Reading Old Issues of Magnum

I just received my Nov/dec edition of my favourite magazine, and read with interest the piece about the Jackie Hangman bird (Jan Fiskaal in Afrikaans).

As a farm child, I lived in the sticks and attended primary school at a farmschool which entailed an hour long bus ride each way in the mornings and afternoons. With nothing better to do on these trips than to stare out the bus window, I distinctly remember seeing small birds and nestlings hanging from the spikes on the barbed wire fences which bordered the road. I never saw the Jan Fiskaal actually doing the deed, but the evidence was there.

On another note, during our Covid lockdown here in Australia, I started reading through my collection of old Magnums again. The May 1999 edition had a book review on Ian Nyschens’ book, Months of the Sun, so, after reading the review, I just had to get this book. Long story short: The internet to the rescue, and 10 days and AU$143 later, the package arrived from England. Brand new, beautifully packaged, etc. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a book so much. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about hunting in the ‘old’ ways and days. It is not cheap, but then nothing worthwhile normally is. It just shows that old Magnums should be read, and read again. You might just pick up something new and interesting again. – Erik Snyman, Australia