MUST READ: Bowhunter heeds the call of the wild

When it comes to hunting, Retha Erasmus is as determined as they come.

Despite little experience, she emulates primitive hunters, disguised with bow in-hand, stalking her prey to its last breath and then returning home a victor.

It’s a thrill she simply can’t recreate elsewhere.

Don’t be mistaken about her intentions – Retha and husband, Marinus make full use of any game they kill from the meat to the bones.

“People complain if I post pictures with dead animals, yet they post pictures of their food on social media. I believe it’s more human to hunt an animal than to let it suffer in an abattoir.”

Retha’s journey as a bowhunter actually began with a crossbow, and despite making a clean kill she felt it was almost too easy.

Yet that was her proverbial ‘taste of blood’.

In July this year during a formal bow hunt, Retha shot both a wildebeest and an impala, and ‘buck fever’ has her thirsting for bigger game.

Her ideal target is a majestic kudu.

“It’s called the ghost of the bush because it sees you long before you see it. Hunting one will be a great challenge.”

Armed with experience gained out in the bush and on the target range, Retha believes bowhunting is paying homage to the way humans of old lived.

In fact, her favourite Bible verse mentions this ancient pursuit.

She quotes Genesis 27 verse 3, which states: ‘Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me’.

In that sense, she has sought continuous blessing from God.

Attaching a small crucifix to her bow for divine strength, Retha spends two Sundays a month alongside members of Newcastle Bowhunting and Archery Club.

This has trained her arm for the next kill.

“If you shoot an animal in the right spot, they don’t suffer. Most die before they even realise what happened. In an abattoir, they smell blood and are scared in their final moments.”

Shrugging off the naysayers, Retha felt the negative reputation on hunting was due to ignorance by those who simply didn’t understand.

However, she also decried hunting for trophies alone.

“What is important is that the meat is used, no matter what you shoot.”

As a former equestrian competitor, Retha has faced harsh criticism for expressing a love of animals and then hunting them.

She was also insulted for not being ‘girly’ enough.

“Most people must think an animal just dies and is slaughtered right away to become their next meal. The modern lifestyle means people don’t understand how their meat gets into the shop freezer.”

Comparatively, Retha said her prey died in its natural habitat, eating its preferred food and dying with a minimum of pain and suffering.

Her strict rule is to never hunt a predator unless provoked.

Until the next hunt comes around, Retha will continue working on her skills, launching arrow after arrow into a less exciting target.

But she’ll also be thinking of the next game excursion.

“It’s the reason I do archery,” she concluded with a wry smile.

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