Cold African Hunting

Ron Spomer Outdoors South Africa Hunting

Forget images of fatigued hunters sweating through the jungle heat on African safaris. Here in South Africa PH Andrew Pringle of Crusader Safaris and I are stalking kudu and eland through frosted grass, shivering under three layers of clothing and wishing we had more. This is not unusual. I've thrown snowballs in the Stormbergs of South Africa in July and scraped frost from windshield's way up in Zimbabwe in June. July is the dead of winter south of the equator, and the lower reaches of South Africa lie as far south of middle Earth as Dallas lies north of it. You know how cold Dallas can be in January? Ditto for SA, especially when a cold front blows in on a south wind off the southern Atlantic. At 3,500 feet up in the Winterberg Range, it's cold. When you're planning your southern Africa safari, bring those traditional light cotton shirts and pants, but add an outfit of wool or polyester fleece with an insulated jacket plus Gore-Tex pants and jacket to shed rain and wind. A wool or polyester base layer is a good idea, too, as are insulated, waterproof boots, gloves and head gear. This is hunting, and like any hunting, you might find yourself pinned to a windy ridge by alert game for hours. Be prepared. # # #