Man Magnum May/June 2025

THE discussion of hunting ethics can very quickly turn into a quagmire and ruin friendships as there are as many opinions as there are people. I grew up in an environment where it was frowned upon if you brought a dog on a hunt as the hunter was supposed to get the biltong using his own skills. In contrast, while spending time in Denmark, I learned that it is illegal to hunt without a dog in this country. No matter what you hunt, a dog must be present to retrieve game. This means that many hunters in Denmark own fairly well-trained dogs and is in fact what motivated me to get my first hunting dog, and what a pleasure that turned out to be. Locally, many hunters shoot from a…

Hard-earned Stripes Dit was met groot belangstelling dat ek Robin Barkes se artikel “Hard-earned Stripes” in die Magnum van Maart/April 2025 gelees het. Ek het vir John Wambach goed geken, en die foto’s van die ruwe Khomas Hochland terrein en die “Swemgat” is by my op die plaas Hornkranz-Suid geneem, wel heelwat jare voor ek die plek besit het. Ek het die grond in 2009 via die destydse Republikeinse Party politikus, Oom Stefaans Malan, bekom en daardie ruwe stuk aarde leer liefkry en waardeer, nes John dit vroeër gedoen het. Ek was bevoorreg om so vyf jaar gelede, kort voor sy dood, juis saam met John en sy oudste seun, as deel van ’n groep pa-en-seuns op ’n drie-dae avontuur staptog, die Gaubrivier-gedeelte van my plaas te deurkruis. Daar het…

We are looking for new articles to publish in Magnum and encourage you to consider writing something for us of your hunting, wingshooting, or similar, firearm experiences. We like our articles to have something different; a special or funny experience, odd animal behavior, an important milestone, a lesson learned, an element of intrigue…whatever applies. We aim to be as informative as possible while at the same time providing an entertaining read. Before you start writing, please contact us to receive a free copy of Magnum’s Writers’ Guidelines and to bounce your article ideas off us. Email Gail Osborne at gosborne@manmagnum.co.za for a copy of our Writers’ Guidelines and to check on your article ideas.…

I WAS hunting by invitation on a ranch where an American client, Clayton and his wife Sue were present. We hunted separately, but all dined together with the rancher. One evening, we were having sundowners around the fire when Clayton said, “I notice that my tracker wears what looks like the horn of a tiny antelope on a thong around his neck. Would that be a lucky charm or some kind of juju protection thing?” “No,” smiled the rancher, “It’s what he carries his snuff in. It holds a day’s supply. The local herbalist doctors also use various antelope horns to contain different kinds of muthi – traditional medicines – horns impress their patients more than glass or plastic bottles. I’ve even seen a tobacco pipe made out of a…

THE ATA 9 is a Beretta PX4 clone which is such a close copy that it’s hard to distinguish between the original and the Turkish-made gun. ATA ARMS celebrates 70 years in the firearms industry this year. The company is well-known worldwide for their shot-guns which have been available locally for some years – see the article on the ATA SP shotgun in the July/August 2024 Magnum. The company also produces rifles and pistols, both now for sale on the local market. The founder of the company, Celal Yollu, produced his first firearm, a single-barrel shotgun, when he was just 15 years old. The first bolt-action rifle ever produced in Turkey also came from ATA in 2015. The ATA 9 is a single-action/double-action pistol with a polymer frame and an…

AS THE days slowly become warmer in the UK, and the time to be up for a morning stalk gets ever earlier, my mind, unlike those of most UK stalkers, transfers from thinking about the approaching summer and the impending roe rut, to that of hunting in Southern Africa – to be honest, there is no better place to be! The best time to hunt in South Africa is in the winter months from May through August, and I personally like to be there from mid-June through July, as sometimes May can still be too warm, too wet with the grass and bush tall, thick and unforgiving. I try to go annually, and last year, I managed to spend a few weeks in the Limpopo region of South Africa, an…