The African Hunter Magazine Volume 19 # 3 | Page 3

In This Issue Relative Trauma Potential Comparing Cartridges Part II.......... 37 This n That The Use of Drones in Conservation................................. 32 ON THIS COVER Volume 19 No 3 - 2014 Nkopera Issue Hunter's Gallery Various Hunters and their Trophies.................................... 34 Notes From the Bush Encounter with a Chameleon............ 36 Photo: Dave Christensen BALLISTICS Book Review Thrashed............................................ 39 The Spirit of Nehanda....................... 42 REGULAR COLUMNS From The Editor....................... 5 On Target................................... 7 The Art Of Gareth Hook.........................................9 Shooting Skills Range-Finding the Old Fashioned Way............................. 11 Who can’t remember Robert Ruark or Ernest Hemingway or one of their myriad characters shooting a “Tommy”, as the Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsoni) is oft called, for the pot or for leopard bait? The small antelope is iconic of East Africa, especially within the Serengeti/Mara ecosystem where Kenya and Tanzania converge, and despite its very limited geographic range, it remains to this day one of Africa’s most abundant gazelles. “Nkopera” is its Masai name. A northern subspecies, the Mongalla gazelle (E t albonotata) ekes out an existence in Sudan and Ethiopia, on the Boma plateau and in the Jonglei canal area. It’s present numbers are unknown. The Thomson’s gazelle grazes on short grass, and is therefore symbiotic with species like the wildebeest in the Serengeti, and interestingly, the recent decline in Thomson’s gazelle numbers inside the Ngorongoro Crater is believed to be a consequence of the removal of herds of Masai cattle which left abundant short grass for the Tommy to feed on. A gregarious animal, the Thomson’s gazelle occurs in semi-fluid herds of around sixty animals, presided over by an elder ewe and accompanied by a ram; during the peak rut, the rams will fight vigorously to defend their territories but during other times countless herds intermingle into numbers of a thousand animals or more. A single offspring is produced usually in January or February after the rains and following a gestation period of some 188 days. The Thomson’s gazelle is huntable in Tanzania and Ethiopia. Memories of The Past Hunting Somalia - As it was - Part I..................................... 40 AFRICAN PERSPECTIVES The Mr X Files The Way Things Are................................ I Rifles and Ammo A .416 Scout Rifle................................ 13 Rangecraft CHASA, CHAASSA of Whatever - Let the Games Begin.................................. 16 Fact File Mushroom Hunting in Zimbabwe..... 27 Around The Campfire Digiscoping with the Leica Apo-Televid............................. 28 Cal on Doubles By Cal Pappas........................................IV The Way Things Were The Legend of Count Zsigmond Széchenyi (1898-1967).........................VI Book Review Hunter's Guide to Classic African Cartridges................................VII The African Hunter is published six times per annum by Mag-Set Publications in association with African Sporting Publications South Africa D E PA R T M E N T S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Anthony M. Williams EDITOR - I. J. Larivers. USA PUBLISHING CONSULTANT - Bill Quimby. WEST AFRICA FIELD EDITOR - Cam Greig PROFESSIONAL AFRICAN ADVISORS - Andy Hunter, Phil Oosthuysen, Charl Grobbelaar, Dirk De Bod, Pieter Bothma. TECHNICAL ADVISORS - Saeed AlMaktoum, Charlie Haley (Forensic Ballistics), Ganyana (Ecologist), Cal Pappas (Double Rifles), Dr. Don Heath (Norma). FIELD EDITOR AT LARGE - Edd Woslum (Big Game Rifle Manufacturer). ZIMBABWE SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES - Jacqui. ADVERTISING - Kylee Rees Mag-Set Publications (Pvt) Ltd. P O Box 6204, Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa, Telephone/Fax (+263 - 4) 572786 / 7 E-mail: [email protected]. SOUTH AFRICA ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION ENQUIRIES - Mickey African Sporting Publications - P.O. Box 10447, Aston Manor, 1630 RSA. Fax: [phone], Fax to e-mail: ([phone], Cell: ([phone]. E-mail: adhunt@mweb. co.za. NAMIBIA ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION ENQUIRIES - Carlin P.O. Box 90360, Klein Windhoek, Namibia. Tel/Fax: [phone]. Cell: ([phone]. E-mail: [email protected]. EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS - I J Larivers Mag-Set Publications (Pvt) Ltd. P O Box 6204, Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa Telephone/Fax (+263 - 4) 572786 / 7 E-mail: [email protected] “COPYRIGHT. Copyright of all material is expressly reserved and nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without the express permission of the publishers. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions, errors, or their consequences. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers, their distributors or representatives, the editor or the represented body. GENERAL. The editor welcomes contributions submitted for publication in the African Hunter. All work submitted is considered to be done so on a voluntary basis without expectation of financial compensation. Contributors maintain ownership of their work and may publish it elsewhere. By submitting material for publication, authorisation is given to edit for content, clarity or brevity. By submitting copyright