African Hunting Gazette – July 2019

http://www.africanhuntinggazette.com 35

OutfitterFreddievanZyllooksintentlyfromhishighperch above the bushveld, for a

trophykudutoroundoutScottWinkler’sfirstsafari.

South Africa: 2018

E

very hunterknowsthateach timewe
trek through the bush or sit in the
woodsit willbedifferentfromprevious
hunts.Forsome,huntsaremeasuredsimplyby
thetakingoftheanimal,orbythequalityand
size.Forothers,it’sthejoyof sharingthattime
withsomeoneclose.Whetherit’swithfriends,
family, or new acquaintances, memories are
madeinthehuntthatwecarryfora lifetime.
Werecallandsharetheseadventuresthrough
stories, photos, and taxidermy. Because we
exploreda littlecornerof creation,lifecantake
onnewmeaning.Now,fiveyearsaftermyfirst
safari(AHGVol23,Issue1,July/Aug/Sept,
2017),I wastravelingwithmysonScotton
mythirdsafaritoSouthAfrica.
TosayI love Africais anunderstatement.
Onceyouexperiencethisamazingcontinent,
youare foreverchanged. Yourhorizons are
expandedandyouhavegreaterclarityabout
a landlikenoother. Formeit’snotonlyits
beautyortheincrediblediversityofanimals.
I love meeting, interacting, and getting to
knowthepeople. Whetherit is theoutfitter,
professional hunters, skinners, trackers, or
othersinthecitiesandvillages,theexperience
is alwaysenriching. ThepeopleofAfricahave
openedtheirhearts(andinsomecasestheir
homes) andinvited meintotheirlivesin a
humbling way. I wanted Scott also to have
thesememories.Andhuntingwithuswould
beEricKrichbaumwhohadcut hisAfrican
safari teethwhenwe
hunted together in

2013. Scott and I
      metup withhimin
      Atlanta, GA where
      weboardedourflight
      toJohannesburg.
      In Johannesburg
      we stayed overnight
      at the Afton Guest
      House. This is a
      wonderful way to
      unwindaftera longflight,enjoyoutstanding
      food,andgeta goodnight’ssleep. Thenext
      morning we were taken to the airport to
      catcha shortflighttoPolokwaneinNorthern
      Limpopowhereweweremetbyouroutfitter,
      African TrophyPursuit. Byearly afternoon
      we had checked the zero on our rifles and
      wereinthebush. Weeachhada “wishlist”
      and a “maybelist” ofanimals we hoped to
      take. Scott’sdefinitelisthadfourorfivemost
      wantedplainsgame,withthreeorfouronhis
      “maybelist,”buthewouldbethrilledtotake
      justa fewqualityanimals. I hadtoldhimthat
      hewouldhavea betteroverallexperienceif he
      wereflexibleandwillingtotakewhatAfrica
      offered.
      Already, at the close of our first day I could

ScottWinklershowingthatheis hookedon

Africaforlifeaftertakingtenverynice

plainsgame in Northern Limpopo, South

Africa.

tellAfricawasgettinga firmgriponmyson.

Apartfromtakinga finebluewildebeest,he

hadhad a chancetoglimpse thewonderful

animaldiversitythatis Africa. Mydayended

witha beautifulwhiteblesbokinthesalt. At

dinnerwedecidedtobegintheseconddayby

searchingforthoseanimalsatthetopofour

lists. The owner and outfitter, Freddie van

Zylliveneduptheconversationbyofferingan

incentive to add to

thejewelin thecrown

oftheplainsgame– a

sable! I had taken a

sable on my second

safari, so passed on

it,butScottandEric

couldn’tresist. Their

lists suddenly grew.

However, for Scott

the kuduwas clearly

hismostwanted,and

Ericreallywantedthebluewildebeestwhich

hadeludedhimin2013. Thetopofmylist

wasthemajesticroanantelope.

Onthesecondday,thethreeof us,eachwith

ourPH,headedindifferentdirectionslooking

fortheanimalthathadlingeredin ourthoughts

anddreams. InLimpopo,huntingtheroanis

difficultastherearefewerconcessionswhere

theycanbefound. Consequently,wehada

longdrivethatstartedat4:00a.m.thoughit

didn’tmattertomeasI hadhardlysleptthe

nightbeforewiththeexpectationofanother

Africanadventure.

Scott went off searching for a big kudu,

thoughsomewhat distractedbythe thought

of a sable, while Eric hunted a separate

concession for wildebeest. I hunted in heavy

This was a situation

where hunting skill

combined with a little

luck would determine

the outcome.

bush thatdemandedquick andrathershort

shots. Around mid-day, after seeing a few

smallroan,wesuddenlycameupona mature

bull. The sight of this spectacular animal

mademyheartquicken. I lookedatFreddie

andhequickly gavemethenodtotakethe

shot. UsingmyBrowningA-Bolt30-06with

Hornady Superformance GMX 165gr. and

LeupoldVX-24-12x40scope,I tookaimand

theroanwasmine. Afteryearsofdreaming

ofthemagnificentroan,thedreamhadcome

true.

TruetoAfrica,Scott’skuduwasnottobe

found.However,hewoundeda sablebutwas

successfulwitha follow-upshotthefollowing

morning. Now he could concentrate on

continuinghissearchforwhatwasbecoming

anelusivekudu. Regardless,eachdayhewas

havingthetimeofhislife.Returningtothe

lodge each evening, he would be smiling,