Macnab...

[dogcat1]

Peter Flack has an article in the DSC magazine on John Macnab... That is the bait but the article is very good.
Question - has anyone here ever taken an African Macnab? A horned animal, a bird and a fish - all in the same day?

Please share your story!

 

[Firebird]

I have not-but I have been reading the book-which I understand as the origins for all the various Macnab challenges.
Good luck to those who attempt!

 

[Wheels]

Dogcat

The following is a story I posted a few years back as told by one of my fathers friends. I always found it enjoyable.

Thread 'The Unintentional McNab'

Apr 30, 2015

The term McNab came up on another thread and reminded me of a story from my youth. I have heard/read of a similar story a number of years ago, so there may be another story like this out there. Hope you enjoy.

The story was told by Mzee Bauer, an old ivory hunter from the Deutsch Ostafrika days. At the time of the story, I had never heard the term McNab. I doubt he ever heard the term. Time has dulled my memory, but I believe the animal in question was a hartebeest so I will call it that in the story.

Mzee Bauer along with a couple of his men were elephant hunting and came up...

• Wheels
• Replies: 7
• Forum: Hunting Africa

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[mdwest]

Question - has anyone here ever taken an African Macnab? A horned animal, a bird and a fish - all in the same day?

I havent.. but Ive thought about it many times..

The @Bos en Dal SAFARIS property actually offers a pretty easy opportunity to make this happen.. there is a wide variety of PG.. and many of the herds are large enough that it makes them easy to find and hunt (for example if you want a Blue Wildebeest, they are EVERYWHERE.. if you are looking for a Kudu or an Eland, there are certainly plenty.. but you might spend a bit more time looking for one)..

and there are lots of reasonable bird options on the main property as well.. my wife and I have both taken ostrich on the same day that we have taken PG there.. and if guinea fowl or francolin or other common bird species (that are edible) are your thing, they, like the wildebeest, are freaking EVERYWHERE... and Egyptian geese are also plentiful...

and.. there is a large, fishable lake on the property as well... Thats where we have fallen short.. we've never bothered to get a hook wet while visiting...

But everything required to do it is right there on one property.. so it would be relatively easy to pull off as long as you pushed hard all day and didnt stop until all three requirements were taken..

At this point my wife and I have made enough trips over that we're actually looking for something "new" or "different" to do.. we've taken almost every available species of PG.. some species several times.. we've taken a few DG as well.. Maybe trying to pull off a MacNab would be a fun way to spend a day on our next trip..

 

[steve white]

Not in Africa, but certainly in Texas. Visited deer lease, threw a grasshopper into a pond to see if it had any bass--it did. Caught several. Shot a turkey as soon as the feeder went off and a doe at last light. Could have substituted dove or quail pretty easily IF in season on any particular day, especially if armed with my drilling.

In africa, I shot sand grouse late evenings after successful morning hunts. Could have caught a Vundu or walking catfish but did not know of a "MacNab" at the time.

 

[RockSlinger404]

There are so many variations, however I believe the classic African McNab is a trout on fly, greywing and vaalie.

 

[Wheels]

There are so many variations, however I believe the classic African McNab is a trout on fly, greywing and vaalie.

That’s the South African version since that is the only country where those are available. Much like the Tiny Ten is a Southern Africa version of small antelope and can only be taken there. Wouldn’t a true tiny ten include a royal antelope or a pigmy antelope.

 

[BRICKBURN]

There are so many variations, however I believe the classic African McNab is a trout on fly, greywing and vaalie.

Eastern Cape version and great fun and challenge. Birds and Vaalie, no issues. The fish on a fly was a challenge.

 

[Rare Breed]

Peter Flack has an article in the DSC magazine on John Macnab... That is the bait but the article is very good.
Question - has anyone here ever taken an African Macnab? A horned animal, a bird and a fish - all in the same day?

Please share your story!

Our very own @Kevin Peacocke has and a few others in The Carruthers Group.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I love the book as well as the McNab challenge and all its variations.

I did the Texas redneck version, the McBubba. A pig, a limit of dove and some bullfrogs all in the same day. Feel free to modify as needed for your area.

Safe hunting

 

[NorthernNomad]

I’ve unintentionally completed 2/3 of a North Plains MacNab by shooting a whitetail and either pheasant or ducks in the same day. I live about 20 minutes from a prime walleye, perch, and pike lake so it would be doable. It would also be fun to try a sub-zero MacNab by shooting a whitetail with a bow in the morning, pushing pheasants in the afternoon, and then ice fishing to round out the day. I might have to try that.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

In Asia, many times.
Southside- It’s very common for us to go hunt an Axis stag in the Sundarbans at night, bag a few golden snipe on the wider creeks while leaving the forest early in the morning (invariably a shot taken from the boat) and get a few lobsters or crabs along the way during ebb (when the tide begins to recede and the crustaceans remain behind on the river bank).
Northside- When hunting in Mymensingh, one typically hunts ducks & geese in the great lakes early in the morning. Then, catches freshwater fish there at noon. And after sundown, we enter the adjoining forests in the Garo Hills in order to hunt muntjac stags.

In Africa, I’ve seldom done any fishing. But I’ve bagged both a lion & a dozen Guinea fowl for the larder on the same day.

 

[Tintin]

Have read the book.

@Marrakai and I have had a couple of attempts at an Australian Northern Territory version - Buffalo, Magpie Geese and Barramundi in a day.

Haven’t pulled it off yet.

 

[Firebird]

There was recently an episode on sporting classics or sports afield tv where Chris Dorsey and a couple buddies tried to accomplish this in Scotland-I apologize if some of that info is incorrect. As I recall the salmon was the part they struggled with as well. I think that’s where I found out about the book

 

[Sarg]

Did one in Greenland - Muskoxen - Ice fished Cod - then Ptarmigan, saw Reindeer no big Bulls & out of my budget.

If I had thought of it most likely could have done a few in other countries if put my mind to it, two of them in lots of countries !

 

[zephyr]

People forget to mention The "Royal McNab"....
After shooting and catching Fur, Fin and Fowl you bed the Upstairs Chamber Maid

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Our very own @Kevin Peacocke has and a few others in The Carruthers Group.

One of our Carruthers members got the Scottish Macnab in 2023, being a red stag, a salmon on fly and a brace of grouse, all in 24 hrs.
We also have an air rifle version being a francolin, a bass and a hare all in 24 hours. This is called the Golden Macnab, and even that is hard to do . Two of us have this Golden version. Up from that is Diamond, being a guineafowl, a hare and a tigerfish in 24 hours, again the shooting part with an air rifle. None of us has achieved that yet.

On the big game side the Carruthers Big Game Macnab is a buffalo bull, a tiger fish and a guineafowl within 24 hrs. Nobody in our group has come close, but I honestly think that this one is easier than the air rifle version because a buff is easier to find than a hare.

 

[RR 314]

I love the book as well as the McNab challenge and all its variations.

I did the Texas redneck version, the McBubba. A pig, a limit of dove and some bullfrogs all in the same day. Feel free to modify as needed for your area.

Safe hunting

My son pulled it off (in Texas) with a twist a couple years ago and until now I didn't know is was a thing. Deer and turkey in the am and a stringer of channel catfish in the afternoon caught on deer liver from the am.

 

[roverandbrew]

Guinea Fowl, Bream, and Kudu was done @takeri last summer. @spike.t has a great set up for it.

 

[rookhawk]

Humorous definitions:

A MacNab is to shoot a red stag, a grouse/pheasant, and catch a trout or salmon in the same day. A literalist says you must do so using the feathers and fur from 1+2 to tie your own fly to catch #3.

A Royal MacNab is a thing too, arguing all of the above, but poached without getting caught by the gamekeeper AND sleeping with the maiden of the manor as well.

The Brits…you can’t make this stuff up!