African Outfitter is an independent international bimonthly publication promoting
fair hunting and ethical business practices within the hunting industry.
From a hunting perspective, the preservation of biodiversity on the
African continent is the first and foremost priority. The emphasis
is however also on the sustainable utilisation of wildlife.

African Outfitter Back Issues: CONTENTS - February / March 2007 - (Vol 2/2)

In search of the holy grail of the springbuck - Ronnie Rowland

Looking out over the rock-strewn flats with their golden carpet of grass, the white mist of the Atlantic engulfed all low lying areas of the desert. It resembled a giant beast from the sea trying to invade the desert with its tentacles. Way above this surreal spectacle towered the mightiest sentinel of the Namib, the Brandberg, keeping watch over one of the oldest parts of earth. Those of you who have seen this massive mountain will know that it appears to be nothing more than a normal mountain from a distance. Only when you get closer you realise how big this age old-rock protrusion really is.

Africa has its Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenia, the Atlas and Drakensberg but allow me to be subjective – the Brandberg has a mystique of its own. It harbours some of the oldest secrets of earth since its creation. One cannot but stand in awe and experience mankind's insignificance when confronted by this magnificent mountain, surrounded by the harshest and most unforgiving, but beautiful Namib. Many a person not being versed in the ways of the wild and especially the desert has met his fate in this forlorn world. However, this world is home to, amongst others, the Welwitschia Mirabilis (a living fossil relic of the past), the Brandberg and its so-called White Lady ("so-called" because I believe the Bushman painting depicts an important clan leader/hunter in ceremonial dress and not a lady), the age old Bushman dwelling, Twyfelfontein, the burnt mountain, the fossilized wood and many more marvellous sights and experiences. This must rate as one of the most beautiful as well as harshest, unspoilt wilderness areas left anywhere in Africa. It saddens me to think how over the past decade we have treated this treasure with disrespect bordering on contempt. But more about this later.

We arrived in the late afternoon pitching our fly camp under some large camel-thorn trees in an unnamed dry riverbed. The campside had been selected by Kai-Uwe Denker, I believe, because of its remoteness, loneliness and barrenness. Knowing the area from a previous recon, I had a good idea why he had chosen this spot above the beautifully shaded camel-thorn wood just a couple of kilometres away. Not only does the latter area belong to the oryx and springbuck as a retreat to escape the Namib heat, but it also is too beautiful to be spoilt by humans and their presence in the form of a camp. However, the present camping site has its own magic such as the individual old trees that are spread out to provide each tent and its dwellers with solitude and privacy. After all, this is the Namibrand, which embodies solitude and provides peace of mind and heart.

The clients were still fast asleep whilst I scratched away the cold ash of the previous night's fire, uncovering the glowing embers of camel-thorn coals. Placing a handful of splinters and smaller pieces of wood on top of the coals, I soon had a small fire going for coffee. I watched the light of the tiny gleaming campfire perform its flickering fairy dance in the branches of our main camp tree. The gentle, rhythmic interplay between light and darkness caused my mind to wander and I thought of what lay ahead of us that day.

Our client, a journalist for a world-renowned hunting magazine, had come to search for the holy grail of springbuck, namely a true "Harley Davidson" ram. For those of you who don't know what is meant by a "Harley Davidson" springbuck, please allow me to explain. Good springbuck trophies of the so-called gold class usually either have a straight up lyre-shaped horn growth or a turned-back sloping shape with the tips of old rams protruding behind the ears and pointing downwards towards the back of the animal. Generally speaking, such springbuck can be found fairly widely spread in Namibia, be it in the Etosha, Kalahari or central and southern areas of Namibia. The quality of such a trophy ram normally depends on certain factors such as the shape of the horns (narrow or wide), length, backwards and outwards turn of tips, narrowness of horn rings especially at the base, thickness of the base, extent to which the horns are broomed smooth on the front or broomed off to the point of being round at the tips.

Please note that all these attributes do not once refer to any inch or centimetre measurement, which has been made so popular by the modern-day trophy collector and I'm sorry to say even ourselves ascribing to Rowland Ward or SCI measurements. To my mind, we should seriously rethink trophy quality in Namibia. We should create a new record book based predominantly on the age of a trophy animal, where the main measurement biases the base of a horn or tusk, since mass or thickness in most cases is dependent on age. However, this thought and topic deserves more time and space because trophy quality is also dependent on various other influencing factors such as the genes of a specific species, habitat and availability of food and water in the different regions of our country. Nevertheless I had to make a point that this needs to be seriously considered, researched and addressed, should we as hunters want our children's children to have the privilege to enjoy wildlife as we still know it today.

To return to the question of what a "Harley Davidson" springbuck is, you will have noticed that I did not mention the Namib, the Namibrand and Damaraland in the distribution of top class springbuck trophies. It was deliberate, since these areas are home to the true "Harley Davidsons". These rams are just a world apart from the others, constituting the holy grail of springbuck. Whether it is because of their genetic pool, their habitat, their free range or a combination thereof, it still has to be properly researched but one can safely say that these rams on average develop much heavier and thicker sets of horns than springbuck anywhere else. Age in all cases plays a major role.

Evaluating what makes a true HD springbuck so extra special, I believe it to be a combination of three factors. Firstly, the rarity or scarcity of such a ram should be appreciated. I guestimate that very few rams as well as ewes possess the special HD genes in the desert areas. If correct, one can understand why it is absolutely necessary to safeguard the different populations and their gene pools. Any hunting or culling should thus be done with the utmost care as not to destroy this delicate structure. The second factor contributing to the value of such rams is that the springbuck populations in these desert areas are mostly free-ranging. Springbuck hunting here constitutes hunting in the truest sense of the word. The remoteness and inaccessibility of these areas also allow these rams to mature properly and if they survive possible droughts they grow really old. Thirdly, and possibly the most important factor influencing the status of the HD hunt, is its difficulty. I rate a desert springbuck hunt to be the most taxing of all antelope hunting, testing not only your skills and knowledge but also your physical and mental boundaries as a hunter. As I have already said, all three factors combined make a HD springbuck hunt something extra special. Add to this the beauty and harshness of the Namibrand and the desert and you should see why such a hunt constitutes an experience of a lifetime.

Here I was once again in the place I have come to love so much since my childhood days, a special place of retreat to be found nowhere else in the world. No less than 800 000 ha of free-ranging land, guarded by one of the most beautiful and majestic mountains in Africa – this is Tsiseb. I felt at home and proud to be Namibian.

My thoughts were interrupted by a friendly "good morning". Richard, our hunting guide, had joined me just in time for the all important morning coffee. He is a pleasant person, always positive and with a good sense of humour. In addition he is a very good and knowledgeable hunter who knows his area – a true asset to the Tsiseb Conservancy. Handing him a steaming cup of coffee, I asked him whether we would get a HD springbuck on this hunt since he had already done a thorough recon the previous week. I liked his answer, "Ons sal sien" (We shall see), because with an HD nothing is guaranteed, especially in Tsiseb where there is virtually no cover. Here it is very likely to spot a lone ram far off from a hillock at 07:00 in the morning, plan your approach and stalk and end up doing your short finals (the last 200-300 m) on your buttocks, finally getting into a shooting position at 14:00, only to turn down the ram, irrespective of your client's bleeding hands and buttocks. But what a hunt!

In this area gloves, a pair of padded hunting trousers as well as elbow and knee covers are strongly recommended for the overseas client. Maybe a good spotting scope could be a great help, but to my liking too many gadgets take too much away from a true hunting experience and I believe it could turn us into lazy hunters. Be that as it may, do not believe that an HD hunt is a one or two day affair. On the contrary, with no guarantees no HD hunt with an overseas client should be planned for less than 5 hunting days. Also keep in mind to book such a hunt during the cooler months because believe you me most of the times the only shade you can provide for your client is to allow him/her to sit in the "shade" of your own shadow. Overseas clients should also heed the advice to be fit and in good shape for the hunt, otherwise the desert will get to them, physically as well as mentally.

Günther, the client, had now joined us at the fire warming his hands against the early morning chill of the wind. His eyes glowed with anticipation and you could actually sense his happiness of being there. I was glad that he was in a good physical shape, which left me only with the task of switching off his forever busy journalistic brain.

To hunt one needs flat shooters such as a .270, 7x64, 7mm Rem Mag or even a .300 Win Mag complemented by a good bullet. Lighter calibres or light bullets to my mind are too sensitive to wind, of which there is plenty most of the time. The average shot, depending on the available cover and the hunter's ability, usually ranges from 70-250 metres. Under these strenuous conditions a hunter should not only practise on targets at various distances but should also include practice shooting over shooting sticks and from the prone position, whether from a sitting or kneeling position. It is heartbreaking to end a two to three hour stalk, sometimes even six hours, creating an opportunity of a lifetime with a missed shot. I don't mind a missed shot, since such things can happen, but if it is missed due to non-practice it borders on disrespect for nature and its animals.

The moment of truth had arrived for us and after a good breakfast prepared by my wife Anna and best friend Gernot, we set off to test the rifle and started to hunt. In the desert one should never hurry, although it is advisable to start your hunt very early in the morning because of the vastness of the area and especially the heat of the day.

We hunted hard over the next few days, doing at least one stalk and sometimes two per day. We covered many kilometres by vehicle and on foot. In most cases we were beaten hands down by the springbuck. On one or two occasions we could have shot but Richard and I felt that the rams, although massive, needed another year or two to reach their non-productive age. Here it also needs to be said that we must have seen countless springbuck, turning down all normal rams and targeting only HDs.

Notwithstanding our non-success, I believe Günther and his wife Zita enjoyed every second of it. Returning dusty and dead-beat every evening, the tranquillity of the camel-thorn tree under a clear night sky with the stars so bright that they seemed touchable, gave you such a magic feeling of wellbeing that you easily forgot the turmoil of modern-day life. Sitting around the campfire the last evening with one hunting morning left, I sensed that Günther had made peace with himself and that he was totally content. His soul had caught up with his body and he was part of nature again – not only existing but living. Staring into the fire he quietly said it seemed that his dream of an HD would possibly not come true. I did not answer him immediately but thought about the last four days. He was an honest hunter, never moaning and not obsessed with measurements. Above all I was convinced that the "Old Man, Mukuru Wanje" would give him what he deserved. This I told him and also that he should not allow any negative thought to enter his mind, since nature will hear him. In circumstances such as these it is imperative that one stays positive. Never give up since hard, honest work invariably is rewarded.

The last morning broke more beautifully than ever, or so it seemed. We had rested well and were relaxed. However, we were confronted by a new problem. Thick, heavy mist had pushed in over the western area that we had targeted for our last day of hunting. After a short discussion, not knowing how long it would take for the mist to lift, we decided to concentrate our efforts on the area around camp. This part we had not hunted at all, preferring the remote, far-off areas until then. But as the saying goes, everything happens for a reason. This we were to find out later that morning.

After two unsuccessful stalks on two different rams we were on our way back to camp to have a light lunch. Whilst traversing a small rivulet Richard spotted two lone rams quite far off in the distance. We stopped the vehicle to take a closer look at them through our binos. After a brief discussion between Richard and me, we decided to stalk these rams because one of them looked rather promising and we had for the first time on this hunt the luxury of a riverbed covered with a lush growth of shrubs and bushes.

Despite the good cover it took us one and a half hours, sometimes crawling flat on our bellies, sometimes doing the crabwalk and sometimes crawling through dense shrubs using every cover possible, to close the range undetected. We had finally reached our last cover, totally exhausted. Hiding in the shrub, we used our binoculars to make an assessment of the two rams, which were not more than 120 metres away. Fearing detection, I let Richard and Günther stay seated on the ground, rising in slow motion within the bush. I was sure that neither ram could have detected us so far, since we had executed a near perfect stalk. However, a mistake now such as a too quick movement could prove fatal. The wind was perfect and after breaking one or two branches very slowly to clear a viewing hole, I saw that both rams were still feeding at ease.

My heart jumped in my throat when both rams suddenly took on an alert posture. Had they detected my movement or had the wind shifted? I froze, not even batting an eyelid. Any hunter who has experienced such a situation knows that you even refrain from breathing. The rams were now getting into a fleeing mode but I also detected that they were staring at something to our left. Slowly, but oh so slowly, I turned my head to try and see what disturbed them. Günther and Richard almost simultaneously tried to get my attention to look to the left at a ram which had just got up from its resting bed in the long grass. Once again my heart jumped, only this time nearly out of my mouth since this ram was obviously "a monster." This I could determine without my binoculars because any true trophy at such a distance can be identified as such with one glance.

Time stood still. It was like a remiss in chess. One wrong move and the trophy of a lifetime would disappear. Without hesitation I whispered to Richard to set up the shooting sticks and for Günther to shoot this ram, urging them at the same time to do this is slow-motion style. After what felt like an eternity the shot rang out, collapsing the ram in its tracks.

Walking up to the ram with Günther ready to shoot should he manage to get up again, I contemplated the reason for this unexpected gift. This ram must have laid up, watching these three figures performing a strange ritual of crawling, crabbing, etc. It must have been such a peculiar sight which flabbergasted him to the extent of being "amused", not knowing that we were humans, but rather some strange unbeknown creatures.

Standing over the ram and admiring his splendour, I felt a sadness overwhelming me, a feeling that returns every time I take something so beautiful from creation. Looking at this ram's horns I knew it was a trophy of a lifetime. I had never seen anything similar, not even close. I thanked the Lord for presenting such a magnificent trophy to such a righteous hunter. We had not hunted the ram – it was God's gift.

A small fact about this ram. His bases measured 18 cm and he carried a 13 cm thickness three quarters up the horn. It was not a true HD with tips turned backwards towards its back. No, this was the Methusalem – the grandfather of all HDs. What a trophy! What an experience!

Leaving behind Tsiseb and its majestic sentinel saddened me and I believe the whole party of hunters too. We had left the desert as it was, respecting creation and leaving only tracks which had been used over and over again. Poachers, tourists and especially overlanders not respecting this national treasure could however in a few years destroy an age-old ecosystem. We all need to treasure our heritage, which has only been entrusted to us for such a brief period in time. It will depend on all of us, including government, to safeguard areas such as Tsiseb for future generations.

It was a privilege to have experienced Tsiseb and I want to wish Eric, Richard and the Council every success with their conservancy. It is heaven on earth. I salute the Namibrand and the Brandberg but especially the springbuck (specifically the HDs). May they all survive forever!