SOUTH AFRICA'S EASTERN CAPE
It pays to do your research when choosing your African outfitter. First priority, study your main target species, check their natural range and the trophy quality of the animals taken by the outfitter. Secondly, check his referees and contact a previous hunter. Ensure the hunting concessions and grounds are extensive enough for free range populations. Our party of five – three hunters and two partners – made an excellent choice with Lynedoch Hunting Safaris. This is the story of my hunts with them.
CAPE ELAND:
In early October, the intense South African sun was making its presence felt, and it was only 7.30am. The Land Cruiser laboured up the steep cutting flicking out red dust behind as the tyres clawed at loose rubble and rock to get traction. Three hundred metres below us we had crossed the Bavians River and we had another 400m to climb through thick acacia on the bush faces to reach the gentler open tops.
My professional hunter (PH) JJ Marais had scouted out a bachelor herd of nine Cape eland bulls up there a month before my arrival. “They congregated here to make the most of the green pick that emerged after a lightning strike and subsequent fire three months ago” he explained. Two Xhosa (pronounced KOH-sah) trackers Derick and Desmond were standing on the back, their sharp eyes scanning the surrounds for our quarry. We wound up through a pass in the kloof (cliff buttress) and stopped the vehicle on level ground, walking up a spur to glass the country in front. It seemed the word was out on the new grass flush and game abounded – blesbok, wildebeest, zebra and eland were scattered over the tops – a truly incredible sight.
We glassed for 15 minutes, trying to pick the oldest eland bull and gauge the lay of the land, while JJ hatched a plan. He sent the trackers back to the truck with a radio to gain a
