quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
What happened to the good ol' days when a 50"x16" Buffalo could be had for only $75,000?

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Kwan,
just don't try to tell us it was a fair chase hunt and enter it in the book along side animals that were.

Kakuri,

quite an expert for one post here. Look at the pictures of the buff in the pen first. That buff was for sale for $100,000. If your friend guided that hunt, he is guilty as sin of canned hunting on at least this one occasion. We call that "Situational Ethics", aka "Show me the Money".

Rich

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by TNJohn:
Kakuri,

Where was this buffalo hunted and is this the buffalo from Zimbabwe?

quote:

Originally posted by Kwan:

If the client knows what he is doing and he is happy with it ????? Who made us God ?

quote:

Originally posted by MD375:
Just found this thread.... As a friend of both brothers, I know the areas they hunt in Tanzania and zambia and I guarantee that they do don't hunt trucked in lions.... And if saeed is the so called expert he would know that it's not really smart to truck a lion from SA to any of those two countries...

quote:

Originally posted by MD375:
Just found this thread.... As a friend of both brothers, I know the areas they hunt in Tanzania and zambia and I guarantee that they do don't hunt trucked in lions.... And if saeed is the so called expert he would know that it's not really smart to truck a lion from SA to any of those two countries...

quote:

Originally posted by MD375:
Shakari

In your honest opinion do you think it's even financially possible to truck a lion to Tanzania for a hunting operator to let a client shoot?

I realize a lot of people do it but I know for a fact Jason and Clinton do not.. My issue is with all the guys who crap on them for their south African hunts which they state as being lions on a fenced in property and then saying that all their trophies are canned.. Please could someone explain to me how the hell you would can a bates Pygmy antelope??

quote:

Those going south on a truck, those going to Namibia, Moz TZ etc in a cessna Caravan.

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
Steve

Zimbabwe issued 52 permits last year for Lion (Male) to be exported for 'temporary filming purposes'. The year before we exported 61 - also all theoretically temp exports. Of course, bad luck they all caught cat flu and died. This has been going on for 10 years- same three breeders, same reason on permits.

Now, those are just the exports...what gets used internally is anyones guess.

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
Steve

Zimbabwe issued 52 permits last year for Lion (Male) to be exported for 'temporary filming purposes'. The year before we exported 61 - also all theoretically temp exports. Of course, bad luck they all caught cat flu and died. This has been going on for 10 years- same three breeders, same reason on permits.

Now, those are just the exports...what gets used internally is anyones guess.

How do the exports go? Those going south on a truck, those going to Namibia, Moz TZ etc in a cessna Caravan.

I don't belive TZ is a major destination - too many legit lion and prices are too high anyway to make it profitable except for the most important clients. But, since a decent lion ex breeder costs c20k, throw 10k on that for air freight,and 2k for the cites export permit and that still leaves a reasonable margin of profit on a 'short' hunt. Seen 'guaranteed' (or your money back) record book 'wild' lion offered at SCI for c75k. (same lion...literally the same lion) were 50k the year before if taken in SA...

Like I say- going north- you are only going to stage that for an important client because you are not likely to make too much out of it when you ad a bit more for bribes and moving the lion at night and and... but anywhere else..even if you only make 5k per hunt...take 20 in the season...that's a good living thank you very nice.

quote:

Originally posted by kakuri:
I have read the comments made by various persons (some very knowledgeble and some very ignoranr) w.r.t . That 50" buffalo. I had the oppurtunity to be hunting with Stone Safaris and I must say it is very different to what I read. He is extremly patient and takes a long long time (up to 20 minutes glassing an animal). Days can go by without taking an animal- as we experinced. He is very professinal and hard working in the field and I very much doubt that he would hunt unethically.

quote:

Originally posted by A.Dahlgren:
World Record Nyala Versus
South Africa’s Conservation
Revolution
Peter Flack
Editor’s Note: Peter Flack wrote this article for the South African
Magazine Game & Hunt (Wild & Jag), but discussed it with
me in June. I immediately contacted Lynette van Hoven, Editor
of Game and Hunt and was kindly granted permission to reproduce
the article for African Indaba. The relevant issue of Game
& Hunt has in the meantime been published. Those of the AI
readers who are interested in up-to-date information on South
African Hunting and Game Ranching should consider looking at
the website of Game & Hunt http://www.wildlifehunt.co.za/ for
more information.
I resigned in June after five years as chairman of Rowland
Ward. There are many reasons for my resignation and one
of them comes from the first book on management that I ever
read called, “Up the Organization,” by Peter TownsendHe
wrote that no one should stay on as a chairman or CEO of a
business for more than five years because, after this, they
started to become stale, repetitive and boring. Of course, I was
all of those things before I even took on the job but I am sure the
last five years have only exacerbated the situation.
During my time as chairman of Rowland Ward I was privileged
to be privy to the production of the 27th edition of Rowland
Ward’s Records of Big Game, published in 2006 and have
contributed, where I could, to the production of the new, 28th
edition, which should be published later this year. A record
number of entries have been received for the 28th edition and a
number of them exceed in size anything that has previously
been recorded. In some instances, this has provided clear evidence
that conservation of these particular species, in the areas
where they have been found, is on a sound, if not flourishing
footing.
One of these species which attracted my attention was
nyala as it is no secret that, for many years, I have been hunting
for a big nyala. There are a number of reasons why. Firstly, I find
them to be one of the most attractive antelope species on the
African continent - a true African hunting icon. Secondly, I thoroughly
enjoy sneaky hunts and as nyala, particularly the big bulls, are creatures of the thickets, for the most part, that is the
way you hunt them. Stop, look, listen, moved quietly forward for
a few paces and then carefully repeat the exercise.
Thirdly, I have been lucky enough over the 28 years
since I shot my first one, to have shot a further five nyala, each
one bigger than the next with the last one a fraction shy of 29
inches, nearly two inches bigger than the current Rowland Ward
minimum. Now, while I do not make a fetish of this, I try hard
when hunting a species that I have already shot, not to shoot
one smaller than I already have. To me, as a trophy hunter, this
simply makes no sense and almost seems greedy. In addition,
while I have never belonged to the club which believes that, if I
shoot a bigger animal than you, then I must be a better hunter
than you, shooting a big, mature bull, on its own, out of the breeding
cycle, which beats the minimum entry level into Rowland
Ward’s Records of Big Game, is, for me, the cherry on top of the
cream on top of the cake and so the time seemed right for me to
go in search of one of hunting’s holy grails – a plus 30 inch nyala
bull.
Lastly, and I am sure that my Calvinistic upbringing has
something to do with this, after all, even my after shave has to
sting, my enjoyment of a successful hunt is in direct proportion to
its difficulty and, while it is not that difficult any longer to shoot a
good, mature, representative nyala bull, a really big one with
horns measuring over 30 inches in length, is a different kettle of
fish altogether and, thus far, I have devoted five hunts over as
many years to my quest for one of these monsters but, thus far,
the score is five to the nyala and nil to me.
So, of course, I was immediately gob smacked when I
read in the March edition of Game & Hunt about a massive 33 3/8
inch nyala bull shot on Dr. Johan van Dyk’s horse breeding farm,
Reebokfontein near Klerksdorp, by a bow hunter, Mr. Alexander
Sachs, who was guided by Mr. Jason Stone of Stone Hunting
Safaris. This beat Paul Phelan’s wonderful 32 7/8 inches nyala
bull, shot in KwaZulu-Natal where they naturally occur, which has stood as the world record for over 28 years.Paul, now a professional hunter, outfitter and PHASA
member, at the time in question was in charge of the Umfolozi
Wilderness Area, forming the southern part of the 50 000 hectare
Umfolozi Game Reserve. He was on culling duty that day stalking
along the banks of the White Umfolozi with his two game scouts
when he saw what he thought was a waterbuck. On closer inspection,
the waterbuck transformed itself into a nyala which he
immediately downed with his trusty Mauser.308 (converted for him by Ben Musgrave from a 9x57) and hand loaded 150 grain
PMP bullets. It was only much later when a friend, Mike Balcomb,
saw the horns and insisted that they be taken to KwaZulu-
Natal Hunters and Game Conservation Association to be officially
measured that their length was established and even later still
before Robin Halse, my predecessor at Rowland Ward, contacted
Paul and insisted that they be entered in The Book.
I wanted to learn more about the amazing animal that
had knocked Paul’s nyala off its perch and called Dr. van Dyk.
He explained that, although the primary business of the farm,
was breeding Arabian horses, he kept a 130 hectare enclosure
stocked with nyala, impala, springbok, steenbuck, duiker and
two giraffes. He was not sure how many nyala he had as the
vegetation was very bushy and thick but he estimated that they
might number some 50 to 60 in total. He said that he had known
about the big bull since it was youngster and added that it was
very tame – you could “nearly catch it by hand” he said - and,
particularly after cold weather, when he fed the game pellets and
lucerne.As can be seen from the photograph, the bull is a reddish
brown in colour and not the usual dark charcoal that one
would expect in a bull of this size and age. Doctor van Dyk explained
that it was a very timid animal and would always back
down when confronted by the younger bulls in the presence of
the cows or at the feeding area. In response to my question, he
said that the bull had very small testes. Yes, I thought, both literally
and figuratively. But mine was not an idle question as there
is some scientific evidence to support the fact that animals like
this nyala bull often seem to convert their lack of testosterone
into horn length.
Last year he said that these younger bulls had started to,
“really go for him” and, as he was already some seven to eight
years old, he was worried that the big bull might lose a horn or,worse still, be killed and, as such, put a price of R50 000 on it
and sent his estimate of the nyala’s vital statistics to the Professional
Hunting Association of South Africa (PHASA). After that,
numerous people contacted him but all wanted to be absolutely
sure of the bull’s horn measurements before making a commitment.
Some people were prepared to pay the price provided
they could dart the bull and check the measurements first but Dr.
van Dyk was not prepared to countenance this.
In the end, Vleissentraal called in October 2009 and announced
that they would send someone in seven days’ time to
kill the animal and Mr Jason Stone, who is not a member of
PHASA, duly arrived with a young German hunter, Mr Alexander
Sachs who, within about an hour of setting off, at a distance of
about 25 metres, managed to place an arrow in front of the left
hip of the nyala, which traversed the bull’s body and exited in
front of the right foreleg as the animal walked obliquely away
from him. Job done.

According to Dr. van Dyk, Mr Sachs lives in Munich but
spends most of his time hunting around the world and was on
his fourth trip to South Africa at the time. I could not find out any
further information about him and so turned to the web site of
Mr. Stone’s company, Stone Hunting Safaris. What can I say? I
was flabbergasted and can certainly not do justice to it in this
article but, if you are interested, I would recommend that you
look it up. Nothing that I have ever experienced in the hunting
world prepared me for what I found there. Mr. Stone’s clients, or
at least the 14 who appeared on the web site, have together
shot an absolutely astounding 75 animals in total with he and his
brother Clinton, which rank in the top ten of SCI’s trophy records.
Of these, Mr. Sachs has accounted for no less than 14 while a
certain Mr. A.S.J.D. Murray was responsible for a further 29.
Yes, that’s right, 29 animals in SCI’s top ten! And I nearly forgot,
Mr. Stone has himself shot the number one Cape bushbuck and
the number eight common oribi. What is more, it appears as if
Mr. Sachs may have bow shot the new number one nyala, leopard,
caracal,brown hyena and African wildcat all on that same
trip!

Excuse my ignorance but do you know of, or have even
heard or read about, anyone anywhere in the hunting world who,
either as a professional or amateur hunter, can rival these statistics?
I certainly have not. I wonder if they have a secret and, if
so, what it is?
Up until the 1980s, Rowland Ward’s Records of Big
Game measured nyala along the front of the horn without following
the spiral. By that stage, 354 animals had equalled or bettered
the minimum measurement (which was then 26 inches), of
which only 12 exceeded 30 inches with the biggest two specimens
tied in a dead heat at 32 7/8 inches. They were shot in
Mozambique and Zululand in 1909 and 1934, respectively.
Since then Rowland Ward has added a further 388 entries
by the time the 27th edition was produced, of which 44 exceeded
30 inches. The new 28th edition will add still further to
this list of plus 30 inch monsters and, for example, Mr. Donald
Dusick shot a 31 ¾ inch specimen in Ellisras in 2007; Mr. Jasper
Atcheson his 32 ¼ bull at Komatipoort in 2008; Mr. J. Potgieter a 32 ¾ incher in Swaziland that same year and, there’s that name
again, Mr. A.S.J.D. Murray, a 33 inch giant in Hluhluwe the following
year.
In other words, in the 93 years from its first edition in
1892 until 1985, using the old measuring system, Rowland
Ward, on average, entered 3,8 nyala per year in The Book of
which 3,4 % exceeded 30 inches. Over the next 25 years, Rowland
Ward entered 15.5 nyala per year (or over four times as
many per year) in The Book of which 11.3% beat the magical
mark. In other words both the quantity and quality of nyalas have
improved and, furthermore, if you look at the places from which
they have come, it is clear that this animal has spread its wings
across the length and breadth of South Africa.
The question, however, that Rowland Ward has to ask
itself, is whether the Sachs/Stone nyala should be entered in
The Book. Rowland Ward’s Code of Conduct requires that: “no
creature be hunted for sport in an enclosed area of such size
that such creature is not self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency includes
the ability of the animal to exercise its natural inclination to escape
from the hunter as well as catering for all its basic needs
such as water, food, shelter and breeding.”
So, where am I going with all of this? Firstly, it is abundantly
clear that the quiet conservation revolution which has swept across South Africa for the last 50 years or so has dramatically
increased the numbers and range of virtually every
game species that exists in this country and this has been a
good thing for a whole variety of reasons. For example, wildlife is
much easier on the land than domestic livestock; the land can
carry a far greater biomass of wildlife or, in simple terms, more
kilograms of wildlife meat per hectare than domestic livestock
and, therefore, provides far greater food security in the long run;
wildlife requires less water; is far more drought and disease
resistant; and leaves a far smaller carbon footprint than the
belching, burping, farting domestic livestock which it usually
replaces. That this revolution has been driven by hunting has
been empirically established and there is no need to discuss or
debate this. However, there are questions that need to be asked.
Firstly, can we still distinguish between hunting and shooting, on the one hand, and wildlife ranching and domestic livestock
farming, on the other hand? If not, how long do we think that our
conservation revolution is going to continue and what effect will
this have on the 9,600 wildlife ranches, the thousands of jobs
and the some R7 billion per annum which this burgeoning industry
currently contributes to our Gross Domestic Product?
As a postscript, I have been advised by Dr. van Dyk that
Reeboksfontein, which is bordered by the Klerksdorp Municipality
on two sides, was sold in January to property developers
who are being advised by Nature Conservation in the province,
Free State University and himself. As such, they are aware of
the value of the game which, according to the good doctor,
includes a number of plus 30 inch nyala bulls. As such, he feels
that the game will be unaffected by the sale.
If Messrs. Stone, Sachs and Murray et al continue to
have the same degree of success in the future as they have in
the past, will we be able to say the same thing about hunting?