africa's bowhunter - february 2016

afric

a’s

Bowhunter

February 2016VOL 17 - ISSUE 2SOUTH AFRICAR34.00 [incl VAT]USA $6.50OTHER COUNTRIES R29.82 [Tax excl]

Bow testMathews Halon 6

Hunting etiquette Spot and stalk

Archery history

Products at theATA Show

Bowhunting nyala

2 AFRICA’S BOWHUNTER FEBRUARIE 2016

3FEBRUARY 2015 AFRICA’S BOWHUNTER


CONTENTS

5 Comment

7 From our readers

8 Bowhunting the nyala

14 Bronte – when a dream becomes reality

16 Spot and stalk – optimal use of hunting time

20 Nature stimuli act as recruitment bait

21 Box and birds – simple but effective

23 ATA: New, bright sights from Trophy Ridge

24 ATA: Browning debuted their crossbows

24 ATA: Stryker unveils the Katana 385

25 ATA: It's a... it's a... it's an Airbow!

26 Bow test – The Mathews Halon 6

28 3Di News

32 An archer looks back in time

37 Handige jagboekie

37 Beautiful leather quivers

38 ATA: The New Mathews Halon X ... and the Mathews Z3

39 ATA: BT–X: Bowtech boasts it new flagship

39 ATA: Bowtech Fantastic 2.0 for target archery

40 ATA: Hoyt Defiant Aluminum series

41 ATA: Hoyt Defiant Carbon Series

42 ATA: PSE shows its new PSE Carbon Air

43 ATA: What kind of a little bow is this?

44 Reader's trophies

46 These are the times of our lives...

49 Subscribe and win

52 Happy memories of bows

53 Traditional archery events

54 Bowhunting opportunities and classifieds

56 Hunting etiquette

Cover image: Nyala bullPhoto: www.123rf.com

AFRICA’S BOWHUNTERAfrica’s Bowhunter [ABH] is an independent monthly publication for the archer, bow hunter, game farm owner and nature lover. Copyright on all articles and material published in ABH resides with the publisher. No part of ABH may be copied or reproduced without permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, editorial committee or publishers. Submission of articles for publication is welcome, but although care is taken, the publisher can accept no responsibility for loss or damage to any material submitted.

Africa’s Bowhunter Magazine cc[CK/] 96/32848/23PO Box 31688Waverley, 0135South AfricaTel: 012 330 3464/1301 Fax: +27 86 615 7044E-mail: [email protected]: www.africasbowhunter.co.zaOffice address: 880A Crots Street, Rietfontein, Pretoria.

PUBLISHERRean SteenkampE-mail: [email protected]

EDITORRean SteenkampE-mail: [email protected]

HUNTING/ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORCleve CheneyCell: 082 922 5547E-mail: [email protected]

COPY EDITOREmmerentia Steyn

DESIGN AND LAYOUTRean SteenkampE-mail: [email protected]

REPRODUCTION & PRINTINGPaarl Media MidrandTelephone: 011 201 3460

DISTRIBUTIONRNA DistributionHazel LuüsTel: 011 248 3639

SUBSCRIPTIONSYolande SteenkampE-mail: [email protected]

ADVERTISEMENTSYolande SteenkampE-mail: [email protected]



CO

MM

ENT

Droogte in die bedryf?

Die Magaliesberg, waar ek woon, is groen na die onlangse goeie reën wat oor Pretoria uitgesak het. Dit is ’n plesier om in die berg te loop en al die veldblomme, voëls en ander diere waar te neem. Water bring altyd lewe.Ander dele van die land is egter nog kurkdroog. Fritz Rabé vertel my onlangs van die hoë temperature op die

wildplaas, die weidingskaarste en die skade wat die droogte aan die wild doen. Dié week het ek ook ’n brief van Dennis Henderson, een van Africa’s Bowhunter se lesers, ontvang. Dennis vertel hoe teleurgesteld hy was toe hy onlangs sy swaer se plaas besoek het. Hy skryf: “Ek het geen insekte gedurende die dag gesien nie en het ook bykans geen slangsleepsels gewaar in die paadjies waar ons gery het nie. Dit was so stil gedurende die dag dat my ore getuit het. Ek het toe besluit om die veld te voet aan te durf en het net op een miskruier afgekom waar hy besig was om ’n gat te grawe. Hy was halflyf in die gat en dood. Ek het net een koringkriek gesien, gewoonlik is daar baie. daar was nie miskruiers nie, nie oogpisters nie, nie sandkewers, duisendpote en goue wawielspinnekoppe nie, en ook nie toktokkies, baardskeerders of boomkoggelmanders nie! Net voor donker het ek weer ’n draai gestap om te sien of die insekte nie dalk in die nag rondbeweeg omdat dit bedags so warm was nie. Maar nee, die veld was net so verlate.” En só gaan Dennis voort. Dit is duidelik – die droogte doen baie skade en baie reën is bitter nodig. Ek besoek my neef in die hospitaal en loop daar ’n boervrou van Hartswater raak. Haar man is ook geopereer en lê langs my neef. Sy hoor ons praat oor die droogte en dat die boere dringend reën nodig het. Dit is klaar te laat vir ’n mielie-oes, sê sy. Baie tonne mielies sal ingevoer moet word. Dan vertel sy hoe droog dit in hul omgewing is... Dit is hartseer. Ons skud maar net ons kop. Wat kan ’n mens sê? Deesdae voel dit asof daar ook ’n droogte in die ekonomie is. Ondernemings sukkel om kop bo water te hou en selfs die boogbedryf is nie wat dit was nie. Boogtoerusting het baie duurder geword omdat die rand so sukkel en jagpryse het amper verdubbel. 'n Mens wonder wat gaan aan in die wêreld. Dit is kompleet asof daar ’n komplot teen ons gesmee word... Ek hoor die Rand gaan nóg verswak – miskien nog heelwat. Dan gaan dinge glo omswaai en beter word. Daar is tog lig in die tonnel. Die hele land bid vir reën en terwyl ek tik, hoor ek daar steek reënwolke op oor die Vrystaat. Dankie, Here, dink ek. Daar is altyd ’n uitkoms en daar is altyd nuwe planne wat ’n mens kan beraam. Ons moet ons voorberei vir die droogtes in die lewe. Hulle is maar altyd daar. In Laatlos, ons sustertydskrif, plaas ons baie berigte oor hoe om selfversorgend te word, minder afhanklik te wees en hoe om vir enige gebeurlikheid voor te berei. Dat die mens planne kan maak, nuwe dinge kan uitvind en nie uitgelewer is aan sy omstandighede nie, is wat die mens onderskei van die diere van die veld. Is ons nie die kroon van die skepping nie? Die mens aan die suidpunt van Afrika lewe in ’n harde land en ons is geharde mense. Hier pas ons nog altyd aan en maak planne om te oorleef. Ons buig net ons knieë voor die Here en nie uit wanhoop nie. Dit is duidelik dat daar weer baie nuwe en interessante boë en boogskiettoerusting by vanjaar se ATA Skou in Louisville in die VSA uitgestal was. Die sogenaamde "Airbow" het gewis aandag getrek en so ook die bekendstelling van die 2016-boogreekse van die verskillende boogvervaardigers. Lees gerus meer daaroor in dié uitgawe. Harry Marx het die Mathews Halon 6 getoets en is baie opgewonde oor dié boog en Cleve Chene skryf oor hoe om njalas te jag en oor 'n makliker manier om diere tevoet te jag. Ons hoop jy geniet die uitgawe en dat daar vir al Africa's Bowhunter se lesers 'n besonderse boogskiet- en jagjaar wag.

Groete

Rean SteenkampRedakteur



OUR ALL NEW

SEKELBOS CAMO

COMING SOON!


Puik diensEk het die afgelope jaar twee lang boë van ‘n boogmaker gebreek, wat nie vervang is nie. Ek het toe op die naam van Johan van der Merwe van Combretum boë gekom. Ek het op 19 November2015 my boog bestel. Op 30 November 2015 is my boog afgelewer, die trekkrag en spesifikasies presies reg – ‘n ongelooflike mooi boog. Aan sulke diens en vakmanskap is ek nie meer gewoond nie.Johan is werklik ‘n aanwins vir ons tradisionele ouens.

GroetePieter Fischer

Where can I buy a traditional bow?Hi, I have recently stumbled across the awesome site African Archer (www.africanarcher.com). Who can you recommend to make a tradi-tional bow I’m new to archery, but really am enjoying the traditional side? I’m based in Pretoria. Who can you recommend, who is reputable and still affordable.

RegardsTraditional enthusiast

Editor's reply – South Africa is lucky to have quite a few excellent bow-

yers, such as Derek Nourse, Johan van der Merwer, Pierre de Wet,

Johnny Snyman, Johan Smit, Henk du Plessis, Louwtjie Louwrens,

Anton de Witt and a few more. their contact information is as follows:

• PierredeWet (Cupid Bows) – [email protected] and 073

151 1992.

• JohnnySnyman (Heartwood Bows) – johnny@heartwoodbow-

sonline.com and 084 534 2863.

• JohanvanderMerwe (Combretum Bows) – 083 544 7042.

• DerekNourse(Norseman Bows) – [email protected] and 074

139 5598.

• Louwtjie Louw (Pumba Bows) – [email protected] and

072 529 5292.

• HenkduPlessis – [email protected] and 082 948 2428.

• AntondeWit – [email protected]

• JohanSmit– 079 874 7207

Calculations – think logicallyMany people are concerned with FOC (Front of centre) or kinetic ener-gy, but all that stuff doesn’t really matter because there’s no constant eg. FOC the shorter the arrow the higher the FOC, and with kinetics you gain one, you lose the other. I think the best example is to compare a 2 pound hammer against a 10 pound hammer. The 10 pound hammer is slower but it will do more damage so the best formula/setup on this penetration factor is the heaviest arrow you can get at a minimum speed of 250 fps. That setup is the best, it will basically penetrate any-thing your poundage can allow. Penetration will be more depending on

your broad head, so come on people stop worrying about that technical jargon.

Edrich Dry

Seën ons grond met reën...Dis weer die tyd van die jaar waneer ons ‘n seën uitroep oor die jaar wat voorlê. Voorspoed vir die nuwe jaar, wil ek sê, maar die stof van die droogte verstik my so dat geen woord sy pad uit my mond vind nie. Tog wil ek die seën uitspreek, maar my woorde ekko ‘n hol geklank van wanhoop in my mond: “Seën ons Here1” roep my gees nou hardop uit, “Seën ons grond met reën”, val my woorde op die dorre grond. In hierdie mal gevoel om sin te maak, soek ek rond na antwoorde in my waarom boek, maar helaas na elke liewe poging val die plek weer toe. “Waarom Here, waarom?” vra ek weer maar hierdie keer geen antwoord meer...“Is hierdie die laaste rondte?” wil ek duislig weet, want ek kan nie meer hou nie – dié angs en sweet. “Keer my Here, keer my val van donker hel en in die verte hoor ek iemand tel...” Manne my moed is min, maar steeds bly ek bid dat waneer hierdie dag verby is daar iets sal bly waar my God my kan kom kry om te maak met my...Laat hierdie 2016 ‘n jaar wees dat nou dat ons weet, ons sal maak...

GroeteWildebees

The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Africa’s Bowhunter. Send your letters to [email protected], Twitter @bowhuntermagsa or PO Box 31688, Waverley, 0135, South Africa.

From our readers

How to use QR CodesIt is pretty easy –but you have to have the right tools. To use QR

codes conveniently you must have a smartphone equipped with a camera and a QR code reader/scanner application feature. Luckily, the newer smartphones models available today often have an app pre-installed on them. If your phone does not have one of these applications, it is quick push to fix. All you have to do is visit your phone’s app store (examples include the Android Market, Apple App Store, BlackBerry App World, etc.) and download a QR code reader/scanner app.When you have the application on your phone you have to do as foloows: Open the app you’ve downloaded or that it came with. Do your best to steady your hand while the QR code is centered on the screen. As soon as it is done scanning, whatever information, vid-eos, webpage URL’s, etc. were stored in the QR code should present itself for you to view.


This forest dweller is one of the most beautiful of all African antelope, especially the bulls, and must definitely rank very highly on the list of a bowhunter’s desirable trophies. The nyala belongs to the taxonomic tribe of Tragelaphini, of which the kudu, sitatunga and bushbuck are further examples. The common name is derived from the Zulu name for this antelope – inxala. An interesting fact about nyala is that they are the dividing line between bulls and rams, and cows and ewes. Nyala adult males are referred to as bulls. The adult males of any antelope spe-cies smaller than nyala bulls are then referred to as rams. Nyala adult females are referred to as ewes. The adult females of any antelope species larger than nyala are referred to as cows.

Nyala are medium to large antelope. Bulls weigh on aver-age about 108 kg (238 pounds) and ewes considerably less at about 62 kg (136 pounds). Bulls stand on aver-

age 112 cm (44 inches) tall at the shoulder and ewes at 97 cm (38 inches). Bulls have a slender build and resemble an oversized bush-buck (Figure 1). The ears are large and conspicuous. The general colour is dark, slatey brown, with a purplish tinge and some red-dishness on the forehead and around the eyes. The upper and lower lips and the chin are white. There is a distinct white chevron between the eyes and two or three white spots on the cheeks. The sides of the body are marked with

between 8 and 14 white stripes with a few white spots on the thighs. Bulls have a conspicuous crest of long hairs from the occiput to the root of the tail, brown on the neck and white along the back. The underside of the neck has a very long mane of black hairs, continued along the underparts, with a white, crescent-like patch on the lower neck. The buttocks and upper part of the hind legs are fringed with very long black hairs. The lower legs are a striking orange chestnut colour, which contrasts starkly with the dark coat. This is diagnostic of the males of this species. The tail is very bushy, dark brown, with white underparts. The horns are well developed with a single open curve, dark brown or black with ivory-coloured tips. Truly nyala bulls are strikingly beauti-ful animals. Ewes are very different and much smaller. They lack horns, and the general body colour is a much lighter, bright chest-nut, with the white lateral stripes numerous and very conspicu-ous. They do not have a white chevron between the eyes. They have a short, dark crest from shoulder to rump, but no mane on the underside. They are also beautiful animals (Figure 2).

COST TO HUNTMost websites advertise nyala hunting prices in US dollars. Prices range from $1 600 (R20 800+) to as much as $3 750 (R48 750+).

BIOLOGYPreferred habitatNyala frequent riverine and other types of forest habitat, flood plains, dense bush and savannah veld. They never move far from

Bowhunting the nyalaBy Cleve Cheney


water (Figure 3).

Behaviour and habitsNyala are generally found in small groups, sometimes consist-ing only of females and young and sometimes with one or more bulls. Bulls are often solitary, but may also form small bachelor herds. They are predominantly nocturnal, emerging from dense bush or forest to feed in more open areas in the late evening and returning to cover at first light. They might be diurnal (active during the day) if they are they are undisturbed. Nyala are not territorial and occupy overlapping home ranges. There is a domi-nance hierarchy between bulls occurring in the same area. Bulls have a complex repertoire of advertising displays including dig-ging up soft ground or thrashing vegetation with their horns; also face and horn wiping on vegetation or carrying out an impressive, eye-catching dominance display when he makes full use of his striking colours (Figure 5). The bull exaggerates his size by flar-ing and fully erecting his dorsal crest, underside hairs and tail while strutting stiffly on his orange legs (Figure 6). Rival males might occasionally clash with serious fights sometimes resulting in injuries.

Nyala rest up in dense cover during the hot hours of the day. They are generally shy and cautious by nature, and like remaining hid-den rather than coming out in the open. Most sightings of the nyala in the wild are in clearings around waterholes.

Nyala give a deep bark when alarmed, similar to that of kudu and bushbuck. Calves bleat when separated from their mothers, which answer with a throaty clicking noise that they also give when on heat.

Feeding and drinkingNyala frequent open areas to feed, but are never far from dense bush cover, to which they will immediately take flight should they be disturbed.

Nyala are primarily browsers (Figure 7), but are very partial to new grass sprouting after rains or a bush fire. They strip bark from trees or eat bark stripped off by elephant, and also utilize wild fruit and flowers. Some of the most common food plants utilized by nyala include Acacia xanthophloea (fever tree), Spirostachus africana (tamboti), Ziziphus mucronata (buffalo thorn), Salvadora persica (mustard tree), Strychnos spp. (“klap-perboom”) and Adansonia digitata (baobab). One of the grass species to which nyala are partial is Setaria megaphylla (chevalie-ri) (broad-leaved bristle grass). Although nyala will drink daily in areas where water is available (Figure 8) they can occur in areas where water availability is seasonal.

Nyala feed mainly in the early morning and the late afternoon, but will also feed at night during the wet (rainy) season.

ReproductionNyala reproduce throughout the year, but there appears to be two peaks of lambing – the smaller one during May and the main one from August to December. Females reach sexual maturity at 11 to

Figure 2: Nyala ewe.

Figure 3 Typical habitat.

Figure 4: Nyala horning the ground.


12 months of age and males at 18 months (though they are socially immature until five years old). The gestation period is 220 days. A single lamb is born weighing approximately 5 kg (11 pounds). The ewes usually lamb in dense thickets and eat the afterbirth. The lamb remains hidden for up to 18 days after birth with the mother returning at regular intervals to feed and clean it.

Predation and diseaseNyala are preyed upon mainly by leopard, lion and wild dog. They are host to a variety of parasites including intestinal worms and blood parasites. As this species is very prone to capture myo-pathy, chasing them during game capture operations can result in high mortalities.

HUNTING NYALA

MethodsTree stands, ground blinds and walk-and-stalk techniques can all work with nyala especially in riverine habitat where one can find large trees for a tree stand or platform.

Available light in the type of habitat frequented by nyala can be rather gloomy, especially early morning and late afternoon, and requires that you use sights that have high visibility or that are illuminated.

Nyala bulls are not as vigilant as other antelope, especially when walking in areas of dense cover, and can be stalked relatively eas-ily on foot making good use of camouflage, available cover and scent management. When out in the open they are more wary and will run for cover the moment they become suspicious. The best time to hunt them is in the first few hours after sunrise and again late afternoon to early evening.

Nyala signTypical habitatStart looking in areas that nyala are likely to be found, especially riverine bush.

Tracks and scatsLook for tracks and scats along riverine habitat where there is often exposed soil which will register spoor well. Both the tracks and spoor of nyala are similar to that of bushbuck and could occur in the same area. The tracks of nyala bulls are, however, larger than those of the bushbuck. The dimensions of tracks of bulls are 60 mm long (front hooves), 53 mm (rear) and in females 40 mm (front), 37 mm (rear) (Figure 9). Scat pellets are about 12 to 14 mm long on average (Figure 10).

HorningIn areas of soft soil or mud, particularly next to water, you might find signs of animals that have been horning the ground (Figure 4). Nyala spoor will confirm if it is this species and not another, like bushbuck.

Bark stripping and horn thrashing

Figure 7: Nyala bull browsing

Figure 8: Nyala bulls drinking

Figure 5: Bulls displaying.

Figure 6: Display behaviour.

africa's bowhunter - february 2016

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