Game & Hunt - December 2017 by PressPad

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WILD & JAG DESEMBER 2017

J du P Bothma

Panthera pardus

The leopard T

Based on recent DNA analyses, the modern, large cats developed some 4,10 to 5,95 million years ago on the Tibetan Plateau from the extinct Panthera blytheae, which was a little smaller than the clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa. However, the leopard Panthera pardus was the first, modern, large cat to diverge from a common ancestor. The leopard first appeared in Africa some 470 000 to 825 000 years ago.

he leopard is prominent in the mythology of many cultures. In ancient Egypt the goddess of wisdom, knowledge and writing, Seshat, was depicted as a woman wearing a spotted dress or the hide of a leopard or cheetah with a seven-pointed emblem above her head. Numerous leopard figurines have been found in ancient tombs. In ancient Greece the leopard was

the sacred animal of the god of wine and fertility, Dionysus, who is depicted riding a leopard or with two leopards pulling his chariot. In Africa the wearing of a leopard hide is reserved for the royalty and leopards feature in art, myths and folklore of many cultures. Linnaeus first described the leopard scientifically as Felis pardus in 1758, based on a specimen from

Egypt. In 1816, Oken created the genus Panthera for the roaring cats of the subfamily Pantherinae. The name ‘leopard’ is derived from the Greek words leõn (meaning ‘lion’) and pardos (meaning ‘male panther’). The name Panthera is derived from the Latin via Greek words pánther for a leopard and pardos for a male panther. The leopards of South Africa were originally described as Panthera

GAME & HUNT DECEMBER 2017

Portrait of a male leopard, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Leopard sleeping in the fork of a tree, Singita Game Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Description Regionally, the leopard varies in size and appearance. Its body is elongated, the tail is long and the legs are relatively short. In South Africa, leopards from the interior are almost twice as large and heavy as those from the southern Cape. An adult male leopard in the Kruger National Park has a mean shoulder height of 77,3 cm and a weight of 58 kg, as opposed to 66 cm and 38 kg in a female.

Individual leopards can be identified from their coat markings and the background colour varies from golden to ochre, tawny-orange, pale red, yellowish-grey, pale yellow, and dark yellow-green to olive green. Black leopards are common in India and albinos are known from India, China, Zimbabwe and East Africa. Red leopards that are occasionally found in Africa are a genetic mutation known as erythrism. In arid regions the colour is paler yellow to creamy white but in cold climates it is more greyish. The ‘black’ leopards of the southern Cape had a blackish saddle and deep, orange patches. The body has black rosettes and

WILD & JAG DESEMBER 2017

spots on the limbs that are the product of three different genes. The belly is white to off-white and the face has prominent white whiskers. The front paw has five toes, the first claw being a dewclaw, while the hind paw has four toes. The paws have sharp, curved claws that can be up to 30 mm across the curve. The rounded ears and the tail have white tips. Distribution The leopard occurs widely in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Europe, Asia as far west as Russia, ➻ Leopard tracks in Kalahari sand

melanotica by Gunther in 1885, based on a blackish leopard from near Grahamstown. There are eight subspecies and the African leopard is Panthera pardus pardus.

3-10x42 SHV

Turning a big-bore rifle into a flat-shooting all-rounder

Stefan Fouché

Nightforce is known for various reasons by shooters and hunters around the globe. The products are extremely robust and reliable, and the glass is also of outstanding quality. The finished product feels very good and looks very elegant, despite the tactical appearance of most of the models. Now there is an even more elegant model available to satisfy the needs of all shooters, hunters and varminters. It’s called the Nightforce SHV …

he product has been around for some time and has literally taken the market by storm since day one. The scope comes in three different magnifications, and then two different reticles: the 3-10x42 and the 4-14x56 for general hunting / varminting, and the bigger brother, the 5-20x56, for hunting over longer distances or target shooting. There is also another target shooting model (but it works equally well for hunting) and that is the 4-14x50 F1 model.

In 2018 we will definitely focus on more of these models with their different reticles. However, in this article I would like to explain how the 3-10x42 SHV with the MOAR reticle transformed one of my big-bore calibres into a flat-shooting, all-purpose hunting rifle with kinetic energy almost equal to that of a runaway train. Although this scope is very popular on semi-automatic AR-15-type rifles, it works just as well on any hunting rifle. The scope is nice and compact with its 42mm objective lens, and at just 590 g it is very lightweight as well. The 10x magnification will make it possible for any hunter to make a precise shot up to 300 m on a target as small as a springbuck’s heart / lung area. The minimum 3x magnification makes it possible to use this on a bigger calibre rifle for the close hunting of dangerous game. This made me think: maybe this scope can turn a dedicated big-bore calibre into an all-rounder?

GAME & HUNT DECEMBER 2017

Photos: Gordon Harris Photograpic

The eye relief of the 3-10x42 Nightforce SHV is more than enough to make this scope a good option on a heavy recoiling rifle like the .450 Rigby. Also note the quick detachable mounts, making this rifle and scope combination even more versatile.

The compact 3-10x42 SHV fits perfectly on the big CZ550 magnum action.

I own a couple of big-bore calibres and, with the purchase of my .500 NE double rifle (shooting a 570 gr bullet at 2 150 fps), it kind of took over the purpose of my .450 Rigby rifle, shooting a 550 gr bullet at 2 280 fps. With the Nightforce SHV in the 3-10x magnification, I would be able to use my .450 Rigby rifle for more than just big game at close distances. Now I would be able to make longer shots. Even more thought went into the mathematics involved – especially in the light of all the debates about the pros and cons going on at the office and with friends and fellow hunters around various campfires. I decided to drop the bullet weight from 550 gr to 400 gr, gaining an immense amount of velocity, which obviously makes up some inches on the trajectory table. With some load development help from Adriaan Rall of Peregrine Monolithics, I was able to shoot their 400 gr VRG3 bullet at a staggering 2 754 fps, and best of all is that I achieved clover-leaf accuracy at 100 m. The next step was to check the physical trajectory of the bullet from zero to 300 m, the practical and realistic hunting distance for all kinds of game or animals in Southern Africa. The rifle was zeroed at 200 m. Back at the 100 m mark, the bullet printed less than 3" high and at the 300-m target I was very pleased to see the bullet only falling 16", beating the trajectory of a 180 gr bullet head out of an ordinary .30-06 Sprng hunting rifle. And that with a 400 gr bullet!

The sight picture from these SHV scopes is unbelievably clear. The field of view is also nice and wide with the 3-10x magnification: 3,4 m at 100 m on 10x and 10,6 m on the 3x magnification. This makes it ideal for bushveld, as well as open plains hunting. It is equipped with a side parallax, which I do not really see the use of on a 10x magnification hunting scope, but that’s just my opinion. I am sure Nightforce have their reasons. The 42mm objective lens provides excellent low-light performance, while maintaining a low mounting profile. This is crucial when mounting a scope to a heavy recoiling rifle. The mounting length of 130 mm also means that this scope can fit on very large actions, like in my case the CZ 550 magnum action. It has a fast-focus eyepiece, ideal for a hunting scope. It also has more than enough eye relief, much more than you can use, as any scope can only be mounted so far forward, due to the eyepiece meeting up with the back ring mount. Lastly the reticle. For hunting, the IHR (international hunting reticle) is a better option because the reticle is not too busy. For target shooting, the MOAR would be the one to choose because of the MOA intervals on the crosshairs to help with distance calculations, as well as holdover. I, however, decided on the MOAR for my purposes as I now have a solid reference for those 300 m, or even the slightly longer shots, on my scope’s reticle in terms of a solid marking I can use as a holdover. The Nightforce SHV is an affordable scope for hunting and target shooting. Visit your nearest dealer today to see the whole range. To locate your nearest Nightforce dealer, please contact Inyathi Sporting Supplies in Pretoria on 012 808 9911 or e-mail them at info@inyathi.net.

Figure 1: White rhino

Cleve Cheney Hunting rhino is a VERY contentious issue. In this, the first of a series of three articles, we will deal with the morality / ethics / ecological / wildlife management aspects of hunting a species whose populations are showing a downward trend, i.e. the black rhino, or may do so in the near future, i.e. the white rhino.

he anti-hunting and animal rights fraternity is vehemently opposed to any form of hunting, so there is little point in trying to convince them otherwise. There are, however, other people who are not opposed to hunting (non-hunters) if it is done ethically but by choice prefer not to hunt themselves. And then there are the hunters. We owe it to the non-hunters and hunters alike to explain why, and if, the hunting of rhinos is morally / ethically / ecologically and, from a wildlife management perspective, justifiable. Although rhinos were once extremely diverse and widespread in Africa and Asia, their numbers have declined drastically. Of the world’s five rhino species all but one are under threat of, or are on the verge of extinction. The southern white rhino (the species endemic to South Africa – Ceratotherium simum, Figure 1) is classified by the IUCN as near threatened, meaning that the species may be considered threatened in the near future. The northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), formerly found in several

countries in East and Central Africa south of the Sahara, is critically endangered. Our endemic black rhino (Diceros bicornis, Figure 2) is classified by the IUCN as critically endangered, meaning that the species is at extremely high risk of becoming extinct in the immediate future. The estimated populations of black rhino and southern white rhino remaining in Africa are shown in Figure 3. The majority of these populations are found in South Africa. One of the greatest conservation success stories of the century was the fact that largely due to efforts of the onetime Natal Parks Board and National Parks Board, as well as private game ranchers in South Africa, the southern white rhino was rescued from the brink of extinction. Where there were once only 50–100 animals left in the wild, there are currently more than 21 000. The one-time Rhodesian Parks Board and their South African counterpart, as well as the Natal Parks Board, were also instrumental in helping the critically endangered black rhino to recover from a world population of just 2 410 (in 1995) to the current estimate of around 5 458. Some 20 000 plus southern white rhino and 5 400+ black rhino may sound like a lot but bear in mind that the black rhino population of Africa plummeted from an estimated 70 000 animals in 1970 to a mere 2 410 in 1995 – a population crash of over 90% in 25 years.

GAME & HUNT DECEMBER 2017

These species are again under threat with an exponential growth in rhino poaching (some 9 000%) since 2007 (see Figure 4). This resulted in the loss of 6 115 animals over the past decade. In around 2013, the South African crisis spread to other countries in Africa. First Kenya was hit hard – its worst year for poaching was in 2013, when 59 animals were killed (more than 5% of the national population). In 2015 both Zimbabwe and Namibia were hit hard: Namibia lost 80 rhinos to poaching, up from 25 in 2014 and just two in 2012; while in Zimbabwe at least 50 rhinos were poached in 2015, more than double the previous year. For Africa as a whole, the total number of rhinos poached during 2015 was the highest in two decades. The total number of rhinos poached in Africa overall in the last decade is 7 137 animals. For now, the global rhino population of black and white rhino is still increasing, but only just. Now we sit with a moral dilemma. As hunters, who also like to say we are conservationists, can we condone the hunting of a species that is ‘on the edge’ (black rhino) and a species that is heading in that direction if current trends continue (white rhino)? I think the main issue here is a general misunderstanding of the meaning of the term ‘conservation’ and all that it embodies. Conservation by definition implies the sustainable use of natural resources. In other words, resources are there not only to be enjoyed for their visual attributes (i.e. looking at an impala) but also practically (i.e. meat to eat, skins for belts, shoes, etc.). This is morally acceptable by definition – but there is a caveat (a condition) that applies. The species being sustainably utilised must be part of a population considered safe. What do we mean by a safe population?

carrying capacity of its habitat; • constantly declining – and the reason for its decline seemingly cannot be halted; and • hanging on to survival in a constantly degrading habitat. The fact that the causes of the population’s decline seemingly cannot be reversed means the population faces extinction.

Managing unsafe populations

The preservation management strategy for an unsafe animal population is that it should be protected from all harm. The purpose of applying preservation management strategies to an unsafe population of animals is to make it safe. When the population has reached a point where it could be considered safe, the management strategy applied to it must then change from preservation to conservation. The reverse also applies if a safe population becomes unsafe. So when the total world white rhino population was hovering around 100 animals, it was definitely unsafe and needed to be preserved. With the current total population of over 20 000, it could for now be considered safe to sustainably utilise (including hunting) white rhino, bearing in mind that they are close to a threshold and need constant monitoring. The numbers are still growing (not declining) but if poaching continues or escalates, habitat is lost or degraded, or some disease (like bovine tuberculosis, which was recently diagnosed in some Kruger Park rhino) caused numbers to go into decline, conservation management would again have to switch to preservation management. Black rhino are critically endangered, meaning that although there are some 5 400+ black rhino, this number is Continued ➻

Safe population

A safe animal population is one that is thriving; or one that is at, or near, or above, the saturation level of the habitat; and / or one that reproduces more young each year than those required to maintain the population in a stable numerical state.

Managing safe populations

Bringing all biota (plants and animals) to the point where all species could be considered safe and could then be conserved (wisely and sustainably utilised), is the ultimate wildlife management goal. If this were ever achieved (wishful thinking) then all wild animals and all wild plants everywhere could be sustainably utilised. The word conservation implies the possibility of some form of consumptive harvest which can benefit mankind and biodiversity in its broadest context. Preservation, on the other hand, is to protect unsafe populations from harm so as to render them safe. What do we mean by unsafe?

Unsafe animal populations

An unsafe animal population is one that is • very low in number relative to the potential sustainable

Figure 3: Estimated populations of white and black rhino in Africa (2015)

Black rhino: 5 040–5 458 Southern white rhino: 19 666–21 085

WILD & JAG DESEMBER 2017

Richard Downing

Wat kom ná rommel? opgevolg deur die Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), later GEAR (Growth, Employment and Reconstruction), toe AsgiSA (Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa) en die huidige National Development Program (NDP). Die beste ekonomiese prestasie in die ten volle gedemokratiseerde RSA is onder GEAR bereik. Ná die wêreldwye resessie van 2007/08 kon die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie egter nie weer op dreef kom nie. Hoewel die trae globale ekonomie ook ’n rol gespeel het, was dit veral binnelandse politieke woelinge, ekonomiese beleidsonsekerheid en die groter wordende sosiale las op die ekonomie wat die ekonomie laat bly stotter het. In ’n artikel in Rapport van 28 Mei 2017 maak Piet Croucamp1 die punt dat Mbeki eintlik die staatskapingsprojek ingelei het. Die “Afrika-renaissance”gedagte van Mbeki het die saad van die markekonomie gedra. Ongelukkig het die markbenadering “... onder (groter) druk van binne sy eie party gekom, waarskynlik verhaas deur Figuur 1

Figuur 1

1 “Mbeki se geskenk aan Zuma.” Rapport, 28 Mei 2017 2 Wat insluit die nasionale regering, provinsies, plaaslike owerhede, buitebegrotingsfondse, staatskorporasies en staatsakeondernemings

sy eie paranoia ... Hy het begin om mag te sentraliseer in sy kantoor ... Kaderontplooiing was aan die orde en Luthuli-huis was die bastion van waar die regerende ANC ’n vorm van ‘staatskaping’ gedryf het – minstens ’n dekade voordat dié term in algemene gebruik gekom het” – aldus Piet Croucamp. Dus kan staatskaping verskeie vorme aanneem, maar die grootste ekonomies vernietigende effek is vir seker sosialisme of sy gestremde broer, populisme! Dit is hierdie effek op die staatsfinansies en trae ekonomiese groei waarvoor Suid-Afrika te staan gekom het met al die nadelige gevolge vir die samelewing wat tot rommelstatus gelei het. Figuur 1 gee ’n aanduiding van hoe die openbare sektor2 (dit is al die instellings waaroor die staat [politici] beheer uitoefen) se aandeel in die ekonomie toegeneem het. Dit is duidelik dat die ekonomie nie aan al die beloftes en verwagtinge oor die kort termyn kan voldoen nie – vandaar dat die staat gebruik word om politici se aansien te handhaaf. Slegs deur ekonomiese groei en deelname aan die

Bron: SA Reserwebank. Junie 2017 Kwartaalblad

wee maande ná die politieke drama met die afdanking van die minister van finansies teen einde Maart 2017 en die afgradering deur twee van die kredietgraderingsagentskappe na rommelstatus was daar die persepsie dat die afgradering oorkom is. Die eerste reaksie deur die finansiële markte was verdoemend met die rand wat depresieer en randverskansingsaandele wat kop optel. Nou blyk dit dat die aanvanklike oorreaksie op die middernagtelike politieke en graderingsdrama plek gemaak het vir die siening dat die gif stadig gaan werk óf dat dit soos voorheen besigheid kan beteken. Dit is natuurlik vér van realisties aangesien die ekonomiese toksiese beleid, uitsprake en rommelstatus reeds in die aanvangsfase van demokratiese Suid-Afrika beslag gekry het. Hoewel die regering van nasionale eenheid aanvanklik veronderstel was om SuidAfrika en die ekonomie op ’n gesonde grondslag te plaas, was dit gou duidelik dat ekonomiese beleid veral nie ’n rasneutrale grondslag gehad het nie. Die eerste beleidsraamwerk wat as riglyn kon dien vir die ekonomie van die “nuwe” Suid-Afrika was The Restructuring of the South African Economy – A Normative Model Approach (NEM) wat in Maart 1993 die lig gesien het. Die NEM se doel was onder andere – “... the problems of the less priviledged will have to be addressed by way of budgets and special development programmes, with due regard for available resources and other limiting factors”. Dit is

GAME & HUNT NOVEMBER 2017

Bron: SA Reserwebank. Junie 2017 Kwartaalblad

Tydperk

Totale belasting tot BBP

Inkome- en welvaartbelasting tot BBP

Begrotingstekort voor lenings tot BBP

Ekonomiese groei

1980 – 1989

21,5

11,7

2,7

2,3

1990 – 1999

23,9

12,6

4,1

1,4

2000 – 2009

25,7

14,0

1,2

3,6

2010 – 2017

26,8

14,5

4,5

2,0

skepping van welvaart kan aan die langertermynverwagtinge voldoen word. Dit is dalk weer tyd dat alle rolspelers in die ekonomie binne ’n normatiewe ekonomiese model oor die ekonomiese pad vorentoe besin en onderhandel. Staatskaping, in watter vorm ook al, dwing Suid-Afrika om te herbesin oor werkbare ekonomiese beleid wat rasionele doelwitte en verwagtinge daarstel. Dit kan beleggings teruglok, werk skep, die inkomstegaping vernou en die staat se finansies beredder. Dit vereis egter radikale ekonomiese hervorming wat die markekonomie in ’n werklike, rasneutrale ekonomie in ere herstel. Sinvolle ekonomiese norme van die vryemarkstelsel sal weer moet geld. Die ontwikkelingsvraagstukke sal ook as sodanig geïdentifiseer en nie as die norm voorgehou moet word nie. Ontwikkeling het ŉ langertermyntydraamwerk nodig. Dit word duidelik dat ekonomiese groei negatief gereageer het tydens tydperke waarin die staat se aandeel in die ekonomie toegeneem het. Die grootste verskuiwing na ’n groter staatsaandeel het in die periode tussen 2000 en 2009 plaasgevind (kyk Tabel 1) en is verder onder die Zuma-administrasie gevestig. Hoewel dit aanvanklik die ekonomie bevoordeel het, het dit later tot ekonomiese stagnasie bygedra. Ander invloede het natuurlik ook ’n beduidende rol gespeel om ekonomiese wel en weë te bepaal. Hierbo verskyn ’n aanduiding van die ekonomiese beleidsraamwerk en

verantwoordelike staatsadministrasies gedurende die tydperke in Tabel 1: • 1980 tot 1989: Wêreldwye ekonomiese sanksies teen Suid-Afrika toegepas. Botha- en De Klerk-administrasies met tuislandadministrasies. Gemengde ekonomie en vryemarkstelsel met uiters beperkte buitelandse kapitaalinvloei. Beleidsraamwerk die EOP (Ekonomiese Ontwikkelingsprogram). • 1990 tot 1999: Politieke onderhandeling en opheffing van ekonomiese sanksies. Gemengde ekonomie en vryemarkstelsel met swart bemagtiging, beperkende arbeidsbedeling en aansienlike buitelandse kapitaalinvloei – NEMen GEAR-beleidsraamwerke. RDP-kantoor geskep en die Sentrale Ekonomiese Adviesdiens gesluit deur Mbeki-administrasie. De Klerk-, Mandela- en Mbekiadministrasies met aanvanklik die regering van nasionale eenheid. • 2000 tot 2009: Groter politieke sentralisasie en einde van regering van nasionale eenheid, swart ekonomiese bemagtiging en kaderontplooiing. Staatsfinansies word goed bestuur met hoër ekonomiese groei. Gemengde ekonomie en groter staatsbetrokkenheid – GEAR en AsgiSA as beleidsraamwerke. Mbeki- en Zuma-administrasies. • 2010 tot 2016: Meer politieke sentralisasie, staatskaping, swart bemagtiging, meer korrupsie en kaderontplooiing. Staatsfinansies onder groot druk met trae

WILD & JAG NOVEMBER 2017

Bron: SA Reserwebank. Maart 2017 Kwartaalblad

Tabel 1: Vergelykende ekonomiese prestasie

ekonomiese groei. Gemengde ekonomie maar met meer staatsbetrokkenheid by veral staatsakeondernemings – onseker ekonomiese beleidsraamwerk óf NDP. Zuma-administrasie. Dit word al hoe duideliker dat staatskaping en rommelstatus eintlik net tydelike simptome en refleksies is van ernstige ekonomiese probleme wat langer gaan neem om die hoof te bied as wat tans vermoed word. Met endemiese korrupsie en rommelstatus uit die weg geruim, lê daar dus radikale ekonomiese aanpassings voor die deur om strukturele ekonomiese gebreke met verloop van tyd te besleg, die vryemarkstelsel te hervestig en beleggers- en sakevertroue te herstel. Daar is lank en hard gewerk om skade aan Suid-Afrika se ekonomie aan te rig – dit gaan nie oornag beredder word nie! Wat staan individuele besighede en bedrywe te doen te midde van ekonomiese onsekerheid en wisselvalligheid? Hou by basiese vaardighede op die mikrovlak en sorg dat jou produkte en dienste se kernaktiwiteite behoue bly. Fisiese aktiwiteite (reële goedere en dienste) gaan bly seëvier, hoewel dalk op kleiner skaal terwyl die hoop op die staat gaan vervaag namate dit al duideliker word dat ’n mislukte staat ter sprake is. ’n Radikale rigtingverandering terug na markgerigte ekonomiese beleid is al wat die rommelstatus kan omkeer en meer welvaart vir die breë bevolking sal bring. 3

Hennie van der Walt Met die eerste reën van die seisoen in die binneland – vir ’n verandering vóór 10 Oktober (die ou Kruger-dag) – het Buffalo Ranch hulle twee dae lank in die reën gereed gemaak vir hul 21ste veiling op die plaas Rooikraal, tussen Bloemfontein en Dealesville.

Foto’s: Christine Bothma

uffalo Ranch is ’n familie-onderneming, en gegewe die huidige wildmark, het hulle ’n katalogus opgestel om gehaltediere beskikbaar te stel aan toetreder-wildtelers wat hul kuddes wil opgradeer. Lotte het bestaan uit manlike sowel as vroulike diere, wat dit vir die toetreder-wildboer moontlik maak om dadelik met die diere te begin teel. Vir telers wat die genetiese diversiteit van hul kuddes wil uitbrei, is lotte van die allerbeste genetika, geneties bevestigde stambome en uitsonderlike horinglengtes aangebied. Met meer as 600 diere van veertig verskillende spesies uit Buffalo Ranch se 8 000 hektaar-teelgebiede, sowel as diere van gasverkopers, was daar verskeie lotte wat op die jagmark gerig was. In sy verwelkomingstoespraak het Reuben Saayman genoem dat daar kopers is wat, oor ’n tydperk van 21 jaar, nog elke Buffalo Ranch-veiling bygewoon het. Hy het hulle bedank vir hul volgehoue lojaliteit. En dan was daar ook ’n woord van dank aan ondersteuners van vorige veilings, en ook aan die vele nuwe gesigte in die saal, wat onder moeilike omstandighede steeds vertroue in die wildmark het.

Waterbokke se pryse het dit ook moontlik gemaak vir toetreder-wildtelers om hierdie bokke aan te koop, met dragtige koeie wat teen R6 250 stuk en koeie teen R3 000 stuk verkoop is. Bulle se pryse het gewissel tussen R7 000 en R10 000. Vir wildboere wat springbokkuddes op hul plase wil vestig, was die prys van R1 300 stuk vir lotte bestaande uit twee ramme en 15 ooie baie bekostigbaar. Matetsi-swartwitpensverse, koeie en koeie dragtig van die bul Vrystaat is verkoop vir gemiddeld R44 000 stuk. Omdat die vroulike diere almal saamloop in troppe, vergemaklik dit die hervestiging op die nuwe eienaar se grond omdat die diere mekaar reeds ken. Daar sal nie aanpassingsprobleme wees waarvan die toetreder-teler nie noodwendig ondervinding het nie. Goue wildebeesbulle teen R30 000 stuk en verse teen R14 000 stuk maak dit vir seker bekostigbaar om te begin met ’n teelkudde van hierdie diere. Gemsbok-familiegroepe teen R5 250 stuk en blesbok-familiegroepe teen R1 200 stuk verseker ook dat hierdie twee spesies teen bekostigbare pryse gevestig kan word.

Toetreder-diere

Die 5½-jaar-oue buffelbul Umfaan, wat reeds 45⅞" meet, wat verkoop is vir R480 000 en 3-in-1-koeie wat R280 000 stuk behaal het, sal beslis genetiese diversiteit bring aan ’n bestaande buffelboere se kuddes. Rooihartbeeskoeie, dragtig van die 30" (SCI 93¼")-bul Duke, wat twee jaar gelede op die Buffalo Ranch-veiling verkoop is vir R1,5 miljoen, is verkoop teen R13 500 stuk en sal beslis die kuddegemiddelde horinglengtes van manlike sowel as vroulike diere verhoog. Om blouwildebeeskuddes te versterk met nuwe genetika, was blouwildebeesbulle teen R3 900 stuk beslis ’n aanwins vir enige bestaande wildboer.

Die huidige wildmark vergemaklik dit vir toetreder-wildtelers wat nie die hoë pryse van 28"–32"-njalabulle kan bekostig nie. Ideale aankope was jong bulle met horinglengtes van 20" tot 24" uit geneties bevestigde stambome vir pryse wat gewissel het tussen R8 000 en R19 000, en ooie vir R11 500 stuk. Vir wildboere wat reeds rooibokkuddes het, was die prys van swart 19"-ramme teen R18 000 tot R21 000 baie bekostigbaar. Lotte bestaande uit een jong swart ram en drie swart ooie is verkoop teen R13 000 stuk.

Uitbreiding van genetiese diversiteit

Jagmark

’n Voordeel van baie van die manlike diere wat op die veiling aangebied is, is dat, afhangend van die koper se teel- en / of jagtroppe, so ’n dier ook by teeltroppe gebruik of gejag kan word in die volgende jagseisoen, of oor ’n paar jagseisoene. Hiervan getuig pryse vir waterbokbulle van R6 500 tot R10 000, swartwildebeesbulle R2 500, sebrafamiliegroep R3 500 elk, 37"–38"-swartwitpens bulle R19 000 elk, koedoebulle R8 000, elandbulle R12 500 en ’n lot van 15 springbokramme teen R1000 elk. Buffelbulle se pryse is volgens ouderdom bepaal, met 5 tot 6-jaar-oue bulle (39") teen R57 500, 36"–37"-bulle teen R40 000 en 33"–35"-bulle teen R35 000. Ná afloop van die veiling het wildenjag.tv met Etuan van der Westhuizen gesels, wat baie van die jagdiere gekoop het. Volgens Etuan het die dag se pryse meer in lyn gekom sodat Suid-Afrikaanse jagters byvoorbeeld buffels kan begin jag. Dit maak die mark ook soveel groter omdat daar meer top-end jagters is wat die pryse kan bekostig. Etuan sê die pryse vir swartwitpense en bastergemsbokke was ook bekostigbaar. As ’n mens in gedagte gehou dat, benewens die prys op die veiling, ook vervoerkoste en mortaliteit in berekening gebring moet word, plus die wins van die plaaseienaar, dan kom die veilingpryse in lyn met die bedrag waarvoor ’n mens die diere kan laat jag. Wat gewone vlaktespesies-diere betref, reken Etuan dat die pryse in lyn is met die markwaarde wat jagters bereid is om te betaal. Die prys van blesbokke in die Bosveld verskil

van dié in die Vrystaat, met die teenoorgestelde wat geld vir rooibokke. Daarom sê Etuan jy moet nie vergeet dat die intrinsieke waarde van ’n dier die prys is wat die hoogste bieër bereid is om te betaal nie. Die pryse wat op die veiling behaal is, beteken dat die jagveld meer toeganklik sal wees vir Suid-Afrikaanse jagters, en Etuan meen dat hulle in toenemende getalle sal kom jag. Byvoorbeeld, waar ’n 43"-swartwitpensbul in die verlede baie gesog was, is ’n 45"-bul deesdae alledaags, en so ook is 38"–39" vandag gemiddelde lengtes vir gemsbokke. Dus is daar 40"-plus-diere vir die top-end mark om te jag. Die SuidAfrikaanse jagters sal die diere van onder 40" moet afhaal in die jagmark. Suid-Afrikaners gaan in die volgende klompie jare minder betaal om groter diere te jag, terwyl daar meer as voldoende gemiddelde diere sal wees. Reuben Saayman het genoem dat wildboere met hul gehalteteling sal moet volhard. Ongeag die voorspelling van ’n oplewing voor einde Februarie (met die oog op die einde van die belastingjaar) vermoed Reuben dat die afwaartse kurwe nog ’n jaar of twee sal voortduur. Maar, voeg hy by, “alles wat daal, moet styg”. Skandeer die QR-kode om na ’n kort video van die veiling te kyk, of besoek wildenjag.tv waar al ons video’s gesien kan word.