09 June 2014, 04:01
cal pappasOld Africa Articles (about 74) For You
To The Fine Gents on AR's African Hunting:
The transfer of data from my website to my blog is done (almost). There are a few more things to do but the URL code is now on the blog so <calpappas.com> is now the name of the blog. It took months and, not being the most literate in all matters computer, I still don't understand why my mentor wanted a blog but here it is. Some info that may interest you are a bunch of African hunting articles cut from magazines mostly in the 1950s-'60s-'70s. I hope I don't infringe on copyrights but I'm not selling anything here. Before you see the list below I would like to offer an apology to all of you fine African hunters: when I began my website in 2008 and added these articles, the designer of the site thought I should add a "calpappas.com" signature to each page so readers would refer to the site. This I did and now have regrets as it looks tacky. However the signature is set and I don't have a clue how to remove it. So, again, forgive me. If I could do it over, I would not do so now. Anyway, enjoy several categories of African hunting from a time that will never be again: elephants, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, hippo, and Elmer Keith in Africa and a few miscellaneous articles.
Search <calpappas.com>
click <magazine articles from the past> on the navigation bar
click <African hunting articles>
pick the category of your choice and you're there.
Good reading and your feedback is appreciated.
Lion Hunting
I hope you enjoy the following old stories of hunting the lion. I had the honor of hunting and taking a lion in Tanzania in 2006. It had a poor mane and was only about 8' 6" long but it was the most exciting hunt I was ever on. Following spoor in the long grass, hearing the lion roaring ahead of us, and seeing four lioness' in the grass who were also looking for the same male made for a memorable hunt. O'Connor's story on the Kilombero is my favorite as that is where I shot my lion. Here is a list of the articles with the author and source to give proper credit.
A Lion Fell on Me by Frank C. Hibben. Guns, February, 1962
A Lion Mangled Me by John Kingsley-Heath. Outdoor Life, March 1963
A Royal Flush of Lions by Rendell N. Mabey. Argosy, October, 1963
Bechuanaland Lions by Frank C. Hibben. Guns, July, 1964
Hunting the African Lion Parts I and II by John B. George. American Rifleman, July, 1956
King of Beasts by Col. Henry S. Cilliers. Outdoor Life, August, 1949
Lion on the Kilombero by Jack O'Connor. Outdoor Life, June, 1961
Lions are Deadliest Just Before They Die by J.C. Rikhoff. Source and date unknown
Lions on Occasion by John F. Burger. Field & Stream, August 1951
Mauled by Dr. W. Brandon Macomber. Sports Afield, May, 1968
Safari for Simba by Russell Barnett Aitken. Field & Stream, March, 1950
Stalk for Simba by Berry Brooks. Outdoor Life, October, 1951
The Lion by Jack O'Connor. Outdoor Life, February, 1964
Too Many Lions by Ralph Hammer. Outdoor Life, February, 1952
Elephant Hunting
I will begin adding old elephant hunting articles in October. It will take some time due to selling the book on the .600 rifles, filling orders, etc. I hope you enjoy these articles as elephant hunting as written of here is no more. Sadly, many "trophy" bulls are shot with 25-pound tusks. Even worse (in my humble opinion) is shooting elephants by spotlight. This terrible practice is done in Zimbabwe on a regular basis and, while some good tuskers are still taken over 50 pounds, how can one be proud of the hunt (if it is a hunt)? To give proper credit, they are:
Death of a Rogue by Dr. Robert A. Killebrew. Source and date unknown
Double on the Biggest Game by Warren Page. Field & Stream, September, 1959
Elephant Six Arms Out by Berry B. Brooks. Outdoor Life, December, 1951
Elephants I've Met by J.A. Hunter. Outdoor Life, February, 1958
Elephants on the Zambezi by Jack O'Connor. Outdoor Life, January, 1970
Forty Elephants a Day by Warren Page. Field & Stream, May, 1960
Hunting the African Elephant by John B. George. American Rifleman, December, 1955
I Shot the Biggest Elephant in the World by Joseph Fenykovi. Source and date unknown.
Last of the Mammoths by T. Murray Smith. Field & Stream, June, 1948
Safaris That Stink by Steve Miller. Gunsport, September, 1967
Old Shuguli by Alice Landreth. Outdoor Life, February, 1967
The Bargain Bull of Bala M'Bala by Russell Barnett Aitken. Field & Stream, February, 1951
The World's Record Elephant Hunt by Francis Dickie. Source and date unknown
This Man Has Killed 164 Elephants by Col. Charles Askins. Guns, September, 1962
Those Bad Tempered Tuskers by John Jobson. Sports Afield, May, 1969
Trophy Tusker by Peter Barrett. True, March, 1969
Trouble by the Ton by Dr. Charles B. Stacy. Outdoor Life, May, 1957
We Found the Elephant Place by Erwin A. Bauer. Outdoor Life, August, 1966
Year of the Big Ivory by Elgin Gates. Source and date unknown
Leopard Hunting
Here are a few old articles on leopard hunting. The good thing is leopard hunting is alive and well in many countries in Africa. There is no shortage of leopard and the animal rights idiots are targeting the lion for now so (for the time being) you will be able to hunt Mr. Spots for quite some time. And, for a reasonable price. Today, hunting in Zimbabwe with dogs to follow the scent is the best way to be assured of a big leopard. I shot my leopard in Tanzania in 2006. Unknown to me or my PH at the time, this cat was shot and wounded by a Russian client nearly three months prior. While his former size was average (7"1") he was wasting away to nothing and was near death at 70 pounds. His muscle was gone and his bones were making protrusions through his beautiful hide. We saw him at last light. In fact, I could not see him until I looked through the scope of my .450-400 Harrison and Hussey boxlock ejector. His head was looking to my right above the grass so I aimed to (approximately) where his shoulder was. Turns out he was facing away and looking to his right so my bullet tore through his shoulder rather than passing through both shoulders and his heart and lungs. We found him a short distance away in the grass. Upon skinning, he was green and stunk. My doctor who was with me said it was poisoning from the wound. Anyway, below are the articles listed to give proper credit:
Devil Cat by John Kyle. Saga, date unknown
Stalking the Killer Leopard of Africa by Alexander Lake. National Police Gazette, July, 1968
The Cat that Broke the Rules and the Records by Frank C. Hibben. Sports Afield, October, 1970
The Most Elegant Cat on Earth by Erwin A. Bauer. Sports Afield, April, 1967
World's Most Dangerous Animal by Gil Paust. Source and date unknown
Cape Buffalo Hunting
Here are a few old articles about hunting the cape buffalo. The cape buffalo today is the most common of the big five to hunt. The down side is since they are so heavily hunted the trophy quality is falling in many areas. 10-15 years ago one could have a good chance at a 40+" buff. Now, many PHs are advertising mid-30s buff with a solid boss. The buff I shot with my .600 in September of 2008 was 34 inches. Not wide but with good a good boss and thick horns. To give credit, the articles here are:
Buffalo Make Me Nervous by Jack O'Connor. Outdoor Life, August, 1963
Buffaloes Shoot Back by Jack O'Connor. Outdoor Life, January, 1954
Death in the Tall Grass by Sandy Sanderson. True, December 1953
Garden Buffalo by John Pollon. Source unknown, August, 1967
Heavy Hands by Kristin Sergel. Sports Afield, October, 1948
Killer Rogue of the Sichifuru by Russell Barnett Aitken. True, date unknown
Long Horn--Short Temper by Bill Longenecker. Source and date unknown
Shamba Raider by Ralph Hammer. Outdoor Life, June, 1957
Suicide Made Easy by Robert C. Ruark. Field and Stream, July, 1954
The Buffalo Kept Coming by Lauritz Melchior. Outdoor Life, February, 1950
Rhino Hunting
In reading the following articles on hunting the rhino, black rhino that is, you will relive an era in hunting that can never be lived again. While the black rhino is now allowed to be hunted in very limited quantities (about 5 in both South Africa and Namibia) the average hunter will never be able to afford them (up to $350,000). The white rhino is a different story. He was hunted to near extinction 100 years ago for his horn but was never a challenge to hunt due to his docile nature. The black was truly dangerous game and would charge for no reason often times. The size of a tank with a brain the size of a pea (mild exaggeration)! Today, while the white rhino is hunted in numbers, they are ranch-raised and about as tame as a milk cow--and about as exciting to hunt. Due to his economic value, the black rhino, too, is not the wild animal he was at one time, also being ranch-raised. Below are the articles listed to give proper credit. Enjoy!
A Rhino That Would Have Amused T. R. by Jonathan Roosevelt. Outdoor Life, December, 1962
Double Back on the Spoor by George G. Wurzburger. Source and date unknown
I'm Not Mad at Rhinos Anymore by Irene Morden. Outdoor Life, March, 1958
Kifaru by Ralph Hammer. Outdoor Life, July, 1952
The Mean One by Russell B. Aitken. Argosy, September, 1956
The Rhinoceros by Jack O'Connor. Outdoor Life, January, 1965
Croc Hunting
I have only a few articles on the croc. While not a popular game animal, hunting them is exciting due to the stalk and getting inclose for a shot. I took a 13-foot croc on a feeder stream of the Kilombero river in Tanzania in 2006 with my Harrison and Hussey .450-400. Even with a scope I had to get close and it took four days of trying until I got him. Shooting at 500 yards with a scoped magnum is not my idea of hunting. Below are the articles' author and source to give proper credit.
Africa's Man Eating Monsters by Dennis Holman. Saga, date unknown
Having a Crack at Crocs. Author and date unknown
The Axe Men of Africa. Author and date unknown
The Cautious Crocodile by Warren Page. Field & Stream, May, 1969
Elmer Keith on Africa
If you have read Elmer's articles on double rifles then I am sure you will enjoy these stories on his hunting experiences in Africa. These are all I have now but more will be added when I get them. To give proper credit to the source, they are:
African Plains Game is Easy to Hunt but Hard to Kill. Source and date unknown.
Africa's Great Gray Ghost. Guns, August, 1959
Keith's Last Two Shots in AFrica. Guns, November, 1959
Shooting Dangerous Game. Guns and Ammo, August, 1962
Miscellaneous African Hunting
Welcome to the last of the old articles I will be adding. They will feature a good sampling from general big game hunting to Roy Weatherby and his high velocity ideas. No doubt, these were the good old days! For proper credit, they are as follows:
Africa Has Everything by Dr. Clarence E. Fronk. Outdoor Life, February, 1948
African Game Makes Your Hair Stand by Dr. Sam J. Hooper. Outdoor Life, October, 1950
Africa's New Big-Game Utopia by Elgin Gates. Field & Stream, May, 1964
Far-Out Safari by Robert Ruark. Playboy, date unknown
Heaven Help The White Hunter by Russell Barnett Aitken. Field & Stream,
October, 1949
Mozambique Trophy Quest by William H. Warrick. Source and date unknown
Stalk of the Hunter by Gil Paust. Source and date unknown
The Bigger They Are by Roy Weatherby. Sports Afield, November, 1953
The Selous Has Opened by Bert Klineburger. Sports Afield, March, 1964
