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

FAIR CHASE, FREE RANGE or are we fooling ourselves?

HUNTING MANAGEMENT in South Africa • Anti-hunting campaigners and journalists are unrelenting in their efforts to demonise hunters and spread propaganda about the evils of hunting. Why are they so dedicated to their cause? For some, a moral imperative akin to religion, or an integral part of religion itself, is at the heart of their passion. If such folk are practising vegetarians and never eat flesh, fowl or fish, one can respect their belief systems - but that does not give them any right to impose these on others. Some journalists share this world-view, or (more likely) recognise an audience that generates readership or clicks on websites. The really malevolent ones out there are those who make money out of anti-hunting propaganda, who prey on rich widows living with companion animals, who donate to foundations that espouse animal rights and feel emotional kinship with the suffering of other creatures. At the end of the day, the economics of land use and appropriate regulation of hunting activities are the real issues that deserve the attention of responsible citizens.

CHASING Yesteryear • The situation changed in an instant. The bull was on top of us, closing fast. My finger rested on the trigger, but I held back, waiting for Martin to fire first. In that split second, I considered the possibility that I might have to finish his elephant for him. His 450-400 barked, and a heartbeat later my own shot followed. The bull did not fall to the first impact, and hesitation was not an option…

CAMEROON Adventure • The afternoon sun burned hot in the north Cameroon sky. We were on the track of a Sing-sing waterbuck that we had seen earlier in the hunt. It had good horns but there was something different about this trophy waterbuck - it only had three legs. Knowing that it would be easy prey for the many lions and leopards that call the area home, I wanted to spend enough time to try to collect it. As the game of cat-and-mouse continued we were unable to get in a spot with a clear shot opportunity. PH Herve’ Houdebein and tracker Basile said that we had to get to the dry riverbed and find an opening to shoot downward.

SHORT and Sweet • With eight down and one to go, I was off to the Land of Origins to complete the Spiral Horn Nine. The three elite spiral horns have three characteristics. First, they are scarce. This is not to say endangered; it is simply that you only find them in specific locations. Second, the three animals are spectacularly beautiful. Lastly, the hunts are extremely difficult. Each species presents extreme conditions.

"A Different Kind of Luxury"

EAST GRIQUALAND: The Mecca of Common Reedbuck • The African sun was just cresting the horizon, painting the Zululand hills in hues of gold and crimson, as we packed up our gear after a week of hunting with Matt Marteen’s Safaris. My journey through South Africa’s Mpumalanga province and KwaZulu-Natal’s Zululand had already delivered unforgettable moments—stalking nyala through dense bushveld and many nights in search of the nighttime rarities. But now we were headed southwest to East Griqualand in KZN,...