man im gonna have to get a tv some day

quote:

Originally posted by CRUSHER:
man im gonna have to get a tv some day

So am I.

I wish my PH was overweight and liked the truck. Truck and hunting were two words that did not go together for the PH I had. We hiked all over the place looking for animals. It was a lot of fun even though my but was draggin at the end of the day.

quote:

Originally posted by oupa:
"dunlap" refers to "his belly done lapped over his belt." Comes from an old joke referring to a "spare tire" (Dunlap brand tires)around the middle.

Surely you mean "Dunlop" ??????

quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:

quote:

Originally posted by oupa:
"dunlap" refers to "his belly done lapped over his belt." Comes from an old joke referring to a "spare tire" (Dunlap brand tires)around the middle.

Surely you mean "Dunlop" ??????

Yep -- good old Dunlop's disease -- my belly done lopped over my belt.

Here is my sure sign of an out of shape fat hunter:

A trophy room full of nothing but African game. Let's face it, you don't have to be in that great of shape. It sure ain't sheep hunting.

Hey Terry, Mabe we should have them follow Rory Muil around for a couple of weeks then see if they are still fat.

Here's how we sort it out.

Everyone, from now on, must have a true life belly profile photograph as his avatar.

Any takers?

quote:

Originally posted by gunny:
Hey Terry, Mabe we should have them follow Rory Muil around for a couple of weeks then see if they are still fat.

That's true, as long as he didn't run out of smokes, I'll bet he could walk from sunrise to sunset without eating or drinking.

Regards,

Terry

Have taken a number of game from siting out waterholes,carcasses etc.(when I was younger)
Dont seem that sporting anymore. Most enjoyment now is walk/stalk.

I see no satisfaction/challenge at all in taking a Leopard from a blind over a bait. To be honest,Its a bit like a rockspider in a clown suite handing out candy to unsuspecting children.

Shooting "ducks on the water" to me is fine if a person finds themselves in an essential wilderness survival situation, but not to fullfill some egocentric SCI grandslam wankfest.
Some of the greatest most satisfying hunts are not necessarily the biggest physical trophy(if at all), nor do they even go on record, nor do the individuals necessarily feel the need to do so.
Not everything of value is measured in numbers which are used mainly to gain other peoples applaude and approval.
Its up to the individual to choose his own value/reward system.
A man must be satisfied from himself.And over time, what satisfies him will usually change, according to his circumstances and his wisdom.

Like they tell Navy Ensigns:

"That's what they teach you at Canoe U son, but this here's the Fleet"

It is widespread, accepted practice in SA to leave a bow-hunting client alone, in a blind. PH will go off a few hundred meters distant and have himself a good kip or a coupla smokes, pick the client up at a pre-arranged time or the clients calls him on the radio.

Simply put, most clients prefer it because of the noise issue. If you are alone, there is no one to talk to, fart with or talk on your backswing.

Bow-hunting clients are usually a couple of notches above their rifle-toting compadres in marksmanship and are very good at placing their arrow in game. They are in general a better class of hunter. Please note use of the words "usually" and "in general" so that those riflemen amongst us do not take offence. They can usually be trusted to do the right thing.

I am surprised some of the South Africans chiming in here about how illegal it is. Yes, its illegal, but methinks they doth protest too much. I've yet to hear of any officer in the Game dept booking a PH for breaking the rule.

On a personal note, I don't like blinds for rifle shooting, I think it takes something away of the hunting experience, but in some situations they are necessary, like when you are with youngsters on their first hunt for an impala (a notoriously difficult animal for a kid to walk and stalk in the wrong type of cover), or with a person with a disability (like he is overweight).

Sometimes shooting a pig (cheap animal) from a hide can be a big "confidence builder" for the first timer in Africa. He shoots, sees the animal fall just like the deer back home, and says to himself, this is not so difficult, and away he goes and doesn't look back.

Some of the outdoor shows on ESPN make me want to puke they are so silly. Watching Tom Miranda following a blood spoor and walking into the shot where the camera is already at the buck then looking surprised stretches the cred a bit.

Probably took 8 takes. Very ham.

It's ridiculous to suggest that ALL PHs from a particular country are fat, lazy or don't like to walk etc..... and I've never met a PH who's in it for the money. Hell PHs (esp ones on a payroll) could often make more money selling burgers for a living with much shorter hours.

Part of the Professional Hunter's title is Professional with a capital P...... Part of that means being able to assess the clients physical limitations etc and working within them and within the boundaries of ethical hunting. Some clients are fit and well able to walk all day in the African heat without a problem..... but some are not, however, ALL have paid their money to enjoy a good hunt and a good PH will work within those boundaries to give the client what he's paid for............ If a client comes out and is old, overweight or has other physically limiting problems it's no reason he shouldn't still be able to enjoy a great hunt......

Since so many clients are old and decrepit or overweight and out of shape themselves, it's pretty easy for a PH to pack on the pounds, especially when the food is good and if the client likes to sit up late and drink because the PH may feel obliged to drink with him.

And as AnotherAZwriter said, most African hunting does not require the fitness of an Olympic athlete. Especially ranch hunting.

However, if you are serious about bongo, Lord Derby Eland, Mt. Nyala, those sheep in Chad, or elephant, it will sure help to shed some pounds and get into shape before the hunt. Nonetheless, there are many hunts that a pot-bellied PH can handle just fine.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Here's how we sort it out.

Everyone, from now on, must have a true life belly profile photograph as his avatar.

Any takers?

I'll take you up on that. I'm 6' tall and 2 years ago I was 245 pounds, today I'm 185. Monday evening I did 5 miles on a bike, last night I did 2.7 miles in 40 min. on the treadmill and then walked up and down the basement steps, 250 steps up and 250 steps down.

That's a hell of a deep basement!

Actually, on a more serious note, the toughest hunt I've ever had was in sconny Botland where I found myself yomping up and down those things the Scots so charmingly call "hills" and I call bloody mountains...... I've never hunted in the States but am told you guys also have some pretty tough mountain hunting.

The toughest I've heard of must be in the Himalayas though. A client told me of his hunt there where the hunters were up and down horrendous mountains for days on end and were up to their ass in snow for most if it....... now, that's what I call tough......

Steve,

The scottish hill stalker (who is actually descended from an ancient line of mountain goat) , Is a tough old thing. They go up and down those hills all day long and don't mss a beat. The only way to get even with them is to invite them down south on a days shooting that involves a bit of ploughed field... It throws their natural rythm all out of shape and they really struggle to keep up.

That's why most of them never leave the hill!!

Rgds,
FB

Fallow Buck

I agree. I have a friend in BC who can go up a hill faster than the Deer to turn them before they top out. At 6,000 feet he walked out 26 miles while I rode after he broke a leg on his horse, in a bit over 8 hours.

But get him to Las Vegas and he can't last a mile on the flat pavement. His legs don't do flat and hard.

Fallow Buck,

ain't that the truth.... the first time I went up there, I kept looking at the tree line and thinking, I'll be glad to get up there..... when I did, I realised I'd just finished the easy part..... after that, it got tougher.

We eventually got on the deer and when the gillie told me what to go for, I just whacked a couple and asked if wanted me to take any more as I still had time...... he said, no, that's fine and then turned to my buddy and said, hell, he can shoot...... it was one of the best compliments I've ever had..... but what he didn't know was that desperation had made me want to do all the shooting as quickly as I could. - I was so knackered, I didn't want to carry on climbing that bloody mountain.........

I like the PH to be fitter than me, at the moment not too hard. But preferably not too much else it is embarrassing . Actually ALL of the PHs I have had have been thin and very fit.

If you want to slow down a staker on the hill take his walking stick away. Those guys just get a gait going and it is Katie block the door. I guess many here are a bit like myself, when I was young and slim 6'1" and 140 lbs. I had a mortage, 2 kids to raise and educate etc. Now I am 67, 260 and still spend most of my time behind a desk. It is tough going up and down or even sideways,

quote:

Some of the outdoor shows on ESPN make me want to puke they are so silly. Watching Tom Miranda following a blood spoor and walking into the shot where the camera is already at the buck then looking surprised stretches the cred a bit.

Probably took 8 takes. Very ham.

If Chuck Norris dives into a swimming pool, he does not get wet. The swimming pool gets Chuck Norris.

driving a desk does make it more challenging to stay in shape. I have never hunted Africa, but should I do so someday, I would definitely want the PH to be in better shape that I am.

I was watching one of the NRA TV hunting shows recently (consistently one of the lamest) and the PH/guides Donlop disease had metasticised from Dunlop to Dickdo. He was huge and the truck was always close by... I couldn't imagine him running anywhere but out of breath.

After spending a few "relaxing" days hunting plainsgame and taking pictures in a conservancy, one PH I know who hunts mostly elephant said "I can see why the plainsgame PH's get so fat, all you do it drive around and eat!".

Another PH...arriving back to the truck after a ~4hr brisk and fruitless walk following switched-on buffalo, the appy PH was all smiles and said "Wow, that was the most we walked all sea....". I thought the PH was about to shoot him for what he was about to confirm! It was Sept, but the fact was that they just didn't have to walk much for lion/leopard and the majority of their clients were older. I of course didn't help his cause by taking 3 bags of Baby Ruth's for him.

The PH I hunted with a few days in Masailand, Paul, was on a strict diet and had lost quite a bit of weight. But it was clear how hard it is for these guys to eat and drink right especially when partaking with the client during breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, hors d'oeuvres, dinner and evening drinks. He had the cook make meat & veggie stew each night, which I had on a few occasions (was quite good and agreed with me better then some of the richer meals).

When I hunted at JJHacks place last year, I spent some of the hunt in a truck, another chunk walking/stalking and a fair bit of time in various "blinds" over looking waterholes..

As things worked out, I never actually took anything from a blind, although there is one very good Nyala out there who has a bit more luck than me!

Although I would not want to hunt exclusively from blinds, especially the permanent concrete block house type, I really enjoyed the time I spent in Jim's bush blinds...I saw a countless amount of wildlife and got to watch it undisturbed going about its own business..

It was also enjoyable trying to spot the game as it approached through the bush in the distance..A couple of times Jim even heard game moving as it approached the waterhole unseen...

On another stalk after warthog, with a different PH, we eased into a patch of bush that became an impromptu blind for about 45 minutes as we waited for a small group of impala to graze past us..The cover offered by the bush was very sparse, but by lying flat and keeping motionless, we had impala feeding all around us, the closest within a few feet, for what seemed like an eternity until they got our scent..

There is a time and place to wait and watch and I am quite happy to do that if required..

Regards,

Pete

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Here's how we sort it out.

Everyone, from now on, must have a true life belly profile photograph as his avatar.

Any takers?

We might need a bigger server.

Africa ranch hunting has turned into a real bonanza for the Bubba channels(oln, men's, etc). They have figured out first, how to squeeze the gov and carriers out of airfare. Then they quickly realized that they might get three, maybe four 22 minute segments out of a complimentary trip! Yea, there are some real dorks doing it now. I still really enjoy Chris Dorsey's work- Dangerous Game and his others - Orion is his company name.

Most TV shows I've seen on hunting is in my view unrealistic and does not convey a true picture of what to expect on a hunt. I was approached by a guy a while ago who wanted to come and film a hunt (which I had to sponsor) and his requirements were as follows (copied directly from his email to me):

"We have found that the thing that makes the phone ring better than any other marketing piece, is to show very good specimens (quality trophy) of a species, as well as any dangerous game hunt."

So if HE could get "good specimens" or DG, I would benefit from more inquiries! Well this might have been true but when I spoke to another outfitter who previously had a similar deal going with the guy I was told that none of the promises that was made in terms of sending clients after the hunt were delivered on.

Needless to say - we never filmed the hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:


Although I would not want to hunt exclusively from blinds, especially the permanent concrete block house type, I really enjoyed the time I spent in Jim's bush blinds...I saw a countless amount of wildlife and got to watch it undisturbed going about its own business..

...

....

There is a time and place to wait and watch and I am quite happy to do that if required.

Some of my best wildlife experiences in Africa has been sitting in a blind watching game come to and fro undisturbed. Many many times and days while photographing and filming and part of one hunt. I took an impala from the blind and missed a running kudu.