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Sofala Newsletters>
Survival of the Fittest
December 1, 2008
Hunting in both South Africa and Mississippi in November are two very different experiences, not just for the obvious reasons, but especially regarding climate. Just a few weeks ago I shot a whitetail buck with bow and arrow on a cold afternoon near Bovina, MS. I left my gloves at home and my hands were freezing in the late afternoon breeze. In South Africa by contrast, the November sun burns hot and dry. The vegetation is green and fresh as the summer rains have finally relieved the animals from the recent and severe drought. Insects are more than abundant and hunting is quite a bit harder than in the winter months. Stalking can be done, but if you have ever witnessed the “grey ghosts” of the bush disappear behind something that can hardly be described as a tree, then you can imagine how difficult it is to even spot kudu in the summer months when all the trees are covered with leaves. Most of the other species also remain in the darker shadows of the bush attempting to avoid the heat and preserve energy. I did manage to shoot a nice warthog with bow and arrow, but with so many little waterholes created by the rain all over the veld the animals seem to visit the permanent waterholes less often. What a beautiful time of the year though - green, luscious vegetation, new life in the animal kingdom, and absolutely breathtaking sunsets each day with almost perfect weather in the late afternoon.
The drought did take its toll. On our hunting land at least four kudu died that we know of. On Rondebosch, the farm right next to Sofala, three bulls died, and one of them was a monster bull as the horns lying around the dry bones indicated. Kudu are predominantly browsers and when the leaves simply disappear in the winter, survival gets tougher by the day. But, it seems that the rains came just in time to prevent further disaster and we are very thankful for that. During a drought wild game obviously become desperate for food and will roam in areas one would never imagine to see them. At one point we put out lucerne to help some animals in their fight for survival. The trackers who live on the property reported with great enthusiasm how they spotted several trophy animals, sometimes very close to their houses looking for something to eat. This information along with the rains that finally came makes the prospect of the coming hunting season very exciting. Who will be able to succeed in hunting the big trophies that we know are out there, somewhere in the bush? In about 6 months we will find out.
On a different note: all the hunters who are going on safari in 2009 do remember to start getting your paperwork in order for the temporary importation of firearms to South Africa. I will be glad to assist you and even though it is only early December, it would be ideal to have your paperwork completed and sent off to PHASA (Professional Hunter’s Association of South Africa) by February. This will leave enough time for all the permits to be issued so that you will know everything is in order before you leave the USA. Bow hunters do not have to complete any paperwork; just make sure you put your bow in a hard bow case that can be locked and do practice shooting your bow as often as you can. For more information about gun permits go to the “Important Information” link on the Sofala website at www.sofalasafaris.com. On this page will be a link to the PHASA website that provides all the necessary information about taking guns to South Africa.
As many of you know by now, my brother and our main professional hunter is coming to Mississippi for two weeks. Lukie will do some whitetail hunting and he is very excited about his first visit to the USA. On December 13th at 7pm we will have a “cheese and wine get together” at the home of Rick and Belinda Williams. The occasion will provide people an opportunity to meet Lukie and also talk about 2009 and future hunts with Sofala Safaris. Lukie is also going to talk about hunting dangerous game such as Cape Buffalo and what it takes to be prepared for such a hunt. If you have to come right out of the woods from a late afternoon hunt, please do so and also bring anyone along who might be interested in going to Africa for a hunt and/or a tour.
Please let us know via email if you can attend the “get together” on December 13th. You can either email me at louis@sofalasafaris.com or Rick at rwilliams@geargetter.com
Location: 104 Blue Berry Lane
Clinton, MS 39056
Regards
Louis Steenkamp
Sofala Safaris
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