African Hunting Gazette

Our Objective is simple and clear - to promote hunting in Africa. And everything we do, focuses on this central mission. We believe that for the passionate hunters they are either hunting, or spend their time wishing they were hunting. This publication helps them get through that time when they are not actually in the bush. Our reader is more committed, more passionate and has tremendous interest in just about everything to do with the African Safari. From cover to cover the AHG brings you everything you need to know about hunting the great continent of Africa. From the southern tip of Africa to the northern reaches of Ethiopia, we go about pursuing our simple and unambiguous objective.

African Hunting Gazette

Tackling the ENEMY WITHIN

Afton 20 YEARS LATER

CITES TIME. AGAIN… • The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), also known as the Washington Convention, entered into force in 1975. CITES seeks to ensure the sustainable international trade in the animals and plants that are listed in its appendices. The basic logic of the convention is that a stronger threat or endangerment to the survival of a species should lead to stronger restrictions on the trade in their products. As it approaches its 47th birthday, CITES is an increasing source of frustration to Africans, with some countries openly threatening to leave the organisation.

Hurry up, and "Wag n Bietjie" A Kalahari Leopard • Max was back!! Back on his fourth adventure with Hotfire Safaris. This time the adventure was set in the vast Kalahari of Botswana. The quarry, a leopard. We had ten days booked to search over a million acres of Kalahari in Unit KD6 for a majestic leopard and we teamed up with good friend Adrian and his awesome hounds for the hunt. The “Wag n Bietjie" bush has small, black hook-thorns that grab and hold you. The ‘wait-a-bit’ bush. Hurry up and “Wag n Bietjie”, therefore, aptly describes the eb and flow of hunting leopard in the Kalahari bushveld and this article recounts the why and how, the highs and lows. The slow, frustrating nothing happening periods suddenly broken by frantic, crazy, adrenalin pumping action.

Hunting Springbok in the Land of Horizons • Scientists believe the Great Karoo, an inland basin in South Africa, was once a vast glacier that became a lake when the ice melted. Eventually the waters escaped, breaking through the escarpment, and the resultant rivers tore out gullies, valleys and gorges on their way to lower-lying areas.

A Drought to REMEMBER • The herd of eland wasn’t exactly cooperating. We’d go left to get the wind and they’d turn right, so we’d have to circle back and hustle to get on them again, and the light was fading fast. There was hardly any cover, as a result of the terrible drought Namibia was dealing with in mid-2019, so when PH Maré van der Merwe spread the sticks the distance between us, and the bull was just over 300 yards, I gave six inches of holdover, broke the trigger of the .300 Holland & Holland, and the bull fell out of the scope. Maré and I spent those 300 yards chatting about the great time we’d had hunting together, and I knew that, though we were still in the moment - standing over an eland bull with horns over 38 inches - this would be a moment in time I’d soon miss.

In Search of the Perfect Shot • While this was my fifth African safari, our arrival in Johannesburg, South Africa again brought much excitement and expectation. However, this safari was extra special because I would be hunting with my grandson Jackson Yingling and this was his first big-game hunt and visit to the Dark Continent. As with previous safaris, a representative from the Afton Safari Lodge met us at the gate and helped us move quickly through customs and the South African Police (SAP) for rifle clearance. Following a relaxing stay at Afton, the next morning our...