Kudu commentary - Handgun Hunting

Handgun Hunters International sponsors hunting trips for members in various places. This year, one was at Sand River Safaris near Messina, South Africa. Sand River is owned by Johann Wolvaardt (sandriver.co.za) and represented in the US by Jim Hebert (248-620-9426 -Detroit area). Jim has coordinated numerous trips for me over the past 20 years.

This was a plains game trophy hunt. For the first few days the weather was cloudy and cold and few animals were seen under those conditions. This animal behavior is normal in Africa -- at least in Zimbabwe and South Africa. No sun equals no animals. Then it turned hot, and so did the animals.

Accommodations were first class, as was food and most importantly -- vehicles. Jane and I spent the first days hunting with Johann (a former Selous Scout who certainly knows his business) and the last half of the trip with Peit -- a quiet, competent, hard-working young man with a great future in the business.

Numerous things occurred worth writing about. However, for the purpose of this column, let's concentrate on a Kudu -- often called the Elk of Africa. He is a large majestic animal with great spiral horns and, like most African animals, is keenly aware of predators of any description.

In the bush he's always a challenge to hunt. Often his horns are hidden in the hush and difficult for the professional hunter to evaluate. I depend on my PH to evaluate any animal -- if I'm looking through binoculars I cannot be preparing to shoot, and, in any event, 99 percent of the time wouldn't know how to evaluate a trophy.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group