The tracks we drove and the paths we walked were ones that had been used for eons – and likely the very same ones used by one of the most iconic hunters of all time, Karamojo Bell.
I was in Karamoja, north eastern Uganda, to hunt with a very special rifle. I was using a magazine rifle built to Bell’s own specification, manufactured by John Rigby & Co. in London, the gunmaker that had made his rifle, too. And, to stay true to his way of hunting, I’d be using open sights in the configuration he specified when ordering his .275 Rigby at the turn of the previous century. Every now and then, while we stalked the shrubby undergrowth, easing our way closer to game, I’d feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Had Bell used this tree to lean against, or rest under 120 years ago? Was this animal a descendent of one that he had hunted? The one big difference in the PiaNupe Wildlife Reserve more than century after Bell had pursued elephant here was the lack of these majestic beasts, but the long-term ambition is to return the world’s largest land mammal to their traditional stomping grounds of Uganda in the future.
Karamojo Bell, or William Dalrymple Maitland Bell, is a name that should resonate with modern-day hunters. “He was a gentleman, a seriously selective hunter,” Robin Hurt, himself a PH and renowned hunter, told me, as we talked in camp one evening. Robin and his son Roger had come to the reserve at the invitation of Prince Albrecht Oettingen-Spielberg, who took on the concession in 2009 by express consent of the Ugandan government. Setting up a safari camp in 2012, the team including camp manager and PH Ade Langley have been working tirelessly with the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) to restore the wildlife in the area under the auspices of Karamojong Overland Safaris.
Robin had jumped at the chance to see the progress that had been made, having last hunted the area more half a century prior. “There weren’t elephants then, either. While the elephants Bell himself hunted were carefully selected, after his time, indiscriminate ivory hunters came to the area and took the heart out of the population,” Robin explained. It wasn’t just ivory hunting that caused the elephants and many other species to decline or disappear. The local tribe, the Karamojong are traditionally cattle people who graze wild areas and push out native fauna that complete with their domesticated beasts. Combined with an ever -increasing population and a history of political unrest in the area, including the rule of despot Idi Amin, there was a speedy decline in species and numbers before the Reserve was created. Even after the Reserve came into being, the local communities had no reason to preserve the wildlife in the area, nor to avoid overgrazing their cattle and thereby reduce habitat for wildlife. “But what I see happening here now is unbelievable,” Robin told me.
“There are more animals than there were during my last trip here, 52 years ago. It shows how controlled hunting and cooperation with local communities can restore an area’s wildlife in less than a decade.”
Over several days, I was fortunate enough to hunt with PHs Gareth Lecluse and Ade Langley, who guided me with tremendous skill as we searched out indigenous plains game. Gareth’s skill was not only in placing us in the right areas, but, with my quest of only using open sights, getting incredibly close. On many safaris, you’ll find yourself bumped about on the back of a vehicle for several hours spotting, then spend five breathless minutes stalking and getting into position more than 150 metres away from an animal, but this was a little different. Here, we’d be dropped into an area, and spend our time in Bell’s old hunting areas, getting closer and closer to the animals we were hunting, having the chance to observe them. It took a lot longer, but it felt like I was walking in the footsteps of giants, and indeed, there were still vestigial traces of elephants in the area.
The camp itself had the pleasant charm of simplicity that rustic tented lodging provides but with comfort and views to die for. I arrived on a full moon that lit up mount Elgon which borders with Kenya. A day of acclimatisation gave me the chance to take a few shots at a target – there was no need to check zero, of course, without a scope. But while I’d practised a lot back home, ensuring I understood my distances and how the rifle behaved, and the three rear sights which were regulated at 100, 300 and 400 yards. Of course I had no intention of making use of the longer distances, as for me one of the reasons for shooting with open sights was to stalk up close to animals rather than take them at distance. A good grouping, slightly high from 80m, gave me confidence that I was ready for what was to come. Feeling rested and ready, I spent that first day relaxing in camp.
In this way, a slow, but far more rewarding hunting method, we tracked down an old Jackson’s Hartebeest bull on the fourth day of our safari, closing in on it and finally managing to come within 120m. I had two invaluable tools to aid my open sight shooting; Leica’s handheld compact CRF Rangemaster and shooting sticks. This apparatus allowed me to accurately gauge my distances and to be completely stable ensuing I would not over-stretch my skill and to make only the most ethical shots with the 140gr Hornady soft point bullets. Hunting with open sights is not dissimilar to hunting with a bow in my opinion, having done both. The limiting factor to longer distances is eyesight, in particular the precision required to aim at a given spot on an animal which beyond 150m is totally covered by the bead of the foresight. The fieldcraft and stealth required to get closer to animals was very similar. The disappointments at close quarters are many, but the satisfaction of success is amplified significantly more than slotting something with a scope at 200m, which by comparison feels far removed, and not unlike looking at a screen. Nothing beats the thrill of nestling the bead of the foresight in the notch of the rear, then aligning with your intended mark on the target. It’s an art with smaller game, it requires patience then more patience but is ever so pleasing to pull off.
Two days later, we came across a suitable old male Bohor reedbuck – a diminutive creature, but beautiful and delicate. We managed to stalk within 130m of it which was close enough for my now increasing understanding of open sight hunting. My final hunt, on my last full day, was for a Defassa waterbuck. This was incredibly special – it is a species I’ve long wanted to hunt and one I have passed up on before waiting for the right situation. After all, for me, it is not all about measuring tapes. Following an early start, we got stalking and managed to get amongst numerous waterbuck in bushy area beside a drying riverbed. With the benefit of so much cover, we were able to hunt in the shadows and approach undetected to within 20 metres of a fine old buck, the closest shot of the week. Some hunters go to Africa and shoot dangerous game at close quarters with open sights, I would argue the challenge of hunting smaller animals with a “sweet little Rigby rifle,” as Bell himself described the model I was hunting with, is as rewarding as you can make an African hunting experience. This form of hunting is hard to beat.
Kit Box:
John Rigby & Co .275 Rigby limited edition W.D.M Bell Highland Stalker rifle – johnrigbyandco.com
Hornady .275 Rigby 140gr Interlock SP ammunition – hornady.com
Rigby’s limited edition W.D.M Bell Highland Stalker rifle – The rifle itself was built exactly to Bell’s specifications, and is part of Rigby’s heritage series, which will be one of a collector’s series over the coming years. Just 50 of these Highland Stalker rifles have been made, in .275, with a spoon bolt handle, and a Mauser safety flag, and a Mauser 98 action. An ivorine front foresight and custom design rear half-moon sight offer three distances, with the option of a Rigby rear sight regulated at 65, 150 and 250 yards. The rifles come in a limited edition canvas case in vintage style and a copy of a previously unpublished book of stories by Bell.