HSCF Hunter's Horn Fall 2019

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TABLE of

CONTENTS

FEATURES

74

22 SPORTING CLAYS

TOURNAMENT WRAP-UP

By Matt Mann

28 REMEMBRANCE: ROBERT ROD 30 SHORT-SIGHTED ANTI-HUNTING LEGISLATION MAY UNDERMINE SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION

By Jeff Crane

32 PROVEN PERFORMANCE: THE BLASER GROUP

By Jens Krogh

38 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PASSPORTS & VISAS FOR AFRICA AND BEYOND

By Global Rescue

44 THE SPORTING CHEF: FAST FLIERS

By Scott Leysath

48 CHANGING THE WAY YOU BUY OPTICS!

By Tract Optics

56 GRADUATION SAFARI: SOUTH AFRICA IS STILL ONE OF THE BEST FAMILY HUNTING DESTINATIONS ON EARTH

By Tim Herald

62 EXPLORE INDIA WITH ESPLANADE TRAVEL

70 EXPERIMENTAL MULE DEER ANTLER RESTRICTION UPDATE, 2019

By Texas Parks & Wildlife

74 HSCF PH SPOTLIGHT:

MEET BRUNO ROSICH OF TROPHY HUNTING SPAIN

76 HSCF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

5 MINUTES WITH HSCF LIFE MEMBER MIKE SIMPSON

78 MISHAPS AFIELD

By Gayne C. Young

COVER ARTWORK:

‘Yellowstone Sunshine,’ by Suzanne Hixson 4 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

80 THE ROAD TO RECOVERY: TAKING STEPS TO SAVE AMERICA’S ENDANGERED SPECIES

30

By Ted Cruz

82 HSCF GOES Y.O. WILD

By Anna Morrison

86 CAPE BUFFALO: THE

GUNFIGHTER OF AFRICA

By John Wootters

90 RHINOS, RHINOS, RHINOS!

By John Rulon

96 HSCF APP/CARDSKIPPER LAUNCHED!

98 YOUNG THEODORE ROOSEVELT

By Jay Rohfritch

102 HUNTING AMERICAN MAN-KILLERS

By Chester Moore, Jr.

108 PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS ON

ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP

By Joe Betar

110 2018 DAN L. DUNCAN

SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE

By Abe Woodard

76

FALL 2019

56

98

44

48 102

86 FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 5

OUR MISSION Preserving the sport of

hunting through education,

conservation and the promotion

of our hunting heritage.

6 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

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2019-2020 HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB FOUNDATION OFFICERS JD Burrows–President Mitzy McCorvey–Immediate Past President Matt Pyle–President Elect Mark King–Treasurer Monica Williamson Mills–Secretary HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB FOUNDATION DIRECTORS 2019–2021 Jeff Birmingham Hunter Comiskey Bryan Ray Travis Simpson Kevin Ormston 2018–2020 Darrell Kainer Shaun Nelson 2019–2020 Ross Melinchuk Trey White HEADQUARTERS STAFF Joe Betar, Executive Director Angi McCarthy, Director of Administrative Services Carla Nielsen, Marketing & Publications Manager Nancy Oka, Director, Events & Membership Art Wright, Business Development Manager Vic Williams, Editorial Consultant Nate Silva, Design Consultant Alliance Printing and Graphics Hunter’s Horn™ is published quarterly by Houston Safari Club Foundation 14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 265 Houston, Texas 77079 713.623.8844 (p) 713.623.8866 (f) info@wehuntwegive.org wehuntwegive.org © Copyright 2019 Houston Safari Club Foundation Houston Safari Club Foundation welcomes contributing articles, photos and research. Houston Safari Club Foundation reserves the right to edit submissions for spelling, grammar, clarity, organization and punctuation and to abridge length. Houston Safari Club Foundation reserves the right not to publish submissions. Content may not be repurposed without the express written consent of the author and publisher. Please submit materials with a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish materials to be returned. Houston Safari Club Foundation is not responsible for lost or unsolicited submissions. Digital submissions are preferred. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to Houston Safari Club Foundation, its members, employees or affiliates.

Houston Safari Club Foundation reserves the right to refuse any advertisement believed to be incompatible with our mission or deemed competitive or contrary to the best interests of Houston Safari Club Foundation.

U PCOMING EV EN TS OCTOBER 26

NOVEMBER 13

2nd Annual Gazelles Women’s Day Retreat at the Simpson Ranch in Bedias, Texas

Monthly Meeting featuring Wade Lemon at Greater Houston Racquet Club

NOVEMBER 7

DECEMBER 5

Trophy Room Reception at the residence of HSCF Life Member Randy Donato

HSCF Christmas Party at the House of Blues (Free event for HSCF Members)

DECEMBER 12

Blaser USA Event at Gordy & Sons

JANUARY 24-26, 2020

2020 HSCF Worldwide Hunting Expo & Convention, George R. Brown Convention Center & Hilton Americas-Houston

We shape boys into leaders.

A COLLEGE-PREP BOARDING SCHOOL FOR BOYS GRADES 7-12

Character forged ...

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FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 7

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR‘S MESSAGE JOE BETAR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

H

ello HSCF Members! The hunting season in North America is upon us! Woo-Hoo! I don’t know about you, but I am ready to get going. The rains have been generous around our hunting property, so we expect some pretty decent antler growth. It will be interesting to see how the fawn crop progressed for the upcoming years. We will conduct the annual gathering of our group in the Texas Hill Country to chase whitetails and exotics and trade big tales around the campfire or a BBQ pit full of smoking meat!

There have been so many exciting things happening around our organization. I was honored to be invited to the White House in July to hear President Trump’s remarks on Conservation Leadership in our country. I have provided an article in this issue of Hunter’s Horn outlining some of the comments most relevant to hunting and fishing.

HSCF launched an App and Digital Membership Card in July. You should have received a notification and instructions on how to download the App. The App provides access at your fingertips to HSCF news, events and other information. If you did not receive a notice to download the App, please contact the office to ensure your contact information is up to date in the membership database. You may use your digital membership card to gain free access to the Convention Expo, all weekend. I am excited about this launch and being able to provide our members easy access to HSCF information.

The HSCF Convention, themed “TOGETHER 2020,” is fast approaching. We have some fun, new things planned and I hope to see each of you there! You can start planning now by booking your hotel room in the HSCF discounted room block (please mention you want to be in that block if you call and book your room or you may do so online on the HSCF website at wehuntwegive.org on the Convention Attendees page). Entries are being taken for our annual hunting and photo awards. Get your entries in today. Last, but not least, we need your support for our largest fundraising event through your sponsorship and attendance. You can also be a BIG help by volunteering for convention this year. Call the office for details.

I am also pleased to announce that HSCF and HSC have achieved 2019 Platinum status as determined by GuideStar. Platinum is the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar. The Platinum badges are displayed on our websites. GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. Each year, millions of people use GuideStar information to make decisions about nonprofits and the work they do.

There are several key pieces of legislation in play right now. In November, a Texas constitutional amendment will appear on the ballot. A simple majority vote will appropriate the revenues from sales tax on sporting goods equipment 8 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

to fund state parks and historical sites. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham and Rep. John Cyrier of Bastrop, with the approval of Governor Abbott, led the Texas Legislature to pass bills calling for the constitutional vote. Between 1993 and 2017, the state’s sporting goods sales tax has generated between $60 million and $165 million annually for a total of $2.5 billion. During that time, only 40 percent of the funding found its way into the budgets of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department or the Texas Historical Commission as intended. Many citizens incorrectly assume the taxes they pay on sporting goods were fully allocated to support parks, not realizing that significant portions of the Sporting Goods Sales Tax are diverted to other purposes.

TPWD operates 95 parks and historical sites of its own around the state. The system covers more than 630,000 acres and attracts almost 10 million visitors annually. Its 2019 budget is $86 million, $60 million of which comes from its current share of the sporting goods sales tax. TPWD has been faced with many challenges and needed repairs as a result of severe weather and flooding over the past several years (in the last 10 years, TPWD has experienced more than $100 million in flood damage to park’s facilities around the state), in addition to the expenses required to routinely maintain Texas state parks. If approved, the amendment would authorize 94 percent of the revenue to

TPWD’s parks and historical sites and 6 percent to sites under the Texas Historical Commission.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act has been introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Dingell (D-MI-12) and Fortenberry (R-NE-01). This bipartisan legislation establishes a 21st Century funding model for the proactive conservation of fish and wildlife. This legislation redirects $1.3 billion annually in existing revenues to state fish and wildlife agencies to implement their science-driven wildlife action plans, and an additional $97.5 million to tribal wildlife managers to conserve species on tribal lands and waters. This funding will ensure those with a proven track record of success in species conservation and recovery can proactively conserve at-risk fish and wildlife in a voluntary, non-regulatory manner.

Another very important bill has been reintroduced in the 116th Congress-the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act. The Pittman-Robertson Act directs excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment to be used for wildlife conservation purposes. Since its origin in 1937, this legislation has contributed nearly $11.5 billion to wildlife conservation.

This legislation would provide funding to state wildlife agencies for the recruitment, retention, and reactivation of hunters and recreational shooters (R3) through educational programs.

HSC is launching a Political Action Committee (PAC) this year! The PAC will allow HSC to raise and provide funds in support of candidates aligned with HSC’s mission to protect the rights of hunters and the hunting heritage through advocacy, policy and legislation. Support the HSC PAC today. Please call me for more details or donate now at HSC-PAC.org.

There are many great HSCF Member events coming up.

Check the calendar on your App or at https://hscfdn.org/ upcoming-events/. Several recent events have been sold out and I have seen a lot of familiar and many new faces. Don’t miss the annual HSCF Christmas party at the House of Blues-Houston this year. This event is FREE for HSCF members. We hope to see you at an upcoming event.

Finally, I want to welcome our new 2019-2020 HSCF & HSC Board members. You will see their profiles in upcoming issues of Bush Telegraph. I look forward to working with each of them and to a great year ahead.

Yours in Conservation,

Joe Betar HSCF/HSC Executive Director

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 9

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE JD BURROWS, HSCF PRESIDENT

O

n behalf of our distinguished Board of Directors, Vice Presidents, and staff of Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF), I want to welcome all of you to the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

I also want to welcome new Board Members, approved by the membership in June, Director Bryan Ray, Director Hunter Comiskey, Director Kevin Ormston, Director Ross Melinchuk, Director Trey White and returning Board member, Director Travis Simpson.

Before I continue, I want to personally thank Mrs. McCorvey for the wonderful job she did steering us through our first full year as HSCF. As we stand today, HSCF has over 1300 members, and we have awarded over $2.25 million to over 525 students in support of Youth Education, we have donated over $4 million in Wildlife Conservation grants.

As I mentioned during my opening remarks at last year’s Convention, I want to tell you what HSCF means to me and what I want to focus on during my tenure. First, I serve as your President because I believe in preserving the sport of hunting through education, conservation and preserving our hunting heritage. My vision for the upcoming year focuses on two basic principles: 1) to build our club (funds raised in support of our mission); 2) to increase the reputation of HSCF. To do this we will strive to do the following: Through our legislative branch, HSC, we have created the first HSC Political Action Committee (PAC) and we will make our voices heard on issues such as 1) Species trans-migration across the US-Mexico border, 2) Elimination of trophy import bans, and 3) Smart wildlife management practices in North America.

I encourage each of you to help support our PAC and multiply our voices on The Hill and in the Halls of Justice.

Second, we have confirmed our dedication to youth education with our YWCE program and significant support of organizations such as the Dallas Ecological Foundation, Ridge Point FFA Booster Club, and Bay Area Council–Boy Scouts of America. I support the expansion of our youth efforts, and I challenge each of you to get involved with our youth events and pass on your love of hunting to the next generation.

Third, HSCF will be known as an action-orientated conservation organization. I will increase our conservation efforts through impactful grants that make a difference in the lives of animals and people around the globe. We have done a great job publicizing the great things we do, but this year I want to further extend our reach and awareness of all the good we are doing through our membership and our sponsored organizations.

Last, our reputation will grow as we do more, and more people hear about what we do and want to be part of Houston Safari Club Foundation. This year’s Board members are from sister organizations including the National Wild Turkey Federation. Based on increasing demand, we have established the Houston Safari Club Foundation – Young Professionals Organization – lead by

Hunter Comiskey. This group will host their own events and improve the sustainability of our organization. Other clubs have already noticed what we are doing. Take pride in what we do, and in the new slogan #wehuntwegive.

To accomplish these goals, I will need your support. Preparations for our upcoming Convention & Expo are underway, and Convention Chairman, Mr. Trey White has stepped up to lead this, our most important event of the year. Our 2020 theme is “Together 2020.” “Together” stands for so much. To me, it means a spirit of unitedness that drives us all to succeed. It also means a bond that draws our sister organizations together to fight for hunter’s rights. Last year we built a “Foundation for Tomorrow,” and you all did a great job building that Foundation onto which we can stand and reach new heights.

“Together 2020” plans to be a really fun affair. We listened to your suggestions, and we have music and entertainment to create a fun party. On Friday night we will be entertained by Don Felder, world-renowned guitarist from The Eagles, who will rock out with us. On Saturday night, we will laugh and smile at the human observations of comedian Tom Papa. We have refined our auction items, and expanded our hours to raise more money in support of our mission. We are focused on making the annual HSCF Convention & Expo the best experience in our industry for our members, exhibitors, sponsors and volunteers. I strongly encourage each of you to volunteer, reach outdo your part and together we can build our organization and increase our reputation.

It’s about more than just the upcoming Convention. I want to invite all of you to our monthly events and programs. Over the next few months, we have a broad range of activities that I am sure you will enjoy, including our Second Annual Annual Gazelles Women’s Day Retreat October 26, Trophy Room Reception November 7 at the home of Ned Holmes, and the HSCF Christmas Party December 5. This spring, weather conditions forced us to postpone our Annual Sporting Clay Tournament to September 6, 2019. It was a fantastic day of fun for a great cause! We hope to see you out at our 2020 event.

As you can see we have big tasks to complete, and I am honored to serve as your President. I will strive to exceed your expectations and together we can build our club on the strong foundation established by past presidents.

In your service;

JD Burrows HSCF President FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 11

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Ryan McClintock

Chip Ruthven

Hailey Wright

Robert Dittmar

Mikayla House

Jessica McCrory

Salvador Salinas

Lisa Zoromski

Richard Drake

Amanda Hughes

Chase McCrory

Lewis Scherer

Lohn Zylicz

Michael Schlegel

Erica Dunn

Mark Hurley

Joe McDermott

Orrin Duvuvuei

Jason Husseman

John McEachern

Ryan Schmidt

Jacob Dykes

Greg Jackle

Drew McEachern

Mark Ryan Schoeneberg

Michael Eddings

Will Jackson

Cody McEntire

Mike Schrage FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 13

HSCF LIFE MEMBERS Bob Abernathy John Abraham Charlotte Alexander Richard Alexander Crystal Allison Shannon Alston Michael Ambrose Anne Avara Jacob Avara Skip Avara Paul Babaz Camp Bailey Cope Bailey Freddie Bailey Kenneth Bailey Frank Baird Jo Baird Mike Baird Jack Barksdale L. Irvin Barnhart * James Bell Lyndel Berry Tony Bessette Charlotte Betar Joe Betar James Biggerstaff Jeff Birmingham Craig Boddington Werner Boeer Jay Bonano E. Bond Greg Bond Pete Bonora Jeri Booth Frederick (Tony) Box Luanne Bozeman W. Steven Bozeman James Braus John Bridgwater Jack Brittingham Elizabeth Brueggeman Joe Bruno Aaron Bulkley Matt Burke Robert Burke Byron Burris Grady Burris Quint Burris Prentiss Burt Daniel Butler Turner Butts Don Byrne C. Cagle Dennis Cain Thomas Cain Rick Callison Alex Campbell Bill Carter * Ivan Carter Paul Carter Ben Case Barbara Cavender-Lewis Preston Cavner 14 HUNTER'S HORN™ SPRING FALL 2019 2019

Chris Caywood Tracey Cearley Alan Cegielski Doug Centilli Christopher Clark James Clark Steve Clark Craig Clendenin Stephen Coale Randall Coleman * Russell Coleman Joe Collett Dwayne Collier Frank Comiskey Hunter Comiskey Kevin Comiskey Alan “Bink” Cooke Dian Cooper Rocky Cooper George Councill Steve Crawford Kenneth Crockett Gary Crouch Deb Cunningham Ford Cunningham Linda Cunningham Ralph Cunningham Ralph Daigle Joe Davis Laurent Delagrange Armando DeLeon Charlie Desautels Elliot Desautels Gregory Desautels Perry Dillon Randy Donato Barry Donoho Tim Doucet Megan Doyel James (Red) Duke * Dannine Duncan Jan Duncan Scott Duncan Bruce Edwards Robert Elkins Walton Eller Susan Ellerbeck * Gary Ellison Will Ellison Shaun Essery Travis Findley Charlene Floyd Tommy Fogle Randy Fowler Nathan Foyil * Michael Franklin Bobby Frederick Aaron Freeman Donald French Warren Gallant Randal Garrett Scott Garrett Tanya Garrett

Zachary Garrett Paul Geiger Frank Giacalone Salvatore Giannetti Gary Glesby Carl Godfrey Russell Gordy Jeff Gorski William Gouldin Sandra Green Kevin Gregory Edward Guinn Dodd Hackman Clayton Hagerman Cory Hall James Halley Greg Harvey Charles Head Jerry Henderson Mark Herfort Heinert Hertling Robert Hibbert Greg Hill Loren Hill Steven Hill Nicholas Hinze Edward Hoffman William Holder Bill Honza Gene Human Tanya Hurlburt Terry Hurlburt Harold Inman * Justin Itzel Keith Itzel John Jackson Jack Jensen W.A. “Bill” Jentsch Clay Johnson Todd Johnson Robert Jones Harris Junell Darrell Kainer David Kalich Susan Kalich Kirk Kanady Michelle Kangas Gaye Kelsey John Kelsey Julianne King Mark King Rick Kirk Jim Klentzman Robert Kneppler Philip Koehne George Kollitides Tommy Kolwes Phil Koonce George Kopecky Keith Lake Fred Lamas Wendy Lamplough Wayne LaPierre

HSCF LIFE MEMBERS Joel Latham Kyle Lehne Richard Leibman John Lindholm Tom Lipar Bryant Littlefield Mark Livesay Ricardo Longoria Cody Loverin Doug Luger David Mafrige Shane Mahoney Paige Manard D. Martin John Martin James Masten Chad Matherne Wyatt McBride Mitzy McCorvey Tony McCorvey Ed McCrory Vickie McMillan-Hayes Travis McWilliams Gerald Meinecke Lewis Metzger Greg Mills Brook Minx Howard Monsour Forrest Montealegre Paul Montealegre G.L. Moore Reed Morian Tommy Morrison Ron Mostyn Dustin Mykyte Shannon Nash Bob Neese Rob Neilson Scott Nelson Shaun Nelson William B. Newlin Rudy Nix K. Nunnally Carol O’Day Kerry O’Day Charles Onstead Kevin Ormston Neal Overstreet John Painter Michael Park Michael Parr Steve Pate Trevor Penny John Pepper Melanie Pepper Stephanie Perry Will Perry Timothy Peter Bryce Phillips Carson Phillips Dusty Phillips Wilson (Woody) Phillips Thomas Powell

Kevin Poynter Andrew Pratt Kymberly Pratt Charles Prince Sharon Propes Carlos Ramirez Bryan Ray Christina Ray Lawrence Rearick William Reed Gayle Rettig Keith Riggs John Robberson Larry Robinson Mike Robinson * Chuck Rod Robert Rod * Stephen Rogers William Rohrbach William Roosevelt Gary Rose Mark Rose Jerry Rubenstein Chris Ruhman John Rulon Gerald Russell Byron Sadler Sandra Sadler Michael Sample William Sample Michael Sandeen Corey Schaefer Scott Scheinin Robert Scherer Wade Schindewolf Adam Schindler George Severence Wayne Sheets John Shelby Richard Shepherd Jason Shrieve William Simmons Austin Simpson Autumn Simpson Barret Simpson Becky Simpson Dawn Simpson Jacob Simpson Jody Simpson Michael Simpson Mike Simpson Travis Simpson Tristan Simpson Weston Simpson Sam Skipper Carter Smith Jason Smith Mandy Smith Steve Smith Tom Snyder Norman Speer James Stacy Kaylee Stacy

Mary Edith Stacy Larry Stifflemire Mark Stouse Randy Strickland H. Stuart Greg Stube David Swan Lloyd Swiedom Sally Swiedom Leah Symens Tyler Symens Peter Tam Stephen Tam Larry Tatom Terry Taylor Mark Terpstra Robert Thomas Heidi Thomas-Kersh J.B. Tinney John Tobin Pete Trammell Ted Trout * Hal Tryon Don Turner Phillip Veale Thom Venus Amanda Vick William Vick Juan Villaveces Glenn Vincent Pierre Vorster Joshua Walker Greg Walla Rob Walsh John Waltz Dana Weber Rick Weber Larry Weishuhn Brian Welker Denise Welker Robert Wells Brian Welsh Lawrence West Matt West Bruce Whitmire Bill Wilkinson * Ron Willenborg Steve Willenborg Gregory Williamson Alan Winslette Robby Winstead Kurt Wiseman John Wood Bill Woodall J.D. Woods Patricia Woods Debi Young Preston Young Brian Zaitz

*Deceased SPRING FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 15

OFFIC E RS

HOUS T ON S A FA R I C L U B F OU N DAT ION

JD Burrows, President

Matt Pyle, President-Elect

Mitzy McCorvey, Past President

Mark King, Treasurer

Monica Williamson Mills, Secretary

16 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ FALL 2019

DI R E C T O R S HOUS T ON S A FA R I C L U B F OU N DAT ION

Jeff Birmingham, 2019 – 2021

Hunter Comiskey, 2019 – 2021

Bryan Ray, 2019 – 2021

Travis Simpson, 2019 – 2021

Kevin Ormston, 2019 – 2021

Darrell Kainer, 2018 – 2020

Shaun Nelson, 2018 – 2020

Ross Melinchuk, 2019 – 2020

Trey White, 2019 – 2020

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OFFIC E RS HOUS T ON S A FA R I C L U B

JD Burrows, President

Matt Pyle, President-Elect

Mark King, Treasurer

Monica Williamson Mills, Secretary

DI R E C T O R S HOUS T ON S A FA R I C L U B

Doug Centilli, 2019-2021

18 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ FALL 2019

Julianne King, 2018-2020

FROM THE CONVENTION CHAIR TREY WHITE, 2020 HSCF CONVENTION CHAIRMAN

T

he 2019 Convention was a huge success for the Houston Safari Club Foundation. It was the culmination of months of tireless work by our legion of volunteers and our dedicated staff. A special thanks goes out to Jeff Birmingham, our 2019 Convention Chairman, for his dedication to our club. In our second year at the George R. Brown Convention Center the HSCF saw huge crowds that experienced a wonderful weekend.

The 2020 Convention will see us back at the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Hilton Americas-Houston for our banquets and other events. There will be outfitters from all over the world in attendance, from Texas to Canada and from South America to Africa and all points in between.

There will also be vendors selling everything from jewelry to firearms. These 300 outfitters and other sporting vendors will be spread out in over 104,000 square feet of convention space.

Be sure to plan on attending the entire weekend of festivities. When booking your room at the Hilton of the Americas, be sure to mention the Houston Safari Club Foundation. Our Friday night banquet will feature the HSCF hunting awards as well as the photo awards. A highlight of the Friday night banquet this year will be the presentation of the top Hunter of the Year awards. Also, at the Friday night banquet, we will present the Professional Hunter of the Year award. In addition, there will be an action-packed live auction and other fun events in store. The night will be capped off by a concert by Don Felder, a former lead guitarist of the Eagles.

Saturday starts out with the always fun and boisterous Gazelles Luncheon. As is tradition, the Gazelles lunch will feature a live auction that is always a crowd-pleaser as well as the popular large and varied silent auction. This year, Gazelles will also have fun games.

As always, the Gazelles Luncheon promises to be fun for all.

If you have never attended this event you are truly missing

one of the best times of the Convention.

The keystone of our Convention is always the Saturday night banquet, and this year will be no different. Saturday night will feature the presentation of the Dan L. Duncan scholarship recipients, which is always a highlight of the Convention. The great comedian Tom Papa will be providing our Saturday night entertainment. As always, there will be a large live auction featuring hunts from around the world as well as art, firearms, and many other great items.

The Houston Safari Club Foundation Convention has traditionally been the centerpiece of the year for the club, and this year is shaping up to be no different. I hope all of you are planning on spending the weekend with your fellow hunters, outfitters, and club members. A great time will be had by all!

Trey White Convention Chair

Parker Guide Service--0.25----near the front if possible--New-FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 19

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HOA & TEAM WINNERS

HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB FOUNDATION

TM

SPORTING CLAYS TOURNAMENT

TOURNAMENT WRAP-UP

BY MATT MANN The third time was the charm for the Sporting Clays Tournament this year!

After two cancellations this Spring due to stormy weather forecasts, the 2019 HSCF Sporting Clays Tournament was finally held at the Greater Houston Sports Club on September 6, and once again was a great success.

Members and friends of Houston Safari Club Foundation always look forward to this event each year for a wonderful time of pulverizing small orange saucers, but most importantly for the fellowship and fundraising for a worthy cause. We had a fantastic turnout, despite rescheduling twice, with over 200 shooters. The beautiful weather, delicious food, exciting games, cold beverages, and awesome raffle prizes added to the fun.

We are especially proud that there were many women’s teams, youth teams, and veteran’s teams that participated this year.

It is our great honor to have been able to present our veteran hunters with the trophy mounts from their hunts over the past year. Providing these veterans an outlet to hunt and be recognized for their service and sacrifice is one of the most rewarding things for the members of HSCF every year.

In addition to the fun and competition, our organization was able to raise money that will be used to support HSCF’s mission of preserving the sport of hunting though education, conservation, and the protection of hunter’s rights. Funds raised go towards programs benefitting habitat 22 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

and species preservation, youth education programs, veterans hunting programs and more. Thank you to our members and attendees who participated, we could not have raised these funds without you!

I would like to give special thanks to our sponsors and donors; without them, we would not be able to put on this tournament in such a great fashion. MANY THANKS to our sponsors and donors: JP Services, Red River BBQ, Sam Skipper Co, Silver Eagle Distributors, Aqua Hydrate, Budweiser, La Gloria Land Co, Cokinos, Capital Farm Credit, Wildlife Partners, Pintail Hunting Club, Moyer Lewis and Patton Law Firm, Space City Services, Athena Gun Club, Estelle and Ron Mostyn, Game Trackers Africa, Henderson Ranches, Plateau Land and Wildlife Management, Rummel Creek Builders, Rummel Creek Pools, Soele Ranches, Sporting International Inc, John Bowers with State Farm, and TX Whiskey.

I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Clay Shoot Committee and our volunteers for making this such a successful event. Special thanks to our staff Joe, Nancy, Angi, and Carla for going above and beyond as always to serve our organization.

And thank you to the staff at GHSC for being awesome to work with year in and year out.

Sincerely, Matt Mann

HOA Male: Clay Whitfill (100) HOA Female: Paige Shearer (93) HOA Youth: Forrest Montealegre (98) HOA Veteran: Chris Ramos (94) HOA HSCF Member: Forrest Montealegre • A CLASS • 1st Place Team - Alliance Printing (383): Clay Shock Jeff Birmingham Prentiss Burt Carlos Vaquero 2nd Place Team - SSC (380): David Chandler Darryl Skillern Brent Burley Mike Woerner • B CLASS • 1st Place Team - Henderson Team (320): Thomas Nasser Travis Askew Brian Debord Jerry Henderson 2nd Place Team - Choice Energy Mgt (319): Steve Crawford Matt Pyle Michael Kasmiersky Travis Dupre • C CLASS • 1st Place Team - ENGIE (281): Taymur Bunkheila Kyle Bray Kyle Mefford JD Burrows 2nd Place Team - JP Services (271): Patricia Kyzar Jimmy Hollowell Joel Welch Jose Rivera

GAME WINNERS Top Team Flurry (92): 1st Place Team - Alliance Printing: Clay Shock Jeff Birmingham Prentiss Burt Carlos Vaquero Mixed Target Winner: Jeff Deakle

T OUR NA MEN T SPONSOR S

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS TITLE SPONSOR

™

CORPORATE SPONSORS DALLAS/FT. WORTH

m

™

SUPPORTING SPONSOR

AWARDS SPONSOR

LUNCH SPONSOR

SHIRT SPONSOR

Sanders Morris Harris honoring Bert Langdon TEAM PHOTO SPONSOR

SCORE CARD SPONSOR

YOUTH TEAM SPONSORS

BEVERAGE SPONSORS

STATION SPONSOR S Station Sponsored By Station Sponsored By

Station Sponsored By

Station Sponsored By

Station Sponsored By

Ron & Pug Henderson Mostyn Ranches Station Sponsored By Station Sponsored By

Station Sponsored By Station Sponsored By

Station Sponsored By

King Design Group, Inc.

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1: Winner and Champion Jeff Birmingham with 2019 HSCF Sporting Clays Chairman, Matt Mann 2: Team Flurry Winners, Jeff Birmingham, Prentiss Burt, Clay Shock, Carlos Vaquero. 3: Kirk Black from Patriot Warrior Foundation & PVA Member.

4: Lock, stock and smoking barrel 5: HSCF Life Member Ron Mostyn 6: Camaraderie and friendship at the HSCF Sporting Clays 7: Alliance Printing, winners of the Team Flurry 8: Patricia Kyzar, member of the Class C 2nd place team 9: Ready, aim‌. 10: Ladies team representing Capital Farm Credit.

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11: HSCF Life Member Tommy Morrison 12: Kevin Comiskey, Kevin Ormston, and Louis van Bergen 13: Silver Stag Knives, awards for each winning team sponsored by Matt Mann of La Gloria Land Co. 14: HSCF Life Member Mitzy McCorvey 15: David Bradshaw (shooting) and Kirk Black observing. Both from Patriot Warrior Foundation & PVA.

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REMEMBR ANCE

Robert Rod Robert John Rod, 76, of Houston went to be with the Lord unexpectedly on June 10. Bob was one of a kind, generous, very humorous and always had a smile. There was never a day he wasn’t laughing. He died a very happy man!

Bob went to Bellaire High School, then on to Sam Houston State University where he received a Bachelor of Business degree. He married the love of his life, Gay, who survives him. They were married more than 55 wonderful years.

He has a son, Robert and a daughter, Michelle. He also has two grandsons, Wyatt and Hunter. He also has a sister, Sandra.

28 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

He was a successful stock broker for many years and owned many companies such as Redi-Smok, Bob’s Texas Style Potato Chips and various oil and gas companies.

He formed a bank, was CEO and eventually sold to Allegiance Bank, among other things. Bob’s passion was hunting all over the world and loved taking his family along with him.

Bob served many years on the HLSR Steer Committee, NRA, HSC and several country clubs. He retired in October 2018 and enjoyed happy hours, working out and walking the dog. He always enjoyed his ranches.

Hunt

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Short-Sighted Anti-Hunting Legislation May Undermine Successful International Conservation

BY JEFF CRANE, President of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation In the last few months, we have seen no shortage of legislative efforts that seek to prohibit, or severely limit, the importation of legally harvested international wildlife, particularly from Africa.

Recent policies proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives and at the state level demonstrate the lack of interest by some lawmakers to account for the conservation benefits associated with international hunting. These legislative proposals are not only concerning to me as a professional in the field of wildlife conservation, but they are also very personal to me as I have spent nearly 12 years living in Africa where I owned, managed, and guided ecotourism and hunting safaris, conducted hundreds of anti-poaching patrols, and lived and worked with local African communities.

In June, the U.S. House passed a “minibus” to fund a number of federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior, which included language that is adamantly opposed by the sporting conservation community, which would prohibit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from using funds to issue permits for the importation of legally harvested elephants and lions from Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania. The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and our partners publicly opposed this amendment, but it was unfortunately passed out of the House and now awaits action in the Senate.

More recently, the House Natural Resources Committee held a highly partisan hearing on an emotionally driven bill, the Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act, or “CECIL Act” (H.R. 2245). The CECIL Act is extremely problematic as it takes a blanket approach to prohibiting the importation of any elephant or lion

30 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

taken in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, or Zambia, despite the fact that these countries have some of the largest elephant and lion populations in the world as a direct result of conservation and management practices that are almost entirely dependent on the revenues associated with international hunting. Prior to the hearing, CSF submitted testimony for the record to the House Natural Resources Committee in opposition to this legislation and worked with members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus to ensure that supporters of the bill had to answer tough questions about their misguided approach.

Similar efforts have also taken place in the states.

Earlier this year, the Connecticut State Senate advanced SB 20, a bill that would prohibit the import, sale, and possession of African elephants, lions, leopards, black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, and giraffes.

While CSF supports the efforts to curab poaching, this bill would have detrimental effects on wildlife conservation, ultimately hindering anti-poaching efforts, while simultaneously depriving rural communities of much-needed, hunting-related tourism dollars. Fortunately, this legislation died as a result of the legislature adjourning before the bill could advance any further.

Legal, ethical, sustainable, and fair chase hunting is the basis on which the conservation of wildlife and associated habitat has been built in Africa for decades.

Wildlife management should be guided by science – not emotion as we have recently seen. Science should not be abandoned in favor of knee-jerk emotional responses. CSF will work with our partners, including Houston Safari Club, to oppose these misguided legislative proposals. ★

CSF President Jeff Crane on a cape buffalo hunt during his time in Africa

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PROVEN Performance THE BLASER GROUP MAY BE BEST

With one of the most impressive collections of sporting firearms ever assembled, The Blaser Group has you covered.

By Jens Krogh

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known for its flagship brand, Blaser, but that is far from all they import. The company’s US headquarters is located in San Antonio, Texas and they are an importer of European made goods for the firearms brands Blaser, Sauer, Mauser, and Rigby. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the L&O Group, Blaser Group worldwide, headquartered in Isny, Germany, manages all aspects of those brands, including the entire firearm manufacturing process. L&O Group also owns another firearms company known as SIG Sauer, that merged with Blaser in 1997. The two companies were purchased by L&O in 2000 and have been run independently of each other since 2006 with Blaser Group being focused primarily on the hunting sector and SIG Sauer, operating within the handgun, personal defense and tactical markets.

Founded in 1957 by Horst Blaser, the company’s first product was an over/under combination gun known as the Diplomat.

Since then, Blaser has established itself as a technology leader developing innovations like the switch barrel system, straight pull action, modular R8 rifle and its predecessor the R93. Its modularity is endless, if you combine all of the different standard options on an R8 you can build over 47 million unique rifles and that does not even include custom shop options.

Similar in modularity is the Blaser F3 shotgun. As the Blaser flagship shotgun it is the only truly modular over/under shotgun in production. Any set of barrels or wood will fit on any receiver without professional gunsmithing. Want to switch from a 30inch .410 to a 32-inch 12ga? No problem. The F3 is also one

 SIG Tac 2

 Rigby WDM Bell Rifle

 R8 with modular options

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 33

of the most successful shotguns in sporting clays shooting with nearly 25 percent of competitors at national level competitions shooting an F3. Blaser also offers the F16 shotgun, K95 single shot rifle and a few other limited production drillings. All are made at the Isny factory in Germany.

J.P. Sauer & Sohn is Germany’s oldest manufacturer of firearms with a history dating back 268 years to 1751, making it the world’s second eldest firearms producer in continuous production. Founded by Lorenz Sauer and owned by the Sauer family for nearly 200 years, they were the first provider of firearms to the German Government in 1811. Incidentally, the family gave up ownership to the Communist East German Government in 1945. The brand remained intact and eventually merged with Merkel, who used the name J.P. Sauer & Sohn until 1970. Soon after that, a partnership with SIG formed as a result of Swiss restrictions on the export of firearms. Since SIG could not export their innovations, they had to find a partner who could help them manufacture and export.Leaning on Sauer’s popular 38H (the first mass-produced handgun with a de-cock lever) and SIG’s advanced machinery, manufacturing technique and successful model P210 the two created the SIG Sauer P220, which is still in production and still very popular. As a stand-alone brand, J.P. Sauer & Sohn, also based in Isny, has gone back to their roots designing and building some of the most advanced hunting and long-range production rifles in the world. The Sauer 404 is the most user customizable bolt action hunting rifle on the market today. It is fully modular with traditional styling. The newly introduced Sauer 100 series is geared towards the discerning hunter with classic feature sets and design lines. Sauer also produces a variety of shotguns in over/under, side-byside and even semi-auto.

Mauser may be one of the most iconic names in all of rifle making. Nearly every boltaction rifle made today can trace its roots back to a Mauser. Since the early 1870s there have been over 100,000,000 rifles produced under the Mauser name.

The origins of the company date back to 1811 under the name Königliche Waffen Schmieden. Eventually the company found itself in the hands of Peter Paul Mauser, whose father was a master gunsmith with the original company. Prior to his acquisition, Paul Mauser was conscripted for military service as a gunsmith, where he showed such great potential that he was placed on inactive service and assigned to a government owned arsenal. He invented a cannon and its accompanying ammunition.Later, Paul and his brother Wilhelm designed the model 1871 Mauser rifle but were only producing the sights for the rifle; they needed a full scale rifle factory. Their need was filled in 1874 when the Württemberg government allowed the brothers to purchase the Königliche Waffen Schmieden factory. Though they now had the space and equipment needed, they were not without troubles.

Soon after the purchase Wilhelm fell ill and passed away. Paul was on his own but continued to evolve his rifle design until he sold it to the German Government in 1898, officially known as the Mauser Model 98; it has since been the most produced boltaction rifle in the world and copied by nearly everyone. Along the way, Paul partnered with a number of factories to produce his designs including Husqvarna.

Mauser eventually made everything from pocket pistols to cannons but has always held strong to its core with bolt-action rifles. Purchased by SIG Sauer in 1998 and later transferred to the L&O Group today, Mauser’s world headquarters remain in Isny with sister companies Blaser and J.P. Sauer & Sohn, and they continue to make the Model 98 along with newer designs like the Mauser 18, M12 and Modular M03.

If there is one brand synonymous with safari and sport hunters around the world, it is Rigby. Rigby is the most romanticized and written about safari brands of all time.

From Bell and his Elephants to Ruark and his escapades, every African safari from the “Glory Days” includes mention of a Rigby rifle.

Officially known as John Rigby & Co., Rigby was founded by John Rigby in 1775 in Dublin, Ireland and is the world’s third oldest gunmaker in continuous production.

After having a wagon full of rifles seized by the Irish Government during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the company nearly went bankrupt and struggled through to 1810 when the company emerged, updating and repairing rifles for the Irish Government along with selling a few sporting rifles on the side.After the first John Rigby’s death, his sons, William and John Jason, took the helm and continued to perfect their barrel making process along with making the finest dueling pistols in all of Ireland. When the third John Rigby took the company over from his father in 1858, he capitalized on the awards of his predecessors and joined an elite group of gunmakers in London, catering to high society.For the next 30 or so years the third John Rigby built primarily target rifles for competition and even presented one to Lt. Col. George A. Custer. Later being appointed Superintendent at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, Rigby and his team designed the .303 caliber Lee Enfield, which would serve as the primary battle cartridge for the UK until 1957.Upon forced retirement at age 65, the third John Rigby returned to his family business and went on to develop sporting rifles based on the Mauser 98 and calibers such as the .275 Rigby cartridge. During this time the legendary Rigby Rising Bite guns were invented and went into production. Rigby continued to base his bolt-action rifles on the Mauser 98, even after he lost a large government contract to Mauser in 1912. The relationship between the two companies was always close, and in 1900 Rigby requested Mauser to make a longer 98 action for larger cartridges, thus giving birth to the iconic .416 Rigby in 1911.After the third John Rigby’s death in 1916, the company remained in the Rigby family and in London under Theodore Rigby. Rigby remained strong under Theodore and many of the most iconic Rigby rifles were built under his watch. Between Theodore’s death in 1951 and the present day, Rigby changed hands four times before returning to London in 2010 and restoring all assets where they belonged, in London. In 2013 the L&O Group purchased Rigby and kept

If there is one brand synonymous with safari and sport hunters around the world, it is Rigby.

Rigby is the most romanticized and written about safari brands of all time.

34 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

 Rigby limited edition Heritage Series WDM Bell Rifle

 Sauer S100 Ceratec MINOX

 Mauser K98

all assets and production in London.Today, the Rigby Highland Stalker and Big Game models are still made on a Mauser 98 action built by sister company Mauser. Rigby is stronger than ever and under the leadership of managing director, Marc Newton, Rigby has restored production of the famous Rising Bite Double rifles and shotguns, a piece of Rigby that had been missing for nearly 85 years. With the final piece in place, today’s Rigbys are as great as they have ever been and owning a new one is owning a piece of history, a piece of every great safari ever taken.

The Blaser Group may be the most impressive collection

of sporting firearms ever put together. The histories run deep and cross paths quite a bit prior to L&O compiling the group.

Whether you are looking for the most advanced carbon fiber mountain goat rifle built or something with over a century of proven performance, the Blaser Group companies have you covered. ★ Blaser USA www.blaser-usa.com 210-377-2527 FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 35

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The Ultimate Guide to

Passports & Visas for Africa and Beyond

10 Questions Answered Contributed by www.globalrescue.com/hscf

A traveler is unable to board a flight in Morocco because his passport expires in five months.

A journalist is detained by authorities for entering France with a U.S. emergency passport issued in the United Kingdom.

A businessperson has to return to the U.S. because she lost her passport in the Cape Town airport. She is neither allowed to board the next flight nor allowed entry into South Africa to replace her passport at the U.S. Embassy.

What do all three of these scenarios have in common?

They are all examples of how you could find yourself in a bad situation due to a lack of knowledge surrounding passports and international travel laws.

In comparison, a traveler in India has his passport stolen hundreds of miles from the nearest consulate but boards a flight to the capital where he replaces his passport.

This scenario is an example of finding your way out of a challenging situation by successfully navigating international travel rules and regulations.

From passport applications to renewals and visas, there’s a lot to learn when it comes to the ins and outs of international travel, 38 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

especially as rules and regulations can frequently change. Whether you travel often or you’re just beginning to plan a big trip, below are 10 questions you must ask yourself before you go.

1. DO I KNOW THE COUNTRY’S PASSPORT LAWS AND VISA REQUIREMENTS?

Simply put, international travel is not possible without a passport.

Countries worldwide want to make sure visitors are who they say they are – and a passport serves as an internationally recognizable form of identification.

You and your passport are also subject to the laws of the countries you visit. Just as your pre-trip research should include familiarizing yourself with the laws of the country you’re planning to visit, you should also review the country’s passport and visa requirements.

2. IS MY PASSPORT VALID THROUGH THE PRINTED EXPIRATION DATE?

In the United States, passports are generally valid for 10 years from the date of issue. It does not mean your passport is valid up until the expiration date listed.

Prepare for your safari vacation or adventure travel with these passport and visa tips.

Most countries will not accept foreign visitors unless their passports are valid for six months beyond their scheduled return. If your passport does not meet entry requirements for the country you are visiting, you will not be allowed to check in for your fight.

3. WHAT IS THE PASSPORT RENEWAL PROCESS?

As a general rule, you should renew your passport one year prior to the printed expiration date, especially if you travel often. Travel plans are sometimes made more than a year in advance, which is the ideal time to check the expiration date on your passport – not a week before you intend to depart.

If you find yourself in urgent need of a passport though, there are a few options. Most countries have an expedited passport application and renewal process. A variety of companies also offer to fast track the passport renewal process for varying fees. However, you have the same access to the services these companies are advertising.

While there are extra fees involved for expedited passport renewal, it is less expensive than utilizing a passport expediter company.

In the United States, 25 national passport offices can accelerate the passport application or renewal process. The locations of these offices can be found online.

To get a required appointment at one of these centers, you must have travel plans within two weeks, which you’ll be requested to

prove with an international travel itinerary. Once you arrive, make sure you have all required application or renewal forms completed, proof of citizenship and/or your expired passport, in addition to an appropriate passport photo.

Be sure to closely adhere to passport photo requirements. Due to specific facial recognition programs and protocols, many countries prohibit eyeglasses or smiles in passport photos.

It is a good idea to have multiple copies of your passport photo, as they are often required for additional travel documents such as visas or an international driving permit. If you have extra passport photos with you while you’re traveling, it’s one less thing to worry about if you have to replace a lost passport.

How to get a passport? For more details on getting or renewing a U.S. passport, USA.gov breaks down on their website.

4. DO I NEED A VISA?

While your home country issues your passport, a visa may also be required by the country you’re planning to visit. Whether or not you need a visa to visit a foreign country depends on the country’s immigration laws and international agreements.

A visa defines the purpose of your trip and can often dictate the amount of time you may remain in a certain country. Examples of different kinds of visas include tourist, student and work visas.

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A single entry visa may be valid for up to 90 days or multiple entries and exits over an extended period of time. If a visa is for single entry, research the country’s policy on re-entry ahead of time, especially if you intend to visit multiple countries during your trip with plans to return to the country where you started your trip.

Some countries require a transit visa to land and change planes. The length of a planned layover or nation of origin will determine if a transit visa is required. In addition to being valid for a set time, visas are often only valid for a certain number of entries.

Like the example above, you may have a visa that is valid for 90 days but only one entry. If you depart the country, you will not be allowed to return without applying for a re-entry visa.

In the unlikely case of losing your passport, immediately take these steps:

5. HOW LONG DOES THE VISA PROCESS TAKE?

If you need a visa, start by contacting the embassy or consulate of the country you intend to visit. Confirm any information on their website with a phone call – and remember, you may have to apply for a visa in person at the embassy or through the mail. Some countries do have electronic visa application processing online. You might also be able to obtain a visa on arrival.

A visa on arrival is issued by the country you visit before clearing customs. Upon entry to the country, you will present your passport at customs and an agent will inspect it and ask you any questions before placing a visa in your passport.

In general, visa requirements and the process for obtaining them depends on the length or purpose of your visit and your nationality. Visa processing times can vary from a few hours to several weeks.

Make sure you inquire about the expected processing time – and remember, you will be without your passport during the visa processing time.

Just as there are companies that can speed up the passport processing time, there are also companies that can accelerate the visa process, which can sometimes be more convenient.

When you get your passport back, make sure it’s truly your passport and all of the information on the visa is also yours – and consistent with the information printed in your passport.

What countries require a visa? The U.S. Department of State lists visa requirements for every country in the world online.

6. DO I KNOW THE COUNTRY’S ENTRY REQUIREMENTS?

While it is important to research the entry requirements for any country you plan to visit, it is essential to strictly adhere to them.

Entry requirements can also change frequently and without notice, so keep up to date and follow them closely – even if you’re an experienced traveler.

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The embassy of the country you intend to visit can provide the most up-to-date information regarding entry requirements. The government agency that issues your passport will also have this information.

Global Rescue members have access to personalized advisory services, in addition to detailed destination reports for 215 countries and principalities that include entry requirements and information related to any recommended immunizations. To learn more about membership benefits, visit www.globalrescue.com/hscf0919.

Entry requirements can vary per country, but some specific requirements include your passport expiration date and the number of blank pages you have in your book. Additionally, details on the purpose of your trip and length of your visit, as well as proof of immunizations and sufficient funds may also be required.

Below are some examples of entry requirements for American citizens:

TANZANIA

A passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond visa issuance and/or date of entry and at least one blank visa page.

Visitors who enter on visas must present a roundtrip ticket and demonstrate they have sufficient funds for their stay.

Visas are required for U.S. citizens traveling to Tanzania. Foreign nationals may apply for a visa online in advance of travel. If the e-visa is approved, the applicant will receive a “grant notice” via email. Present a copy of the grant notice to the immigration officer on arrival at the airport in Tanzania.

U.S. citizens may also obtain a tourist visa upon arrival at the airport in Tanzania. The cost is $100 USD. Be prepared to pay in cash as connectivity issues can make electronic transactions impossible.

Should you travel to Zanzibar, be prepared to show your passport and explain your visa status upon entering, departing, or traveling around the mainland.

Yellow fever vaccination is required for all travelers arriving from, or having transited through, countries where yellow fever is endemic. Direct arrivals from non-endemic countries, including all countries in Europe and North America, are usually not required to show a yellow fever vaccination certificate.

RWANDA

A passport valid for six months after entry into the country.

You must obtain a visa before traveling or secure a 30-day tourist visa at port of entry for $30 USD. Credit cards are not accepted at all land border crossings.

If entering from the countries listed on the Rwandan Immigration website, a World Health Organization (WHO) card with yellow fever vaccination is required.

Dual citizenship is legally recognized in Rwanda. However, the U.S. Embassy recommends U.S. citizens enter using their U.S. passport.

To extend your visa, contact the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration in Kigali within 15 days of arrival.

7. WHAT IF MY PASSPORT IS EXPIRED BUT I HAVE A VALID VISA?

If you renew your passport but have a valid visa in the expired passport, you should carry both your expired and your renewed passports while traveling—in addition to contacting the consulate of the country where you will travel. The country may require you to apply for an extended visa, where you may still need the expired passport that contains the original visa for the extended visa.

8. WHAT IF I HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP OR MULTIPLE PASSPORTS?

Many countries allow individuals to have dual citizenship. When you have multiple passports, it is crucial to enter and leave on the same passport. Before providing an exit stamp, the customs agent will look for the following items: when, where and how you entered the country. If there is no entry stamp though, you are not legally in that country and showing a second valid passport can cause unnecessary delays and scrutiny.

For example, if you have a New Zealand passport and a U.S. passport and you live in the United States, do not begin a trip from the U.S. with your New Zealand passport. If you do, customs will ask to see your entry stamp to the United States – which can quickly cause unnecessary delays.

Checking in for flights or at hotels may also be difficult if multiple passports are used for making reservations and checking in.

9. CAN I HAVE TWO PASSPORTS?

If you frequently travel to countries with extended visa application processing times, you can apply for a duplicate passport. A duplicate passport will allow you to travel while the other passport is being processed for a visa. You might also require a duplicate passport if you’re traveling to countries that deny entry to travelers with specific country entry stamps.

Many countries allow their citizens to have multiple passports for various reasons.

For example, official or diplomatic passports often have different laws, regulations and requirements.

country’s embassy or consulate too.

Always keep your passport in a safe yet accessible place while traveling. Keep it separate from other identifying documents like your driver’s license, as it’s less likely you will lose all of these items at once.

Consider keeping electronic copies of vital documents like your driver’s license too—the more indenting information you have on hand, the easier the replacement process will be if something happens to your passport.

TO RECAP, THE 10 QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF ARE: • • • • • • • • • •

Do I know the country’s passport laws and visa requirements?

Is my passport valid through the printed expiration date?

What is the passport renewal process?

Do I need a visa?

How long does the visa process take?

Do I know the country’s entry requirements?

What if my passport is expired but I have a valid visa?

What if I have dual citizenship or multiple passports?

Can I have two passports?

Should I carry my passport with me?

Even if you’ve done your due diligence surrounding passports and visas, unfortunate events can still happen. For example, losing your passport while traveling internationally is a significant inconvenience.

All of your travel plans will come to an end as replacing your passport will need to become your number one priority.

The process to replace a lost passport may vary slightly from country to country but in general, as soon as you realize your passport has been lost or stolen, you should notify the police.

If you are a victim of a serious crime, the embassy or consulate should also be contacted in addition to the police as soon as possible.

Ideally, after receiving a police report, your next step is to contact the embassy and consulate to confirm the replacement process. You may have to extend your stay until the embassy is open or an appointment becomes available.

The type of passport you receive depends on the amount of identifying documents you have and the amount of time you have before you need a passport for travel.

A replacement passport valid for 10 years takes longer to process than an emergency passport, which has limited validity. Many countries will not accept an emergency passport issued abroad for entry purposes, due to the fact that it is issued under an abbreviated process.

With that in mind, make sure you fully understand where you are allowed to travel with your replacement or emergency passport.

Many countries will detain you as well as deny entry for entering without valid entry documents.

In the end, understanding the procedures to replace a lost passport will make the overall process a lot less stressful. ★

The more indenting information you have on hand, the easier the replacement process will be if something happens to your passport.

10. SHOULD I CARRY MY PASSPORT WITH ME?

Before stepping out, be sure you know whether or not you are in a country that requires foreigners to have their passport on them at all times.

If so, make sure your passport is kept in a secure pocket or pouch and not in a backpack or briefcase, as these items can easily be lost or stolen. Be sure and protect your passport from becoming mutilated or wet, as these damages can invalidate your passport.

Keep both paper and electronic copies of your passport. It’s also a good idea to keep a copy of the visa and country entry stamp.

Write down or memorize your passport number, date of issue and date of expiration, as this information is frequently required when traveling. While you’re writing, list out contact information for your

This article was contributed by Global Rescue, the world’s leading membership organization providing medical, security, evacuation, travel risk and crisis management services. Visit www.globalrescue/hsfc0919 to learn more about Global Rescue.

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 41

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FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 43

Fast Fliers BY SCOTT LEYSATH

Quail with Tequila-Lime Barbecue Sauce

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or most of us, the dove opener signals the start of the new hunting season.

Oh sure, it’s hot and we’re hoping that there isn’t a dramatic weather change the day before, but there’s no stopping us, rain or shine. The majority of dove cookers will remove the breasts, soak them in marinade and wrap them in some form of jalapeño, cheese (or cream cheese) and bacon “poppers.” The reason this is such a popular recipe across the U.S. is because it tastes really good. Salty, crispy and just enough heat, but I’m thinking that some folks do it because it disguises the taste of dove.

To me, a dove that has been cooked beyond medium temperature can be a bit gamey. The same dove cooked rare or medium-rare is much milder in flavor. I’m guessing that the reason so many people do the popper thing is because they have sampled an overcooked dove or two and just didn’t care for it. Once you soak it and wrap it, it is much more forgiving if overcooked. The victory to some is that “it doesn’t even taste like dove.”

When cooking whole doves or quail, the joint between the thigh and body should be just a tad pink. If you come across a recipe that instructs you to cook them until the juices run clear, the person writing the recipe has never cooked a quail or dove. They’re not chickens. They have almost no fat.

So, what to do? First, you brine them in a mild solution of 1/2 gallon of water and 1/2 cup each of kosher salt (or any coarse salt) and brown sugar. If all you have on hand is table salt, only use 1/3 cup of the salt or the cooked birds will be too salty. Soak them for a few hours, pat dry and start your recipe.

The brine will add moisture to the birds but use less salt when you season them since the brine adds a little salty flavor as well.

Keep in mind that packing a mess of quail around in your game vest on a hot, sweaty day will not improve the flavor of the cooked birds. Nor will leaving your doves in a pile on the ground or in a bucket. When I get a minute between flights, I like to crack the birds open at the bottom of the breastbone and remove the guts. Then place them in an unsealed bag in the cooler and allow them to cool quicker. When hunting quail, stop by the truck and unload your quail into a cooler, grab a cold drink and head back out with the hope of getting a few more.

SMOKED OR GRILLED QUAIL WITH TEQUILALIME BARBECUE SAUCE Adjust the barbecue sauce to suit your own taste.

4 servings

• • • • • • •

8 whole quail 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup orange juice 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 green onions, minced 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Tequila-Lime Barbecue Sauce • 3 tablespoons butter • 1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped • 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic • 1/3 cup ketchup • 1/3 cup tequila

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1. Combine quail with next six ingredients. Cover and marinate for 6 to 12 hours.

2. Prepare barbecue sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan.

Add onion and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent.

Combine remaining ingredients and add to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and reduce for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce should be reduced to the consistency of thin ketchup.

3. Remove quail from marinade. Grill or smoke and baste with sauce just before removing from grill.

Drizzle additional warm sauce over before serving.

HOT QUAIL

If you’ve spent some time in Nashville, you probably caught wind of a dish called “Hot Chicken.” It comes in a few levels of spicy heat and it’s best to check out several online reviews before deciding where to get your first bite. What is mild to some is screaming hot to others. This recipe has been adjusted.

4 quail

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 large eggs 2 cups buttermilk or whole milk 1 tablespoon Tabasco or Texas Pete 1 cup all-purpose flour Vegetable oil 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika White bread and sliced pickles for serving

1. Toss quail with black pepper and half of the salt. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

2. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Whisk flour and remaining salt in another large bowl.

3. Fit a Dutch oven with thermometer; pour in oil to measure two inches. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 325 degrees. Pat quail dry. Working with one piece at a time, dredge in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then dip in buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Dredge again in flour mixture and place on a baking sheet.

4. Fry quail, turning occasionally, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a clean wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Let oil cool slightly.

5. Whisk cayenne, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a medium bowl; carefully whisk in 1/4 cup frying oil.

Brush fried quail with spicy oil. Serve with bread and pickles.

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Hot Quail

Dove, Mango and Bacon

46 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ FALL 2019

Dove Ravioli with Tomato-Basil Vinaigrette DOVE, MANGO AND BACON

This recipe also works with all upland game breast fillets, duck breasts and antlered game. Cooking the bacon half-way makes it crunchier when cooked and keeps the dove breasts from overcooking while waiting for the bacon to crisp up.

• • • • • • • • • • •

16 – 20 boneless dove breasts 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon Tabasco 1 slightly underripe mango 12 – 15 strips bacon cut in half and partially cooked small wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

1. Combine olive oil in a bowl with next 6 ingredients. Add dove breasts, cover and marinade for 2 to 3 hours. Remove breasts from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Peel and seed mango and cut into strips. Lay out bacon strips. On each strip lay a slice of mango and a dove breast. Wrap snugly with bacon and secure with a toothpick.

2. Grill or broil until bacon is done and dove breasts are rare to medium-rare.

DOVE RAVIOLI WITH TOMATO-BASIL VINAIGRETTE Ravioli made easier with store-bought wonton wrappers

• 10 –12 dove breast halves, skin and rib cages removed, seasoned with salt and pepper, broiled until rare and then cooled • 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese grated • 1/3 cup ricotta cheese

• • • • • • •

2 garlic cloves minced 1/4 cup yellow onion chopped 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs 40 round won ton wrappers 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with equal part cold water shredded parmesan cheese

Vinaigrette • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar • 1/2 cup olive oil • 1 cup ripe tomato chopped • 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped • salt and pepper 1. Add cooked and cooled dove breasts to a food processor and pulse until cut into pea-sized pieces. Add next 6 ingredients and pulse until ingredients are finely minced, but not obliterated.

2. Prepare vinaigrette, whisk the first 3 ingredients together in a medium bowl. Slowly add oil while whisking. Whisk in tomato and basil and season with salt and pepper.

3. To make ravioli, place one won ton wrapper on a flat surface and spread a thin layer of the cornstarch mixture around the outside edges. Place a small blob of filling in the center of the disc, about the diameter of a 50-cent piece and about 1/4-inch high. Place a second won ton wrapper on top of the filling and gently press the edges of the top wrapper onto the moistened edges of the bottom wrapper. Place the finished raviolis into a gently boiling pot of lightly salted water. Use plenty of water and don’t crowd the pot with too many raviolis at a time. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until raviolis are tender and translucent. To serve, place 8 to 10 raviolis on a plate and spoon room temperature sauce over. Top with shredded cheese. ★ FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 47

CHANGING THE WAY YOU BUY OPTICS!

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or the past four years, TRACT Optics has been doing things differently. Period.

As an optics company producing highend Binoculars and Riflescopes, we have created a business model that makes your experience a top priority. The direct to consumer model cuts out the middleman and gives you a higher quality, more precise optic that is hundreds of dollars less than comparable product sold through retail stores.

The founders of TRACT Optics, Jon Allen and Jon LaCorte, spent their entire careers in the optics industry. They set out to build the

finest line of hunting optics without making any sacrifices or letting any barriers get in their way.

The result is a complete line of superior optics with unique specifications and features found only in the very high-end of the optical market.

“I am sure there are people who think we are crazy for trying to start our own company in the already saturated optics market,” said CoFounder Jon LaCorte, “But this is a different kind of company with a different way of doing business and in many ways we think it’s the future of product purchases in America.”

Award Winning TORIC UHD Binoculars Our Flagship TORIC Binoculars have been categorized as the best value in premium optics.

They feature TRACT’s Ultra High Definition technology which maximizes all of the elements that are part of the optical system, including industry leading SCHOTT HT (High Transmission) Glass, an Extra Low Dispersion lens, Flat Multi-coating, High Reflection Dielectric Coated and Phase Correction Coated Prisms for increased brightness and sharpness.

YOU HAVE OPTIONS:

The enhanced ocular diameter of the TORIC provides greater resolution, a wider field of view and longer eye relief while minimizing the blackout that occurs with improper eye position.

These key optical features in a sleek design and Super-tough rubber armored body make TORIC binoculars easy to pack and extremely durable.

IPX7 Rating - Fully waterproof to a depth of three meters for 30 minutes and Fogproof using O-Ring seals and purged with Argon gas which has a higher resistance to temperature change.

The TORIC 12.5x50 mounted on a Tripod make it an essential tool for the western hunter

8x42 – Features a wide field of view & large exit pupil make it an excellent choice for heavily wooded area where low light performance is key - $714 10x42 – A superb midto long range optic for locating game - $724 12.5x50 – An excellent long range choice for those wide-open western hunts - $794

SCHOTT HT Glass Deliver Superior Light Transmission Values

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 49

“The TORIC 10x42 performed immaculately hunting Ibex is Spain. My guides had high dollar European optics and we’re amazed that I was spotting Ibex in the varied terrain with my relatively small binoculars (compared to theirs). Keep up the great work!”

—COKE WALLACE Master Guide 172 Alaska

TORIC UHD Riflescopes TORIC Scopes Are Built in Japan with Precision Components by one of the leading optical manufacturers in the world.

The TORIC UHD riflescopes also utilizes SCHOTT HT Glass, ED (Extra Low Dispersion) objective lens and fully multicoated optical system that provides incredibly sharp, bright images with superior light transmission values.

YOUR CHOICES INCLUDE: 2-10x42 – Close to Medium range is where this TORIC scope shines. This 18.6 oz. lightweight scopes provides a super wide field of view for close or running shots yet plenty of power to reach out and touch that buck stepping across the powerline.

3-15x42 – At home on any rifle. Short to long range capabilities while keeping the overall weight (20 oz.) and size to a minimum without sacrificing performance. A great choice for open plains or high mountain hunts.

3-15x50 – A great choice for short to long range shots especially in extremely low light such as food plots, bean fields and senderos.

50 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

High Profile Turret Kit with Zero Stop & Lock Included with each TORIC UHD 1” Scope

“My TORIC gives me that extra boost of confidence when I head out into the field. I rely on it to perform in lowlight situations, as well as tough, tricky angles.

Whether it’s chasing Aoudads in the canyons of Texas, rattling in Whitetail or hunting hogs at dusk, I know that my TORIC will perform.”

—ALEX BRAMAN

TORIC UHD 30MM Riflescopes Quickly Becoming the New Standard in Long-Range Shooting Long range shots require precision in every aspect of the word. Your ability to see detail and make adjustments with confidence knowing your scope will track perfectly makes all the difference. The TORIC UHD 30mm long range scopes deliver with cutting edge optical and mechanical perfection.

Unheard of Features at $1,294: • TRACT Ultra High Definition optical system • SCHOTT HT Glass – Improved image quality and superior Light transmission values especially in the blue and violet spectrum with outstanding color brilliance as compared with respective glass types and suppliers • ED Lens – minimizes color fringing providing ultra-sharp images especially in low light at the higher magnifications.

• Ultra-Versatile 4-20x50 (5x zoom range) Locking Turret with Multi Rotation Zero Stop features 20 MOA/10 MRAD per rotation • FFP Glass Etched MOA, MRAD or MRAD PRS reticle options with matching adjustment values • Illuminated reticle with 11 intensity settings and on/off positions between each setting • Side Focus Parallax Adjustment focuses from 25 yards to Infinity • Includes 3” sunshade • Sniper Grey Color with Type III anodizing

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 51

“The TORIC Ultra HD 30mm was spot-on in our tracking test at the range… it was phenomenal on how well it tracked. The glass is some of the best, if not ‘the’ best, glass I’ve ever looked through in a scope.”

—CURT VAUGHN Vaughn Precision

AVAILABLE MODELS INCLUDE: 4-20x50 MOA/MOA - This MOA reticle is specifically designed for the Long Range hunter. The MOA based reticle and matching adjustments provide the accuracy and precision to make long distances only a number.

The MOA (Minute of Angle) reticle is broken up into 1 MOA increments with larger hash marks indicating 5 MOA increments while the upper vertical and both horizontal ends of the reticle are marked in .5 MOA increments making the MOA reticle and incredibly versatile design.

4-20X50 MRAD/MRAD – This 30mm FFP MRAD (Miliradian) reticle is specifically designed to allow the shooter to measure targets to determine the distance and then make corrections by either dialing or using the reticle for bullet drop compensation.

4-20X50 MRAD PRS Reticle - New for 2019 – The MRAD PRS reticle has all the most sought after features in a long range “Christmas Tree” style reticle. If extreme Long Range and PRS style shooting is your game, this First Focal Plane (FFP) MRAD PRS reticle with 1/10 MRAD adjustments a floating center dot and .2 MIL windage correction holds make it a must have.

52 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

Reticle shown at 20x and at 4x (Illumination is on)

The MRAD reticle is broken up into .5 Miliradian increments with larger hash marks indicating 1 Mil increments while the upper vertical and both horizontal ends of the reticle are marked in .1 Mil increments

New MRAD PRS Reticle features a .04 MRAD Floating Center Dot does not obscure the target while still providing a precise aiming point.

Impact Ballistic Program The Impact Ballistic program allows you to match your specific cartridge to any of the TRACT riflescope reticles, providing Bullet Drop Compensation (BDC) for long-range accuracy and precision in a simple and easy-touse online program. Simply select your scope, caliber and actual round of ammunition— or select the bullet and enter muzzle velocity for handloads. The program processes the data, calculating the distances related to the dots or hash marks in the scope’s reticle.

Additional features include the ability to change sight settings, atmospheric condition adjustments, load comparisons, ballistic/ dope charts, printable ballistic cards, windage correction tool and much more. With more than 7,800 ammunition and bullet records the Impact Ballistic Program is one of the most comprehensive ballistic databases available.

TRACT CUSTOM TURRETS All TRACT Riflescopes feature our Impact Custom Turret capability which provides the ability to have a custom turret engraved to match your specific cartridge or handload. We have teamed up with Kenton Industries to offer precision engraved adjustment knobs for every TRACT riflescope. With the rapidly growing movement of long range shooting, our web based Impact Ballistic Resource Program allows the user to match their specific load the any of the Impact BDC reticles saving time and ammo at the range and maximizing your long range capability.

LIFETIME WARRANTY Plus, the TRACT Trust Assurance guarantees the functionality of the product for the duration

Match-up Your Favorite 6.5 Creedmoor Round with The Impact Program to Eliminate The Guess Work!

of its lifetime whether you’re the original owner or not. We believe your experience is our responsibility.

COMPLETE OPTICS RESOURCE TRACT’s comprehensive, educational website will serve as a resource for the optics Community through blogs, videos and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

PERSONAL OPTIC OUTFITTING AT ITS BEST The heart and soul of TRACT Optics lies in bridging the gap between the manufacturer and you. Now, let us take it a step further by personally helping you prepare for your next big hunting trip or shooting adventure.

Visit www.TractOptics.com to CHAT live with Jon or Jon or give them a call at 631-662-7354 to assist you in selecting and accessorizing the best optical set-up!

Proudly located at 119 North Duke Street, Hummelstown, PA 17036

Extraordinary Optics.

No Retail Mark-up. Direct To You. FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 53

TORIC UHD BINNOCULAR

REDEFINING

HIGH DEFINITION

TORIC 12.5x50

NEW FOR 2019

Combining TRACT’s Ultra High Definition technology, a sleek design and a super-tough rubber armored body, the TORIC is a must-have binocular that is both easy to pack and extremely durable. Now available in 12.5x50 for the western hunter looking for extraordinary low-light performance while glassing at long distances.

SCHOTT HT GLASS

The highest quality SCHOTT HT Glass for superior light transmission in extreme low light conditions.

LOCKING DIOPTER

No need to worry about it inadvertently moving while in the field

PHASE CORRECTION/ DIELECTRIC COATED PRISMS For increased detail resolution and enhanced brightness

FLAT MULTI-COATING

TRIPOD ADAPTABLE

For steady, long-distance glassing in western terrain

ED (EXTRA LOW DISPERSION) LENS

Reduces chromatic aberration for clearer and sharper images.

NON-ED

ED

Increases light transmission over a wider spectrum of light and provides true color rendition

AVAILABLE MODELS 12.5x50 .......... $794 10x42 ............. $724 8x42............... $714

CALL US AT: 631-662-7354 | CHAT WITH US online @ TRACToptics.com 54 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

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worldwidetrophyadventures.com

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 55

GRADUATION SOUTH AFRICA is still one of the best family hunting destinations on earth

By Tim Herald IN EARLY JUNE MY TWIN SONS, WILL AND DREW, graduated from high school. As a graduation present and family vacation, we planned a trip to South Africa for early July with the boys being the primary hunters; my wife Alka and I would be observers. We had all been to Africa when the boys were 12 years old, but we just did a little hunting and a lot of touring—this would be more of a real hunting trip for them.

We decided on two outfitters I work closely with in the Eastern Cape. We planned to spend a week at each camp; the first week my old friend, Lee Britt, his wife and three kids decided to join us for the hunt.

We all arrived in Port Elizabeth and drove the short two hours to camp. Though I have been to Africa 29 times, I had never been to the Eastern Cape, and the rugged mountains were much larger than I had expected. The area was absolutely beautiful.

The next morning, we all went to the shooting range to let the kids get accustomed to our loaner rifles before hunting, and then we loaded up and went to Addo Elephant National Park for a few hours. It was a great way for the kids to see some of the animals we would be hunting to familiarize themselves with the different species; of course, seeing lots of elephants is always a treat. We got back to camp in mid-afternoon, got our gear organized, spent some time around the fire and had a wonderful dinner.

Our hosts were the Jordaan family, Karen, Tollie, Pieter and Paul, and they could not have been more gracious. For younger kids, nonhunting wives or observers, I really don’t think this location can be beat. The chalets are over-the-top nice, food is incredible, and the Jordaan family’s main focus is on families and youth hunters.

Each of my boys had a top three on their wish list for the trip, 56 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

SAFARI

Will and Drew glassing for kudu

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and Will’s was understandably kudu. We started out on our first hunting day to odd weather conditions with rain, wind, temperatures that never got out of the 50s—just an overall nasty day. We saw plenty of animals, and a number of kudu, but our PH Pieter was particular and wanted to find Will a really nice old bull.

We hunted hard through periods of rain, hail, mixed sunshine, and wind, and at about 3 p.m., Pieter glassed up a couple of waterbuck bulls in some thick bush way up on a mountainside.

He told me if anyone wanted a waterbuck, there was a very good one standing under a big tree—and the wind was right.

Drew immediately said he was in on the waterbuck, so the three of us pulled our hoods up and began a stalk around the rock strewn mountainside. We eventually got to about 260 yards and we could see the big bull standing broadside facing off the mountain; he simply looked miserable. A 20 mph wind was hitting him, cold steady rain was coming down, and the old buck kept his eyes closed to the elements half the time.

We had good cover so we crawled up another 60 yards; there was a gully in front of us we couldn’t cross without being detected, so Pieter put up the sticks. Drew got on the bull, and after a bit of discussion of shot placement, he squeezed the trigger. I was dialed in watching through my 10x42 Swarovski EL Range, and I could see the water fly off of his shoulder at the bullet’s strike. He made a couple of short hops and went down.

On approach, Drew put a final shot in him, and I must say that I was blown away. I have been around some very good waterbucks, but this thing just looked monstrous to me. I didn’t want to say a whole lot, possibly be wrong and look like an amateur, but I really thought it was a very special animal. Pieter was excited, but I really knew something was up when we pulled into the skinning shed and Tollie came out. He couldn’t hide his enthusiasm, and eventually, though none of us are into inches and score, the guys had to measure Drew’s bull. The tape stretched to 32 ¼ inches, and Tollie told us that was the biggest bull they had taken in 35 years. Not only was it long, but the mass was fantastic and held all the way up. This was a serious first animal of the trip.

The next day we were back after kudu, and we put in 8.8 miles on foot chasing bulls through the hills. We didn’t get a shot on either of the big bulls we saw, but we did find a small group of eland bulls high on the mountain in mid-afternoon, and we began a long steep climb. I have a bit of an eland obsession, and that was the only animal I was much interested in for myself. We got to 409 yards, and the bulls were feeding across a canyon, and we couldn’t 58 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

SIDEBAR I When I hunt Africa, I am generally closer to the equator than we were in the Eastern Cape, and generally, it is hot. On this trip, it was anything but hot and we had mornings below zero, we dealt with a lot of 20-35mph wind, and on a couple of days heavy rain and hail. As usual, I was outfitted head to toe in KUIU, and I had my boys setup as well. All the gear performed well, but this was the first trip I had worn the Axis Hybrid jacket, and I was overly impressed. The Axis is a true hybrid, combining fabrics and technologies to provide a garment that is more versatile and performs better in a wide range of temperature and moisture conditions. The Toray high stretch face fabric is bonded to a midweight fleece backer for added warmth, with strategic waterproof paneling in the hood, shoulders, and tops of arms. The fabric is soft and quiet, has incredible stretch, and provides protection from the elements while regulating body temperature. This jacket has waterproof panels on shoulders, chest and arms, but I was out in torrential downpours for over an hour at a time, and I stayed bone dry. This is my new “go to” jacket for most situations.

SIDEBAR II My absolute favorite bullet for plainsgame animals from impala up to eland is the Cutting Edge Bullets’ Lazer. It is available in a wide variety of calibers and is a high BC, tipped hollow point hunting bullet designed for excellent long range accuracy and devastating terminal performance. These bullets are all manufactured out of lead-free, solid copper bar stock on a CNC Swiss style lathe. Because of the precise manufacturing process, they are guaranteed to be within .2 grain (for calibers .308 and under) and .4 grain (for calibers over .308) weight deviation between bullets in a given box.

These bullets do not mushroom, but instead, fracture.

After 1-2 inches of penetration, three large petals will break off and radiate outward in a star pattern while the base continues through for even deeper penetration. Believe me when I say the performance on animals is simply devastating.

I have taken animals of dozens of species all over the world with CEBs, and I have always had fantastic results.

Will, Tim and Drew with Will’s dream Cape kudu bull

The family having an incredible time on safari FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 59

cut the distance anymore. I found a huge rock where I could get bipods setup and a very steady rest, and I found the ancient old blue bull in my scope. I slowly squeezed the trigger. The bull jumped straight up and I knew the shot was true. He began stumbling immediately, and the goliath antelope was soon rolling end-over-end down the steep mountainside.

He lodged in a deep drain, and it was all we could do to prop him up for a few photos. Then Pieter called in a group of about 15 other folks to help cut him up and get him off the mountain.

Eland is my favorite red meat on earth, and I was thrilled to know we would have some of the delicious meat to eat later in the week.

Come to find out, Lee had also killed a big bull eland earlier in the day, so we had literally filled a large walk-in freezer.

Dawn of the next day found us on a high ridge overlooking a valley choked with brightly blooming aloe plants. Pieter said kudu often fed in the bottom during the night and would work their way up the mountain to bed during the morning. Within 30 minutes we found a big bull pushing around a harem of cows like he was in full rut, and we began a game of cat and mouse that ended with us walking over four miles up and down the rocky hills in three and a half hours, before we were finally able to see the bull’s horns shining in the late morning sun, about 250 yards above us in a thick patch of aloes.

There was no shot, so Pieter and Will began a slow stalk to get closer and find a good shooting angle; Drew and I trailed behind to stay out of the way. Finally the sticks went up, Will got the rifle set, and Drew and I slipped up just behind them. Pieter had a small hole for Will to shoot through—the bull was at just over 160 yards feeding. At the shot, we all heard a WHACK of the bullet finding its mark, and Pieter assured Will he had made a good shot. The kudu bulldozed down the hill about 30 yards and was DOA when we got to him.

He was a wonderful example of a wide, old Cape kudu, and was an animal Will had wanted to hunt since he was a very little boy. I have never seen him so excited, and it was a special time for all of us. I was glad he had had to work hard for a few days, walking well over 13 miles in total before he was successful, as it is always better to earn a special trophy like that. It was noon. We took the best photos we could and took the beautiful bull back to be skinned.

Over the next few days, we put a lot of time looking for a bushbuck for Drew, as that was his number one animal. He has always been fascinated with the beautiful little spiral horns, but although we looked at 101 bushbucks, we never found one that Pieter liked as a good trophy. One evening we saw over 50 in a group of irrigated alfalfa fields.

Alka had gone to the grocery and bought groceries for an orphanage that the Jordaans sponsor, and one morning our family and Lee’s son, Jack, went a delivered them and visited with the kids and ladies that run the home. At lunch, Tollie told Alka if she would shoot an impala, he would have the meat processed and take it all to the kids as well. My wife had not ever shot an animal in the 26plus years I have known her, but this was the incentive she needed.

Soon after lunch, we were stalking a group of about 30 impalas with one decent ram keeping the ladies in line. We made it to 210 yards pretty easily, but Alka had trouble finding the ram in her scope as she is right-handed but left-eye dominant.

I kept ranging the ram through my Swaros as Pieter coached Alka,

and finally, she said she could see the ram. He was at 296 yards, and to my complete surprise, when the shot rang out, I saw the bullet hit perfectly on the shoulder; the ram made one leap and was done.

She made a great shot, especially since she later admitted she used the wrong eye! She was excited, I was excited, Pieter was excited, and the boys were pretty pumped up when they ran up to meet us.

As we all relived the stalk and shot and took photos, we could hear a zebra calling around a point of the mountain. Will’s two remaining priority animals were zebra and warthog, so about an hour and mile later, we were taking photos of him and a beautiful Burchell’s zebra. That was a wonderful way to end our first week and visit with the Jordaans, and Alka had become a hunter.

We switched camps the next morning and settled into my good friend Andrew Pringle’s camp in the mountains of the Bansviaar River Conservancy after a superb lunch of shephard’s pie and fresh salad. Andrew has set himself apart from most outfitters in south Africa by only hunting 100 percent free-range areas with no high fences. I had taken super nyala, bushbuck and bushpig with him the last year in his northern conservancy, and I was really looking forward to hunting on his 450,000 acres in the Eastern Cape.

Will took an old black wildebeest just before dark on that first day to kick things off. The next day we hunted kudu, bushbuck and warthog with no luck. Will actually missed a warthog at 38 yards in the late afternoon as the boar trotted straight at us and our PH Paul Kruger stopped it before he ran right into us. The boys had decided they both had “curse animals”; Will’s being the warthog and Drew’s bushbuck. Andrew and Paul both told them to hang in there, hunt hard, and it would happen.

Before lunch the next day, Will took a nice impala ram, and the following day, Drew made a heck of a standing shot off the sticks at 310 yards on an old Cape kudu bull. Our focus definitely became warthog and bushbuck at this point.

The next morning dawned cool and clear, and the sun made the red dirt and rocks of the Eastern Cape glow with a warm hue. Paul took us to an area that was literally overrun with warthogs, and we could see over 20 on one hillside.

He found a decent boar (as we had all decided the first mature boar we could find was a target), and over the hill he and Will went.

Five minutes later a shot rang out, and I saw pigs running in every direction. Paul took his beagle Cruiser everywhere with us, so he came back and turned Cruiser loose. Within seconds he was in a ditch on top of the pig virtually expired from Will’s shot.

As had happened a couple of times on this trip, we saw a herd of eland on a distant hillside as we were taking pictures of Will and hit pig. Though they were about a mile and a half away, the huge antelope seemingly glowed in the sun as they fed in a large, green, grassy area, and Paul and I both thought we could make out a big bull.

Soon after, Paul, Will, tracker CT, Cruiser and I were huffing it up the valley toward the eland. I told Will if we got in a perfect position, I would let him shoot, but anything less, and I was the hunter. I did not want to spend an entire day following a wounded eland, and since we were using Paul’s .280, I wanted to be very careful with shots.

When we got close, we had to crawl through about 50 yards of very dense brush on hands and knees. As soon as we stood up, Paul spotted eland about 80 yards out, and the big bull was looking back at us. Paul said, “It’s the one horned bull, and he’s about

About an hour before dark, I spotted a lone ram on an open hillside over 1,200 yards away; we figured it was a long shot, but we had to try.

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The Herald’s with Tim’s old blue eland

to go,” and I brought the rifle up as the bull began to trot away. I moved instinctively and my shot hit the bull a bit back, but he was quartering away. The bull barreled straight down the hill through very dense thorn brush, and Paul, Will and I tip-toed after him as CT and Cruiser flanked around and down.

Suddenly Paul pointed below us and I could see the eland’s massive head and neck in a small opening as he was looking to the left.

I quickly put one in his neck, finishing him instantly where he lay, and the hunt was over.

It was indeed an old one horned bull, and he had a serious reputation in the area. He was generally the boss of a big herd, and he had been around for a long time. Andrew told us that night that he had personally missed that bull himself over 12 years before. When we spoke with the property owner that night, he said that no one had seen the bull in well over six months, and they figured he had finally died of natural causes. He was the perfect bull for me as I only care about age, and horn length means nothing at all. I just love to hunt old eland bulls.

So with two animals down, we obviously planned to hunt bushbuck in the evening. We went high into the mountains and glassed the hillsides where thickly choked draws met grassy hillsides. We saw four or five rams, and at least three were nice trophies, but they were all running away. We had no chance.

About an hour before dark, I spotted a lone ram on an open hillside over 1,200 yards away; we figured it was a long shot, but we had to try. We began a descent down a long hill trying to get below and in front of the feeding ram. When we were a bit over halfway down, Paul suddenly halted, and threw up his binoculars.

He immediately pointed to a thicket in front of us, and said, “Nice bushbuck ram! Drew, you are going to have to shoot from here.”

As he got Drew into a shooting position on bipods, I found the dark spot on the opposite hill and ranged it at 402 yards. I could tell it was a bushbuck ram standing broadside facing right, but no way I could judge horns. PH’s have some incredible eyes!

Finally, all was set, and Drew pulled the trigger. I should say he jerked the trigger, but thankfully the safety was still on. Paul and I both whispered, “Squeeze,” almost in unison, and to my absolute amazement, when the rifle cracked, the bushbuck jumped straight up kicking his back legs, as we heard the bullet hit its mark. I just couldn’t believe he had made that shot on such a small target.

CT and Cruiser took off as we stayed and marked the opening where we had seen the buck. Soon after Cruiser began barking, and Paul and Drew took off as well. I made my way at a slower pace, and then heard a rifle shot and Cruiser went silent. When Paul and Drew had gotten there, the bushbuck had lunged at CT with its sharp horns, and Cruiser had it bayed up. Drew’s shot was about four inches back, but the ram was tough and not giving up until he was able to put another one in him from only a few yards away as Cruiser kept his attention.

What an incredible day! Both the boys had taken their “curse animals,” I had taken a massive old eland bull, and Alka had been with us all day. We decided right then and there that we would end our hunt on a high note that may never be matched in our family, even though we had a couple of days left.

We went back to Port Elizabeth, bought groceries for an orphanage that Andrew and his wife Julia support, and just took it easy. We drove down the beautiful coastline and walked on the huge dunes and beach at Sardinia Bay, we visited another nature reserve and we ate plenty of wonderful seafood before we had to say our goodbyes and head back to the US. I have been on some wonderful safaris and been blessed to hunt all the dangerous seven and dozens of other African species, but I am honestly not sure it is possible for me to ever go on a more meaningful safari than this one with my family.

My boys’ graduation present was a wonderful gift for all of us. ★ Tim Herald is an owner/consultant of Worldwide Trophy Adventures (www.worldwidetrophyadventures.com), and may be reached to help book a trip to Africa or anywhere else at tim@trophyadventures.com.

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HUMAYANS TOMB

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Explore

INDIA

with Esplanade Travel TAJ MAHAL, AGRA

I

ndia: a country that is beautiful and enchanting in its diversity, culture, and history. A trip there is a big undertaking, and Esplanade Travel’s President, Jacky Keith advises planning at least two, if not three, weeks in India.

It is a large country with millions of people in every corner. From ancient sites to the Ganges River, Khajuraho with its explicit statuary, the tiger reserves, to the capital city of New Delhi, it is certain to leave a lasting impression. You can drive for hours through farmland and see the most beautiful saris in the world, each a different color. The people could not be more helpful and friendly and the hotels and lodges are of the highest standard.

And of course, Jacky’s highest accolade to give: “The tiger viewing is simply magic!”

HOW TO GET THERE

Wondering how to get to India from the United States? Air India makes it easy with nonstop flights to New Delhi from Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C, and from Newark to Mumbai.

If you are not located near one of these cities you might want to consider flying with Emirates. They operate both non-stop flights and flights via Dubai to multiple cities in India that include Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and more. Emirates conveniently flies from Houston as well as many other U.S. cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and more.

JACKY AND BILL ON ELEPHANT BACK

As mentioned, plan for two weeks in country, three if you can swing it. The drives between cities are quite long, so we recommend having a few days at each place to fully relax and enjoy the sites.

The Golden Triangle For first-time visitors and those with a limited time frame, a good starting point is the Golden Triangle. It’s a popular circuit for tourists to India with good reason – you’ll be able to see some of India’s most famous landmarks while also getting a feel for the varied landscapes in different parts of the country. Start in Delhi, then to Agra for the Taj Mahal, and finish in the pink city of Jaipur.

DELHI

Delhi is more than just the airport – it’s a historical city with so much to see! Be prepared when stepping off the plane for a bit of culture shock, from the huge number of people who live in the city to the fast pace of life and the multitude of colors, scents, and sounds you’ll encounter.

Take a trip through history by starting in Old Delhi. Visit the famous Chandni Chowk Bazaars, the oldest marketplace in the city, where Mughal royalty once shopped. Spend some time at the Red Fort, built by Emperor Shahjahan out of red sandstone, giving the fort its name. The Red Fort showcases the apogee of Mughal design.

The next day, visit New Delhi —although the “new” is subjective, as some sites in this part of the city date back to the 1500s.

Humayun’s Tomb is an important site to visit. It is built of red sandstone and is a striking structure dating back to 1562. Drive

by India Gate which was built to honor Indian soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and gives L’Arc de Triomphe a run for 64 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

its money. The government buildings and Parliament House nearby are also worth viewing.

Delhi offers an interesting perspective on the different levels of affluence in the country, and you can add a philanthropic edge to your trip as Hattie Rosenberg, a Travel Consultant at Esplanade, did. She recalls, “At Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh temple, they feed over 10,000 people a day for free. I was able to go back to the kitchen and see the large pots of dahl, the assembly lines of naan and the buckets and buckets of rice.” There are plenty of opportunities to learn about other ways of life and do some good while traveling.

There are a myriad options of where to stay in Delhi, but consider The Oberoi, which has remarkable views of Humayun’s Tomb and offers unparalleled service.

AGRA

Agra is a medieval city home to India’s most famous and romantic site – the Taj Mahal. You can get a road transfer from Delhi, but the more adventurous way to travel is by train! Give yourself a couple nights in Agra so that you can see the palace at both sunrise and sunset. The white marble takes on the sheen of the sky and the lighting is quite beautiful and dramatic – perfect for photographers!

Jacky remembers her visit to the Taj Mahal fondly, saying, “The Taj Mahal absolutely takes your breath away. We arrived in Agra by train from Delhi and portions of the magnificent edifice are seen from various parts of town. But once you enter the gate and come through to see the Taj ahead of you in full view – nothing prepares you for its splendor. We walked inside and around the back to look over the river to where Shan Jahan planned his own tomb.”

Hattie Rosenberg, Travel Consultant, also enjoyed her time at the Taj Mahal. “The Taj Mahal is an amazing wonder and something

HAWA MAHAL

that everyone should see in their lifetimes,” she says. “The perfect symmetry nearly brought me to tears, it was so aesthetically pleasing. The view was enhanced by then visiting the Jail of Shah Jahan, the ruler who built the structure for his late wife when he was griefstricken from her death. Once he had bankrupted the nation, his son threw him in his private jail with just one window—the only thing you could see from it was the Taj Mahal.”

Don’t restrict yourself to just the Taj Mahal— the town is full of the most beautiful marble shops and it is fascinating to see the artisans at work. Visit Fatehpur Sikri, a 16th century planned city, and Agra Fort on the banks of the Yamuna River.

JAIPUR

Finish off the Golden Triangle in Jaipur, the pink city. This 18th century city is known for its forts and palaces that have a pinkish hue. Aside from the city’s beauty and history, it’s a great place for souvenir shopping; you can find jewelry and fabric in abundance in the marketplaces. Cotton goods are of particularly high quality and gold is everywhere. At the local markets, be prepared to bargain for goods.

The Hawa Mahal is the most iconic site in Jaipur. This palace is wide, tall, and built from pink sandstone. The numerous windows and lattices rise up from the sides to a high point in the center, pointing upward to the clear azure blue sky. Inside is now a museum where you can learn the history of this magical place.

Make sure to arrange a visit to Amber Fort ahead of time, just 11 kilometers outside of Jaipur. Amber Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 16th century. This fort was built

for protection, but the detail put into its design and the precious materials used to build it reveal something much more precious.

The inside of the fort features carving, gems, and mirrors to create a luxurious combination of Hindu and Mughal architecture and design. Take a moment to look out over Maota Lake in front of the fort and get a true sense of where you are in the world.

Northern India UDAIPUR

Make sure to visit Udaipur, the City of Lakes. Enjoy views of Lake Pichola with rolling hills off into the distance behind it.

Being around water allows you to relax and embrace the experience of being in India without running around sightseeing. Don’t miss the City Palace, which stands guard over Lake Pichola. It is a huge, ornate structure and is quite striking, rising over the water.

It goes without saying that a boat ride on the lake is in order while in Udaipur—perhaps even two. But consider taking your trip to the next level and staying at the Lake Palace, set right within the lake with stunning views in every direction. The décor and atmosphere of the Lake Palace showcase true Indian hospitality. After all, where else in the world can you stay in a palace in the middle of a lake?

VARANASI

Varanasi, called the oldest living city in the world, is situated on the banks of the holy River Ganges. People have been coming FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 65

SNAKE CHARMERS IN INDIA

to the Ganges for spiritual reasons for centuries and it is still seen as a holy destination to perform rituals. Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, set your alarm clock for a morning along the river watching spiritual rituals. From the docks, or ghats, you can look up at the city and see the brightly colored and intricately carved buildings along the river banks. Head out onto the water in a boat and watch the city come awake.

TIGER TRACKING

For a wildlife lover, going into the wild to look for tigers is one of the highlights of a trip to India. Seeing this elusive animal will thrill anyone, whether you are a safari fanatic or a first-time wildlife viewer. As Jacky remembers, “We were lucky on our last trip to see twelve tigers in three reserves—although we had a little help!”

There are many areas you can look for tigers in India, but you have the greatest chance of spotting one in Bandhavgarh National Park. Another great location for spotting stripes is at Ranthambore National Park, which became well-known when British royalty visited in the ’60s. This park is also a great destination because it also offers ruins, lakes, and other big cats like leopards and jungle cats.

While searching for tigers you may encounter wildlife of all kinds, as Jacky did: “On our first drive in the Kanha Reserve, a cobra crossed the road in front of us, then turned and raised its head to an impressive height. Our guides said this was good luck and one of them had actually never seen a cobra in the wild.

They are still a frequent sight in baskets in local markets. He was right: we had the most wonderful luck and even found a female tiger on a ledge while we were on elephant-back.”

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While it depends on the park you go to, in general April and May are the best months to spot a tiger. We love the Oberoi Vanyavilas Resort in Ranthambore for a relaxed haven in the jungle with al fresco dining and luxurious tent accommodation.

FOOD AND SPICES

Food in India truly requires the use of all five senses. Can you smell that? The scent of more than a dozen spices, from turmeric to saffron, wafting up the road as you head towards the old bazaars in the Bhuleshwar section of Mumbai. Do you hear that?

The sound of oil sizzling in a massive pan set on a traditional earthen oven in the city of Varanasi. From the colorful array of the spices and grains to the various textures of the creamy sauces and soups, sticky rice and crunchy samosas, you will taste your way across the country as you find yourself thrown into your own food journey.

From north to south and across the width of the country, each region of India has its own delicacies and specialties. By the end of your trip, “Indian food” will become “Bengali cuisine from Kolkata” or the “Punjabi dish of Sarson Da Saag from Amritsar” and “Nihari from Delhi.” Some food even has deep cultural connections, such as “Satvik” food, otherwise known as food of the gods, with deep roots in Hinduism. Through modern eyes, satvik food is the original classification (and mostly likely oldest as well) of eating organically and is purely vegetarian. Other foods display the inevitable mixing that occurred during India’s colonial past with dishes such as Mulligatawny soup, a South Indian cuisine that can be made with a combination of traditional Indian ingredients and British modifications.

It’s almost impossible to mention Indian without mentioning

TIGER IN BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK

tea as well! With a tea capital prevalent in just about every region of the country, you’ll stumble upon beautiful tea estates, factories, and gardens throughout your stay. Whether you prefer black or green, floral or spicy, don’t forget to stop in and have a sip of some of the freshest teas in the world.

While there are some dishes that can be found all over the country, such as kebabs, chai, and biryani, we hope your perception of what exactly is Indian food will be pleasantly altered as you travel around this vast and unique country.

TEMPLES

It is impossible to speak in generalities about temples in India—there are so many (more than two million), and each has its own story and history. To highlight what a unique and authentic experience it is to visit a temple, Hattie recounts her time visiting Sri Bhaktha Hanuman Temple in Hyderabad.

The god Hanuman is the son of the wind. He can jump to incredible lengths, shrink and grow as he pleases, and is one of the cleverest and fiercest warriors. In the Hindu religion, Hanuman symbolizes energy and strength. This may be one of the reasons he can be seen on many vehicles in India.

I was fortunate enough to visit a temple solely dedicated to Hanuman. It wasn’t an easy place to visit as it was on the top of a mountain and inaccessible by cars. I took the bus as far as it could go up the mountain, and then found a Tuk Tuk (motorized rickshaw) to bring me up the rest of the way to the temple. The views from the Tuk Tuk were amazing as I passed picturesque

rivers and hilled farming land, circling to the top of the mountain.

The temple was appropriately windy and very empty. While the temple was once habituated by monks, it proved to be too difficult to get water and other supplies up the mountain for anyone to reside at the top. However, the temple itself still stood. With the wind, it felt as though my hero was standing there with me, showing his presence in the air.

TIME TO GO!

India is a country that promises to excite, entice, and forever change your life. There is no better time to travel, as luxury accommodations, excellent private guiding, and unparalleled service abound. Don’t face the stress of planning an extensive trip to such a vast destination alone—contact Esplanade Travel and work with an experienced Travel Consultant.

Esplanade Travel focuses on international luxury travel, and unique custom-designed trips have been our trademark for 60 years.

Our staff has collectively traveled to over 150 countries around the world, and we sell the destinations we know the best and love the most. Our primary destinations are Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, Italy, France, South America, India, United Arab Emirates and the islands of the South Pacific. ★ Esplanade Travel 800-628-4893 esplanadetravel.com FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 67

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Experimental Mule Deer Antler Restriction Update 2019

BY SHAWN GRAY Over the past five years, TPWD has received many requests from landowners, managers, and hunters to improve the buck age structure within the southeast Panhandle. TPWD data for the past 14 years indicate annual, intensive mule deer buck harvest has created a skewed sex ratio and an age structure Illustrations indicating harvestable bucks with an outside spread of the main beams of 20 inches or greater and protected bucks with outside spread of the main beams of less than 20 inches.

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inordinately weighted towards young deer in the buck segment of the population. Certain types of antler restrictions can be used to successfully reduce the impact of intensive harvest on buck age structure and sex ratios within a population. Therefore, TPWD initiated an experimental antler restriction that prohibits the harvest of any mule deer buck with a main beam outside spread that is less than 20 inches. The experimental regulation is designed to reduce excessive hunting pressure on young bucks and shift the age structure of the buck herd toward older age class bucks. By doing so, the regulation should help to improve overall hunter as well as manager satisfaction.

Other possible benefits of managing for a balanced buck age structure include improved sex ratios and shortened breeding periods, which could help to improve fawn recruitment and reduce overall stress on bucks.

The experimental antler restriction began during the 2018 hunting season and will continue for three more years in Briscoe, Childress, Cottle, Floyd, Hall, and Motley counties.

Data will be assessed throughout the experiment, but at the end of four hunting seasons, TPWD will propose either to extend the experiment, modify the antler restriction, or permanently terminate the experiment.

TPWD used voluntary deer harvest check stations at three different locations (Turkey, Matador, and Matador WMA) to collect age and antler measurements during the 2018 general mule deer season. To gather the most harvest data possible, TPWD and their partners offered incentives to hunters who brought their mule deer buck to the check stations. Hunters were entered in drawings for items such as lifetime hunting licenses, rifles, and gift cards. The harvest data collected are

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Texas Panhandle counties where the experimental mule deer antler-restriction was initiated in 2018 colored green.

KNOWN AGED RESEARCH BUCKS HARVESTED DURING 2018 AND THEIR OUTSIDE SPREAD These mule deer bucks were captured, radio-collared, measured, aged, and ear-tagged around the Turkey area during 2015 and 2016 for a 5-year research project studying the influence of agriculture on mule deer movements, habitat use, and survival. These known-aged bucks have provided data to the antler restriction experiment and show the impact of age on antler development. The measured outside spread of the main beams are displayed in each picture. ND is an abbreviation for no data collected during that year’s research capture.

TAGGED MULE DEER HARVESTED 2015

2018

ND

22 7/8”

TAGGED MULE DEER HARVESTED 2016

2018

17 1/8”

3.5 YR

6.5 YR

TAGGED MULE DEER HARVESTED 2015

ND

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2018

20 6/8”

5.5 YR

22 6/8”

3.5 YR

5.5 YR

TAGGED MULE DEER HARVESTED 2015

2018

ND 21 1/8”

3.5 YR

6.5 YR

essential to effectively evaluate the success of the experimental antler restriction.

Preliminary data indicate that we are making progress toward the goals of the experiment after the inaugural year.

Overall, 52 hunters checked their bucks at the voluntary check stations during the 2018 season.

Prior data (1994–2016; blue bars) show that only 33 percent of the mule deer bucks aged and measured by TPWD biologists were 5.5 years old or older. During the first year of the experiment, 65 percent of the bucks brought to the check stations were 5.5 years old or older.

From winter helicopter surveys conducted from 2005–2018 (prior to the experiment), TPWD estimated an average sex ratio of 4.5 does per buck, which is an indicator of intense buck harvest. In contrast after the initial year of the experimental antler restriction, the average sex ratio was improved by almost half. This means that there were more bucks observed during the 2019 post-season helicopter surveys than in years past. The 2019 estimate of 2.6 does per buck is further evidence that the experiment is having positive population impacts.

Hunters who brought their harvested mule deer buck from any of the six counties with the experimental antler restriction to any TPWD check station were entered into drawings to win some great prizes thanks to our partners.

Rules and eligibility for the drawings were: • Only mule deer bucks harvested within the 6-county experimental area will be eligible; • Mule deer must be brought to a check station or to TPWD for a hunter to be entered into the drawing; and • Mule deer harvested in the archery or extended MLD seasons are eligible for the drawing if hunters contacted TPWD and brought their deer to be aged and measured

by TPWD. Grand Prize (2 winners) – Rodney Dean and Kaden McDaniel — Lifetime hunting licenses sponsored by Dallas Safari Club First Place (1 winner) – Joe Ingargiola Kimber — subalpine in .300 Win Mag sponsored by the Texas Panhandle Chapter of the Dallas Safari Club Second Place (2 winners) – Dustin Deberry and Jager Mundheim —Remington 783 with a 3–9x40 scope in .270 Win or .22-250 sponsored by the Mule Deer Foundation Third Place (10 winners) – Bailey Smiley, Bob Watson, Bryant Taylor, Dennis McFadin, Guy Brockmen, Hailey Page, Jeffery Shawn Cook, Pamela Heady, Scott Smith,

and Tony Heady $100 Cabela’s gift cards sponsored by Houston Safari Club Preliminary results have been positive in meeting the objectives of the experiment. TPWD will continue to monitor the success during the next three hunting seasons and encourages all hunters who harvest mule deer bucks within the experimental areas to check their deer next season for more great prizes.

Thanks to all who participated in our check stations and to our partners! ★ FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 73

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Meet Bruno Rosich of Trophy Hunting Spain

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By Bruno Rosich

1.

WHEN DID YOU START YOUR GUIDING CAREER AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE SUCH A CAREER?

I started hunting young, I don’t even remember how old I was, but my dad and brother were hunters and I grew up hunting. I started my professional career back in 1995, at age 20, when I was in college, to give a hand to my brother Francisco. First I thought it would be a temporary job, but soon I realized I was really enjoying what I was doing, and since then, I always worked in the hunting industry, as a guide and outfitter.

2.

WHAT IS THE PRIMARY AREA AND GAME FOR WHICH YOU GUIDE?

No doubt my specialty is any of the four subspecies of Spanish Ibex, as a guide I achieved several Top 10 animals in the SCI book. I also guide a lot in the Pyrenees, for Pyrenean Chamois, Mouflon Sheep, Roe Deer, as well as Fallow and Red Deer.

3.

WHAT WAS YOUR MOST DIFFICULT HUNT?

It really depends on the luck and weather conditions, but usually the most difficult hunt is Mouflon Sheep up in the Pyrenees, they live in very steep mountains, even higher than Chamois, they are very spooky, and you have to be a very fine hunter to get one. It is, no doubt, one of my favorite challenges.

4.

WHAT DO YOU WANT A FIRSTTIME CLIENT TO KNOW BEFORE HUNTING WITH YOU?

My team and I offer more than just a hunt, it is the whole experience of visiting Spain with us as hosts, learning about our history, culture, traditions, food. Also, we are extremely organized, taking care of every single detail.

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5.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING HUNTING AND HUNTERS TODAY?

No doubt all the bad press the hunting industry is having to face. In most of the countries, their population lives in big cities, and they are completely disconnected from nature, from the reality of nature, and all they hear is about the anti-hunting organizations that unfortunately are very well organized and constantly are bad-mouthing about hunting. They even have more repercussion with social networks. We hunters need to create material in favor of hunting activity and expose it, not to the antihunters—we should expose it to the majority of people who know nothing about hunting, but all they hear or read is the anti-hunting propaganda. We have to show the World that hunting is not only a right, is also completely necessary to manage wildlife and the ecosystem.

6.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HUNTING WEAPON AND/OR CALIBER?

I’m a rifle hunter, I own many rifles, but, no doubt my favorite one is the .300 WM built by Kerry O’Day, MG Arms, an UltraLight Custom rifle with is perfect for mountain hunting in Spain.

7.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT HUNTING?

Outside of running my own business, which not only entail guiding but also a lot of paperwork and organization, I am the proud father of two little kids, who are 5 and 4 now, and my wife and I spend big time with them doing all kind of activities in the outdoors (hiking, biking, swimming, boating). And I try to steal time every morning for practicing mountain biking, which is a great and fun way to keep me in good shape.

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SEVEN ESSENTIALS IN YOUR KIT FOR A DAY’S HUNT?

Besides the necessary equipment like rifle, ammo and a good backpack, I always carry: 1. a 10x42 EL-Range Swarovsky binos (it’s so important to know the exact distance when shooting), 2. 20-60 Sporting scope, together with a scope adapter for the phone, so I can take pictures of the animals and judge them better, as well as filming the shot in slow motion, so I can see how the shot was taken.

3. Good light hunting gear, which includes rain gear as well as a “super down”; they both are always in my backpack, even in summer, the super down can save you from very nasty situations, it is no doubt a life saver.

4. Good hiking boots, depending on the type of terrain, semi-solid of softer boots, with ankle support, and good grip sole.

5. Skinning kit: two knives, two sharpeners and latex gloves.

6. Protein bars or some nuts.

7. First-Aids kit, including a thermal blanket, Loctite, sterile-strips, anti-septic, etc

9.

WHY DO YOU HUNT?

First of all, because it is my passion, I love everything related with the hunting activity: being outdoors, hiking, observing the wildlife, shooting, the personal relationships we build with our clients, the great organic meat we get, and the experiences the hunting activity provides. I feel blessed to be able to have hunting as a passion and profession.

BRUNO ROSICH TROPHY HUNTING SPAIN

TrophyHuntingSpain.com bruno@trophyhuntingspain.com Tel: (+34) 93 897 3603

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Get To Know Me! 5 Minutes With HSCF Life Member Mike Simpson

1.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER OF HSCF?

In March of 1972, seven of us met in Frank Green’s office of Travel Unlimited to organize the start of HSCF. Our first meeting was at Sunny Looks Steak House on South Main in April 1972.

2.

WHY DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN HSCF?

I became involved in HSCF to meet other hunters and get first hand information about hunting around the world. The bonus was making lifetime friendships.

3.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING AN HSCF MEMBER?

Bringing new members to HSCF and helping to save our hunting rights through conservation and funding political initiatives.

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4.

WHAT IS OR WAS YOUR CAREER FIELD?

Establishing “Conroe Taxidermy” providing the finest taxidermy for the public as well as worldwide museums.

5.

PREFERRED HUNTING WEAPON — RIFLE, SHOTGUN OR BOW?

My preferred hunting rifles are the 416 Remington and the 7mm STW for long range.

6.

WHAT IS THE ONE ITEM YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WERE SHIPWRECKED ON AN ISLAND?

Fishing gear, fire starter, and of course a Bible.

7.

WHAT WAS YOUR MOST CHALLENGING HUNTING EXPERIENCE?

Hunting for a 62” Marco Polo Sheep at 17,000 feet in the Himalayan mountains of Tajikistan.

8.

OF ALL THE SPECIES YOU HAVE HUNTED, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY?

Hunting wild mountain sheep and ibex for the challenge of the mountains.

9.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

Grilled rib-eye steaks and BBQ pork ribs.

10.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE 18-YEAROLD VERSION OF YOURSELF?

Start as young as you can to enjoy hunting in the mountains of the world. It has been fun collecting 20 species of mountain sheep.

11.

FAVORITE HSCF EVENT

My favorite HSCF event is of course our annual Convention. It’s all about friends.

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 77

Mishaps Afield

By Gayne C. Young

In my more than twodecade career as an outdoor writer, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to five continents, successfully hunted and fished dozens of species, and made friends with a host of individuals.

I’ve also broken bones, been bit and stung, impaled, contracted disease after disease, been shot at, and suffered to the point of questioning my own sanity for choosing a career such as I have.

Yes, it’s been a helluva run.

But more than one lends itself to a lot of great self-deprecating stories of my own misery.

Here are a few of those stories in no particular order.

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EVERYTHING STINGS IN THE AMAZON It was my third day of a scheduled week of fishing the Rio Negro in Brazil’s Amazon. In those few days I’d landed three different species of piranha, caught three 19-pound peacock bass, and hefted a massive 45-pound redtail catfish from the depths. I’d also seen sign of jaguar, witnessed a troop of monkeys, and gazed in awe at flock after flock of the most colorful birds I’d ever seen. Things were going great.

Then I attended a beach party.

The party was actually a lunch on a white sandy beach.

Hammocks were strung beneath trees, chairs and tables set up, cold beer distributed to the guests, and a classically trained chef took up residency at a small fire to showcase local cuisine. I leaned against a small tree with my right hand to get a better view of the display and immediately experienced a pain unlike any other I’d ever had. It felt like someone had stabbed me with a red-hot needle. I jerked my hand away to see a black wasp, its stinger embedded in the crease between my finger and thumb, its abdomen pumping as if in a hurry to empty every last drop of venom into my flesh. I flicked him into oblivion with my left hand, grabbed my right in pain, and backed away from the cooking seminar in an effort not to attract attention to myself. My hand immediately swelled, and I could feel cold sweat pooling on my forehead.

My guide, Blacky, saw this and came over. He looked at my hand and I described what had happened. He grabbed a cold can of beer and held it to my hand. “No drink this one,” he instructed in broken English before heading off to find the boat manager. The manager came and instructed Blacky to take him and me back to the yacht we were using as a base immediately. I was in my cabin 45 minutes later, my hand in an ice bucket, two Benadryl working their way through my bloodstream, and my left-hand delivering beer after beer to my throat in an effort to dull the pain. It took two days, a half a carton of antihistamines, and an untold number of beers before my hand returned to normal size. Blacky put it best when he told me, “Black wasp no good. Hurt like the mother!”

Very true Blacky. Very true.

LAKE AMISTAD STUCK IT TO ME I was resting at a lodge built in the early 1930s on the shore of Lake Amistad along the Texas/Mexico border following a great day of fishing. Despite the lodge’s historic nature, it had been decorated in the style of the 1970s when the current owners purchased it. Apparently shag carpet was “in” during that decade and it had been lying there collecting dropped items in its depths ever since. One of these items was a large fishing hook that I stepped on and drove through the ball of my foot and almost into to whatever bone that lies within.

I screamed in pain, stumbled to a chair, and assed the damage. A friend who was with me took great joy in tugging on the hook then admitted that I needed to see a real medic as the hook wouldn’t budge. He drove me twenty miles into Del Rio to the emergency room to have the hook removed.

The medical professional in charge was a very young, attractive physician’s assistant who swore to me that she had

Above left: The author hunted this nyala with a broken toe.

Above right: The author shot this zebra in the afternoon and was later shot at that evening.

removed plenty of embedded fish hooks from feet. To be honest, I think she was just impressed that I had full insurance as the three people before me did not. To further impress her I told her how I was an outdoor writer, how I worked for several different magazines and had even penned a few books.

“Like Hemingway?” She asked as she gingerly pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

That’s right. Just like Hemingway.

As she cleaned my wound, I told her about hunting in Africa, the dangers of my career, and how the hook had come to rest in my foot.

“I’m going to inject a series of pain killers into the ball of your foot. It might be uncomfortable,” she warned.

Uncomfortable was not the word I would have chosen.

I would have gone with something like, “Inscrutably painful.”

“Are you ok?” she asked. “You suddenly look very pale.”

“I’m fine,” I lied through the nausea.

“Are you going to faint?”

“No,” I grimaced before she injected me the third time.

“You’re covered in sweat,” she announced as she handed me a barf bag.

I quietly laid back on the table and tried not to faint.

God, please don’t let me faint in front of this gal.

Or puke.

THE AGONY OF MY FEET My feet have suffered more than any of my other extremities.

Please see inset for a starting point of reference.

In addition to having one of them impaled with a hook, I’ve also broken bones within them and had most of my toenails surgically removed following a variety Hook in author’s foot. of mishaps. The first broken bone I received was in anticipation to my second African safari. I was trying to get in good hiking shape and, in the process of loading my pack with weights in

anticipation for an afternoon jaunt, dropped a 20-pound iron weight on my foot. I knew the minute the weight hit my big toe it was broken. A visit to the ER afterward confirmed it. A follow up visit a week later confirmed that the nail was so damaged that it would have to be removed.

At the root.

The process was extremely painful.

And one I got to endure—twice—only a year later when blood blisters formed under each of my big toes following my wearing too tight of boots on a very up and down aoudad hunt in West Texas. The swelling under each nail was bad enough that both cracked and had to be removed. This procedure involves having the doctor push a syringe underneath the toenail until it is past the root of the nail (think almost to your toe knuckle) to deliver aesthesia then pulling the damaged nail off with surgical pliers.

Yes. I wept.

HE MUST REALLY HATE ZEBRA HUNTERS I was returning from a successful zebra hunt in the Limpopo region of South Africa when the tracker in the bed of the Toyota Land Cruiser truck called to my PH and driver that something had blown out of the back. My PH joked about hoping it wasn’t my zebra that blew out, then pulled to a stop on the dark highway.

He put the truck in reverse, and no sooner had he commented on what he believed was an abandoned shack some 15 meters off the road that the sound of rapid semi-automatic gunfire thundered through the air.

“What the…” I started to question.

“Time to go! Time to go!” My PH hollered as he ducked his head down and gunned the truck forward.

We never knew who was shooting or for what reason, but the tracker in the back confirmed that the flames from the unidentified gun were flashing in our direction. Back at camp and after a few drinks to calm my nerves, I asked my PH to speculate as to the cause of our being fired upon.

“Guess the guy hates zebra hunters. Or maybe he’s read some of your work before and really didn’t like it.”

Probably the latter. ★ FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 79

The Road to

RECOVERY Taking Steps to Save America’s Endangered Species

By Ted Cruz

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he protection of endangered species is an important concern for Texans and Americans all across the country who love the outdoors and care about wildlife conservation.

Indeed, it should be an area of bipartisan agreement – we should all want to preserve endangered species to the practicable extent that we can.

Unfortunately, it has become clear that the current law intended to promote the full recovery of species placed on the endangered or threatened list, Endangered Species Act (ESA), is not working.

Passed in 1973, this outdated law imposes a blanket, one-sizefits-all regulatory approach that is intended to preserve endangered species and their habitats, but has ultimately hurt both wildlife and property owners. In the nearly 50 years since its enactment, only three percent of species protected by the ESA have recovered to the point where they are no longer endangered or threatened.

Even worse, between 1990 and 2010, 52 percent of listed species experienced a decline in their well-being. The ESA’s lack of success should be alarming to everyone who cares about the recovery of endangered species.

Property owners are also experiencing the effects of the ESA as the Natural Heritage Data Center Network has previously estimated that as much as 70 percent of the species listed under the 80 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

ESA depend on nonfederal land for the majority of their habitat.

This can severely limit how private landowners utilize their own property, and often puts property owners in the position of having to ask the federal government for permission before making any changes or performing lawful activities on their property.

Failure to comply with the sweeping requirements of the ESA can result in stringent civil and criminal penalties.

Congress has an opportunity to enact a win-win solution that not only places endangered species on the road to recovery, but can also benefit property owners who have an interest in being part of the solution.

For any solution to be successful, it’s important that the stakeholders who are most familiar with the specific needs of their own resources – property owners and state and local leaders – are provided incentives to take a leading role in this important task.

To that end, I’ve introduced the Saving America’s Vulnerable and Endangered Species (SAVES) Act, which provides a common-sense solution to reducing burdensome and duplicative regulations while still protecting endangered species from extinction.

Specifically, the SAVES Act would help ensure ranchers and breeders in Texas and across the U.S. are better equipped to practice conservation by removing non-native species from

the endangered species list, which eliminates the restrictions on moving these species across state lines and helps expedite their recovery.

Further, the SAVES Act would also enhance conservation and the welfare of non-native species by allowing owners, breeders, and conservators of the species to participate in cooperative breeding programs across state lines – which includes the sale and movement of animals – once those owners, breeders, and conservators meet the state regulations.

This would not only allow breeders and zoos to more easily transfer non-native species between ranches and institutions, it would also help ensure that robust and genetically diverse populations continue to exist in the United States, protecting even more species currently endangered.

Studies have shown that removing non-native species from the ESA encourages conservation and population growth. For example, a number of ranches in south Texas breed rare and endangered species of exotic hoof stock, such as the Scimitar Horned Oryx, Dama Gazelle, and Addax Antelope. According to the Texas-based Exotic Wildlife Association, since these three non-native species were exempted from the requirements of the ESA in 2005, captive populations soared.

In 2012, environmental activist groups, using the court system, succeeded in removing this exemption, making it more difficult for ranchers to breed these three species. Fortunately, in 2014, Congress directed the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to allow ranchers to breed these three species without a permit.

Although they remain on the ESA list, they have been exempted from many of the burdensome ESA regulations, which has led to an increase in captive-bred populations. The SAVES Act

would, in effect, apply this approach to all non-native species.

It is currently legal to sell or offer for sale all ESA-listed species within the United States as long as the seller is only operating within state lines, or has a permit to operate to sell across state lines. However, because permits are often delayed or denied, the status quo hampers conservation and prevents the growth of genetically diverse populations. The SAVES Act simply removes this obstacle to conservation and allows for interstate movement without a redundant and oppressive permit system.

A common myth is that by taking non-native species off the ESA list, this bill would make these species “huntable” in the United States, allowing their populations to be decimated. In truth, non-native species on the ESA are currently “huntable,” and the numbers actually show the opposite impact.

Another myth is that this legislation would benefit wildlife traffickers by legalizing the importation of endangered species.

The truth is that the SAVES Act would not alter the importation requirements for internationally recognized endangered species and would not make wildlife trafficking easier.

The SAVES Act does not address all of the challenges with ESA, but it takes an important step in the right direction, striking the balance between ensuring environmental conservation and meeting the needs of our ranchers, breeders, and conservators who contribute to the Texas economy. It also helps ensure robust and genetically diverse populations continue to exist in the U.S. I will continue to work closely with my congressional colleagues to ensure that any ESA reform effort adheres to these principles of local input, greater transparency, and regulatory simplicity in stopping this instance of duplicative federal government overreach. ★ FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 81

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HSCF Goes

Y.O.Wild

BY ANNA MORRISON

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ur trip to YO Ranch Headquarters this past March 22-24 was, by far, one of the most well-attended events since we’ve been going. It’s always a pleasure to go to the hill country and enjoy being with our friends and meet new members of the club. Of course, Sandra and Byron always plan and go beyond what our expectations are to ensure we all have the best time possible.

Our weekend began with checking in, unpacking and meeting at Sadler’s Two Dot Ranch for cocktails and appetizers. We all enjoyed seeing their very unique and impressive trophy room. The room consists of many different species and artifacts from all over the world ,displayed to perfection. We then prepared for a fun hayride. Byron has restored a 36 Chevy, he calls his “Rat Rod” which he used to pull the hay wagon.

Everyone enjoyed seeing the animals, and having cocktails and sharing lots of laughter along the way.

We ended up at the Mayan Temple which has an incredible view. The temple is built high up into the rocks, equipped with a built-in bar and bathroom with a nice deck to view the animals feeding down below. Tables had been sat up for dinner outside on the deck. We had a delicious shrimp boil with all the trimmings. The Mayan Temple is truly an amazing place to visit.

After a late night, everyone retired to their rooms to get ready for Saturday. The morning started with

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breakfast at the Chuckwagon, then the Long Range Shooting Contest. Our winners were Ron Mostyn in first place, Gene Human in second place and Buddy Richie and Tommy tied for third. The guys always enjoy friendly competition and conversations about what else, Guns and Ammo!

After lunch, the Sporting Clays competition began for those who wanted to shoot. The rest chose to go with Sandra for a private tour. Each time we go there is always something new to see. This time we got to see the completion of Charlie III’s home. It’s been completely restored after years of neglect. The home is going to be used for special events such as weddings, corporate meetings or just booking it for a weekend getaway. We also saw their new addition to the giraffe family “Imani.” I believe they now have another baby since we were there called “Zina,” born in June.

Byron had almost completed the new amphitheater for entertaining. He said when completed the theater could seat about 1,000 people. The seats are made from local limestone rock. They plan to bring back the “YO Social” starting September 21. Years ago Louie Schriner and his family had one each year in the fall.

People would come from all over the country to attend, even some Hollywood actors. Dennis and Valerie Cain, Jerry and Carol Henderson and Tommy and I attended often.

As Saturday drew to a close, we all met back at “Old Town” for a few cocktails before dinner. Byron

brought their “Longhorn Bull” for those who were brave enough to ride it. After the bull riding, we all sat down for delicious steaks and baked potatoes. As you know, everything tastes better if cooked outdoors over an open pit.

After dinner, we all gathered around the campfire and enjoyed Butch King entertaining us singing and playing his guitar. Butch and Kathy live on the YO part-time if they aren’t in Mexico at their other home. Their hunting season will start soon and they will head back to Wildman Lake Lodge in Alaska.

If you haven’t made a trip with us plan to do so next time. We guarantee you will not be disappointed. It’s a great opportunity to hunt if you desire or just visit with Byron and Sandra and members of Houston Safari Club Foundation.

It’s truly amazing what all has been accomplished since Sandra and Byron have taken over the YO. For example, they’ve added newly paved roads, restored all cabins, and built “Old Town” suites and installed new air conditioners. It’s evident, with all the attention to detail and impressive changes, this has been a passion of theirs from the beginning.

Tommy and I, along with our Houston Safari Club Foundation members and friends, would like to “Thank Sandra and Byron” for their generous hospitality and hosting another special event for all of us. We’re already making plans and looking forward to our next trip in 2021. Come join us! ★ FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 83

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OUR MISSION STEMS FROM A

DEEP-SEEDED LOVE AND RESPECT FOR OUR STATE

WHAT WE DO

The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) is an organization that serves Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources. We love our great state, and to ensure future generations do as well, your support and membership is needed. We have an obligation to be responsible stewards of Texas; and as members of TWA, we form a dynamic, steadfast force that defends and strengthens the fundamental ideals and rights that Texas was founded on.

BECOME A MEMBER

The future of our state’s wildlife populations, hunting heritage and private landowner rights rests on us. As a member of Texas Wildlife Association, you will have a voice in an organization that is truly doing the work for Texas and Texans. Please consider joining us as a member of Texas Wildlife Association. texas-wildlife.org/membership

(800) TEX-WILD

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CAPE BUFFALO THE GUNFIGHTER OF AFRICA

This issue’s installment looks at the gunfighter of the African bush—dressed in black with piercing eyes that dare you to challenge him on his own ground.

BY JOHN WOOTTERS FOR A GUY LIKE ME, A WORDSMITH WITH A romantic streak and a fondness for drama, it’s just about impossible to keep from assigning colorful (and lamentably anthropomorphic) characterizations to the dangerous big-game animals of Africa. I know it isn’t scientific, but it’s fun, and—what the heck, nobody takes it seriously, anyway, least of all me. It isn’t exactly like Bambi, whose creator asked us to believe that his animals actually thought, felt, and reacted emotionally as human beings.

All I’m doing is thinking up descriptive parallels with stereotypes of human characters, not making the animals into people.

For example, I think of the lion as a proud, hotheaded, aristocratic duelist, quick to challenge any imagined slight to his honor, a nobleman whose courage is as bright as his weapons—and as deadly! One does not trespass on or insult him without being prepared to defend oneself.

The leopard, on the other hand, is an assassin of the night, the kind of fellow who might have been secretly in the employ of the Borgias, silent, cunning, quick, unseen in the shadows.

He seems remorseless, without conscience, a lethally efficient dagger-man who prefers to strike from behind, without a trace of the lion’s flair for heroics.

The elephant? Easy! A sumo-wrestler samurai type, intelligent and slow to be provoked into unleashing his unimaginable power. Like many giants, gentle, tolerant, and restrained—seeking to avoid combat until it’s foolishly forced upon him. Then...

look out! A muscular mountain of shrieking fury, awesome as an earthquake and irresistible as an avalanche.

That brings us to my favorite of all of them, the Cape buffalo.

He has to be the cold-eyed gunfighter in the street at high noon, dressed all in black, arrogantly placing himself in harm’s way, witlessly convinced of his own invincibility. His reputation draws the would-be gun hawks from around the world to test themselves against the old pro, and he awaits them—us—confident, his chin up, his figurative gun hammers unstrapped, menacing and ready—always and forever ready—to fight. He will not draw first, but his retaliation against an uninvited attack upon him is so certain and so terrifying that no challenger approaches without intimations of his own mortality.

The Cape buffalo fascinates me as few other game animals ever have. In my wanderings in Africa during the last 14 years, I have been privileged to hunt and take most of the glamorous game of that continent, and I’m proud of every trophy. Each of them—lion, leopard, elephant, kudu, sable, and the rest—is a bright memory.

Many of those species I once hunted so avidly, however, I will never shoot again. I’m not certain how the distinction is made in my subconscious mind; I only know instinctively that my hunting for many of these beautiful beasts began and ended with the first trophy collected, and I am content in that knowledge.

There are a few species in Africa and elsewhere, though, which have captured my imagination forever. These I will hunt as often FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 87

and as long as they are legal game and I have the strength to follow them. The reasons are diverse. Some, like the greater kudu, carry such an ambience of elusiveness, of mystery, that they lead an obsessed hunter on like a phantom from a fevered dream. They challenge his soul and spirit as well as his skill. The buffalo is different. He doesn’t challenge; he dares an armed human to come after him. The challenge is to the heart. If you have the heart to hunt him fairly, on foot, on his own turf and during his business hours, you will sooner or later come face to face with yourself, and you will surely learn something about yourself that, in this modern world, you will not often have the opportunity to find out.

When you step out of the hunting car onto the sunbaked earth of Africa and check the chamber of your rifle before a buffalo stalk, you will have descended from the glassed-in, airconditioned, electronic world mankind has created and planted your boots on the soil of reality. You will have escaped into the world that was before Homo sapiens picked up his first sharp stick, where muscle and guts and sweat still count, where blood is blood (and not TV catsup), and death—real, honest-to God death—is a normal penalty for failure, weakness, sluggishness, overconfidence, or a lapse in alertness.

For those reasons, some African professional hunters quite often cheat during the buffalo part of the safari, these days, chasing them with the car and urging the client to shoot from the vehicle. Daily safari costs being what they are, the professional hardly has time to get to know the temperament of his hunters, and placing inexperienced clients in very dangerous situations is a good way for the professional to find himself out of business.

Furthermore, proper buffalo hunting takes time, hours and days that the client may not be able to afford.

Nevertheless, it’s cheating. The buffalo is cheated of his chance to defend himself naturally, to be a Cape buffalo, and, worse, the client is cheated of his chance to be a hunter, taking his chances and measuring himself in mortal combat against a real, live Cape buffalo bull.

If the professional hunter judges that the client is not up to it, physically or spiritually or otherwise, then the Cape buffalo hunt should be canceled, money or no money. The chance to really hunt a Cape buffalo should, in my judgment, be something a hunter earns, rather than purchases. But... enough of sermons.

Buffalo are among the most common of the larger game animals everywhere in Africa where habitat is suitable, and they are generally not hard to find. They tend to be grazing in the open at dawn, and to retreat to shaded places for a siesta during the heat of the day. Late in the afternoon, the herds may appear once more in the meadows, most often feeding in a slow, surging movement toward water. One of my most memorable African moments was huddling near sundown on a large termite mound that stood like an isolated, round hillock on a plain in Mozambique, entirely surrounded by a sea of Cape buffalo, hundreds strong, as they grazed toward a water hole. The air was redolent of the smells of a herd of dairy cows, and the evening was so still that the tearing sounds the animals made as they cropped the coarse grass merged into a great, eerie, sibilant murmuring, like a distant surf.

Some passed almost close enough to poke with a rifle’s muzzle.

The bull I wanted wasn’t among them, however, so we simply waited for the tide of hard-muscled black bodies to flow past us in the flaming sunset.

Where terrain and visibility permit, a favorite buffalo-hunting tactic is glassing known feeding meadows and pans after dawn and before twilight. The close encounter in Mozambique was 88 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

a somewhat more intimate variation on this technique. More common is spotting a herd from the hunting car and mounting a direct stalk, or trailing fresh spoor discovered along hunting tracks or around water holes. It runs into work, and gets frustrating, especially when bands of sharp-eyed zebras, elands, or other antelopes are commingled with the buffalo. These alert critters make it even tougher to sneak up on a buffalo herd—and it’s tough enough to begin with, Cape buffalo having no noticeable deficiencies in their own sensory early-warning systems. Their eyes, ears, and noses are all excellent.

Crawling into the midst of a relaxed herd nooning in the shade on a hot day, trying to sort out the master bull, is an itchy business, even though massed charges or even single charges by unwounded animals out of a herd are exceedingly rare. With that many tons of beef all around the hunter, however, unpleasant images of being caught in a stampede keep passing before his eyes.

Although trophy bulls have occasionally been culled out of big breeding herds by hunters, my luck (in four African nations) has not been so good. Every one of the outstanding trophy bulls I’ve seen has been a “solitary” or a member of a bachelor band of two to no more than eight males. The conventional thinking about these smaller groupings is that they are comprised of overmature males that have been driven out of the breeding herds by stronger bulls in the prime of life. Sometimes they wander alone, and now

and then they seek the company of a few fellow veterans. In any case, these animals can be dangerous even when unwounded, and their existence is one of the reasons you never walk around in the bush without a rifle. Since they are old, a very high percentage of them carry the scars of encounters with humans, especially native poachers or inadequately armed meat hunters.

These old boys seem to be mad at the world anyway, perhaps understandably, and they have little patience with people in general. They kill and injure a number of hapless natives each year, which, judging from Americans’ reaction to the odd grizzly attack in our national parks, would bring forth an outcry for their total extermination in this country. I was told in Mozambique in 1972 that the known toll of citizens killed by buffalo amounted to about one a day, nationwide, and that the authorities believed the unreported cases to exceed the known ones by a considerable margin.

Geoff Broom, an old professional hunter friend of mine in what is now Zimbabwe, was once charged by a rogue buffalo bull as he drove innocently along a hunting track in his Land Rover. The animal drove a horn through the aluminum fender of the vehicle, leaving a hole Jim Plunkett could throw a football through at 20 yards, and almost upset the car. There had been no provocation, no buffalo hunting had taken place in that area recently, and no reports of a wounded bull had circulated. In other words, the solitary buff apparently was surprised at close range by the Land Rover and decided to kill it. Bear that in mind when someone tries to tell you that a Cape buffalo is as harmless as a Hereford until you hurt him.

That’s usually true enough—but the exception can kill you just as dead as the rule.

In his great book, Classic African Animals; The Big Five (Winchester Press, 1973), Tony Dyer, one of the most experienced and respected professional hunters of his generation, reported that the previous decade had seen three professional hunters killed or savagely mauled by elephants, three by rhinos, five by lions, five by leopards—and 10 by Cape buffalos. If you ask veteran professionals the ancient question, “Which is the most dangerous?” they will disagree, often answering with the animal by which they or their close friends have most recently been injured. I’ve been asking it of men who should know for many years, and as many have nominated the buffalo as have the other four of the Big Five combined. Even more interesting, when I asked them to rate the Big Five in order, the buff has never finished worse than second. It may be futile to speculate on which is the most dangerous game animal on earth, but there can be no question that the Cape buffalo is at least among the leading contenders.

He is intelligent, incredibly brave and gallant, and—when wounded—among the most vindictive and determined creatures on this planet. Like that black-clad gunfighter in the dusty street, if you draw on him you’d darn sure better kill him first— he is impossible to turn with a nonfatal bullet and the difficulty in stopping him is simply incomprehensible to a hunter who has not seen it with his own eyes. The stopping bullet must reach

the brain or spine, period. Simple as that. No alternative. Brain him or die! Because he will kill you, nine out of 10 times, if he gets to you.

No sporting-rifle cartridge yet invented is powerful enough to overwhelm a Cape buffalo’s life systems with shock or punish him enough to make him break off his charge. Even a charging bull elephant can often be turned with a heavy bullet that misses the brain, but not a Cape buffalo!

My first professional hunter, a Portuguese, once told me, “The hard thing about buffalo hunting is to just stand there and shoot and shoot and shoot, in cold blood, while he keeps on coming!”

True—but, then, you haven’t much alternative; you can’t outrun or outdodge him, and if you climb a tree, he will simply wait there below until either he dies or you fall out.

Okay, so the Cape buffalo is acknowledged to be perhaps the most dangerous, and thereby one of the most exciting, game animals alive, when hunted fairly. Does that also make him the greatest?

It may be remembered by some readers that I wrote the first article in this “Greatest Game” series, in which I nominated the mature whitetail buck as number one. And, of course, there can be only one number one. Have I since changed my mind, revised my judgment? No. When I first suggested this series, I offered to kick it off with the whitetail article. I also suggested that, when we were finished with the North American game, we might do a similar series on foreign game, and that, if that came to pass, I’d like to reserve the Cape buffalo for my very own, since I admire and dearly love the scruffy brutes and have shot some 20 of them, so far. Thus, I suddenly found myself assigned both animals, with one editor grinning evilly at me and saying, “I’m dying to see how you get yourself out of this one!”

Here’s how: The above-mentioned Tony Dyer closes his chapter on the buff with the sentence, “The buffalo, hunted in the sporting manner, is the finest trophy animal in the world, an adversary of the highest caliber.” Dyer has hunted more buffalo than I’ve even dreamed of, and he ought to know. And his sentiments are loudly echoed by dozens of veteran world-class big-game hunters, and who am I to contradict such an accumulation of experienced opinion?

Neither Tony nor those others write for Petersen’s HUNTING, however, so it’s up to me to state the case as persuasively as I know how, and I have done so in all sincerity. In my opinion, the Cape buffalo is the number-one game animal—as an adversary.

“Adversary” means an opponent, someone or something to be fought. You don’t fight a whitetail buck. You hunt him.

And, of course, I’ve hunted more big whitetail bucks than Tony Dyer has ever dreamed of. By the standards and qualifications I established in that first article of the series, the Cape buffalo is the greatest dangerous game animal, the greatest African animal, the greatest foreign animal, the greatest horned animal—and almost the greatest game animal.

But not quite! ★

Okay, so the Cape buffalo is acknowledged to be perhaps the most dangerous, and thereby one of the most exciting, game animals alive, when hunted fairly. Does that also make him the greatest?

Mr. Wooters, a former HSC President, passed away in January of 2013. HSCF greatly appreciates his wife, Jeanne McRae Wootters, for sharing his legacy and wisdom. | www.johnwootters.com FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 89

ER

LIFE MEM

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RHINOS, RHINOS, RHINOS! MEM

BE

R

BY JOHN RULON

“Rhinos, rhinos, live rhinos!”

The panic in his voice was palpable. With his heavy Chinese accent, the night operations manager of Flying Tigers was pleading with me to understand. “Rhinos! I have five live rhinos in my warehouse – you gotta help me!”

I wasn’t sure if he wanted to enlist my help as a customhouse broker or amateur psychologist to chase these rhinos from his warehouse or his mind.

I had just returned home about midnight on a Saturday night.

I had been at the airport clearing a shipment of fresh cut flowers from Amsterdam when the home phone rang. I finally was able to grasp that there were live rhinos that had arrived in Houston from South Africa and they had not cleared properly in New York.

Due to that problem, Customs and Agriculture would not release the rhinos to the rescue company that had arranged the shipment.

The vet traveling with the rhinos informed me that the black rhinos had already had two rounds of tranquilizers and that a third round would probably prove fatal. We only had two to three hours before they would be fully alert and very dangerous. A PH stood on a catwalk above the warehouse to ensure no one got hurt.

I quickly grabbed my list of emergency phone numbers. I called the Agriculture inspector who had just released my flower shipment. I was told it was too late in the night; I would have to wait 90 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

until morning. Next, the supervisor’s phone went unanswered.

Before wasting any more time, I called the local news stations to tell them that five endangered black rhinos were about to be killed at the airport because paperwork could not be processed. I was sure that they would send camera crews to catch the spectacle. I called the junior inspector one more time to tell him that cameras were on the way. A few minutes later my phone rang. A sleepy, and somewhat annoyed gentleman called me from Washington to assess the situation.

During the Customs exam, the inspector thought he should get a closer look to make sure no drugs were hidden in the crates. As he scaled the outside of the crate, an aggravated rhino rammed his horn through the wood, narrowly missing the inspector’s foot.

A visibly shaken, white faced inspector jumped down and advised us all that there really was a rhinoceros in the crate. Within two hours we had the rhinos on the specially designed transport vehicles bound for their new south Texas homes.

CINDI’S TALE

Cindi began one of her careers working in imports at the IAH airport. As the years passed, she worked for different freight forwarders and Customs brokers. At that time, all brokers had to bring every piece of freight to the Customs office for examination. Everyone knew each other, and for the most part got along in

the brokerage industry (it had a small town atmosphere). If Cindi needed something from the airlines or Customs, she just walked across the street and asked for it. With automation and growth, that sense of teamwork and community lessened over the years; competition became more intense.

Cindi’s favorite job, before she learned trophies, was working for one of the first independent ground handling companies at the airport. This was the beginning of a change from airline personnel handling all aspects of freight operations. Northwest and Cargolux airlines farmed out their freight operations to her company. The

sign above the door said “Northwest Airlines” but everyone there worked for the ground handler. The flights and cargo that they handled were 747 freighters that came in several times a week. They only had a few hours to unload and reload the aircraft, so precision and careful staging of freight was a necessity.

One of their regular customers shipped purebred horses to the Middle East. Special corrals on aircraft dollies were utilized to move them – each accommodating several horses. They had to stay in quarantine for several days to process through Agriculture prior to loading into the corrals.

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 91

One night, shortly after Cindi completed the manifesting, one of the horses got spooked and tried to jump out of the corral. He made it halfway, and found himself high centered on the four foot wall. You can’t load that dolly onto the airplane, so a time consuming and expensive delay was about to occur. Someone called the vet office, and a crane and cargo strap were summoned. It was determined that the safest and fastest way to extricate the poor pony from his predicament was to wrap the cargo strap at the base of his tail and pick him up. I can’t imagine what the horse was thinking when he was hoisted head down back into the corral. He decided to behave himself the rest of the trip and arrived safely.

It was not long after this happened that Cindi embarked on her second career; full-time mom. Cindi stayed home to raise our girls.

Only after the girls were grown did Cindi find herself embarking on another odyssey: trophy imports.

JOHN’S TALE

I moved to Houston after college and quickly found a home at a downtown-based brokerage firm. We had a little air freight, but before computers, fax, and internet, we had to rely on telephones and messenger services. Cindi’s firm handled my company’s air freight, and I in turn handled her company’s sea freight. It was there, while spending countless hours on the phone relating shipment details, we developed a relationship and we were married in 1982.

At one time or another, I have handled almost everything you can think of in some form or fashion. I have handled toys, chemicals, wedding dresses, oil rigs, military vehicles, handguns, live chickens, fresh cut flowers, radioactive sources, helicopters, ship spares, entire bottling plants, shoes, and, yes, hunting trophies.

There was constant variety and I never knew what the next day would hold. One of my most interesting endeavors was when a favorite customer of mine called me one day to tell me that some equipment would be arriving from Scotland the next day. He needed me to clear and transport it to Florida that night; expense was no object. I hurriedly checked the flight schedules and called the customer back to give him the bad news. The aircraft would not arrive in time for me to receive and clear the cargo with time to make the connection to Florida; it would take an extra day. I was surprised when the customer advised me that I would, in fact, make the arrangements and make the flight. He asked me what I needed to make it happen. We discussed the obstacles and logistics for a little while.

A few minutes after hanging up, I got a call from Customs headquarters in Washington. I was assured that my paperwork would be processed in time. That was not to be the last of the unusual calls I would get that day. Continental Airlines called me to ask about my reservation for the Florida flight. They asked what time I would be able to make it to check-in (this was before 9-11, so security was much easier). I was guaranteed that I would make the flight. British Airways called and advised that the freight I was expecting would receive special handling.

When the shipment arrived, I was at British Airways waiting for the cargo to appear. A Customs inspector came into the office and stated, “I’d like to know who you know, because I was told to release your entry with no questions asked.” When the packages came, each case was larger than a suitcase and weighed about 60 pounds. I quickly threw them in my truck and raced to my flight as I only had 20 minutes until departure. I ran as fast as I could with the cases through the airport and to the Continental counter.

It was obvious they were waiting for me. I sprinted to the gate, onto the plane, and sat in the last empty seat 20 minutes after the 92 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

scheduled departure time. Shortly after fastening my seatbelt, the captain announced that the technical problem with the aircraft had been sorted out and we would now depart for Florida. It was the first time, and hopefully the last, I will be called a technical problem.

Upon landing, I was met on the jetway by two men in black suits. Without introduction, they advised, “Mr. Rulon, come with us.” I wondered who they were and how they knew my name. I did as I was told, walked through the jetway door and onto the tarmac where my four packages were waiting. My new “friends” asked me to produce my bag tags and identify my luggage. After a brief identification process, my luggage was loaded into a limousine that appeared out of nowhere and onto the tarmac. One of my companions held the door for me and we sped away. The men-in-black took me to a hotel where I had a reservation I never made. As they whisked me out of the car they advised, “Have a pleasant evening. A car will be here to pick you up at 6 a.m. Thank you for your service.” This was on January 29, 1987, the day after the space shuttle Challenger exploded. The underwater television cameras I delivered would find the wreckage.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

In the fall of 1987, I met Mike Simpson and everything changed.

He entrusted me with the brokerage for Conroe Taxidermy, and it changed my life. As I learned the trophy business, Mike introduced me to HSC and its members. Not knowing much about the industry, I attended my first SCI convention in a three piece suit; I was not too successful that year.

Sixteen years ago, Cindi appeared on the trophy scene and it hasn’t been the same since. Together we attended more conventions, developed new and different relationships and the business grew by leaps and bounds.

The trophy industry did, does and will continue to change. The explosion of hunting in the ’80s and ’90s, the improvement in transportation and taxidermy and the advances in communication have made the job much easier than it was 40 years ago, but

it still has its challenges.

The regulations that govern our industry are often out of date before their ink dries. The information and procedures change on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Add to that port variances, airline regulations, seasonal adjustments to airline carrying capacity, and bonding requirements for Agricultural approved warehouses, and you have a project that is worthy of a doctoral thesis.

Agriculture/USDA is the most challenging group to deal with as they are the first line of defense in protecting livestock, agriculture and forestry from invasive species, disease and pests. Over the years I have seen huge improvements in the dip pack processes from origin countries. It is rare when we get a dip pack trophy that is not properly dried, treated and with correct documentation. When I first started, it was common to get rotten skins that were not properly dried. On one occasion I received four baboon skulls that had not been treated at all beyond skinning. Let’s just say that it was an unpleasant surprise to receive on a hot summer day, after a week in transit. The taxidermist was able to save the skulls, but was not overjoyed with our delivery.

After Agriculture is satisfied, Fish and Wildlife take over. This aspect has gone almost entirely electronic with a great deal of success. Concurrent with Fish and Wildlife comes a release through the Center for Disease Control (CDC). They become involved with primates, some cats, rodents and a few other species. This is largely done through fax and email communication.

The final hurdle comes with Customs and Border Protection.

Once again, this is a clerical process and we have to make sure that all releases are obtained prior to delivery to the taxidermist, tannery or your home.

Cindi and I are constantly re-examining the landscape and implementing new procedures to address the problem of the day.

Some of these hit the mark and some are quickly discarded, but

we never stay still.

We estimate that we have been involved in over 20,000 safaris in our careers, from a single bear, to shipments containing hundreds of birds. We have helped with first-time hunters, and collections for the Warren Wildlife Gallery. That gallery alone displays 700 birds and 500 mammals that we have imported, including an Ader’s duiker. There are hundreds more birds being mounted for display.

Some of the most challenging shipments we have ever handled have been importing 500 frozen birds in one shipment, and other unique imports for the Gallery.

It has been Cindi’s and my pleasure to be a part of a long and rewarding career dealing with hunting and trophies. We have made more friends and enjoyed work more when we are dealing with individuals who have completed their own adventures. We love hearing the details of the hunts and, although tangential, being a part of it somehow. There is a sense of belonging to a bigger community and maybe we live our lives vicariously through others.

Our vacations and leisure time usually finds us beach-bound with snorkels and fins. I enjoy my annual bird hunts in south Texas with the same group of friends every year. In February, I will go on a hunt for a Bison, something I have wanted to do and have talked about for years. Who knows, maybe someday I will sit on a flight next to one of you and go to New Zealand or Greenland, bringing home the trophy. Maybe I will be the one asking, “Do you know a good broker?” ★ John & Cindi Rulon can be reached at: 281-590-5500 Cindi.Rulon@procargousa.com John.Rulon@procargousa.com procargousa.com

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 93

S E U N I T N O C M THE DREA am HUNT AL ASKA

Dre

Alaska is a premier hunting destination, known for their abundance of wild game.The lucky winner will receive a $25,000 credit to be used on the dream hunt(s) of their choice with any participating APHA Member.

Multiple hunts can be combined to total the $25,000 credit. May also be used for fishing trips. Transportation, license and tag fees are not included. The winner will have until 3/15/2020 to select the outfitter/guide.

Hunt must be conducted by 12/31/2022 • This prize has NO CASH VALUE For ticket information contact the APHA office at 907-929-0619

Great Prize package from Barney’s/Frontier Gear of Alaska, Sitka Gear and Stone Glacier A special “THANK YOU” to Jack Atcheson & Sons, Inc.

for their efforts spreading ™ FALLin 94 HUNTER'S HORN 2019

the word of our raffle

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ 95

HSCF App/CardSkipper Launched!

Houston Safari Club Foundation Launches Membership App & Digital Membership Card!

H

SCF is always looking for new ways to enhance your membership experience.

In partnership with CardSkipper, HSCF is pleased to announce the launch of the HSCF Membership mobile App complete with a digital HSCF membership card.

HSCF members will now be able to proudly present their HSCF Membership Card from their smart phones, tablets and computers. The HSCF App provides quick access to updated information, making it simple for members to stay informed about HSCF activities, outdoor industry news and legislative information.

Through the App, HSCF members will be able to obtain information on HSCF events, special member offers, HSCF event registration, HSCF publications, HSCF merchandise and more! The HSCF digital membership card allows members to proudly carry their card anywhere they go!

As an additional benefit of membership, HSCF members can show their digital membership card at Registration Desk of the annual HSCF Worldwide Hunting Expo & Convention ( January 24-26, 2020) and receive FREE entry to the Expo, all weekend long!

96 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

To Download The Card and App: 1. You will receive an invitation from HSCF, via text message/email, to download the Cardskipper App. A message like this will appear: Hi John Smith! Here is your Membership Card from the Cardskipper app on https://app.cardskipper.se/osysm2g.

2. Click on the link in the text.

3. Download the Cardskipper App. 4. Locate the Cardskipper App on your device.

5. Open the App. 6. Enter your cellphone number and click “Complete Registration” 7. If you are unable to complete registration using your cell phone number, you can click the button “I already have an account” and enter your birthdate and Member Code. You will receive a member code via the email invitation.

8. Once the App is installed, you will have access to your HSCF Membership card.

9. Do not forget to allow push notifications to receive timely updates about HSCF!

To Use The App: • Where can I find news, offers and information from my organization? By swiping left or right you can switch between the different types of messages. Tapping on a message displays it in full screen. You will see different screens, including NEWS, EVENTS, OFFERS, CONTACT INFORMATION and more! We will regularly provide updated news and information.

• You will also receive notifications and announcements about upcoming HSCF events, offers and more.

• The App will provide a reminder if your membership is nearing expiration.

You may click on the renewal reminder to connect to the HSCF Membership system (MemberClicks) to renew your membership.

• If your membership does expire, your digital membership card will show as “Expired”. Simply renew your membership online from the App, on the HSCF website at wehuntwegive.org, or by calling the HSCF office at 713.623.8844.

• You may also find the app In Apple App store, Google Play and on the internet: https://member.cardskipper.se/Account/ Welcome?ReturnUrl=%2f • In the web version you can also print your card by clicking the print icon up in the right corner. You will need to login to be able to print the card https://member.cardskipper.se/ If HSCF does not have your mobile number on file, or if your mobile number needs to be updated in your HSCF Member Profile, please contact us at 713.623.8844 or you may update your profile at https://hscf.memberclicks. net/profile-information-update#/.

Contact the HSCF office with any questions at 713.623.8844.

We hope you enjoy the new HSCF digital membership card and App!

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 97

YOUNG Theodore Roosevelt

The Making of a Hunter, Conservationist, and President

By Jay Rohfritch

Theodore Roosevelt was 25 years old in February 1884, when his first child was born. Two days after his daughter’s birth, Roosevelt’s mother died. Eleven days after his mom died, his wife died.

Teddy was distraught and overcome by depression. His sister looked after his infant daughter while Teddy threw himself into his work and then fled to the west and his ranch on the northern plains. He spent much of 1884 and 1885 ranching and hunting in the Badlands, rebuilding his mental and emotional strength. He wrote about his experiences in Hunting Trips of a Ranchman, one of the 18 books he wrote during his life. Roosevelt’s time on the northern plains would transform his career, giving him the reputation as an outdoorsman, rancher, and master of self-reliance that would help him win the White House.

The true first edition of this book is the oversize and well illustrated Medora Edition published in 1885, a full year before the much more common trade edition was published.

The Medora Edition was well made and expensively produced and limited to only 500 copies. All Roosevelt quotes and illustrations in this article are from the Medora Edition (number 36 of 500) currently in the inventory of Good Books In The Woods.

Entire books have been written about Roosevelt’s firearms collection, but in 1884 he brought the wrong guns with him to the West. “When I first came to the plains, I had a heavy Sharps rifle, 45-120, shooting an ounce and a quarter of lead, and a 50-caliber, double-barreled English express. Both of 98 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

26 year old Roosevelt in full hunting gear

Above: Roosevelt and Manitou preparing for a hunt | Below: The Medora Edition 1885, True First Edition

these, especially the latter, had a vicious recoil; the former was very clumsy; and above all they were neither of them repeaters...I threw them both aside...” He bought three rifles to replace them: “ a 40-90 Sharps for very long range work; a 50-115 6-shot Ballard express, which has the velocity, shock, and low trajectory of an English gun; and better than either, a 45-75 half-magazine Winchester.”

Roosevelt loved the repeating Winchester, it was stocked and sighted especially for him, and it became his rifle of choice—he used it to successfully hunt all manner of game from white-tail deer to big-horn to grizzly. Roosevelt also had two custom made shotguns for birds: a double-barreled No. 10 choke bore made by Thomas of Chicago for ducks and geese, and a double-barreled No. 16 hammerless made by Kennedy of St. Paul for grouse and plover. He would take all five of those guns with him on longer hunting trips when he might be away from his ranch for weeks and have the support of a few cowboys and a full wagon and team.

For simple day trips on and around his own ranch, Roosevelt traveled much lighter, preferring just to take along his “little ranch gun” as well as a long barreled Colt .45 revolver and a knife.

Roosevelt’s “little ranch gun” is something of a curiosity. The game he was most likely to encounter on his own land were white-tail deer, ducks, and grouse and “the little ranch gun” seems to have been tailor made to handle them all. It had three barrels consisting of a double-barreled No. 16 shotgun on top with a 40-70 rifle barrel below.

Roosevelt actually owned two ranches on the northern cattle plains, the Elkhorn and the Chimney Butte. His ranches were located in “extreme western Dakota,” which placed them “along

the eastern border of the cattle country, where the Little Missouri flows through the heart of the Bad Lands.” The northern plains were not yet surveyed or fenced in 1885 and cattle were free to roam over the land with little attempt to keep them within definite bounds until the semi-annual roundups.

Roosevelt was serious about his ranching, but he also got away to go hunting whenever he could.

As a hunter Roosevelt had one rather serious weakness and one great strength. His eyesight was horrible. But, his iron will gave him a perseverance, stamina, and endurance that would become legendary across three continents. “I myself am not, and never will be, more than an ordinary shot for my eyes are bad and my hand not over-steady; yet I have killed every kind of game to be found on the plains, partly because I have hunted very perseveringly, and partly because by practice I have learned to shoot about as well at a wild animal as at a target.”

Roosevelt was particular about his shooting technique. He never learned to shoot from horseback, although his best horse could tolerate it, and preferred to kneel instead of standing or lying prone. His eyesight got worse as he grew older and he actually lost the sight in one eye practicing boxing while in the White House.

Roosevelt’s poor eyesight made hunting one plains animal particularly difficult. “By plainsmen they are known as prong-horn or antelope.” Roosevelt only had two successful hunts after prong-horn, and only one of those at distance. In June, when many of Roosevelt’s cowboys were off on the round-up and the ranch had run out of fresh meat, Theodore decided he was tired of subsisting on salt pork, beans, potatoes, FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 99

and bread and rode the 15 miles or so from his land to the start of the gently rolling prairies, where prong-horn could be found.

He went by himself, taking only his trusted horse, Manitou, and his Winchester. “After passing the last line of low, rounded scoria buttes, the horse stepped out on the border of the great, seemingly endless stretches of rolling or nearly level prairie, over which I had planned to travel and hunt for the next two or three days. At intervals of ten or a dozen miles this prairie was crossed by dry creeks, with, in places in their beds, pools or springs of water, and alongside a spindling growth of trees and bushes; and my intention was to hunt across these creeks, and camp by some water-hole in one of them at night.”

Roosevelt rode Manitou slowly over the prairies, stopping frequently to scan the area with his small glass. When he saw a band of antelope, he dismounted and carefully stalked his prey on foot knowing that Manitou would quietly graze where he was left, no hobbling required. Roosevelt began walking when he was a mile from the band of antelope and could usually walk upright or stoop for half that distance before having to get down on his hands and knees to crawl into better range. Roosevelt left his hat with Manitou to avoid spooking the antelope. Although he was very patient and even skilled at using dry creeks, the occasional tree, and small mounds to hide himself, the antelope nearly always detected him and ran away before he could get within effective shooting range. On one occasion the prong-horn almost seemed to mock him, racing away far out of range at the first shot (a miss), only to whirl around and charge him at full speed, getting almost into range before wheeling around and racing away for good. After several unsuccessful stalks on foot in the hot sun, Roosevelt changed tactics.

Roosevelt and Manitou came over the crest of a divide and saw a band of six antelope only a quarter of a mile away. Roosevelt continued riding towards them and the band started, running at full speed directly upwind. Knowing that racing antelope almost always run in straight lines, and noticing that the antelope’s course would intersect with his in half a mile, Roosevelt put spurs to Monitou.

The horse took off, running at full speed and moving nearly as fast as the antelope even though he was carrying Roosevelt and all their camping supplies. Manitou held his gallop while Roosevelt saw that two antelope led the small band by roughly fifty yards. When those two crossed Manitou’s path, Roosevelt pulled the horse up short, leapt from his back, knelt on the ground, and blazed away with his Winchester as the remaining four antelope crossed directly in front of him. He emptied the Winchester and got one.

He got his second the evening of the next day, just before reaching his campsite for the night. Once again, Manitou and Roosevelt came up slowly over a low ridge, this time finding a solitary buck about 350 yards off. Roosevelt immediately dismounted and crept up until he could see the antelope’s entire body. In the dusk, the antelope couldn’t quite make Roosevelt out and stayed broadside to him watching carefully. At 300 yards, Roosevelt fired and broke the antelope’s neck with a single shot, one of the best shots of Roosevelt’s hunting career. “Thus on this trip I was never successful in outwitting antelope on the several occasions when I pitted my craft and skill against their wariness and keen senses, always either failing to get within range or else missing them; but nevertheless I got two by taking advantage of the stupidity and curiosity which they occasionally show.”

Later that summer Roosevelt took a long trip through Southeastern Montana and Northern Wyoming to trade cattle and pick up supplies. Because he would end up close to the Bighorn 100 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

Roosevelt taking his first Big-horn

Mountains, he decided to tack on a two week hunting trip after elk and bear. Roosevelt took Merrifield (his best ranch foreman), and an old teamster (“who possessed a most extraordinary stock of miscellaneous misinformation upon every conceivable subject”) with him. They each rode a pony and lead a total of four pack horses.

The small pack train rode two days into the mountains following an old Indian trail and then stopped to set up camp and hunt in the surrounding area.

Those first days were miserable. None of the three were any good at packing or leading a train of horses and the packs kept sliding off and the horses wandered. Roosevelt’s beloved Manitou was back on the Dakota ranch and his current mount was not up to Manitou’s lofty standards. Roosevelt was riding slowly when he saw his first elk and tried to leap off the horse’s back to kneel and shoot. The horse reared and turned as Roosevelt was leaping, catching TR’s left foot in the stirrup. Roosevelt was uninjured, but his first chance at an elk was ruined.

Although it was summer, the weather in the mountains was cold. It was mostly clear and they lost only one day to bad weather, a day when it rained, sleeted and snowed from dawn to dusk.

Roosevelt was always prepared for such days. He loved reading and always brought a least a few books with him on his hunting trips, a habit that would reach its apex when he brought 59 books on his 1909 Africa trip.

Roosevelt, Merrifield, and the teamster hunted well and were

able to live off the land during the two week trip, feasting on elk, around it before climbing to the summit. They found old tracks, deer, trout, and grouse. The best bull elk Roosevelt shot on the trip but nothing fresh and certainly no sheep. On the way back down he got in a beautiful valley bounded by sheer walls of rock. He and a frustrated Roosevelt took a shot at a jackrabbit and realized the Merrifield had been carefully hunting through a pine forest that sound of the gunshot had scared away any big game that might led into the valley. As they stepped out of the forest and into the have been in the area. valley Roosevelt noticed a large beautiful bull elk near the edge of The third day Roosevelt and Merrifield went farther, to the the cliff about 80 yards off. Roosevelt’s first shot caught the bull just highest peaks in the area, taking the horses and riding them at a behind the shoulder and the second went through the bull’s lungs. full gallop across the frozen plain. After tethering the horses, the “There have been few days of my hunting life so full of unalmen climbed the tallest peak and then crept along the knife-ridge loyed happiness as were those spent on the Bighorn range. From which joined it to the next. The ice made footing very slippery as morning till night I was on foot, in cool, bracing air, now moving they stepped along the ledges and crawled around jutting boulders. silently through the vast, melancholy pine forests, now treading They found fresh tracks, but no sheep on the ridge and descended the brink of high, rocky precipices, always amid the most grand into a narrow chasm. They walked along the bottom of the chasm, and beautiful scenery; and always after as noble and lordly game only two feet wide, and scanned the opposite side which rose up as is to be found in the Western world.” at an acute angle.

Roosevelt and Merrifield hunted grizzly in the Bighorns as Coming around a sharp corner, they found very fresh tracks. well as elk. TR had never seen a grizzly until the first one he Knowing that they had been moving silently and the wind was shot. Merrifield was a skilled tracker and he tracked the grizzly in their favor, Roosevelt reasoned the big-horn were unaware of all the way to its bed in the middle of a hill their presence. He quickly climbed the steep in the forest. It was a huge old male, the largslope on his left and ran across its top. He est bear TR would ever see. The grizzly saw soon spotted two rams about 90 yards ahead TR had never seen them, but didn’t run or charge and Roosevelt of him on the opposite side of the chasm. The killed him with a single shot between the larger of the two was broadside to Roosevelt a grizzly until the eyes. They estimated the bear weighed 1,200 and clearly outlined against the sky. Roosevelt first one he shot ... it pounds and was certainly heavier than either dropped to his knee, raised his rifle, and as he of their horses. Roosevelt was proud of his aimed, the ram saw him, but did not flee. It was a huge old male, kill, but Merrifield was disappointed in the turned its head to better see Roosevelt and he lack of a fight. fired, hitting the ram just behind the shoulder. the largest bear TR “Merrifield was sincerely sorry that we The ram ran off, making it about 200 yards would ever see. The never had to stand a regular charge.” “He was before collapsing dead. rather a reckless fellow...and he really did not Roosevelt’s analysis of his own skill was grizzly saw them, but seem to have any more fear of the grizzlies not particularly complimentary “The death of didn’t run or charge than if they had been so many jackrabbits.” this ram was accomplished without calling for Back on the Dakota ranch, and in early any very good shooting on our part. He was and Roosevelt killed winter, Roosevelt heard that a small band of standing still, less than a hundred yards off, him with a single shot when the shot was fired; and we came across big-horn sheep was hanging around broken and very steep country about 25 miles from him so close merely by accident. Still, we fairly between the eyes. his ranch. It was bitterly cold that year and deserved our luck, for we had hunted with the Roosevelt decided he would need company most patient and painstaking care from dawn and supplies for the four-day trip. Roosevelt, till nightfall for the better part of three days, Merrifield, and a ranch hand drove a buck-board wagon and two spending most of the time climbing at a smart rate of speed up saddle horses up to an old abandoned hunting cabin which lay on sheer cliffs and over rough and slippery ground.” a great bend of the river near where the big-horn were wandering.

The seeds of Roosevelt’s famous conservationism were sowed While the ranch hand tended to the supplies, buckboard, and cabin, during his time on the northern plains. In every chapter he deRoosevelt and Merrifield rode the saddle horses about 10 miles scribes a massive loss of wildlife and habitat as white Americans through a valley and across a plateau to get to the steep country took over the northern plains, first flooding the wilderness with where they dismounted and began climbing, leaving their horses professional meat and skin hunters, then converting the wilderness to graze. The mountains were low, but jagged and icy. They climbed to ranches, and then ranches to farms. His contempt for the meat carefully, slowly working their way across the faces of cliffs and and skin hunters is fierce and runs through the entire book. He cautiously creeping along narrow ridges. They found fresh tracks arrived on the northern plains only six years after the last battles but could not find the big-horn, and the first day passed without with the Indians and only two after the great buffalo herds were ever seeing a sheep. They returned to the cabin to find the cowboy destroyed. On his hunting trips he rode past huge mounds of bufhad a good fire going, dinner about ready, and all the supplies unfalo bones and skulls just lying around on the plains waiting to be packed. Roosevelt’s sleeping bag kept him warm during the bitter ground up and sold as fertilizer. ★ night, it was a thick buffalo robe sewn up on three sides to make a warm and comfortable bag. All the men wore heavy fur coats The true first edition of Roosevelt’s Hunting Trips of a Ranchman is with extra buffalo robes once the sun went down. listed for sale, along with 20,000 more books, at www.goodbooksinRoosevelt and Merrifield breakfasted before dawn the second thewoods.com. To browse a selection of rare books curated specifically for day, this time leaving the horses behind when they left the cabin. members of the Houston Safari Club Foundation please see the Catalogs They walked across the plain to Middle Butte, an isolated mass page on our site. We can be reached at jay@goodbooksinthewoods.com of rock several miles in length. They carefully hunted the foothills and 281-298-2497. Please visit us at our store in Spring.

FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 101

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Big, lone boars are the most likely to attack unprovoked.

(Photo by Chester Moore, Jr.)

102 HUNTER'S HORNâ„¢ FALL 2019

HUNTING

AMERICAN MAN-KILLERS The author with a big, lone boar taken in the coastal prairies of Southeast Texas.

(Photo by Gerald Burleigh)

By Chester Moore, Jr. The steady hum of crickets and occasional barred owl hoots serenaded me to sleep. All night in a climbing tree stand had taken its toll and despite a valiant effort to make it through the night, slumber fell.

“Wiff ” The distinctive sound of nostrils clearing sounded downwind in the dim creek bottom, startling me to attention. At first I thought it was a deer, but then a guttural grunt revealed something else had arrived. Game cameras showed a large lone boar had been moving through here between 1 and 4 a.m. and with my phone showing a time of 3:16, it was right on time.

Boars like this always come in downwind despite the time of day, whether they are coming into bait or simply moving through the woods. This one eluded harvest for months, but perhaps that would end tonight. Things went silent for a moment and, as if it somehow floated over the bed of oak leaves it stood on, the boar appeared.

No rustling of leaves. No sound at all.

As the dark black boar turned broadside, I put the green reticle behind its ear and squeezed the trigger. The 220 grain .300 Blackout round hit its mark and the beast went down as quietly as it had appeared. This one had only been seen on the aforementioned game cameras and was of a particular profile that has intrigued me for years. That is the large, lone boar.

In a two-decade career in wildlife journalism and having hunted hogs from the mountains of Tennessee to the cactus thickets of South Texas, nearly every serious hog attack on humans I have documented came from these kinds of animals, and now science verifies this research.

Dr. Jack Mayer of the Savannah River National Laboratory published a paper on hog attacks from around the world, and the findings are fascinating. Documenting 412 wild hog attacks worldwide impacting 665 people, it creates a profile of killer hogs.

Hogs that attack are described as solitary (82 percent), large (87 percent) and male (81 percent) and most attacks occurred when there was no hunting involved.

This describes a lone, mature boar, likely territorial, which is extremely powerful and much faster than a person can imagine. It is a different hog from the young boar that comes in with a bunch of others to a deer feeder or the sow defending her young. She FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 103

may be aggressive in defense, but Mayer’s findings show many of these attacks have the pig eating or attempting to eat their victims. During the 25-year span of the study there were four fatal hog attacks in the United States, with the most recent in Texas in 1996. Of the 21 states reporting hog attacks, Texas led the pack with 24 percent, with Florida at 12 percent and South Carolina 10. Interestingly, when examining worldwide shark fatalities, hogs beat them out as recently as 2013.

The Benton County Daily Record chronicled a wild boar that “attacked and flipped a utility vehicle on a job site in Waco—and severely injured a Gentry man.” The story relates that “Greg Lemke, who designs chicken houses for Latco Inc. of Lincoln, was a passenger in a utility vehicle when the wild boar struck the rear of the vehicle, causing it to flip with Lemke inside.”

“The accident left Lemke paralyzed from the breast bone down.”

The Pineville Town Talk tells the story of a Pineville, Louisiana man who had a pig enter the house he was visiting.

“Boston Kyles, 20, of 497 Pelican Drive told deputies he was visiting his sister’s house at the time of the incident. He said he had gone there to clean fish and was sitting in the house’s front room when the pig entered through the front door. Kyles told deputies he stomped the floor to try to shoo the pig out of the room, but the pig charged him.”

In 2004 an Edgefield, South Carolina man experienced one of the scariest hog attacks I could find occurring in the United States.

“It came out of nowhere and attacked me,” he said in a report in the Edgefield Advertiser.

“It had me pinned on the ground and was mauling me.”

Fortunately, Burt’s seven-month-old German shepherd, named Bobo, was on hand to help him fend off the beast.

These are not your average hogs. Not all are this extreme and savage. They are a special combination of environment, experience and genetics, but with six million hogs in the United States, there are many out there.

Hunting them is, in my opinion, the greatest challenge readily available to hunters in North America. And the discovery of this profile opens up great opportunities for hunters to dialogue with non-hunters who own land or who have questions about the burgeoning hog crisis.

Explaining that taking out certain hogs can lessen the chance of attacks as hogs encroach on civilization might score some small victories for the image of hunters and give you some of the greatest hunting challenges of your life. Intensive scouting is the key to finding these animals and its different from standard hog hunting research.

The first step is locating large tracks and tree rubs in an area where there is not much other hog sign. Rooting is also a positive discovery, but an area with much rooting has numerous hogs. You are looking for the zone of the killer and while they certainly move in and out of areas other hogs frequent, you are most likely to take them on the fringes of a very definable territory.

If a ranch, for example, has constant hog activity around fields or a creek bottom, the big, lone boars will set up usually around a half-mile away or even farther. They will tend to be downwind of the prevailing air currents and either in a super thick spot or what I like to call “obvious cover.”

This can be a small set of bushes in the middle of a field or in the thick brush on the levee of a pond or in the crevice of fallen trees. The key is lack of contact with people, and all of these areas—whether they are cactus thickets or brush piles driven by commuters daily—offer security.

Searching out beds is another good strategy. Hogs will make multiple bedding areas in their preferred haunt. Hunters in California’s open country, who are not legally allowed to bait, scout beds and then hunt the ones they think have been used most recently. Big, lone boars will often use several spread over their territory, and once you know what you’re looking for they are easy to spot.

The next step is setting up several game cameras to determine times of movement. Most of the activity will be at night but if there is an increase in night hunting pressure, they will move during the middle of the day. Baiting, where legal, can be effective but automatic feeders should be avoided.

These incredibly smart boars in pressured areas only hit them occasionally. It’s best to set out a push feeder on the ground or manually distribute corn several days ahead of a hunt. Corn is the best lure if you’re not doing a long-term baiting program because it can take a while for them to trust the smells of the many commercially available hog lures. Corn feeders are abundant in the woods, so they are used to corn.

Go to extremes to control scent, using scent-killing detergent for your clothes and using dirt and leaves from the exact spot you will be hunting to mask any remnant odors.

Simply put it in a plastic bag and let your clothes sit in it overnight. Avoid commercial cover scents like red fox urine because they are an additional strong smell the hog might not be used to encountering.

Avoid permanent blinds or structures— instead use bolt-on or climbing tree stands or well-camouflaged tripods if you have the ability to set them up on the fly. This is about making things appear as natural as possible and using the game camera technology to be in the right place at the right time.

Be mindful of seasonal changes in the local environment that could serve you well. The falling of mast crop will send hogs into an eating frenzy in the early fall so scoping out trails from their lair to mast-bearing trees can be effective. I killed the biggest lone boar of my life (325 pounds) by staking out a small water hole during a drought.

The small spring-fed hole had tons of sign around it and one set of tracks was extra-large. I only had one day to hunt so I was determined to set out with intentions to not come back until dark if necessary.

A number of smaller hogs came in and I let them pass. Several groups moved in and out. But then after that flurry of activity came a very large hog that made the fatal mistake of drinking, quartering away long enough for me to draw back and release a 125-grain broadhead behind its shoulder.

Water is a hog’s weakness and in areas where water begins to get scarce, you can rely on it to bring them in. The key is scouting for a large hog and then waiting them out. Squeezing the trigger on smaller hogs will guarantee you no shots at the big one. Even the distress grunt expressed when a hog is taken by arrow is enough

These are not your average hogs. Not all are this extreme and savage. They are a special combination of environment, experience and genetics, but with six million hogs in the United States, there are many out there.

104 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

Hogs will make several beds in their range.

Where baiting is illegal, locating beds is a great way to find big, lone boars.

(Photo by Chester Moore, Jr.)

to spook the loner lurking in the distance.

These hogs will wait until they know it’s safe to move in. I watched this from a stand in the Pineywoods of East Texas as I prepared to draw back on a hefty sow that brought in her whole troop plus a few other swine friends. Something caught my attention and it turned out to be a big boar. He wasn’t a giant but was no doubt alpha of the area. He had a huge front end, three-inch tusks protruding from his mouth and a giant scar across his head.

The wind was in my favor so I lowered the bow and waited for him to come in. The sow caught his scent and quietly moved her minions away. Now, I just knew he was ready to move in.

This particular stand was set up in a pine savannah with lots of open space. I watched this hog walk in a circle around my position to about 75 yards downwind, clear his nostrils and run away.

It knew something wasn’t right and as I said earlier, they always come in downwind. Despite hunting “Scarface” for nearly a year, I was never able to get a shot.

When scouting or bowhunting these elusive creatures, carry a sidearm and be ready. Their profile suggests they could attack unprovoked and when wounded things can get ugly. In 2004, I guided my friend, bowhunting writer Lou Marullo, on a hog hunt not too far from the home of “Scarface.” He shot a big black and white boar but the arrow only penetrated halfway through the gristle shield into the lower rib cage. I knew it would die but it might take a while, so I radioed my Dad back at camp to bring his .357 Taurus. I took the gun, while Marullo clutched his bow and Dad carried an axe handle he had in a bag on the four-wheeler. Marullo turned to Dad and asked what the ax handle was for.

“Better than a stick,” he said. No one could argue that.

We slowly and methodically moved into the brush knowing we could be attacked, and found the hog with the arrow still in it breathing very heavily in a mud puddle. Marullo drew back, released another, and the hog stood up. I looked to my right and my Dad, who was 60 at the time, was 20 yards back running the

other direction. I looked to my left and Marullo was nowhere to be found. So there I was, standing there like Dirty Harry with a big pistol in hand, and just as I was about to fire a round it lunged a few feet and fell. That totally made my day! Had we stumbled across it in the brush before the second arrow I have no doubt it would have attacked. That is exactly why we pursued it so carefully after the first shot.

The field-dressed hog weighed 372 pounds, the largest I have ever seen hit the scales. While deer populations in much of America are declining, hogs are on the increase. They are moving into new areas and inhabiting everything from deserts to greenbelts in major urban centers. It is not a matter of if more attacks will occur, but when, especially in light of their recent push into suburbia. Trapping is the main method of dealing with numbers but the hogs this article addresses rarely make that mistake. They require skillful hunters to pursue them.

In the big woods and wild country, hog hunting methods are very liberal in most states, so feel free to use whatever is at your disposal. There are few things more fun than hunting them at night with suppressed rifles and thermal imaging. Closer to cities, bows or high-powered air guns might be the only legal method, taking the challenge to a new level.

Hogs might not be as statistically as dangerous to hunt as lions or Cape buffalo, for example, but to those who, like myself, have been chased up a tree, or to those who survived an attack, the threat is all too real. American man-killers are out there and it’s time to target them for the good of the forest, native wildlife and unsuspecting people who enter their lair. ★ Chester Moore, Jr. is an award-winning writer, photographer and conservationist from Orange, Texas. He is Editor-In-Chief of Texas Fish & Game, author of Hog Wild: Hog Hunting Tactics and Strategies and winner of the 2018 Mossy Oak Outdoors Legacy Award for his work with children and wildlife.

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107

Presidential Remarks On Environmental Leadership

BY JOE BETAR

O

n Monday, July 8, President Donald Trump conducted a gathering in the East Wing of the White House to discuss the status of America’s environmental leadership. I was honored to be invited and attended as your representative.

In attendance were leaders in conservation including representatives of various governmental agencies and NGO’s. Legislators, Cabinet Members and Agency Secretaries were also present. Cabinet Members present included U.S. Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin, U.S. Secretary of Energy, Rick Perry, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao. Also present was the Chair of the Council of Environmental Quality, Mary Neumayr, Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR 4th District).

President Trump stressed the United States’ successful initiatives in economic growth and energy production with simultaneous advancements in conservation, recreational access of public lands, and the restoration and protection of U.S. land, air, and waters.

President Trump stated, “As the Cabinet Secretaries will tell you, from the very beginning, I have given them clear direction to focus on addressing environmental challenges so we can provide the highest quality of life to all Americans. In addition to clean air and clean water, that means being good stewards of our public lands; prioritizing cleanup of polluted lands that threaten our most vulnerable citizens, and threaten them very dearly; and implementing pro-growth policies to unlock innovation and new technologies which will improve American life and America’s environment.

So important.” President Trump continued, “These are incredible goals that everyone in this country should be able to rally behind and they have rallied behind. And they’ve rallied behind in a very Republican and Democrat way. I really think that’s something that is bipartisan. For years, politicians told Americans that a strong economy and a vibrant energy sector were incompatible with a healthy environment. In other words, one thing doesn’t go with the other. And that’s wrong because we’re proving the exact opposite.”

In reference to U.S. energy-related carbon emissions and the Paris Climate Accord, President Trump pointed out, “Since 2000, 108 HUNTER'S HORN™ FALL 2019

President Trump and U.S. Secretary of the Interior, David Benrhardt.

our nation’s energy-related carbon emissions have declined more than any other country on Earth. Think of that. Emissions are projected to drop in 2019 and 2020. We’re doing a very tough job and not everybody knows it, and that’s one of the reasons we’re here today to speak to you. Every single one of the signatories to the Paris Climate Accord lags behind America in overall emissions reductions. Who would think that is possible? For this reason, in my first year in office, I withdrew the United States from the unfair, ineffective, and very, very expensive Paris Climate Accord.”

In reference to public land access, President Trump informed the group, “This year, I signed the largest public lands package in a decade, designating 1.3 million acres — that’s a lot of land — of new wilderness and expanding recreational access.” President Trump specifically addressed those that enjoy the outdoors for hunting and fishing stating, “And all across the nation, our policies are ensuring that extreme agendas do not stand in the way of responsible use of public lands. We’re getting Washington bureaucrats off of their backs, and we want to make sure that they go out and help our hunters, and our fishers, and farmers, and everyone.

And they want to do it. They’re going to do it and they want to do it — everybody that enjoys and really loves the great outdoors.

In the proud tradition of conservation that the Republican Party inherits from Teddy Roosevelt, we will preserve this land for our magnificent people. That’s what we’re doing; we’re preserving our land. We’re making our land better and cleaner and safer.”

U.S. Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, addressed the audience and President Trump stating, “When you asked me to take the lead at EPA one year ago, you asked me to do three things: continue to clean up the air, continue to clean up the water, and continue to provide regulatory relief to keep the economy growing. The President knows we can do all

U.S. Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, addressing the crowd.

three at the same time. And here’s the evidence: From 1970 to 2018, U.S. criteria air pollution fell 74 percent, while the economy grew by 275 percent. Under your administration, emissions of all the criteria air pollutants continue to decline.”

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt took the podium and began his talk by stating, “It is an honor to serve a President who has been focused on conservation stewardship since day one.

The President mentioned that he signed into law the largest public lands legislation in over a decade. Thank you all on your side.

We are aggressively implementing this act, which, among other things, designated 1.3 million acres of public land as wilderness, as you said. To put that into perspective, 1.3 million acres exceeds the entire size of the state of Rhode Island. Today, the geographic area of our nation’s wilderness system is actually larger than every state in the union except for Texas and Alaska. We are ensuring that future generations receive the benefit of an enduring wilderness system.”

Secretary Bernhardt continued, “Interior has also been focused on strengthening the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, which is the best in the world. The model was originally conceived by American hunters and anglers, who were the first to crusade for wildlife protection, and retain some of today’s most important conservation leadership. The success of this model depends on a strong federal-state partnership and the continued commitment and participation of the hunters and anglers. These important relationships were frayed under the prior administration.

In contrast, your administration has fostered stewardship collaboration by working with the states, not unilaterally, on our shared mission to conserve fish and wildlife and preserve their habitats for future generations.”

Secretary Bernhardt concluded his remarks with a focus on public access and the associated impact on hunting and fishing opportunities, stating, “Public access and outdoor recreation opportunities are critical for wildlife conservation. Since January of 2017, across the refuge system, we have devoted more than $52

million to restore, retain, and enhance access to outdoor recreation sites and support habitat infrastructure. During that time, we’ve also opened or expanded hunting and fishing access to 385,000 of acres on refuged lands. And last month, we announced our plan to open or expand an additional 1.4 million acres in several national wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries for new hunting, fishing, and recreational activities. The reality is that America leads the world in wilderness and wildlife conservation efforts. And under President Trump’s commonsense leadership, every day at Interior we are increasing access to our public lands, increasing recreational opportunities on those public lands, and enhancing our conservation efforts.”

President Trump concluded the meeting with the following comments, “When I ran for President, I pledged a strong, growing economy and a healthy environment because I believe that we can pursue both at the same time. We have only one America.

We have only one planet. That’s why, every day of my presidency, we will fight for a cleaner environment and a better quality of life for every one of our great citizens. Above all, we will remain loyal to the American people and be faithful stewards of God’s glorious creation, from sea to shining sea. Thank you all very much for being here. God bless you. And God bless America. Thank you.”

The remarks made by our President and the Secretary’s provided many proud moments for me, personally. Specifically, the references to the success of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the importance of the commitment and recruitment of our nation’s hunters and anglers. The efforts being made by this Administration to preserve our wildlife, lands, water and air quality is greatly needed and much appreciated. Through my work as your representative on various legislative and policy panels and committees, it is very inspiring to observe the initiatives being made by our governmental agencies in support of the future of hunting, fishing and access to our great open spaces. The focus on natural resources and the recognition of the economic impact of those that enjoy them is long overdue. ★ FALL 2019 HUNTER'S HORN™ 109

2018

DAN L. DUNCAN Scholarship Update

Tracking South Texas Quail Hunts: Preliminary Research Findings

By Abe Woodard The northern bobwhite, one of America’s premier gamebirds, has been studied for over a century. There are, however, many unanswered questions regarding the influence of a hunting on the species. The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute is currently studying some aspects of hunting on a northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) population in South Texas. This research is being conducted in partnership with the East Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes the advancement of land stewardship through ranching, science, and education.

Our study sites are in Jim Hogg County, on East Foundation lands within the South Texas Sand Sheet. We designated a single contiguous 15,030 acre tract for the hunted area of the study, and we have three tracts totaling 10,813 acres for a non-hunted comparison. Hunting cooperators are implementing a 20 percent harvest rate, prescribed following a November helicopter survey. Additional surveys are repeated monthly (December–March) to evaluate the impacts of the harvest. The hunting methods are standard for South Texas. Hunters follow dogs in vehicles until a covey is pointed, then approached by foot. Hunting is ongoing throughout the hunting season until designated harvest quotas are met.

One objective of the study is to analyze the spatial aspects of quail hunts. To collect the spatial hunting patterns, we are using GPS tracking systems to record locations of hunters and dogs during each hunt, along with a detailed hunting activity log. We are recording the time each brace (e.g., pair of dogs hunting) starts and ends, dogs in each brace, and all pointing activity (e.g., pointing quail or false points). The covey size and number of shots per covey rise are recorded when quail are found.

The 2018–2019 quail hunting season was the first year of our controlled harvest. The prescribed harvest quota was 422 northern bobwhites. To meet this quota, hunting cooperators conducted 59 half-day hunts, spending over 167 hours hunting. In total there were seven different dog handlers, 193 braces of dogs, 78 individual dogs, and over 600,000 GPS locations recorded.

The hunting logs and GPS locations collected from the 2018–2019 hunting season has given us some preliminary insight into several quail hunting variables. Here are some things we have learned so far:

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FIGURE 1: Total hunting pressure distribution for 59 quail hunts during 20182019 hunting season on Buena Vista Ranch, Jim Hogg County, Texas.

ACREAGE COVERED.

The acreage covered is an important variable for researchers and hunters alike. Adequate spatial distribution of harvest is an important management consideration. Recording where you have hunted and the average coverage rate per hunt allows managers to schedule

FIGURE 2: Guide approaching dog on point.

Credit: Abe Woodard

and distribute hunting pressure evenly across properties.

We calculated the area covered per hunt using the GPS locations of hunters and dogs. On average, morning hunts covered twice the acreage of evening hunts. However, the average morning hunt lasted 1.5 hours longer then evening hunts. A more accurate evaluation is the rate of coverage per hour. Morning hunts covered the hunting areas at a rate of 67 acres per hour, while the evening hunts covered 61 acres per hour. Here we can see that the actual hunting coverage is similar, despite a slight decrease in the acreage covered in the afternoon.

All hunting activity took place on 6,271 acres, leaving 58% of the total acreage un-hunted throughout the season. However, 19% of the hunted acreage was hunted on multiple occasions throughout the season (see Figure 1).

QUAIL ENCOUNTER RATES

The encounter rate or number of coveys found per hunt is considered to be the true measurement of quality for a quail hunt. Modern sportsmen value this figure over the amount of quail shot per hunt.

It has also been found to reflect population density.

During the 59 hunts, hunters had a total of 455 covey encounters. These figures included all coveys pointed by the dogs and those jumped by the vehicle undetected by the dogs. The average covey size was 9.2 quail, estimated by researcher or dog handler when necessary.

Hunting parties averaged 9 coveys per morning, and 4.5 coveys per afternoon. Quail were found in the morning at a rate of 2.8 coveys per hour, and in the evening at 2.5 coveys per hour. Quail encountered while hunting totaled at 4,226 (e.g., total quail during the 455 encounters) which includes an unknown amount of multiple encounters throughout the season.

The average annual encounter rate for many camps in South Texas is around 3 coveys per hour. Our results indicate an average year on the study area. However, we do not allow any baiting, so 2018–2019 may have been a slightly better than an average year. Additional years of encounter rate estimates will help further evaluation of hunting efficiency and population health.

HARVEST RATES

In this study, no limit is placed on the number of birds harvested per covey or on the pursuit of singles following the covey rise, rather, the regulatory method of controlling harvest is our total quota.

Therefore, when the total harvest quota for the property is reached, all hunting is stopped.

FIGURE 3: English pointer on point wearing tracking unit.

Credit: Butch Gerke

Shots were fired during 89 percent of the covey encounters.

Encounters that did not include gunfire were due to the following: nature of flush (e.g., flushed by dog, beyond gun range), size of covey (e.g., singles and pairs), age structure of covey (e.g., half-grown chicks), hunter experience, and brush densities around encounter locations.

Harvest mortality (e.g., retrieved and crippled) occurred during 67 percent of the covey encounters when shots were fired. Covey encounters that were pursued with a firearm presented a total of 3,941 targets (e.g., individual quail). At the end of the year our hunters were effectively harvesting 1 quail per covey on average (0.83 retrieved & 0.21 crippled) when guns were fired.

Harvest per covey ranged from 0 to 4 quail. Three quail were harvested from individual coveys during 9 percent of the encounters, and four quail during 3 percent of encounters. A common practice in most quail camps is to limit the harvest per covey to one or two quail. Hypothetically, if all of the 2018–2019 encounters were limited to a maximum harvest of two quail per covey, the total annual harvest from last year would be reduced by 15 percent (63 quail).

Therefore, a limit to the harvest per covey may be a good consideration depending on harvest management objectives.

SHOOTING PERCENTAGES

The number of shots fired was recorded for 285 of the covey encounters (recorded during 46 of the 59 hunts). When shots were fired, the average number of shots per encounter was 4.7. The hunters retrieved a quail for every 5.6 shots and crippled one quail for every 3.7 retrieved quail.

Various rates have been previously reported that ranged from two to four quail retrieved per shot. Our rates were higher; however, when comparing the experience and age of hunters in other studies, these shooting percentages may be more representative of modern quail hunters.

IN CONCLUSION

The preliminary findings from the 2018–2019 hunting season have shed some light on many key variables. The next phase of the study is a repeated harvest application during the 2019–2020 hunting season. We will continue with a controlled harvest based on November surveys, while monitoring each hunt using the GPS tracking systems and detailed hunting logs. The long-term findings from this research will assist managers to strategically plan hunts spatially and temporally across properties and hunting seasons. ★

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