Short Pants?

06 August 2016, 00:43

MARK H. YOUNG

I wear shorts everyday here in LV about 9 months out of the year. I love them but no way in HELL am I wearing them in Africa. My first safari was in an area of the Zambezi Valley with lots of wait-a-bit thorn. That convinced me long pants were for me. I like my skin and even on the hottest days I really don't mind the long pants.

Mark

06 August 2016, 01:25

larryshores

I feel out of place hunting in Africa in longs. Shorts for me always.

06 August 2016, 01:53

Magnum Hunter1

JPK,
Just to reply to your question.....although i never revisted this thread and it has been a looooong time,
I live in Western NC and never wear shorts if I can help it. I'm kinda with TJ on this as my mother used to make me wear them and knickers when I was a kid and I swore whenever I got old enough I'd never wear them again. I never saw my dad in a shorts either. He used to say when he saw a man in shorts and/or flip flops, "He's not going to do much work today". I simply hate the things. It is kinda lightweight fashion for a man. I don't wear skinny jeans either. Or pink. Or flip flops.

06 August 2016, 02:20

Steve Ahrenberg

quote:
Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
Shorts are quieter than long pants. PHC was totally correct about that. Especially when it comes to people without a lot of experience in moving through African bush. The trackers are generally experts at moving through brush as they have lived their entire life there, and, to work as a professional they have to be the best of the locals.

Even then, read enough books about Africa and you will read stories of how the trackers shed all their clothes when trying to escape from an enraged elephant or other dangerous game. Losing their clothes helps them to move quicker and quieter through the thorns and thick brush of Africa.

I have used shorts during my two Safaris, except when hunting at night. I will probably use longs on my next trip, as my skin tears much easier now that I am an old man.

As for South Texas, much of Africa has "wait-a-bit" thorns, that will grab and hold you fast, especially if you are wearing "quick dry" polyester-type shirts/pants. It is similiar to trying to force yourself through a blackberry
patch.

If you decide to hunt in shorts, make sure your legs are conditioned and you have a tan and/or bring plenty of sunblock.

Getting a sunburn on your pasty white legs, on top of mosquito bites, tsetse fly bites, and thorn scratches is not a way to enjoy your hunt.

I always used a combination sunblock/mosquito repellent. That seemed to work well even with tiny spider ticks and mites.

BH63

PHC advise? That guy was a fraud.

06 August 2016, 04:23

medved

quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
What a bunch of Americans.

These countries are all ex British colonies. The white boys all grew up wearing shorts at school, (Later the military made it ok for men to where them too.) shorts have a place in the colonial wardrobe to this day because of this. South Africa, Zim, Kenya, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand...all will wear shorts,

Its also the style of hunting I reckon as well, hunting in these countries is much more physical more walking, more climbing around etc, so shorts are more easy and comfortable as well as cooler, whereas in America the hunting seasons its cold and your sitting in a treestand freezing to death.
Plus shorts seem to be seen over there as uncowboylike or something.

Anyway, these countries people where shorts hunting because its practical, and because they got used to them because they had to wear them as part of their school uniform.

It's Americans who wear long pants in Africa.

If you can't pull off shorts then your probably less manly than you think.

Canada was a british colony do not remember tbe brits wearing shorts for hunting moose or bear lol ....

06 August 2016, 04:44

Frostbit

quote:
Originally posted by medved:
quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
What a bunch of Americans.

These countries are all ex British colonies. The white boys all grew up wearing shorts at school, (Later the military made it ok for men to where them too.) shorts have a place in the colonial wardrobe to this day because of this. South Africa, Zim, Kenya, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand...all will wear shorts,

Its also the style of hunting I reckon as well, hunting in these countries is much more physical more walking, more climbing around etc, so shorts are more easy and comfortable as well as cooler, whereas in America the hunting seasons its cold and your sitting in a treestand freezing to death.
Plus shorts seem to be seen over there as uncowboylike or something.

Anyway, these countries people where shorts hunting because its practical, and because they got used to them because they had to wear them as part of their school uniform.

It's Americans who wear long pants in Africa.

If you can't pull off shorts then your probably less manly than you think.

Canada was a british colony do not remember tbe brits wearing shorts for hunting moose or bear lol ....

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06 August 2016, 05:38

Carlsen Highway

Nobody can wear shorts in a metre of snow...but if you want to get technical, the USA was a British colony as well too...

06 August 2016, 05:44

Carlsen Highway

quote:
Originally posted by LionHunter:
A 10 year old thread on shorts...WOW! Revived by a NZ just to insult American hunters...

Yeah I was searching for something and didnt notice the dates - but how insulting? Everyone loves Americans. Half my family are American even.

06 August 2016, 13:42

Sean Russell

For those that were laughing about "cowboy culture" and long pants--

i do NOT recommend spending 8-10 hrs horse back wearing shorts---

Different answers for different circumstances--

By The way--i only hunt in long pants---shorts are ok around camp.

06 August 2016, 18:54

MacD37

quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
Nobody can wear shorts in a metre of snow...but if you want to get technical, the USA was a British colony as well too...

You are absolutely correct, but there is one small difference between the USA and Canada, we whipped their butts and sent them back to England!
.................................................................

06 August 2016, 19:34

cal pappas

quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
Nobody can wear shorts in a metre of snow...but if you want to get technical, the USA was a British colony as well too...

I respectfully disagree. Here is Alaska kids in school sometimes wear shorts in the winter. But, flat landers don't know about life in the north.
Cheers, LOL.
Cal

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06 August 2016, 20:45

Zephyr

Same here in Vermont, some folks wear shorts year round some times they just pull their socks a bit higher

06 August 2016, 20:47

Fjold

quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
Nobody can wear shorts in a metre of snow...but if you want to get technical, the USA was a British colony as well too...

Yes, but we have an Independence Day which you don't.

07 August 2016, 23:24

CharlesL

quote:
Originally posted by Clifton Clowers:
Hereâ€™s a question. In his several documentaries about African hunting (elephant, rhino, lion, plains game, etc.), Peter Capstick and the other professional hunters all wear short pants. In one of the documentaries, Capstick explains why: because shorts are much more quiet in the bush than long pants, he says. (And of course theyâ€™re cooler than long pants.) But all the trackers, game rangers, and other black members of each hunting party wear long pants and they travel immediately next to the hunters. If quietness were all that important, as explained by Capstick, the trackers too would be wearing shorts. How come theyâ€™re not? Is Capstickâ€™s explanation about the ability to stalk closer with minimum noise in the bush correct?

I wear long pants, but the trackers can move quieter in their coveralls than I could in shorts. That being said, on my one cape buffalo hunt we would leave the trackers behind when we got close.

08 August 2016, 20:51

BuffHunter63

quote:
Originally posted by LionHunter:
A 10 year old thread on shorts...WOW! Revived by a NZ just to insult American hunters...

Yes, but some conversations are timeless.

BH63

10 August 2016, 07:57

Big Wonderful Wyoming

quote:
Originally posted by Fjold:
quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
Nobody can wear shorts in a metre of snow...but if you want to get technical, the USA was a British colony as well too...

Yes, but we have an Independence Day which you don't.

Yes we have Independence Day, but you ought to study that a bit before you claim that it should be a source of national pride.

We were doing fine under Colonial rule, the 4th of July has been Nationalized to the point that the truth was stretched heavily on why we got into the war.

From what I can tell, the majority of the reason was so the British would not tax those in the financial upper 20% anymore.

George Washington even continued to import British goods as soon as the war was over.

It deserves a bit more study, but my it is not as black and white as I thought it was. Both sides lost about 5000 from the battles, and another 50,000 from disease, winter starvation and other reasons. The British had about 25,000 just desert the mission and become part of American society.

The French, Spanish and Dutch lost as many people as the Americans and British did, almost all at sea.

I am proud to be an American, and I proved it by serving 20 years in the military. The Revolutionary War is confusing to say the least, and while I agree that it should be a great source of national pride, that pride would be better served by the Spanish American War where we came together after the Civil War as a Nation and fought along side one another for America.

10 August 2016, 08:24

Sean Russell

quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
Nobody can wear shorts in a metre of snow...but if you want to get technical, the USA was a British colony as well too...

technically that is wrong , What started as the USA was 13 colonies--

10 August 2016, 18:23

Magnum Hunter1

Well that all sounds good like we got history wrong and all of those horrible rich people were to blame once again for a war....but my family patriarch was hanged in 1771 along with 4 others for leading 400 North Carolina militia against Tryon for excessive taxation. Marriage licenses were inflated from $1 to $15 at the time. So it was not the "rich" only. It was being subject to a tyrant. Much like now.

11 August 2016, 03:48

Cazador humilde

I was taught by my PH that it's not about what you wear, but how you hunt. Wear whatever you're most comfortable in.

I do think it's an American thing. Even though you see some men in shorts at church (

), some of the more insecure "macho" hunters wouldn't be caught dead in anything but long pants, and some only in "jeans".

11 August 2016, 04:26

Beretta682E

I was hunting last weekend in the Hill Country for axis. Had my Africa hunting clothes on.

Jumping over a low barbed wire fence I got caught up and tore a 6 inch gash in my shorts.

When I hunt the hill country again even if the temp is 100 degrees I am going to wear thick jeans. Jumping barbed wire fences in shorts is not smart.

Mike

11 August 2016, 05:30

BEGNO

I never wear shorts in Africa. Legs are too good looking to cut up on thorns. lol

11 August 2016, 08:31

lavaca

My white legs would literally glow, until they turned bright red from the sun and then they would shine even brighter if I hunted in shorts.

You'll get scraped up and dirty from ash and other things whatever you wear. I've always wore long pants and gaiters.

11 August 2016, 10:28

DCS Member

quote:
Originally posted by Beretta682E:
I was hunting last weekend in the Hill Country for axis. Had my Africa hunting clothes on.

Jumping over a low barbed wire fence I got caught up and tore a 6 inch gash in my shorts.

When I hunt the hill country again even if the temp is 100 degrees I am going to wear thick jeans. Jumping barbed wire fences in shorts is not smart.

Mike

Mike,

Africa gear with a hemline less than 6" on shorts?

I'm glad you got your axis, as it has been hot as hades here.

11 August 2016, 10:29

DCS Member

quote:
Originally posted by BEGNO:
I never wear shorts in Africa. Legs are too good looking to cut up on thorns. lol

But you prefer to head butt buffs with out a helmet.

11 August 2016, 19:25

MikeBurke

quote:
Originally posted by DCS Member:
quote:
Originally posted by BEGNO:
I never wear shorts in Africa. Legs are too good looking to cut up on thorns. lol

But you prefer to head butt buffs with out a helmet.

You obviously have not seen his face...

11 August 2016, 20:14

BEGNO

Yep,

You can't hurt my head and the looks are only iffy.

11 August 2016, 20:39

Biebs

quote:
looks are only iffy.

And that's on a GOOD day :-)

11 August 2016, 20:53

MikeBurke

Butch,

Do not be too modest, I remember you posting this jewel:

quote:
At my recent 45 yr. high school class reunion I was voted "Most Handsome in my Weight Class"

I hope to see you tonight, you will have the pleasure of hearing me speak to the group about my heroic exploits.

11 August 2016, 21:14

BEGNO

Yes,

I am having my 50th reunion in September and it should be a cinch to repeat my title. The other two guys died.

Cheers,

11 August 2016, 23:02

Atkinson

Only on the golf course..

13 August 2016, 08:51

Antlers

I love wearing shorts and I love hunting. Hunting in shorts is the best of both worlds. I hunted in shorts every day of my safari.

13 August 2016, 20:41

Carlsen Highway

13 August 2016, 20:56

surestrike

quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:

Is that a side slit mini skirt?

14 August 2016, 05:40

INTJ

Since my first African trip is a couple years away, I read this thread with interest. Although I am a long pants guy and despise shorts, good points were made on both sides. Because of that, I have decided wear only my underwear on my first African hunt......

14 August 2016, 05:51

medved

quote:
Originally posted by cal pappas:
quote:
Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:
Nobody can wear shorts in a metre of snow...but if you want to get technical, the USA was a British colony as well too...

I respectfully disagree. Here is Alaska kids in school sometimes wear shorts in the winter. But, flat landers don't know about life in the north.
Cheers, LOL.
Cal

Cal,

that is correct that is why i said brits not Canucks ...

lol.

Phil