03 January 2017, 18:02
fairgameMy season
What I consider a good season is based on a number of factors and first and foremost would be the quality of hunting that my accompanying hunters have experienced, which is closely followed by the quality of game pursued. Trophy hunting is just that and it is about taking the beasts of your desire and seeking them where they occur in good numbers. To shoot an animal can be remarkably easy but to hunt one than is of specific age and maturity, to seek length of mane or horn often requires effort, time and a degree of skill. For me this style of hunting evokes a sea of fluctuating emotions that are not experienced elsewhere and this is one of the reasons why I do it.Us hunters are very good at is advertising the good but will now and again obscure the bad and the ugly for it can do us harm or subject us to ridicule. AR does just that and you really have to be honest and on top of your game for this site. I would further go to state that the operators and PHs that are frequent posters on AR represent some of the very best of hunting in Africa today. That the AR members I have hunted with have been the very best of characters. That is AR for you. It is a tough site, it does not cater for greasy kids and its people are a colorful mix of individuals. And if you want to hunt proper then the AR hunting report forums are currently the best reference there is.
My forte has been to explore and secure the best possible free range hunting in Zambia today for my hunters. Whilst most of my hunting is conducted in the Kafue I did quite a bit in the Luangwa valley - a special place that I hold close to my heart. My very good friends Richard Bell Cross (Lunga Luswishi) and Thor Kirchner (Munyamadzi) are amongst a small band of hunters that I could recommend and it was a pleasure to able to spend some time with them in the field. They are both classy operators and scared of bugger all. Coincidentally we all carry the VC 500 NE and it was to be this gun that saved my and my life on the first hunt of the season. It was to be a reoccurring nightmare in my quiet moments. Walking through tall grass early season a screaming elephant violently collided into our party with its head low to the ground. To sort that out and then to get my team safely away and downwind from the agitated herd was a bad dream in itself. It was the first time in my career that I have had to split seconds.
My Royal Kafue project provides a partnered community 25% of gross income, employment and other social spinoffs. To work with a rural community can be very trying at the best of times and recently my successes have been counteracted by threats of an aggressive takeover and the greed of others. Poaching has escalated throughout Africa and this scourge is becoming increasing expensive to combat. My sleep is often anxious but in the end my woes bear little semblance to the stresses and upheavals that occur daily in Zimbabwe and beyond so I can count myself lucky.
We in Africa have bear the brunt of international bans and idiotic policy making from abroad. However the recent turmoil has bought to attention of the media that the vast hunting grounds are indeed the last secure bastions for the game and that those on the ground do conserve and enhance what remains. Not just wildlife but the land, water and associated habitats. Without all our participation these sanctuaries would implode and the domino effect would be catastrophic for tourism in Africa.
AR has done me very well and I want to take this opportunity to thank our host Saeed for his generosity and for the opportunity for me to market and advertise hunting at his expense. There is another Zaeed I would like to thank if he reads these pages.
A bonus this last year was to have my son Tom in the mix and his hard work and enthusiasm paid dividends. I would like to keep him on but he has that dreamy far away look in his eyes.
The following pictures are a compilation of some of the good trophies I have sought from both the Kafue and the Luangwa valley – the concessions of Nyakolwe, Nyamvu and Munyamadzi. I have also attached some pretty pictures and a couple that are personal to me. The Waterbuck shown here are the Crawshay’s Defassa and they are the biggest trophies that I have come across. Royal produced another giant Sable over 48 inches and a host of spectacular plains game. My buffalo tend to lack width but they are hard. It was good to hunt Lion again and I had almost forgotten how scary these beasts can be. The quality of Lion to come out of Zambia has been astonishing and due mainly to the newly imposed restrictions. AR’s Faisal eventually found his big Leopard and good on him for he hunted hard across Africa and set the bar very high. A number of my clients are in their latter years and what they lacked in physical fitness they made up in enthusiasm and passion. I remember one fine old man proudly announcing his recent heart surgery as he stepped off the plane. Another politely informed me that he could no longer straighten his knees and other bits. However it makes for exciting hunting as these mature specimens cannot run from danger. Best quote of the season – ‘I am simply a hunting whore’ one fine lady remarked.
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