Campfire stories of the hunt shared beneath South
African skies give new meaning to “girls night out” thanks to NRA’s
Women on Target.
The herd took off again, dashing my chance at the lone black springbok
among them. So much for stalking in the open, I thought, as Stefan
and I sought the plain’s only tree for cover. The zebra we’d glassed
earlier were now 450 yards away, but the springboks were angling back
toward us with their characteristic leaping display.
“They’re trying to look healthy, not like easy prey,” said Stefan.
The herd moved with heads down, backs arched and hooves bunched, activity
that for eons had ensured survival. The black one drew closer. I set
my rifle on the shooting sticks, anticipating the go-ahead from my
professional hunter.
“No, wait!” he said. “There’s a reeeally good common one to the left.”
Dilemma. It was the first day and my head was spinning.
I checked out the strikingly marked antelope: I wanted a common springbok
most of all—and this one, Stefan judged, was record-book nice. Finally,
the buck stopped at 200 yards. I exhaled halfway and placed the shot.
I’d taken my first African game—fittingly, the national animal of South
Africa—as I began to explore the land with the motto “a world in one
country.”
• • •
Safari Sisters
“Are you in?” asked then-NRA President Sandy Froman when I answered
the phone more than a year ago. The 2007 Women On Target (WOT) hunt
schedule had just been released, so when I recognized Sandy’s number
on my caller ID I knew it was time to plan that safari we’d discussed
since elk camp in 2005.
Ten women registered for “the dream hunt,” a plains-game safari in
South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province last August booked through Todd
Rathner of T. Jeffrey Safaris (TJS). Yes, a dream hunt, but also a
shocking deal: It cost just $3,100 for each hunter to take four animals
(not including airfare). That’s less than a quality elk hunt! As I
put together a plan for American Hunter magazine and television coverage,
just as exciting was that with the exception of Sandy, me and one other
hunter I’d met through WOT in 2001, no one knew each other—a testament
to the sheer growth of women hunters and the program’s success.
Our age range spanned 40 years and all experience levels. There was
four-time safari goer Jan Favors of Phenix City, Ala.; three-timer
Sue Ann Stephenson of Bismarck, N.D., who has the No. 3 duiker in the
SCI record book; and two-timers Pam Zaitz of Conroe, Texas, owner of
SHESafari, who generously jumped at the chance to be the hunt’s clothing
sponsor, and Cyndi Flannigan of Linn, Ore., sales manager at Leupold,
who offered optics products to our group at a discount. And then there
were the African newcomers: Bunny Huntley of Bethel, Vt., whose Christmas
cards always feature a hunting photo; Kelli Frazier of Waynesville,
Ohio, a former vegetarian who now claims SCI coastal black bear No.
36; Esther McGann of Laramie, Wyo., who told husband Tony she’d found
Africa too irresistible not to strike out on her own; Shannon Irving
of Tucson, Ariz., a TJS employee who was so inspired by WOT she decided
to make Africa her first-ever hunt; NRA’s Sandy Froman, who had taken
multiple game in her few years of hunting; and me, who’d hunted at
least 15 states and several countries but always managed to say, “I’ve
been meaning to,” when it came to Africa.
Everyone flew to Port Elizabeth to be greeted by our outfitter, Tollie
Jordaan, of Tollie’s African Safaris. After some paperwork we were
off for a 125-mile drive to the Cape Midland Highlands near Somerset
East. Anticipation ran high on both sides as we chatted with Tollie,
his wife, Karen, and their staff. They’d never hosted such a large
group, let alone one made up entirely of women. Tollie’s dinner blessing
that evening set the tone: “Life is what you make of it,” he said,
“and I believe God put me here for a reason—to carry on my heritage
and to share with you the beauty of a world I am blessed with every
day.”
Antelope a la Carte
Morning began with breakfast and range time. A gleeful Sandy fired
several near-perfect shots with her new Kimber M8400 SuperAmerica
in .338 Win. Mag. I shot my left-handed Sako .30-06, treasured for
the smoothness of its action.
We had nine days to get the four animals in our hunt package: a springbok,
mountain reedbuck, blesbok and either a blue or black wildebeest or
hartebeest.
Pam, hostess Karen and Jan enjoy the campfire.
I jumped into PH Stefan Raubenheimer’s Toyota, eager to see more of
the land and its animals, and scanned Tollie’s list of 30-plus available
species. Would I expand my package? I thought aloud. “This is the reason
everyone comes back,” Stefan said. “You can’t see and do it all in
one trip—or two.”
We glassed kudu, gemsbok, nyala, baboon and all three types of springbok—all
in one spot. It’s like selecting ice cream flavors, I thought, as game
came in large, medium, small, brown, black, white, spotted and striped.
Mohawk-maned zebras stepped into view. A steenbok darted from the bush,
then vanished—I did a double-take, wondering if I could even spot the
sprite 25-pounder in time to hoist my rifle. I whipped out my “a la
carte” menu whenever I saw something new, if only for curiosity’s sake.
By day’s end, my discipline and “as is” hunt package were intact. I’d
taken only the common springbok and was eager to see who else had a
story.
Sharing adventures around the bonfire that evening, we all
congratulated Shannon on her blue wildebeest; few hunters can say their
first animal fell in Africa on their first day afield. We were reminded that
while we gathered as a group, each was on a solitary journey.
Dinner was marked by yet another personal touch from ever-gracious
Karen: Places were set with individual menus featuring each hunter’s
photo of the day (the “menu surprise” continued all week).
Later I noticed something different about the starry sky ... “The
Southern Cross,”
said Karen. Then the image registered. Visible only in the Southern
Hemisphere, the four-star constellation hovered as proof we were indeed
in another world as I acknowledged receipt of the blessings Tollie
had promised.
Temptation
My “mountain-reedbuck day” came as Stefan and I went to a new area
based on the animal’s affinity for steep, rocky terrain. It was tough
for me to judge a good representative, as a 5-inch set of horns make
for a “decent” buck and 7- and 8-inchers are whoppers. These animals
flag white tails while fleeing and make a shrill, whistle-like call.
I couldn’t sit and brace myself against my knee—my favorite method—as
I’d be too low to see over the brush. We continued stalking that
same buck and got another opportunity as we crouched on a hillside
watching them below. I braced against my knee and made a 180-yard
shot on the near-7-inch buck.
Only two animals remained. I told Stefan I’d
be ready to stop at four—until
we visited his friend, fellow PH Johan Schoeman. Johan planned to show
me the mount of his near-9-inch mountain reedbuck; instead I fixated
on his nyala mounted by Tollie’s taxidermist, Rudolph Ferreira.
I marveled at its curling, ivory-tipped horns, the white chevron between
its eyes, the white stripe down its back, the shaggy mane and stripes
on its flank. This isn’t good, I thought, as I recalled the trophy
fee and how Tollie’s operation was known for quality nyala.
Jan and her reedbuck.
Back in camp the bonfire glowed and I learned I wasn’t the only one
thinking about springing for an additional animal.
We checked emails in Tollie’s office. Jan reported Harrell was enjoying
celebrity status among his friends who were jealous he’d married a
woman who would rather hunt than shop. Esther described missing several
animals due to flinching with her 7mm-08, so Tollie and her PH, Mathinus
du Toit, decided she should hit the range with Tollie’s .270 (which
she used later to take a blesbok and a black wildebeest). Jan and Esther
were stopping at four animals, but Pam, Cyndi, Sue, Kelli and Shannon
already had moved to other game.
One of the most exciting reports was Sandy’s 50-inch kudu, a giant
for the Eastern Cape. She stumbled upon it in pursuit of her springbok.
Several of the women noted they enjoyed getting to know this NRA officer
who was just as humble and excited as the rest of us in taking on all
things Africa.
Deep Breaths
Over the next two days I got my blesbok, with its yellow-green eyes,
white face and near-amber-colored horns; and, finally, a black wildebeest.
The herd’s dominant male never stopped running, keeping the lesser
bulls from his cows, moving his herd in a circle with tails a-swishing.
“It is why wildebeest are called the clowns of Africa,” said Stefan.
We stalked the bull repeatedly, but came up short. Ultimately, I
took one from another area—a lone male that had already been ousted.
He was a good trophy, Stefan explained, one that would have weakened
with old age had I not taken him then. Later at the skinning shed
Tollie agreed, adding that hunters who seek good representative animals
just prior to 
their decline make trophy hunting a good conservation
tool. “At one time, game had no value, and when game has no value,
there will be no game,” he said. “Farmers and ranchers destroyed
wildlife to cater to livestock until they realized hunting’s benefits.”
The land continued to deliver as cameraman Tim Walsh taped Jan taking
her mountain reedbuck. Now, with everyone else finished, it was nyala
time. It was near dark when we finally spotted one of the large bulls
Tollie had seen in a field with several others. Every time I tried
to shoot, another animal stepped in front of it, or its vitals were
hidden by brush. The herd moved toward the fringe of the woods. I fired.
He flinched, took one step into the bush, then disappeared. Losing
daylight, we hurried across the field. We heard him in the woods, then
nothing. It was dark—we needed dogs. “It’s dangerous in there now,”
Stefan said. “We have to come back tomorrow.”
At dawn Stefan, his tracker, Rere, Tim and I were
joined by Kelli’s PH, Purin Joubert and his trackers. We moved into
the brush slowly. When I nearly stumbled over the skull of a large-horned
nyala bull and Stefan explained it had died of old age or perhaps been
wounded but not recovered, I prayed for a different ending. I felt
I should hold my breath. There was little sign ... .
Then someone shouted excitedly. My spirits soared, and I gave thanks
for an animal many call “the prize of South Africa.” Clearly, Tollie
was right when he said, “Life is not measured by the breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.”
NRA members,
if you already receive American Rifleman or America's
1st Freedom you can add American Hunter
to your reading list for just $9.95,
by calling 877-672-2000.
Hosts Karen and Tollie Jordaan ensure a quality experience of a lifetime.
T. Jeffrey Safari Co.
Companies like T. Jeffrey Safari not only have experience
with the outfitters they represent, but they can answer any questions
and handle the required paperwork for transporting your firearms.
TJS is a full-service consultancy booking hunts for South Africa
and Namibia. Its staff negotiates the best possible pricing. All-inclusive
safaris cover trophy fees, accommodations, transportation to and
from the airport in-country, and even daily laundry. Clients know
the exact cost of a hunt before spending a dime. (T. Jeffrey Safari
Co., LLC, 1870 West Prince Road, #11, Tucson, AZ 85705; 866-470-0470;
tjsafari.com)
If you call, request more information on Tollie’s African Safaris—I
can personally vouch for the operation. Tollie Jordaan provides activities
for non-hunters, too, including tour packages and photo safaris.
(safari-in-africa.com)
NRA Women on Target
Since 1999, the NRA has brought
together women who share a love of the outdoors and want to get involved
in hunting. Women On Target welcomes participants of all experience
levels and provides a supportive, women-only atmosphere and game-rich
areas with little hunting pressure, competent guides and high-percentage
chances to fill tags. 2008 hunts include hunts for turkey, waterfowl,
upland birds, Western big game, predators and whitetail deer in addition
to the first-ever archery and hunting/fishing combo hunts.
(nrahq.org/women;
email, womenontarget@nrahq.org;
800-861-1166)
The author with her nyala.
Plains Game Rifles
for Women
Whether it’s your first or fifth trip to Africa, the rifle you carry
should be one you like to shoot, the one that fits you best, providing
it meets minimum legal standards for the game you hunt. Former NRA
President Sandy Froman, above center, visited with Kimber’s Dwight
van Brunt and ordered a custom Kimber M8400 Super-America in .338
Win. Mag. just for the trip, with a shortened stock just for her.
But you don’t have to splurge before heading to Africa. I carried
a .30-06 Sako I’ve loved shooting for years. For African plains game,
any caliber from .270 to .300 Win. Mag. will do.
ahtv’s Women On Target safari episode will appear on The
Outdoor Channel later this year.
Stay tuned for the air date in an upcoming issue.
