Exotics Hunting Articles
North to Nunavut: Quest for Umingmak, the Bearded One
If you're looking for the high arctic hunting adventure of a lifetime, consider Nunavut, one of Canada's best kept secrets. Remote and game-rich, Victoria Island holds the highest concentration of muskoxen in the world.
Affording Africa
"Africa," "The Dark Continent." Both are names that conjure up visions of giant elephants, lions, thatch huts, comfortable tents camps, and all of the dangers and excitements that go along with them. For some, those visions are more than just passing images; they are a fantasy or a burning desire to experience all that Africa has to offer in the form of an African Safari. Unfortunately, many hunters don't get to experience what Africa has to offer- not because it is financially out of reach, but because they THINK it's financially out of reach.
Hunt Year Round
When we talk about hunting season, most of us think about turkeys and whitetails, basically because they're the most accessible. Truth is there are loads of other opportunities for every month of the year. Following are a few suggestions.
Planning Your Outfitted Hunt
So you've saved your money and your significant other has granted permission to book a hunt. Perhaps it's a once-in-a-lifetime deal, or maybe you're one of the lucky ones that gets to do it every year. Regardless of your circumstance, a daunting decision remains... choosing an outfitter.
Preparing For The Taxidermist
A mounted trophy is the tangible reminder of a memorable hunt. It's there to be admired on long winter evenings and its there to provide the strength to carry on when the course of events are temporarily rocky. When I look up at any of my mounted trophies, I rarely see the individual animal; rather, I recall the events of the hunt, the people and the places, the exhilaration and the excitement.
The Manchurian Forests of Texas
Throughout the years axis, sika, and fallow deer, aoudad, and wild hogs had all been spotted on this ranch. With no high fences to restrict movement, animals come and go as they please. Only sika deer have remained to establish a permanent presence. Originally spreading in range throughout Asia, from northern Siberia to southern Japan, the first introduced herds of sika deer adapted well to the varying Texas landscape.
Scent Detection - How Does it Work?
Have you ever experienced sitting absolutely still in the woods when a nice buck starts your way and suddenly he stops, sniffs the air, then stamps his feet and the next thing you see is the white flag bounding at hyper speed in the opposite direction? Alternatively, after miles of hiking and climbing, did you spy a trophy bull elk and after crawling through the briars and bushes for what seemed eternity, to see it simply disappear when you poked your head out of the scrub? What happened?
Kudu Magic
Sitting in the scant shade of a thorn acacia while a hot African sun burned down on an arid land, I wondered idly if Bruce Truter really would return. Barely an hour has passed since the professional hunter set off downhill on foot to fetch the Landrover and, by my best calculation, another hour will pass before I expect to see him again. Maybe. Nevertheless, I scanned the wide plain that unfolds like a giant's apron below me, hoping to see a distant, nearing plume of dust. The plain is lifeless, except for a small band of zebra feeding lazily among a stand of tall bitter aloe a quarter mile away; watching them, my mind wandered.
Planning an African Safari - Part 2
4:00 AM at Gomo Gomo Game Reserve - It is pitch dark and I can’t see anything, not even my hand in front of my face. The deep rumbling and bellowing that woke us is as much felt as it is heard. Robert and I are sitting bolt upright in bed, wondering what in the world is happening just outside the thin canvas walls of our African safari tent. Every hair is standing up on the back of my neck as I whisper to my husband “Whatever you do, just stay in the tent!”
Planning an African Safari - Part 1
The undulating hills and rugged rock koppies made for a beautiful setting under the warm South African sun. Feathery umbrella-shaped acacia trees and thorn bushes dotted the landscape, relieving the vast grassy plain. We enjoyed perfect weather, while scoping the herds of long-faced, red hartebeest. After two days combing the bushveld for the perfect trophy, Piet and I spotted a bachelor herd of about 20 bulls spread out against the base of a rocky hill.