It was time for a break. We'd been hunting South African plains game for the past two weeks and I was ready to do something else. I wanted to go bird hunting. The population of francolin grouse, dove, quail, and guinea fowl that could be found on Rocco Gioia's Casketts Ranch kept reminding me that I was missing out on something.

"How about it, Rocco?" I said, one evening. "Want to go with me?"

Rocco Gioia shook his head. He had business in nearby Hoedspruit, but the manager of the lodge, Chris Steyn, was free and he said he would go. He also offered me the use of his shotgun, an elegant Spanish-made double.

"We'll go out in the afternoon," Chris said. "Of course, you'll have to kick them up yourself."

Prophetic words. I leaned back in my lawn chair and watched the flames of the evening braai. This was my third African safari and the first time I would be able to do some bird hunting. The only previous shot I had taken at any African game bird had been with my bow using an arrow tipped with a judo point. I missed.

Southern African bird hunting doesn't have the long, distinguished history with foreign hunters that big-game hunting does. After all, why should anyone spend thousands of dollars on an African safari to shoot birds? That does not infer that foreign hunters haven't hunted birds because they have. Most bird hunts on safari, however, were impromptu events organized that day, or at best the day before, and usually the hunter has borrowed the professional hunter's shotgun. After my hunt I realized I had made a mistake on each of my previous trips to Africa because I hadn't taken a shotgun.

Stalking Birds

The next day I ambled over to the lodge for a late breakfast, and when Chris returned from his morning anti-poaching tour of the ranch, he said he'd seen quite a few grouse and guinea fowl.

"We'll go out about midafternoon," Chris said, "and try to sneak up a few guinea first."

No one sneaks up on a guinea fowl. I didn't know that at the time, which almost worked in my favor. Before leaving the lodge Chris gave me a handful of No. 5 shot shells and his shotgun. We drove a few kilometers into the ranch bush to avoid hunting close to the lodge. After parking the Toyota we started walking. Once in the bush Chris said, "if we cross paths with a leopard wait until he is really close before you shoot or all you'll do is make him mad."

"Thanks," I said.

We continued walking and worked our way into the dry river bottom. We followed the sand for a hundred yards, then went back into the bush. Chris was working his way to one of the larger water holes. The shoreline is a gentle grass-covered savanna that is favored by large flocks of guinea fowl. When we were close enough to see the waterhole Chris stopped and pointed. Several dozen unconcerned guinea fowl were feeding and graveling along the bank. I eased closer to Chris. He whispered instructions.

"We'll work our way along the edge of the dam, then you can sneak through the bush to the edge and when you are ready jump out and flush 'em for a shot."

Easily said, but not easily accomplished. I was surprised to be feeling the same rush I felt when stalking big game. But, these were birds, not serious African trophies. My heart was pounding and I could feel the tick in my back muscles that I get whenever a stalk is about to end. Slowly, we worked our way along the edge of the open by keeping well back in the bush. When we started to creep closer to the birds for a shot they became nervous and edged away.

"Hurry," Chris said.

I decided to get just a little closer and dropped down on my hands and knees to sneak through the last few yards of bush and grass. I couldn't see the birds, but I raised the gun to a ready position, took a deep breath, and stood up to take my shot at the startled guinea fowl. Except there weren't any birds. They had scooted to safety at the far end of the waterhole. When I jumped out the birds flushed and flew into the bush. I turned around and looked at Chris. He was smiling.

"Sort of tough to sneak up on aren't they?"

"Yeah."

We decided to try for francolin grouse.

Footrace with a Bird

Africa's francolin grouse are fairly common throughout their range and there are a dozen different species of the birds. All the grouse have been popular game birds with both foreign and local hunters for generations. Francolins are sporty once flushed, but they would rather run than fly.

After the guinea fowl fiasco I followed Chris into the bushy areas looking for francolins. We hadn't walked very far before we saw the first pair running in front of us through the short grass. Chris stopped and told me to, "go get 'em."

I tried. First I tried walking behind the birds, keeping about ten yards back. They ran into some thick thorn brush. I kicked the brush and three birds burst from the thorn bush and I whipped the shotgun up and shot, scoring a clean miss.

Chris suggested that on the next group we see I rush them and force them to flush before they can sneak into thick brush. It was a noble plan. As we walked along the top of an embankment we heard what sounded like several grouse in a thick groundcover bush on the edge of a small dirt cliff. I readied the shotgun and walked toward the bush as two francolins exploded from it. One flew toward Chris and the second one took off straight away and in the open. I brought the shotgun up, pointed, and fired. Feathers flew from the bird and it tumbled to the ground, got up, and started running. I fired a second shot to anchor it. Once again feathers flew and I was sure that bird was in the bag. Twenty minutes later we gave up trying to find it. The bird had run into one of the thick stands of thorn brush and disappeared.

"Another lesson," Chris said as we walked along the game trail. "Always watch a francolin grouse fall and make double sure it is dead."

"Right," I said.

The next birds we spotted were running toward some thicker brush and I took Chris's advice, worked my way around to where I could shoot in just about any direction, and walked toward the birds until they began to run, then I rushed them and two birds flushed. This time I dropped the bird cleanly but I didn't take any chances and followed its drop to the ground. When it made a satisfying bounce and laid still I walked directly to it and picked the bird up. Chris was standing behind me and I handed it to him.

"One more," I said. I wanted two birds for the stew pot. We started walking again and a perfect flush of two birds from underfoot startled us both. Once again Chris's double came up smoothly and I dropped one of the pair. Our stew pot was full, and I was happy. My first African bird hunt was a success.

The Lady Wants to Hunt

I wasn't the only hunter who wanted to spend some time hunting birds. Carolee Boyles-Sprenkel, one of the country's best known women outdoor writers, joined us at the ranch the next day and when she heard Chris and I talking about the bird hunting she asked if she could try it. Although she has done very little bird hunting, concentrating most of her attention on big-game hunting, she picked up the basics quickly and Chris again took his Spanish shotgun out of the gun case.

Unfortunately Carolee had overheard Chris and I talking about our frustrated guinea fowl hunt. When we tried to talk her into humiliating herself she wouldn't buy it, insisting she just wanted to hunt francolins. Chris and I took her back to the same area I had hunted. A few minutes after we left the Toyota she was doing the francolin two step. First you walk toward the birds, trying to herd them toward an open area to flush them, and when they start to run you rush frantically to get the birds to flush for a sporting shot. It doesn't always work. When it does the hunter seldom gets more than one shot because the birds fly into the brush and disappear.

Carolee's first attempt was humorous when the birds refused to flush as she rushed them. Instead, they led her in a circle before they finally found some thick acacia to disappear into. The second group she herded like a pro, then rushed in. These birds flushed straight away and she dropped her first grouse. A few minutes later she rushed a second pair that flushed into the brush but Carolee made an excellent going-away shot for her second bird.

When her hunt was over she told Chris the two francolins were her first grouse ever. Most hunters who come to Africa are usually veterans bird hunters, but they never stop to think about African bird hunting opportunities because they are concentrating on the big game. Once in Africa's bush, however, they see covey after covey of the chicken-like brown birds running in front of them and they start to get bird fever. Throw in a few dozen large, loud guinea fowl and the bird fever is hard to resist.

"I have no idea how many hunting clients have taken my shotgun out for an afternoon of grouse hunting," Chris told us after our short bird hunts. "More hunters should plan for bird hunting."

Rocco offers bird hunting on his ranch and is planning a new sporting clays course to attract more bird hunters.

"When we have a client who wants to bird hunt with dogs and a guide, we will arrange it," Rocco said. "Most of the big-game clients just want an afternoon of bird hunting."

On my last trip to Africa I met two hunters who were talking excitedly about the dove hunting they were planning. The two hunters told me they had hunted Africa first for big game, and were returning to hunt birds.

Opportunities Abound

South Africa has a lot of bird hunting opportunities, from ground nesting francolins, to guinea fowl, to quail and a cornucopia of dove species. Big-game operators like Rocco can arrange a full-course bird hunt for a client, to include hunts at different lodges for a variety of species. Hunts can be the fast-action pass shooting of birds coming into a water hole, or a driven hunt, which is a popular method for hunting guinea fowl. Hunting over dogs is also popular for grouse and quail.

Africa's sheer volume of bird life guarantees a variety of hunts in varying habitats and conditions, for different species. Growing numbers of hunters are booking one- and two-week bird hunts through U.S. safari agents to hunt with operators like Rocco. Whenever a hunt is booked, however, arrangements must be made with the professional hunter or outfitter to purchase shotgun ammunition on their license unless the foreign hunter wants to drag a case or more of ammunition along and pay the excess baggage fees. Hunters who are particular about what shotgun ammo they shoot should check with the airlines before they pack for their trip to find out how much extra ammo they can take, how much it will cost, and what restrictions the airlines have about how it packed.

Whether you bring your own ammunition, or purchase it through your professional hunter once in Africa, an African bird hunting trip is guaranteed to be one of the most exciting hunts you can take. Combine it with a big-game safari, or make it part of a family vacation that includes a tour of Kruger Park and the region's other historic sights. Just don't leave the shotgun at home. There's too much African bird hunting to pass up.

For more information on bird hunting in Africa write: Roc Safari, P.O. Box 693, Hoedspruit, South Africa. Phone 01127-1528- 32439 or fax 01127-1528-31462. Or in the states contact B&B Adventures, P.O. Box 808, Canon City, C0 81215. Phone 719-269-1434, fax 719-269-1733, e-mail 73737,2466.