Whether as a source of well-informed advice for appropriate cartridges and rifles for ‘gazorks’, or as an enjoyable exploration of the preferences of one of the greatest hunting and gun writers of our time, Favorite Rifles and Cartridges will not disappoint.

The probable outcome of the battle between Coutada 11’s Bushbucks and Nyalas is clear. Given the seriousness of the battle’s resolution, culling of Nyalas, plus encouraging an increase of leopards through continued habitat conservation and anti-poaching, seems a logical management scheme for Zambeze Delta Safaris. Without intervention, from humans and leopards, an iconic spiral-horned antelope, the Bushbuck, could disappear from the wonderful Coutada 11 landscape.

The scientists in South African Conservancies noticed two factors that gave the Bushbucks a fighting chance in the face of the Nyala incursion. In the first place, they observed that humans could limit the Nyalas ability to drive Bushbucks to extinction through so-called culling. This conservation management practice has come under serious attack by many who feel that nature will work population balances out if left alone. Others argue against the practice simply based on emotions, arguing that killing off scores of animals is barbaric. Regardless of the emotional heat generated towards culling, animals always have limited resources, and some, like overpopulated elephants and Nyalas do terrible damage to their habitats including other species that get in the way of their excesses…

Returning to Coutada 11 and the Nyalas and Bushbucks, we can ask why the latter are declining in numbers. Is it just because of competition with the swarms of Nyalas? Before we look at possible answers, let’s revisit the ‘cousin’ status of these two species. Unlike the Elk and mule deer, that belong to the general ‘deer’ category, Nyalas and Bushbucks are kissing-cousins. Seriously, back a few million years ago a Bushbuck and an Nyala, or more likely several of each, made babies.

A very real overpopulation problem is occurring in the Ndumu Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where one species of antelope, the Nyala, is crowding out another species, the Bushbuck. (Fay and Greeff, Nyala and Bushbuck I: A Competing Species Model)

O.K. so I need the reader to keep in mind that I am trying to make a point here. That being, the Sabbatical year forced on Outfitters and Professional Hunters not only in Africa but in places like Canada, Europe and Australia resulted in larger-than-average trophies within those regions when they reopened.

“I’ve never seen this many shootable trophies, let’s hold off and see if we can find something even better.” My two Coutada 11 PHs, Julian Moller and Dylan Holmes, uttered a version of that statement multiple times during my two 2021 Safaris.

I sat in a semi-daze, not so much from the bourbon in my hand as from the day’s happenings. Hunters have dream animals, often these animals are trophies that seem out-of-reach whether because of finances or rarity.

I never dreamed that too many leopards could be a problem. Yet by my third day with Jamy Traut Safaris in Kaokoland, Namibia we’d had so much action at our bait sites that my Professional Hunter Kabous Grünschloss informed me we’d need to make a side trip to stock up on fresh meat.

It started out as such a wonderful day. Bright azure sky, light breeze, and, best of all, we were traveling back into the mountains that formed one boundary of the 100,000+ acres of the Blaauwkrantz Safaris property.

On a recent Safari to South Africa’s Eastern Cape, I was introduced to a hunting technique reflecting an unusual skill of my Blaauwkrantz Safaris PH, Arnold Claassen.

“You had one job, just one job!” hissed Arnold. I suspect I looked a bit embarrassed, but apparently not enough for my young PH’s taste, because he followed his declaration with a disgusted shake of his head.