Hi Fellas,
Like a lot of hunters, Africa has always held a facination for me, always daydreamed about hunting there, but something has changed my perspective.
I went to the Accuratereloading site and watched some of their videos and somehow the romance faded into sadness. Call me naive if you will, but I don't understand how one man can shoot so many game animals? Some sort of culling permit?
The video of the old Hippo shot in the river doesn't seem real sporting, and somehow watching those grand old elephants collapse with so little apparent danger to the shooter really made me sad. Guess I expected a little more of -----don't know what I expected.:(
Don't really fathom how videos like that enhance the image of sportsmen in general. Seems like more of a slaughter than a hunt.

Alyeska, maybe you can explain some of this stuff?
Regards,
Bryan

Ab,
I don't think I can explain a lot of it. I do know there are large culling operations for elephant, hippo, buffalo, etc... from time to time. Botswana is considering a cull operation of up to 100,000 elephants over the next few years. That doesn't mean its going to happen, but is what they feel is needed.

Hunting in Africa seems to be quite different than here in the U.S.A. or Canada. The numbers and variety of game animals are much higher and the people population density in these hunting areas are much lower. I wouldn't think stalking a herd of 2-500 buffalo would be nearly as hard as hunting the alpha buck in your local neighborhood. Most of these animals are well into areas where the animals far outnumber people and probably aren't anywhere as skittish as your local whitetail. Also, those videos wouldn't necessarily show the botched stalks or the days of not seeing what they are after.

As for the felling of the giants, it doesn't seem quite as intimidating as you would imagine, but would again say that for film, the missed shots and the botched stalks aren't filmed. I don't think a video could ever portray the feelings when you are a mere 25 or 30 yards from a 9-ton elephant though. I wouldn't imagine shooting a hippo in water would be considered a sporting hunt, probably a cull. I have seen some of the videos where hippos were hunted exclusively on land.

A couple of other things that are worth considering. Many of the guys that have their hunts video'ed are there on long safaris and can afford to take a huge number of animals. Just the trophy fees would run me into the poor house (and then some), let alone paying the daily rate. I'm sure you could watch a video of an Alaskan brown bear hunt and probably would not come away with as much respect and awe of the big bear that you would have had if you had spent the 2 weeks chasing it and then squeezing the trigger on something knowing that if you botch the shot it might be the end of you and your guide.

I've seen quite a few of the opportunities come from spotting game while in the bakkie and the dropping off, then the stalk. It doesn't seem to be quite as sporting, does it? I suspect while hunting the variety of game, you do have cover a lot of ground. One of the outfits I'm talking with right now has over 1.5 million acres in his concession, that would be hard to cover on foot. While I would never want to hunt from a car, I do suspect there would be an opportunity to drive past, then bail out of the car down the road and stalk back to the animal. It's probably an opportunity type deal and a jeep track in the African veldt is far from a county road in our community.

Every year there are a few hunters that go to the happy hunting ground because they wound or otherwise fail in their attempt to anchor an elephant, buffalo, lion, etc... The danger is real and it is there, for sure, I just don't believe it can truely be portrayed on video.

I've never been a fan of hunting videos. I never thought they portrayed the majesty of the game animals or the thrill of the hunt. I've seen a few bear hunting videos and it doesn't appear there is any danger or hard work involved there. I know how different that really is.

I do believe the "Golden Age" of the African Safari is gone. Sad, but the hunts of Rourke, Hemingway, Roosevelt, Selous, Bell, Sanchez-Arino, et al, are gone. I do believe though, that today's Africa does offer an exciting adventure that probably can't be duplicated anywhere in the world. Not necessarily a better experience, but certainly different with excitement all its own. I know I feel much more excited about hunting Africa after reading one of Boddington's books, or something by James Mellon, than watching a video that is just shows the hunt in the final phase of the stalk and making a perfect shot on every animal.

I know this doesn't help, probably didn't answer any of your questions. If you want to go, I'd go, then decide if I wanted to return. A hunt in Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique, CAR, or the Congo for big game is still a dangerous adventure. Something in RSA or Namibia for plains game probably isn't, but I'm sure still a grand tjme that you won't experience anywhere else.

Alyeska,
Thank you for your carefully considered response. There is real merit in the idea that a video does not represent reality. Maybe if the clips were longer a truer picture of the hunt would be presented. However, several of my hunting/shooting friends have seen these videos and found them disturbing as well. I will be sure to relay your thoughts to them, as we have all come to respect and value the opinions of the mediators and members of the board.
Thanks again,
Bryan

Bryan,
I was only trying to replace what I've seen with the African videos with Alaska. The videos of Alaska that I've seen, left much to be desired. Bears didn't seem much more than barnyard hogs...

The owner of AR and probably the hunter of some of those videos is the Prince of Dubai. Extremely wealthy and is able to hunt for a month or more and take a lot of animals. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I wish I could hunt to my heart's content, but for the average Joe, I doubt we would be able to take part in such long and varied safari.

I have had friends call me from the lower 48 and want to come hunting up here. Almost to one, they have said they didn't want to hunt caribou, because it seemed more like a shoot than hunting. That may well be the case if you hit the migration right, but we know that it seldom the case and takes time, patience, and skill to be successful on a big caribou bull. Given enough time and patience, plus working the terrain and wind, along with shooting skills, a caribou isn't the toughest animal to take, but is a fine hunt. I've always kind of related caribou to the plainsgame of Africa. They are there in spades, locating them is usually not the problem. Stalking, playing the wind, reading the terrain, and putting yourself in position to take the animal cleanly is.

I'm sure its far different than stalking elk through the black timber, or hunting sheep high in the mountains. However, I don't think you could be careless and still be successful. For something on level of still hunting whitetails in the thick stuff, you could always try Bongo hunting in CAR or Cameroon. Very similar in all respects, except the weather is usually very hot and very wet and visibility is measured in feet.

If you get the opportunity to read Boddington's Where Lions Roar, or Search for the Spiral Horn, by all means read those. He gives a little more insight on the buff and other big game hunts in Africa that those videos do not show. Likewise with Mellon's African Hunter.

One of the agent's (located here in Alaska) that I'm using for my African hunt likes to tell of his first encounter with game on his first day. He was traveling to an area in a jeep, his 416 (I believe he was carrying a 416, but could be wrong) was in the rack. Less than an hour out of camp, they came across an elephant standing in the middle of the path. Elephant was not on their list (they didn't have a permit for it), so they backed off a bit and watched it. The agent said it appeared that the elephant knew they were there, and they had given it all the room needed, but the elephant charged. Rifles were retrieved and before the agent had been in Africa 24 hours, he had to kill a charging elephant at less than 20 yards. Both he and the PH shot, both were brain shots. I guess kind of similar to hunting something else in grizzly country and having to kill the bear on the first morning on your way out of camp, except the elephant weighed some 7 tons!!!

I have another acquaintance up here that hunts Africa nearly every year. He has been mauled by lions (terribly nasty scares on his forearms and chest), and "tossed" by buffalo. One of their trackers was killed by hippo that they didn't even know was in the area.

These are much of the stories that I've been hearing for too long to not want to go. Yeah, odds are the buff you shoot will run the other way, same as a brown bear or grizzly. But, there are enough instances where the opposite occur to still make it dangerous.

We've often wrote much about Dangerous game here on Beartooth. Truth be known, more injuries and deaths probably occur from falls while deer hunting than animals taking exception to you. Hunters complacency and carelessness, either on the way to or from the hunting grounds, or with treestands or with their own firearms are probably the most dangerous aspects of hunting. Yet nowhere are their more animals that will take exception to you hunting them, and have killed hunters than in Africa. Elephants, Crocs, Lions, Leopards, Hippos, Rhinoes, etc... even the lowly and miniature Bushbuck is respected when wounded and in close quarters. Fisi, the hyena, has been known to wander into hunting camps by the dark of the moon, sneak into a tent, and take a mouthful of flesh from visiting hunters or resident trackers. Rourke describes one such instance in "Use Enough Gun" where a tracker had half his face bit off while he slept.

I fully agree with Alyeska's opinion on this subject.
I have watched the videos and they definitely do not do justice to the reality of African hunting.
Yet, you have to distinguish between hunting animals that can kill you and hunting for the pot or trophies (plains game).
These experiences are vastly different.
But, in any event hunting Africa is completely different from anything else on the planet. I think it is the hostility of the terrain, the perception we have of Africa as the dark continent.
As an example, Africa has about 160 species of snakes, of which about 15% are poisenous enough to kill humans.
This aspect alone is enough to create a sense of constant anticipation, or maybe subtle fear.
I have lived and hunted in Africa until 2 years ago when I moved to Canada.
Even though my exposure to hunting in North America is very limited, I have observed the following fundamental difference.
To a large extent game animals in NA have adapted their behaviour patterns to survive in close proximity to man. This is probably more true of the deer and antelope, but in any event, it is herein that the main difference lies in terms of hunting these animals.
African animals by contrast are more driven by instinct than by modified behaviour. This means that their behaviour is certainly more predictable which in turn makes them an easier quarry, by comparison.
By contrast, the white tail buck that has adapted to survive on a quarter section cattle farm just outside of Calgary, is a far more challenging animal to hunt, simply because of his modified behaviour.
This does not mean that to hunt a kudu bull on 20,000 acres of south african bushveld is a walk in the park, it is just a very different experience.
In any event, African hunting is an experience that is so unique that I think every warm blooded hunter should experience.
It is fascinating.
Regards,
Johan Dippenaar
Calgary, AB