An African Hunt

Bessy wants a Zebra skin.  The price for a zebra skin in the stores is over R7000 ($1000).  However, you can hunt one, and get it skinned and tanned for about half of that price.  Neither Bessy nor I are hunters however, so we arranged a deal with a couple of South Africans who are starting a company called Rough and Tough (Johan and Neil).  We know Johan from work and he was already taking another American work colleague (Chuck) on a hunt.  Chuck had been commissioned by his grandson to come back to the US with a zebra skin.

Our hunt was at a Game Farm called Malinkwe, which was about an hour north of Pretoria.  This farm like many others in South Africa exist specifically for hunting.   Malinkwe has a beautiful lodge and about 1000 hectares of land.

It is estimated that more than half of the wild game in South Africa live on game farms.  Hunting wild game is very popular, especially with American and German tourists.  One can hunt almost any animal in a game farm with the exception of the endangered species such as black rhinos.

On occasion, hunting is also allowed in big game reserves.    This kind of hunting is usually limited and is allowed only when culling is necessary.  Permits or licenses are granted through an auction process.  One can expect to pay around $60,000 US for the right to shoot an elephant.

The first order of business on our hunt was to go to the firing range.  Here the game lodge owner makes sure that the hunters know what they are doing.  There is no license or permit required to hunt on a game farm and the hunting season is left up to the owner.  This was September, and the mares were all pregnant, so the owner made it clear that only the stallions were to be shot.

While Bessy and I did not carry any guns we were anxious to shoot pictures on the hunt.

All of the hunters in the group took their turns on the range, and then Bessy tried her luck.  After firing the group went down and looked at the results, three shots were all near bullseyes, including Bessy's!

We all set off on the hunt in a bakkie (pickup truck) but the party soon split into two.  We chose to walk while the other group got to look for game in the bakkie.

We walked and walked and walked and while we saw some game (impala, red hartebeest, and eland) at great distances, they always seemed to see us first and we saw no zebra. The game farm also has five giraffes which are not for hunting.

After a quick lunch in the lodge (taunted by the many animal trophies on the walls) we went out "hunting" again.

This time we got to ride a little but ...

... we were soon on foot again.  At this time of day, it was likely that the zebra would be lying in the shade of a tree and we had to walk out into the fields to find them.

Our guide then spotted some zebra.  However, they were so far away that they were very difficult to see.  The picture below/right has zebra in it, it really does!

Neil has the zebra in his sights, but alas, he cannot get a good clean shot and does not fire.  The game farms in South Africa will charge Neil R2500 if he fires and misses.

We then tracked several zebra for the next two hours and they continually outsmarted us.  The zebras first join some blesboks.  The blesboks are very skittish and when they run, the zebra follow.  They next hang around some kudu and the same thing happens.

Towards the end of the day, however, the owner spots some Zebra, still mingling with some Kudu.  He predicts that they will run and appear in the field to our left in a few minutes.  Johan sets up his rifle and ....

... sure enough, the kudu and zebra appear.  About twenty kudu and zebra, race quickly across the field.  They are moving so fast that they show up as a blur on most of our pictures.  Johan waits and waits but just cannot get a clean shot off.  If Johan fired, and missed the zebra but hits a kudu, he would have been charged R40,000, a hefty sum of money.

The day is drawing to a close and as we leave we say goodbye to the giraffe and ...

... think of things that were just not to be ....

however, it was an experience that we will never forget .... and we will probably go again.  Bessy still wants her zebra skin, and zebra legged stool (then again maybe we won't go!).

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