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Dear Fellow Bowhunter,
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year and a great 2007.
This is the time of year, when Southern Africa tilts to the
Coast with a mass migration to escape the heat inland and the population
increases at the coastal towns by 4 times and more.
I can just see it; the cars are bumper to bumper, fishing
rods lining the beach hoping for a bite and the sound of quad bikes racing
through the dunes.
Lucky for me, we decided to have a peaceful Christmas back
at Vieranas with our African Christmas tree (Thorn bush with tinsel) and some
of the family, sitting in the Fish Dam with a couple of Tafel beers.
On Christmas Day it will be Turkey with all the trimmings,
Amelia has been trying to change me all these years, but it has not worked,
yet.
I would like to thank a few people for their help this year
in a number of ways.
-First and foremost to Amelia for all the great meals and
helping me organise the hunts through the last year, I do not know what I would
do without you.
-Johann Louw, for his friendship and help with the NAPHA Bowhunting
Guides Courses.
-Carlin, Barbara and Almut of the Napha office
-Jean Wallace with proof reading my articles and
Newsletters.
-Roger Burnham, for his help with fighting a bush fire
during his hunt, dressed in camo,
Oh what a night!!
-Roy and Gavin from Opportuniti for the brochures, folders,
business cards and banner, guys it looks great.
VIERANAS SAFARIS- Shot and Recovery
distance for 2006 bowhunt season:
Shortest recovery = 0 yards – spine shot
Longest = 198 yards
Average = 78 yards
Shortest shot distance = 14 yards
Longest shot = 25 yards
Average shot = 20 yards
…2
This is shorter Newsletter than normal as
Amelia and I are getting ready to go to the US in January, we have been working
flat out since the last hunt in November, preparing for the show, brochures,
banner, price lists and then all other odds and ends that needed to be sorted
out before we leave, the last minute rush.
The full Newsletter will be in March, once everything has
returned to normal and we are back in Namibia, I will report on our trip. I am
really looking forward to visiting the Archery Trade Association trade show in
Atlanta, to see the new products on the market and the like.
Vieranas Safaris is a member of
Dallas Safari Club
Visit the
Vieranas Safaris booth at the Dallas Convention
11 – 14 January
2007 - Booth 1106
-A True First Time Bowhunter
I am dedicating this story to a new friend and a dedicated
bowhunter of note.
This story is for those of you that might feel that you do
not have enough bowhunting experience to bowhunt Africa.
Tyler comes Nevada, he started shooting earlier this year,
so he was a “true rooky” as he had not shot a single thing with the bow, sorry
I lie he did hit the wall a couple of times back in the US while practising.
Tyler hunted with me back in November, he was the last
hunter of the season for me, he had told me that he was a real novice and I
told him not to worry.
He had bought his Hoyt via e-bay on the internet and put a
custom grip on, as he used to do a lot of pistol shooting in his time. The Hoyt
fitted him like a glove.
At the shooting range we had to make a couple of small
changes to his bow due to a couple of the screws coming loose and we turned the
limb bolts a couple of turns in.
After the changes were made and a good nights rest, Tyler
was shooting like a Pro hitting the squash, so much so he went through a number
of them and I only had a couple left at the end of the hunt. I decided to get
out my 3 – D target “Bambi”, just to reassure Tyler where to aim and also for
the angled shots.
3…
What I appreciated with Tyler was that he learned and
absorbed all the tips and ideas. So in away I was the Teacher and he was the
student, as he put it and plus he was not afraid to ask questions.
Tyler also appreciated the patience that you require when
bowhunting.
After the first day, we had seen some OK Kudu Bulls and
couple of good shooters, but no shots. Those of you that have hunted with me
know that the “Perfect Shot” book sits on the bar and we have a look at it in
the evenings.
After having shot a really old male Baboon and a + 50 inch
Kudu Bull ( perfect double lung shot), we tried some stalks and ambushes
because having the rain in October, it
made the blinds a bit slower than they had been in for most of the season.
On the second to last day, we were walking towards one of
the kopjes and saw some Rock Hyrax or Dassies as they known in these parts,
bathing in the sun. I told Tyler that no one had ever shot one here and he
would be the first with the bow as they are sly little critters and moves
extremely fast over the granite boulders.
I also told him that there was a thread earlier in the year
on Bowsite about Hyrax and it seemed that everyone had landed up shooting them
the rifle, normally with a .22.
So the seed had been sown…
Nearly every kopje on our property has a big population of
dassies.
As Tyler, Piet (tracker) and I walked closer to the kopje
the Dassies started hiding in the crevasses in the rocks.
By the time we were both at the foot of the kopje, they had
all disappeared from sight, I suggested that we should stand quietly on top of
the kopje and see if they will come back out. The 3 of us climbed up the kopje
and the waiting game started.
We waited on the one side and after about 15 minutes had no
results, however we did spot some Kudu Bulls a short distance away. We slowly
walked over to the other side and waited, I knew it would just be a question of
time, so we stood very still. Tyler said he saw one in between 2 Mopane, Piet
and I looked and looked and looked, unfortunately saw nothing and thought Tyler
might be pulling my leg.
Then out of the corner of Tyler’s eye, he spotted a Hyrax
lying on the rocks. I ranged it for him, it was 17 yards and I reminded him of
the angel and that the distance was only about 14 yards. He drew the bow and
when ready, released the arrow.
Arrow hit the Dassie and they both disappeared between the
rocks. When we arrived at the spot where the Dassie had been lying, all we
could see was the fletching and a part of the Dassie as it had slid down
between the rocks, the two of us were still contemplating how to retrieve his
trophy as there was no way either Tyler or myself would be able to fit through
that small hole .
Minutes later Tyler and I saw two hands coming out of the
hole in the rocks, in one hand an arrow and in the other the Dassie. While the
two of us were discussing how to get into the hole, trusty old Piet did find
somewhere to wiggle his body through and got hold of the arrow and the Dassie.
There were pats on the back all round, for Tyler being the
first to shoot a Dassie and for Piet with the recovery of the Arrow and the
Dassie.
4…
Tyler had a great hunt and experience, for me it brought
back memories of some of my first hunts when we came to the farm 10 years ago.
So it just goes to show that if you practise, listen and
learn, you do not need to have years of Bowhunting experience to hunt Africa,
just patience and self control and, it will all come together.
-VIERANAS
SAFARIS is going to the USA in January 2007
We will be in the US from the 08 - 28 January 2007.
We have a booth at the Dallas
Safari Club "Legend" Convention
11 - 14 January Booth # 1106.
Hotel: Renaissance Dallas Hotel, Telephone number:
214-631-2222
From there, we will be visiting the Archery Trade Association - Trade Show in Atlanta, 18 - 20
January at the World Congress Centre.
While in Atlanta we are staying at the Super 8 Motel,
Telephone number: 404-524-7000
And lastly we will be in Reno visiting the SCI show 23 - 27
January.
While in Reno, we are staying at the Cirus Cirus Hotel & Casino, Reno.
Telephone number: 877- 213-7709
If you would like to meet up with us to have a coffee,
lunch, dinner or just to say hi, please feel free to contact us.
My Mobile phone number +264 81 124 9324 or just send a
short email as we will be downloading daily.
Once again I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year.
Let your arrows fly true.
All the best
Roger Coomber