quote:

Originally posted by ifnotwhynot:
2024 has been a very bad year for PHs. 3 mauled by leopard and one killed by a buffalo. The amount of animals that are being wounded in recent times is simply not acceptable. Yes everyone makes bad shots but it seems to be a lot more frequent in recent times. I think that more emphasis should be put on how important the first shot on any animal is, especially on the dangerous game. More discussions about how dangerous these animals are when wounded, more attention on hunters ability on shooting the bigger calibers. I think that a target/box should be placed at 50 yards and the hunter made to shoot 10 rounds at the target free hand. If there are any flinches or other shooting issues then they can be addressed there and then. Its not about just checking if the rifles are shooting accurately, it's about the hunters shooting ability as well. Yes some PH's pressure hunters into taking risky shots, but at the end of the day it is the hunter/client, that is making the first shot. If he/she is not happy with the shot then the trigger should not be pulled. Peoples lives are at risk. This African big game hunting is not a game, there is no winner or looser. Peoples egos should not play a part of the hunt. It does not matter how much money someone has or how much hunting someone has done, once the sights are set on one of the dangerous animals that can kill you, that person must be sure that when he or she pulls the trigger that animal is going to die. I personally have seen far too many hunters coming over to Africa to hunt the dangerous animals, hardly ever shooting their big caliber rifles and when they do shoot them they are flinching, cant see the crosshairs of the scope etc etc. This is not the time to be sorting out the shooting issues. Because hunters have less time now days, they want to hunt the same amount of animals in ten days as what a 21 day safari use to be set aside for. More and more hunters seem to be in a rush to get their animals. This also causes problems. Hunters must take time to hunt the animals ethically and in a sporting manner. The more pressure the Ph is put under, the more risks are taken, thats when life changing tragedies can happen. It seems that there are far too many excuses for bad shooting now days. Ammunition is too expensive to practice a lot, no time to practice, no where to practice, the scope is not fit for my eyes, must be bad ammmo etc etc. When people come on these expensive hunts in Africa the rifle and the ammo is the cheapest part. Time has to be set aside to go to a range and practice, practice and practice some more until all the faults are ironed out. Once in a hunting area there are no places to replace a scope or ammunition. Find out what the very best rifles and ammo are for the animals that are going to be hunted, there are enough experts out there that are willing to share their advise free of charge. There is no excuse once the trigger has been pulled and the animal is wounded. If the hunter is not happy with the shot, it should not be taken. There will always be another chance.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Actually, it is surprising what one can do.

A few weeks ago we were in Verbier, Switzerland.

There is no flat ground there.

I arrived in the afternoon, my wife and daughter were at our home.

Had visiting friends from Dubai and the UK.

Was told they planned on a hike the next morning.

The hike was up in the mountains, where there is a stream that goes on for miles around a sort of horseshoe .

Trouble is the stream was quite high from our place, and no one wanted to walk up to it.

Except my daughter Hessa and her dog, Alask.

Everyone was taking the ski lift up and meeting up with here there.

She actually told them before I arrived that “dad will walk up with me!”

I did.

It was a bit hard in some places in the forest.

By the time we stopped for lunch up in one of the highest restaurants, my Garmin was showing we walked over 9 kilometers.

Including 1,584 meters up!!??

If anyone told me I would walk uphill 1.5 kilometers I wouldn’t have gone!!