Volume 1, Issue 2

HUNTING

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celebrating the hunting lifestyle

Volume 1, Issue 2

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HUNTING

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jocelyn Engel PRODUCTION EDITOR Gerdi Fullard CONSERVATION EDITOR Ivan Carter

Volume 1, Issue 2

CONTENTS

ADVERTISING sales@huntersinc.com GENERAL ENQUIRIES info@huntersinc.com

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PUBLISHER Huntersinc.com LLC POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 7920 Waco,Texas 76714 USA All copyright of the contents herein is held by the publisher, Huntersinc.com LLC. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the publisher.

The publisher accepts no responsibility for the content of advertisements. Editorial opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

The editor reserves the right to change, edit and/or shorten articles submitted to it by contributors.

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Editorial contributions must be directed to the editor via email: editor@huntersinc.com

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100 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Jocelyn Engel

PROFESSIONAL PERSPECTIVE

70 Dirk de Bod

CONSERVATION CHRONICLES

12 Ivan Carter

HUNTING THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD

18 Simon K Barr

KING OF MY DREAMS

34 Frank Vannier

GREDOS IBEX

48 Luis Berga

RHINO MOMMA

100 Jocelyn Engel

MY BIG GAME SAFARI JOURNAL

116 John Berry

WILD GAME BASED

134 Tony Caggiano

GREENLAND

138 Thomas Olsen

Cover photo by @evanbanks from @HiBanksRanch

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The next few days were filled with exploring two remote national parks and with each kilometer traveled, my soul began to heal. Camping, photography, fishing and leisurely cruises along these ancient waterways were the order of the day. Although hunting was absent on this trip—that would come a few weeks later—the freedom offered by these wild places did its job and my soul began to soar once again.

“When you drove out into the country, you felt closer to the earth than you felt in the city. You had better thoughts in the country. Your thoughts made falcon moves, dipping and rippling, swooping back into your brain to land.”

Naomi Shihab Nye

With new waves of lockdowns and 2021 safari shows being cancelled left and right, I truly hope that our online HuntersInc.com platform will serve our hunting community better than ever before by connecting outfitters and hunters across the globe digitally and getting you back to wide open spaces as soon as possible. I also hope that our hunt giveaways on social media will keep your hunting dreams alive and within reach.

In this second edition of WE ARE HUNTING we continue to highlight adventures near and far to preserve them until they can be fully enjoyed again. Better days are yet to come.

Jocelyn Engel Editor-in-Chief

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After many long hours of driving, my high-desert dwelling feet touched the lush grass next to the Kwando River and I grinned from ear to ear as the late afternoon slipped towards a serene evening in the African hinterlands. My lungs filled with the humidity of the descending dusk as I felt the burden of the lockdown beginning to lift already.

Fluid wisps of fog mysteriously floated by as I watched flocks of birds returning to their rookeries along this liquid roadway and listened to hippos snorting in the distance. Slowly but surely my

mind cleared and my thoughts became more lucid. This is a privilege I won’t take for granted again.

Artwork by Cecile 9 Brandt HUNTING

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s soon as we were able to travel again after lockdown, my husband and I jumped into our Toyota Hilux and headed north to the rivers. Lockdown had stranded us in our African office with no ability to get back to Texas and no permission to leave the capital to travel into the wildlands of Namibia that lay just out of reach. I needed to breathe in the fresh air and have a change of scenery from the concrete jungle I had been trapped in for two months. It felt like a jailbreak. There were endless roadblocks and documentation required along the way—the ‘new normal’ these days. Health workers sanitized our hands and took our temperatures three times before the first river and another three times before arriving at the second. Seeing rural villagers in the middle of nowhere wearing masks was an indication that all was not as it was meant to be.

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CONSERVATION CHRONICLES with Ivan Carter

This weekend I was fortunate enough to take my whole family into Balule, one of the private game reserves adjoining the Kruger National Park. It’s an exceptional place with large variety in its ecosystem, some incredible wildlife and great people. We were there to observe and participate in some hands on conservation work, not just in Balule. We spent the weekend in the surrounding area and, as you can see from the images, my kids had a whole lifetime of experiences as they were fully immersed in the bush and conservation for a few days.

One morning I woke early before everyone else and I pulled a chair out to the edge of the camp and was sitting with a cup of coffee listening to the birds starting their dawn chorus. A herd of elephants was in front of our lodge going about their day, a big bull giraffe was quietly feeding from a knobby thorn and some red-billed wood hoopoes were noisily feeding their chicks in a tree right over my head. As I sat there I thought to myself: “What an incredible experience this is but, more than that, how lucky my kids are to be doing this”. I then began to think: “Why are there not more people engaged in pursuing conservation? Why are there not more kids on the front lines seeing a giraffe being tagged, watching an elephant roam or understanding the intricacies of rhino conservation? Why are the life of a cellphone battery or the ‘likes’ on a Facebook post so much more important to us than the future of a wildlife species? How can we hope to see conservation endure into the next generation if we don’t make an effort to bring that next generation into conservation efforts?”

This year, of all years, has been one of great contemplation. During various lockdowns around the world, people have had the chance to quietly reflect as they were forced away from the “busyness” we endure. Many people, for the first time in their lives, had time to think and consider and time to spend with their loved ones. Yes, there is a highly contagious virus going around and I know many, many stories of the disastrous effects this has had on various industries, but if you really look at it, the sickness resides in our society not in our bodies. Society has drifted far away from nature and the environment. We have become a conglomeration of 8 billion consumers and yet it’s only a minute percentage of the world’s population that actually cares about conservation and our wild places.

Every single one of you who is reading this is likely someone who loves the outdoors. You are someone who very likely spends some time, perhaps significant time, outdoors in some way, shape or form. We love the outdoors in whatever ways we choose to enjoy it be it hunting, fishing, birding, hiking or the like and yet we do little to promote the future of these untamed places. I think it’s time to start really being serious about taking kids with us to show them the beauty and the wonder. We need to be engaging them and helping them understand where their food comes from, the importance and intricacies of the natural world and, most importantly, that we all have an impact on this planet.

So I challenge you if you are reading this - take a kid outdoors, your own or someone else’s.

Get them passionate, sow the seeds of curiosity in their young minds. If every single one of us who loves the outdoors would impassion two children in this way, there will be twice as many who care in the next generation.

In conservation and until next time, IMC Conservation Editor

"There may be a day I cannot make a difference, but there will never be a day that I do not try."

- Ivan Carter

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I n v e s t W i t h U s A n d W e P r o m i s e M o r e W i l d l i f e I n H e a lt h i e r E c o s y s t e m s WE

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HUNTING THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD

by Simon K Barr

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magine being handed a blank canvas which

you can turn into the ultimate sporting playground. Imagine it to be made up of a series of large topographicallyvaried islands bereft of any mammal with perfect habitats ready to introduce whatever you could dream of. This was the happy dilemma faced by the Victorian settlers moving to New Zealand from the British Isles in the mid 19th Century.

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s we know, men of that era, fueled by advances in sporting firearms, had a mighty appetite for all things that could be hunted and became compulsive enumerators. Every part of the British Empire was another opportunity for adventure and recreation - much to the misfortune of the native species.

As the African and Indian parts of the Empire were plundered for their ivory and exotic skins, New Zealand was a different proposition altogether with very little to entertain its settlers. Prior to settlement, New Zealand, bar three species of bat, was an exotic bird colony with little sporting opportunity.

Through a series of introductions that included species from the Indian Himalayas, the Scottish Highlands and the Austrian Alps, New Zealand with its mountainous peaks became a Noah’s ark for some of the most iconic sporting creatures of the day. This legacy means that today New Zealand has become arguably the world’s greatest hunting paradise.

Until recently, Australasia was the only huntable continent I had not visited with rifle or bow. One of my long term desires had been to scale the spectacular Southern Alps and uplands of New Zealand’s South Island, rifle on shoulder. With a reputation for exceptional trophies and the strongest genetic examples of several of the species found anywhere in the world, it was not a hard decision to finally pay the antipodes a visit.

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Until Virgin launches its galactic service, there is no shortcut way to New Zealand from my home in the UK. You can go west via the US or east via Asia with the journey times roughly the same – a grueling two days each way.

This was a trip where flying business class and accessing exclusive lounges on layovers was not just nice, but essential.

New Zealand is a beautiful varied country of grasslands, plains, mountains, fjords and rainforest. The country owes its varied topography to the dynamic boundary it straddles between two tectonic plates. Due to the subduction, contortion and crumpling that happens on plate boundaries, New Zealand has been gifted with some simply remarkable landscapes providing some of the most stunning backdrops for any hunting adventure.

I planned to hunt all of the main species the South Island has to offer. The majestic Himalayan tahr and Alpine chamois, both part of the goat family, together with a massive red stag. There are plenty of other animals living wild one can hunt but these three were top of my list. Tahr are incredible mountain dwelling beasts whose population is threatened in their native home range of Nepal.

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Due to the perfect habitat and lack of predators, since their introduction in 1904, tahr have flourished and are abundant in the Alpine region of New Zealand’s South Island. The Alpine chamois, also fond of higher altitude, was introduced from Austria in 1905 and has also done incredibly well. The red stags in New Zealand originate from British stock. The bloodlines have adapted incredibly well to Kiwi conditions and are now the largest in the world. The original herd was released in 1851 and is now the most widespread deer species on both main islands. As well as the wild herd, many ranchers now farm red deer for their venison, trophy value and velvet. Red deer have become big business and

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The ‘Roar’ as it is known, usually starts with the red deer from the middle of April and works up to the higher peaks with tahr and chamois starting their annual testosterone-fueled battles in the middle of May. There are minimal restrictions on hunting seasons. In many cases the animals need controlling and it is easy to obtain the necessary permits and licenses.

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Venator Cardrona breeds some of the largest red stags in the southern hemisphere.

These monster stags are foot stalked in a ‘fair chase’ scenario on a controlled game estate situation much the same as you see in Africa. Duncan and his guests have previously taken several world record red stags and they are striving to breed the largest red stags in the world. The latest venture is a highly sophisticated breeding programme run by the world’s WE

By coincidence, New Zealand is diametrically opposed to the United Kingdom. This means it benefits from roughly the same distance to the equator so the climate is surprisingly similar - even though there is a gap of some 12,000 miles. The four distinctive seasons are at exactly opposite times of year and the average temperatures in these seasons are roughly the same as the UK. The best time to hunt in New Zealand is during the autumnal months (our spring) when the animals are rutting.

My choice of venue and outfitter was easy. I had previously heard great things of the Fraser family and Venator Cardrona Safaris on my international travels.

The Frasers have been in the business of deer and hunting for 30 years. Duncan, son of Andrew, is at the helm of this luxury hunting operation. The reputation of the Fraser family brings Sheikhs, American oil magnates, Germany nobility and British aristocracy to their base of operations in Wanaka, the adventure capital of New Zealand. Duncan regularly hosts high profile guests who like to keep a low profile with what they do.

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as bizarre as this may seem, much of the venison served in British restaurants is from New Zealand and not from the UK.

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leading deer geneticists and specialist vets. The game plan is to breed for antler mass, points, length, and aesthetic beauty.

Tahr and chamois are hunted on government-controlled alpine ground, high in the mountains. There is hunting pressure on the easy-to-reach areas so it is possible to fly to more remote areas by helicopter to start hunting on foot. This saves a lot of hiking. For every 15 minutes in a helicopter the guides estimate the time saved to be a day’s hiking. Once you are in the right area you are dropped off to hunt by foot then collected a day or two later - weather dependent – hopefully with your trophy.

Lady Luck was shining on me and in ten days I managed to harvest everything I went for. I took a stag with 22 individual points, a bull tahr with 12-inch horns and a stunning white-tipped cape and my chamois buck was mature with horns of just over 10 inches. These are all worldclass medal trophies. The hunting was very challenging and in some of the most incredible scenery I have ever hunted in. I enjoyed my visit so much that I will be returning next year to hunt the North Island and take the remaining species to complete my New Zealand ‘Grand Slam’.

New Zealand is fast becoming the premier worldwide destination to visit for hunting—fractionally behind Africa.

New Zealand is also an excellent family destination. It’s safe, democratic and for us ‘Poms’ they even drive on the left. If you want to properly escape for two weeks and have a good book for the plane, I would highly recommend a visit.

Published with permission from Venator Cardrona

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KING OF MY DREAMS

by Frank Vannier

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am absorbed in deep thought while returning from hunting on a March twilight. All of a sudden, a ghostly

movement straight out of a dream catches my attention. Ethereal shapes which I recognize more by their pace than their silhouette, wander to and fro, obstructing the trail. Two radiant white conical cylinders protrude outrageously from the last ectoplasm in my view. I realize they belong to a gigantic elephant.

It is an elephant of ancient dreams whose salient tusks illuminate the emerging obscurity and evoke our deepest, secretive desires. My friend Christian and I look at each other—both of us experiencing shortness of breath.

However, the illusion vanishes quickly, not giving us any opportunity of a shot as the twilight becomes darkness. During the night, my mind is imbued with contradictory feelings, dwelling on noises, odors, and a thirst to possess.

We set out again at dawn, filled with hope. We locate the footprints of our quest very quickly. The memory of him lives on at the boundary of reason. We stop our vehicle at the out-sized footprint. Stepping out of the Land Rover, trumpeting reverberates WE

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from less than a mile away, slightly muffled by the high grass. Silently still, only our eyes betray our excitement. We pass through the golden vegetation barrier, all the while getting closer to the trumpet calls and stomach rumbling sounds of our quarry.

Soon a myriad of flapping ears and the grey of elephant backs emerge from the grass. For better observation, I climb a tree in front of the amused team. I see about forty animals spread out over 200 yards of savannah. In vain I look at every elephant, but I cannot find our king. Still, we maintain contact for further contemplation for another half an hour.

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"...only our eyes betray our excitement..."

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Endless seconds enable us to gauge their trophies whilst a massive female starts to show signs of impatience. In a hollow roar, she spreads her ears wide, howling with outrage, uproots a tree and charges without further notice. I press the clutch and put the pedal to the floor. She continues pursuing us for more than 200 yards before she disappears from my rear-view mirror, discouraged by dust and our speed. She rejoins the rest of the herd and her

"...trumpeting reverberates from less than a mile away..."

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Suddenly, the wind betrays our presence. A ballet of telescopic trunks disappears in a single movement, swallowed by the tall grass. The very same afternoon, while driving throughout the whole area, a large cloud of dust suddenly forces me to hit the brakes.

Distraught elephants cross the road just in front of the vehicle’s hood. Some of the animals freeze on the other side. Hesitant at first, they decide to join their kind. I do not let them, interposing the vehicle between them. They stop for a while, circumspect.

"...we locate the footprints of our quest..."

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young calf. We return to camp, miming each other’s intense reactions during that brief, but so hectic moment. Yet another night comes when my spirit wanders, tortured between memory, fantasy and hope.

The next dawn gently breaks, offering the footprints of four male pachyderms estimated to be from late the previous night. I send the trackers to check on their itinerary by reviewing tracks a little further on.

They come back a few minutes later, overexcited about the sound of branches breaking nearby. It seems the animals are resting in a small forest not far away, rich in deciduous trees.

We catch up to them fairly quickly. However, instead of four, we are now facing a full herd of sixty elephants! A respectable bull stands out, but still not the one haunting our minds. They parade, allowing us to share a privileged moment of their unbridled strength.

All of a sudden, a new appearance refocuses our attention. Just like three days ago, our Holy Grail materializes out of nowhere, pacing graciously towards the herd which greets him with glee. The wind maintains its course. The colossus slowly lags behind the group. We now pursue him with intent. The African gods show us the way. I seem to float in a space where past, present and future communicate.

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At this point I KNOW and convey the urgency to Christian. My client pulls the trigger. Everything goes into slow motion. The ground trembles.

Eardrums hurt. Dust darkens the scene. The roaring of the herd goes away. Suspended particles of dust fall back to the earth. The lifeless body of the giant takes shape. His ivory pierces the blue sky. I prolong my dream.

I do not want to emerge from it. I can hear speaking from a great distance. My hands are shaking. Arms hug me as I cry on the inside.

An indescribable emotion—full and ecstatic— consumes me. Then reality hits.

A powerful animal, surviving history, whose fate extended more than half a century, overcoming obstacles and traps—everything until this day—when he fascinates my destiny and puts an end to his own. My tears flow, plunging me into a complex moral disorder.

Introspective sorrow. Doubt.

"...a powerful animal, surviving history..."

...everything goes into slow motion...

Immeasurable joy.

Everything that makes our passion for hunting vibrate within us.

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"...his ivory pierces the blue sky..."

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Forgive me O King of my dreams.

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The memory of him lives on at the boundary of reason.

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GREDOS IBEX MEMORIES OF A LIFETIME

by Lui s Berg a

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odesto is an unhurried, spiritual and very ceremonious Mexican client. He measures his words and puts his heart into them.

When he speaks, everyone listens to him because everything he says is meaningful. The first time we were invited to have dinner at his home with his family, I listened to him to say, "to remember is to live again". And, probably because his humility had already opened our hearts, his words were etched in fire inside of me.

"...beyond the trophies we collect, all of our hunts are the keepers of endless stories..."

I always paid a lot of attention to the value of experiences in my job, but no one had ever explained it to me so clearly. From that day onward, this quote has presided over all my hunts. We shouldn’t forget that beyond the trophies we collect, all of our hunts are the keepers of endless stories, anecdotes and memories that are the immaterial legacy of our successes in the mountains. They are the chemistry of our passion for hunting.

Having the ability to go back in our memories gives us the chance to live old experiences again and feel them as if it were today. Fortunately, hunting is a source from which uninterrupted experiences emanate.

Thanks to hunting, we have known places that we would never have visited otherwise.

We have seen unique, precious and infinite WE

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landscapes. We have met wonderful and authentic people and we have experienced glory and also misfortune. But, above anything else we have always felt 1. Juan Manuel with a alive.

Balearean Boc trophy harvested in Mallorca Island

2. The Cantabrian Chamois is the smallest Chamois subspecies, only found in the North of Spain. Juan Carlos, Juan Manuel’s son, had the chance to take this beautiful medal size trophy.

In my opinion this is what really matters, although all the credit goes to the trophy which is undoubtedly the anchor that guides our history.

And, when a great trophy and a great experience come together it makes the ensemble invaluable.

On this particular hunt it was late October.

The regular hunting season had just begun and we had already hunted a beautiful Balearean boc trophy, an Iberian red deer and a Cantabrian chamois. However, the trophy we needed to complete that expedition was the Gredos Ibex. For Juan Manuel, the Mexican hunter, the Gredos Ibex would be the icing on the cake he therefore had reserved enough resources to take the biggest trophy we could find.

Nothing could excite him more than a big ibex, and his face changed every time we talked about it.

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The rut for the Spanish ibex does not begin until the end of October for the Southeastern and Ronda subspecies and not until midNovember for the remaining two species— Gredos and Beceite. So, this time we did not have the advantage of the rut on our WE

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side. In addition, the weather seriously threatened our hunt when it snowed at our last stop in the Cantabrian mountain range to the north as the storm headed on a southerly course in our direction. As we arrived at the hunting area, we hurried to get on top of the mountain before the snow arrived.

It had already begun to fall as small flakes that whitened the way up to the peaks. The dark gray sky and a gusty wind increased in strength, lowered the temperature dramatically, and let us think that the end result was already written. But when hunting, theory is often no more than words when the facts are the opposite.

And so, just because of that I agreed to try our luck.

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3. Luis guiding Juan Manuel on their approach to the Gredos Ibex. The tall grass had already whitened by that time.

We walked halfway up a sloping and muddy path due to the recent rains and the tall grass made it more difficult to walk. At the same time, the intense wind increased the wind chill and with much discomfort we proceeded into the bitter cold. Our hunting area is not very big, but it is extraordinary in terms of the 55

quality of its trophies. Especially during the rut, the males cross to the southern face of the mountain where they meet with the females and it is in our cliffs—three that fall precipitously from the top of the mountain—where we usually find them.

So, our plan was to go from the first to the last cliff until a nice opportunity presented itself, but the conditions were increasingly extreme. In addition to the wind, the snow, the humidity and the cold, fog was added.

The fog appeared and then disappeared, swept by "...the cold the wind and forced us to was already carefully glass every single unbearable corner of the landscape. and our spirits We walked for a long time had completely without any results which fallen..." was entirely predictable.

And, when we reached a point from where we were able to see most of the hunting area the cold was already unbearable and our spirits had completely fallen.

Then suddenly, about 500 meters away, two ibex emerged from the bushes and moved into a clearing completely covered in snow. One of them was noticeably larger than the other. He was very dark, his thick horns were easy to distinguish and, although they did not seem very long, he was probably at least a silver medal size trophy. At least.

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4. 500 meters away a young trophy bull escorted a huge old dark Gredos Ibex.

Our goal was 57 clear!

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The Gredos ibex is the most imposing of the four Spanish ibex. Its horns are lyre-shaped, opening sideways, then growing backward, and finally pointing skyward. The body of a mature male is robust and heavy, reaching 100 kilograms and his coarse coat becomes darker with age.

There was not much time to talk. The orography of the terrain benefitted us tremendously and we were confident that we could shorten the distance to no longer than a 200 meter shot which the wind would not deflect. We walked as far as we could until we were trapped in a dry stream bed that provoked our despair and cost us so much time that upon our arrival, the big male was already gone. We would have to work and suffer more.

We continued on our way and found him again on the adjacent cliff. He was still escorted by the other male, but fortunately the intense wind WE

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5. Suddenly, a big trophy appeared in the white snow!

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isolated them and prevented them from hearing us. Thus, we were able to advance to only 150 meters away. This should have made for an easy target except for the fact that the wind did not stop and the snowflakes alternated with hail stones, impairing our view through eyes, scope and binoculars.

There were moments of intense nervousness as we waited, but then Juan Manuel composed himself and finished what he came for. The explosion of 7. Taking a nice picture is joy was enormous and mandatory after hunting such a could not be contained. nice Ibex. Not even the intense The cold was painful, snow interrupted Juan Manuel’s the storm was raging smile. and the night was beginning to fall as we approached the fallen ibex. The initial scoring indicated 260 CIC points (92’’ SCI), which far exceeded gold medal status and increased Juan Manuel's already deep satisfaction.

Now our recovery task lay before us and was no less difficult than the hunt itself had been. Going down the mountain would test us for sure, but the prize we had achieved would outweigh any remaining hardship.

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6. In only a couple of minutes, the trophy was completely covered in snow.

So now, with time having passed since that hunt, what remains? Juan Manuel and I 61

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"...two tropies may look similar, but the experiences that bless and accompany each one are unique and do not hang on a wall, but are instead kept at the bottom of our hearts..."

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8. The cow fences were frozen the next morning after a cold night.

9. Juan Manuel and his son showing the Gredos Ibex that he had just hunted.

The snow didn’t stop for a while so we had to skin it in the storm.

10. The next day we drove up again to pick up the car we left in the mountain the day before.

have met in person several times since then, either back in the mountains of Spain or in Mexico. All it takes is for the two of us to start talking about that eventful day and the same roguish smile that he wore when we initially planned this hunt appears again. Two trophies may look similar, but the experiences that bless and accompany each one are unique and do not hang on a wall, but are instead kept at the bottom of our hearts.

Luis started guiding in his mid 20’s. He loves the solitude of the mountains; enjoying the beauty of the wilderness, the challenging hunts and sharing it all with others. He started Spainsafaris along with a group of professional guides with years of experience in international hunting.

They are absolutely focused on offering the best Spanish hunting experiences possible to their clients.

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FACT FOCUS The Gredos Ibex is one of the four subspecies of the Spanish Ibex and, for many people, the most iconic one.

This Ibex specie lives in the central and western systems of the mountains of Spain. In terms of the body size, the Gredos Ibex is the biggest one, and also has the darkest hide of the other four ibex.

Mature males tend to reach 220 lbs., and their fur is darker the older they are.

In fact, old males used to have a full black skin. Its horns grow in a lire shape, opening sideways and going backwards up to the tips that normally point up again. The old males can be solitary but during the rut season they are normally leading a herd of females.

Artwork by Jose A. FernĂĄndez de Ă lava See more of his work on Instagram @joseafdezdealava

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PROFESSIONAL

1. A view over the farm near Otavi where Dirk grew up and learned to hunt from his father and their trackers

PERSPECTIVE

DIRK DE BOD

Dirk de Bod was born in Namibia in 1964 and grew up on a farm near Otavi in north-central Namibia. He has been a licensed professional hunter since 1990 and soon thereafter started Dirk de Bod Safaris, a company that has grown to international fame in the hunting industry.

Dirk is a firearms aficionado and gunsmith, having owned The Gun Shop in Windhoek from 1995—2005. He is married to Rina and has a daughter Lize-Marie and a son Dirk Jr., who is following in his father’s footsteps.

My father was a cattle rancher near Otavi and as a schoolboy I would go home to the ranch on the weekends and hunt with my dad and our San (Bushman) trackers for eland. Dad was very passionate about hunting and he and the trackers taught me to track those amazing antelope. We would start at the water points early in the morning, look for fresh eland spoor and then hunt them on foot by tracking. That’s where it all started.

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irk, tell us about growing up in the Namibian bush, your history in the hunting business and what has led up to your current success as an outfitter and professional hunter:

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During my military service in the 80s— 2. Three generations which was mandatory in those days—I of the de Bod men: got my gunsmithing license in the police. When I came back to Namibia I Dirk, his father and worked for Agra’s firearms department Dirkie on their last and became assistant manager before eland hunt before deciding to go out on my own when I Dirk’s father passed bought The Gun Shop. In the meantime, away.

I had started hunting professionally on a free-lance basis for Kat Briedenhan, 3. One of the magical Volker Grellman, and Pete Kibble who 45” gemsbok were all very experienced PHs. Those guys really helped me a lot and inspired bulls taken in the me to become a true professional. Kalahari with client, During the late 90s and early 2000s I Dr. Peroni of Italy. continued hunting all over Namibia with my clients. We had some really great success in one particular area of the Kalahari where we took a lot of amazing gemsbok trophies well into the 40+ inch class.

During that time I had bought my own farm, Vreemdeling, and then my American partner Joe Bishop bought the neighboring farm, Engadin. We developed both of those ranches as one ecosystem.

It took about five years to develop them—putting in proper fences, water points, building our hunting camp and other infrastructure. Since 2005 those ranches have been the main base of my operations.

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ver the years, there have been some key friends and clients who have influenced your career in a positive manner. Who are some of those people and what roles have they played in your hunting career?

Obviously, my dad played a huge role and then my mentors who I already mentioned—particularly Volker Grellman and

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4. The Otavi farm where Dirk spent his boyhood years— lush-green at the end of Namibia’s HUNTING rainy75season.

Pete Kibble. Volker, who passed away fairly recently, had been one of the founding fathers of the Namibian hunting industry back when it was South West Africa before independence. Pete and I still hunt together and he and his family come from a long line of PHs from the good old days in East Africa.

5. Dirk and Craig Boddington with the then #1 Namibian record lion. This battle-scarred lion had become a problem animal near the border of Etosha Some of the other well-known hunters National Park.

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who hunted with me are Craig Boddington, Jim Carmichael (Outdoor Life), Dave Petzel (Field & Stream) and Ron Spomer (Sporting Classics). These people helped me tremendously with publicity. You know, this was before the days of social media.

These were the big writers of the day and they published a lot of articles and books that helped put me on the map.

Craig started hunting with me in about 1999. He came a few years in a row and each time we focused on a specific area of Namibia for specific species. During those early trips we concentrated on the Kalahari, Central Namibia, and Kaokoland.

Kaokoland is a specialized area where we hunted Black-faced impala, desertadapted elephant, and leopard. Then later on we hunted the Caprivi for crocodile and a couple of buffalo.

6. The 66” kudu bull that at the time was the new Namibia #1 record and today still stands at #2 many years later.

7. One of the massive oryx bulls that Dirk took with outdoor writer Craig Boddington.

8. Namibia’s new #1 Southern impala was taken during the 2019 hunting season by Dirk’s We basically hunted everything in Namibia client on their own together during that span of years. We hunting farm.

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even shot a problem lion that had taken up

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residence on a ranch just outside the Etosha national park and Craig’s wife Donna shot leopard with me on that same hunt. In more recent years I hunted with Craig’s daughter Brittany and her husband Brad. Overall, I think I hunted with Craig about 12 times.

He put me in a number of his books—Leopard, African Hunters II, and Tracks Across Africa—both the book and the TV show.

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n addition to being a professional hunter and outfitter, you are heavily involved in the game breeding industry in Namibia.

What role does game breeding play in today’s conservation of wildlife in Africa and what trends do you see in the industry now?

This is a very double-edged sword. A lot of people are against intensive game breeding—what we would call “game farming”—in small fenced plots. I call that “intensive” game breeding. We do it differently on our ranch. We do what I call “extensive” game breeding on a very large piece of our property that doesn’t have any internal fences or game “camps”.

Our philosophy is that we source good breeding bulls from other similar-sized properties. It’s more natural that way and we do it on a regular basis. We try to keep our genetics good, so through hunting with clients—maybe for an extra animal where they don’t really care about trophy length—or when we’re meat hunting, we’ll shoot poorer genetics.

We try not to shoot the most exceptional animals so that they can breed and spread their genes in the larger gene-pool of the breeding herds. We focus on trying to shoot trophies that are old animals, leaving the younger ones—even if they have better trophies—to breed. And we do a lot of game capture very selectively—and only sell young animals that will adapt well on another property. I’m not into the color variants at all. I really don’t believe in it. It’s actually just for people who are the real collectors and are looking for something different because they’ve hunted

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9. Dirk kneels beside the single tusker taken by his client in Namibia’s East Kavango region along the Okavango River. Some single tuskers are worth it—this one went well over 80 pounds.

10. Outdoor writer Ron Spomer with a very large 42” oryx bull taken with Dirk de Bod Safaris.

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Yeah, over the years I’ve been privileged to be a member of some great organizations and win a few awards. I’m currently a member of: Safari Club International (SCI), Dallas Safari Club (DSC) and the Africa Professional Hunters Association (APHA). I’ve been a Master Measurer for SCI since 1997 and for Rowland Ward since 1998 where I’m on their advisory board. In years past I was on the DSC advisory board too.

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ver the years you’ve won some prestigious awards from notable conservation organizations. Tell us about those awards and what they mean to you and tell us what organizations you are currently a member of:

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so much else. The color variants aren’t different species, but just a different color of the normal specie we hunt. Like I said, it’s really for the collectors and it’s not my thing. As I’ve already said, we try to source good genetics and keep the genetics high. For example, my sable breeding bull is just shy of 50” and he’s only 7 years old, so he’ll definitely make 50” before he starts to decline. No pipes on the horns—just natural in the veld. My roan bull is the same. He’s over 30” and my kudu breeding bull is 58”. What we will do is put a tag in the ear so that those animals are identifiable. That way a visiting PH knows not to shoot my breeding bulls, but that’s the only interference we do with our breeding animals on our ranch.

The bottom line for me is that we believe in natural selection and good breeding practices in larger, open natural areas.

11. A 44” gemsbok bull taken in the Kalahari by Dirk’s client, well-known outdoor writer Jim Carmichael.

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and most recently the new #1 Southern impala that taped out at 28 ¼” on my own ranch. Another exceptionally beautiful trophy is the current #2 Sable which taped at 50 ¼” x 49 ½”. I’ve been really blessed to take so many nice animals with my clients. All of these were animals that were taken in large, open ecosystems. Some were fenced, but they were very large areas. The gemsbok, lion and kudu that I mentioned were all in completely free-range areas.

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n early 2020, before the onslaught of COVID-19 travel restrictions, you were able to go on a “bucket-list” Lord Derby eland hunt of your own as a client. Just getting to Cameroon was an adventure in itself! Tell us about that hunt:

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ne of your claims to fame in the hunting industry is that you hold more Namibian top-ten trophy records than any other PH. What are some of the most exceptional of those trophies that hold a special memory for you?

We hunted some really good animals over the years. What comes to mind now is the 66” kudu that was the #1 at the time and is now #2; quite a few gemsbok bulls over 40”, including some that went over 45” that we mostly took in the Kalahari in the late 90s and early 2000s— one of them was the #1 for a while and still ranks near the top; a cattle-killing problem lion near the Etosha National Park that was #1;

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So, we started planning and preparing for this a couple of years in advance. In February, I left from the SCI convention and went to Kurt’s house in Spokane before the two of us headed out to Cameroon. One evening a friend of his was over who had also hunted in Cameroon before. The friend began telling us a story about the fiasco he experienced when he arrived in Cameroon and realized that their embassy had made a mistake with the dates on his entry visa.

As he was telling me this, something made me look at my passport and I realized that the Cameroonian embassy in Pretoria had misprinted my visa with the wrong dates too! Oh man! While I was calling the Cameroon embassy in Pretoria (their regional embassy that also covers Namibia), I started looking for my yellow fever card and couldn’t find it. My wife Rina informed me that it was in

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As far as awards, I received the Best Wildlife Photography Award from DSC which was very special to me since wildlife photography is one of my other passions.

In 2007 I was the runner-up for the SCI International Professional Hunter of the Year and in 2008 I was named the SCI International Professional Hunter of the Year. That was a huge honor and also gave me and my businesses a lot of recognition in the industry.

12. Namibia #2 record Sable antelope — 50 ¼” x 49 ½” taken with Dirk de Bod Safaris.

It all started when a repeat client of mine, Kirt Fredericks, who’s hunted with me about 10 times invited me to come to Cameroon with him. Kirt is a client and friend of Ximo Chelet of Safaris Chelet and had already taken a Lord Derby eland before, so he invited me to come along for the eland since he was focused on getting the savannah buffalo, harnessed bushbuck and other species.

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13. The Cameroon savanna area of Safaris Chelet is interspersed with a number of lovely mountain ranges.

my office in Windhoek, so she had it couriered to me with DHL and I got it a few days later.

and mountains, but that’s because the hunting outfitter is doing his part to police the area and look after it.

The Cameroon embassy in Pretoria required that I fly all the way to Pretoria and appear in person to get the visa corrected. No flexibility on this at all. What a mess! Kurt and I headed and out on the planned route and when we got to Paris he headed to Douala and I was able to book a new flight on Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa to Johannesburg. I spent the next two days in nearby Pretoria to get the corrected visa, and then flew on Ethiopian Airlines to Douala via Addis. This whole ordeal cost me five days out of my eland hunt. When I finally landed in Ngaoundere in North-Central Cameroon, we still had a five-hour drive to the camp. Man, you talk about people everywhere—and there was so much deforestation wherever you looked. Once we entered the hunting area it became really beautiful—grass, trees and big hills

By then Kurt had done some hunting and had taken some nice trophies, so he said my eland would be the top priority from then on. The next morning, we went and cut tracks. I was surprised how small the tracks are--unbelievable. You know I’m an old eland hunter and their bull tracks look like our cow eland tracks in Namibia. The Lord Derby eland weighs about the same, but they’re built completely different. It’s thinner in the body with longer legs and it’s got a higher posture. It’s a slimmer animal than Cape and Livingstone’s eland which have massive shoulder muscles. We kept walking on this track and I said to the local guys, “If there’s an eland bull on the other side of this track I can’t believe it—this looks like a cow!” They told me, “Bwana, don’t you worry”.

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Then a little further on we saw broken branches—big ones—like 15 cm in diameter— and I thought ok, now I see what they mean. It’s a lot like elephant hunting. Tons of tracking and by about 11:00 the wind starts swirling. There’s not much use hunting during those hours from late morning to late afternoon until the wind calms down again. So, we went back to camp and never got on any good tracks later in the afternoon. Day 2 was pretty much a bust with no tracks fresh enough to follow.

On day 3 we got onto a big single bull track and then got into a big herd, but they winded us and started running. You know how those eland run. Man, it’s like a marathon. It was good track though, so we felt we had to find the bull track again.

But those eland have that sixth sense, so they’re wide awake, and on top of that the leaves were all down and those little worms in the wet season make these little golf-ball-sized mounds that are everywhere. It makes walking quietly a huge challenge. After about 17 or 18 kilometers that day, we started to lose light and knew it wasn’t gonna happen.

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15. Natural mineral licks are a relatively common occurrence in the Cameroon savanna. This one, mentioned in the story, is supplemented with salt by Safaris Chelet on a regular basis.

16. The Mayo Oldiri river runs through the Safaris Chelet hunting area where Dirk hunted his Lord Derby eland.

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14. Camps in west Africa are a simpler affair than in many other parts of Africa. The simple, yet comfortable Safaris Chelet camp was the author’s main base of operations while in northern Cameroon.

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The 4th day we circled the block where we’d left that bull the previous night and didn’t see any fresh tracks crossing the dragged roads, so we figured he must still be in there. That gave us some hope. After a bit of searching, we found tracks and got onto another herd of 15-16 animals. We were hard on that herd until late evening and then we ran out of light again, so we thought, “let’s stop now and come back in the morning and then catch up to them.” We knew they were going to a specific water hole with a natural salt lick nearby, so we hoped

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17. The spring-fed streams that seep from the mountain ranges are a favorite spot for eland herds to rest and drink during the heat of the day.

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18. The hill mentioned in the story which the author's eland bull ran up and down just before he was able to take the shot.

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After a little while on their tracks the eland slowed and started to feed. Then one of them suddenly spotted us. By this time we’d come down off the mountain and there was a split—almost like

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The next morning (day 5) we went back to that water hole. We found eland droppings lukewarm and glossy wet so we thought, “Oh, this is gonna be interesting…” The herd had started walking from there and by 11:00 we still hadn’t caught up to them. I thought, “Oh man, this is gonna be a problem.” But then we found a stream where they had crossed and it was obvious that the herd had sensed us coming. In this part of Cameroon there are

seepages from the mountains that have clear, slow running water.

They’re really beautiful and they’re lined with trees, so the eland like to rest in the shade, drink, and browse nearby. When they heard us approaching the eland tried to escape and went over a small mountain which we followed them up, over and down.

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they’d be there, or at least close by.

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a fork—in a big rock pile that was at the bottom.

The herd went right and we went left. The PH grabbed me and we ran like crazy around that rock pile. I got on the sticks and they had no idea we were there waiting for them on the other side in the thick bush. We could see the cows and younger ones milling around, then suddenly, I saw a dark spot which I thought was the big bull we’d only gotten a glimpse of before. The PH said, “Dirk, just be sure,” since there was a younger bull with the herd too.

The big bull cleared some bushes and I could see the dewlap and the enormous horns. Now I was sure. I gave it a beautiful shot at about 80 yards and he went down right there.

We went up to the bull and I couldn’t believe it. His horns were so long. As big as he was, I couldn’t believe how petite his feet were. For me, this trophy wasn’t about the length of the horns— although they were amazing—but it was more about his age. I

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hat hunting areas do you spend most of your time in these days?

I do the majority of my hunting on my own ranch which is a private game reserve. We have most of the Namibian species there, but I’ll sometimes go to other concessions or private hunting areas for leopard, Damara dik-dik and klipspringer. We have excellent leopard hunting on our ranch, but we only get one tag per year. I also love to hunt the Erongo mountains in West-Central Namibia.

It’s a very special place where we go for klippies, oryx, springbok, kudu and black-faced impala.

Over the years, I’ve done a lot of hunting in what used to be called the Caprivi Strip in northern Namibia. I’ve hunted most of those areas and now mainly go to the hunting blocks that are part of the Bwabwata or just north of the Nkasa Rupara along the Kwando and Linyanti rivers. Some of my return clients like to do something different, so I use a few Zimbabwean outfitters who base their hunts from houseboats on Lake Kariba. That’s really nice because you stay on the boat and go from island to island and then hunt on the mainland in the hunting concessions for anything from elephant and buffalo to hippo and crocodile. It’s a whole different experience and when you want a break from hunting you can fish

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20. Another view of Dirks incredible and hard-won Lord Derby eland.

love the old gnarly bulls and you could tell he was just on the edge of going downward. You could see by the way he had walked a bit stiff-legged and by his facial markings that he wasn’t in his prime anymore. That meant a lot to me. Hunting a Lord Derby was at the top of my hunting bucket-list since I was a little boy. I’d seen a picture in an old hunting magazine and wanted one ever since then. In the end, my eland measured 52 1/4” x 51 7/8” with 14” bases and now stands at #17 in the Safari Club International record book. It was an amazing experience and you know, the price tag is quite high on the Lord Derby, so to be able to do this was like a God-send to me.

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19. Dirk’s “bucket-list” Lord Derby eland, taken in Cameroon’s northern savanna region during the 2020 hunting season. This new #17 (SCI) Lord Derby eland measured 52 1/4” x 51 7/8”.

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The young Dirkie on his way to becoming the avid bow hunter that he is today. Dirkie is also one of Nambia’s best competition archers and a field archery World Champion.

for catfish and tiger fish right from the boat.

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our very special family plays a big role in your life. We’d like to know more about them.

Rina and I have been married for 30 years and our daughter Lize-Marie is 20. She’s an avid hunter and loves the bush. Rina loves the ranch, having 22. Dirk & Rina, with grown up on her family’s ranch in the their children Lize- Kalahari. Being in the bush is our thing.

My son Dirkie is 18 and he’s a mad keen Marie and Dirkie. hunter. He hunts with a bow and a rifle and he’s crazy about it. It’s really all he 23. Dirkie holding the wants to do—to follow in my footsteps. skull of the new #1 It’s the right time too because I want to impala in Namibia— slow down a bit. Dirkie will go to the taken on their own conventions with me in 2021—to DSC and SCI. From there the next step will farm in 2019. be to get him up to the standard of being a PH. It’s one thing to hunt for yourself, but there’s a whole other aspect to hunting with clients, including the hospitality side of things. I’m very excited to have him on board. He’s quite experienced already, but I’ll also send him to the big game areas for training and apprentice work and then he’ll take the necessary steps to take his exams on the road to being licensed. It’s time to make some room for the next generation!

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Come hunt with us and experience our beautiful country Namibia and all she has to offer. You can book with us now at Huntersinc. com. Our hunting for 2021 has filled up quickly, so be sure to book soon!

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IT WON’T LET YOU DOWN

MICRO H-2™ The Aimpoint® Micro H-2 is a small and lightweight sight built for extreme hunting and shooting conditions. The rugged housing it is equipped with transparent protecting flip-up covers. The Micro H-2 has an outstanding optical performance and is available in three different MOA sizes; 2, 4 and 6 MOA. It offers 50 000 hours of operation on a single battery.

The Micro H-2 combines simplicity, speed, ruggedness, accuracy and reliability - it won’t let you down.

Read more on www.aimpoint.com

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RhinoMomma Part 1

by Jocelyn Engel

he din of a thousand blow flies is offensive to what should otherwise be a peaceful morning.

Hours-old coagulated blood lays pooled on top of the red-stained soil as the gray prehistoric hulk lies motionless—the beast’s butchered, almost unrecognizable forehead festering and oozing from the baseless slaughter. Another day in Southern Africa brings another day of death for the white rhino.

The previous evening, as the sun slipped quietly toward the horizon, the colossal old bull finished wallowing in the soft mud of a waterhole and retreated deeper into the bush. Its distinctive threetoed tracks were easy to follow by the armed intruders. Despite his age, wisdom and experience, the old bull was no match for the two automatic weapons that took his life, all for a few kilos of keratin.

This waste—this utter waste—is the result of an ignorance and greed that has become all too common in recent years. The old bull now lies dead. May his memory and his offspring live on.

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In the early 1920s, the Southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) was near the verge of extinction, numbering fewer than thirty animals living solely in the Hhluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves of South Africa.

By the 1960s, careful curation of the species by the South African reserves had seen numbers increase into the hundreds and later into the thousands. The catalytic component of this conservation success story was Dr. Ian Player’s initiatives to bestow commercial value on white rhinos by auctioning off excess animals to private landowners. Thus, began the incredible reintroduction of this iconic species throughout much of Southern Africa.

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In Namibia, a man with a similar, but modern vision for creating his own conservation success story is my friend Jaco Muller. When you meet Jaco for the first time his firm handshake tells you he is someone who works hard. His kind nature, wry smile and quick wit belie his audacious tenacity in the fight for conservation. Once you hear his stories about the battle to preserve a species and repopulate rhino continentwide, your fondness and respect for him grow even more. His daily anti-poaching patrols and intensive breeding and relocation initiatives are admirable. When you add to it the fundraising he does to support this cause, not many stand in the same category. His down-to-earth approach and uncompromising stubbornness to do what seems nearly impossble are a unique combination.

In 2012 Jaco fell in love with rhinos and decided he wanted to help save this iconic species from extinction by breeding as many of them as possible in order to repopulate his native Namibia and the rest of the white rhino’s African home-range. And, so it was that the “Rhino Momma Project” was born. Jaco then turned to John Hume in South Africa, the largest rhino breeder in the world, to see why his breeding program is such a success and to acquire the necessary knowledge to begin his new venture.

Since then, the project team has painstakingly

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built their breeding stock step by step and more than 74 calves have been born on the reserve, making it the largest white rhino breeding program in Namibia. Their determination has allowed them to systematically pursue their goal of re-population. So far, they have been able to export 17 rhinos to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 3 to Angola and over 30 within Namibia’s borders with further relocations abroad planned in 2020-21.

When Jaco started this breeding program, he made projections of income based on the ‘live sales’ of rhinos to lodges, large reserves and private rhino farmers. But due to the poaching onslaught in Namibia and South Africa, live rhino sales have largely come to a halt because people are too afraid to buy rhinos and face the devastating consequences of the dramatic increase in poaching. This means that a substantial portion of their predicted income has not materialized and the costs have increased exponentially to fund their ever-increasing anti-poaching campaigns.

Seeing the need for more sustainable funding, Jaco then had the idea of starting a luxury photographic lodge as another way to fund rhino conservation. He conceived that the lodge earnings could support the project and also educate people about rhino conservation by putting them in close contact with these magnificent animals.

By informing people about the plight of the rhino and taking them on game drives and even tracking them on foot, they have uniquely positioned themselves as ambassadors for conservation of a species. Kifaru Lodge opened in November 2019 and just as their 5-star hospitality was gaining popularity with locals and foreign tourists alike, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and travel bans went into effect. This was yet another massive financial

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hit and a storm that once-again had to be weathered.

The unsurpassed service and amenities of Kifaru Lodge have been kept waiting until they can be enjoyed once again by the hordes of foreign tourists that normally visit Namibia.

The thought that went into the design of the lodge is obvious from the moment you step into the main room and glimpse the pool and sweeping views. The modern aesthetic and thoughtful touches make one want to linger a bit longer and soak up the details found everywhere.

The staff are warm and friendly and ensure you feel at home in the elegant atmosphere. The rooms are a combination of permanent structures and canvas tenting which keeps the luxurious “safari chic” feel with upto-date conveniences. The views from every chalet are fantastic—especially from the well-positioned bathtub.

It’s a personalized and exclusive experience found in few other wild places.

Jaco took Kifaru to the next level of service when he strategically hired Juliana van der Westhuizen as Manager of Hospitality to train his staff and to establish a delicious and elegant menu. I first met Juliana and her family in 2002 when my husband and I, along with our-then small children arrived on their personal hunting farm, Westfalen, in northwest Namibia. Nothing can compare to the magical time we spent hunting with them on my initial visit to Namibia. That was the first of many such trips and our families have remained close friends to this day. Just recently Juliana’s adult daughter dropped by my house and we reminisced fondly about those glorious winter days hunting under the blue Namibian sky and starstudded nights spent around a candle-lit dinner table, laughing until our sides hurt as we enjoyed red wine and

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Juliana’s game meat specialties. To this day that level of warmth, attention to detail and quality of food are my personal benchmark for what Namibian hospitality truly means. Now, that same level of excellence is found at Kifaru Lodge as well.

In my mind, hunting and conservation are inextricable.

As hunters we have a responsibility and obligation to preserve wild spaces and ecosystems for our generation and those to follow. A multifaceted approach to stopping the senseless butchery of rhinos for their horns—poaching at its very worst—is absolutely essential. Namibia’s success gives reason to hope that sustained efforts of detection and surveillance like those at the Rhino Momma Project are having a positive effect. According to the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, rhino poaching has fallen 63 percent after the enforcement of harsher sentences and higher fines for poachers and thanks to intensified intelligence operations. There were a total of 46 incidents reported in 2019. As of August this year, only 17 incidents have been reported. Still too many, but the decrease is commendable and gives one reason to hope. These numbers are a significant drop from 2015 when, according to Save the Rhinos, 80 rhinos were killed in Namibia. Replacement of what have been rapidly dwindling numbers is also a priority, but not many people are taking on that burdensome responsibility. All of this goes to show how vital a role the Rhino Momma project plays. Visit their website to donate now or visit Kifaru Lodge and Rhino Momma Project as an add-on to your next Namibian hunting safari.

To be continued in the next issue of WE ARE HUNTING…

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k kifaru@resdest.com

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N A M I B I A R H I N O CO N S E R VAT I O N

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MY BIG GAME Safari Journal

by John Berry

First journal entry:

It all started almost as a disaster. I had booked a business class ticket from Dallas to Johannesburg on Emirates. I thought I had made all the preparations to transport my firearms on the plane, but I missed one form and was not allowed to board.

Emirates was kind enough to refund my fare. After scrambling, I was able to book on Delta and arrived in Johannesburg almost on schedule. I cleared immigration and firearms inspection and checked into the City Lodge at the airport. I met Gerard Erasmus, owner of Sumsare Safaris in Namibia, when he arrived at 8:00 PM for a light dinner and a couple of beers. We proceeded to our rooms for a short night’s sleep, as Gerard’s friend, Werno, was going to pick us up in front of the hotel at 1:30 AM.

Second journal entry:

Promptly on time, Werno arrived, we crammed our gear into his truck and drove to his home to repack and load some additional gear before starting our 13-hour drive to his concession in southern Mozambique along the Zimbabwe border. After a beautiful drive through Kruger National Park and a great lunch, we exited South Africa and entered Mozambique through the Pafuri outpost. There was a small mix-up with one of my guns, but the border authorities were kind enough to lock the gun into a safe and hold it for our return. As a side note, I relearned to check and recheck all serial numbers on firearms and verify with the outfitter multiple times.

We then drove along and across the Limpopo River, down a number of dirt roads through some beautiful Mozambique wilderness, on a short stretch of highway to the town of Malvernia, then up the border road to the beautiful wilderness lodge of Mbabala Safaris. After a refreshing cocktail and a delicious African dinner, we retired to our rooms for some much need rest.

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Third journal entry:

The next morning after a hearty breakfast, we headed out to check the water hole for fresh buffalo spoor. It was almost 10:30 AM before we found our first sign. We grabbed a quick lunch, and the trackers we off. I have seen some great trackers on my trips to Africa, but these gentlemen were in a class of their own.

We followed a bull for almost nine miles, and at 5:30 PM, we were still more than an hour behind him, so we called it a day.

Again, a nice shower, some refreshing cocktails, a delightful dinner, an after-dinner drink, and the old man (me) in the group was ready to retire.

Fourth journal entry:

The second morning started the same as the first, but upon leaving the lodge, we cut fresh spoor within fifteen minutes.

After a short track, we were eyeing a beautiful unsuspecting old dagga boy. After some observation and inspection from Gerard, we decided to take him. It seemed to take hours for him to present a good shot, but in truth it was only a few minutes.

I have no problem with my PH backing me up on dangerous game, so Gerard was ready. My first shot found home, and I felt really good about it, but the buff broke and ran. Gerard fired a backup shot, later found in the stomach, and then we both fired simultaneous shots, neither of which hit. After about twenty minutes of waiting, we proceeded to the spot where the bull was grazing when I shot him and started following the spoor.

About one hundred yards later, we started to find a lot of blood.

Two hundred yards later, we found a beautiful, very old, dead bull. After another evening of a delicious meal and camaraderie around the fire, we prepared for an early start on day three traveling to the north end of Werno’s concession.

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Fifth journal entry:

Day three started early, a quick breakfast and we were off for the ten mile drive to the northern end of the concession. We found WE

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fresh spoor from two dagga boys at the second water hole and began tracking. Two miles, and about an hour later, we heard cows calling a few hundred yards away. We approached with caution and a favorable wind. We spotted a bull laying beneath a tree about the time that a cow spottted us. She was wary, but since she had not winded us, she did not spook. Gerard examined the bull through his binoculars and immediately asked me if I could shoot him in the head.

I could tell this is a really nice bull, but when he asked me if I could make the shot, it made me realize that this was the bull of a lifetime. Placing my gun on the sticks, I just didn’t feel comfortable trying the shot. We moved about seven or eight yards closer and placed the sticks again. I set up and decided that I could make the shot. Werno asked if I wanted them to back me up. I am not too proud to take a shot into a heard without backup, so I told him I would appreciate that. I got back on my gun and was almost ready to squeeze the trigger when I moved. I don’t know what I did, but I was able to pull out of the shot and gather myself. I reset and felt the ten minute wait really solid zoning in on the center of his head right between his eyes. seemed like an eternity I gently squeezed the trigger on the Blaser R-8 375. I did not see the impact of the bullet, but I watched the head of the bull flop to one side as the gun dropped back onto the sticks. Gerard and Werno both made their shots. Buffalo stampeded all around but luckily none of them closer than fifty yards. The ten-minute wait seemed like an eternity, but Gerard finally decided that it was time to approach the bull since there had been no sign of movement since my shot. We approached carefully, ready incase of a charge. When we got to him, we could see my shot had hit within an inch of my aiming spot, and we began to admire an absolutely magnificent bull. The day was

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topped off by a nice Suni ram as we returned to camp. I must admit, the evening probably had a little too much celebration, but who can pass up the opportunity to enjoy some libations with another delicious meal after two great bulls in two days?

Sixth journal entry:

Day four started leisurely with a drive looking for Reedbuck, but a radio call from Werno changed things. The next group of hunters were coming in a day early, so we returned to the lodge, packed, loaded, and started the drive back to Jo’berg.

Again, we had a nice lunch in the Kruger Park and viewed much of the beautiful country on the return drive. Gerard had booked us into the African Sky Guest Lodge. A wonderful place with impeccable grounds and tremendous service. We had a day to kill. In six previous trips to Africa, I had never done anything but a quick overnight in Jo’burg so it was fun to spend the day Uber-ing around and seeing the city. The evening was spent at the Emperors Palace Casino dining in a great restaurant and enjoying some time at the gaming tables.

Seventh journal entry:

Day five led us back to the airport for a flight on South African Airways to Lusaka. The next leg of our adventure would be through Zambia and into Northern Mozambique at Russell Lovemore’s Chawalo Safaris Lodge near Zumbo on the bank of the Zambezi River. We had to overnight in Lusaka at the Pamozdi Hotel. This was a nice hotel where we enjoyed a great dinner and were entertained by a local music group during our meal.

They even played the old hit “Blueberry Hill” on my request.

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Eighth journal entry:

The next morning, we met our driver and proceeded on the fivehour drive to Luangwa, where we would depart Zambia, and boarded a boat to Zumbo in order to clear customs and declare

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our firearms in Mozambique. This was followed by another half-hour on the boat downstream to the lodge. We settled in for an afternoon snack and then were joined by Kennedy, our local guide, to scout for a huge Nile crocodile. We found several interesting locations and decided on one to build a blind and put out a bait. The evening was capped by a short walk and my dropping a gorgeous Chobe bushbuck.

Ninth journal entry:

The next morning, we proceeded to use the bushbuck ribs for bait (the only bait we had) and boated to our selected spot to set up our blind and bait. This turned out to be a bad move. The second croc on the bait simply tore the bait off the post and left with it. When we returned to the lodge for lunch, we modified our plan. Russell gave us a piece of hippo hide to use. This proved to be a good move. We had as many as ten crocs around the bait that afternoon, but nothing bigger than about twelve feet.

As we were returning to the lodge late that evening, Gerard spotted a huge croc on an island bank. We found a perfect place nearby to set up a bait and a blind, so that became the plan for the next day.

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Tenth journal entry:

We settled into our blind and watched our bait all morning, only being visited by a couple of hippo cows sniffing around. I managed to lean over and break the plastic chair I was sitting in, and after Gerard stopped laughing, I told him we might as well go back to the lodge for lunch and a rest. It was getting quite warm, and between the noise I made and his ten minutes of laughter, we had probably scared off anything close by any way.

That afternoon we returned and settled back in, and it did not take long for the action to start. At one point we weren’t even sure how many crocs we had, but we were really interested

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in the one that was larger than the rest. Then, all of a sudden, a huge croc came out of the water, went straight to the bait and began eating. It was obvious he was the bull of the area, because all the rest backed off, even the large one we had been eyeing. The big croc was not much longer than him, but he was much larger bodied. It was almost twenty minutes before he presented us with a good shot. Gerard advised me to shoot in the neck, since this would also anchor the croc and is a larger kill zone. I took careful aim with a very good rest, gently squeezed the trigger of the R8 and heard Gerard’s back-up shot and his command to keep shooting. We both emptied our guns, but the croc was anchored on the first shot. I never even saw the other crocs leave, but when the dust settled, there was nothing left. Of course, six quick shots from two .375s should scare off almost anything.

In a matter of minutes, Kennedy arrived with the boat to take us across the small stream to the island my dead croc lay on.

We still approached with caution and loaded guns, but he was dead. Gerard and I were judging him to be at least twelve feet while Kennedy informed us that he was closer to fourteen. He proved correct as the croc finally measured 14’-1”.

Final journal entry:

With two more days left to hunt, we made a concerted effort to find a Sharpe’s grysbok, but our efforts failed. We did get a surprise though. There were no more exportable tags for hippo, but the nearby village needed a hippo for a party the chief was giving for a government official. We were asked if we would kill a problem bull that had been harassing the village and would fulfill their need for “party” meat. Wanting to take a hippo, I was glad to oblige. With Kennedy at the helm, it did not take us long to locate the bull. We managed to find a sandbar about a hundred yards away that Kennedy could stand on to stabilize the boat enough to give us a good shot. After some discussion

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between Gerard and myself--he was not pleased that I was not giving him warning before I was ready to shoot--our two .375s barked and the bull disappeared. Kennedy said my shot was good. As it turned out, I hit right behind the left ear and the bullet exited just in front of the right ear and Gerard’s follow-up shot hit in the jaw.

It took over two hours for the bull to float, but when he did, he was only about one hundred yards from where we had killed him. We were both amazed at how efficiently the crew managed to tie him under the boat and get him back to the lodge. It was worth the trip just to watch them get him onto the shore. It was also amazing to see the proficiency with which they butchered him and how pleased the people of the village were to have the meat. That evening, we made one more try for the Sharpie, but it was not to be. The next morning, we started the return trip to Lusaka to catch our flights to Jo’burg for my return to the States and Gerard’s return to Windhoek. It was fifteen wonderful days, with nine days of hunting.

Who could ever complain about two buffalo, a suni, a Chobe bushbuck, a huge croc and a hippo in nine days, as well as spending five days on the mighty Zambezi River?

I am thankful to Gerard, Werno, Russell and their staffs for the hunt of a lifetime. I am especially thankful to Gerard for being a great friend and hunting companion and for arranging my incredible adventure. At my age, this may have been my last trip to Africa, although I certainly hope not.

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Last year, during our Ocellated turkey hunt in Campeche, Mexico, our group was treated to some absolutely amazing local cooking by our camp chefs. One of the great discoveries of that experience was achiote paste. Achiote paste or annatto, is made from the seeds of the achiote plant. It is ground and mixed with other spices, herbs and garlic, and used as one of the building blocks of the local cuisine. It brings a deep red color to the recipes its used in, and the flavor is mild in small amounts, but a bit peppery and earthy when used more generously.

Upon returning home a couple of weeks ago, I was excited to bring it into my own recipes, and bring back the taste, and feeling, of another great hunt in the jungle. Incorporating it into one of my favorite Barbacoa recipes, it adds a new, albeit mild, flavor profile to an always popular dish in our home.

Traditionally, we throw it in some warm, fresh corn tortillas, but if you prefer flour it is equally delicious, or even on top of some rice, with cilantro and a shot of fresh lime juice, it makes a great bowl dish.

ENJOY! Tony Caggiano #WildGameBased is about the lifestyle we live and love. A lifestyle in which cooking wild game provides our family and friends with healthy sustenance. A lifestyle of knowing where your food comes from, who has touched it, what is in it, and perhaps above all, taking accountability for your decision to hunt wild game and be a meat eater.

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WILD TURKEY BARBACOA Prep Time: 15 minutes Marinating Time: 4 hours to overnight Cooking Time: 6 to 8 hours Ingredients: • 3lbs of wild turkey (breast and/or thigh) • fresh cilantro for garnish • tortillas (flour or corn) • fresh lime wedges

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Instructions: • Cut the meat into large pieces, 3 to 4 inches each or so.

• Place meat in a non-metal bowl or container, with a lid if possible.

• In a food processor add orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, onion, brown sugar, choice paste, oregano, cloves, chipotle chilis, salt, pepper. Pulse until well blended.

• Pour marinade over the meat, close securely and place in refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight.

• Remove from refrigerator, and place meat and marinade in a slow cooker.

• Using the broth, make sure that the meat is just covered with liquid, add bay leaves.

• Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours.

• Test meat for desired doneness, it should shred easily with two forks.

• Remove meat from slow cooker and shred completely.

• Remove bay leaves and discard.

• Return meat to cooker, with juices, and allow to absorb on a warm setting.

• Serve on tortillas, with some fresh cilantro and a hit of fresh squeezed lime.

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Marinade: • 1 cup of orange juice • juice of 2 limes • 1 cup apple cider vinegar • 6 cloves garlic • 1 onion - chopped • 1 tablespoon brown sugar • 2 tablespoons of achiote paste • 1/2 tablespoon Mexican oregano (regular also works) • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves • 1/2 can of chipotle chilis in adobo • 3⁄4 teaspoon salt (more to taste) • 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper • 2 cups of broth | my own wild turkey broth, but chicken broth works well too • 3 bay leaves

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Hunting In The World's Last Frontier

by Thomas Olsen

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Western Greenland offers hunting in pristine nature and an arctic adventure in one of the last untouched spots on the globe. It’s a story of seasons, exotic species and extreme weather presenting the hunter with several options to test nerve and physical conditioning.

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FEATURED Types of Hunting

Summer and Fall

Muskox Hunting July, August or September offer a summer or fall Muskox or Caribou hunt with milder temperatures between 0-20 Celsius. This arctic tundra hunt by the magnificent Robinson River near Kangerlussuaq in West Greenland is on an exclusive concession of more than 62,500 acres.

The hunting camp is in the center of one of the best regions for Muskox, with a remarkable view over the hunting range. Hunting is done on foot on tundra and mountain terrain where physical health is required to meet the exertion needed to carry out a 20-40 kg trophy, sometimes a long distance. Even on the arctic tundra there will normally be opportunity to find support for the rifle on rocks or small hills when shooting and approaching the lonely bull or family group. This offers a challenging spot and stalk hunt getting you close to the big arctic Muskox when the shot must be taken. This last part of the hunt is exiting and puts the hunter’s nervous system to the test. There are only few places in the world where you find this exclusive trophy. Once your main trophy is acquired, it’s possible to hunt small game or combine this hunt with a Caribou hunt.

Backpack

Caribou Hunting This hunt, also in July, August or September, brings the hunter into remote Caribou land in the world’s “last frontier”. The hunting camp is remote and close to the magnificent Ice Cap. The camp acts as a base to trekking to the Caribou herds to spot when the hunt really begins. Trekking light is the order of the day. Normally there is time to hike back to base camp but, if necessary, there is the option of putting up spike camp for the night. August and September is a good time for Caribou hunting because of the nearing rutting season and because the Caribou have cleaned the velvet off their antlers by this time. The weather in August and September is between 0-15 C. There can be snow or rain, but normally it will be quite nice conditions. This hunt involves trekking in high mountain tundra so it is a good idea to pack light. The more land covered, the better the chances for a big trophy bull.

Musk Ox Winter Hunt and

"The Arctic Five"

This hunt is for adventurous hunters who want to experience the arctic winter in March and April. The hunting is in the remote arctic winter wilderness with temperatures from around 0 to - 40 C. Base camp is a heated tent near the deeply frozen Robinson River with a remarkable view over the terrain.

After successful Muskox hunting, it is possible to hunt Caribou, Polar fox, Polar hare and Ptarmigan. With success in hunting all of these five species, the hunter will have shot what is referred to as: ‘The Arctic Five’. The Caribou is not a big trophy at this time of year, but it rounds out 'The Arctic Five’ challenge.

This hunt is for truly committed hunters who can take up the cold challenge. There are only few places in the world where you find the exclusive trophy of the Muskox together with the possibility of shooting all of ''The Arctic Five'. On this winter hunt, under extreme arctic conditions, you will experience tough hunting in a unique natural setting hunting

by ATV or snowmobile and then on foot for a spot and stalk hunt.

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what to

Manfred Egerer

EXPECT The sun does not set from May 25th to July 25th. On the Arctic Circle the midnight sun only lasts for about half an hour, but the further north you get, the longer it lasts. This means it is actually possible to hunt in good light during the night. July is also the only month when Greenland's temperature reaches above freezing.

Transport to the hunting range is by ATV, boat or snowmobile and the last distance to the hunt camp involves trekking on foot. This base camp is equipped with field beds and a kitchen tent, where meals are prepared from the game harvested or freeze-dried

food during the hunt. Greenland is blessed with clean water so you can drink from the rippling streams that found during the hunt. After spotting the animal, you start a stalk on foot.

There will normally be opportunity to find support for the rifle on rocks or small hills when you are shooting. It is important for the hunters on this type of hunt to be in good physical condition. It is possible to take the vehicle to the dead animal to pick up the meat and trophy, but at the same time we need to bring it all out which the hunter must be prepared to help with.

If you dream of hunting Muskox and Caribou in Western Greenland, do not hesitate to book your next hunting adventure with Thomas Olsen and North Safari. With a success rate close to 100%, some of your life’s greatest hunting experiences await in the arctic.

had this to say about his trip in 2009: “I booked a 5-day winter Muskox hunt with my wife Marijke as an observer. We flew via Copenhagen to Kangerlussuaq airport and immediately got kitted out with seal fur clothing, without a big fuss. Our travel to Greenland was painless. The safari started with a 4-hour dogsled trip to camp.

Accommodation was in heated tents, basic but adequate. They even built an outhouse just for my wife. There was excellent food and company and we also had the opportunity to visit a glacier.

We hunted with dogsleds and saw many Muskox.

I shot two trophies on the second and third day.

We tried to look for snow hares, but found none.

The Inuit hunters we worked with were amazingly skilled and very tough. We were well prepared physically so the hunt was not too hard, but you are constantly made aware that things can change quickly. You have to keep an eye on the weather and make sure that you have adequate clothing. The weather changed constantly, from snowstorms to sunshine. Marijke and I agree that this was a once in a lifetime adventure. We had a fantastic time and it was wonderful to share this hunting experience with my wife. We received the raw trophies well prepared a couple of months later. The finished trophies hang on our walls to this day and the treasured memories we made have not faded.�

FACT FOCUS • The Vikings discovered Greenland in the 10th century • The name ‘Greenland’ means "Land of People" • Recent research indicate that the inhabitants of Greenland originated from eastern Siberia via Canada • Greenland is the largest island in the world that is not a continent - Australia is much larger but is also a continent • The Greenland ice cap itself is actually at quite a high altitude. It averages about 2,000m above sea level with the highest point around 3,300m • Almost 80 percent of the land mass is covered by an ice cap and glaciers • Greenland has a population of roughly 56,000, about 17,000 of whom, live in the capital of Nuuk • Danish krone is the currency of Greenland • The country is geographically part of North America, but politically is part of Europe • "Kayak" and "igloo" are Greenlandic words that have been adopted directly by other languages • The official languages of the country are Greenlandic and Danish, though English is widely understood

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