Notes from the Field

2008 Arizona Desert Sheep Hunt

2009-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

I have been putting in for a desert bighorn tag for the past 9 years. I had 9 bonus points plus 1 "hunter ed" point, and 1 "loyalty" point, for a total of 11 points. I put in for units that were within 4 hours drivng distance from home so I could scout it more easily if drawn (not that I ever expected to be).

One morning my 18 month old son woke up at 5AM and my wife told me it was my turn. So while he was playing on the floor I decided to check my email. I checked the email and decided to see if I was drawn for deer. I logged on to the AZGFD website and noticed I did get drawn for deer in 30A and almost clicked off when I noticed I had been drawn for something else. I blinked a few times to clear my vision and to my amazement...I was drawn for a desert bighorn tag!! Now here's the problem...it was 5AM. Who the heck can you call at 5AM to tell them you were drawn for the most coveted big game tag in the US?? Pretty much nobody, because anyone who knows what it is will be so jealous that they will want to kill you, and the rest of the world couldn't care less!

I had to wait until football signup, for my 8 year old son later that morning, to tell anyone. That's when I told my business partner and hunting buddy Jon Tate. He was so jealous he wanted to kill me. It took him a few days but he couldn't resist and started to help me plan the camp, and scouting trips. I thought about hiring a guide but decided to do it on my own with friends. A friend of mine who is a well known hunter and conservationist in Yuma, AZ suggested that I call his brother-in-law Mike

Daily to see if he would help. Mike is a sheep nut who lives in Yuma. He knows about almost every ram killed each year in AZ and tracks sheep populations around the state. He is especially knowledgeable about what is going on in the Kofa NWR and the other areas around Yuma. Mike told me that the Mtn lions had hit the Kofa sheep pretty hard, but he thought that we could still get a good ram in there. Mike sent me a bunch of data going back to 1990 on the sheep killed in the unit that we would be hunting, 45A. The average ram was about 153" so I figured anything over 155" should do, especially since sheep numbers there are well below normal. The AZGFD survey flights flown in November confirmed that the numbers were down. A few scouting trips to the area by myself and Mike continued the bleak outlook. We saw 2 ewes and Mike saw 1 ram pre-season. So when Jon and I set off for camp, I figured it could easily take every bit of the 31 day season to find a shooter. We had a lot of helpers. For the 2 days before the Dec 1 opener we had about 8 guys out glassing different parts of the unit. We glassed every hour of daylight for 5 days and saw a total of about 5-6 ewes and 2 very young rams. I started to get a little discouraged but Mike, Jon, and Bobby kept my spirits up. Jon wanted to check out a particular part of the unit which was a pretty long drive on some rough roads. When Mike went to town to go back to work for a couple of days, we took a shot at this new place. It was midday when we stopped the truck in a very nice valley to have lunch and wait for prime glassing time. I went to set up my tripod and binos so I wouldn't have to later. When I focused on the mountain I instantly saw a ewe, then when I glassed a bit I saw 2 rams, and then Bobby saw a 3rd!! We hit paydirt...three Rams and one ewe through the spotting scope. Now I really wished Mike was with us because he was the best at judging rams on the hoof (although as it turned out, Bobby was right on). I ran to try to find cell service to call Mike back out there, but no service. We watched these sheep and "put them to bed" at dark.

Back at camp I reached Mike and he met us at about 5:30 the next morning. We drove within a mile or so of the spot, then we hiked on in to the glassing spot we had marked. At sunrise we found the sheep almost immediately and Mike and I started the stalk while Jon and Bobby stayed back to keep an eye on them. After about a 2 hour stalk, in some pretty rough stuff, we were within 400 yards and Mike was able to see the biggest ram. He confirmed he was a 160" class ram, which was my personal minimum, and we stalked in a bit further. At 325 yards I set up for the shot. But the ram was bedded looking away from us, so I had to wait another 15 minutes or so till he stood. As soon as he stood I fired and broke his shoulder and clipped the heart. He wobbled a bit and stood

there. I've shot enough animals to know that if they're still standing, I'm still throwin' lead. So I took a final shot to anchor him and he was down. Now came the real work!!

It was a great hunt and a great experience thanks to Jon, Mike, Bobby and the rest of the guys. Thank you for all your help.

Some photos from New Zealand

2008-10-29T21:54:00.001-07:00

Todd Rathner with a very nice New Zealand Chamois

"Deer Delivery" The lodge I stayed in in New Zealand

New Zealand "taxi cab"

Some photos from my recent hunt in Australia

2008-10-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

A Trophy Buffalo

A big Bull who is still out there!

A cow buffalo from a management hunt. This young boar has small tusks but a good sized body
A management bull and a trophy bull.

Alison, Todd and a great Barramundi fish.

A Management Bull

AIRPORT GUN BAN?!?

2008-10-02T01:57:00.000-07:00

According to a recent USA Today article the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is considering a proposal to ban all firearms in all areas of ALL airports in the US. Including unsecured areas of the airport like lobbies, areas where the ticket counters are located etc. This would have a huge negative impact on anyone travelling with firearms. It could have a seriously chilling effect on international hunting as well as domestic hunters who travel. It will also have a negative effect on those with CCW permits who may be at the airport picking someone up or conducting other legitimate business.
The NRA is working on this issue and is asking people to contact TSA as soon as possible to tell them a ban on firearms in the unsecured areas of airports in not acceptable. Please contact them today. Click here to contact the TSA.

TJSC ON AMERICAN HUNTER TELEVISION!

The T. Jeffrey Safari Company will be featured on NRA's American Hunter Television Show on the Outdoor Channel. The story is about NRA Past President Sandra Froman and NRA Editor Karen Mehall hunting wildebeest in South Africa with the T Jeffrey Safari Company. The original broadcast ran in July and the show will re-run on:

Thursday, October 2: 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) Friday, October 3: 3 p.m. (Eastern) Saturday, October 4: 2:30 a.m. (Eastern)
Please be sure to tune in and watch!

The T Jeffrey Safari Company in the News

2008-06-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

The T Jeffrey Safari Company has really had an incredible few weeks in terms of exposure in the press. This week we are featured in Forbes Traveler Magazine in an article entitled Bachelor Party Blowouts!

I guess the old fashioned bachelor parties are out and more wholesome, adrenalin pumping activities are in. This is good news for a lot of reasons, one of which is to have a prestigious mainstream publication like Forbes covering hunting as a positive activity! We have also been featured a couple of articles of NRA's American Hunter Magazine.

TJSC in the News

2008-04-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

The article A World In One Country by Karen Mehall from the April issue of the NRA's American Hunter Magazine is available to read online here.

The article covers the 2007 Women on Target safari we sponsored in South Africa. It is an excellent article and I encourage you to read it.

TJR

A bunch of great trophies!

2008-04-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of owning a safari booking agency is getting to see all the great photos and hear the wonderful stories our clients bring back with them from wherever their adventure was. This afternoon I was sitting here putting together the April newsletter and TJSC client Kevin Warner walked in with his photo album and some CD's of photos to show me. We spent about an hour just talking about the hunt and looking at his photos. I have posted some of them here for your enjoyment.

That really is so much of what safari hunting is all about, participating in a wonderful journey (which is what safari means in swahili) and then sharing the stories with friends and family. I am honored that Kevin both trusted The T Jeffrey Safari Company to arrange his safari and that he came in to share his memories with us.

The photos we take on safari are so important because they are the memento most likely to bring us right back to that place where we had such an enjoyable experience. Safari hunting is often about the "trophies" we take meaning the actual horns and hide of the animal we pursued. But those trophies may not be here for a number of months and it is certainly more difficult to take them to a meeting or dinner party to share with friends.

That is why it is so important to have a good quality camera and learn how to take good photos.

Congratulations to Kevin and thanks for sharing your trophies with us - TJR

Gunsite Academy 2008

2008-04-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

This was my second trip to Gunsite Training Academy. Last year I took the 270 General Rifle Course which starts out with the basics and gets you shooting well enough to hit a 9 inch kill zone at 400 yards. This year we asked Gunsite Master Instructor Il Ling New to come up with a custom class designed especially to suit our clients. The idea was to combine a basic rifle class with what Gunsite calls a Hunter Prep Class. So the 170 Rifle class was born! This is the general rifle (270) class reduced from 5 days to 3 days which gets you hitting 9 inch kill zones out to 200 yards consistently. Then we added a 3 day Hunter Prep Class right after the 170 class. Hunter Prep is set up to use "real world" hunting targets everything from flat targets to 3D animals. This includes turning targets, and a robot that is used to simulate an animal coming toward you, away from you and crossing in front of you. It is quite an experience!

A number of the target courses are set up to walk through so you experience targets in realistic hunting environments and at realistice ranges. This also includes targets with horns which require judging which trophy is the bigger animal. There is a little friendly competition involved as well as some timed shooting this helps to simulate the pressure you feel when you are hunting in the field. It's all designed to help you develop the skills you need to be a confident marksman while hunting. When you combine Gunsite's world class instructors with a very well thought out training program it's easy to see why those who take a class at Gunsite gain confidence in their shooting ability. We are planning to put together another TJSC class next Spring so keep your eye on this newsletter for an announcement, if you don't want to wait that long please call the Gunsite Academy at 928-636-4565 and sign up for the next class.

Leupold VX-7 Scope Review

2008-04-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Leupold VX-7 Scope Review

It's no secret that I am a big Leupold scope fan I mount one on every rifle I own. So when Leupold's Cindy Flannigan offered to send me one of their new VX-7 rifle scopes, I jumped at the chance to test it.

The VX-7 series is the pinacle of optics. From the time that they agreed to send it to me I knew this was more than the run of the mill rifle scope. I got an email from Leupold's custom shop asking me the details of the ammunition I would be using with the scope. This was in order to supply me with a Bullet Drop Compensating (BDC) custom elevation adjustment turrent made specifically to match the ballistics of the load I was using. With the BDC you can adjust the elevation of the point of impact quickly and easily.

When I unpacked the scope it was obvious that it had some features that were extremely well thought out. The adjustment knobs are a new design that Leupold calls "Speed Dial" you simply twist a bit until they pop up so you can make your adjustments. This system works extremely well and the adjustments make a positive click for each 1/4 MOA increment. This system also prevents the dreaded "lost scope adjustment cap" syndrome I have suffered from many times because the caps remain attached to the scope.

Looking through the lenses it was obvious that the glass and coatings Leupold uses on the VX-7 line are superior. The image was crystal clear.

One of the features I really like but have some mixed feelings about are the Alumina flip up scope covers. These are an aluminum version of the flip up scope caps you see from after market suppliers Leupold has offered them for a while but I haven't used them until now. I really like the way they work once they are installed on the scope. They fit tight and flush and flip completely out of the way when you are ready to shoot. My only complaint is that the front cap cannot be installed on the scope once the scope is mounted on the rifle, and of course I didn't know that until the scope was mounted! So beware if you install one of these scopes put the Alumina caps on BEFORE you install the scope.

On the range the scope performed extremely well. One of the most important things I look for in a scope is long eye relief because on heavy recoiling dangerous game guns this is critcally important. While this scope was mounted on a Kimber 84M in .308 Winchester I still like long eye relief to prevent getting "scope bit". Quite often the European scopes which this series was designed to compete with have a much shorter eye relief which I really do not like. Also, I am not convinced that the European scopes are as durable as the Leupold's are.

Last year I had a Zeiss scope mounted on the same rifle and after about 50 or 60 rounds of shooting at Gunsite the reticle just snapped. This year I fired over 600 rounds with that rifle and the VX-7 mounted on it there was absolutely no malfunction of the scope. It performed flawlessly.

In my experience Leupold scopes are extremely durable. I wasn't sure what to expect from this new premium line of scopes. Sometimes premium does not equal durable but based on a 600+ round test in the heat, dust and vigorous training at Gunsite I am convinced that the VX-7 line is an extremely high quality and durable product. Although they cost more than a standard Leupold scope they are worth the money when you consider what we demand from our optics. In the near future I will do a report on the custom BDC adjustment knob and how it works and I plan to do a report on the scope's perfomance while hunting. - TJR

US Dollar Strong vs South African Rand

2008-02-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Recently there was a report in another hunting publication regarding the sinking value of the US dollar vs. other currencies and the effect it has on the price of hunting. While the report was accurate regarding the Canadian Dolar, Australian Dollar and others. It was not accurate in it's discussion of the South African Rand and it's relationship to the US Dollar. The US Dollar is holding strong and is actually rising against the SA Rand!
As I write this the South African Rand is trading at 7.44 Rand per 1 US Dollar that is a better rate than it has been over the past 3 years!
In January of 2005 the dollar was trading at 5.6 Rand to 1 US Dollar there has been an increase in the US Dollar's value of almost two SA Rand (almost 30%) since then. The dollar is nearing it's 3 year high of 7.97 rand. See this detailed chart. And look at this one:

What does all this mean for the average American hunter? It means that this is an excellent time to hunt in South Africa or Namibia (the Namibian dollar is tied to the SA Rand) because the dollar is worth more in South Africa than it has been in the past three years and is approaching it's 5 year high of 8.02 Rand per US dollar.

Since 2006 most of our hunt package prices have remained the same. A couple of them went up a bit to cover rising fuel prices but trophy fees and daily rates have remained stable and the cost of incidentals, souvenirs, and other things you may buy while on safari are still very low.

When you compare African safari prices to other hunts in other countries it is still the "best bang for the buck" no doubt about it.

The bottom line? It's a GREAT time to go on safari in Africa!

Gotta Do Whatcha Gotta Do...

2007-12-12T10:02:00.000-08:00

Photo By Todd J. Rathner Click photo to enlarge

Photo By Todd J. Rathner Click photo to enlarge

Venison to Go!
On a recent whitetail deer hunting trip to Oklahoma my friend Jon and I came across this rental car with 2 bucks strapped on the roof. Although Jon got a nice buck on this trip I struck out. But just seeing this car was worth the trip to Oklahoma!

Shannon and The Women in the Wild!

2007-12-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

By Shannon Irving

This year, we decided to team up with the NRA's Women on Target Program and host an all women's hunt in South Africa . We had 10 ladies (including me) participate. It was extremely successful! So successful in fact, that we have 2 more all women's hunts scheduled for next year. Awesome, Awesome!

First off, this was my first hunt... ever. I was a little apprehensive to hunt because I was still trying to perfect my shooting skills. Earlier in the year, I graduated from GunSite after 5 days and 400 rounds of shooting.

The flight to Africa wasn't too bad. Well, there was the fact that we missed our plane in Dulles because of weather delays and were re-routed through London. THANKFULLY, I had open seats next to me to London and then a whole row from London to Joburg open. All in all, it was pretty smooth.

We didn't really have any problems in Joburg. Gathering up 9 other ladies and their belongings was a sort of controlled chaos to deal with, but we got everyone through with no problems thanks to Riflepermits.com and we were on our way. We overnighted at Afton Guest House with Louie and Annelise who were great, as usual. The next morning, we got on our flight to Port Elizabeth. Our outfitter picked us up at the PE airport and off to camp we went.

DAY 1:
We started the morning off with sighting in our rifles. I had the privilege of borrowing a custom made .300 Winchester from NRA past President Sandra Froman. Since the rifle range was full with the other ladies, my PH Jaco, took me off to do our own sighting in. He set up a blank piece of paper with a black circle in the middle about 200 yards away. I loaded up my .300 with 180 grain Federal Triple Shocks. I let one round go and Jaco said, "You're good... let's go."

This was the day that we were going to try for Springbuck. We drove for about an hour when we were stopped by some neighboring farmers. A Blue Wildebeest was mingling with their cows and was being a nuisance. They gave us permission to take the Wildebeest because it was a cull animal. So, instead of Springbuck we were going to go for Wildebeest.

We got out to the area where the Wildebeest was roaming. They were right, it WAS mingling with the cows. I had to be extra careful not to take one of those instead of it! We stalked the Wildebeest all day. Everytime we got close enough, it ran. We finally got in a position to where I could get it in the scope. Mind you, this was my FIRST animal ever. I thought I was going to be so nervous, but after stalking this thing for hours on end, I was as calm and collected as ever, a definite surprise! I let one round go at the Wildebeest. DAMN! The shot was a little too far back and it took off! We circled around into a ravine area. We saw the beest standing up on a hill about 150 yards away. Jaco, me and the tracker leopard crawled up the litle ravine to get another shot off. I took 3 deep breaths and squeezed the trigger. DOWN!

My Blue Wildebeest.

That night was an interesting experience however! Because it was my first kill ever. I was the center of attention for about 10 minutes so I could partake in the custom of eating the raw liver of the first kill. A couple of Brandy's and Coke's help me swallow it down, but it was a fun experience.

Some of the ladies gathered outside during the braai.

Day 2:
Today we decided to try for Springbuck again. We set out bright and early to start another full day of hunting. We drove out to a grassy hill about 30-45 minutes from where our lodge was. There wasn't much to hide behind except one little bush, so we got set up to wait for a herd of springbuck to come by. We waited and waited.

Jaco even sent the tracker out to scout the area. For some reason, they just weren't around. However, a lonley Black Wildebeest was hanging out in a herd of Zebra. So we decided that today was going to be a Wildebeest day as well. I got set up on the sticks (sitting) and put my scope on the Wildebeest. I was just waiting for that perfect angle, facing broad side (about 125 yards away). I didn't take my eye off of him. He finally turned and I let one bullet go. DOWN! I was so happy it only took one shot.

My Black Wildebeest

Day 3:
It was really rainy and cold. We stayed in the lodge until late in the morning. I was getting restless so I told Jaco I wanted to hunt something, anything. We were going to try for Springbuck AGAIN. We drove quite a ways to get to an area Jaco thought some Springbuck were. We spotted a herd and started our stalk. We got about 200 yards away from them when Jaco said to me, "I don't think this is going to be our day for Springbuck either. They are all too young." Man, not our luck! All of a sudden we heard this noise, a strange little noise coming from behind us. "Reedbuck!," Jaco said to me. Change of plans, we were going for Mountain Reedbuck today. We stalking up and down this hill after this herd of Reedbuck. We got about 125 yards away from them. Jaco said, "This is not our luck! The male looks too young as well, but let's get a little closer." We got about 25 more yards closer. Jaco looked through his binos again and said, "Oh man! you BETTER shoot that guy!" His horns we curled so it made them look short and him young from a distance.

I sat down and put my rifle on the sticks. The wind was blowing me all over the place and I couldn't get comfortable. "Lay down, Lay down," Jaco said to me. So that's what I did. I layed downwards on a incline and aimed upwards towards the reedbuck. He was directly facing us. Jaco said to me, "Okay, he is facing us. You have to shoot him that way. See that bush that is right in front of him? (it came right under his chest) You have to shoot right above it." I aimed right above that bush and let one bullet go. DOWN! I couldn't believe it! One bullet again!

Breaker and I with my Mountain Reedbuck.

Day 4:
Today instead of Springbuck, we were going to go for Blesbuck. I was so pumped by now. I was doing absolutely fantastic. I now had this great confidence about myself. (I wasn't being cocky though!) We set out early as usual to get to our area. It was pretty cold and windy this day as well. We hiked up this mountain for Blesbuck. Just as we got to were we 'thought' they were going to be, they ran down the mountain; so down the mountain we went as well. We started after them again when Jaco said, "Wait, wait. There they are." The herd came around and ran right in front of us about 250 yards away. Our tracker was up the mountain still trying to scout the herd out. Jaco was on the radio with him to lay down because they were looking in his direction. We got set up on the sticks behind a bush/tree thing. We were a bit far away so Jaco told me to adjust my aim a little to the right. I let one bullet go. DOWN! "OH MAN! I cannot believe it!" Jaco said to me. The radio lit up and our tracker told Jaco the same thing. He thought I wouldn't hit it because I was laying down at a slight incline and the Blesbuck was far away. Both of them surely thought I was going to wound him and we were going to be out all day looking for him. Well they were wrong!

My Blesbuck

This same day, I had to experience was it was like to field dress an animal. My boss, Todd Rathner, had a discussion with Jaco the night before telling him I had to field dress at least one animal sometime during my hunt.

Since the shot was a great heart shot, the Blesbuck bled out. Jaco said to me, "This is the perfect day for it. The Blesbuck will be clean on the inside. Your shot was good enough to bleed him out."

After many, "I can't, I can't, I can'ts," here I am cutting my Blesbuck. Thankfully I had a handy little knife with me. Tim Wegner From BladeTech Knives donated field knives too each lady on the hunt. I used that sucker for EVERYTHING!

Day 5:
I only had two more animals left on my list, a Springbuck, which was part of the hunt package, and an Impala that I wanted to add. Today Jaco, me, fellow hunter Cyndi and her PH Andre took the day to explore the area. We went into the mountains where the outfitter has converted Oxwagons that they use as one night accomodations for clients. We played with spotting scopes, rifles, etc. etc. Andre showed us his amazing skills with the rifle. He can take any rifle, throw a rock into the air and hit it! It was amazing!!

Day 6:
Today was finally the day that we were going to try for Springbuck. This time, I had help. Since the majority of the ladies were done hunting, a couple of them and their PHs came along for "moral" support. Jaco and I hiked up this hill in the same area we had visited a few days prior when we tried for Springbuck. We got outselves set up behind a bush/tree. Cyndi and her PH, Andre went in one direction and Sue and her PH, Roebol went in the other direction. They were trying to keep the Springbuck herd in a certain area. If they went over the hill, we wouldn't have a shot at them. Jaco and I sat quietly and waited and watched as the herd ran back and and forth in front of us. We were just waiting for them to get in the clear area about 70 yards in front of us. I was sitting, with the my rifle on the sticks and my eye through the scope. Jaco said to me, "Okay, get ready, here they come." The Springbuck herd came running through the open area just as we wanted, but they were going too fast. "Oh no, I don't think they going to stop," Jaco said to me. "Wait, the male in the very back. He's nice, take him. He will stop." Just as Jaco predicted, the Springbuck stopped, broad side. I followed the brown strip to his shoulder and let one go. DOWN!

As usual, we had an amazing 4... er, 5... er, 6 (maybe??) course meal.

Day 7:
Today the entire group went to Addo Elephant Park. It was really nice to take a small break from hunting and spend time with the whole group. We looked at lots of elephants, saw lots of warthogs and other animals like zebra and ostrich.

I had a discusson with my PH about hunting an Impala. That was what we were going to try for on the last two days of my hunt. After dinner, Todd pulled me off to the side and asked what I still had to hunt. I told him that I was adding an Impala to my list. He said, "You can't hunt an Impala." "What?! Why not?," I said to him. "Because, you're going to hunt a Kudu. You have done so well this week, I think you earned it." I could NOT believe it. A Kudu?!? A Kudu?!? Holy Crap! A Kudu! I ran to Jaco immediately. He had already began calling around to see where we could go to get a nice Kudu. Todd had already told him!

Day 8:
We got up real early and went to the neighboring farm to hunt Kudu. The area was some-what new to Jaco so another PH, Roebol, came along to help out because he knew the area quite well.

We saw a couple of males, but nothing really worth going after. This day we basically spent the entire day getting to know the area and glassing. I wouldn't say it was a complete waste of a hunting day, but I wish I would have at least been able to see a Kudu that was worth looking at through my scope.
Day 9: (The last and BEST day)
We set out for the neighboring farm again at about six in the morning. We needed to get an early start, because this was my last day and if I wanted a Kudu, I had to work for him. Within 20 minutes of getting to the hunting area, our trackers spotted a herd of Kudu with a nice bull. Our stalk had begun however, we didn't just hike... we climbed up and down rocky mountains for over five hours. I did my best to keep up with Jaco, but I was dying. My knees were buckling and my thighs were burning. This was the toughest day I had the entire hunt!

At about 11, Jaco and I had a discussion about my Kudu. We only had another hour or so until it was too hot to hunt. We agreed that if we didn't get my Kudu by one in the afternoon, I would put it on my list for next year. We continued to climb up and down rocky hills. I could barely see the ground; the grass was up to my knees and thick. Every time we thought the Kudu were coming, we narrowly missed them! They would run right in front of us; we were 20 seconds too late every time. Finally, 1 o'clock came around and I said to my PH, "Well, that's it, he's on the list for next year!"

We both went back to our lodges to relax for the rest of the day. At about 4:30 in the afternoon Jaco comes to my lodge and says, "We have to go to these fields near here. Sometimes Kudu come down there." "How long are we going to be out there?" I asked him."Only for two hours," he replied to me. "All right," I said, "Let's go." We drove about 15 minutes to get to these fields that were near our lodge. "You have to be very quite," Jaco said to me. We set up shop behind these small, old cement walls and just waited and watched. After about an hour, a bunch of Kudu cows came out with their young so we got ready for the bull to show but, he never did! Then, something spooked the Kudu cows and they ran off.

"Let's go to the next field," Jaco said to me, "Maybe there will be some Kudu over there." By now the sun was starting to set, but it didn't matter, we kept going on. We were practically leopard crawling over to the next field when all of a sudden Jaco stopped ... there he was! I don't know if it was from lack of time and being exhausted or just seeing the Kudu bull that close to us, but for the first time the entire trip I got excited and nervous. I got BUCK FEVER!

The two fields were separated by a fence so I had to use the fence as my "sticks." I put my rifle through an opening, but I just couldn't get comfortable. The whole time I'm telling myself, "I have to shoot him! I have to shoot him!" But, I didn't! I couldn't! Jaco said to me, "We don't have a lot of time! You HAVE to calm down! They usually only stand once." Then the bull started to walk away!!! I pulled my rifle out of the fence hole, moved a little to the left and stuck it in another hole. Just then the Kudu stopped broad side and looked right at us! I took 3 deep breaths and squeezed the trigger...BAM...a perfect heart shot. He ran about 10 yards and DROPPED!!!!! Jaco and I both were jumping up and down yelling and screaming "We got him!!! We got him!!" He was a beauty, 43" and some-what wide. I just loved him.

So on the last day, at last light, I got -
MY KUDU!

Jaco and I were the last to arrive to dinner that night. Everyone knew we had been trying for Kudu for two days. Jaco and I got to the braai area and had blank looks on our faces. Everyone started asking me, "Did you get him? Did you get him." I looked at Jaco, Jaco looked at me and I said, "I don't know ask him." And I pointed to him. Then everyone started asking Jaco. "I don't know, ask her," he told them. I got a BIG smile on my face and said, "Of course I did ... and with only one shot!"

Each lady gave a little 'thank you' speech to their PH and we were given one back from the outfitter and our PHs. I was told that I did surprisingly better than anyone thought and everyone was truly proud of me. I was nicknamed "African Assassin" on this trip. Jaco told me that he would hunt next to me any day. I really felt honored.

I had such an amazing time and am absolutely hooked on hunting and Africa. I cannot wait to go on next year's hunts with new groups of ladies.

Thanks to SheSafari for donating outfits to the ladies (who will also be doing the same for next years hunts,) BladeTech for doanting knives, NRA's Women on Target program, RiflePermits.com and our outfitter in South Africa. You all truly made this hunt an amazing one.

P.S If you are interested in sending your spouse or you want to go (if you are a lady) please, please contact me for the details. Or, you can visit out website at http://www.tjsafari.com/ and click on the Women in the Wild Hunt in the packages section.

-Shannon Irving
The T. Jeffrey Safari Co.

2007-12-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

Todd J Rathner

Rowland Ward's Records of Big Game

2007-11-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

For over a century Rowland Ward's Records of Big Game has been the "go to" book of records for big game trophy hunters, especially African big game hunters. It is a comprehensive record of some of the most incredible trophies ever taken, or found in the wild.

The book differs a bit from SCI's record book as it does not rank the animals listed by class or numeric raking so there is no "award" system.

The Rowland ward measuring system differs depending on the species discussed. For instance horned animals are ranked in descending order according to the measurement of their longest horn. Other measurements such as circumference and tip to tip spread are also provided but only incidentally as they are not tallied as part of the animal's "overall score".

This measuring system is simple and very useful in the field. It is certainly easier to try to judge the overall length of a horn to determine an animal's maturity then it is to try to calculate the overall gross score. The book has the approximate height at the shoulder of each animal which assists in field judging horn length by allowing one to compare the horn to the size of the body. This measurement also can be very helpful in quickly calculating bullet drop at known distances. Especially since the measurement is at the shoulder.

I think the Rowland Ward system of measurement encourages the taking of mature male specimens of a given species, which is an integral part of wildlife conservation. We as sportsmen must regulate ourselves to take mature animals to ensure that they have already passed on their genes to the herd. Taking immature animals as trophies is antithetical to good conservation. The folks at Rowland Ward recognize this especially as it pertains to Cape Buffalo more properly known as "Southern Buffalo." The current scoring system ranks Cape Buffalo based on the width of the outside spread of it's horns. In my opinion and in the opinion of many others this has lead to the shooting of many immature soft bossed bulls. Because younger Cape Buffalo bulls will generally sport wider horns. As a buffalo ages the horns will drop and the overall width of the horns narrow

In order to encourage the taking of more mature bulls Rowland Ward sent out an email recently announcing they intend to change the way the minimum score is derived. This is from a recent email from Rowland Ward's Guild Of Field Sportsmen:

"The minimums for all recorded animals will include the longest horn or greatest outside spread as well as a composite measurement which will be derived from a combination of the outside spread or longest horn, as the case may be and the width of the biggest boss or the circumference of the longest horn, as the case may be, multiplied by two; "

This change will encourage the shooting of more mature bulls by including the width of the boss in the minimum measurement. This is an important step in encouraging hunters to shoot older bulls and I hope SCI will follow Rowland Ward's lead and adjust their scoring system as well. If we want to assure the future of healthy buffalo populations then we should embrace this change.

The book provides excellent descriptions of each species and how they differ from other species which are closely related. It also gives home ranges and countries where each species lives.

I also really like the classic style hand sketches of the animals in the book. The sketches remind me of the traditional naturalists who recorded their impressions of wildlife with a pencil. The "books" (because it is two volumes) are also very nicely bound and will look great on the shelf or on your coffee table.

To order Rowland Ward's Records of Big Game please visit their website at: Rowlandward.com or call them at (877) 423-3220

Todd J Rathner

Ultimate Ammunition Company

2007-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

I have been hand loading ammunition for a number of years. I really enjoy it. There is just something about creating a load from scratch that works perfectly with you rifle and then using it to take a game animal.

Over the past couple of years I have become so busy with running a business and with our growing family that it has become very difficult to find the time to work up loads or even to load up some cartridges that I know work in a particular rifle.

Last year at the Dallas Safari Club show I met a fellow named Ricky Allen who owns a company called Ultimate Ammunition. I stopped at his booth to chat with him and realized pretty quickly that this guy knows what he is talking about when it comes to ammunition. We talked about the possibility of me sending him one of my rifles to see what he could do with it. Then a few months later one of my clients told me about some ammo he had Ricky work up for him and how well it shot in his rifle. He took a number of great trophies with it in Africa and suggested I keep in touch with Ricky. That was good advice.

This year about 3 weeks before going to Africa on my inspection trip I found myself with no time to put together my pet load for my 375 H&H. So I gave Ricky a call and asked if he was willing to try to match my load and see if I could test it before I left. He said he would do it and giving him the data a few days later I got some test cartridges from him.

I double checked the custom overall length I asked for and they were dead on and I pulled a bullet to check the powder charge and that to was dead on, so I was off to the range.

My 375 H&H is a custom pre-64 Winchester Model 70 and it can be a bit finicky so I was concerned that it may be difficult to make it shoot ammo I didn't load myself. That concern was dispelled after a few rounds at the range. Ricky was able to duplicate my pet load perfectly and the rifle shot just as well as if I had loaded the ammo myself.

I called Ricky and asked him to send me enough ammo for the trip and he got right on it. Unfortunately UPS was not nearly as efficient as Ricky and when the ammo was shipped UPS lost it! As the clock was ticking Ricky tried to have them find the package in time but as fate would have it UPS didn't find the package until I was well on my way to Africa with a few boxes of factory ammo to hunt with.

Luckily the factory stuff shot adequately in the rifle (but not nearly as accurate as Ricky's loads) and I had a great hunt. But I sure would have liked to use his ammo in the field. I have that ammo on my desk as I write this and will use it in the future. In the meantime I am sending my Kimber .308 Winchester to Ricky to see if he can work his magic with it before an Oklahoma deer hunt this year. You can bet we both agree that this time we will use FEDEX!

Visit their website at UltimateAmmunition.com or call (888) 235-3285.

2007 Africa Inspection Trip The Eastern Cape RSA and Hunting With The Ladies - Part 1

2007-10-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

Upon returning from this year's inspection trip to Africa, I have had some time to reflect on what I saw and experienced. I have to say that the most rewarding experience had to be witnessing the creation of two new hunters. For me, there is nothing better than to see the look in the eyes of a person who has just taken their first game animal. When you see that gleam you know they are hooked and that they have joined our unique group.

The first to be initiated on this trip was my assistant Shannon. She started working for me last year and took on the job with a ton of enthusiasm but with no personal hunting experience. She grew up in a family of hunters but had never really hunted. When my friend Buz Mills, the owner of Gunsite, met Shannon and found out she never fired a rifle before and was going to hunt in Africa, he offered to have her trained "properly". After a week at Gunsite training with instructor Il Ling New, Shannon was hitting targets out to 400 yards!

Although she was a bit unsure about whether or not she would actually hunt she "bucked up" and decided to give it a try. So off she went with her PH Jaco. That night I couldn't wait to find out what happened and when I saw Shannon standing in the lodge I could tell right away from her face that she was the newest member of our hunting fraternity.

On this almost 2 month long trip, I was pleased to visit with old friends and gratified to make a few new ones. Our existing outfitters are doing very well. Their game looks great, the lodges are terrific and they are still feeding our clients more than anyone can eat!

Our outfitter in the Eastern Cape was host to our first NRA Women on Target hunt. We agreed to organize this hunt as a way to provide an affordable, high quality experience to women hunters and it was a way to give something back to the NRA. The hunt exceeded our wildest expectations. It was sold out before some of our advertising even got out. The 10 women who participated had an incredible time. Each evening we anticipated hearing their stories around the fire (some of which are being posted in the newsletter) and some of those evenings went well into the night. We have two more women's hunts scheduled for next year already!

While I was there I had an opportunity to hunt with 2 terrific hunting partners. Peter and Willem Jordaan. We went after a springbuck that had to be culled because he was hanging out with the white spingbucks. Willie spotted him and Peter led me on a perfect stalk, set up my shooting sticks, and thankfully I made the shot.

I want to personally thank all of the folks who made this experience so enjoyable and successful for all:

Thank you to all the ladies who signed up to go on this trip, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Thank you to Tollie and Karen Jordaan, and their staff including their fine PH's for making this an unforgettable experience for everyone.

Thank you to NRA past president Sandy Froman for taking time out of her extremely busy schedule to spend 10 days with us in Africa.

Thank you to Pam and Brian Zaitz of SHE Safari who provided thousands of dollars worth of women's safari clothing and made sure all of the ladies were perfectly outfitted. SHE Safari stepped up in a major way and we all appreciate it.

Thank you to the NRA for the Women on Target program and for sending Karen Mehall along to document the hunt for NRA publications and television.

Thank you to Tim Wegner of Blade Tech knives who made sure everyone involved had the ultimate hunting knife!

Thank you to Louis and Annelise from The Afton Guest House in Johannesburg for taking care of all of us (especially me).

Thank you to Peter and Willem Jordaan for hunting with me and being my "PH" and "tracker"!

2007 Africa Inspection Trip The Karoo, Central Namibia and the Kalahari Desert- Part 2

2007-10-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

After the women's hunt in the Eastern Cape, I was off to visit a potential new outfitter in the Karoo area of South Africa. This outfitter will allow us to offer a new management hunt opportunity and to add another twist to your hunting safari.

If you are interested in South African history, this outfitter has a wealth of knowledge about the Anglo Boer War and is located in a part of South Africa that is close to numerous battlefield sites from this important part of African history. Before I left South Africa we toured a number of these sites, as well as the historic diamond mining town of Kimberly, including a tour of the "Big Hole". We are currently working on a package with this outfitter that will feature an option of a few days of touring these fascinating sites. I took a nice Steenbuck with this outfitter and he has some very good Mountain Reedbuck as well as many other excellent quality game. For the hunter and non-hunter who is also a history buff this will be a great experience. We will let you know as soon as we have the details of this package worked out. Keep an eye on our newsletter and website for details.

At last year's Dallas Safari Club Convention we met a family from central Namibia who invited me to come see their hunting farm. I am glad I accepted their invitation. They have a wonderful place located only an hour and a half or so from Windhoek. They have excellent opportunities for eland, kudu, warthog, leopard and many other species including Damara Dik Dik. They just finished building a huge lodge and guest cottages. Everything is first rate. The whole family is certified PH's (including mom) and all are skilled experienced hunters.

While visiting with this outfitter I met a young man named Nico, who was there for the weekend. He had some firearms experience and did quite well on the shooting range. Our PH, Botha, took us out to cull a few wildebeest because of the very dry conditions in Namibia. After a full day of blown stalks and just missing the wildebeest herds, we finally got on a herd and I told Botha to let Nico take the first shot. Botha and I were both holding our breath and watching intently through our binoculars as Nico got set up on the sticks and squeezed the trigger, the wildebeest dropped where it stood. Nico let out a "whoop" and started to run to the fallen animal and we had to remind him that a 400 - 500 pound animal could suddenly "come back to life" and reverse circumstances.

Once we reined Nico in a bit and confirmed it was a fatal shot we celebrated with him. On the way back to the lodge he was asking about what kind of rifle to buy and what modifications he should make to his truck so he could use it for hunting. Another hunting addict was born!

I am looking forward to setting up some opportunities with this outfitter and anyone who hunts with them will enjoy it as much as I did.

I moved on to visit Bernd, Rita and Marco on their ranch near Windhoek. I have always liked their place a lot; it is huge and has a lot of game. Marco and I spent a couple of days looking for a good warthog and I took a nice old boar. His tusks were a bit worn and they can certainly find bigger ones there but we didn't have a lot of time to hunt. We used a unique technique for hunting warthogs there. Because the grass is low this time of year, we were able to go out on the open plains of the ranch and spot warthogs from long distances and put on stalks to judge their tusks. This is a bit more entertaining to me than sitting at a water hole (although that is fun as well). As usual the food that Rita prepared was incredible (a testament to her growing up a butcher's daughter). The place is full of game and I expect they will have a great season in 2008. Recently our client Mike Manni took some outstanding trophies there and if you are considering this hunt you should let us put you in touch with Mike so he can tell you about it.

After a few days I headed down the road to Volker Grellmann's Etango ranch to visit with him and Anke. I always enjoy visiting with them. It's like seeing extended family. The lodge is very busy and so is the Eagle Rock School which trains guides and hunting assistants to complete Namibia's rigorous professional hunting qualifications. Volker has been running classes nearly non-stop. This has cut into his hunting activities a bit. He told me that he would be happy to take out select clients for some short 2 - 4 day hunts near the ranch. This would be the perfect opportunity to hunt with a legend either for someone who has time right before or right after another scheduled hunt in Namibia. His knowledge of Namibia's hunting history and its current status is unmatched, and his knowledge of wildlife and their habitats is incredible. This is truly a unique opportunity. Please get in touch with us if you are interested in booking a hunt with Volker. Even if you are not able to hunt with Volker, Etango is the perfect place to stay right before or right after a hunt in Namibia, it is right near the airport and they can arrange transportation to Windhoek for you as well.

During my stay at Etango Volker and I discussed the latest developments in Namibia's conservancy and concession programs. There are a few types of hunting conservancies and concessions in Namibia. There are private conservancies which are usually a group of private ranches with shared hunting rights. These are extremely successful and have made Namibia an incredible hunting destination. The other type is the communal conservancies which are public land or tribal land and are administered by local people in the form of committees. The communal conservancies are on their way to becoming another Namibian hunting success story, some of them are truly wild places and offer dangerous game including the "Big 5". Others offer outstanding plains game opportunities. The "concessions" are public land usually parks all or part of which are managed for hunting by a local committee. They are all administered a bit differently and there are things that you should be aware of before planning a hunt in Namibia. I have been researching them thoroughly for months now and can help you make the right choice.
After a few days with the Grellmann's I was off to visit with the folks from KHS. Jean and Sophia are doing well and their new home in Windhoek is lovely. We went up to the Khomas camp for a few days where we saw plenty of Hartmann's Zebra, a few excellent kudu (one which was huge but was very far away), and some nice gemsbok.

The gemsbok there are not as big as the monsters in their Kalahari but it is a unique place to hunt them. I took a "management" bull for the pot before we headed for the Kalahari camp. Down in the Kalahari Johan, Mabel and Hendrick are all doing well as is all of the support staff. Including the recently arrived new additions…a pack of blue ticked hounds! Johan is hoping to get them trained for cat hunting. But, more on that when he let's me know how they are doing. While hunting in the Kalahari I took a nice gemsbok, springbok, and steenbok, unsuccessfully tracked a caracal cat and then culled a few springbok. We reworked some of our KHS packages and they are still an excellent value for the money.

2007 Africa Inspection Trip Caprivi Strip Namibia - Part 3

2007-10-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

After the Kalahari I flew back to Jo'burg to catch a flight to Livingstone Zambia to head out to the Caprivi Strip in Namibia. I was really looking forward to this hunt because I have heard so many good things about the Caprivi Strip in general and this particular outfitter.

Given some past bad experiences with other outfitters, I proceed very cautiously with any outfitters/PH's who are new to me. This helps me to ensure that you will have a quality experience when you hunt with one of our outfitters. Reputation is important, however, it is not enough. That is why I personally inspect each new outfitter before agreeing to represent them.

Even though my expectations were high for this hunt and outfitter, they were exceeded. This area is almost one million acres and they are only taking 8 buffalo, 8 elephants and a small number of plains game species. This is barely scratching the surface of what they could take from this area. The result is that the trophy quality of all hunt-able species is excellent. I was able to take a beautiful kudu, and a very nice, old hard bossed buffalo bull. The kudu was over 58 inches and the buffalo was over 40 inches wide with 13 1/2 inch bosses. Two excellent trophies.

I saw thousands of buffalo in the 7 days that I was there including some very big, old hard bossed bulls. I also saw hundreds of elephants. Located along the Angola border, this area of the Caprivi is sparsely populated by humans and is well managed. There are some areas in the Caprivi that can't say that. It is important to be cautious when booking a hunt there so you don't end up hunting in the more heavily populated areas of the Caprivi where hunt quality and success rates are not as high as the less populated areas.

While hunting we were accompanied by a game scout from the local community management committee and he was quite helpful in all respects. This fellow was a skilled tracker and worked well with the outfitter's own trackers. I have been around some game scouts that are a hindrance, but this guy was an asset.

While I was in camp I was able to see ivory from previous hunts, they are averaging trophies of about 70 pounds. There are plenty of elephantsin this area and the trophies being taken can rival those of almost anywhere else in Africa today.

We will have a limited number of buffalo hunts in this area for 2008, a 7 day hunt will be approximately $13,000 US including the trophy fee for one buffalo. These are top quality hunts and your chances of taking a hard bossed, bull that scores very well are excellent. We have an interest list for 2008 buffalo and those on the list we be "first come first serve". On these hunts you will be the only hunter in camp unless you bring a companion and you'll hunt with the PH who owns the company and is personally responsible for the concession. So if you are interested you need to get on the list now, because we still don't know how many hunts we will have available.

We will also have a very limited number of elephant hunts available in 2008; these are 21 day hunts including the trophy fee for around $50,000 US. We have an interest list for these hunts as well. So if you are interested please let us know right away.

Since I had a few days to kill before heading back to the states a friend recommended that I do some tiger fishing on the Zambezi. This has always been a dream of mine so I jumped at the chance. My friend took me to this terrific lodge right on the banks of the river and I spent 2 days fishing.

It was an incredible way to end a long trip to Africa. The fishing was good although I didn't catch anything huge. The lodge was very nice with comfortable cabins and good food. I had such a good time that I am going to represent them. If you are interested in booking some tiger fishing let us know. It is very far up in Northern Namibia so you have to be prepared for some travel but a few days up there are worth it. Keep checking our website and sign up for our e-newsletter for more reports, hunt descriptions and pricing for 2008.

American Airlines Gun Ban!

2007-09-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well I've only been back in the US for a few days and I will post a full report from my inspection trip to Africa very soon. But we have an urgent matter to address in the meantime. American Airlines has announced they will no longer accept firearms in checked luggage on flights to Europe and Asia. This will have a dramatic effect on those travelling to Africa to hunt. Many flights to Africa transit Europe, and if you use a code share partner like British Airways to fly to Africa and you are using American Airlines as your domestic carrier you are out of luck.

This sets an unacceptable precedent which could easily lead American Airlines and possibly other carriers to ban guns altogether on all flights. As hunters and shooters we cannot accept this.

I have spoken to the NRA/ILA staff about this issue and they are working on it. In the meantime please contact American Airlines and tell them you will not fly on an airline that bans guns!

American Airlines Contact Information:

Call American Airlines Toll Free at: 800-433-7300

I strongly recommend faxing them a note as well because they generally have to file any paper correspondence Fax them at: Fax: (817) 967-4162

Address: AA Customer Relations invites customers to send comments or inquiries via mail, fax or email.U.S. MailAmerican Airlines Customer RelationsP.O. Box 619612 MD 2400DFW Airport, TX 75261-9612Overnight MailAmerican Airlines Customer Relations4255 Amon Carter Blvd. MD 2400Fort Worth, TX 76155-2603

Email AA by clicking here: AA Email

Tanzania to Keep Price Increases!

2007-09-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam

The government has flatly rejected pressure from the country's powerful hunting lobby for a reversal of its recent decision to significantly hike various hunting block and trophy fees. This development comes amid reports of various well-connected and influential holders of hunting block licences and concessions vigorously lobbying the government to rethink its move to increase the fees. Sources have told THISDAY that the hunting firms have been trying to call in favours from their connections in government circles, while also waging a parallel media campaign in an all-out effort to sway public officials.

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Prof. Jumanne Maghembe, confirmed yesterday that the government has been under considerable pressure from industry stakeholders to reverse its decision on new fees effective this (2007/08) financial year. He, however, dismissed arguments offered by some local hunting companies that the fee hikes would make Tanzania a less attractive destination for tourists in the region. "Resisting change is a common trait for many human beings. But there is no argument that can convince the government otherwise," Prof. Maghembe told THISDAY in an interview. He added: "Actually, despite the recent fee increase, we still have some of the lowest rates of hunting fees in East and Central Africa."

Tabling the ministry's 2007/08 budget estimates in the National Assembly last month, Prof. Maghembe announced tough, new measures aimed at strengthening controls over dwindling wildlife resources and boosting the hunting industry's overall contribution to the country's national economic output or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The minister said the revised game hunting fees were actually in line with prevailing rates in the rest of the 14-member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Under the new structure, the trophy fee for hunting a lion has been raised to $12,000 (approx. 15.6m/-), up from just $2,500 (approx. 3.25m/-). Furthermore, hunters now have to pay $15,000 (approx. 19.5m/-) to kill an elephant in Tanzania from the previous fee of $5,000 (approx. 6.5m/-). Also revised upwards were licence fees for lucrative hunting blocks, from a mere $10,000 (approx. 13m/-) to $50,000 (approx. 65m/-). But in the immediate aftermath of the government's announcement, hunting block owners came up in arms against the new fee structure, describing the 500 per cent fee increase as outrageous.

An adamant Prof. Maghembe insisted yesterday that even with the fee increase, the hunting industry would still remain a "very lucrative business." "What are they (hunting firms) complaining about?" he queried, asserting that hunting companies were actually using the blocks "almost free of charge." The minister cited a typical hunting block in the Selous Game Reserve covering an area of 1,000 square metres, which is equivalent to 100,000 hectares. "This means that at our new rates of $50,000, we are actually charging $0.5 per hectare...this is almost free of charge," he said.

The local tourist hunting industry has long been one of the areas considered particularly prone to serious corruption. The new government measures come on the back of widespread reports that some well-connected individuals have been monopolising licences for hunting blocks, which they covertly sublease to foreign hunting companies for exorbitant fees. Tanzania has over 130 hunting concessions covering an area in excess of 200,000 square kilometres, that are leased to hunting outfitters licensed to conduct tourist hunting. More than 60 species of animals in the country can be hunted on a tourist-hunting licence.

Records show the ministry's wildlife division currently earns an average annual income of just $10m (approx. 12.5bn/-) from its concessions. However, government officials say President Jakaya Kikwete is keen to see the hunting industry making a "more realistic contribution to national economic growth."

World Wildlife Fund Opposes HSUS Plan To Defund African Hunting

2007-08-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

When some people hear the name of the organization The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) they assume that this is an anti-hunting animal rights organization. For a long time I was under this assumption myself.

In recent months I have been in contact with some folks from the WWF regarding hunting programs they actively support in Africa, such as the conservancies in Namibia. They have been instrumental in implementing the Namibia program which has opened up millions of acres of truly wild hunting grounds throughout Namibia. I will be visiting and hunting in one of them this season.

This week Don Causey of The Hunting Report alerted me to the fact that the Humane Society Of the US (HSUS) has managed to get language into a report of the United States House of Representatives that would gut a number of safari hunting programs in Africa including the one in Namibia.

I spoke with the National Rifle Association's Manager of Hunting Policy and he assures me that NRA is working the issue and according to Safari Club Ineternational's "In the Crosshairs" newsletter they are working on on it as well. Both groups know how to get the job done. They have collaborated on a number of important issues recently to the great benefit of hunting. I hope it is not to late for them to get this fixed as well.

I also learned this week that the WWF is opposed to the HSUS language and is also working to try to solve the problem.

It looks to me that we have an ally in the World Wildlife Fund and we as hunters should keep that in mind when we consider these important issues. - TJR

A Darn Good Hunting Knife

2007-07-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I took my soon to be seven year old son Isaac to a gun show. As we were walking around he asked me if I'd buy him his first pocket knife. I thought about it for a bit and figured it would be alright. So we looked around for the "right" knife. I wanted him to have something small and easy to operate, a knife which would lock in the open position so the blade wouldn't fold on his finger. We found a little locking folder for $6. I handed Isaac a $5 bill and told him that if he could convince the man to sell him the knife for $5 he could have it. 3 1/2 seconds later Isaac returned with that knife and a huge grin on his face. He loves that little knife, and I have created a monster. He loves knives as much as I do. Everytime I show up with a new knife he wants to know if he can "borrow" it.

While I was at a trade show in 2006 I came across the Blade-Tech booth and was very curious to see a sample of one of their Professional Hunter knives. I love well made knives and I own a lot of them. I have Randall, Emerson, Case, Benchmade and others including some "one off" customs. The Blade-Tech Professional Hunter model designed by Tim Wegner is really the best quality production knife I have ever owned. This knife is clean, tight and very well made. The screws don't loosen up, the liner lock spring stays put, nothing on the knife has given me a bit of trouble in almost 2 years of constantly carrying it. I have field dressed numerous game animals with it from whitetail deer in Oklahoma to critters in Africa. It holds an edge and works every time. The knife has a remarkably flat profile so it carries great in any pocket. It is one knife Isaac may not borrow...yet.

Blade-Tech also offers a number of other knife designs including the Ganyana and the Mouse. Smaller than than the PH, both are solidly designed and built and are perfect pocket knives.

I met Tim Wegner at the Safari Club Convention this year when he came by the TJSafari booth and I showed him the PH knife I carry everyday. It turns out it is the same knife he was carrying. After chatting with him about some upcoming projects Tim decided to donate some knives to the NRA Women on Target Hunt we are sponsoring in South Africa this year. Tim had his crew make a knife for all the participants and the PH's on the hunt then threw in some for the trackers and skinners as well. It was a nice donation to a great cause.

Tim Wegner is a good guy and Blade-Tech makes a "darn good hunting knife". - TJR

Todd J Rathner

Humane Society of the US tries to damage hunting in Africa

2007-07-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

The Humane Society of the United States has always been anti-hunting and they have done what they can in the US to foil hunting at every turn. They have also submitted reports and comments to foreign governments such as those in Africa to ban many forms of hunting. Now they are using stealth tactics try to stop regulated sport hunting in countries around the world. They have instructed anti-gun Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY, NRA Rated "F") to insert language in a US House report which would ban the use of funds from the US Agency of International Development (USAID) to support any type of hunting anywhere in the world. This is part of a Report on H.R. 2764 (Foreign Operations Funding Bill).

USAID dishes out billions of dollars each year to developing countries. Some of this money goes to African countries in particular to support regulated sport hunting as a means of sensible, science based wildlife management. Namibia's conservancy program comes to mind as recipients of aid for hunting programs. These programs will collapse without this aid. The direct result will be an increase in poaching and other unregulated killing of game animals. And regulated sport hunting in places like Namibia may become a thing of the past.

Wildlife species in Africa have literally been saved by regulated sport hunting. Even the World Wildlife Fund wholeheartedly supports regulated hunting throughout Africa. They are the primary impetus behind programs to reinstitute hunting in Kenya which was banned in the 1970's. Since then elephant populations have plummeted in Kenya due to rampant poaching and a lack of funds to manage wildlife properly. In Tanzania where hunters spend millions of dollars every year on hunting, elephant populations have soared because the government and the local people have an incentive to control poaching. If all the trophy animals are poached for meat then the money from sport hunting will dry up. It is simple economics. Unfortunately HSUS is so blinded by their hatred for hunting and hunters that they are willing to sacrifice healthy wildlife populations for their narrow world view.

The NRA/ILA staff is working hard with pro hunting Senators to stop the US House report from drying up funds for these important hunting programs.

Namibia: New Policy for Tourism And Wildlife Concessions

2007-07-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

The Namibian (Windhoek)
Brigitte Weidlich

A NEW policy has been drafted to regulate the granting of tourism and trophy hunting concessions on State land, which includes game parks, protected and communal areas. Cabinet recently adopted the document. "Some problems occurred because of the lack of standardisation in procedures, concession agreements and insufficient monitoring of compliance with applicable terms and conditions with the existing legislation in place," the Cabinet briefing paper states. "A new concession policy was accordingly developed to serve as basis of new legal provisions concerning concessions that are to become part of the future Parks and Wildlife Management Bill which will replace current legislation."

The new Policy on Tourism and Wildlife Concessions on State Land lays down clear objectives and principles for the granting of concessions, including empowerment objectives for the communities living in those areas. At the same time, the policy ensures that such concessions do not result in environmental impact or management conflicts. It also establishes a transparent and objective process for the awarding of concessions and provides comprehensive guidelines for its implementation.

The old Nature Conservation Ordinance of 1975, as amended by the Nature Conservation Amendment Act of 1996, allows the Minister of Environment and Tourism to authorise individuals or companies to conduct specified business activities in proclaimed protected areas. This authorisation also allows the use of indigenous animal and plant resources belonging to the State. The old legislation does not provide guidance on the methods or criteria to be used when granting concessions. The new policy provides better protection to communities from possible exploitation by concession holders and joint venture partners.

"The Ministry will ensure that objectives in awarding a concession are properly achieved (inter alia) through ensuring that a realistic business plan is developed (and) in a transparent way and clearly shows the level of investment and projected levels of income as well as profit over time."

The new policy provides for the establishment of a special concession unit in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) to oversee the tendering process for concession rights and a concession committee. It will operate on fulltime basis via a secretariat. The committee will consist of representatives of the following ministries: Environment and Tourism, Justice, Finance, Agriculture, and Lands and Resettlement. Additional members will be from the Regional Councils and "where appropriate, representatives of the private sector and civil society." The Minister of Environment and Tourism will appoint the chairperson of that committee. The concession unit in the MET will further advise communities on legal and policy issues regarding concessions. The unit will undertake feasibility studies once applications have been received for concessions.

According to the policy paper, the need for an economic valuation study was identified "to determine the economic and other non-economic values of concessions." In future, traditional authorities, regional councils and communal land boards will have to be consulted throughout the process to ensure that wildlife concessions complement regional development objectives. Government further considers transferring specific responsibilities with regard to these concessions to regional councils. Tourism and wildlife concessions can in future also be acquired through a tender process or on auction, in terms of the new policy.

Follow Up On Zeiss Rifle Scope

2007-07-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

While I was training at Gunsite back in May I experienced a failure on a Zeiss rifle scope which I wrote about when it happened. You may remember that the reticle snapped after firing a few boxes of cartridges through my .308 Kimber rifle. At the time I shipped the scope to Zeiss for repair.

I am happy to report that the scope was returned to me repaired under warranty. It looks perfect.

I do however have a criticism or two. I was never contacted by Zeiss when I sent the scope in. Numerous phone calls and voice messages were not returned. The only reason I knew they received the scope was because we sent it FEDEX and tracked it. There was no communication from them whatsoever. That is a little frustrating when you send a company your $1,500 scope for repair.

The experience with Zeiss would have been better had they simply sent me an email or called to let me know they had my scope and when it would be shipped back to me.

Having said all that they did repair it in a bit over 30 days which I think is acceptable. - TJR