This morning, there is chill in the air. The smell of a smoke from the fire lingers, and the pre-dawn sky is that special clear pre-winter blue. This is all a sign of change in the season, the spiral towards winter is underway.

The excitement is ever present, how are we going to find that specific buffalo? Will the client have practiced enough to make a well place shot? Will we find the buff lying dead as we hoped, or will we end up in the situation where you don’t want to be? Putting your life in the way of furious hooked horn fang or claw.

After a successful scouting session in our concession on the Bubi River in southern Zimbabwe, it made me relies how much the South African wildlife ranches make a difference. They are proud of their land, they look after what they have. Their land is free of poacher’s snares and traps. They are well fortified from poachers and they have formed security forces that work together in their areas.

As the season moves towards winter, I find myself contemplating the hunting season ahead. The hunting industry has taken a dip I wonder about the hunts booked for the coming year. There are less hunters coming out however, the animal quotas still need to be reached. How will the trophy quality stand against the past? Will the old unkonka (Bushbuck) still venture out into the gaps in the think bush along the riverbed to thaw out the nights chill?

As you move through the almost impenetrable bush and the dew moves from the plants and grass into your clothes and you feel the chill in the air and the excitement mounts as you draw closer to the chance of taking a dream trophy, will this be your hunt?

So let the training keep on and make sure we are fit and ready to handle what needs to be done…

PH, Jono Joseph