Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/641958
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 1 6 Pursuing the king of African antelopes is never a walk in the park. ost African safaris have become somewhat leisurely activities in which hunting from vehicles is the primary method of locating wild game. But there are still a few animals that can be pursued only in the kind of primitive, harsh environments typical of ancient Africa, and with the same methods employed by early hunters and explorers. Indeed, hunting for the magnificent Lord Derby's eland has changed little, if at all, over the past century. To bag the king of antelopes, the keen hunter best lace up his boots, pack a full bag of food and water, and strike out into the sub-Saharan bush on foot. Over my many years of guiding hunters in the far reaches of the Central African Republic, I have come to appreciate the Lord Derby's eland as the king of the ungulate world. He is big and formidable, yet graceful and surprisingly elusive. Weighing upwards of 1,500 pounds, a mature bull stands six feet at the shoulder, and during the rut his neck is too thick for the largest man to wrap his arms around. With his large, piercing eyes, he can spot trouble from amazing distances and with his big ears, pick up the quietest footfalls of a stalking hunter. M LORD OF THE SAVANNA By Adam Parkison