T H E OFFIC IA L PU B LIC ATION OF H OUS T ON S AFARI CLUB • S UMMER 2 0 1 8
The Legend
2 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
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Baby & Kids • Bath & Candles • Coffee • Couple's Registry • Gourmet Foods Grilling • Hardware • Housekeeping • Kitchen • Luggage • Men's Gift Shop Outdoor & Patio • Pet Supplies • Stationery • Tabletop • Women's Gift Shop SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 3
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TABLE of
CONTENTS
FEATURES 18 SPORTING CLAYS
TOURNAMENT WRAP-UP
By Jeff Birmingham
24 DREAM ACCOMPLISHED By Paul D. Atkins
30 THE PREVALENCE OF ANIMAL BITES By Matt Napiltonia
34 BURKINA FASO: AN ADVENTURE START TO FINISH
By Tim Herald
40 EATING EDEN TO EXTINCTION?
UNDERSTANDING THE AFRICAN BUSHMEAT CRISIS
44 66
By Shane P. Mahoney
44 HUNTING COMMUNITY
CELEBRATES WINS IN 2018 GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL
By Andy Treharne
46 A FEW OF MY FAVORITE RECIPES By Scott Leysath
52 PATAGONIA'S MACNAB: MY UNLIKELY ACHIEVEMENT OF COMPLETING THE TIPILIUKE GRAND SLAM
Text and Photos By R.K. Nevins
58 RECOVERING AMERICA’S WILDLIFE ACT 62 2018 SPRING RIO TURKEY HUNT WITH OPERATION COMFORT COMBAT VETERANS
By David & Debbie Selby
66 EXPLORE AFRICA WITH ESPLANADE TRAVEL
72 DAN L. DUNCAN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS 2017-18
COVER ARTWORK:
On the cover - "The Apprenticeship" by David Langmead, 28" x 51", Oil on canvas Visit www.CallOfAfrica. com to learn more
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SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 5
OUR MISSION Preserving the
sport of hunting through
education,
conservation and the
protection of
hunters’ rights.
6 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
2017-2018 HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB OFFICERS Tommy Morrison – President Mark King – Immediate Past President Mitzy McCorvey – President Elect Patrick Bryan Anderson – Vice President Shaun Nelson – Vice President John Pepper – Treasurer Jerry Henderson – Secretary HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB DIRECTORS 2017–2019 Michael Van Ambrose Jeff Birmingham Linda Cunningham Travis Simpson Matt Mann 2016–2018 Monica Williamson JD Burrows John Bowers Darrell Kainer HEADQUARTERS STAFF Joe Betar, Executive Director Dawn Fuselier, Office Manager Carla Nielsen, Marketing & Publications Manager Nancy Oka, Events Manager Charlotte Betar, Advertising Sales Vic Williams, Editorial Consultant Nate Silva, Allyson Preble, Design Consultants Alliance Printing and Graphics Hunter’s Horn is published quarterly by Houston Safari Club 9432 Katy Freeway, Suite 350 Houston, Texas 77055 713.623.8844 (p) 713.623.8866 (f) info@houstonsafariclub.org www.houstonsafariclub.org © Copyright 2018 Houston Safari Club
Houston Safari Club welcomes contributing articles, photos and research. Houston Safari Club reserves the right to edit submissions for spelling, grammar, clarity, organization and punctuation and to abridge length. Houston Safari Club 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 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, its members, employees or affiliates.
U PCOMING EV EN TS JULY 12; 7-9 PM
at Saloon Door Brewing; Pint Night
AUGUST 2; 6:30-9 PM
at Boardroom Salon for Men Tanglewood; Guys Night Out
SEPTEMBER 6; 6:30-8:30 PM
at the home of HSCF Member, Gary Glesby; Trophy Room Reception
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 7
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR‘S MESSAGE JOE BETAR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
H
appy summer everybody! Your HSC team is not slowing down just because the “dog days “are upon us. We have been busy with preparations for the launch of our new organizational structure on July 1. Just a reminder, effective this date, American Conservation Education Society (ACES) will have a new name: Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization). The mission of HSCF is to preserve the sport of hunting through education, conservation and the promotion of our hunting heritage. Houston Safari Club (HSC) will remain a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with a renewed focus on policy and legislation. HSC’s mission is to protect the rights of hunters and the hunting heritage through advocacy, policy and legislation. In March I attended the 83rd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Norfolk, Virginia. While there, we convened the spring meeting of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP). Meetings were held with Department of Interior representatives. Discussions were conducted about DOI Secretary Ryan Zinke’s newly created Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation and International Wildlife Conservation Councils. The 2018 Farm Bill was a major point of discussion as well. This bill is one of the largest sources for conservation funding and effects hunters from the perspectives of habitat and land access. Another major legislative topic was the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 4647). Houston Safari Club is now an official Partner of the Texas Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife and the national Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife working to support the act. It is imperative you contact your legislator and ask them to support this piece of legislation. A companion resolution is in development in the Senate. H.R. 4647 would allocate $1.3 billion in existing royalties from energy and mineral production, on federal lands and waters, to be placed in a special fund for restoring species at risk of becoming endangered. The funds would be funneled through state wildlife agencies to projects that protect and restore Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Texas would be eligible for more than $63 million per year. AWCP is also working on an effort known as Conservation without Conflict. The premise of this effort is that “collaborative conservation is a better path than regulation for working forests, farms, and ranches to help conserve at-risk and listed species.” This is a very important proactive effort to prevent the listing of species as threatened or endangered. When a species reaches this status, it is very difficult to have the label reversed, even if the species rebounds. The 2018 Sporting Clays Tournament fundraiser was well attended. The competition was strong again this year. We added a few new games, competitions and prizes. The consensus was that the event was great fun and we saw many new faces. Thanks to Nancy, Dawn, our volunteers and Sporting Clays Chair, Bryan Anderson, for their hard work. May was a very busy month as we attended the 147th NRA annual convention in Dallas, Texas. Over 80,000 people attended the annual meeting of NRA members. Guest speakers included President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, NRA’s Wayne LaPierre and Chris W. Cox, Texas Governor Greg Abbot, 8 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and many others. I also attended the first ever R3 National Symposium in Lincoln, Nebraska. This three-day event was focused on resources and partnerships needed to secure the future of hunting, angling, target shooting, and boating. For those of you unfamiliar with R3, the name stands for Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation. The organization, formed by the Council to Advance Hunting and The Shooting Sports, has a mission to facilitate the promotion and growth of hunting and the shooting sports and the education of the public on the contributions that hunters and shooters make towards wildlife conservation. HSC is a partner in the R3 effort and looks forward to incorporating some of its tactics in our education programs. Agencies, NGO’s and industry were well represented as we gathered to discuss and share how we can protect, promote and grow hunting, shooting sports and outdoor recreation participation. On the grants front, your HSC Grants Committee and Board of Directors approved support for the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (they defend against legislation or action that threatens our outdoor heritage, while at the same time, proactively advancing legislation that allows more opportunities for sportsmen) and two youth education programs in archery and shooting sports. Because of your membership and support of our fundraising efforts, we can help fund these essential initiatives. Please try to attend all the great upcoming HSC events! Check the “Upcoming Events” page on the website frequently for updates. Our own youth education program is in continued development as we are partnering with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Sportsmen’s Alliance Trailblazers Program and other groups to develop HSC curriculum and field education programs. HSC will host five area high school programs on fishing trips this summer. We are also planning to provide hunter education and shooting sports safety. Planning for the 2019 Convention is in full swing. This year’s theme is Foundation for Tomorrow. The dates are January 25-27. Check the website for frequent updates and be sure to take advantage of early bird pricing for banquet tickets. Have a safe and happy summer! Yours in Conservation,
Joe Betar
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 9
10 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE TOMMY MORRISON, HSC PRESIDENT
T
he 2017/2018 year of our club is coming to an end with a bright future. Our move to the George R. Brown Convention Center was a huge success, paving the way to future growth and an impact on the hunting world. We are continuously making great strides in our efforts to reach out and touch the things that will make a difference in the hunting community. To continue these efforts, we must fully support the officers, directors and our terrific staff ! I think it is amazing what all they have accomplished with so few. The volunteers, the staff, officers and directors did an incredible job this year and we all owe them an immense “thank you!” I have been involved with the Houston Safari Club for many years and I can honestly say it has been an honor to work alongside all these people through the years. It has truly been a blessing in both Anna’s and my life. We want each of you to hopefully volunteer and enjoy the camaraderie, the friendships and the feeling that you “are” making a difference. The future is bright! We are making bold steps to secure our growth and our recognition in the hunting world. We are dedicated to making a difference by spending the funds wisely that you the members have given so graciously. This is an exciting time for us. Changing our name to the Houston Safari Club Foundation and making it a 501(c)(3) organization will open many new doors for us to reach out to for funds and support. Please join us in our fight to protect the sport of hunting through education, conservation and the support of hunters’ rights. Stand up to those against what we do, be bold in your explanation of our hunting heritage, our rights as hunters, gun owners and conservationists. My good friend, John Wooters, termed the phrase “Hunting is wildlife conservation.” José Ortega y Gasset, a hunter and philosopher, said: “The hunter does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, he kills in order to have hunted.” It is a phrase we should all consider when we speak to others about hunting. Be honest with the non-hunters and the antis. We hunt for the challenge of competing with the best, the smartest and most cunning of our prey in the forest. It’s the adrenaline rush, whether of a bull elephant at 20 yards or a charging whitetail buck coming to the rattling antlers. Yes, being in the outdoors with our family and friends, sharing a campfire at night, eating the game we have taken, are all a part of why we hunt, but they are all just a byproduct of our desire to challenge the best. It has been an honor to serve you as a third-time President of the Houston Safari Club. I want to thank all of those in the club
who have touched my and Anna’s lives through the years. You have truly been a blessing in our lives. Shoot straight and stay downwind, Houston Safari Club President Tommy Morrison Sincerely,
Tommy Morrison HSC President
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 11
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Steve Aguado
Gene Garcia
Paul Michalsky
Betty Audish
TJ Greaney
William Minyard
Lyle Becker
Kelly Harris
Samantha Myers
Garrett Bell
Arval Headrick Jr.
James Nugent
Andrew Bounds
Thomas Kelly
Donald Parvin
Carl Cramm
Brady King
Bruce Smathers Jr.
Micah Essery
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HSC LIFE MEMBERS Bob Abernathy John Abraham Richard Alexander MD Charlotte Alexander MD Crystal Allison Shannon Alston Michael Ambrose Skip Avara Dannine Avara Jacob Avara Anne Avara Paul Babaz Kenneth Bailey Freddie Bailey Jr. Cope Bailey Camp Bailey Mike Baird Frank Baird Jo Baird Jack Barksdale L. Barnhart * Wendy Barnhart James Bell Lyndel Berry Tony Bessette Charlotte Betar Joe Betar James Biggerstaff Craig Boddington Werner Boeer Jay Bonano E. Bond Greg Bond Pete Bonora Jeri Booth Frederick (Tony) Box James Braus John Bridgwater Jack Brittingham Joe Bruno Robert Burke Matt Burke Byron Burris II Quint Burris Grady Burris Prentiss Burt Daniel Butler Turner Butts MD Don Byrne C. Cagle Thomas Cain Jr. Dennis Cain Rick Callison Alex Campbell Bill Carter Paul Carter Ivan Carter Ben Case Barbara Cavender-Lewis 14 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Preston Cavner Chris Caywood Tracey Cearley Alan Cegielski Steve Clark James Clark Christopher Clark Craig Clendenin Stephen Coale Russell Coleman Randall Coleman * Joe Collett Dwayne Collier Frank Comiskey Kevin Comiskey Alan "Bink" Cooke Rocky Cooper Dian Cooper George Councill Steve Crawford Kenneth Crockett Gary Crouch Ralph Cunningham Deb Cunningham Ford Cunningham Linda Cunningham Ralph Daigle Joe Davis Laurent Delagrange Armando DeLeon III Armando DeLeon IV Gregory Desautels Elliot Desautels Charlie Desautels Perry Dillon Jr. Randy Donato Barry Donoho Tim Doucet MD James (Red) Duke MD * 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 * Bobby Frederick Aaron Freeman Donald French Jr. Warren Gallant Scott Garrett Zachary Garrett
Tanya Garrett Paul Geiger Frank Giacalone Gary Glesby Carl Godfrey Russell Gordy Jeff Gorski William Gouldin Sandra Green Kevin Gregory Edward Guinn Dodd Hackman Clayton Hagerman Cory Hall James Halley Greg Harvey Charles Head Jr. Jerry Henderson Mark Herfort Heinert Hertling Robert Hibbert II Steven Hill Greg Hill Edward Hoffman William Holder III Bill Honza Gene Human Terry Hurlburt Tanya Hurlburt Harold Inman * Keith Itzel John Jackson III Jack Jensen MD W.A. Jentsch Jr. Todd Johnson Clay Johnson Robert Jones III Harris Junell Darrell Kainer David Kalich Susan Kalich Kirk Kanady Michelle Kangas John Kelsey Gaye Kelsey Mark King Julianne King Rick Kirk Robert Kneppler Philip Koehne George Kollitides Tommy Kolwes Phil Koonce George Kopecky Keith Lake Fred Lamas Wayne LaPierre Joel Latham Kyle Lehne
HSC LIFE MEMBERS Richard Leibman John Lindholm Jr. Tom Lipar Bryant Littlefield Mark Livesay Ricardo Longoria Cody Loverin Doug Luger David Mafrige Shane Mahoney Paige Manard John Martin III D Martin IV James Masten Chad Matherne Wyatt McBride Tony McCorvey Mitzy McCorvey Ed McCrory III Vickie McMillan-Hayes Travis McWilliams Gerald Meinecke Lewis Metzger Greg Mills Brook Minx Howard Monsour Paul Montealegre Sr. Forrest 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 Kerry O'Day Carol O'Day Charles Onstead Kevin Ormston Neal Overstreet John Painter Michael Park Michael Parr Steve Pate Trevor Penny John Pepper Melanie Pepper Will Perry Timothy Peter Wilson (Woody) Phillips Jr. Bryce Phillips Carson Phillips Dusty Phillips
Thomas Powell Kevin Poynter Andrew Pratt Kymberly Pratt Charles Prince Jr. Sharon Propes Carlos Ramirez Lawrence Rearick William Reed Sr. Gayle Rettig MD 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 Jr. Michael Sandeen Corey Schaefer Scott Scheinin MD Robert Scherer Wade Schindewolf George Severence Wayne Sheets John Shelby Richard Shepherd Jason Shrieve William Simmons Jody Simpson Travis Simpson Barret Simpson Mike Simpson Becky Simpson Weston Simpson Michael Simpson Autumn Simpson Austin Simpson Jacob Simpson Tristan Simpson Dawn Simpson Sam Skipper Mandy Smith Jason Smith Steve Smith Tom Snyder Norman Speer MD Kaylee Stacy
Larry Stifflemire Mark Stouse Randy Strickland H. Stuart Greg Stube David Swan Lloyd Swiedom Sally Swiedom Leah Symens Tyler Symens Peter 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 William Vick Amanda 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 * Steve Willenborg Ron Willenborg Gregory Williamson Alan Winslette Robby Winstead Kurt Wiseman John Wood Bill Woodall J.D. (Des) Woods Jr. Patricia Woods Preston Young Debi Young Brian Zaitz *Deceased SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 15
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HOA & TEAM WINNERS HOA Veteran: Mike Lewis HOA Lady: Michelle McElya HOA Junior: Cade Faetche HOA Male: Bobby Fowler HOA HSC Member: Pablo Montealegre HOA Shoot Off Champion: Forrest Montealegre
Tournament Wrap-up JOE BETAR, HSC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The 2018 Houston Safari Club Sporting Clays Tournament was once again a great success. The event, held at Greater Houston Gun Club, saw over 200 shooters enjoy a sunny day of “clay-busting.” There was a lot of lead flying and a lot of high scores for the day. You will see the winner’s list in this issue of Hunter’s Horn. It was a very promising sign for our future that some of the highest team and individual scores were achieved by our youth participants. Area high school and youth teams participated in the tournament again this year, accompanied by their sponsors and advisors. The future of shooting sports is looking good! Our Veterans were in full force as teams representing Paralyzed Veterans of America, OATH, Impact A Hero and others joined in the fun. Some Veteran participants received their taxidermy from this past year’s HSC-sponsored hunts. There were many new shooting games and great prizes this year as everyone found fun challenges to their liking when not out on the course. We put the big feed bag on with steaks being served for dinner. Thanks to HSC Past President Mark King for stopping by the local firehouse and dropping off the extra steaks and potatoes to local first responders. I am sure they put it to good use—have you ever seen a bunch of firefighters eat?! We could not put this event on without the support of our sponsors. Thank you to our Title Sponsor Core Lab; Event Sponsors Aqua Hydrate, CPI, Paralyzed Veterans 18 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
of America, Sun Coast Resources, Choice Energy Services, Christus Health, USA Shooting, Bay Area Veterinary Specialists, Silver Eagle/ Budweiser, Holes, Incorporated, Space City Services, Rummel Creek Builders, Beck & Masten GMC, Cokinos, Capital Farm Credit, Cabot Oil & Gas, Wildlife Partners, LLC, Alliance Printing & Graphics and Upstream International, LLC. Muchas gracias to our Station Sponsors Century21 Realty, Engie, The Gun Cleaners, Henderson Ranches, Plateau Land Group, Plateau Wildlife Management, Sporting International and State Farm – John Bowers, CLU. Thanks also to Butch Eller, American Shooting Center, and Suppressed Weapon Systems for their donations of firearms for our fundraisers. Much appreciation to everyone that added to our day as they exhibited at the event-Beck & Masten GMC, Christus Health, FABARM shotguns, The Gun Cleaners, Boardroom Salon For Men and Sun Coast Resources. A special thanks to Mr. Dale Smothers for volunteering to take the candid photos. Check out the great photos from the event at http://www.houstonsafariclub.org/events/photo-gallery/#gg. What a great day of shooting and fellowship. Thanks to the shooters that participated and the HSC volunteers that helped make the event a success, the GHGC staff (always rock stars!) and especially HSC staffers Nancy, Dawn and Carla for their hard work. We are looking forward to the 2019 event. See you there!
• A CLASS • 1st Place Team: USUTHU (392) Austin Kiemsteadt Blake Bajali Dylan Anderson 2nd Place Team: American Shooting Center (390) Theo Ribbs Pablo Montealegre Forrest Montealegre Richard Munguia • B CLASS • 1st Place Team: Desperta Ferro (326) Cameron Cox Bill Long Bryan Anderson David Hayden 2nd Place Team: Bayou City Fools II (326) Mike Grider Robbie Hoff Brandon Bearden Preston Bearden • C CLASS • 1st Place Team: Impact A Hero/Christus Health Team 2 (268) Jay Shaw Dale Gargrave Justin Purviance Kevin Woods 2nd Place Team: Individual Team (260) Sean McLelland Ken Wells Clay Whitfill
GAME WINNERS Mixed Target: Mark Cook (30) Flurry: Y Bar Ranch (99) Steven Mafrige Jody Johnson Brooks Haulzhausen Ed Arrighi Gunpowder Golf: Jeff Birmingham Peek-A-Boo Rabbit: Reid Prehoda (10)
T OUR NA MEN T SPONSOR S PRESENTING SPONSOR
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SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 19
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1: Team USUTHU; Austin Kiemsteadt, Blake Bajali, Dylan Anderson. 2: Participants in the finals await the competition to begin. 3: 2018 HOA Shoot Off Champion Forrest Montealegre. 4: HSC Treasurer and Co-Founder, Jerry Henderson. 5: Steaks on the grill for dinner! 6: Jeff Birmingham and Jeff Sizemore 7: The awards are always the best at the HSC tournament with knives sponsored by Beck & Masten GMC. 8: C Class winners, Impact a Hero. 9: 2018 Sporting Clays Chair Bryan Anderson with HOA Shoot Off Champion Forrest Montealegre. 10: Onlookers watch Matt Pyle’s form. 11: HSC President Tommy Morrison.
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12: The crowd watches the Annie Oakley final shoot off! 13: HSC Veteran’s Committee Chair Matt Pyle. 14: SC Veteran's Program participants 15: All eyes are on the clays! 16: Deer Park FFA Shooting Team.
16 22 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
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Dream
Accom BY PAUL D. ATKINS
Lew’s first safari was a huge success. At 31 yards Lew’s BowTech bow preformed flawlessly on this great Kudu bull. 24 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
plished ished
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 25
Having the right gear, specifically the right archery set-up will make success a lot more attainable. Practice is the key; I know it was for me.
I
was surprised I’d kept my composure as long as I did, but like all big game hunts, when the moment of truth arrives you eventually to get the shakes whether you want to or not. That’s part of hunting and if you’re not nervous then there is probably something wrong. The six big Cape buffalo bulls that were making their way towards the tree I was standing in were enormous. Each bull pounding the ground with plate like hooves, creating a dust storm, red in color and swirling through the bush. As they came closer, I became increasingly nervous, trying unsuccessfully to control my breathing and keep my cool. It took forever to get the release hooked to my bow string, but after four or five tries I finally did. I knew this was going to be the most important shot I would ever make in my 35 years of bow hunting and I couldn’t blow it. When I was a kid I always dreamed of going to Africa to hunt Cape buffalo with a bow. Years passed, and like most dreams that die, this one did not. For years I read every book, flipped through every magazine and watched every video I could on African hunting, practically wearing them out, hoping someday that it would happen. Time is a funny thing, but years later with college done, a family started and other pursuits, I landed a job that allowed me to save a little money and start my African fund. It took a few years, but finally, I had enough to go. So, in 2003 after some careful planning and searching, I booked a hunt with a good friend of mine, but it wasn’t for buffalo, it was for plains game. Buffalo were expensive to hunt in those days and on my budget, it just wasn’t possible. I spent 10 incredible days in South Africa that year, with each day being better than the previous. It was an awesome time, each morning beginning with a pre-dawn ride to the blind — and then seeing all those incredible animals, it was simply amazing. I was extremely lucky on that first safari, taking seven animals including 26 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
a 56-inch Kudu and a 27-inch Impala and even though I couldn’t take one, I did see and film a lot of buffalo on that trip. Like all good things, they seem to never last long enough. Africa is like that, once you get home you want to turn around and go back again. Six years later I made my second trip back, this time on my own. My wife didn’t like that I was going alone, but all my hunting friends were busy and just couldn’t make it happen. Nevertheless, I went, knowing a little more about what I was in for and what to do and what not to do when I got there. This trip was similar to the first, but different due to me hunting those species that I had seen the first time but had not taken. Again, buffalo were not on the menu. It was another awesome 10 days. Memories from my first hunt mingled with the new, creating a mystical magic that few hunts can fulfill. Each day was something new, from spot and stalking Red Hartebeest to climbing a tree and hunting Black Wildebeest; it was truly remarkable! I took eight animals in those ten days, saw hundreds more including the animal that I wanted more than ever, but as usual, couldn’t hunt, the buffalo. Like everything else, hunting in Africa takes time and money, which can be tough to come by these days, but compared to some of the current prices here in North America it’s still a pretty good deal. After returning in 2009 I decided to cut back on travel and save for another trip across the Atlantic. It took time and many sacrifices, but I knew that I could get my fill here in the Arctic, hunting moose, caribou and bears. I’m lucky I know, and many would consider that enough, but the dream of bow hunting Mbogo still haunted me. I decided it was now or never and began making preparations for the summer. I had done my research and with buffalo prices on the decline I knew this was the time to go. More importantly, I had the resources and a friend who wanted to go with me. My long
time Alaska hunting partner Lew Pagel wanted an African experience too and was all in for the adventure. This would be his first safari and his first big bow hunting experience. The planning began. After two trips to the Dark Continent with the same safari company I knew who to call, more importantly, I knew what to expect. Dries Visser Safaris is the leading safari company in South Africa and has been for many years, well known for producing the biggest trophies, but also for creating one of the best experiences in Africa today. Dries Jr. along with his longtime friend and PH Hein Lottering are synonymous with African game and true African hunters. They’ve also become good friends over the years. I e-mailed Dries and asked the necessary questions that all guided hunts require. Dates, cost and various other questions that you need to know when it comes to booking an adventure of this magnitude. “Cape Buffalo?” he asked in the email and I said yes, plus I would like to hunt porcupine and hopefully a Red Hartebeest if we’re lucky, two animals that eluded me the last time over. Lew was excited as well, booking one of the many packages Dries has to offer while on safari. The “first timer” package is popular and includes a bag list of the more common animals that you hunt on your first trip. Lew knew what he wanted and made preparations for such. We booked for eight days, hoping that was enough time to get it all done. Whether hunting grizzlies in the Arctic or cape buffalo Top: It all starts with finding a track. For two days we searched the red clay in Africa, there are a lot of things you have to prepare trying to find where they crossed in the night. We did find tracks, but more for when hunting dangerous game and I knew I needed importantly we found buffalo. to give myself plenty of time. Cape buffalo are big nasty Above: I longed to place my hands on the boss of a Cape buffalo, especially animals that can be incredibly hard to kill if not done my own buffalo. I dreamed about this all my life. It was in that moment that correctly or without the right gear. Everything I’ve heard, reminded me of the many Muskox and Moose I’ve taken here in the arctic, something that is only special to the hunter. read or seen about these bad boys seems to be true and having the right archery set-up was a must if I planned to get the job done. As a longtime ambassador for BowTech, I knew “81.4 kinetic and shooting bullet holes,” I was pumped! my bow wouldn’t be a problem, I have total confidence in them, I Preparing for any bow hunt requires practice and for the next just needed to decide how to set it up. four months you could find me shooting every day. Those big old I knew that bow hunting dangerous game in Africa requires arrows and broad heads looked funny setting on the Trophy Taker a bow that can produce 80 pounds of kinetic energy, so I called rest and I wondered at every shot if they would actually go where BowTech and had them send me one their new 70-pound BT-X they’re supposed to go. They weren’t the fastest, but each time I bows. I also ordered a dozen arrows and a dozen Ashby broad settled the pin they seemed to find their mark. heads from “Grizzly Stik,” a company well known for producing Lew arrived at my house in Oklahoma a few days before our great products used here in Alaska and throughout Africa. The departure. We continued our practice sessions and visited a couple combination I hoped, would be deadly, meeting all the require- of animal parks to have a look at some of the species we would be ments necessary to take down a massive buffalo. hunting. Sounds weird, but you can’t believe how much this helps Two weeks later boxes began to arrive. It was exciting to say the when it comes to hunting animals you’ve never seen before. We also least, but boxes of stuff are just that, boxes of stuff; getting that took the time to look at several shoulder mounts, hoping to get an stuff set-up and ready to shoot efficiently are two different things. idea of what big looked like versus not so big. It was a great fun. Our plane ride over was smooth and the three-hour ride to camp in Taking it to my local pro shop, my good friend Roddy applied his the dark went by quickly. Both Dries, Hein and Lew’s PH met us at magic touch and had the bow ready to go no time. SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 27
camp where dinner was waiting in the dining hall. One thing remains true about safaris, the food, drink and company is always good and plentiful. We discussed the next day’s events and even though I had a bad case of jet lag I found sleep easily. The next morning was what I was waiting for, a feeling that only an African bow hunting safari can produce. The pre-dawn walks to the truck, then the drive to the blind or a tree or maybe even a little spot and stalk, are special. The anticipation of knowing that you’re getting ready to see some of the most magnificent animals in the world is an incredible feeling. It’s also winter in Africa and the cool temps combined with long sleeves and jackets give the feel of a North American fall, making it that more enjoyable. Hein asked me what I wanted to do first and more specifically what was most Above: Warthogs are plentiful in Africa and a true wonder just to watch. They are fast, important. Eight days is a long time on safari, curious and about half mean when provoked. Lew made a great shot on this old boy. but I really had only one goal and that was to He didn’t taste bad either! hunt buffalo. I told him so and that anything Below: This guy made an appearance moments before my buffalo decided to make after that was going to be a bonus. We loaded his. Kudu are magnificent animals, silent and stealthy and when you encounter a big up in the Toyota and hit the parcel of ground one you will know it, much like moose here in Alaska. in which Dries operates. It’s an amazing place that encompasses an incredible 35 square miles and has just about every animal that calls the Limpopo province home. As we pulled out of camp impala, blesbok and a small group of sable could be seen here and there, jumping and darting through the Acacia and scrub brush, making me feel as if I was home again. The road we were on seemed to go on forever crisscrossing with others, all covered in that dusty red dirt that South Africa is well known for. That “dirt” was actually our primary focus for the first couple of days searching for buffalo tracks, trying to find a fresh set that had crossed in the night. We did this for two days with little luck, but on the third we got more than tracks spotting a small group of bulls at a nearby waterhole. Hein turned to me and asked, “How about hunting from a tree The morning dragged on, but there was never a dull moment. stand?” I hadn’t practiced from a tree stand, but Hein also knew A big Kudu bull came right underneath me with no idea of what that those same bulls would use this waterhole for the next couple was above. He was huge and if I hadn’t taken one already, I would of days before moving on and the taller trees that surrounded it have taken him. I had Waterbuck, Impala and a couple of warthogs make an appearance as well. It was fun watching them mingle in would be ideal for an all-day sit. I simply said yes. After sighting us the bulls quickly left, leaving us to hang a stand. and out of the bush, but as soon as they were there, they vanished Jonas, my tracker, was a miracle worker, like all African trackers as only African animals can do. I knew something was up. I could see them coming long before they got there, big black bodare, and in no time had the stand hung and me in it, checking for clearance, making sure I was comfortable if we had to stay all day ies filing in from the left, scooting through the low-lying thorn. This was it, the moment I had been waiting for. I grabbed my bow and and into the evening. I was. The next morning, we arrived before daylight. I climbed the stood nervously making sure everything was where it was supposed tree in the dark, settled into the seat and hauled up my bow and to be. In my mind I quickly went through my checklist. Arrow on pack. The tree wasn’t that tall, but I was sitting in the very top of rest, check; arrow knocked securely to the string, check,; release workit. As the morning sunrise made its appearance in the African sky ing, check; and last and most important I went through the different I glanced at the BowTech hanging peacefully on the hook and the spots I had ranged, making sure I had my bearings in order. I did. The six bulls came in single file stirring dust and filling the big grey broad head glistening in the sun. I was ready, excited and air with that old “cattle” smell as they approached. The first two a bit scared all at the same time. 28 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
were smaller in horn length with soft bosses, the second two a little bigger, but the last two were much older with big bosses. The bull I wanted was in the back. I stood and watched wondering if I would get the chance I needed. I kept telling myself to be patient and not force a shot, a lot like hunting caribou back home. The big bull came straight in and stopped at 18 yards facing me. He looked nervous standing there for what seemed like forever. The other bulls mingled, butting heads and fighting with each other for a turn at the waterhole. Finally, my bull turned to go, and I thought he was leaving, but he only circled the water to come in from behind to the other side. He was 22 yards from me quartering away hard. I knew this was it, the moment of truth. I don’t remember aiming, heck I don’t even remember looking at the sight pins. I do remember thinking that I had to shoot him far back in Above: Like here in Alaska where hunting means not only memories and meat order to get to his vitals. I released, watching I got to do both with my buffalo. We had a superb dinner the night before and 954 grains enter the black hide just behind the then a chance at remembrance the day before we left. last rib and disappear completely, exiting someBelow: After years of waiting my dream was accomplished. Taking this bull is where on the other side. The bull bolted, along still so surreal for me and even though the whole trip was amazing walking up to with the others vanishing into the thick brush this guy was the pinnacle of my hunt. 41 inches wide and close to 2000 pounds it ranks right up with any animal I’ve ever been lucky enough to take. in front of me. It was done. I sat down, trying to control the shaking and catch my breath. Hein had been sitting in a tree 30 yards to my left, but had already climbed down and was looking up at me smiling and giving me a thumbs-up. I was ecstatic. I had shot my buffalo and even though it still hadn’t sunk in I knew I had accomplished my dream, or so I thought. I climbed down and started looking for my arrow and blood; we found neither. I began to worry. The arrow had vanished into his side and from my angle it looked as if it had exited. We never found it. We tracked the bull with Jonas in the lead, but there just wasn’t any blood to be found. I was nervous-sick now. We decided to wait a bit and give the bull a little more time. We did, waiting 20 minutes at the last track. Finally, we pushed forward with Hein carrying a rifle and me behind him with my bow. Now I’ve read all the stofun and adventure. I was able to I had shot my buffalo and even take two huge porcupines and ries, how buffalo will circle back even though the red hartebeest and be waiting for you once you though it still hadnʼt sunk in are within “their” range. I was eluded us I was able to arrow I knew I had accomplished worried, but I was excited at the another Impala and a decent same time. This is what I wanted, waterbuck. Lew had himself my dream, or so I thought. to track my bull in the thick stuff quite the time as well, taking and hopefully find him. zebra, warthog and a very fine Thankfully it didn’t take long. We could see the bull piled up just kudu with his BowTech Prodigy. It was a great adventure and ahead, but he wasn’t dead. He was hit hard and even though we didn’t like usual I was sorry to leave. Africa isn’t for everyone, but if know it at the time, he was down for the count. Hein, however, moved you do dream of hunting the Dark Continent go now or if you’re me in position in case I needed to make a final shot, but in the end, it like me, save and plan. Memories are all we have in the end and wasn’t needed.The bull raised his head one last time and then came that believe me it is all worth it, I promise. ★ final bellow. It was over, and I had my bull. I was relieved and thankful. He was everything I dreamed of, 41 inches with a hard, mas- Paul Atkins is an outdoor writer and author from Kotzebue, Alaska. sive boss and a big massive body. A great trophy and even more He has written hundreds of articles on big game hunting, and fishing an incredible morning. The rest of our days were filled with throughout North America and Africa, plus surviving in the Arctic. SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 29
The Prevalence of Animal Bites BY MATT NAPILTONIA
G
lobal Rescue member Scott Sirles traveled to a remote region of Russia in search of one thing: The perfect fly fishing spot fully stocked with king salmon and rainbow trout. “I was going to Kamchatka to go fly fishing in the Ozernaya River. It was a beautiful setting,” said Sirles. “Everything was wonderful — absolutely superb fishing, almost a fish with every cast. There were no roads within 200 kilometers of us. The only way to get to it is to helicopter in. It’s truly wilderness.” Accompanying Sirles and his group was a Russian Laika, a breed of hunting dog used to scare off any grizzly bears that could wander too close to the camp. One morning as Sirles went to breakfast, he noticed the camp dog sitting in front of the building. “I reached over and scratched its ears and he was fine,” said Sirles. “He had a bunch of mosquitos on the top of his nose. I thought I’d do him a favor and brush those mosquitoes off. Well, as soon as I did that, the dog latched on to my wrist!” The dog’s bite left an inch long and three-quarter-inch deep gash in Sirles’ wrist, damaging one tendon but luckily 30 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
missing any arteries. Two doctors in the fishing camp used an iodine-based solution to clean out the wound before wrapping Sirles’ hand in gauze. They later treated him with antibiotics when his wound became red and swollen after another day of fishing. Two days after the incident, Sirles woke to find his entire forearm red and swollen. “I wasn’t really terrified. I’ve had incidents in the past where I ran a stick right through my hand when I was hunting years ago. My hand got infected and I walked into the hospital with the streaks going all the way up my arm. They put a few bags of antibiotics in an IV and sent me on my way. This time, I’m thinking to myself that I’m out here in the middle of nowhere and need to get some bags of antibiotics. I knew if I stayed here, it was going to get worse. I might lose my arm, or it might kill me if the infection gets to my heart. I didn’t have any other choice. I had to call Global Rescue and get evacuated out. So that’s what we proceeded to do.” Using a satellite phone, Sirles called Global Rescue. Global Rescue’s Operations team spoke with Sirles about his condition,
then quickly arranged for his evacuation to Petropvalovsk-Kamchatsky — the nearest city with a suitable hospital. The Operations team obtained Sirles’ medical reports while he was examined at the hospital, and maintained constant contact with the hospital’s doctors to ensure that Sirles received proper care. Sirles had developed a serious infection. “If not for Global Rescue, I might have had a much worse infection or lost an arm,” he said. After conferring with Global Rescue medical personnel, doctors at the hospital sedated Sirles and operated on his hand to fully clean out the infection. Following a brief hospital stay, Sirles flew back to his home in Oklahoma, where he made a full recovery. He is back to work and traveling. “Everybody was super at Global Rescue. They were always contacting me when they said they would and did everything they could,” said Sirles. “The cost of the extraction would have been almost prohibitive without the coverage. I wouldn’t go anywhere remote again without Global Rescue.” ★
Above: Signage in rural India.
Above: While dogs are the largest carrier of the rabies virus worldwide, monkeys, bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks are also primary carriers of the disease.
Below: Scott Sirles in Kamchatka before his trip was cut short by a dog bite.
Below: Travelers should presume that all stray animals are rabid and avoid contact with them.
Advice for Travelers: Beware of Stray Animals Global Rescue Medical Operations personnel provide medical advice to travelers every day. Our team is highly experienced in responding to Global Rescue members’ variety of medical questions. When it comes to preparing for and managing the aftermath of any number of emergency situations, Global Rescue Operations personnel have the answers. Because Global Rescue members travel extensively – often to remote areas – Global Rescue routinely assists with animal bite cases. Our Medical Operations personnel offer these recommendations for what to do when encountering stray animals: how to behave, how to prevent bites, and how to treat bites. As a rule, travelers should presume that all stray animals are rabid and avoid contact with them. While dogs are the largest carrier of the rabies virus worldwide, monkeys, bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks are also primary carriers of the disease. Dog bites are very common amongst tourists, with varying risk factors for contracting the disease. The depth of the bite, number of bites, and the stage of illness of the dog are primary contributing factors. Bites to the upper body and head are most likely routes of transmission. It’s imperative to remember that once contracted, rabies is almost always deadly without prompt postexposure vaccination. While complete avoidance of stray dogs is best practice, travelers
should remember the following: • Ensure that you receive prophylactic rabies vaccinations prior to travel. This substantially decreases the likelihood of infection after exposure. You will still require two post-exposure vaccinations, but will not require human rabies immune globulin, a product that is not readily available in numerous developing countries. • Always remain calm around stray animals and walk slowly so that they aren’t encouraged to give chase. • Do not bring food in the vicinity of stray dogs, especially when they’re in packs. The same holds true for monkeys. • If a stray dog attacks, do anything necessary to shield yourself from being bitten near the head or upper body. If bitten, immediately wash the wound with soap and water, and seek care at the closest medical facility. The same holds true if a stray dog licks any area of broken skin, or near any mucous membranes. Unvaccinated individuals will require a series of vaccinations: one dose post-exposure, and additional doses on day 3, 7, and 14, as well as a rabies immune globulin at the same time as the first dose. Global Rescue members should contact Global Rescue at the time of exposure so that we can coordinate post-exposure care in a timely manner.
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 31
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Field Rescue | Medical & Security Evacuation | Travel Insurance +1.617.459.4200 | globalrescue.com/hsc 32 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
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SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 33
34 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Bu rkina
Faso
BY TIM HERALD
On
January 18, 2016, there was a terrorist attack on the Splendid Hotel and a coffee shop in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou. Thirty people were killed and at least 56 more were wounded. There were 176 hostages that were eventually released by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who took responsibility for the terror. Previous to this and a minor incident in October 2015 that coincided with a presidential election, Burkina Faso had historically been one of the safest countries in western Africa. The country has gained some popularity in the past few years as being a quality hunting destination where buffalo and roan hunts could be had for a fraction of what they cost in southern and eastern Africa. For the reasons, I had put together a small group of American hunters to go on a short seven-day safari to the southeastern part of the country, but since we were scheduled to leave less than two weeks after the Ouagadougou attack, we all considered canceling the hunt.
Left: Getting the day started in Burkina.
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 35
Through talking to our contacts in Burkina Faso, and a phone conversation I had with the US Embassy there, we finally decided to go on with the trip. We were a group of five experienced African travelers (and my African first timer cameraman Lee), so we felt we could use our past experience and common sense, and be OK. I was filming for TV show Cabela’s INSTINCT; Expedition Series, so Lee and I went a day before the other guys to get a bit of footage of Ouagadougou and the surrounding area. We did drive by the Splendid Hotel, and the carnage was bad. Everyone arrived the next day, and Air France had left Russell Marshall’s and Jay Cohea’s rifles in Paris. They would show up two days late to camp, but it really didn’t matter. We are all accustomed to being on “African time,” and things not happening right on schedule, but this trip took that concept to the next level. We were supposed to leave for the four-hour drive to camp at 9 a.m., so we figured it would be 10-10:30. We got on the road after 2 p.m., and it took us just short of six hours because the pothole ridden road is so bad, and we had to travel for a couple of hours after dark. We got settled in, and the next morning we were checking the zero on our rifles just after daybreak. Since Jay and Russell didn’t have guns, they jumped on with other hunters, and I previously told Jay I wanted a red buffalo and would hold out at least half the trip, so he went with me with the understanding that if the opportunity at a good black bull came up, he would shoot. For our group, day one produced no animals, but we did see six groups of roan and various other animals including elephants, hippo, croc, and western kob. The other guys faired a bit better. Skip Nantz took a fantastic 29-inch western roan, and Steven Thurman took his buffalo, both before lunch. Skip also stalked and took a kob in the afternoon, so spirits were high that evening. On day two, Jay went with Steven and Russell went with Skip since they had taken two of their primary animals already. Not long after daylight we spotted a loan roan bull and made a stalk. We were able to get within 75 yards undetected, but we elected to pass as he looked to be about 25 inches and not terribly heavy. An hour or so later, Oually (Wally), my local guide/tracker, spotted a nice herd of 40-50 buffalo in the distance ahead of the land cruiser. We got
off and made a wide loop around the herd to get the wind right, and eventually, we were within 25 yards of some of the buff. Before we found a mature bull, the lead cow made us, and the herd took off. Over the next two hours, we made four more approaches on the herd, once at the same time a lion was stalking them, but we just couldn’t find a good bull in the open. Finally, we got in front of the herd, and they were walking in our direction. The herd was scattered out for 100 yards, but the first two animals to come bypassed at about 25 steps. They were both immature bulls, but the third in line was a good, wide mature bull, and he was red. Oually pointed out that the red bull was the one to shoot, and when he cleared a dead tree at about 30 yards, touched the trigger of my .416 Rem and hammered him low in the shoulder. The bull bucked in the classic heart shot manner and he was piled up within 75 steps. I put an insurance shot between his shoulder blades and then was able to admire my very red West African Savanna Buffalo. He was fully mature but not a worn old, over-thehill bull. I would have preferred a worn old warrior, but he was fully mature and he was exactly what I had hoped for as far as color phase. I was very pleased. That evening I learned that Russell had taken a nice kob. On day three I was after roan, and though we saw a few and made a couple of stalks, I came up empty. Russell and Jay had received their guns, so we were all split up, and the other guys made the most of it. Russell, Skip and Jay all took really good old buffalo, and Jay got a very nice kob. Steven shot both a good roan bull and reedbuck, so he and Skip were “tagged out” on the animals they were after. Only three days into the hunt, and all we needed were roan for Russell, Jay, and I, and we would be done (I was only hunting two animals). The next morning about 9:30 my group spotted two bull roan together a few hundred yards out. We glassed them, and there was one bull that I immediately said I would shoot without a second thought. The other just looked smaller, and I didn’t pay much attention to him as I was focused on the heavy one. We drove on for about a half mile, got out, quartered into the wind and began stalking and trying to locate them. Oually found the tracks, but we didn’t seem to be making much progress, when out of nowhere, up
Top right: Glassing through the dust of Burkina. Bottom right: Herald prepares for a shot on buffalo. 36 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 37
Equipment for Burkina Faso I chose a one-gun battery for this trip and took a Winchester Model 70 Safari chambered in .416 Rem. The .416 will hold up very well out to 250 yards and since I would be hunting both buffalo and plains game with the same rifle, I wanted to be versatile but still have plenty of stopping power. My load was a 370-grain Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Raptor over 75.5 grains of Varget powder. The gun clover leafs at 100 yards and I have taken a ton of game with the CEB’s in recent years. There are six petals that sheer off and travel in a star shape after about six inches of penetration; the back portion of the bullet remains a brass solid. You get massive trauma from the petals and total penetration for the solid portion. I had exits on the buffalo and roan, and both were shot at quartering to angles. My rifle was topped with a Nikon Monarch 7, 2.5x10 scope. Again, I like having a 10x scope in case of longer shots but being able to turn it down to 2.5x is a great benefit when buffalo hunting. I think it is very important for hunters to take good binoculars on a hunt like this. You don’t really have trained a trained PH, more of a tracker/guide, so I recommend that every hunter really looks over the animal they are shooting for themselves before they squeeze the trigger. My Nikon EDG 10x42 binoculars go everywhere with me, and as usual, they were flawless. The clarity and light transmission are superb, and I can focus through multiple layers of bush to really look at the animals of interest.
Above: Tools of the trade.
38 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
went the sticks, and I had a bull broadside at 100 yards. His head was turned looking straight at us (for a good while), so I waited for the thumbs up to shoot. Just as I got the OK, he turned and took off. I knew that was our chance, and we had been too slow. We slowly worked toward where he had just run just over a small rise and soon the sticks went up again. This time he was walking quartering towards us with his head lowered in front a bit; I could see it was the big bull. When he cleared a dead tree, I punched a 370-grain Cutting Edge Bullets Safari Raptor low in his right shoulder and he took off, obviously hit hard. I was going to shoot again, but my guide ran somewhat out in front of me, so I got the barrel to the sky and we walked toward where we had last seen him. I must say that I am amazed how tough roan are. He took the .416 CEB and still went about 75 yards before collapsing. The western roan bull was magnificent. I couldn’t have told you at first if he was 24 or 29 inches (the forestry staff later measured him at 27.5), but I knew he had secondary growth (as all the bulls we took did), was heavy, scarred and old. To me he was perfect. I rank him as one of my most special African trophies. When we all got back to camp, Russell and Jay both had also taken good heavy roan bulls so we had taken all of our animals (five roan, five buffalo, three kob and a reedbuck) in four days of a seven-day hunt. No wonder most of the hunters hunt 2x1 in that concession. We relaxed for a couple of days, took photos, visited with locals and got packed up. We knew how rough the road was back to the city, so we decided to make the drive a day early to give ourselves a cushion in case of any trouble. The ride back to the guesthouse where we stayed in Ouagadougou only took about five hours this time; we arrived in time for an early dinner and a few sundowners around the pool. It was a nice way to end the trip and we all flew out the next day without incident. All in all the trip was a great adventure. Russell was the only one of our group who had been to western Africa before (Benin and Cameroon), so it was an eye-opener for most of us. The country and people are incredibly poor but most of the locals we encountered were very friendly. Our camp, food, etc. was not up to the standards of most places in southern and east Africa (though it was all fine), but the hunting was excellent and that is what really mattered. My takeaway is that Burkina Faso is a great place to go for an affordable safari where you can take marquis species like
Above: The Author with his red savannah buffalo. Left: Trekking the savannah in search of buff and roan.
savanna buffalo and roan much cheaper than elsewhere in Africa. You just need to know that the amenities will not be of upper standards, but if you are there for the hunt, it is a great value. I was even able to work out some deals for two and three buffalo hunts for less than the price of most single Cape buffalo hunts in places like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania before I left. Burkina Faso is not the place for a first African safari, period. That being said, for those of us who love a good adventure and just want to hunt, it is a destination to seriously consider. ★ Tim Herald is an owner/consultant of Worldwide Trophy Adventures (www. worldwidetrophyadventures.com), and may be reached to help book a trip to Burkina Faso or anywhere else at tim@trophyadventures.com. SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 39
EATING EDEN to EXTINCTION?
Bushmeat can be a necessity for poorer urban households because it is cheaper; for wealthier households, bushmeat from larger, threatened species can be a luxury product.
Understanding the African Bushmeat Crisis “IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE OF A PROBLEM, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SOLVE IT” – NAOTO KAN, JAPANESE POLITICIAN BY SHANE P. MAHONEY 40 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
E
xplaining the differences between hunting and poaching is something most hunters have had to do at some point in their hunting career. Asked by people honestly confused over the distinction between these two activities, we smile perhaps and then explain that not only is poaching illegal and a serious crime, it is unsustainable and depletes wildlife populations – the polar opposite of the legal, highly regulated and sustainable wild harvest derived through recreational hunting. While the media often plays loosely with these antagonistic terms, hopefully the majority of North Americans understand the differences between them. Yet hunting, as we know, is a complex topic and seldom are issues surrounding it straightforward. There are many worldviews, not just those of North Americans, and all of them feed the media’s characterizations of what hunting really means. And what the public understands hunting means will determine hunting’s future. So, take a deep breath, step back and take a worldview. Then, maybe, just maybe, on a global scale, the issues of hunting, poaching and wildlife sustainability are not so clear after all — for any of us. For example, what about unregulated hunting that is not illegal in many countries but which is often definitely unsustainable? Is it poaching? And what if that over-hunting stems from cultural traditions hundreds of thousands of years old, and contributes heavily to the food security and livelihoods of entire communities? Is that defensible? Aren’t most hunters and a majority of North Americans in obvious support of hunting for food and of traditional, local communities and their well-being? Yet, what if that hunting for sustenance by those communities was also endangering entire species and ecosystems? Are we still in support of them? In other words, where does bushmeat harvest fit into our personal views about hunting, poaching and conservation? Does where we stand on these issues depend on where we sit? The term “bushmeat” is traditionally defined as “the meat of African wild animals as food,” African forests and savannas being commonly referred to as “bush.” It is now well established that hunting for food and livelihoods has negatively affected numerous wild animal species, particularly vertebrates, in tropical and subtropical areas of Oceania, South America, South and Southeast Asia and over-hunting for wild meat in Sub-Saharan Africa is now considered a major and growing threat to biodiversity in the region. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that the most immediate threat to the future of wildlife in Africa is, in fact, the consumption of and illegal trade in bushmeat, judging this problem more detrimental to wildlife conservation efforts than even habitat loss. Bushmeat consumption targets a wide array of species, including some that are currently listed as endangered. Left unchecked, bushmeat harvests will inevitably lead to extirpation of these life forms. Small, isolated populations of highly endangered animals are especially vulnerable and can be disproportionately affected, as in the case of Great Ape species. We need to remember that such losses remove not just the animals themselves from ecosystems, but also their functions. Species function as prey for other species, as seed dispersers and forest rebuilders. Thus, reductions in certain species can have far reaching impacts on numerous others, domino impacts that accelerate biodiversity loss and place ecosystems in crises of instability. It is now estimated that more than a quarter of all mammal species hunted for bushmeat are threatened with extinction! This is a massive conservation challenge and one all hunters should be concerned about. Hundreds of thousands of African animals are being killed annually for bushmeat, almost
always by trapping and snaring. Recent reports estimate as much as 5 million tons of bushmeat are being harvested annually across the Congo Basin alone, for direct local consumption and for sale in larger urban markets. As North American hunters and wildlife advocates, our first reaction to this news may be one of outrage, quickly followed by righteous indignation. Surely, we think, those people need to stop what they are doing. Wildlife is being depleted, species are being endangered. We must do something! For the less informed, the issue can be even more confusing and colors the debate over poaching and hunting, undermining their willingness to consider hunting as a conservation practice. In fact, it encourages their view that all hunting is conservation negative. Yet, we all need to remember this harvest is all about food and livelihoods and in many cases, may not be in conflict with any national conservation laws at all, though in some cases they clearly are. Regardless, these individual hunters need the wild food they harvest and the income they derive from its sale. No, their hunting may not be as sustainable or as well-regulated as our recreational hunting here in North America but it is far more urgent and essential. So, solving this problem and informing the many perceptions around it will not be easy. Complicating things further is the fact that, today, there are two types of bushmeat hunters in Africa. First, there is the traditional bushmeat hunter whose ultimate goal is to feed himself and his family. He typically resides in a very rural area and has lived and worked in conditions most westerners would describe as “extreme poverty.” As much as 85% of his family’s total protein is sourced from bushmeat and he may still struggle to meet the family’s basic nutritional requirements. While he may sometimes trade meat for other foods or goods with friends and neighbors, his focus when hunting is subsistence, not profit. He hunts “for the pot,” so to speak, and his interactions with local wildlife closely resemble those of his ancestors. His choice of wild meats may not always coincide with the typical North American palate, but his primary motivations are universally understood. He does not have the luxury of choosing whether he would prefer a grocery store alternative. He hunts for food and eats to live. There is also the commercial bushmeat hunter. Bushmeat has become big business, a luxury trade, and for those involved in supplying the meat, hunting is now a livelihood choice. While some of the animals killed may still be used for subsistence, the primary motivation for this type of bushmeat hunter is income and profit — two motivations North Americans should surely understand. This hunter provides for himself and his family through organized, profitable, sometimes unregulated and sometimes clearly illegal trade. He is less likely to live in as extreme poverty as the first hunter, though he is likely familiar with it. He kills large numbers of animals when possible, often during migrations when millions of animals travel vast distances across various parts of the African continent, at times leaving protected areas and straying onto community land where they may be killed by hunters without fear of legal consequence. The commercial hunter cleans and stacks his kills, sometimes piling hundreds of carcasses and awaiting pickup by his employer’s agent, to be transported across geographic and political boundaries. He, in turn, receives his weekly paycheck. The markets are not just African. Commercial bushmeat hunting forms the basis of a multi-billion-dollar international trade, involving hundreds of species, from antelopes to rodents, from elephants to bats. Once exploited because of low cost, customary tradition, weak law enforcement, and/or lack of food alternatives, bushmeat now supports a sophisticated commercial trade SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 41
The commercial bushmeat trade is one of the most serious threats to chimpanzees. (Photo credit: Nataliya Kostenyukova)
run by international criminal syndicates. The dramatic increase in bushmeat value in recent years has been spurred by demand from growing urban populations throughout Africa, coupled with the increasing demand for bushmeat products by established cultural communities internationally. An estimated 7,500 tons of bushmeat enters the European Union each year and, while North American numbers are harder to come by, we know that it’s becoming more common to find bushmeat, especially from primates, at clandestine markets in urban centers across the United States and Canada. This commercial trade is often facilitated by logging ventures (whether legal or illegal) that create new roads and offer easy access not only to remote wildlife habitat and better transport routes, but also new pools of impoverished rural hunters from which to draw recruits. It is not difficult to comprehend the motivations of either the first or the second hunter. We may not agree with either of them entirely, at least in theory, and we may feel inclined to judge the second hunter more harshly, but neither circumstance is outside our comprehension. And, it is easy to imagine how the first hunter for subsistence becomes the second hunter of commerce. Whether a person lives in Africa or North America, food and income are necessary to survival, and the ease with which these may be secured greatly affects the quality of life. One makes the most of what one has. For the international community to effectively engage this issue it is not enough to demonstrate that bushmeat hunting, especially for commercial trade, is unsustainable, that it is depleting wildlife populations and endangering iconic species. The fact is that bushmeat remains a necessity for many, and it is, understandably, difficult to feel concern for wildlife 42 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
and some distant future when day-to-day living is a struggle. International criticisms and directives to do better, without offering viable solutions, will never solve the bushmeat crisis. To find solutions, we must first understand not just the problem, but its roots. Do we need enforcement of hunting quotas and better endangered species protections in Africa? Yes. Do we believe that cultural reliance on bushmeat may have to change to some degree? Yes. Should we create educational programs to alter public perceptions and educate the future consumer-base for bushmeat? Of course. But above all else, we must address the concerns of average citizens who, like you and I, worry about feeding their families and about finding and keeping a job that pays well but who, unlike us, live amidst Africa’s wildlife and the immediate challenges and opportunities it presents. Relieving the bushmeat crisis will bring long-term benefits to wildlife and people and is a laudable goal for these reasons alone. It will also help remove one more factor contributing to public confusion over hunting’s conservation value. ★ 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.
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 43
HUNTING COMMUNITY Celebrates Wins in 2018 Government Funding Bill BY ANDY TREHARNE, SR. DIRECTOR OF FEDERAL LAND POLICY, CONGRESSIONAL SPORTSMEN’S FOUNDATION
W
hen the sun came up on Saturday, February 24th, 2018, most of you were probably lamenting the end of waterfowl season, heading to the lake for some ice fishing, or just getting ready to make the kids breakfast. While those of us who work on sportsmen’s issues in the policy arena were doing many of the same things that day, we may have had a little extra “pep in our step.” That’s because, for the first time in a while, we scored some major victories for hunters and wildlife when Congress passed their 2018 government spending bill the day before. After working for years to point out that our government’s way of paying to fight forest fires was irreparably broken, we finally had a breakthrough. Commonly referred to as the “fire fix,” we will now be able to reverse the vicious cycle of “fire borrowing” where the U.S. Forest Service would divert money from valuable programs to pay for fire suppression. By allowing a catastrophic wildfire to be treated like other natural disasters, this change will stop robbing Peter to pay Paul so that land managers will have the resources they need to manage our nation’s forest resources, improve habitat and provide access to hunters and others. Speaking of access, we also secured a hard-fought victory on that front, too. Since 2011, the authorization for a program called the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) had been expired despite broad support from sportsmen’s groups and other conservation advocates across the political spectrum. FLTFA is a modified land exchange program that facilitates strategic federal
44 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
land sales by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to provide funding for high-priority conservation and access in the West. Rather than just reauthorizing the program, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and others worked to improve the program by including provisions that will now allow the BLM to use FLTFA funds to acquire access to “landlocked” parcels of federal land. Consistent with the goals of the Making Public Lands Public access initiative, we now have additional resources to provide hunting opportunity on public lands where the activity was technically allowed, but access was impossible or impractical due to unfavorable terrain or adjacent private landholdings. It should also be noted that the reauthorized FLTFA program stands to benefit wildlife and habitat that improves the likelihood of hunters successfully harvesting an animal. As federal land managers work to pursue strategic conservation acquisitions using revenues generated by FLTFA, recently adopted changes will allow them to consider priority habitats. Where previous versions of the program largely limited acquisitions to inholdings within special land designations such as national parks or national monuments, federal land managers now have more flexibility to conserve important habitats like winter range and migration corridors. And so as that Saturday morning sun rose, now you can better understand as to why many of us in the conservation community had “a little extra pep in our step” and why the sun felt a bit warmer that late winter’s day. ★
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 45
A Few Of My
Favorite Recipes BY SCOTT LEYSATH
46 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
S
ince I cook for a living and spend most of my time cooking for other people, I’m often asked what it is I eat when I’m home. Most of us chef-types are used to cramming something quick into our mouths while we’re standing over a sink during a break in the action. When time allows, I do like to cook for myself and my family and friends. Here are some of my personal favorites.
Salmon Belly "Bacon" Reminiscent of a cross between pork belly and salmon, this recipe uses the salmon bellies that are too often discarded. Smoked salmon bellies make for a delicious snack or non-traditional BLT. They are also great cut into chunks and added to a salad. Ingredients • 1/2 cup onion, diced • 3 garlic cloves, sliced • 1 cup soy sauce • 1/2 cup rice vinegar (or cider vinegar) • 1 cup brown sugar • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil • 2 pounds salmon belly, cut into 1-inch strips
Cóctel de Camarón (Mexican Shrimp Cocktail)
Preparation 1. Combine onion with next 5 ingredients. Pour over salmon bellies in a non-reactive container. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours, turning occasionally. Remove salmon from marinade and air dry for 1 hour. Smoke-cook at 200°F for 2 to 3 hours.
I much prefer this version over the traditional ketchup-based shrimp cocktail. It’s best prepared with wild-caught Texas shrimp, not the ones that are raised in questionable waters in Southeast Asia. It’s always best to spend a little more for wild shrimp, especially if they were harvested by American shrimpers. To prepare the shrimp stock, place a large pile of shrimp shells in a stockpot with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for one hour. Pour the contents of the pot through a colander into another pot. Discard contents of the strainer. Return the liquid to a pot over medium heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to just 2 cups. Ingredients 4 servings • 2 cups shrimp stock • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined • 1/2 cup ketchup • 1/4 cup orange soda (from Hispanic section of store) • 2 tablespoons each Búfalo and Valentina sauces (or substitute 2 tablespoons favorite hot sauce) • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Tabasco sauce to taste • 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish • 1 cup tomato, diced • 1/4 cup onion, finely diced • 1/3 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced • salt and pepper • sliced or chopped avocado for garnish • lime wedges for garnish
Preparation 1. Heat shrimp stock over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook until just done. Remove shrimp and reserve. 2. Combine 1/2 cup of shrimp stock with ketchup, soda, hot sauces, Worcestershire, Tabasco, cilantro and onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with shrimp. Spoon into glasses or bowls and top with onion and cucumber. Garnish with sliced avocado, cilantro and lime wedges. SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 47
Smoked Quail Salad Smoky quail, just cooked and still tender, are tossed with a flavorful vinaigrette and served atop a mound of mixed greens, grapefruit, orange and avocado. If you don’t have access to a smoker, you can also grill or broil the quail until done. Just don’t overcook them! Ingredients 4 servings • 12 whole cleaned quail, skin on or off • salt and pepper • mixed greens • orange segments • grapefruit segments • avocado slices
Preparation 1. Prepare Marinade and Dressing. Split quail along the breastbone, leaving the legs intact. Once done, the quail will be boneless except for the leg and wing bones. Rub quail liberally with salt and pepper, toss with half of the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours. Remove from marinade, allow to drain. Place in a 250-degree smoker for 1 hour or until meat is justcooked, but not overcooked. Prior to removing from the smoker, baste with 1/4 cup of the reserved marinade. The internal temperature should be about 155 degrees and the meat will still be a tad pink at the wing joint. 2. Toss mixed greens with half of the remaining marinade. Arrange greens on plates with avocado and orange and grapefruit sections. Top with smoked quail. Drizzle remaining marinade over quail and serve.
48 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Marinade (and Dressing) makes approximately 2 cups
Ingrediants • 1 cup olive oil • 1/4 cup red wine or white wine vinegar • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate Preparation 1. Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until blended.
Backstrap For Two Many years ago, I launched a campaign to stop professional and amateur venison processors from hacking antlered game loins into butterflied medallions. Considering that the practice is still widespread, it appears that I didn’t do a very good job of selling my preference to the general public. I prefer to leave the loins (backstraps) in large sections about 8 to 10 inches long. The silverskin can be removed either before or after thawing, but, either way...it’s got to go before cooking. Wrapping loins with bacon and topping with a simple buttery sauce will impress even those folks who claim that they don’t like the taste of wild game. Perhaps it’s best not to let your pickier friends and family members know that it’s deer meat until after they’ve told you how much they love it. My wife, who isn’t particularly fond of wild game, really likes this one. Ingredients • 2 6 to 8-ounce venison loin medallions, silverskin removed • salt and pepper • 4 deli-thin slices prosciutto • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves • 2 small wooden skewers Preparation 1. Season venison with salt and pepper. Wrap with basil and then prosciutto, securing with a wooden skewer. Cook to desired temperature (135 internal temperature for medium-rare). Arrange on plates and top with béarnaise sauce.
Béarnaise Sauce
This is a fool-proof recipe that can be made in a minute or two in a blender. Heat the butter in the microwave for about 1 minute, but keep your eye on it. It should be very hot, but not bubbling over the sides of the container. Ingredients • 3 egg yolks • 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar • 1 t easpoon fresh tarragon leaves, minced • 1 t ablespoon shallots, minced (or substitute the white part of a green onion) • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and hot • pinch salt Preparation 1. Place egg yolks, pepper, vinegar, tarragon and shallots in a blender or food processor and process until well blended. While motor is running, add hot butter, a few drops at a time and then increasing to a slow, steady stream until all butter is incorporated and sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt. Keep sauce at room temperature until ready to serve. You can heat it over low heat while stirring, but only to warm. DO NOT BRING TO A BOIL!
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 49
Irish Whisky Marinated Duck
Jalapeno And Lime Marinated Duck
A spirited marinade enhances the flavor of split, brined ducks. Although split ducks look great on the grill or dinner plate, it’s best to remove the legs and give them a 2- hour head start in a 350 degree oven. Once they are tender, place them on the grill along with the breast fillets.
This is not so much about the duck as it is about the marinade. I use this concoction on all waterfowl, antlered game, chicken, pork and any other meat worth grilling. The honey helps browning, the jalapeno adds mild spicy heat and the lime juice gives it a tangy edge.
Ingredients 4 servings Marinade • 1/2 cup olive oil • 3 tablespoons Irish whiskey • 3 tablespoons soy sauce • 3 garlic cloves, minced • freshly ground black pepper • 4 to 6 large duck halves (preferably with skin intact), legs attached
• 4 tablespoons butter • 1 onion, cut into 1/4inch thick rings • 2 m edium carrots, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces • 2 c elery stalks, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces • 3 red potatoes, cut into thirds • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced • 1/4 cup Irish whiskey • salt and pepper to taste
Preparation 1. Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive container. Add duck halves, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours, turning occasionally. Remove duck from marinade and pat dry. Place duck in the refrigerator, uncovered, for an hour or so to further dry out the skin. Discard marinade. 2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat butter in a large skillet. Add onion, carrots, celery and potatoes and sauté until carrots are just starting to soften. Remove vegetables and keep warm. Add duck halves, skin side down, and cook until skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Arrange duck, breast side up, in a baking dish and top with the reserved vegetables. Before placing the dish in the oven (and away from any open flame), top with parsley and drizzle whiskey over duck. 3. Place in the preheated oven for 6 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. 50 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Ingredients 4 servings • 4 whole large ducks (mallard, pintail, etc.) Marinade • 2 cups water • 2 cups orange juice concentrate • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup white sugar • 1/2 cup vegetable oil • 6 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced widthwise • 2 tablespoons kosher salt • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice • 6 garlic cloves, minced
Preparation 1. To prepare ducks, place breast side up on a firm surface. With a sharp, thin-bladed knife, slice along each side of the breastbone to remove the breasts from the carcass. Work the knife towards the back of each side and remove the legs at the joint where the thighs connect to the body. 2. Combine marinade ingredients in a large non-reactive bowl (plastic, ceramic or glass). Reserve 1 cup of marinade to use as a baste while grilling. Place ducks in remaining marinade and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally. 3. Remove ducks from marinade. Place skin side down (if skin is intact), on a medium-hot grill for approximately 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. If legs were oven-baked in advance, grill with breasts until browned. While grilling, baste with reserved marinade. 4. Serve with warm flour or corn tortillas and mild tomato salsa.
HSC'S PRESIDENT'S CIRCLE
Thank you 2017-2018 Members! • Bryan and Maya Anderson • Steve and Luanne Bozeman • Tracey Cearly • Stephen and Connie Coale • Ralph and Deb Cunningham • Randy and Ann Fowler • Nick Huck • Terry and Tanya Hurlburt • Marc and Ann Laird • Tony and Mitzy McCorvey
• Matt Morrow • Rudy and MacKenzie Nix • Cole and Megan Pate • John and Melanie Pepper • Justin and Megan Peter • Josh Reyna • Byron and Sandra Sadler • David Schenck • Ed and Marty Smith • Brian and Denise Welker
To learn more, contact the HSC office at 713.623.8844. SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 51
My Unlikely achievement of completing the tipiliuke grand slam TEXT AND PHOTOS BY R.K. NEVINS
Tipiliuke peak on the last night of an unforgettable hunt. 52 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Tipiliuke peak looms large in remote Patagonia.
A
mong hunting enthusiasts, few words inspire the global envy quite like these two: Scottish MacNab. This revered challenge way up in the highlands has the utterly unique blend of heritage, setting, difficulty, and luck. Those wwho achieve a MacNab must kill a stag, shoot a brace of grouse, and catch a salmon on the fly — all within dawn to dusk on one day. It is a highly regarded accomplishment. There are other versions of the MacNab within Scotland and a few others on other continents but one stands out as particularly intriguing: the Grand Slam of Tipiliuke in Patagonia. There are two main differences, besides geography, between the Tipiliuke Grand Slam and the Scottish MacNab: the time allowed to complete the challenge and the number of hunts involved. The grand slam requires a sportsman to kill a red stag, a wild Russian boar, at least three snipe, at least ten quail, plus catch a rainbow trout over 12 inches and a brown trout over 16 inches, on the fly — of course. It is quite a list but you get five days, dawn till dusk, to do it — unlike the MacNab which only gives you one. The biggest point of similarity between the two challenges is that to complete either one a participant must have a well-rounded sporting skill set and also a great stroke of luck. The luck part is how I happened to become the first woman to accomplish the Tipiliuke Grand Slam in Patagonia.
I love a cold wind on a high hill. The bite of the breeze on my exposed face always helps me to focus precisely on the present. It was early July and I found myself alone in the wind on top of a plateau in southern
Argentina. I had celebrated my birthday the previous day and I felt both awed and apprehensive to start my next year off in such a state. My eyes watered continuously as I struggled to see where my guide, Jorge, had gone. Eventually reunited, we walked hunchbacked up and down the draws of this windswept land in search of our goal. Little did we know then what we were seeking was much closer than we thought. July is midwinter in the southern hemisphere which is not typically prime time for hunting red deer. Trophy seekers around the world know that northern spring, or fall down south, is the roar (a.k.a. rut) and therefore your best chance to procure a fine representation of this beautiful species. Red deer (Cervus elaphus) are not native to Argentina — but they got there as soon as they could. Introduced in the 1800s, red deer, one of the largest deer species in the world, have excelled in the mountainous region of Patagonia. They are much like their northern counterparts, the American elk, although they are genetically separate species. They are like elk in their rut habits but once the rut is over a hunt is more difficult as the stag are not distracted anymore. Nevertheless, July was my window and determination was my companion. Jorge saw the stag before I did, his keen eyes had a fine knowledge of the brown landscape that surrounded us, but mine were not too far behind. Three antler sets betrayed the stags that had bedded down in the tall brush. We scoped them out from three different positions, weighing the different angles. Then, taking advantage of their midday nap, I stalked as close as I dared. I was crouched behind a pathetic little bush when the trio became aware of foreign movement and a group of three suddenly stood at attention. Positioning myself with as much
support as I could get, blinking furiously to keep the wind tears at bay, I mentally went through my checklist: support, focus, breath and squeeze. With one shot the young stag was mine and by late lunch we were having venison Milanese. I did not realize at the time that it was day one and I had just taken the first step towards a goal no female hunter had yet achieved. Tipiliuke is the name of a single peak on a large cattle ranch in northern Patagonia. The surrounding land has a wonderful, rich history. The land is still home to a cattle ranch named Cerro de los Pinos (Hill of the Pines or Pine Hill) that was founded over 100 years ago by the historic Larminot family who traded with the native groups as well as raised cattle. There is a wonderful lodge that rests near the base of Tipiliuke peak that served as our base while in the region. Following my stag kill, I spent an afternoon hiking in pursuit of wild boar. They are a prolific transplant and even the coldest, windiest of Patagonian winter days does not make them a less cunning challenge for hunters. Such were the conditions on day two of my week and to make matters worse everywhere I went large vulture-like birds of prey named Caranchos (Southern Crested Caracara) sounded alarms. Their cries seemed to scare all life besides the occasional lazy Hereford cow away from me. Finally, a sounder of swine (or passel of hogs — or even a singular of boars if you please!) was spotted as a flash of brown hair dashed with surprising speed between brush covers. Faithful Jorge took off to circle around the vermin with the hope of pushing them into a shootable position for me. Unable to get into one, I knelt down putting one leg underneath me while the other leg supported my elbow. Less than ideal. I prefer to keep both eyes open as I stare into my scope, but with no swine target in sight yet, I simply rested my cheek with comfortable closeness up against the stock of my rifle. I knew I could only sustain this overall body position for so long before blood flow started to slow to my limbs causing decreased bone stability and increased muscle tension — sending the chances of shooting accuracy upon first shot into a nosedive. I had just about reached this point of muscle tension when the cunning boar appeared and ran straight up the looming foothill and directly away from me. I try not to subscribe to the shooting mentality of “lobbing one in” so I wanted to have overall confidence in the trajectory of my shot before I pulled the trigger. And just like that, the boar disappeared over the horizon and lived to die another day (which, SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 53
Author scouting for Russian Boar deep within Patagonia.
as fate would have it, would be the next day). The morning sun warmed my face at dawn on my third day and I was thankful for it. I had awoken early that morning to try to get a jump on the wild boar and as the rising sun poured its bright light into a draw it revealed a large group of boar voraciously eating the roots and insects that reside in the dirt. Excitedly, I circled around and positioned myself above the unsuspecting wild boar. I relaxed, and poured all my focus through my right eye and into the front of my scope. Two mature boars stood near each other and right as I was about to shoot they moved side by side so I took both with one shot. You know, boars are beautiful in their own way, and their meat was a delicious addition to our asado BBQ that afternoon. Soon thereafter incredible rains moved in and hampered our hunting. I sat by the fire, cleaned and checked my shotgun lazily, and day dreamt of hunting adventures in times gone by. I love shooting my 54 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
20-gauge Browning Lightning. It was made in Belgium in 1950 and purchased as one of a pair by my grandparents soon after. I do not know where they bought the pair. My grandmother used the guns for a few decades then passed them down to my mother who eventually gave one to me and one to my sister. Even though the gun that I received bears my grandmother’s initials (and was made 38 years before I was born), it feels like it was made for me. There are newer, lighter, more advanced shotguns on the market of course but there is something about that shooting that Browning that I will always love. Besides shooting pretty well, pretty often — it is a special link to my grandmother so I love to shoot it as often as I can. Back to Patagonia, when the storm finally cleared I had a renewed sense of vigor and it was then that the idea of the attempting the Grand Slam really began to take root. The local guides cautiously told me I may have a shot but my time was running out. I would
need a lot of luck on my side. So out we went in search of quail and snipe. The quest for the California quail (prolific transplants brought to the region in the 1800s) began as the dog and I charged straight up a giant hill for what felt like an eternity of hard vertical hiking. “The bush! The bush!” I heard from far below me. My guide and the dog’s owner was shouting at me from downhill commanding me to circle round “the bush” which was a huge tangle of trees, roots, and thorns. I rolled my eyes (a habit I’ve never been able to shake when being told what to do), wiped the sweat that had beaded up on my face despite the cold morning, then followed orders. Immediately, I almost got hit in the face by a quail that flew towards the dog and I and straight uphill. I swung that Browning around and the first quail was down — so far so good. The rest of the day proved to be lucky as the coveys were plentiful and the scenery was stunning. California quail have adapted so well
With a bird dog and my Browning.
to Patagonia’s large brush piles and thorny outcroppings that mega-coveys are commonplace. A bird hunter’s dream! After the successful quail hunting, the only bird remaining on the list was the elusive snipe. As sunset neared, my moody guide peered out into the distance, paused a moment, shrugged, and asked if I wanted to give it a quick walk to see if we could scare up a snipe. “It’s really too windy for snipe,” he said, but there was daylight left and we were in Patagonia so, why not walk? Away we went, walking through semi-tall grass that felt marshy due to standing water left over from the recent rains. No sign of anything and darkness was coming on quickly. Finally, as the dog and I turned to head back to the truck, behold, a snipe! Quickly followed by a plain miss! Excited we had somehow found a snipe but frustrated with my bad shot, I high-stepped through the watery grass determined to locate this smart snipe. Again I flushed him and again I missed! Gritting
my teeth, I pursued the bird one more time, and third time’s the charm. With the luck back on track, we got into several more snipe in the lingering daylight and then, just like that, all that remained for this grand slam goal was two trout. I come from a long line of wonderful fly fishermen. But unfortunately, I have not been blessed with the patience, skill, and luck to count myself amongst their ranks — or anywhere close to it. But I do try in spurts of great determination. And, at this point, I really had nothing to lose as my time was almost out and excitement was building that I could actually do this thing. Nevertheless, as my faithful hunting companions grew increasingly confident in my odds, I was realistically preparing myself to come close the grand slam but fall a little short. “It’s about the experience and the memories,” I told myself, not wanting to show disappointment if it did not work out in the end.
The fishing challenge loomed large in my mind on the eve of my last day. I had recently been informed that the great rivers of the region were exceptionally high, the season was a little off, and the fishing would not be for novices. I would need all the luck of my familial fishermen on this one. I set off in the cold morning in borrowed, toobig waders. As I made my way into the icy water, I could feel the strength of the river building with every step. One misstep and I could very quickly be in some trouble. But as is the way with fishing, I poked and hoped. Cast, cast, cast, strip, strip... and nothing. Several fly changes, several knots, more orders being yelled to me from the shore and finally, a good rise caught my eye near the riverbank. I worked the area as precisely as I could but it seemed like they were gone. Just then, when my line was totally slack, and I was distracted thinking about what the hell I should do next, fish on! Bewildered and completely ecstatic, I tried SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 55
Above: Author scouting for Russian Boar deep within Patagonia.
Above: Fishing guide Adrian Cataldo and author pose with the final piece of the grand slam—a nice brown trout.
my best to stay calm and somehow ended up with a beautiful 13-inch rainbow trout. Dusk was fast approaching so it was now or never time for me — just one brown trout left. Off we raced to a little river where we thought the browns would be. I did everything I could think of, switched flies frequently, changed locations often, tried some fancy casting, and still, my efforts yielded nothing. Not even sort of something, just nothing. My ever-helpful guide gave up on giving me orders and just came to stand by me, nonchalantly suggesting I try for a specific area about the size of a coaster. “Oh, no problem,” I thought, mentally rolling my eyes. I held my breath, cast, and with utter amazement, I hit the spot. As I turned to see if the guide had seen that I had actually done exactly what he said I felt a strike. Faintly, at first, barely breathing I gently held the line, and then a fight was on. I will never forget that feeling of willing that brown trout to just stay on the line, and thankfully he did. Just moments later we were taking photos and laughing excitedly as we released the brown back into his stream. The southern sun sank down behind the peak known as Tipiliuke and I silently reveled in the incredible adventures of the week. I smiled, thinking of the memories made and felt humbled by the support of my guides and hunting companions — and humbled most of all by the animals of the harshly beautiful landscape around me. They put my name on a plaque back at the lodge — the first female name fit in just fine with the list of men’s names. Our trip came to an end but I knew I would remember each hunt of the grand slam, and the vast beauty of Tipiliuke, forever. ★
Below: A Red Stag, the first step in the grand slam.
Photo of the author, R.K. Nevins.
56 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
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SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 57
River Otter. Photo by Eric Kilby. 58 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Recovering America’s
Wildlife Act
Whooping crane with mouth open. Photo by Chase Fountain. SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 59
Caddo Lake (Texas Parks & Wildlife Department)
H
ealthy fish and wildlife populations and their habitats are essential to the quality of life of every American. Yet today, we are facing a historic decline in fish and wildlife species coupled with declining hunting and fishing license sales, which means less funding for wildlife conservation, a one-two punch that could spell disaster for the treasured wildlife we’ve come to count on in this country. Scientists estimate one-third of wildlife species in the United States are at risk of becoming threatened or endangered unless we pursue proactive, collaborative efforts to accelerate their recovery. The dramatic decline of so many familiar non-game, and game species of wildlife and the habitats they depend on has an adverse effect on fundamental life benefits provided by nature such as water purification and aquifer recharge, flood abatement, pollination, recreation and food and fiber production that is essential to human health. These species declines threaten Americans’ quality of life, as well as our national economy and create regulatory uncertainty for businesses and industries, further impacting jobs and the health of our communities. Fortunately, proven solutions exist to reverse this decline and bolster our economy. Unless we make a profound change in the way we finance wildlife conservation, our wildlife and associated recreation are at risk. Fortunately, the bipartisan
60 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was introduced last year in the U.S. House (H.R.4647) and will be soon in the U.S. Senate as well. This legislation addresses this wildlife funding challenge we face with a solution that is innovative, proactive and broadly supported by both parties in Congress. For the past 80 years, taxes and fees paid by hunters and anglers have funded much of the fish and wildlife conservation efforts through the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson Acts. But these funding streams, which have done much good for so long, are not adequate to address the current fish and wildlife funding needs. This means that the state wildlife agencies often cannot find the funding to truly help at risk species until they are on the brink of becoming listed as threatened or endangered. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act changes this approach by focusing proven, science-driven conservation measures, which will help recover thousands of species, those that are hunted and fished and those that are not, while saving taxpayers billions of dollars and leveraging additional funds through innovative public/private partnerships. This proactive and voluntary approach is better for wildlife, taxpayers, businesses, and local communities. The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, along with others representing the outdoor recreation, retail
Big Bend landscape (Texas Parks & Wildlife Department)
and manufacturing sector, the energy and automotive industries, private landowners, educational institutions, sportsmen’s and other conservation groups, and state and federal fish and wildlife agencies came together to search for a solution as part of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish & Wildlife Resources. Now known as the Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife, including the Houston Safari Club, we represent more than a trillion dollars of economic impact, millions of non-exportable jobs, and tens of millions of members and consumers across the country, all who rely on healthy fish and wildlife populations. Together the members explored dozens of funding mechanisms in search of a politically viable solution that would match the magnitude of the problem. After much discussion, panel members from the energy sector recommended using funds from existing royalties that oil and gas companies already pay for the right to develop resources on federal lands and waters. These fees often generate $5-12 billion a year—the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would dedicate $1.3 billion annually to proactive conservation efforts led by the state fish and wildlife agencies with a track record of success. Ultimately, this bill will benefit the economy, our traditions, and our way of life. Hunting, fishing and
wildlife watching along with other outdoor recreation generate more than $800 billion in consumer spending annually and employ more than 8 million people—more jobs than the finance and insurance industries combined. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act has the potential to be the most important conservation legislation in generations, ensuring what is every American’s birthright—our great natural heritage. There is a lot at stake, and a great deal to be gained from the passage of this innovative solution to a growing problem. We want to offer future generations of Americans the same opportunities that we have had in our lifetimes to enjoy our treasured natural resources. Together we can build a brighter economic future that includes conservation of our fish and wildlife and helps sustain our communities. We are grateful for the Houston Safari Club’s membership in the Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife and look forward to working with its great staff, board and members to advance the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act and leave a lasting legacy of wildlife conservation for our children and theirs. The author of this article is Sean Saville, Campaign Manager for the Alliance for America’s Fish & Wildlife and staff of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. ★
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 61
Above: JLB HSC & OC Hunting Party, Sam, Freddy, Matt, LEO, Vic, Ricky, & Dave. Below: Dave, Freddy, Leo, & Matt take part in activities between hunts.
62 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
JLB 1500 yard Shooting Complex.
2018
Spring Rio Turkey Hunt with Operation Comfort Combat Veterans
JL Bar Ranch & Resort BY DAVID & DEBBIE SELBY
W
e measure the start of spring hunting season in Texas Hill Country many ways; winter has departed, spring is in the air, Bluebonnet and Indian Paintbrush flowers are making their annual grand appearance, and father time has leaped ahead. All indicate that Spring Rio Turkey Hunting Season has arrived. This is the fifth year the Houston Safari Club Hunting with Heroes Committee has hosted combat wounded veterans to a hunting opportunity of a lifetime. This year the event took place at JL Bar Ranch & Resort ( JLB) in Sonora, Texas. Every year the committee’s goal is to provide a select group of our nation’s warriors with a positive opportunity, filled with laughter, new experiences, and memories, which lead to stories to be shared with family, and friends unlike any other they’ve ever told.This year HSC teamed up with Operation Comfort (OC). Ms. Janis Roznowski, Executive Director and Founder of Operation Comfort (operationcomfort. org), founded in 2004 to support wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) & Audie Murphy VA Hospital in San Antonio. Ms. Roznowski’s bio on the OC website is an amazing story in and of itself. Her organization is founded on the intention to work with returning warriors who have persevered through their own personal challenges and recovery process.We met our OC Warriors at Bass Pro Shop on I-10 West of San Antonio. Our hunting warriors are John (Vic) Hash, Matthew (Matt) Gonzalez, Leo
(Leo) Varos, Jose Alfredo (Freddy) Ruiz. All are true Patriots, and Men of Honor. After our initial meet and greet we checked and verified all participants were licensed, and adequate ammunition was in hand for each weapon. We received an unexpected call from JLB Ranch Manager & Sr. Guide (Sam) informing us the entire ranch and staff were excited we were coming. We quickly proceeded to Chick-Fil-A just up the road for a light brunch prior to commencing our two-hour westward journey to JLB, with a revised ETA of two hours earlier than planned. Upon arriving the JLB we were greeted by the property gate guard who knew us by name. He thanked each of us for serving our country and encouraged us to proceed to the lodge, as everyone was anxiously awaiting our arrival. As we approached the lodge it looked like another home coming to each warrior. The entire JLB staff had come out to meet and greet everyone in our hunting party. Shaking hands and thanking them for their service to our country, it made each one feel like they were home with family. Staff unloaded the luggage from our vehicles and delivered them off to our plush 5-star cabins. We were given a tour of JLB’s very secure walk-in gun vault where each hunter secured their weapons and ammunition. We moved to the main lodge for JLB orientation, formal checkin, HSC safety brief and rules of the hunt. Each hunter received a personalized itinerary of events and activities available during the stay. All warriors were given 30 minutes to unpack, get settled, SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 63
Leo with his first tom & first of the hunt.
and change into proper attire before heading out to the shooting range to sight in and check “zero” for each weapon. Since turkey season didn’t open until the next morning, we were given a guided tour of the entire 15,000 acre ranch, complete with private airport equipped with 5,300-foot x 80-foot asphalt runway. Upon return to the lodge at conclusion of each of the six hunts, every member of the hunting party was meet by exquisite meal fit for a king (or in our case, a hero) personally prepared by Chef Sergio Rico.The hunt allowed opportunities to each warrior to harvest a mature tom. One of several unusual characteristics to JLB is that they have only sighted one feral pig on the ranch in over six years, and it was harvested when sighted. On our first day, Matt spotted and shot a pig. Our hunting party is claiming they’ve spotted and shot 50 percent of all the pigs ever seen on JLB. There was also time for bass fishing (catch and release) in the stocked lake. In recent months JLB last has opened up and extreme long-range shooting area out to 1,500-yards. This 3-level shooting complex allowed our own “band of brothers” to show off their military skills, dropping repeated bull’s eye shots at 500 and 600 yards with seemingly little effort.During a short break in the excitement and activities between hunts one evening OC Warriors rallied around the large screen TV in the lounge to watch “live” from Pyeongchang, Korea, the USA vs Canada Winter Paralympics Sledge Hockey game for the gold medal. What a phenomenal game to watch, USA won gold! Three of the players on U.S. Paralympics Sledge Hockey Team are avid members of Operation Comfort, and were all close friends of our warrior hunters, making the event even more personal, and close to home. Thanks to Alex for keeping JLB’s no host bar open 64 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Matt With His 1st tom!
late that night! OC brings warriors together to inspire, motivate, and be role models to each other. The opportunities afforded by OC quickly pulls members in to a team, a “band of brothers” with a common goal “to find a new normal, and get back to life.” The inter-service rivalry always adds to lots of laughter, ribbing, and stories that drew a lot of attention from ranch staff. Everyone in our hunting party had an incredible time thanks entirely to the professional staff assembled under the leadership of the owners of JL Bar Ranch & Resort. Those who interacted with us every day while on JLB were; Gwen, Nicole, Lanna, Karra, Lizzie, Jessica, Sergio, Alex, Sam, Gabe, Ricky and several others behind the scene. Each went far above and beyond all our expectations. Our hunting guides ensured each hunting warrior, on every early morning, and evening hunt were on time, comfortable, and positioned in such a way to experience the constant procession of the ranches diverse animal population, and true grandeur of the diverse natural beauty of JLB over 15,000 acres (23+ square miles) of west Texas hill country. This made every hunt a story in and of itself.With all the things that took place during our hunt, time seemed to move by a warp speed, bringing to quick conclusion a hunt with memories that will last a lifetime. Everyone left the hunt at JL Bar Ranch & Resort refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. Having experienced tranquility in the heart of God’s country that leaves one refreshed, energized, and strengthened ready to meet life challenges head on. This is Houston Safari Club’s Hunting with Heroes Committees primary goal for each of our participating patriot warriors. We came to JLB in search of, which is what all found, and were able to take home. Mission accomplished! ★
SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 65
EXPLORE AFRICA WITH ESPLANADE TRAVEL
Sunrise and clouds at Kubu Island, Botswana. 66 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
T
raveling to Africa is a transformative experience, and it was no different for Esplanade Travel’s President Jacky Keith when she first set foot on the continent in the late 1960s. When the trip to Africa was first offered to her, she protested by saying, “But I know what a giraffe looks like!” However, her world was soon changed: “Traveling in Africa has led to a lifelong love of the animals, people, and culture. It’s a land unlike any other and while I treasure my early days traveling in the ancient world of the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East, I am drawn back to Africa constantly.” She has spent the 50 years since then recreating the magic of Africa for her clients.
SOUTHERN AFRICA BOTSWANA
The best way to visit Botswana is to “camp hop” throughout the region, from Chobe National Park to the Okavango Delta. Each camp has a unique personality —– not only the décor and atmosphere but the dedicated staff that takes time to get to know each and every guest. There’s nothing quite like showing up for dinner after a long day of game viewing while being serenaded with traditional song and dance! Camps and lodges in Botswana take relaxation almost as seriously as they take wildlife sightings —– picture luxury canvas tents, king-sized beds with Egyptian cotton sheets and fluffy duvets, gorgeous rainfall showerheads in a secluded lavatory overlooking the bush, and extended porches with views for days —– and that’s just in your personal tent! The main camp areas are designed with nature and comfort in mind, from lounge areas where you can mingle with other guests to sparkling pools with cold beverages just calling your name. But don’t let the rustic glamour of the camp keep you from getting out into the wild. Travelers are nearly guaranteed to have the most amazing wildlife sightings imaginable in Botswana. Senior Travel Consultant, Tess Holman, lived in Botswana for two years, but still dreams about it daily while introducing clients to this beautiful place. Tess recently experienced Leroo La Tau Camp in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, and had a one-of-a-kind game drive: “In the afternoon, we headed off through a dried-up river bed. The sun was shining as we left, but slowly the sky darkened and a wicked wind and dust storm took up. The sky was the most epic shade of dusty golden orange, and the sudden chill in
the air made the afternoon feel somehow magical and other-worldly. Our truck went blasting through the bush, not another soul in sight. That might've been part of what made Leroo La Tau extra special—you had the feeling that you were the only people out there, just you, the bush, and the animals. “All of the sudden our guide took off in the opposite direction and said, ‘Tau.’ This is where my knowledge of the local language came in handy—I immediately knew that he had spotted a lion! “The wind brought in a storm and thunder boomed all around us, lightning striking in multiple places along the horizon, lighting up the entire sky. Rain poured in from every angle as we pulled up to a pride of lions on a kill, but no one noticed the weather. Any lion sighting is a good lion sighting, but this pride had the most adorable cubs, trying their best to be ‘grown-ups’ and eat with the rest of them. “The female lions suddenly stood up and looked straight past our truck: a male lion was approaching. Chaos ensued as he circled the pack, demanding that he get the rest of the kill. The mother lion fought valiantly so that her cubs could finish eating, but after a tussle she and the cubs retreated and the male lion took the remainders to a bush farther away. “Somehow, despite the rain and thunder and wind, silence reigned in the bush. I watched the female lions and cubs slowly walk into the distance, off to find somewhere more peaceful to rest. A sense of amazement came over me: I had seen something so wonderful, so natural, and yet something that so few people ever get to see in their lifetime. What a privilege. What an honor.” Every camp and each game drive in any region of Botswana brings unique moments like this, and it’s why Botswana will always be a top destination for wildlife viewing in the world. For Tess, to have lived in this country previously and to now share that with her clients and open their eyes to the wonder of Botswana… well, there’s nothing else she’d rather do.
—– you get the feeling you’re already there, and the excitement from fellow travelers can be felt on the plane. South Africa has many private concessions, so don’t feel limited to self-driving or hiring a day guide in Kruger National Park. The best wildlife sightings are in these private concessions, with the added bonus of an uncrowded experience where you rarely see other trucks. Nothing can ruin a sighting more than having 10 other trucks of tourists crowded around —– but with the camps we recommend in South Africa, this is never a worry. The Timbavati is one of Jill’s favorite regions. While checking in to camp last June, a huge elephant strolled by the pool, setting the tone for the rest of her stay. Every afternoon the elephants came up to the lap pool beside the main deck and then meandered down to the waterhole, where guests had a perfect vantage point from a nearby hide. At tented camps, which Jill prefers, the sounds of the bush at night are even more extraordinary, with hyenas calling to each other as they strolled between the tents. Despite the myriad choices of camps in South Africa, the Sabi Sand region is ultimate. Known for its high occurrence of leopard sightings, it’s worth planning your trip around availability at camps in this area. Mala Mala is a favorite camp in the Sabi Sand, with a rich history and a huge private concession that only its own guests are allowed to traverse. It’s an iconic camp in the region, with superb guides, an enormous tract of land, and one of the best bars ever for preand post-dinner cocktails. Any camp in Sabi Sand will show you amazing wildlife sightings, but Mala Mala takes it a step further to give you the adventure of a lifetime. For Jill, visiting South Africa each year ignites the passion and enthusiasm in herself that she hopes to pass on to her clients. The excitement of Africa is contagious when planning an itinerary —– and invariably, clients return home with stories to last a lifetime.
SOUTH AFRICA
ZIMBABWE
As Director of the Africa Department, Jill Potash has the good fortune to travel to South Africa each year. She feels it’s important to keep up with the properties that she recommends for clients —– but if she’s being completely honest, it’s that there is always something new to see and do out in the South African bush, and she doesn’t want to miss it! A trip to South Africa really begins with the South African Airways flight out of JFK
Jacky has been to Africa more times than she could possibly count, but her most recent trip to Zimbabwe didn’t fail to impress. She started her trip with a visit to Linkwasha Camp in Hwange National Park. Linkwasha is a stellar camp with fabulous food and staff, a very active waterhole, and luxurious tents. The first morning there, Jacky saw a male lion chase a cheetah and her four cubs off his land. They remained in hot pursuit for a couple miles until the SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 67
lion sent the cheetahs packing to new hunting grounds! The time to visit Zimbabwe for wildlife viewing is now before the secret gets out and it becomes the new hot spot. It couldn’t be easier to get here—just a quick connection from Johannesburg or Victoria Falls—nd accessibility is improving all the time. Zimbabwe has another unique feature that perfectly pairs with being on safari: Victoria Falls. Known locally as mosioa-tunya, or “the smoke that thunders,” these iconic waterfalls are considered the largest in the world. There’s something for everyone here, and how long a traveler stays depends on their personality. For a quick stopover, plan on doing a morning tour of the Falls followed by a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. If you’re looking to get intimate with this natural landmark, stay a couple nights more and go whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, or even take a train across the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe. And of course, do yourself a favor and stay at the inimitable Victoria Falls Hotel—from the long-standing history to the excellent service to the unmatched view of the Falls from its grounds, you won’t be disappointed.
Leopard in tree, Sabi Sands Game Reserve, South Africa.
EAST AFRICA
While it’s clear that the Esplanade team could wax poetic about Southern Africa for years to come, there is so much more to this vast and diverse continent. There’s no shortage of adventure, wonder, and excitement in East Africa—from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, from the Ngorongoro Crater to gorilla trekking to the beaches of Zanzibar and Seychelles.
TANZANIA
Tanzania has enough to interest travelers for weeks of travel. It was one of Jacky’s first countries visited in Africa, and clearly made a big impression on her. “My first camp visited was Samburu, which became my favorite. A black leopard was spotted across the river with night binoculars and I have never seen another. Lake Navaisha was full of flamingoes, and further south were the tree-climbing lions at Lake Manyara in Tanzania. The camps in those days were large and we traveled in a convoy of vehicles with pop up tops for photography, leaving the last truck in line covered in fine red dust.” At the time, East Africa was where everyone went for safari. It would be a long time before luxury camps were built, 68 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
African sunset, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.
and now East Africa boasts some of the most beautiful, small camps with excellent game viewing. The most impressive and well-known spots often fall into an easy “circuit,” making travel within the country easy. Fly into Kilimanjaro Airport and spend some time in the National Park, where you can go game viewing with impressive Mount Kilimanjaro in the background— and, if you’re active and adventurous, you can climb the mountain yourself. Continue on to Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater, and of course, iconic Serengeti National Park. Circle back to Kilimanjaro to fly to Dar es Salaam for
many international flight options home.
RWANDA
Let us not forget one of the hottest bucket list items to date: gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Vice President Kit Schultze made this oncein-a-lifetime trip, and hasn’t stopped talking about it since! Traveling here can be both relaxed and varied with lots of game, everchanging scenery, and of course, primates. Rwanda truly is the Land of a Thousand Hills, and every inch of those fertile hills, no matter how steep, is cultivated with crops of corn, varieties of beans, and bananas. Gorilla trekking takes place through those hills, in Volcanoes National Park in the far west
Rwanda Gorilla
of Rwanda, less than a 3-hour drive from Kigali. Plan on having an overnight stay in Kigali on arrival, driving out west the next day, and going on your gorilla trekking adventure the day after that. Kit remembers her experience well and still gets goosebumps when she reminisces about her first encounter with these beautiful creatures: “We started walking up through rolling farmland early in the morning for about a half-hour before entering the forest, and after a surprisingly short walk (maybe an hour at most), we met up with the trackers who stay on the mountain all day long with the gorillas to follow and protect them. “One moment we were winding our way through thick bamboo, following a trail cut by our guide with a panga (machete), and the next we were enveloped by a heavy musky scent. We suddenly popped out into a sloped clearing and there were the gorillas, relaxing in the sun! They were everywhere,
some less than a year old, all the way up to the silverback in his 40s—a true giant at about 800 pounds. There were 26 gorillas in the family we visited, and the hour we spent with them was magic. We observed them while taking photos, laughing at the kids wrestling and tumbling in every direction. The adults watching them were both amused and annoyed, while the silverback lay on his belly in the shade, chin in palm, drumming his fingertips on his cheek while keeping an eye on everyone, both human and primate.” While the cost of a permit to see the gorillas is steep, it is not an experience to be missed. Bookend your trek with a stay at the supremely comfortable Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge on the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo, or at the new Bisate Lodge which has dramatic views of the volcanoes Bisoke, Karisimbi, and Mikeno, which give the national park its name.
ZANZIBAR AND SEYCHELLES
Between long days on safari and trekking to see gorillas, some rest and relaxation is in order. Consider Zanzibar right off the coast of Tanzania for a close-by haven. This archipelago of islands has a cultural draw—Stone Town is a historic trade center with multiple influences, resulting in an intriguing mix of African and Islamic cultures. However, the showstoppers of Zanzibar are its beaches—white sand, turquoise waters, and overwater bungalows. Don’t plan on doing much beyond lying on the beach under an umbrella, with perhaps an afternoon or two of snorkeling and swimming. If you’ve got a bit more time, head off to Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles are a group of 115 islands off the coast of East Africa, renowned worldwide for their white sand beaches, clear water, and overall beauty. While many are familiar with the destination, very few get the SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 69
chance to actually travel to this unique paradise. Luckily, getting there has gotten easier as of late, with connections from Johannesburg on South African Airways, via Dubai on Emirates, or from airports in East Africa. Fly into Mahe, but don’t stop there. Each coast has a slightly different landscape and weather pattern, so where you end up depends on the time of year that you travel. The popular Beau Vallon region is great year round, as it’s protected from the worst of the weather patterns. There is one destination within Seychelles that is simply unbeatable: North Island. This private island has only 11 villas, so a feeling of intimacy extends throughout the island. You’ll never feel rushed, cramped, hurried, or overwhelmed, and the staff ensures that every day is a perfect one. From the unimaginable luxe villas to vast, untouched beaches, to lush tropical vegetation and dramatic granite peaks, North Island has something to offer for everyone. Close out your safari with a few nights of tropical luxury, and you’ll return home renewed, refreshed, and ready to take on the world.
TIME TO GO!
These stories of wildlife viewing, cultural exchange, and natural beauty can’t be matched anywhere in the world, and it’s time for everyone to start planning their trip to this beautiful place. However, Africa is a large continent—54 countries!—and it can be overwhelming to plan a trip to the region. Every single country has a unique culture, history, and attractions, and more research often leads to a wish list that’s impossible to accomplish in one trip. Having a dedicated travel consultant to assist with your plans makes all the difference. From which camps are worth staying at, to the best air itinerary, to visas, entrance requirements, travel insurance, and more, there’s no need to navigate the waters on your own. Esplanade Travel is here to take care of every last detail so all you have to do is show up ready for adventure! ★ *** Esplanade Travel 800-628-4893 http://esplanadetravel.com info@esplanadetravel.com Instagram: @esplanadetravel Jacky Keith, President jkeith@esplanadetravel.com 70 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Above: Anse Source D’Argent Beach, Seychelles. Below: Catamaran in the Indian Ocean, Mnemba Atoll, Zanzibar.
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DAN L. DUNCAN Scholarship Recipients 2017-18 BRADLEY W. KUBEČKA Dear HSC Members, Over the years, I’ve repeatedly promulgated that a scholarship is an investment in education. Thus, scholarships for budding wildlife professionals are inherently investments in conservation. Though not all investments pay dividends, the Houston Safari Club through the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship, has been a “high risk lender” for hundreds of college students. After all, anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but no one can count the apples in a seed. Fortunately, the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship committee has a reputation of selecting high caliber students to receive their scholarships, many of which currently hold prominent positions in the field of wildlife conservation. As such, I was fortunate and humbled to be selected as a 2017 scholarship recipient. Appropriately, an investor wants reports of how their investments are performing. In the past year, with the help of the HSC scholarship, I have been able to “go places and do things” without the financial limitations that a grad student would normally incur. I recently earned my Master’s degree in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University– Kingsville in December 2017 working with bobwhite and scaled quail in the Rolling Plains of Texas. Though my project focus
Placing a camera on a bobwhite nest.
72 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
Hunting has always driven my passion for wildlife research.
was evaluating the best predictors (i.e., survey methods) for hunting populations of bobwhite, I did much more than stick to my project emphasis. Since notification of the scholarship, I have presented research at the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, National Quail Symposium, Texas QuailMasters, and Statewide Quail Symposium over bobwhite parasites, scaled quail population estimators, virtues of game cameras in wildlife management, bobwhite nesting demographics, and quail translocations. Additionally, I authored a paper in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases describing a never-before-documented parasite in North American birds that has the potential to infect humans. In December you may have noticed my continued role as an author for Texas Wildlife magazine as you will continue to note this June with my upcoming plant profile on Longleaf Pine. In January I accepted a position with Tall Timbers Research Station and moved to Tallahassee, Florida to pursue my PhD through the University of Georgia. My PhD will focus on the least understood phase of bobwhite life history—chick ecology. In the coming months I hope to publish the findings of my thesis and continue my role with extension efforts in Texas, along with my responsibilities as a doctoral student here in the Southeast. Thank you for your interest in wildlife conservation and my education. I hope my dividends have proved worthy of your investment as I hope they will continue to do. Much Obliged, Bradley W. Kubečka
DAN L. DUNCAN
| Scholarship Recipients 2017-18
KELTON MOTE Dear Houston Safari Club, For the Fall of 2017 semester, I was selected as one of the privileged recipients for the Dan L. Duncan Scholarship. Since the notice of my award, I have experienced several successes and accomplishments. During the summer of 2017 I worked for the MT7 Ranch in Breckinridge, Texas. My time at MT7 provided me with valuable field experience in the wildlife profession. While at the ranch, I participated in habitat management using heavy machinery such as the skid steer and tractor. I conducted Northern Bobwhite whistle counts and banded Mourning Doves in cooperation with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In addition to wildlife practices, I gained experience in many different real-world applications such as trailer hauling. The Fall of 2017 was the last semester of my undergraduate career. During that time, I presented two posters over my Mourning Dove research that was conducted in the summer of 2016. I presented a poster in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the 24th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society and another at the Texas A&M University System’s Pathways Research Symposium. This research is currently in preparation to become published. I was awarded the Fall of 2017 Outstanding Undergraduate for the Department of Wildlife, Sustainability, and Ecosystem Sciences. This award led me to a competition amongst my peers for the ability to speak at graduation. I am proud to say I was selected as the December 2017 Commencement Student Speaker. Currently, I am at the 6666 Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. In January I accepted an M.S. graduate position at Texas Tech university evaluating Northern Bobwhite survival, movements, and reproductive success in relation to predator reduction experiments on the 6666 Ranch. In the short three weeks I’ve been here, I have banded 130 quail, attaching radio transmitters to nearly 50 females. My field season will run until August when I must begin taking classes. Thank you for choosing me to receive your generous scholarship. Your continued support has allowed me to excel in my pursuits towards conserving wildlife in Texas. You have by far been the biggest contributor to my collegiate education. For this I will be forever grateful and will proudly support the Houston Safari Club’s mission of preserving the sport of hunting through education, conservation, and the protection of hunters’ rights. Sincerely, Kelton Mote
RACHEL SMITH ear Houston Safari D Club Members, I am so thankful to be writing to you as a second year Dan L. Duncan scholarship recipient. It’s been an honor to have Houston Safari Club behind me for another year of my work at Texas A&M University - Kingsville. 2017 was an exciting year where I spent my time wrapping up my masters’ project examining “Northern Bobwhite Response to PostGrazing Management and Habitat Recovery.” In August 2017 I was able to travel to Knoxville, Tennessee to present a poster at the Quail 8 conference: a national meeting focused on the conservation of these game birds and their habitat. I also gave a talk at the American Ornithological Society meeting in Lansing, Michigan where I had the opportunity to network with scientists around the country doing various bird conservation research. During the fall semester, I successfully defended my thesis and then presented at the Texas Section of the Society for Range Management where I was honored to receive first place in the Don Pendleton Memorial College oral scientific presentation competition. My experience at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute was amazing and your contribution allowed me to focus on my studies as well as have the freedom to support my fellow students and community. I volunteered for an outreach event at a local elementary school, participated in a bird banding class at Welder Wildlife Refuge, and aided fellow researchers during quail surveys and a prescribed burn. After graduation in December 2017, I enjoyed attending the HSC convention where I was once again, overwhelmed by the amazing support HSC members have for young people in wildlife research. This February I began my career as a biologist for the American Bird Conservancy in southern California where I am partnering with private farmers and ranchers to promote bird conservation. I am proud to list Houston Safari Club as one of my supporters for the past few years and will always be thankful for the help you gave in jumpstarting my professional wildlife career. Sincerely, Rachel Smith Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Texas A&M University - Kingsville SUMMER 2018 HUNTER'S HORN 73
DAN L. DUNCAN
| Scholarship Recipients 2017-18
JAY VONBANK Dear Houston Safari Club Members, I was a recipient of the Dan. L. Duncan Scholarship for 2017-2018. I am very grateful to the Houston Safari Club and Mr. Gary Rose for offering and administering this scholarship, as it has undoubtedly contributed to my research at Texas A&M University – Kingsville. My research focuses on movement ecology of Greater White-fronted Geese, more commonly known as the “Specklebelly” goose. We are addressing questions regarding habitat use and selection during winter in Texas and across the wintering regions, movements among wintering regions, and migration timing, duration, and stopover use during both fall and spring migrations. We have recently finished preliminary results regarding winter habitat use and selection, and have found that greater white-fronted geese heavily utilize and select for agricultural crops throughout the course of winter, regardless of wintering region. The crops they utilize do change among regions, but crops such as winter wheat, sorghum, and corn are utilized in all regions and especially in Texas. We are continuing to further analyze our data with the addition of 26 transmitters deployed on geese last winter, adding to the total 72 transmitters deployed thus far. Recently, I have presented findings of our research at several regional and international level scientific conferences, including the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society in Dallas, and the North American Arctic Goose Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. I gave two presentation titled “Winter Movements and Habitat Use by Midcontinent Greater Whitefronted Geese,” and a poster presentation titled “Breeding Ground Affiliation and Non-breeding Distribution of Midcontinent Greater White-fronted Geese Captured during the Non-breeding Period” which focused on the breeding areas of geese captured in Texas. Additionally, I have published several articles with my advisor, Dr. Bart Ballard, on “Wetland Management: Managing for Moist-Soil Plants” and how “Advanced Tracking Devices Aid White-fronted Goose Research.” Finally, the University of Missouri wrote a very informative article on our collaboration with researchers from the University of Missouri, and Wildfowl and Wetland Trust in Slimbridge, United Kingdom, on our efforts to study the comparison of the Greenland White-fronted Goose in Europe to North American Greater White-fronted Goose, and the role of migration in population and breeding success. We are very excited 74 HUNTER'S HORN SUMMER 2018
about the progress of our research, and are looking forward to further analyzing our data, over 250,000 GPS locations to date, to further answer unknown questions about these birds. I am very appreciative to the Houston Safari Club for offering such a generous scholarship, which has undoubtedly allowed me to focus on quality research activities. Should any of the HSC members like to discuss my research in greater detail, please contact me at the information below and I would be happy to continue conversation. Very Best, Jay VonBank Ph.D. Student, Texas A&M University – Kingsville jay.vonbank@students.tamuk.edu
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