Alaska Sporting Journal – August 2019

46 ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL AUGUST 2019 | aksportingjournal.com

Kendra and her PH,

Hein, evaluate the

scene. (GREG BRUSH)

Africa’s famed “Big Five” species are

probably best left for more experienced

hunters, the fact of the matter is that

South African plains game is perfect for

any Alaskan, even those men, women

and children brand new to hunting.

There is no need to splurge on expen-

sive, upper-end critters like sable or roan

on your first safari since “common” plains

game like warthog, wildebeest and gems-

buck are magical to first-time visitors and

offer superb trophy potential.

South Africa provides a variety and

abundance of game that cannot possi-

bly be matched in North America, Alas-

ka included. While sitting over water

in Africa, my daughter and I, as well as

other members of our group, commonly

saw between 30 to 100 animals and up

to 15 different species per day, some-

times more. This abundance of animals

achieves several goals that are not only

instrumental to a new hunter’s satisfac-

tion, but also to their success.

First, lots of critters helps keep the

hunter interested, which makes hunting

fun. This is critical since we know that if

you want to extinguish the smoldering

guides – will slow everything down by

calmly explaining the animal’s demean-

or, its angle, the distances, and the lo-

cations of their unique kill-zones. In this

way, all scenarios can be discussed and

dry-run shot opportunities can be visu-

alized prior to ever shooting, allowing a

hunter’s heart to settle down a little.

While walk-and-stalk and tree stand

hunting are options, it is my opinion that

blind hunting over waterholes provides

the perfect opportunity to not only view

myriad gorgeous animals up close and

personal, but to also take close-range,

high-success shots at relaxed game.

Where we hunted, the blinds were

designed by bowhunters for bowhunt-

ers, which means that shots ranged

from 12 to 22 yards, averaging a mere

17 yards. Now that is a manageable shot

for almost anyone!

Finally, a plains game hunt means

that multiple animals can be taken on

one hunt. On my daughter’s safari, for

example, she shot six arrows and took

six magnificent trophy big game ani-

mals. It allowed her to gain the bow-

hunting confidence and experience in

flame of a rookie hunter, let them sit in a

tree stand or blind for days on end with

no animal sightings.

But the plethora of game you will see

on a South Africa plains game hunt also

serves another key purpose. It minimiz-

es “buck fever” as the professional hunt-

er – Africa’s term for what Alaskans call

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