The look on my PH’s face told me that this wasn’t going to be pleasant. We’d flushed a flock of Guinea fowl and the one that we were after had headed for thick cover. We were going to have to go in and pull him out by the beak.

“Well, I guess we’ve given him enough time. Let’s go sort this out,’” my PH said sternly.

I checked my rifle and made sure I had some solids up the sprout in case I had to take a shot at a bad angle. Then I nodded to my PH that I was ready and we started in after him, our tracker leading the way.

We slowly entered the thick bush trying to spot the Guinea before he spotted us. We were creeping forward when suddenly I caught a glimpse of him. He was waiting in ambush for us beneath a large bush.

Robert Ruark once said, “The Guinea looks at you as if you owed him bird seed,” and now I knew what he meant! I have never seen such a malevolent look from any animal as that Guinea was giving me.

I slowly raised my rifle and braced myself for the charge that I knew must be coming. Because the Guinea was obscured by brush, I had to wait for him to move in order to get a clear shot at him. The seconds hung in the air. Time was suspended. “When is he going to come?,” I kept asking myself.

And then, suddenly, the Guinea broke from cover!! But, much to my relief, he chose to run away from us instead of charging. I raised my rifle and sent a 50gr solid up his backside. He hit the ground, rolled once and was still.

We cautiously approached him but he’d had it. Then the celebration began. Handshakes all around and pats on my back. I was the day’s hero! I had faced one of the most dangerous adversaries Africa had to offer and had lived to tell the tale. I knew the memories would last a lifetime.

South Africa 2002 -- Winchester Model 9422 in .22 WMR.

-Bob F.