“blue wildebeest”

You’ve probably heard that African dangerous game can absorb five hits from an Abrams tank and keep on charging. You’ve probably heard that kudu, eland, wildebeest and even impala are so tough from evading lions and leopards they’ll soak up bullets that would floor a North American brown bear. Nonsense.

On safari in South Africa, the author’s plan for plains game—to have no plan at all—couldn’t have worked better. The plan for Cape buffalo, well, that’s another story.

Neither a mountain rifle nor a heavyweight, it may be just right.

Not every trip ends with a trophy. That said, in order to lose against a leopard, Executive Editor Adam Heggenstaller had to hunt one. Read his story here.

Weighing as little as 10 pounds, southern Africa’s often overlooked miniature antelope species require just as much consideration over caliber as their larger plains-game counterparts.

In the early 1870s, famous hunter Frederick Courteney Selous—then in his early 20s—obtained permission from King Lobengula of the Matabele to hunt for ivory in the area west of the Gwai River, northward toward Victoria Falls. His legendary adventures are well documented in his 1881 book. American Hunter contributor Philip Massaro recently decided to follow in Selous' footsteps and craft his own African adventure.

A safari with his 11-year-old son offers a father a chance to reflect on a bond that makes any hunt special.