just over 420 yards when he turned. Tom made a superb shot and the 46-inch ibex was his. It was 8:30 a.m. on day one. My hunt couldn’t have been more different. After Tom’ success, we immediately went after another group of ibex, but things didn’t work out. We were on ibex every single day, generally morning and evening, and I think we saw shooters every day but one. We climbed, crossed rivers and creeks, rode horses for hours, came in late and got up early, but things just never lined up the right way. On our last day, I followed my guide out of camp at 3 a.m., so we could get to a high basin where we had seen a number of shooter ibex the previous evening, by daybreak. The ibex were there, and not five minutes after we began a mile and a half stalk, a wolf charged into the herd of feeding ibex and sent them for the bare,
MOUNTAIN GEAR A book could be written on all the gear for mountain hunts, but it is probably the most gear-intensive of all the hunts. Many pieces of gear can make or break a mountain hunt, and in extreme instances can be the difference in the hunter’s life or death. I am going to list a few key pieces of gear that are my top choices for any mountain hunt.
Glass
Cutting Edge Bullet’s 152 gr Maximus. The rifle is guaranteed out to 1,000 yards, so it is way better than my ability. The Trijicon scope is ultra-clear and has super light gathering. I love the small aiming point in the middle of the crosshair that is illuminated by both fiber optics and tritium, so no battery is ever required. I have a yardage turret on the scope, so I simply range the animal and dial it in on the scope. It shoots my Cutting Edge Maximus bullets at one-half MOA, and these are incredible. After four to six inches of penetration, four to eight blades break off and create one large, massive wound channel. The number of blades shed is dependent upon velocity. Eight blades will break off at impact velocities over 2400 fps, and below that, four larger blades will break off down to 1400 fps. Then the core keeps penetrating. It is trauma and penetration all wrapped up ion one accurate package.
On most mountain hunts you spend more time glassing for animals than anything else. So quality optics are an absolute must. My choices for binocular and spotting scope are Swarovski. The name is synonymous with top performance and quality, and it is well deserved. I use the EL Range 10x42 binocular and rangefinder combo and have come to be 100 percent dependent on it. Clothing The clarity and light Technical clothing is the transmission make name of the game in mounfor razor-sharp imtain hunting, and I have ages at close and worn virtually every brand long ranges. The unit’s out there. Hands down, the ergonomic design best I have worn is Kuiu. For is ultra-comfortable, performance, weight, and and the built-in rangeprotection from the elements, finder is accurate from I haven’t found anything close. KUIU’s Kutana jacket 33 to 1,500 yards to withI may take 20 pieces of Kuiu in one yard. Of course, gear on a mountain hunt, but it has angle compensaone new offering of note is the Kutana tion that is very important on shots Storm Jacket and Pants as a tough outer that are rarely flat in the mountains. It layer. Designed for the toughest backis simply the best I have ever used. pack hunts, this waterproof breathable I use a Swaro ATS 20x60x80mm jacket/pant is built for durability at a Spotting scope. This spotter offers all backpack-friendly weight. Featuring a the features that you would look for in tough ripstop stretch nylon face faba spotting scope, including a tried-andric, backed with an entirely new Toray tested, lightweight design and perfect waterproof membrane and seam tape optics. It is one of the lightest qualcombination, the Kutana line is tough ity spotting scopes in the world (very as nails, will keep you completely dry important in the mountains), and with while blocking the wind and is very light its angled view, the ATS 80 enables weight. The jacket that is sized to wear comfortable observation for hours. over all layers only weighs 18.3 ounces. On a mountain hunt, rain and/ Rifle Setup or wind will freeze you, so you must have lightweight and breathable garAlthough I want to get as close as posments, and having clothing that will rip sible, often longer shots must be taken and tear is beyond useless. The Kutana on mountain hunts. My favorite setup is is the answer and does everything an my Gunwerks 7mm topped with a Trijicon Accupoint 5x20x50 scope, shooting outer layer must in the mountains.
Ibex hunts are typically very successful if booked in the right places.
rocky landscape just below the highest ridge. We knew they would not be back in a position where we might get close enough for a shot until late afternoon, so we slowly made our way toward the grassy slope where they had been feeding. Two hours later, we tucked into a gulley below where we expected them to feed, and we spent the day waiting. On cue, about 90 minutes before dark, the ibex began trickling down toward the grass, and we slowly crawled up into position. When the herd settled into feeding 300 yards above us, I counted 32 ibex, and most were males. I looked them over, picked what I thought was the largest of the group, and I squeezed off a shot that connected on one of the hardest-won trophies of my life. He ran up into an avalanche chute where he took his last breath at 12,750 feet, and when we reached him, I was in utter awe of his long, sweeping 49.5-inch horns. It was after 1:30 a.m. when we reached base camp that night, so we had been out 22 ½ hours. After six days of mental and physical strain (I lost 12 pounds), I had milked about all I could out of my hunt as far as experience goes. Tom’s hunt was vastly different from mine as were a couple of the other guys who took ibex on day one. A good quality mid-Asian ibex hunt will run in the area of $9,000, and I think these hunts are probably the best value for a true mountain hunting experience in the world. A vastly different ibex hunt can be found in Spain. There are four subspecies of Spanish ibex, but for this example, let’s look at the Beceite ibex as it is generally considered the largest of the four. First and foremost, these hunts generally are not nearly as physically taxing as those for Asian ibex. I am not saying that you will have a cake walk and never break a sweat on a Beceite hunt, but the mountains are not as high, generally, they are not as rugged, and there are extensive road and trail networks throughout the hills and mountains. You will likely stay in a local hotel or villa where you will eat wonderful food and be served delicious Spanish wines. You will leave each morning in a truck, and often you can glass ibex from the vehicle or with only a short walk. Depending on where a trophy ibex is found, you may have a fairly easy walk, or you could do some moderate to strenuous trekking and climbing. Altitude is generally a non-factor. 48 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
I consider most Spanish ibex hunts to be very similar to mule deer hunts in much of the West. There are no spike camps or really roughing it. There are a number of factors that make these among my favorite hunts in the world. First, there are generally a lot of animals in the hunting areas. On my first Spanish ibex hunt, it would have been a long dry spell if we went two hours without seeing ibex. There is a reason most of these hunts are only 2-3 days in length. Seeing lots of animals and being able to look over a number of mature billies is a lot of fun. Secondly, the cultural aspect of these hunts is fantastic. You are hunting in areas with bridges, stone walls and churches that date back to Roman times. The sightseeing before, during and after the hunt is off the charts. You are surrounded by gracious and friendly people, and as stated before, the food and drink are a huge part of the whole experience. The fact that you don’t have to be in marathon shape to be successful on these hunts is also a big plus. This allows for many more people to be able to experience these wonderful hunts and enjoy them. Spanish ibex hunts for trophy animals have typically been quite expensive affairs (most often on a sliding scale), but through a lot of research and trial, I have found a wonderful outfitter who offers Beceite ibex hunts with no size limit for $9,000. Another of my favorite hunts in the world is for the striking Bezoar ibex found in Turkey. Many consider the Bezoar the most beautiful of all the ibex with mature males being a blondish color with contrasting black faces and shoulder saddles. These relatively small-bodied ibex have the largest horn to body size ratio, and many billies with 48-50-inch-plus horns are taken every year. These long horns look incredible on their 140-pound bodies. This hunt is a bit of a mix of the two hunts described above. There is generally plenty of ibex in the good areas, and you should look over a number of billies every day. Success rates should be very high, and hunts are usually booked for six days. Hunters usually stay in hunting lodges or local hotels, and food is very good and varied. Physically, the hunt can be physically challenging, but generally not to the level of the mid-Asian hunts. You will go out by vehicle, and many times you can drive to the top of the mountains, or at
Typical camp setup on an Asian mountain hunt
least most of the way up. You may glass from the truck or close to it, but when you do find an ibex, you may need to burn some serious boot leather to get into a good shooting position. The mountains are steep, rocky, and can be from 6,000-10,000 feet high. Hunting usually takes place from October through March with late November and December being the rut. Hides are best from mid-November on. Rain, fog, and snow are common in the Turkish mountains, and the weather is probably the factor that influences these hunts the most. I will be back in Turkey this December for another WTA group hunt, and I can’t wait. We did a group hunt in 2017, and as expected we were 100 percent successful on eight great billies. My buddy Tom and I were fortunate to kill excellent 48.5-inch trophies, but good friend Jay Cohea took the best billie of the group. Jay and I had glassed a huge basin very high on a snowy mountain for most of one day and though we saw probably 100 ibex, we had not seen a really big male. The rut was on, and there were so many females we knew eventually a big guy had to move in and take over. A couple of days later Jay and his guides went back to the same area, and sure enough, a monster billy was among the females. Jay had borrowed my Gunwerks 7mm as I was tagged out, and after a steep climb to get into position, he made an absolutely perfect 450-yard shot that dropped the 50-inch ibex in his tracks. I don’t want to leave out the cultural experience of Turkish hunts. Experiencing Istanbul on the way on or out is a must. The history there from a number of different empires that have ruled the country is amazing and the current and historical mix of Muslim and Christian influences is fascinating. The people are super friendly, and the food, especially the seafood in coastal areas, is some of the best I have ever eaten. On a number of occasions, we stopped by the
homes of some of our local guides and sat on their porches having olives, fruit, and tea, and those authentic, non-touristy experiences are among my favorites from the trip. These Bezoar ibex hunts are a bit more expensive than the first two mentioned, but they have a ton to offer both as far as the actual hunt goes, plus the incredible cultural benefits of a trip to Turkey. There are some hunts out there in the $9,500 range for marginal areas where trophy expectations are modest, but high-quality hunts in good trophy areas are available for around $15,500. Mountain hunting is certainly a very worthy endeavor, and there are many benefits and experiences that may be gained from these types of trips. For those who can afford to hunt all the world’s magnificent sheep and goat species, I will wish you the best of luck and readily admit that I am more than a little jealous (in a non-malicious way). Some of my best friends are sheep hunters, and I enjoy joining in their successes. For many of us, the iconic sheep are mainly out of reach, but we can still enjoy the incredible experiences that the far-off places and rugged mountain ranges provide traveling hunters by hunting the wild goats of the world. Yes, I would love to hunt an Altai Argali in Mongolia, but that simply will never happen. I will be able to hunt those mountains, see the country, meet its people, eat their food and add the whole thing to my growing bank of special memories when I lead a group of hunters on a trip there in September of 2021 in pursuit of Altai ibex. I can’t wait and know it will be a trip like no other I have had the opportunity to experience. ★ Tim Herald is an owner/consultant at Worldwide Trophy Adventures. He may be reached at tim@trophyadventures.com to book these or any other quality hunts worldwide. SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 49
WTA Is The Preferred Booking Agency of Cabela’s
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Explore
Australia with Esplanade Travel
SYDNEY: COURTESY OF QANTAS | BLUE MOUNTAINS: KSUSHA LEVKOVICH
SYDNEY
A
ustralia was always at the top of the list of dream places to visit for Ksusha Levkovich, Director of Asia-Pacific at Esplanade Travel. As she boarded a Qantas flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, she still couldn’t believe she was finally going Down Under. Little did she know, that first fateful trip would be the start of a love affair that would see her returning multiple times to the continent. Rebecca Fisher, Travel Consultant, echoes Ksusha’s sentiments after backpacking through the country.
QANTAS AIRWAYS
Travelers interested in Australia shouldn’t be intimidated by the fifteen-and-a-half-hour flight. Ksusha felt that it flew by thanks to Qantas. Qantas Airways is an extraordinary airline that has often been at the forefront of innovation in the airline industry and is often considered the industry’s most experienced carrier. Qantas was named World’s Safest Airline by AirlineRatings.com for three years in a row due to its impeccable safety record, and in 2019’s awards received best domestic service, best lounges, and best regional airline. The airline is also committed to bringing the Australian wine industry into the air and won six Gold Medals at the annual Cellars in the Sky Awards this year.
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GOVETTS LEAP LOOKOUT IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
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Qantas has re-defined the international travel experience between North America and Australia — with fully flat beds in Business, spacious seats in Premium Economy, and even self-serve snack bars in Economy, in addition to a new in-flight dining experience with a bigger choice of complimentary meals and drinks. After taking off, settle back and enjoy their friendly hospitality along with Australia’s best wine and food, as well as thousands of on-demand entertainment choices. With daily departures to Australia from Los Angeles and Dallas, as well as options out of San Francisco, it’s easier than ever to experience the best of Australia before you’ve even arrived. Connecting to your final destination in Australia is easy and Australian regional flights are much more cost effective if booked along with your international flights.
MELBOURNE
GREAT BARRIER REEF
COOLOOLA BEACH
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BRIDGECLIMB: COURTESY OF BRIDGECLIMB | GREAT BARRIER REEF: COURTESY OF TOURISM PORT DOUGLAS AND DAINTREE COOLOOLA BEACH: KSUSHA LEVKOVICH | BRISBANE: COURTESY OF BRISBANE MARKETING
BRIDGECLIMB IN SYDNEY
Melbourne was Ksusha’s first stop and a highlight for any visitor to Australia. Hidden Secrets’ Lanes and Arcades walking tour is a must and the perfect introduction to this vibrant city. Explore Melbourne’s maze of cobblestone laneways and elegant arcades, and fall in love with the city’s lively atmosphere. Street musicians, myriad cafes and restaurants, quirky little shops, stylish boutiques, funky street art – there are surprises around every corner! Melbourne is the perfect place to base yourself as you explore Victoria. Take a day trip to travel the Great Ocean Road, one of the world’s most scenic coastal drives, where a heli flight over the 12 Apostles and a stop at Bells Beach to watch the surfers are a must! Spend the day in the Yarra Valley, tasting your way from one cellar door to the next. There are over 70 wineries in the region to choose from, producing premium Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Shiraz, but if you’re a sparkling wine fan, a stop at Domaine Chandon to taste their sparkling Pinot Noir is not to be missed!
BRISBANE
While in the area, consider a unique day trip to Phillip Island to see the famous Penguin Parade. Sitting on the beach at sunset and watching these little penguins make their way ashore after a day’s fishing, completely undisturbed by the hundreds of people in the viewing stands (there is absolutely no photography allowed), is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. After a group of penguins, known as a raft, makes it ashore, they begin their waddle to their burrows, some of which are as far as two kilometers away. As you walk back from the beach, you are surrounded by these adorable creatures and may even be asked by a ranger to stop for a penguin crossing — after all, you’re on their turf !
SYDNEY
No trip to Australia is complete without a stop in beautiful Sydney, and Ksusha immediately fell completely in love with this magical city. Get acquainted with Sydney on a small-group city sights tour, which takes you all around the city, through the eastern suburbs to see all the incredible mansions, and then to famous Bondi beach to see the surfers in action. After city sights, it’s time for an adrenaline rush on the BridgeClimb. Ascending the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the city falls away below you and you enjoy the breathtaking views is truly an exhilarating experience and a must-do for anybody not scared of heights. During Ksusha’s trip, she finished off her day with a tour of the Opera House followed by a Tasting Plate at Opera Kitchen. Sitting outside by the water with a glass of wine in hand overlooking the Opera House and the bridge she had just climbed, as dusk settled in and the city began lighting up all around her, was one of those perfect moments she never wanted to end.
Don’t stop at exploring on the ground or from the bridge — see the city from the water! While there are various boats of all different shapes and sizes sailing the harbor, Ksusha highly recommends going on a smaller vessel to get the most out of the experience. As soon as you step onboard the 52-foot motor yacht with only a few other people, you know you’re in for a treat. The skipper and host make sure everyone feels welcome with local wine and beer flowing and entertaining commentary as you sail around the various bays and coves of Sydney Harbour. A gourmet three-course lunch is prepared and served right on the boat and there is the opportunity to go for a swim, kayak or just relax on the sunbed and take in the beautiful sights. Give yourself a good amount of time here, as there are plenty of areas to explore outside of city limits. Take a day trip to the Blue Mountains or extend the trip and spend a couple of days exploring this scenic World Heritage Area. The Blue Mountains were given that name due to the blue haze that hovers above the eucalyptus, commonly known as gum trees. To break up the drive you can stop at Featherdale Wildlife Park before it opened to the general public and pet a koala and feed kangaroos without a massive crowd around. Another easy day trip is to the Hunter Valley, an excellent wine region. The wine here is very different from the wine in Yarra Valley, but there is still something for everyone to enjoy, particularly the 2014 Shiraz. On the way, you can visit the Australian Reptile Park and see more native animals, pet a baby alligator, and feed more kangaroos. The kangaroos in this park are bigger, enjoy more space and were much more active than the ones at Featherdale – if you’re lucky, you might even get a selfie with one! In a city as famous and massive as Sydney, it’s easy to feel lost SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 55
MELBOURNE: COURTESY OF VISIT VICTORIA
MELBOURNE
and unsure when deciding where to stay. Ksusha and Rebecca recommend The Langham, a boutique 5-star property located in The Rocks and providing a different vibe from the other bigname 5-star hotels. The Langham is located on a quiet street but is just a short walk to all the major sites. The Langham is elegant and refined while providing legendary service, a peaceful locale, a grand Tiffin Afternoon Tea, and luxurious spa facilities.
PORT DOUGLAS: KSUSHA LEVKOVICH | YARRA VALLEY: COURTESY OF DOMAINE CHANDON | WHITEHAVEN BEACH: COURTESY OF TOURISM WHITSUNDAYS
BRISBANE, GOLD COAST, AND SUNSHINE COAST
While Brisbane is not on most people’s travel bucket lists, it’s the perfect base from which to explore Queensland. Brisbane city has come a long way in recent years with new restaurants, hotels and activities popping up every month. Ksusha’s favorite experience was visiting Eat Street, which she jokingly called the World’s Best Food Court. Eat Street is a food village of small vendors and is only open on weekends. In addition to excellent cuisine, it offers city and river views and live entertainment. Eat Street is a great place for people of all ages to come together to taste their way around the world, enjoy live music and people watch. Only an hour’s drive south from Brisbane is the Gold Coast. The main draw here is obviously the beaches, including the world-renowned Surfers Paradise. However, there’s much more to discover in this beautiful part of Australia – quirky neighborhoods, inventive food options, theme parks, and a laid-back feel. When you’ve had enough of sun, surf, and sand, be sure to venture into the subtropics on guided rainforest walks and searching for waterfalls. Heading north, enjoy the slower, more relaxed pace of the Sunshine Coast. Ksusha enjoyed her time there, saying, “While there are many towns worth a visit, Noosa should be on everyone’s list. Besides enjoying the gorgeous beach, the scenic coastal walk through Noosa National Park, and the best calamari I have ever had at Bistro C, taking a 4WD tour out to Rainbow Beach was a highlight of my stay.”
PORT DOUGLAS AND WHITSUNDAYS
Make time for some fun in the tropical sun of Far North Queensland. If you feel like taking on the challenge of driving on the “wrong” side of the road, rent a car at Cairns Airport and drive north to the little town of Mossman. Silky Oaks Lodge, located right on the bank of the Mossman River and adjacent to the Daintree National Park, is one of Ksusha’s favorite lodges of all time. As you enter one of the River Treehouses, you are immediately transported a world away by the dim lighting, the intoxicating smell of incense and the soft instrumental music playing. Exquisite meals are served at the open-air tree house restaurant, perched above the river under the canopy of the rainforest, and the dining experience here is simply top-notch – the kangaroo and the steak are a guest favorite and cooked to perfection! Silky Oaks is the ultimate escape from reality and you may want to add in a day at leisure to just lie in a hammock on the Treehouse balcony listening to the sounds of the rainforest. After Mossman, head seaward and spend a couple of nights in Port Douglas or Palm Cove — two little seaside towns north of Cairns and the perfect base to explore Far North Queensland. Of course, no trip to this region is complete without a visit to the Great Barrier Reef. Take a catamaran out to Agincourt Reef and snorkel amongst all kinds of beautiful fish, bright coral, and turtles — an unforgettable experience! 56 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
PORT DOUGLAS
Port Douglas is another paradise, with warm sand, crystal clear water, and palm trees lining the expansive beaches. Walk along Four Mile Beach, relax on the sand, and contemplate why you don’t live here year-round! For days when you need a break from laying out on the beach, get to know the history of Australia and get a taste of Aboriginal culture on the Daintree Dreaming day tour. You’ll meet guides like Brendan, who is a descendant of the Kuku Yalanji people, like Ksusha did during her time. As she remembers fondly, “He took our small group for a walk on Cooya Beach and taught us how to spear crab and collect bush tucker. He then invited everyone into his home where we enjoyed some homemade damper on the balcony as Brendan cooked up the day’s gatherings while sharing more of his people’s stories. The next stop was at Mossman Gorge Center, where we took part in a spiritual cleansing ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony, walked through the World Heritage Listed Daintree National Park, and went for a dip in Mossman Gorge.” If you’re looking for a unique dining experience in the Port Douglas area, Flames of the Forest is only a 10-minute drive but you will feel like you’re a world away. As you arrive in the rainforest, you’ll be greeted with a glass of bubbly and some hors d’oeuvres. An exquisite family-style meal is served under the canopy of the rainforest as two local indigenous brothers play the didgeridoo and share Dreamtime stories. The pavlova served at the end of the meal is the best in the country! There are plenty of other activities to choose from. Jungle surf (aka zipline) through the Daintree Rainforest, cuddle a koala at the Wildlife Habitat, watch the sunrise as you soar in a hot air
YARRA VALLEY
balloon, take a cableway or scenic train to Kuranda, go whitewater rafting or ride ATVs to get your adrenaline pumping — the list is endless. For those looking to enjoy a slower pace and leave the mainland, hop over to one of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. Visit Hamilton Island, accessible by plane, and have your choice of sweet bungalows, comfortable house rentals, luxurious villas, and intimate little hideaways. There are so many options on the Island — sun and sand, water and reefs, flora and fauna, food and wine, activities and relaxation — that there truly is something for everyone. A cruise to Whitehaven Beach is not to be missed and was Ksusha’s favorite tour in the area. This is the most photographed beach in Australia and is arguably the most beautiful beach in Queensland. No one lives on the Island, so it’s easy to find a spot where you are alone in paradise. Stay for a few nights at qualia, an adults-only property with a private beach. This is much more than a hotel — staying there is an experience in itself and is pure luxury. All of the 60 pavilions are water-facing and set in the midst of lush greenery.
TIME TO GO!
WHITEHAVEN BEACH
Australia is often associated with beaches — of which it has plenty — but there is so much more to see in this diverse, beautiful country. Whether you’ve been dreaming of going for your first time or yearning to return, let Esplanade plan a perfect Australian getaway for you. 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. Visit esplanadetravel.com, e-mail us at info@esplanadetravel. com or follow us on Instagram @esplanadetravel ★ SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 57
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Gazelles Women’s Day Retreat Returns
et ready to “Shake Your Tail Feathers” at the Second Annual Gazelles Women’s Day Retreat held on October 26. HSCF Life Member and Huntress of the Year Achiever, Becky Simpson, has graciously offered to host the retreat at the Simpson Ranch located in Bedias, Texas (near College Station). We will enjoy a Brazilian Themed Bird Hunt along with skeet shooting and fishing. Bring your daughters, granddaughters, and nieces — even better, bring a friend who has never hunted or fished. Hunting and fishing are ideal ways to teach virtues like patience, discipline, ethics, confidence, perseverance, and hard work. Participants are asked to arrive to the Simpson Ranch House by 10:30 a.m. for registration. Vendors will be available and lunch will be provided. Please bring your shotgun and ammunition (four boxes of ammo recommended). If you do not have a shotgun or fishing equipment, we will have some to borrow. There is nothing more empowering than a group of women who come together to experience and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle. To conserve wildlife, wilderness and wetlands, to educate youth and preserve the rights and interests of hunters, we must unite as women. According to the Census Bureau statistics, the overall number of women hunters increased by 25 percent between 2006 and 2011. According to the NRA there were 3.5 million women hunters in 2013, a huge increase since 2001. Although the number of female hunters has increased, according to USFWS U.S. Census, per capita we are still losing hunters. As women hunters it is our responsibility to encourage more women and girls to
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BY JODY SIMPSON experience the outdoors. Women hold the key to the future of hunting. We have to be proactive in protecting our rights as hunters through conservation or we will ourselves become extinct as hunters. With women taking the initiative on more hunting/fishing shows and forums, we must take this opportunity to educate as many women and youth as possible about the many avenues they can use to preserve habitats, rights, and protect animal species. Our goal this year is to bring in new members, not only to the retreat, but to the Gazelles Luncheon and Convention in January 2020. We all enjoy the fun and excitement of the HSCF Gazelles luncheon and convention, and need to invite women to join us. There will be something that sets off a spark in them, and they will join us as we move forward in our endeavors. Start now by spreading the word of our Brazilian Carnival Theme and invite your friends and neighbors to join us. Our strength is in our numbers. Please join the Gazelles Committee to make a difference in the future of hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation. Email names and email addresses of those who would like to join the committee planning meetings- jody_simpson@ yahoo.com. Our first meeting will be in August. ★
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Get To Know Me!
5 Minutes With HSCF Life Member & HSC Co-Founder Jerry Henderson
1.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER OF HSCF?
April 10, 1972, we met at Sunny Looks on Main Street. One of the founding members!
2.
WHY DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN HSCF?
I got involved to interact with other sportsmen who share the same goals and ideas. Going to different venues and having great experiences, making friends, and memories that will last a lifetime were a bonus.
3.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING AN HSCF MEMBER?
To preserve the sport of hunting through education, conservation and the promotion of our hunting heritage.
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4.
WHAT IS OR WAS YOUR CAREER FIELD?
Henderson Properties, Ranch Real Estate, but originally started out in apartment management.
5.
PREFERRED HUNTING WEAPON — RIFLE, SHOTGUN OR BOW?
300 Winchester Rifle
6.
WHAT IS THE ONE ITEM YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WERE SHIPWRECKED ON AN ISLAND?
The Bible and an unlimited supply of good wine.
7.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST CHALLENGING HUNTING EXPERIENCE?
Cape Buffalo charge in Tanzania (see photo).
8.
OF ALL THE SPECIES YOU HAVE HUNTED, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY?
The Cape Buffalo because of its cunning and intelligence.
9.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
Medium rare steak, fried catfish and homemade peach cobbler. I went to cooking school when I was 60 years old and I love to cook!
10.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE 18-YEAROLD VERSION OF YOURSELF?
Aim high and follow your dreams!
11.
FAVORITE HSCF EVENT
Hands down, Convention.
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Meet Africa Maximum Safaris By Jacques Senekal
1.
WHAT IS THE PRIMARY AREA AND GAME FOR WHICH YOU GUIDE?
We are based in the North West Province of South Africa. Our area is a jewel of diversity because of our topography, fauna and climate. The North West Province hosts an array of different species that are found in our landscape. We have access to most plains game species as well as Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Hippo, Leopard (if permits are available) and Crocodile. We specialize in Cape Buffalo as we hunt 30 plus per season.
2.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE A CAREER AS A PROFESSIONAL HUNTER?
I was never exposed to Professional hunting as a career option in my younger years, although my father took me hunting from the tender age of 5 years old. Nature always fascinated me and from an early age I realized the custodianship entrusted to us as humans to act responsible when entering into this unspoiled world. After college and running my business I decided on a career change in my mid-20s. After completing the PH school and a two-year apprenticeship, I started my own safari outfit. I have never looked back and have enjoyed every day on this career path.
3.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST DANGEROUS HUNT?
There have been a few over the years. The Big 5 or dangerous game are notorious and many a Professional hunter or hunting client that have hunted these animals’ numerous times will have a story to tell. One hunt that stands out was with returning clients and good friend Bob Deveny and Jimmy Tompson. We were hunting an area next to Kruger Park. Early one morning, we picked up a fresh single Dagga boy track leaving the river. We decided to go after him. Not far on the track we found very fresh dung. Another 10 minutes on the track we noticed the bull started running. This was odd as we thought we were still far from the bull. A few paces later we discovered we 64 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
were not the only ones tracking this lone bull. We saw lion tracks. The situation changed, everyone in the group was now focusing and adrenaline was pumping. We decided to continue on the track. About 20 minutes later we saw them. There were two lionesses and a two to three-year-old male. They must have become aware of us following them and they made a loop and waited for us to pass by. When we first saw them, they were about 20 yards off the trail sitting, watching us. We assessed the situation and decided to continue. For the next three hours our hunting party and the lions leap frogged one another a few times as both hunting parties continued after the buffalo. The Bull then set up an ambush in a dry river bed. We were there first. I noticed the bull’s legs sticking out from under a tick bush from where this old bull set his position. We had to move closer to get an open shot at him. The old worrier’s patience had grown thin and he came charging at us from 30 yards away. There was no time to set up shooting sticks and I yelled at Jimmy to shoot. He picked up his .458 and shot the bull on a dead run towards us; I then took a shot, Jimmy reloaded and made his second shot and I fired my second shot. The buffalo fell in front of us. We quickly ran around the back of him and Jimmy placed another shot into him. Many a dead buffalo has surprised hunters before, so we took extra precaution. After all the excitement died down, Bob asked, “where do you think the lion are?” Good question. We were a long way from the truck, and could not have Orlando, our tracker, walk all the way back alone and without a gun. We could also not leave our buffalo here and not escort Orlando back. Bob offered to walk back with Orlando while Jimmy and I guarded the Buffalo. Half an hour passed after Bob and Orlando left. The first lioness showed herself. She appeared about 20 yards from us in the river bed. The male followed and then the other female. They lay down and stared at us. The next hour was one of the longest hours of my life. Finally Bob and Orlando arrived with the truck. But all was not over. We still had to load the buffalo. We had to winch the buffalo out of the river bed as the sand was too thick to drive into. Bob and Jimmy stood guard as Orlando and I winched the Buffalo closer and then onto the truck. As we got ready to leave, the one lioness which was now only 15 yards from
Left: Jonathan Breazeale from Houston, Texas, and myself in Mozambique on Lake Cahora Bassa. Jonathan took this 15-and-a-half-foot Croc. Right: Dane and Jennifer Driver from Midland, Texas, hunted with us in 2018. Dane took a great 42-inch Cape Buffalo.
us charged. Orlando kept his cool and pulled off without stalling the engine. We left the lions in our dust.
4.
WHAT DO YOU WANT A FIRST-TIME CLIENT TO KNOW BEFORE HUNTING WITH YOU?
Come to Africa for the experience and the trophy will be the reward. Do not sacrifice the experience for the trophy.
5.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING HUNTING AND HUNTERS TODAY?
The antihunting community is vigilant in their fight to ban hunting and they are focusing on the sport hunter. Their approach is to stop the international shipment of hunt trophies and this will ultimately be the end of especially African hunting. As hunters we have to be ever so vigilant to portray what we do in the highest ethical way. We have to take ownership of our industry and protect it from any illegal or ethical frowned upon hunting activity.
6.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HUNTING WEAPON AND/OR CALIBER?
My trusted .375. I use it for everything. That gun has been places few men have ever seen. And my .470. I love big calibers.
7.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT HUNTING?
My wife and I love to travel and show the world to our children. In our industry we get the opportunity to travel all over the world to market our business and visit clients and friends.
8.
FAVORITE MEAL?
Elephant trunk. Most tender and tasty meat there is.
9.
WHY DO YOU HUNT?
Hunting to me is a lifestyle. It is also an opportunity to share my knowledge with my client, be a responsible custodian over the land and animals entrusted to me and to make sure this natural resource will be protected for the next generation.
10.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU COULD NOT DO YOUR JOB WITHOUT?
My staff. The PH’s that I hunt with; are some of the best. The trackers and skinners; to track a wounded Cape Buffalo for three days and find it – amazing. Camp cooks and support staff; the gourmet meals that wait for us every night. Camp manager that make sure the hunters have all the info and tend to their every need. No Outfitter or PH can be a one man show.
Jacques Senekal AFRICA MAXIMUM SAFARIS
africamaximum.co.za africamaximum@gmail.com Tel: 0828023919
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 65
MEM
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Out of Africa. Beginner’s luck and a borrowed camera photographing King penguins in the sub-Antarctic South Georgia Islands. To prevent disease transmission visitors are not allowed to approach within fifteen feet of wildlife. The penguins didn’t know the rules and would curiously peck at our boots or tug on our jackets.
R
Hunting with a Canon One Observer’s View // By Suzanne Hixson
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very intimidating borrowed camera and a ten-minute lesson on how to use it prior to boarding an expedition ship to the Antarctic was my introduction to photography. On that trip I admired a woman who juggled three huge cameras as we awkwardly disembarked our zodiac inflatables for the shore, stepping carefully to avoid being nipped by seal pups and keeping a distance between ourselves and the penguins that rushed to greet us as if we were fellow penguins returned from a long journey. The place was teeming with photo ops that even the most untrained eye, such as mine, could not fail to frame. I had previously enjoyed taking snapshots during our travels, but this vast land, literally like nowhere else on earth, made something inside me click. A few weeks and a few thousand digital images after our return from Antarctica, we were packing for our first trip to Africa. My husband Steve assumed correctly that I was going to want my own camera gear. While he was organizing calibers and scopes, I was studying full frame versus crop sensor. Over ten years later I still don’t understand the half of it. I fell in love with the creativity that photography allows me, but when another traveler assumes I want to chat about f-stops and ISO, my eyes glaze over. I proudly introduce myself as “and one observer” as defined by the outfitters’ descriptions on hunting contracts. Not all of our travels include hunting but when they do, Steve insists that time be set aside to focus on my photography. Although I most definitely enjoy the amenities of photographic-only camps, I’ve come to prefer the perspective of being behind the lens on a hunt. Not to mention, having hunters along on a photo safari can lead to amusing conversations. We came across a rather large tusker in a national park, which 66 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
prompted Steve to ask, “how big is that bull?” Our PH, a wellknown elephant hunter, was along. He winked and whispered, “about twelve thousand pounds.” When friends ask for referrals on photo safaris I often encourage them to consider accompanying hunters. National parks are fantastic for photography but there is a bigger challenge in getting outside the boundaries where there are even fewer guarantees that you will tick the box beside every bird and beast in your guidebook. I do acknowledge, though, that being on buffalo tracks for days is not every tourist’s cup of tea. Shooting with a camera is much like shooting with a firearm — a great deal of success depends on being in the right place at the right time. The difference with photography is it doesn’t require a perfect shot. I used to think a photo had to be perfect to be good. Now I believe a photo needs to be real. In a time when everything can be digitally manipulated, I still prefer images that are exactly what I perceive with my naked eye. I’ve learned that colors are not always brilliant, images are not always sharp, other people don’t always get out of the way, and there’s rarely such a thing as perfect light. If a leopard only wants to show me his butt, then I’ll take a hundred shots of his spotted behind. And if I miss a shot then it wasn’t meant to be. Just like hunting. I used to say I am not a hunter. I found it an easy way to distract people from their impending attack on my husband. I dislike confrontation, especially the kind that resolves nothing, and most specifically the kind which takes place while trapped next to an anti-hunter on a long flight. I would lure them away from controversy with some pretty pictures and ensure them that I only shoot a Canon. I was unintentionally distancing myself from hunting and hunters, including my own spouse. Now I unapologetically claim that I am indeed a hunter. I’m no less a hunter than the expert PH
The view from Stoffie’s pan. While early mornings and evenings are considered perfect light, elephants drink when they are thirsty. I was battling glare and opted to shoot in black and white. Even a less than technically perfect image can still make a memorable photo.
who carries a gun but often never shoots, or the skilled trackers who follow a blood trail with nothing more than sticks in their hands. I’ve spotted and stalked, camera in hand, on every continent, almost always in the company of hunters. I will confess I missed a likely winning photo moment when, after a cape buffalo charge, everyone turned to me to see if I caught it on film. Nope. I was busy getting up a tree. My goal is to find ways to use my photography to promote the benefits of hunting in the conservation of wildlife and wild places.
A couple of years ago, Steve and I were invited to a club meeting of well-traveled individuals. Each attendee was asked to bring a favorite photograph and tell the story behind it. I presented a much-loved photo of my husband and his PH’s apprentice sharing meat from an elephant hunt with an elderly couple in a remote Zimbabwean community. There were gasps and murmurs of distress. I figured that we most likely would not be invited to a second meeting, so I better make this one count. My intent was not to incite but to encourage intelligent dialogue. There’s an old saying about SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 67
every picture telling a story and it’s true. That one photograph of the woman left camp for home, it was with tears in her eyes. hunters sharing meat conjures up multiple memories, including In Namibia I was eager to meet and photograph the Himba that it was taken during Steve’s first elephant hunt and marked his people. The elegant women of this tribe coat their bodies with a personal goal of pursuing the big five. The guide in the photograph mixture of animal fat and the red earth of the desert to protect was a young, hardworking apprentice. Sadly he was killed a few themselves from the sun. Upon arriving in our hunting camp I months after our safari and a fellow hunter contacted us and asked was dismayed to be told that the village where I needed to go was if we’d like to participate in creating a special memorial. The result a day’s drive and they were having difficulty locating someone to was Stoffie’s pan, a bore hole and hide in Zimbabwe’s Hwange take me. Of course, there was plentiful scenery and wildlife to National Park built by the young apprentice’s father. It is wildly shoot while I accompanied Steve on the hunt. popular with photographic clients, most of whom are unaware Returning to camp one day, we passed two young boys dragthat it exists thanks to the contributions of hunters. ging a lame goat and waving cheerfully despite That photograph also reminds me of returning the dusting they were receiving from our vehicle. It’s a code in to Zimbabwe three years later and learning from Steve, sensing a good story, asked to stop and the photography, just PH, not overly impressed by two kids with a goat, Stoffie’s mother that after that hunt with Steve, her son never failed to stop and check on the welreluctantly did so. Our trackers asked where the like hunting, not fare of the old gentleman and his wife. The photo boys lived and they indicated a community not to provoke or then leads me on to the memory of a tourist from too far away, so we detoured up to the small village disturb wildlife. England with whom we were sharing a game drive where we asked permission to enter from a beauin Hwange. She overheard me say that we were on tiful lady in traditional Himba dress. The trackers safari for a month and asked how I could possibly stand being tried to communicate with her but kept telling us that there was away from television and decent cell service for that long. She was something wrong. I got off the truck and she led me towards her already missing her First World luxuries on day one of her threecampfire. She could neither hear nor speak. I indicated I would night stay. I promised her that Stoffie’s pan would be well worth like to photograph her and she took great joy in posing regally for her sacrifice. She demanded to know what was so special about it my camera. She then motioned for a teenaged girl to speak for but I refused to say more. The next afternoon we sat together in her and a young man riding on our truck acted as an impromptu silence as elephants drank at the pan, the spray as they quenched interpreter. Despite being distracted by a pretty young girl with their thirst occasionally reaching our faces and cameras. Catching exposed breasts, common in Himba culture but not so much in our scent, they placed their trunks up to the narrow gap in our his community, the young interpreter managed to fumble his way perfectly designed hide. Her guide told me that on the morning through the conversation and we made a plan to return to learn more about their way of life. The next morning a gathering of women and children shared with our group of hunters how to make the paste with which they cover their bodies and explained how their jewelry reflected their marriage status and whether their fathers were living or dead. The gracious woman who organized the meeting was noticeably absent. The trackers had suggested she might be shunned by the others. I prefer to think she was revered. She definitely kept herself apart. I wanted to thank her so I walked back to her campfire where she invited me into her home and held my hands for just a moment. In the images I took of her I see kind eyes that perhaps don’t always see kindness in others. It’s a code in photography, just like hunting, not to provoke or disturb wildlife. At least once a year we all hear of a safari tourist being trampled or mauled because they got off the truck when they were clearly told to not get off the truck. We all get caught up in the romance of nature at times, especially when it is foreign to us. I laugh when I see city folks take photographs of cows in rural Texas. I’m sure somewhere in Africa farmers are chuckling at khaki clad westerners clicking away excitedly at wildebeest herds. Being unobtrusive and respectful applies to human subjects as well. Photographers in particular are drawn to those who dress or live differently. It’s not that we don’t think of them as human beings with a right to privacy. It’s just that we sometimes fail to consider that not everyone wants to be a part of the album that we’re posting on Facebook. While in El Salvador we were able to make contact with a friend’s relatives living in a very impoverished region of the country. Reaching their home required abandoning our vehicle to hike through a stunning forest. In spite of their meager exisEnjoying a sundowner at trunk and toe level in Hwange National tence they insisted on serving us fresh pineapple as we shared Park. When I need to go to my happy place, Stoffie’s pan comes to mind first. stories about their children in the United States. Afterwards we 68 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
all headed to town to meet even more family members. The patriarch of the family, unaccustomed to riding in cars, waved grandly out the window to everyone we passed on the road. We arrived to find the women grinding corn on the dirt floor of their home in preparation for a celebration thanking God for the harvest. When I asked if I might photograph them, one young woman shyly said something to the interpreter. “She wants to know if she can put on some lipstick first,” he said. I try to remind myself to seek permission before pointing a lens at someone, but I have found myself in some jams of my own doing by letting my enthusiasm for the shot get in the way of common sense. At a street market in Morocco I was giddy with the sounds, smells, and colors of the food being sold by mysterious looking women in long dresses and headscarves. My camera seemed to have a mind of its own and I struggled Sharing in the Hunt: If I had to choose one photo which sums up being the observer on a hunt, this to keep up as it led me to capture it all. would be it. Taken in Zimbabwe at the conclusion of a hard twenty-one day hunt, it captures the I felt a sharp pain in my side followed elation of a hunter after a challenging safari and the appreciation for the gift of meat. by another thud closer to my head. I glanced down to see potatoes rolling past my feet. I turned to see a woman glaring at me smugly and it a waste of his time and money. He went there with a set of exher companions grinning at my shock. The guide later told me they pectations, specifically to see a lion kill. When that didn’t happen probably weren’t too concerned about my photographing them, he dismissed all the other amazing and incredible sights he must they were just annoyed I wasn’t buying anything. have seen. Yes, it truly was a waste. A slightly more unnerving situation ensued when, en route to a I’ve also witnessed the frustration when a hunt isn’t going well. hunt in the rainforest of Cameroon, we found ourselves stuck for “But honey, look at this awesome pic of you soaked with sweat an extra day in Douala. We asked our escort to take us to experiand covered in flies right before the dogs lost the track,” isn’t much ence his city. After stopping to pick up a bodyguard, the need for consolation. Even though that disillusioned photographic tourist which should have tipped us off, we ended up on a sidewalk marwas the exception and most return from their safaris with lovely veling at the efficiency of a group of street people disassembling photos and memories, they will most likely never go back. However the burned-out remains of a vehicle before loading the still-smokthe hunter, successful or not, will return again and again, not only ing wreckage onto a city truck. Our guide explained that they all to pursue an elusive trophy or set sites on new species, but because hoped to be compensated for their help. Steve said I should take a he or she knows that it’s about more than the hunt. Speaking as an photo. I probably shouldn’t have. Two of the locals ran toward us observer on many hunts, I believe we do a disservice to the passion pointing to my camera which was, it’s fair to say, most likely the of hunters when we present only the end result — a score sheet only one of its kind on the streets of Douala that day. A growing or beautiful taxidermy. A photo of a hunter with his trophy tells a crowd delighted in the men’s demands for restitution, which our wonderful story. But an image of that hunter climbing treacherous guide and bodyguard were flatly refusing. We noticed the police terrain, battling adverse weather conditions, or sharing with local officers standing a few feet away slowly turn their backs to us. The communities the meat from the hunt tells an even broader story negotiations and the entertainment it provided for the citizens of of what it means to be a hunter. Douala ended with an agreed upon fine of two dollars and two I got lucky many years ago when I happened to fall in love with cigarettes. It was a seasoned traveler’s rookie mistake. It’s also one a hunter. I have been fortunate to view through my camera lens of the reasons why I often carry a pocket-sized camera and opt to exotic places, and the animals and people who inhabit them, by leave the big gear back at the hotel. being his “and one observer.” Seeing my camera gear people asFortunately troubles with camera travels have been few but they sume I am a professional photographer. I quickly point out that often result in great stories if not good photos. My husband still no, professionals get paid. When they ask for advice, the best I shakes his head at the memory of being awakened in the dead can offer is this: I treasure my photographs. They are my journal of night aboard a disabled cruise ship bobbing about in a stormy without words and when we are no longer traveling and hunting, South Pacific. I got up, got dressed, shoved my passport and my they will be the images which will remind Steve and me of the memory cards in my bra, and crawled back in bed. If the call came blessed life we have led. But every now and then it’s nice to put to abandon ship, I was taking my photos with me. the camera down and simply be there. Not all sunsets were meant I met a businessman on a flight to Johannesburg. He told me he to be photographed. Some were just meant to be enjoyed with a booked a photographic safari to Kruger National Park and found sundowner and someone you love.★ SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 69
2018 DAN L. DUNCAN
Scholarship Update
Taylor Daily Dear Houston Safari Club Foundation,
I am grateful to be writing as a recipient of the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship for Fall 2018–Spring 2019. Thank you to the Houston Safari Club Foundation for providing this opportunity that has helped fund my research as a graduate student at Sul Ross State University. My thesis focuses on survival and movements of desert bighorn sheep among differing release methods. I am specifically looking to see if there is a difference in survivorship and home range size between hard- and soft-released translocated desert bighorn, and how they compare to resident sheep. I am also trying to determine what effect landscape distribution has on desert bighorn home range size.
Some preliminary results show that hard released sheep have almost double the home range size of soft-released, and seem to move at greater distances post-release. I was lucky enough to present these preliminary results at multiple scientific meetings. I presented a poster in Conroe, Texas at the 2019 Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society meeting, in Alpine, Texas at the 2019 SRSU Graduate Symposium, and in Mesquite, Nevada at the 2019 Desert Bighorn Council meeting. Aside from my thesis work, I have been given many wonderful opportunities to volunteer with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. I have helped out with fence modifications for pronghorn, water guzzler development for desert dwelling species, and many other small tasks throughout the Trans-Pecos ecoregion. These opportunities have taught me many valuable lessons and have provided some real-world experience that you can only get outside the classroom.
Though my research still has a way to go before I graduate with a M.S., I have enjoyed every step of the way and I can’t wait to see
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what this final upcoming year will provide. Thank you again for selecting me as one of the scholarship recipients, because of this opportunity I have been able to continue my education and excel while doing so. I am more than proud to support the Houston Safari Club Foundation and acknowledge their continued support for students in the natural resource field. Sincerely,
Taylor Daily Borderlands Research Institute Sul Ross State University
Matthew Buchholz Dear Houston Safari Club Foundation members, During summer 2018 I was selected as a recipient of the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship for my studies on the population and disease ecology of free-ranging axis deer on the Edwards Plateau. Following the notification of the award my project underwent some changes.
The record floods that occurred during last October forced me to change some of the objectives of my research. My project now not only includes what effect axis deer have on native riparian habitats but now also includes a component of restoration ecology. Previously, there has not been any research on how riparian habitats respond to disturbance with not only native white-tailed deer present but exotics, specifically axis deer, as well. The floods caused the destruction of many of the deer exclosures that I used to monitor vegetation growth. I spent approximately a month last fall removing damaged fencing and rebuilding exclosures to continue monitoring vegetation. With the exclosures now back up I will be able to collect data on vegetation post-flood to complement the data I already collected pre-floods. Last summer and fall we also conducted several spotlight surveys to estimate population density of axis deer on the Edwards Plateau. Our preliminary counts suggest that axis deer and white-tailed deer are present at nearly equal densities. I will be continuing to conduct spotlight surveys every few months until next spring to better estimate the population throughout the year.
I am also coordinating with Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologists to collect tissue and blood samples to assess the genetic diversity and disease prevalence within free-ranging axis deer. We hope to be able to tell if there are several sub-populations of axis deer on the Edwards Plateau or if they mix enough to be a single genetic population. We are also testing for several diseases that are important to white-tailed deer management as well as livestock. We hope to use this information to better understand how they affect native wildlife and livestock. I very much enjoyed attending the Houston Safari Club Convention in January and was overwhelmed by the support that the membership showed for all of the amazing students who
received the honor of being named as a recipient of the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship. I once again want to thank the Houston Safari Club for this scholarship and will proudly support the Houston Safari Club’s mission of preserving the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and protection of hunters’ rights through my education and future career. Sincerely,
Matthew Buchholz
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 71
Maribel Glass Dear Houston Safari Club Foundation,
I had to honor of being selected as a recipient to the 2018 Dan L. Duncan Scholarship from Houston Safari Club Foundation. Not long after I received this award, I hosted two outreach events for the Natural Resource Career Tracks program. In this event, I partnered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife to talk to students about future careers in natural resource management. It was a delight discussing the natural resource management field with these students. The Houston Safari Club Foundation believes in the future of conservation and that future is left in the hands of our youth. I hope to soon plan another program to work with these bright young students.
As student president of the Conservation Biology Club I orchestrated merging this club with the Range and Wildlife Club. Sul State Ross University will now have a club for students that combines the love of conservation with sustainability practices and hunting. In addition to my involvement in student organizations, I am continuing my research by sorting my summer samples and preparing for my winter field season. This February I will harvest sandhill cranes, snow geese, northern pintails, pheasants and killdeer at the Bosque del Apache Nation Wildlife Refuge. This will determine if these species of birds are in fact eating knotgrass. I am in the process of writing my thesis and will continue to analyze my data. After I finish my master’s degree, I plan to pursue a doctorate degree in Wildlife Science. This scholarship
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has not only helped my research but has also taken me one step closer to my career goals. I am so grateful to have been chosen for this prestige scholarship from such an incredible foundation. I will continue protect hunter’s rights and support wildlife conservation. Thank you for your supporting my research as we promote conservation in our wetlands. Sincerely,
Maribel Glass
Carolina Medina-Nava Dear Houston Safari Club Foundation Members,
I am honored to be writing to you as a first-year Dan L. Duncan Scholarship recipient and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Houston Safari Club Foundation Members for your generosity in supporting such a wonderful scholarship opportunity. I am very thankful to have the Houston Safari Club Foundation members supporting me as I continue in my thesis work at Sul Ross State University. In 2018 I spent my time implementing my masters’ project examining “Ecohydrology and Reseeding Techniques in the Green Valley, Brewster County, Texas.” The goal of this study is to determine the dynamics in ecohydrology based on soil moisture and temperature in different soil and vegetation types during an active grassland reseeding restoration project in the Terlingua Creek watershed. In October of 2018, I was able to travel to Lubbock, Texas to compete in a three-minute presentation about reseeding techniques in areas treated with Tebuthiuron (Spike 20 P) in the Chihuahuan Desert at the Texas Section Society Range Management (TSSRM). In February of 2019, I was privileged to attend to my first Society for Range Management National meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I learned more about the importance of rangeland management and restoration to benefit livestock and wildlife. I also presented a research poster with preliminary results of my thesis project at the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society in Montgomery, Texas.
Currently, I am working on developing a model to select and determine microtopography using high-resolution imagery from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and soil wetness index to select potential seeding microsites, to further be presented at the TSSRM meeting in Kerrville, Texas. I have been also invited to present multiple times. I shared preliminary results of my masters’ project to restore degraded habitats to benefit wildlife at The Joint Venture Management board meeting. I was also honored to hold a field tour of my study site to the Native Plant Society, where I shared the importance of my study to improve habitat for quail species. Your generous contribution has allowed me to focus on my studies as well as extracurricular activities that otherwise would’ve been impossible without your financial support. I was invited to conduct a river trip in the Rio Grande, where we measured flow and conducted water tests pre- and post-chemical treatment of invasive species. This project was very significant for me because it will help to restore habitat for the Desert Bighorn sheep, mule deer, and black bear. I also aided fellow research
students in trapping grasslands bird species and shared my experiences in mapping rangelands with UAVs. Just as education and work experience have been contributing to my development, my extracurricular activities have improved my leadership ability as well. As a current treasurer of the SRSU Range and Wildlife Club, I have gained proficiency in public speaking and orchestrating fundraiser events such as our bi-annual raffle hunts and shooting competitions. Once again, thank you Houston Safari Club Foundation for choosing me to receive your generous scholarship. The Dan L. Duncan scholarship has undoubtedly allowed me to focus on implementing quality research, planning my 2019 summer field, and to excel in my pursuits towards restoring rangelands for wildlife habitat in Texas. I will always be thankful for the support you gave me during my educational career and I am proud to say I am a Dan L. Duncan scholarship recipient. —Carolina Medina-Nava
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 73
Kelton Mote Dear HSCF Members,
From the time I could walk, I was in the field or in a blind. From a humble beginning as the “bird dog” every September to chasing fox squirrels with my .22 through the post oak thickets, my respect and adoration for the sport of hunting grew much like my skill for the pursuit of wild game. My first deer and my first limit of ducks over public water will always be landmarks in my development as a hunter. The sport of hunting was an enormous influence in my decision to pursue a career in wildlife conservation. I had no idea the financial role it would undertake as a driving force aiding me in becoming a wildlife professional. I am grateful to be included in the list of some of the top developing conservations in the state of Texas as a 2018 Dan L. Duncan scholarship recipient. January 2019 marks the conclusion of my first year as a thesis master’s student at Texas Tech University. By the end of my 2018 field season at the 6666 Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, I had banded 380 northern bobwhites, radio collared over 140 hens, observed 43 nests, and attached radio transmitters to 21 chicks. Poor adult survival, low nest success, and poor chick survival have led to low quail numbers experienced throughout much of the state. This year I have banded 150 northern bobwhites, collared 60 hens, and am in preparation for nesting to begin. This year we have already experienced much higher adult survival and are hopeful for successful nests and a lower chick mortality rate to bolster populations. The Houston Safari Club Foundation has supported me and believed in me at a capacity no other
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organization has come close to rivaling. As my third and final year to be a scholarship recipient, I would like to express my most sincere appreciation for the HSCF and its members. The Houston Safari Club Foundation has made a profound impact on my collegiate career, my evolution as a wildlife conservationist, and my life. I have always believed in and supported the role hunting possesses in wildlife conservation, but the Houston Safari Club Foundation has allowed me to appreciate hunting on a new and deeper level. For this, I am most thankful. —Kelton Mote
Howell Pugh Dear Houston Safari Club Foundation Members,
I am a recipient of the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship for the 2018-2019 academic school year. I am very thankful for the moral and financial support that comes with being a recipient of the scholarship and a member of the Houston Safari Club Foundation. I would especially like to thank Mr. Gary Rose and the scholarship committee; without their tireless efforts and contributions, many students like myself would not be blessed with the wonderful opportunities that the HSCF and the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship has provided. I am currently working towards a graduate degree at Sul Ross State University. My graduate thesis research focuses on the movement ecology of translocated female pronghorn in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. I am working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to address two main questions about translocated pronghorn. The first question is how much room does a translocated female pronghorn in the Trans-Pecos need? The second question is what areas are translocated female pronghorn in the Trans-Pecos using and what ones are they not using? The first question is what is referred to as the home range of the animal. The second question is referred to as the habitat use of the animal. To answer these questions, I have collected data from five translocations (years 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017) to get a broad look at the behavior of the translocated does. I will use data collected from GPS collars that were affixed to pronghorn does during the translocation process. I will compare variables, such as the dry, wet, and fawning seasons, to see how they affect the home range and habitat use of the translocated
female pronghorn. One hundred and sixty nine GPS collars will be used for the analysis with a total of 1,099,264 separate location to determine the home ranges and the habitat use.
This past summer I presented preliminary findings of the 2017 translocation’s home range data to the 28th Biennial Western States & Provinces Pronghorn Workshop. Later this spring (April 2019) I will present further results of all the translocations’ home range data at Sul Ross State University’s Graduate Symposium in a talk titled “Home Range of Translocated Pronghorn in Trans-Pecos, Texas.” Additionally, portions of my research and analysis were used in a report titled “TransPecos Pronghorn Restoration Update: November 2018.” I look forward to the continued outreach and communications about my thesis work. As I continue to analyze and write my thesis, I am excited about the results I am seeing. I truly believe that the work I am doing will not only help the wildlife professionals who are tasked with restoring the diminished Trans-Pecos populations but will also be fully accessible and understandable to landowners who want to apply the lessons learned from my research. I am very thankful to the Houston Safari Club Foundation for offering the generous Dan L. Duncan Scholarship. The scholarship has allowed me to be focused on my research and schooling in a way that has allowed my project to reach its fullest potential. Thank you for your support,
Howell Pugh M.S. Student, Sul Ross State University
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 75
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An example of Fausti’s over under production shotgun
78 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
Fausti facility
Quality Shotguns Since 1948 The First 70 Years By Claudio Maltese
The year is 1948. World War II ended recently. Italy is on its knees, it is to rebuild over the ruins. It is working very hard to rebuild an identity. There are no holidays or weekends and only a few moments of leisure. Only three years after the war ended, a young Stefano Fausti, who had learned the gun making trade working with his brothers and grandfather, decided to strike out on his own and build shotguns under the family name. It was a bold move at a time when many in this war-torn country were still struggling just to make ends meet. Working in the heart of Italy’s renowned gun making valley, Val Trompia, the young Stefano did have a good advantage close at hand. He could, as needed, reach out to a pool of local craftsmen skilled in the gun and stock-making. Consider that at the time there were not the ultimate CNC machines we have today so the manual capacity to work on guns was fundamental. Not surprisingly, however, Mr. Fausti was not the only one in the valley seeking to start his own brand, but only a handful of these start-ups would succeed.
Thus was born the Fausti, from the hands of a young Stefano Fausti who assembles “external hammer” guns with the only help of a chisel and fine papers. These are elegant and reliable shotguns that won local customers and Italian fans and then drew the attention of admirers in Europe — and finally got to the hunters and collectors in America. The personal history of Mr. Fausti is intertwined with the greatest history of Italy. We are now at the 60-year mark, those full of the economic boom, economic growth, and pride of being Italian. Years full of passionate work and the creative impetus of inspiration and imagination. Working daily to make each new product even better quality and more reliable. It is no coincidence that in those years the shotguns “made in Italy” are imposed internationally and overcome those of the English school which, although always glamorous and reference, cannot keep pace with the times and follow the changing fortunes of the market. The family grows. Born are Elena, Giovanna and Barbara. They literally grew up learning to love the SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 79
Fausti gunsmith at work on the stock
smell of steel. It was a critical moment in the Fausti history but the three women are exceptionally talented individuals, each of whom is fully focused on and dedicated to the success of their family’s business. They are deeply connected with the shotguns they make and, when time allows, love to get out to the range or field. Even the company expands: from the small laboratory to its present location, built on four square meters live technological wonders, specialized craftsmen, techniques
and traditions from over one hundred years. Mr. Fausti is named Knight Officer of the Republic, an important recognition for one who, out of nowhere, has managed to create a luxury brand and therefore to ensure work and employment to its people. His guns, thanks to participation in the first and most important international exhibitions in the field, become true ambassadors of creativity and art of the Italian gun makers. Some of those models such as the Classic, an external
Left: An example of a Fausti side lock side by side Right: An example of a Fausti side by side production
80 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
Fausti production department
hammer gun, and the Senator, side-lock of high school, are still in the catalog. The three daughters have long been the “Face of Fausti,” providing the management and leadership skills that have defined the Fausti success story. They have a passion for the family business along with that particular creative touch that brings the artistic elements of the Italian Renaissance to life in their products. It’s a winning combination. In recent decades, a key challenge for gun makers around the world has been how to successfully embrace state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies while still retaining the classic hand work and hand finishing that results in the fit and feel of firearms that have been crafted as opposed to having been mass produced. The secret of Fausti is in balancing the best of the “old” with the best of the “new” throughout their product line. Fausti guns are, however, as much “go” as they are “show.” Behind their elegant lines, whether one of the company’s production or bespoke models, all Fausti shotguns incorporate a full range of top quality, machined components. Over-under models also include Fausti’s patented Four Locking System — in essence, four retaining points between the barrel frame and action instead of the traditional two. Fausti is also renowned for their scaled frames small gauge, a true standout in their class. In 2009, the establishment of Fausti USA launched the Fausti brand all over the United States, with the creation of models designed specifically for the American market. Recently, the Fausti UK opened to serve the English market, one of the most challenging markets on the bespoke gun world.
Fausti engraver at work
Let us recall some of the actual Fausti renowned shotguns, true ambassadors of the “Made in Italy” stylish design: The recently introduced Italyco series, gorgeous over-under built on a round body action and available with either box-lock or with long profile side-plates; the Fausti XF4, versatile model designed as an “all in one” or multi-discipline shotgun equally well suited for all FITASC competition; the classic side-by-side Dea British SL series, which feature eight distinct handengraved patterns; and the side-locks Senator, the apex of the Fausti production. The current Fausti products represent the continuity in tradition, a legacy that is the best way to pay homage to the founder, Stefano Fausti, celebrating the first 70 years of a long history of beauty and creativity. ★ SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 81
MEMBER CLICK S
P
roviding you tools and information that help you make the most of your membership in HSCF is our primary goal. You’re just a click away from accessing your HSCF member portal and making the most of your HSCF membership on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Once logged in to the system you can connect, share photos, stay in touch with fellow members, register for events, look up invoices and keep your contact information as well as your membership up to date. In the last issue of Hunter’s Horn™ you learned how to login, retrieve a forgotten password and register for events. Ready to dig a little deeper? Let’s get started! In this issue you learn how to take advantage of even more member tools. Never miss an issue of Hunter’s Horn™ or event announcement by keeping your profile current. Look up your event registrations and invoices. You’ll even learn how to connect with other members right from your member profile page.
82 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
How do I find MemberClicks? 1
Hover your mouse over the Membership Tab on the HSCFDN.org site, select Members Only.
2
Clicking on the Members Only menu item takes you straight to your account sign in page.
3
By entering your Username and Password your member profile page opens. My Profile offers many tools. Of course, you can make typical changes that you might expect on your My Profile page, such as updating your name, address, phone number, email address and company name. It is important to keep your contact information up to date so that you don’t miss out on events, announcements, specials and promotions as well as important membership voting.
Once logged in you may add or change your profile picture, manage your privacy settings, change your password, select how you wish to receive HSCF communications or unsubscribe from emails. You can view copies of HSCF member messages, your invoices, and all submissions (registrations, membership, donation, & volunteer forms). Let’s start with adding a picture to your profile. Hover your cursor over My Profile then select Change Profile Picture.
Just click on the picture silhouette and upload a picture saved on the computer, tablet or smartphone you’re using for this session. Your picture may be edited or deleted at any time by following these steps. On the bottom left of the Profile Picture window you will find the option to Upload a Photo. Select this button and be directed to the files on your computer or device. Select a photo from your device files, then press enter to upload the photo. Your uploaded image will appear in the Profile Picture window. The photo may be cropped if needed by selecting Crop Uploaded Image. If you’re happy with your image, select Save. Your profile will now be updated to include your picture.
Now that you’ve added your photo, let’s take a look at some of the other useful tools located within My Profile! Hover your cursor on My Profile, your menu of choices will drop down. Your profile tools include the following: Change Profile Picture, Privacy, Contact Preferences, Message History, Invoices, Submissions. Hover your cursor over My Profile then select Privacy.
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 83
MEMBER CLICK S
2
1
The Privacy Menu provides access to control who may view your profile information. This will become more relevant as you utilize the Connections and Messaging features offered in MemberClicks. You may also add photos and make connections with other members.
The Privacy Menu provides access to control who may view your profile information. This will become more relevant as you utilize the Connections and Messaging features offered in MemberClicks. You may also add photos and make connections with other members.
Enter your Current Password then your New Password as prompted on screen. Click Save in order to save your changes.
The next feature in your profile, Message History, will help you recall information received in the past. This can be particuarly helpful to reference a deadline, directions, or other information that was previously sent. In order to access Message History, again hover your cursor over the My Profile tab, select Message History. You will find a listing of each email that was sent through the member system. You may open any email by selecting the message link which is noted in red. 84 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2019
Contact Preferences allows you to manage the communications that you receive from HSCF. To access these options, simply hover your cursor over My Profile, select Contact Preferences. The Contact Preferences screen will appear, allowing you to opt in and out of communications.
Did I register for the next monthly meeting? Is my membership renewal due? Your Invoices and Submissions tabs will help you find this information. Access your Invoices by hovering your cursor over My Profile, then select Invoices. The Invoices screen provides you with links to all of your invoices, due dates, payment status, and balance. You may sort invoices by Created Date if you are searching for a specific transaction. You may open, pay or view any invoice by clicking on the ID number in red.
In order to access your form submission history, hover your cursor over the My Profile tab, select Submissions. The list of events for which you have registered can be found on the Submissions screen. You may also pay any outstanding invoices for registered events from your Submissons screen.
Remember, if you need help, want a refresher course, or have any trouble at all, you always have access to the helpful user guide located on the Home tab. Just hover your cursor over the Home tab then select MemberClicks Manuals. Choose from either the New or Current Member Guidebooks by clicking on the applicable link. Your Guidebook will open, you may download or print a copy for convenient reference.
We hope that you find the Member tools articles beneficial. Please give us your feedback. Access to this and the earlier Member Tools articles will be available through the the “Members Only” portal on our website at hscfdn.org. Click on the “Membership” drop down menu, then “Members Only.”
SUMMER 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 85
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A breeder of Nyala in Texas could expect the following: Retail Price per Animal Herd Size
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10
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Year 6
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8
8
8
8
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$56,000
$56,000
$56,000
$56,000
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$336,000
Tax Savings
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