Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ganyana on Rifle Power

Bob,

You are right about Africa providing more opportunity. Of course, some of this is exaggerated today by "game ranch" (fenced) hunting in South Africa and some other countries, though even that isn't necessarily shooting fish in a barrel. There are some tiny properties where animals are essentially put-and-take, like hatchery fish. But a fenced ranch of tens of thousands of acres is something else.

But most of Africa is fre-range, and even there the numbers of animals are far higher than in North America, for two reasons. First, winters aren't severe, though droughts can be. Second, there are far more kinds of animals. Even if you split North American big game animals into record-keeping categories, there are only about three dozen. In Africa there are at least 80 kinds of horned game alone.

All of this results in an abundance most Americans can't even imagine. Your point about 8-10 big mule deer or elk is actually fairly accurate. I have seen at least 50 MATURE kudu bulls, the equivalent of a 300" bull elk, in unfenced country in Namibia in a 10-day hunt, and over 1000 impala in one day in Tanzania, including a pile of mature rams, and single herds of over 1000 Cape buffalo in Botswana.

This is partly why African trophy standards for a week or 10-day hunt are higher than a North American hunt for mule deer or elk. Over there you're not just looking for a "legal" animal to kill, like a brow-tined bull elk in Montana, but a truly mature bull. The PH simply won't let you shoot anything smaller, and there are enough kudu in many parts of southern Africa that the only reason for not bringing home a good trophy is the search looking for an exceptional trophy. So there's no real reason to shoot beyond 350 yards--or 350 meters, however, you want to measure it.

Also, there's the standard African policy of charging a trophy fee anytime blood is drawn, whether or not the animal's recovered. This cuts down considerably on chancy shooting, whether at short or long range. While good African trackers (whether black or white) are fantastic, they aren't superhuman, and without some luck aren't going to be able to find an animal that's not pretty hard-hit, especially when the animals live in big herds--and many African animals do.

Plus, the meat is normally either sold or given to local tribes, so there's an additional incentive to recovering game, either monetary or necessary for hunting access. So in addition to the basic ethic of attempting to avoid wounding animals, there are other incentives to pass on iffy shots.

Then there's the terrain. While there is some open country in Africa, even there the thorny ground cover sometimes doesn't allow for the steady shooting positions required for long-range shooting. And even if the shooter can get steady, the animal may not be entirely visible. There are exceptions, since parts of South Africa and, especially, Namibia are a lot like Arizona or Wyoming, but again they're exceptions.

Much of the best hunting country is more or less level, but covered with thornbush and trees. In a lot of bushveld a 200-yard shot would be very long.

In many countries there's also the residual British-based hunting ethic that regards getting as close as possible far more commendable than making a longer shot.

So yeah, there is a considerable cultural divide.

No, there aren't any rules--but in both sports the grounds or equipment have been changed over the past few decades to limit distance. And in baseball, performance-enhancing drugs were banned.

But both golf and baseball are competitions for money. Hunting isn't--well, except for competitions for selling products, or endorsements.

Sorry, but I don't see how those comments relate to mine.

Being an avid baseball fan, I watched the homerun derby a few nights ago... the farther the ball was wacked, the more loud and excited the commentators and crowd were.

My point: I really don't see where rules in baseball teach anything about rules needed in LR hunting. They are completely unrelated. I also played a lot of golf in years gone by, and range was only limited by my ability in the use of the right club. There may be a lesson there worth pondering.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

WTF did I tell you people? He pounced like a goddamm cat!

Burns is snappin' selfies in preparation for the debate.



Travis

All valid comments sir, albeit a couple of caveats: The "Weatherby Freebore" is a thinkg of the past. With the advent of new powders, that freebore is not what it used to be. Accuracy-wise, at least for me, they have been the most accurate rifles I've ever owned. Cheers,

It wasn't chosen for that, AT ALL. Think lowest bidder. Besides, sniping and Dangerous Game hunting have little in common. Remington extractors have a history of failure in dusty/dirt conditions, hence the big market for replacement extractors.

Zimbabwe Requirements

Class A Game
5300 Joule (3909 Ft/LB)
Minimum caliber 9.2mm in diameter
(Elephant, Hippo, Buffalo)

- Class B Game
4300 Joule (2883 Ft/LB)
Minimum caliber 7.0mm in diameter
(Lion, Giraffe, Eland)

- Class C Game
3000 Joule (2213 Ft/LB)
Minimum caliber 7.0mm in diameter
(Leopard, Crocodile, Kudu, Oryx / Gemsbok, Hartebeest, Wildebeest, Zebra, Nyala, Sable Antelope, Waterbuck, Tsessebe, etc.)

- Class D Game (627 Ft/LB)
850 Joule
Minimum caliber 5.56mm in diameter
(Warthog, Impala, Reedbuck, Sitatunga, Duiker, Steenbok, Jackal, Game Birds, etc.)