Here's a hypothetical. Say you had the opportunity to hunt the big 5, who would be your choice as guide/PH? Person can be from either the past or present.

Past: Harry Shelby (in his younger days)
Present: Buzz Charlton

Ganyana - due to unforeseen circumstances, it didn't happen the last time, but I hope it happens the next time, if there is one.

Hillary Dafi. Best I have seen so far...

Jeff

Simon Evans
Robin Hurt
Mike Bartlett

Is Cindy Garrison ar PH?

quote:

Originally posted by tradewinds:
Is Cindy Garrison ar PH?

If you want her to be, why not.

Past; SELBY
Present: John Sharp (but you guys knew that

PS: Although Robin Hurt is certainly on my short list!

Zayne van der Merwe, because he will be the PH on my first trip to Africa in less than three weeks. If I were any more excited I would explode.

quote:

Originally posted by tradewinds:
Is Cindy Garrison ar PH?

Not sure about that but Natasha Illum-Berg is.

Based on his most recent assault on the Big 5, Ivan Carter

Richard Tabor of Roger Whittall Safaris.

Johnathon Taylor or Brian Van Blerk for Tanz.
Jamie Wilson or Stuart Taylor for Northern Moz.
Buzz Charlton or Ian Rutledge for Zim.
Andrew Baldry or Mike Heath for Zambia.
Vaughn Fulton or Karl Stumpf for Namibia

As an observer on many hunts for the magazine, it has been my experience that it is quite often the rapor between PH and client which sets the mood. There are a great many capable or good PH’s, but team them with a client they cannot get on with, and things can fall apart. Conversely, guys that click, hunt well together.

Well put Ant, so often it comes down to choosing to hunt with a PH that you get on with. I would rather have a PH i get on with and hunt a "hard" area than have the best concession in Africa with an idiot of a PH!!

John Taylor if he'd stay in his own tent.
Currently, I'd choose Andy Hunter.
Regards,
Inyati

then-Gordon Cundill
now-Ivan Carter

Don Heath as I consider him a good and long time friend whom I haven't had the pleasure of hunting with. If he was booked up their are several that I have hunted with. Not in order of preference. Brent Hein. Gomez Adams, and George Hallamore. Ivan Carter if I could afford him would also make the list.

465H&H

Denys Finch Hatton

Philip Percival after Hemingway.


Andrew Holmberg on a camel safari to the Northern Frontier District.

quote:

Originally posted by Inyati:
John Taylor if he'd stay in his own tent.
Inyati

????? Explain?

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
Denys Finch Hatton

Philip Percival after Hemingway.


Andrew Holmberg on a camel safari to the Northern Frontier District.

Kathi, you hit some good ones, can't do better, spent some time with Andrew in the Sudan, although he wasn't my PH.

Selby, Harry or Mark

Claude Kleynhans, as good as they get! A great friend as well! Honest!

For me the only Ph's that count now are the one's I've hunted with. In the old days who could know if those guys famous or not were assholes.

Garry Kelley is a superb PH.

Mark

AfricanHunter,

Hunting in the Sudan had to be phenominal. I saw in Andrew Holmberg's book "Out in Africa" they hunted bongo and Lord Derby Eland back in the 70s in the Sudan.

There is a story in Holmberg's book about my friends Sam and Rose Pancotto's camel safari to the NFD. Sam is standing next to a camel with monstrous elephant tusks roped onto it's back.

I love stories about "old Africa" and would enjoy hearing of your hunt in the Sudan. Who was your PH and what did you hunt?

Whenever I tell Sam he needs to write a book, he tells me no one cares about hunting in the past. I do, and you were fortunate to have hunted the Sudan.

No doubt about it I would go with Pete Wood with Roger Whitall Safaris. he is by far the best not only in the field but an all around great guy. He also has the best trackers try to get Shorty.

Alan Black would have to be my historical choice, although there certainly is a long list of fantastic historic East African hunting luminaries.

Today, I'd hunt with John Abraham -- in fact, I almost always hunt the big stuff with John. I've heard of many, many fantastic current day PH's, but when you find one that does the job for you, it never seems worth the risk to try anyone else.

Kathi raised an interesting notion by suggesting Denys Finch Hatton. Another guy that would be a treat to hunt with would be Bror von Blixen-Finecke. Sounds like he was a great PH and good company.

I hunted with Alan Vincent in 2006 and enjoyed it so much that if I go back to Africa I intend to hunt with him again. Why mess with success, eh? And if I am only going to be able to afford to go to Africa a few times in my life, I will go with a PH that I KNOW hunts the way I like to hunt.

I don't have any particular desire to hunt with any of the more famous fellas from the past, or present.

Cheers
Canuck

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Mike H.:
No doubt about it I would go with Pete Wood with Roger Whitall Safaris. he is by far the best not only in the field but an all around great guy. He also has the best trackers try to get Shorty.

Pete and Shorty are indeed a good team.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:


Andrew Holmberg on a camel safari to the Northern Frontier District.

Kathi,
I also love those old Kenyan story's and am planing a Camel trek in the Matthews Ranges, Seya river area which was one of the old northern frontier foot safari areas.

Then- Bror Blixen (think of the after hunt wind down!)
Now- Tino Erasmus -hunted with him six times and he never lets me down.

Bill Clinton!
We are talking about hunting females aren't we?

Like Mark says, and along the lines I suggested, some of the bygone hunters may well have been difficult to get on with. Here’s a different spin to think about. When talking about your chosen Phs, what single quality would you consider paramount... Like his bushcraft, ability to find the right animals - not necessarily the biggest - his sense of humour, the company or area he operates in, his trackers, etc.? It might be hard to nail it down to one, but it would be interesting to know what sport hunters think is important.

quote:

Originally posted by editor-ant:
Like Mark says, and along the lines I suggested, some of the bygone hunters may well have been difficult to get on with. Here’s a different spin to think about. When talking about your chosen Phs, what single quality would you consider paramount... Like his bushcraft, ability to find the right animals - not necessarily the biggest - his sense of humour, the company or area he operates in, his trackers, etc.? It might be hard to nail it down to one, but it would be interesting to know what sport hunters think is important.

A bit of each of your points would help.

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:

quote:

Originally posted by Inyati:
John Taylor if he'd stay in his own tent.
Inyati

????? Explain?

He is referring to John "Pondoro" Taylor and his tendencies/references to his sexual preferences. There is a thread somewhere on AR that delves into this.

Got it,

Past but not too past - Brian Marsh.
Current Mark DeWet, I am hunting tuskless with him in Oct.

quote:

Originally posted by editor-ant:
Like Mark says, and along the lines I suggested, some of the bygone hunters may well have been difficult to get on with. Here’s a different spin to think about. When talking about your chosen Phs, what single quality would you consider paramount... Like his bushcraft, ability to find the right animals - not necessarily the biggest - his sense of humour, the company or area he operates in, his trackers, etc.? It might be hard to nail it down to one, but it would be interesting to know what sport hunters think is important.

My answer to Ant's question would be the PH's knowledge about hunting elephant and his ability to teach me what he knows about elephant hunting.

465H&H

Past; Mike Cottar
Today;I can wish can't I Tony Dyer

+1 for Cindy Garrison. I don't care if she is a PH or not, I'd just like to spend some time in the bush with her.