BFaucett
AH senior member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 64
- Reaction score
- 414
- Location
- Houston, Texas
- Articles
- 1
- Hunted
- South Africa (3x), Texas
Africa's Most Dangerous Game: the Guinea Fowl
The look on my PH’s face told me 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 to make sure I had some solids up the spout 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 wrote, “The Guinea looks at you as if you owed him bird seed,” and now I knew what he meant! I had never seen such a malevolent look from any animal as the one 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 40gr 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 9422M in .22 WMR
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The rifle belonged to my PH. He let me do a little Guinea Fowl hunting with it one afternoon. I got five Guineas.
Our driver/tracker must of thought I was crazy when I asked to do the "trophy" photo with the Guinea. After my PH explained to him (in Afrikaans) that it was really for a joke/fun "trophy" photo, the tracker got a big kick out of the idea. He posed for the photo with that serious expression on purpose, going along with the joke.
I was told by my PH and his camp cook that wild Guineas can be kind of tough but they didn't have a problem with preparing them if I wanted to hunt them. The next morning, the cook made a potjiekos (similar to a stew) that was slow cooked all day over hot coals in a cast iron pot (a potjie). By that evening, the Guinea meat was tender and delicious. Everyone enjoyed it and I thought it was very tasty.
With my apologies to Robert Ruark.
Cheers! Bob F.

The property I hunted is located in the northern part of the Limpopo Province a few miles south of the Limpopo River. Below is a couple of shots of the area (taken from the top of a small hill).