When the sun goes down
When your vehicle gets stuck in a swamp at sunset in game-rich country full of nocturnal predators, you better pray your torch doesn't let you down. Abre' J Steyn discovers...
Drowning in muck
The Vaal River used to be one of Abre' J Steyn's favourite fishing spots as a young boy. Back then it was a pristine river brimming with life. But like...
Strawbale fever
Strawbale building has gathered much interest from Farmer's Weekly readers. Abre J Steyn answers a few more questions on the technology, and envisions a database through which readers can share...
The modification bug makes a comeback
Many obsolete camera components are still very usable with some modification. And once the modification bug re-emerges, one bite is all it takes to get your creative juices flowing again,...
The modification bug bites
If a piece of equipment is to work better, you have to modify it. But once you start modifying, it's difficult to stop, writes Abré J Steyn.
‘n Boer maak ‘n plan
As poaching has threatened almost one rhino a day this year alone, South African farmers have resorted to desperate measures. With this in mind, Abré J Steyn decides to revisit...
Building with Straw
Strawbale houses aren't as flimsy as many think - some date back 600 years. Plus, they're cheap and easy to build, writes Abre J Steyn.
Making sense of sound
It's easy to take hearing for granted as most of us know nothing about how the delicate ear interprets sound waves, writes Abré J Steyn.
Making money from farmstays
Namibia is far more successful than South Africa when it comes to guest farm accommodation.
Hush!
Sound always carries a message in the animal kingdom and the design of an animal's ear tells us something about its habitat, writes Abré J Steyn.
The old professor, Ben Engelbrecht
Careful observation and experimentation made theology professor Ben Engelbrecht an expert lure fisherman at a time when nobody knew very much about the art, writes Abré J Steyn.
Catch & release – alive!
As the tigerfish is our premier inland gamefish and because its numbers are dwindling, Abré J Steyn feels strongly about the art of catch-and-release. But with this fish, successful release...
The scaly wings
Moths are not as popular or admired for their beauty as their cousins the butterflies. However, they have an essential ecological role as pollinators and are essential to life on...
Old Platanna
Chameleons may look like mini dinosaurs, but they're a highly evolved kind of lizard with unique abilities, "modifications" and "specs". But their numbers in South Africa are declining, writes Abré...
Danger! Don’t mess with me!
It was almost midnight. The big crowned eagle was restless and her weight on my heavily gloved left arm was becoming a burden.
When the old man was a boy
The battle between land and sea has taken place since the time the world began. The clash of wave against rock has always fascinated me in a way I can't...
The sad demise of our ‘flat dogs’
Like claws, my fingers groped in vain to catch something to hang onto. Having lost my balance, I was falling backwards overboard in 10m-deep croc-infested water. I plunged head-first into...
Sharks beware! Humans in the bay!
'The nets were never designed to keep the sharks away from the beaches but merely to kill them.'
The art of tree extraction
Today Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous artists of all time. But he died in poverty. I can't really judge his art, but recently some of his...
Animal rightists
Notice has been given that A a referendum will occur in a month's time. A growing number of elderly lions, leopards and hyenas have found it increasingly difficult to hunt...
