South Africa... A Wing Shooter’s Paradise
by Heather Asbury | June 2007

Hunting has always been a big part of my life. Weekends were and often still are spent hunting on my father’s ranch in Pampa, Texas. My love of the sport and my love for fashion came together in my career as General Manager of Beretta Gallery in Dallas. This year for my annual trip with my father we planned wing shooting in South Africa.

Wanting this trip to be perfect, I contacted Ms. Mike Harrington, my representative from Frontiers, to get her expert opinion.

After many conversations, she knew exactly the place for us to experience the finest wing-shooting in South Africa. We stayed with Trevor Comins and his family at their home, Tendele Farm. This was to be the highlight of our trip. Trevor’s zest for life and the unsurpassed hospitality of his entire family guaranteed memories that would last a lifetime. After unpacking and getting acquainted, we visited with Trevor and his lovely wife Colette. We met their sons Jason and Clayton, fell in love with their yellow lab, Jack Daniels, and settled in for a fantastic dinner.

In the off-season Tendele Farm is transformed into a French cooking school. Having trained in France, Italy and South Africa, Colette and Jason prepared some of the most spectacular food we have ever tasted. Freshly harvested ducks in a port wine reduction, and homemade tartlettes topped with cream that was so thick it would barely come off the spoon were just a few of my favorites.

Colette runs a self-sufficient kitchen with 90 percent of everything served coming from the farm’s garden and animals. They served fresh milk, cheese and hand-churned butter from the cows, and chickens that are fed sesame seeds and olive oil to produce the best eggs and most flavorful meat. The garden is abundant with vegetables and fragrant herbs to add to each perfect meal. The utmost attention to detail was given to each preparation. I remember fondly the pride Jason took in reducing an entire bottle of champagne into one small tablespoon of liquid to create the most extraordinary sauce imaginable. This was a family that aimed not just to please, but to “wow” you!

After savoring dinner and enjoying Trevor’s many stories of the hunt, my father and I each retired to our cottages for a good night’s sleep. Exhausted from the day, and full of fantastic food and wine, I thought I was seeing things when I pulled back my covers to reveal a small furry object. The next thing I knew I was clinging to a nearby chair. After a few deep breaths and a second to regroup, I discovered it was only a hot water bottle in a soft “furry” cover placed lovingly on my bed by Colette. I looked forward each night to crawling into a nice toasty bed and wondered why everyone at home didn’t use these. Needless to say, when I left, I did so armed with a new supply of hot water bottles and soft “furry” covers to fit them.

Morning broke and after a night of restful sleep, we awoke to begin our first day of hunting. Greeted by a glorious sunrise, we grabbed breakfast and took off to hunt Francolin walk-up over dogs. This was fantastic! Unique in and of itself, it was fairly similar to American quail hunting. The morning was tough and walking sometimes steep with wild birds giving us the slip on several occasions. However, as the day progressed, we caught up to them and bagged just enough for Colette and Jason’s dinner that night. The weather in July was outstanding, but after a hard day of walking we were ready to return to the lodge for a cooking lesson and a nap.

The next day was another unique experience for both my father and I. Trevor had organized two extraordinary hunts for the day. In the morning, we were hunting rock pigeon from field blinds set up in a cornfield. We learned that rock pigeon decoy exceptionally well, and as you shoot, the new fallen birds were to also be used as fantastic decoys. With the help of bird boys, expert Zulus from the area that Trevor has worked with and trained over many seasons, who would reposition the birds in the field, thus, bringing in even more birds. I was introduced to “Praise God” who would be my Zulu charge and was captivated by his beaming smile and fondness for the hunt. He was as excited as I to get started and we both couldn’t help but chuckle every time I shouted “Praise God, I got one!” “Emanuel” would be stationed with Dad and before the morning was over, we had 143 rock pigeon between us. The quantity of birds and pace of the shoot was as thrilling as it was exhausting. It was time for a break and Collette dutifully arrived at the perfect time for a picnic lunch in the field. We roasted sausage on the grill, swapped stories, and enjoyed a relaxing break in preparation for the evening’s hunt.

At sunset, we were led to a nearby field where we would be hunting Spurwing Geese, a massive bird from the north nearly one and a half times larger than Canadian Geese. The hunt was led by Trevor’s son Clayton, who had gone out earlier in the morning with some other workers to build our pit blinds and set up decoys. These blinds were perfectly carved out of the earth in the shape of a square complete with a bench seat, on which they provided a pillow, where we waited for Clayton’s orders to “Mark front,” signaling the approach of the geese. This was a first for me and the sheer enormity of the bird gave me pause, so much so that as they passed I simply forgot to shoot.

The next pass Dad fired and down the bird came with a thunderous crash. The final group approached and I fired, just grazing an easy target. Right as I began to fear that it was not enough punch to bring the large bird down, Dad fired and ended the guessing game. This, I discovered, would take some practice.

Our final day of hunting would be a rare treat and a fond memory of South Africa I will always carry with me. Imagine, if you will, 30 Zulu guides dressed in bright red jumpsuits marching toward you driving, thrashing, chanting and the eruption of birds roused from their cover that preceded them. This was a driven bird shoot like no other and the sheer excitement was almost too much to bear. Trevor and his small army of men pressed on through the morning and by lunchtime we had over 50 birds. We gathered to celebrate and honor the hunt, but as the Zulus danced and sang for us, sadness overwhelmed me as I knew it was our final day to share with Trevor, Collette and their sons.

Tendele Farm was a magical place and our wing shooting experience in South Africa unlike anything we have ever experienced. Truly unsurpassed in the quality and quantity of birds, no hunting experience has had the impact of this unique adventure. As I hugged the Comins Family goodbye, I was already planning how soon I could return.