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Current issue: June 2013 / Bowhunting warthog: part 2

Editor's comment

Comment June 2013/ Boogjagters jag met ‘n passie


June 2013 coverDit gaan gewis voor die wind sover met ons lesers dié jagseisoen te oordeel aan die talle foto’s van suksesvolle jagte watTom Cairncross ons ontvang vir plasing in Africa’s Bowhunter.

Soveel só dat dit my nie sal verbaas as boogjagters se passie hulle moontlik die oorhand oor geweerjagters kan gee as ons kyk na die aantal diere wat elke groep skiet nie. Dis geen ongewone verskynsel dat een jagter vyf verskillende trofeë in die bestek van ’n enkele naweek plattrek nie.

Africa’s Bowhunter lei dus af dat boogjagters se trofeekamers, biltongbergplekke en vrieskaste teen die einde van die seisoen met genoeg voorraad sal spog.

Ons is midde-in die jagseisoen en ek kan my voorstel dat pragtige jagfoto’s nog ‘n geruime tyd gaan instroom.

Dit is wonderlik dat ons lesers en ander belanghebbendes in die boogbedryf hulle op dié gesonde manier in die veld bevind –  nie net om die bedryf in stand te hou nie, maar ook om te ontspan ten spyte van die hedendaagse geswoeg om voort te bestaan. Jagtyd wat op ‘n jagplaas verwyl word, is kos vir die jagter se siel en sorg vir familietyd saam met sy gesin (indien hulle hom vergesel), sakevrede vir die wildboer en toerustingverskaffers (onder meer boogwinkels) wat ekonomies en sosiaal baat by hierdie opwindende seisoen.

 

 

 

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Leading article / Bowhunting warthog: part 2

Cleve Cheney continues his series on how to hunt African game. This article is the second part of two articles in which he focuses on the warthog – one of the most popular animals hunted by bow and rifle hunters alike.

Warthog make very attractive shoulder mounts and are guaranteed to attract attention – especially a boar with large tusks. Warthog meat also makes excellent eating.

Trophy
When assessing a possible trophy the lip width may be used as an indicator. Lip width gives an indication of how much tusk is hidden. If lip width is five inches, about two inches of tusk is hidden. If lip width is seven and a half inches, about four inches of tusk is hidden. See Figures 1.

Warthog tusks are also classified as ivory and are usually of better quality than elephant as it does not discolour. Record tusk length for Rowland Ward is 203/4 inches.  Minimum length for Rowland Ward inclusion is 13 inches. SCI record (length of left and right tusk + circumference of left and right tusk = total score) is 49 7/8. Minimum score for inclusion is 30. The Rowland Ward method of measuring warthog tusks is as follows:
Measure the length of the longer upper tusk on the outer curve.
Measure the length of the longer upper tusk which protrudes from the gum on the outer curve. NB: While the normal 60 day drying period applies for the first measurement, this is not the case with the second measurement and a field measurement is acceptable...

page 10 in the June 2013 issue

Testing Elite’s Answer 2013

By Harry Marx

The Elite Answer (2013) is the newer version of my previous reference bow. It is also the bigger brother of the Hunter (my new refrence bow). So obvioulsy, what could be wrong with it? It comes with speed modules, and smooth modules. I was not impressed with the speed modules, but my guess is it was because of the bow’s cables not being tuned for them – the bow had no valley at the let-off. Then we changed back to the smooth modules, and boy oh boy. Suddenly the bow pulled as easy as a 60-pound bow, while still at 70 pounds, had a very smooth curve, and rested in a nice valley. Suddenly it was shooting almost (wink-wink) as nice as the Hunter, except for it being slightly bigger. It is a 33½ inch axle to axle, with a seven inch brace height. Very much the standard all-round bow.

Shooting groupings against the 8x30 inch reference, I simply could not choose in accuracy between the two. It was more stable vertically and slightly more torque sensitive. Again, exactly what we expected. From the data the Answer looks slightly more stable than the Hunter, but I did get slightly smaller groupings with the Hunter.
Overall the bow is simple with no fancy wheels, cogs and gears. The cable slider is a simple teflon guide, and as always, some wax on the cables is advisable. What I do like incredibly is the Cerakote, and the colour they used on the cams and cable guide – a dusty matt grayish green. The limbs are single or solid limbs, camo or black, Barnsdale of course...

Page 18 in the June 2013 issue

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Content list

June 2013

CONTENTS

5      Kommentaar: boogjagters jag met ‘n passie
7      From our readers
9      CHASA veroordeel geblikte boogjag
10    Bowhunting warthog: part 2
14    Understand how it works… better part 3
18    Testing Elite’s Answer 2013
22    Unpredictable kudu bull
25    Waarom boogjag?
27    A blesbuck at Bellevue
28    Here’s how: some last minute things to remember
30    Wanneer kyk meer as genoeg is!
33    A philosophical approach to walk-and-stalk hunting
39    Product showcase: drop-away nock! Imagine that...
39    Product showcase: LockDownX - optics deployment system
40    Readers' trophies
43    SABA news
45    Hunting and the law: part 3
47    Product showcase: JackKnife bow mount for smartphones
49    On the shelf: Let loose the arrow / The comprehensive guide to tracking
51    Subscribe
53    Dubbele geluk
57    NASP: verander lewens! Vra vir Fanie ...
59    Last hunt of the year!
62    PH student diary part 10: fish studies and sport angling
65    On lion hunting and when does wool become a jersey?
66    Barky’s notebook
69    Aiming with the traditional bow
75    A king no more
76    Bowhunting opportunities
80    Letter from the rookie

Cover image: www.123rf.com / photo: 3813881 – warthog-skull-lit-by-candles-from-inside.

Exciting news

We now have a sister-magazine in the USA

Welcome to Universal Hunter Magazine (< click to go there)

UHM COVER From the editor      

When we decided to call this publication the Universal Hunter magazine, it was not for reasons of grandiloquence. In other words, we did not choose the name because it sounds grand.  We chose it because hunting really is universal. It is practiced all over the world, in every country and region, by all the peoples on the planet.  Hunters are and always were found everywhere, and hunting is as old as mankind itself.  Our magazine is aimed at this universal activity and the universal body of people who practice it.
That automatically brings up the next question: why is hunting so universal?  Why is it so old an activity, and why do people still do it today, when meat is available at butcher shops everywhere?
Dr. Randall L Eaton may find the answer to this in the article Call of the Chase, on page 30. Dr. Eaton is the foremost psychologist of hunting, and he explains in the article that the instincts of hunters, even meat hunters, tell them that they need trophies to prove their worth in society. A trophy, he says, is any part of an animal that communicates a hunter’s achievement.  In ancient times all men had to go through rites and ceremonies that related to their passage from boyhood to manhood, and hunting trophies played a major part in these rites. Hence man has been collecting trophies for thousands of years. The provision of food, of course, was also a strong motivation.  This article is excellent reading for those hunters who aspire to a deeper understanding of why they hunt.
Interesting as this article may be, it is far from the only story in the magazine. As in the first issue, we offer a great variety. There are various hunting stories: moufflon sheep, elk, black bear, whitetail, blue wildebeest, mountain sheep, Persian Ibex, buffalo...  There are also articles on bow tests, buck-tracking devices, medical improvisations in the veld, and making your own bow release, as well as advice on shooting techniques and the choice of species when hunting in Africa.  Last but not least, we have an article on a challenged hunter and how he solved his problems. Just as hunting is a universal activity, we strive to offer our readers a magazine with universal content.
Enjoy the read, and if you have a hunting story you would like to share with other readers, let us have it!

Keep well.

The editorial team

Bringing bow hunting into your heart and into your home for 11 years now

Rean Steenkamp

 

AFRICA's BOWHUNTER is the magazine for the bowhunter, archery enthusiast and game farmer. We mainly publish news and articles of interest to the bowhunter in Southern Africa and any bowhunter in the world who hunts or plans to hunt in Southern Africa. – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

 


 

Where did the warthog go? In the April issue we had Bowhunting the warthog part 1 and then the warthog ran away and we could not find him in the May issue. Luckily we caught him and part 2 will be in the June issue.

 


 

Rooikrans. 16 km van Magaliesburg op R24.
Jaggeleentheid nuwe plaas eerste jag in 7 jaar. 30 blesbokke, 18 blouwildebees, 35 impala, 4 koedoe, 4 rooihartbees, 2 waterbok, 13 sebra, groot elandbul (1 horing). kontak Quintus Roets 083 589 2386.

Alma/Nylstroom
An once-in-a-lifetime bushveld experience! Bowhunting farm, 1,5 hours from Pretoria, ten species to choose from. Most recently stocked black impala. Luxury tents, self catering, shooting range, cooling and slaughtering facilities. Max 10 hunters and non hunters welcome. Call Buks 082 785 1846 - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .


Thabazimbi.- www.vogelpan.co.za
1 200 hectares exclusively for bow hunting. Fully equipped self-catering accommodatAlma/Nylstroom.
An once-in-a-lifetime bushveld experience! Bowhunting farm, 1,5 hours from Pretoria, ten species to choose from. Most recently stocked black impala. Luxury tents, self catering, shooting range, cooling and slaughtering facilities. Max 10 hunters and non hunters welcome. Call Buks 082 785 1846; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Ten comfortable hides; cooler room; large variety of game. No rifle hunting has been done on this farm for the past five years. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or Pierre (A/H) 082 891 3172.



 


 

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Sterkrivier 2012Die jaarlikse Sterkrivier-tradisionele boogskietkompetisie word op die langnaweek van 27 tot 29 April 2012 aangebied en boogkskuts van oor die hele land gaan die byeenkoms bywoon, skryf Rean Steenkamp.

Die byeekoms word op Henk du Plessis se plaas naby Sterkrivier gehou. Dié tradisionele boogskietbyeenkoms is sekerlik die bekendste en oudste byeekoms vir stokboogskuts in Suid-Afrika en moet gewis nie misgeloop word nie! By hierdie byeekoms kom vriende en stokboog-entoesiaste bymekaar en kry hulle die geleentheid om hul ondervindinge met die langboog en kurfboog met mekaar te deel. Hulle kan ook hul entoesiasme vir die sport met hul gesinne deel. Die Sterkrivier-saamtrek is ‘n jaarlikse byeenkoms waar mense met ‘n liefde vir die tradisionele boog saam uitkamp,  waar hulle met hulle selfgemaakte boë spog, waar boogbouers hulle nuutste ontwerpe kan wys en waar boogjagstories en boogskiet-praatjies tot middernag langs kampvure vertel word ....

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Payment system

Dear valued members,
It’s with great pleasure that we can now announce that we are able to receive online payments! Visit our online shop. If you do not have a registered account yet, create one today, and make your credit card payments online.
For more information contact us.
Kind Regards - Africas Bowhunter team

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Let loose the arrow

Bookreview: Let loose the arrow


Boojag boekLet Loose the Arrow by Rean Steenkamp succeeds in presenting ordinary and unique hunting experiences in such a way that when one starts reading, one simply cannot put the book down. Every hunt he has experienced tells its own story and encourages the reader to follow in the author’s footsteps and learn from his successes and mistakes. Let loose the arrow! is aimed at the ordinary bow hunter or rookie hunter and the purpose of this book is to put emphasis on the hunting of run-of-the-mill plains game. It is about the animals hunted by the average bow hunter, hunted as the average hunter hunts with his or her bow and arrow. It is about the mistakes bow hunters make and the things all hunters experience during this journey.

Cleve Cheney, well-known game ranger, bow hunter and writer says: “Reading Let Loose the Arrow has been an absolute delight. I remember as a young boy reading books on hunting by Peter Capstick (Death in the Long Grass) and Jim Corbett and about his hunting exploits in India, and Harry Wolhuter’s Memories of a Game Ranger. Reading these books made me “want to be there”. They had a great influence on where I eventually ended up. I get the same feeling when I read this book – it makes me “want to be there”, wanting to experience what Rean was experiencing. I think it will have the same effect on young boys and men who read it as the effect the books I mentioned had on me. The fact that it is not too technical makes it so much more pleasant to read. I think when one gets too technical it actually detracts from the readability of a book. It is like a breath of fresh air because it is honest – he is not trying to impress anybody but shares his emotions in an open and transparent way.

For more information, contact Santie at 012 332 1051 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it page 74 in our February 2013 issue

 

Whatevet it takes

Whatever it takes...

Adrian Book CoverDr Adrian de Villiers has finished his second book on bow hunting and it should be available by the time this book is on the shelves. This is his second bow hunting book. The first, “Bowhunting in Southern Africa”, was sold out. Only a few copies remain in his private book collection.
Adrian started bow hunting in 1983 after having handgun-hunted for nearly ten years. He has bow hunted well over 1 800 documented animals plus many more not documented. For thirty years he supplied all his staff’s meat requirements on his game farm with bow and arrow. He was the first South African to legally hunt the big six with bow and arrow. He has shot 26 buffalo of six different species on three continents ...

Read more on page 31 of our Januaray 2012 issue

 


Beman arrows

Beman – first in carbon arrows

Beman productsBeman is the carbon shaft manufacturing company that started it all. Many archers and bowhunters will know the name. They have been around for a couple of decades. They were the first to manufacture carbon arrows. We asked the question why it has taken so long for Beman to hit the South African shores. Seppie Cilliers from Magnum Archery says: “Back in the 90’s, Beman was a very popular arrow in South Africa. Beman was initially a French-based company, and a couple of years ago they started manufacturing in the USA. It has increased in popularity, and Beman has an extremely good line-up of products for the South African market. We thought it was something that the hunters and archers in South Africa would want. Now it is more readily available.”

Beman has an extensive range of products. For the recreational archer with a budget in mind, to the serious big game, bone collector bowhunter. The range offers products to be used by archers using bows from 22 up to 90 pounds.

A great new feature of Beman is their HotTail ViBrake insert technology. HotTail ViBrake inserts with vibration dampening technology is patent pending and very innovative. It is a simple design, yet lethally effective. HotTail stops vibration and quickly stabilises the arrow for more accuracy and stealthy shooting ...

page 53 in the May 2013 issue

 

 


Accuary

Target bow accuracy with your hunting bow

Accuracy with your hunting bowI just love target archery – when I’m not shooting I’m thinking about it. I like the challenge and I like to spend time with awesome people on the shooting line. There is just something about signing a good-looking scorecard at the end of the day. It takes years of training to shoot consistently under competition pressure. Even when I’m training it’s hard to put the bow down and say “enough now”. Around April, when the morning air feels crisp on my face and my hands take a little longer to warm up, my mind starts to drift and I feel the urge to get my hunting bow and grab a camo T-shirt and go out in the field.
By this time I’m pretty confident with a bow. I have put a fair amount of practice into shooting. I have always been advocating accuracy for hunting. Follow these important methods to get your hunting bow shooting like a sweet machine!

Shoot the correct draw length
I believe there is no hard and fast rule here that will apply to everybody. The correct draw length has much to do with a person’s entity inclination as a whole. Factors like the type of body build the archer has and even his personality may determine the archer’s ideal draw length...

page 59 of our May 2013 issue

 


The rookie

Rookie-pig-crocLetter from the rookie

Dear mr PH sir
My great grand uncle, twice removed, three times divorced and now living in Patagonia, used to say that one should not hold on to tightly to one’s things because one could be pulled down with it easily. Being a youngster at the time of said saying being said, one was not confident enough to ask for an elaboration to the actual meaning of said saying. Hence one’s natural curiosity about said matter, until recently that is, when one encountered a situation (German for being on the south side of a good time) that shed some light on the matter. Not that one was particularly excited about what came to light or what went down for that matter.

Anyway, let us not get distracted.

I was invited to hunt warthog on an open farm in a neighbouring country recently. This particular farm was notorious for harbouring very large and aggressive warthog boars. These said monsters are legendary for the large tusks they sport – as well as their aggressive behaviour towards the hunter once shot. Hence the honor amongst peers if it should become known that one has actually hunted such said warthog and that on foot.

Many hair-raising tales were told by hunters, after being discharged from the hospital that is, about their individual encounters with these monsters.

Anyway, when I arrived on the farm the owner refused to allow me to off-load my gear before I signed the required sworn affidavit that should any harm or injury befall me while hunting, due to the unsolicited aggression (Japanese for not looking for trouble) on the part of the warthog I intended to hunt, he (the farm owner) is not liable for any damages. Loosely translated it means that if the pawpaw hits the fan, it’s not his (farm owner again) problem – I have been warned ...

page 80 in the May 2013 issue