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“He’s
coming your way, Phil, take him!” I had already seen the quarry flush
from the brush on the far side of the small ravine we had been pushing
through. We were almost at the top; the end of the drive, when the trio
decided it would be safer in the next province and departed. Two headed
to the right of our 4-gun party while the straggler opted for the
confusion tactic and swung to the left. Since I was the lone gun on the
left side of the ravine the ball, or should I say shot, was in my court.
About 30 yards in front of me the single Cape Francolin caught the wind
and came almost over my head but perhaps 35 yards high. The typical
“tower shot” for a sporting clays shooter – the one all too often missed.
Fortunately, all hunters get lucky occasionally and this was my day for
luck as the load of # 7 ½ shot and the Francolin simultaneously arrived at
the same point in space. The first bird of this 15-day “safari” was in
the vest.
The
safari began to materialize during the 2001 Houston Safari Club annual
meeting. I had a conversation with an outfitter who was planning to
conduct 3 “exploratory pilot safaris” in South Africa in April/May 2001 to
determine the feasibility of branching out into the bird-hunting arena.
After at least 30 seconds of deliberation I was committed and I knew it
wouldn’t take my bird-hunting companion, Stanley, much longer to make the
“correct” decision and join me – he needed 15 seconds!
The
dedicated “big game” hunters may well be thinking, “why not just book a
safari and go?” But it’s not that easy. Outfitters catering to the bird
shooter are just not as plentiful as those dedicated to the big game
hunter. The situation is changing but today Africa remains focused on Big
Game.
After
logistical details were hammered out we had less than 90 days from the
time we paid our deposits until we arrived in South Africa. The party of
four that assembled at the Cape Town International Airport included Doug
and Tim, from the Pacific Northwest, Stanley and myself. Stanley and I
worked for the same company and have shot together in Mexico and
Argentina. Stanley leans more to the waterfowl end of the spectrum where
I concentrate on the upland species. Doug and Tim seemed equally adept at
both and they proved to be accomplished shots and enjoyable shooting
companions.
The
plan was simple, as we would arrive in Cape Town and 15 days later depart
from Johannesburg. During those 15-days we would drive east along the
“Garden Route” from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and then north to
Johannesburg. We would stop at prearranged sites; sample the hunting and
then move to the next. The opening of this article was the first stop.
Since
this was the first Cape Francolin some us had ever seen, there was a close
inspection and the necessary photo session before continuing the hunt.
They are the largest of the Francolin species and are a striking charcoal
gray bird with white markings and have no red around the eye or on the
throat.
A
change of location about 5-miles down the road had us hunting along a
waterway with thick brush and cane. Cover so thick I would direct my
Springer Spaniel into it, so I could stay on the top where the walking is
easier. As we worked our way down the drainage it began to widen to the
point that if the three German Shorthair Pointers we had on the ground
inadvertently flushed a covey of Francolin they could double-back and fly
up the middle so that no one would have a shot. Solution, join the dogs.
Within two minutes after entering that cane jungle, I heard a shout from
somewhere ahead and off to my right, “point.” About the only chance I
would have for a shot would be directly overhead so I had to get to the
dogs in a hurry. In typical Phil fashion, I was too late and guns were
firing before I got 10 yards. However, just as I had planned, a single
cock did try to escape out the rear and flew directly over me at about 20
yards. As we say in sporting clays, “flight cancelled.”
We located another covey
and a small flock of about half-dozen Guinea fowl before the cover
eventually ran into a cultivated field almost a mile from where we began.
What I couldn’t tell from my position in the bottom was that when the
coveys flushed almost all the birds did double back in the direction of
the vehicles. We would be able to hunt our way back to the vehicles.
We did hunt a third
piece of cover consisting mostly of thorn brush. Francolin were scattered
in the nastiest of the thick brush but they seemed to flush wild and the
shots offered were longer than earlier in the morning. I concluded the
day with a total of 5 Cape Francolin and considered myself fortunate. |
Variety was the magnet that attracted us to this unique safari and by the
following afternoon we were just north of Cape St. Frances waiting for the
afternoon flight of ducks. The clear, mild, windless afternoon had all
the ducks enjoying the comfort of a pond some place else and they
obviously saw no reason to move. The Professional Hunter (PH) thought he
could hear an occasional quack coming from an adjacent pond about a
quarter mile away. And like any enterprising PH, he was determined to
make something happen.
I
mentioned earlier about the scarcity of outfitters dedicated to the Bird
Hunting Safari and that also applies to bird-boys. There simply isn’t a
familiarity with bird hunting techniques in general and with shotguns in
particular, I’ll illustrate. A few minutes following the departure of the
PH for the “duck drive” a flock of about 10 Yellow-billed ducks swung over
the grass about 30 yards from my hiding place. Thinking this was about as
good a chance as I was likely to have I stood, swung on the nearest duck
and fired. Now most of us would agree it is better to be lucky than good
and on this occasion I was certainly lucky - TWO ducks tumbled to the
grass. A “Club House Double” and the only witness was my bird-boy who
just couldn’t comprehend how a single shot netted two ducks.
Our
next destination was Cradock. This portion of our adventure gave us a
real safari atmosphere since we stayed in a traditional tented camp. All
other stops would have us in either lodges or in guest quarters on larger
farms (ranches).
The
primary quarry would be the Graywing Francolin, a bird considered by many
to be the most sporting upland bird in Africa. And sporting they were.
Hunting was conducted behind four well-trained English Pointers. When
they left a section of cover you had every confidence that there were no
“partridge” hiding in it. We were hunting at 6,000 feet or higher so it
was very important for the dogs to cover as much ground as possible so the
hunters didn’t have to. As important as covering ground and finding birds
is a dog’s accuracy – no false points. During the course of a long day,
not once did we make a “forced march” up hill to find a dog pointing bare
ground. If the dogs pointed there were birds. Covey sizes averaged 8 to
10 strong flying birds and when they flushed they went out of sight.
Now
the “out of sight” flight was fairly easy for them to accomplish since we
were hunting in rolling grass and low brush covered hills. Following the
covey rise, we marked the general direction the flock or singles traveled
and hoped the dogs could relocate them and they usually they did.
A
successful day on Graywings is considered to be 4 or 5 birds in the vest.
Shortly after lunch I reached the magic number. The remainder of the
afternoon I would be content to let the others in our party take the
shots. Enjoying the warm afternoon sun, with shotgun open over my
forearm, I strolled 50 yards behind our group enjoying the beauty of the
African countryside.
Another change of location brought the challenge of a new species –
Egyptian Geese. By mid afternoon we were comfortably situated in our
blinds along the western edge of a large man-made lake. In the African
tradition, the blinds provided all the comforts possible. They were
complete with bales of hay for seats, hay spread on the ground to minimize
the mud, and the afternoon sun to our backs. A spread of full-body Canada
goose decoys worked like a charm; at least they did that first afternoon.
Stanley and I had no more than gotten situated in our blind when a pair of
Egyptians came in from my side flying from right to left. As the true
gentleman he is, Stanley allowed me to have a go at them. With wings
cupped at about 25 yards a load of # 3s connected with the back bird and
as the lead goose began his climb another load of 3s folded him cleanly.
A two shot double taken in the proper manner back bird first then lead
bird.
A word
about African waterfowl is probably in order here. Generally the geese
and ducks of Africa don’t migrate in the sense that we think of migration
here in North America. They may shift their feeding and roosting areas
slightly as crops mature and lakes dry or refill, but there isn’t the mass
movement of 2,500 to 3,000 miles that we witness each spring and fall.
You are essentially gunning resident populations and if you are the first
to hunt a roost location in a particular year or a couple of years then it
is true that the birds will decoy exactly like they should. However, as
we quickly learned, the dumb ones get eaten and the smart ones learn
really fast about decoys and did become “decoy wise.” We enjoyed three
shooting sessions on this stop with everyone contributing to the harvest. |
The
trip was now on the home stretch with only two stops remaining. To get to
the next-to-last destination we were in for an all day drive to the Free
State and an exquisite lodge northeast of Bloemfontein. We arrived after
dark but the road into the lodge showed signs of a recent rain. For those
accustomed to the African safari of June through August when it is rare to
even see a cloud much less rain, this trip was a change. With our trip
spanning April/May, we were fortunate not to be rained on more than we
were. We never lost a hunt due to rain but we got “damp” periodically and
the abundant water did disburse the waterfowl.
Dawn
broke clear, cool and calm; it was the kind of start to a day that makes a
hunting coat feel comfortable. The grass was still wet from the prior
day’s rains but that did nothing to impede the hunt. We were after Guinea
fowl with a scattering of Swainson’s Francolin if encountered. The
strategy was simple, drive the Guinea fowl from the cultivated ground into
fallow fields or brushy draws and then walk them up. I was amazed at how
well Guineas will hold when the huge flocks are broken up and the birds
pushed into tall grass. Hunting without the aid of dogs, the maneuvers
reminded me of large “group drives” common to the Dakotas when the game is
Pheasant.
We had
worked through one grass field about 200 yards wide and perhaps 400 yards
long. As we pushed the field everyone was getting opportunities. Someone
would shoot and that would unnerve a Guinea in front of someone else down
the line and it would flush. Suddenly there would be half-dozen or more
birds in the air. When the retrieving was complete we would press forward
again.
Another similarity between Pheasants and Guineas is that they seem
relatively easy to hit but very difficult to kill and if not anchored they
would run and hide after hitting the ground. Since we were hunting
without dogs, most of us got to match our foot speed against that of the
guineas and sometimes a coup-de-grace was administered as an option
to CPR! As the hunt progressed, everyone put enough birds in their vests
to add a comfortable bit of weight.
We all
agreed that additional sessions with the Guinea fowl and Francolin would
have been rewarding but we were on a time schedule. The afternoon saw us
packed and on the road toward our final destination. The last day would
feature doves and pigeons shot over standing sunflowers.
Hunting doves is never so much “hunting” as it is “shooting.” Once a
feeding field is located then it is up to the gunners to pick suitable
locations and wait for the targets to approach within range. With three
different species of doves and the occasional rock pigeon there was never
a shortage of targets. Concentrating on the larger Redeyed doves and
pigeons heightened the challenge and required intense concentration not to
be distracted by the small targets. The shooting may not have been as
fast as can be found in Argentina but was certainly on a par with
Whitewing shoots in Mexico. An added bonus was that unlike whitewings,
African doves fly all day long making a lunch in the field most
appropriate. By mid-afternoon the wind had picked up and the temperature
began to drop, the result of an early season cold front. When a thick
cloudbank covered the sun, we called it a day and a safari.
The
final day of the fifteen-day adventure had us driving to Johannesburg to
begin the long flight back home. We had covered over 1,500 miles between
Cape Town and Johannesburg and sampled some of the best in bird shooting
southern Africa has to offer.
As
Stanley and I were recapping our experience with friends shortly after our
return, we were asked, “Why travel all the way to Africa to shoot birds?”
The answer can be given in a single word, VARIETY. Our collective
bag included three species of Francolin, (Cape, Graywing & Swainson’s)
Guinea Fowl, three species of Doves (Redeyed, Cape Turtle & Laughing),
Rock Pigeons, Geese (Egyptian & Spurwing), and Ducks (Yellowbilled &
Redbilled Teal).
Most
would feel that the completion of such a successful trip should put an end
to the long yearning for a Bird Safari. However, as I reflected on my
notes on the flight across the Atlantic it became clear that the excursion
was incomplete since we didn’t have a go at Sand Grouse and there are more
species of Francolin that deserve attention and none of us took a Shelduck
and then there is the … A return trip would only be proper, the yearning
has intensified!
by
Phil
R. Hechler
(Published March/April 2002 Hunter’s Horn of Houston Safari
Club) |
