I have noticed from looking at pictures here on this site as well as on many outfitters sites that a large percentage of hunters who go to Africa seem to be very overweight and out of shape, one would even say fat.

Is it frustrating for PHs who have to hunt with fat and out of shape clients?

Is being overweight a big problem when hunting in Africa? Is the hunting so easy and the terrain so flat and effortless to navigate that maintaining a proper level of fitness is not a concern? I would guess that when hunting lion or leopard that it doesn't matter if one is in shape or not since these hunts are conducted from a blind. I would think that obesity is probably most prevalent amongst lion and leopard hunters.

If hunting elephant or buffalo and one is too fat to walk a great distance would it be possible to float rivers in a canoe and shoot the animals as they come down to the water to drink?

For me, I think that I want to be able to outrun at least the next slowest person in my hunting party.

Dangerous game tend to go after something that's running. Stand steady and shoot straight ...



Chuck

Here come the fat jokes!!

Most hunting in Africa takes a bit of walking. I think most PH's are used to hunting with overweight clients, and will make allowances. You can hunt close to the truck, but I have found that most PH's don't like to do that, and may not respect you if you do. Also, I think in some countries it is illegal to shoot while in the vehicle.

I am in a constant battle to control my weight. I start working out seriously about 90 days before my hunt, tread mill, stair climber, and hikes. Carry a weight like an iron bar close to the weight of your rifle. I worked out on the tread mill like I always do before my hunt in Chete in Zim. But the climbing over the rocks there really wore me out! Should have spent more time on the stair climber. We did use a boat on Lake Kariba to get around the lake, but we were always jumping into the water and wading to shore. This soaked my boots, and I had blisters by the end of the hunt. I wrapped duct tape over my socks every day to help with the friction, but still had bloody blisters at the end of the day. I also got cramps in my calf muscles from climbing up and over rocks. (Chete has lots of rocks.) My PH gave me salt tablets to help with the cramps, and it did help.

I don't think weight will keep anyone from hunting Africa if they are in reasonable physical condition.

Elephant hunting involves a lot of walking usually in very hot temperatures. I plan to start before the 90 days on my next hunt, in that I am planning on hunting elephant.

Some fat guys are in shape and can walk, some cannot. Look at John Daly on the PGA tour.

If you are after elephant or buff, expect a lot of walking - 5 to 15 miles per day in the heat. If you do this for a number of days you will drop 10 lbs pretty fast or more. I did and was not overweight.

PH's, because you are paying them, will tailor the hunt to fit you to a degree. You will get more "tailoring" in South Africa or Namibia as these are more truck oriented hunts. You can walk as much or as little as you wish.

In dangerous game areas, you will walk unless you are hunting leopard or lion from a blind.

Get in shape, lose those pounds and reward yourself with the hunt of the lifetime.

Most hunters, do several months of training to get ready to go - nothing is worse than being stiff and sore and have sore feet doing something you are paying $1000 to $3000 per day to do. I am getting tuned up now for a trip this summer.

Your questions are, for the most part, rhetorical. Do you really expect any PH whom posts here to respond that it's frustrating to hunt with a fat guy? According to your observation, since most African hunters are fat guys anyway, admitting to such would surly hurt potential future bookings. Hunting, or any activity for that matter, is more difficult the more out of shape someone is. I as well have been on a yo-yo where weight is concerned for the last 20 years. Was Africa harder to hunt? When I was there, no. I was in better shape then. Would it be hard now? Depends on where.
Africa ain't cheap. Most guys whom are fortunate enough to hunt there have had to save for a while to get there (read - at or nearing middle age. The time in life when most are starting to lose that youthful figure, if they had it to begin with). It's such a big deal to get there that even if it is difficult most will push harder just to gain that awesome experience. How hard something is all comes down to how bad you want it. I hiked all over hell and half of Wyoming on a pronghorn hunt last fall just six weeks after having had major neck surgery. Prior to surgery, I could feel nothing below my elbows and little below my waist. I still haven't recovered to where I was prior. I could have duffed it at a water hole blind or sniped one just outside of the truck. Such is not for me. I pushed, I hurt, and I made the best shot of my life. And I'll remember it for a long time. I'd wager that most fat dudes feel the same.

To beat the ol' dog again...

here's a recent thread on the suject of fitness, fattness and Africa.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...281051621#3281051621

Thankfully I am not in that catagory of fat clients. You can hunt pretty much as you like, most PHs will accomidate you. I think for DG though, you need to prepare yourself as much as possible so that you can enjoy your hunt. My last buff was probably 12km of walking & crawling & sitting in hot sun, for the better part of 6-7hrs. The better shape you are in, the more you will enjoy your hunt & the more the PH will enjoy it as well.

quote:

Some fat guys are in shape and can walk, some cannot. Look at John Daly on the PGA tour.

BTW, Daly doesn't carry anything heavier than a putter for no more than 100yds. Please, Daly would cough up a lung on the average bufallo stalk.

quote:

Originally posted by Chobe Bushbuck:

If hunting elephant or buffalo and one is too fat to walk a great distance

Sorry, you are wrong there. There are many people who are too out of shape to walk great distances. This can be caused by age, injury, lifestyle(sedentary).

Don't get me wrong, overweight people are often unable to march great distances, but this is usually because they live a sedentary lifestyle, and not solely because of their weight.

Case in point: there is a PH who does a lot of elephant hunting who happens to be very overweight. In fact I would guess he would be classifies as morbidly obese. I have not hunted with him, but the topic of his size came up while I was speaking to an apprentice hunter who had worked with him. When I inquired whether this PH did most of his hunting from the land cruiser the appie said, "Don't let his size fool you, that SOB can walk! None of the apprentice hunters like to hunt with his because he walks so damn much. He thinks nothing of walking all day."

If a hunter with a BMI of say 32(anything above 30 is considered obese) spends three months training before his hunt he should have no trouble with the walking most elephant hunts require even in rougher areas such as the Zambezi escarpment. For training I would recommend working up to the point that you are marching(walking at a brisk pace) approximately 4 miles a day 4 times a week with an 8 to 10 mile march once a week added about 6 weeks before the hunt.

I doubt many hunters, regardless of build, undertake this type of training regimen before their elephant hunt. If the PHs were to tell you the truth I would bet they would say that almost all hunters, regardless of build, are not physically prepared to hunt elephant.

Rather-B-Huntin,
I am stealing your avatar.
Bionic necks work a whole lot better than bionic low backs, eh?
Cheers!

Letter Rip

Most guys who hunt outside of SA and Namibia are older guys who have finally reached a point where they 1) can afford it, 2) know they better do it before they die. Usually, but not always, that "older" stuff also means overweight and with some body parts that are wearing out.

Theres fat and theres really fat and lazy.

Lots of guys are a bit rotund but remain strong and active.
Some guys are just not active at all and haven't been for 20 years - that could be way worse than a guys 50lbs heavier but who can walk.

Fact is, even outside SA and Namibian ranches, lots of Africa can be hunted without being more than a mile from the truck. It dosen't have to be and of course specilized hunts like MTN Nyala, LDE, trophy ele bulls, Vaal Rhebuck in large areas etc require walking. However for a client who is physically inept due to fitness, health or too many donuts, they have the option to be close to the truck. They may take less animals or smaller trophies, but will kill game.

I think most non-specialised African hunting is quite phsyically easy, when comapred to say hitting the hights after sheep (I have hiked in sheep areas but not hunted them).

I might be fat...but then there are those who are stupid. I can lose weight.

Yes it is frustrating for PH to hunt with fat (or skinny) guys WHO CAN'T (or won't) WALK.

I have been told by a nymber of PH's that a majority of clients either aren't up to it physically or mentally. Its amazing what a good dose of grit and determination can do to overcome other shortcomings. I hear that many lack the grit and determination, whether they are thinner of fatter.

Personally, I have hunted elephants fit and fat. Sometimes everything is aligned and pre hunt fitness training time is easy to find and all ges well, injury free, etc, sometimes the stars are aligned against you and office issues ballon, killing time and opportuntity to train, or you injure yourself and have to pass on training to heal... It is a hell of a lot better to do it fit, but better to do it fat and out of shape than not do it at all.

Fit, you will enjoy your days walking a lot more and will be more ready for the next day too. When you are unfit, each day is tough, and waking up tired and sore doesn't help.

Some elephant hunts can be tough and end up as hunts of attrition, where your physical ability diminishes each day. Hunt long enough and you begin to rebound. That day when you begin to rebound comes a hell of a lot sooner when you are fit.

So, get fit... But if the stars are against you, get on the plane anyway, with some grit and determination.

JPK

quote:

How fat is too fat?

It varies according to the number of beers consumed and the proximity to closing time.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Norman:
I might be fat...but then there are those who are stupid. I can lose weight.

Exactly. As Winston Churchill's famous quote when told at a function by a lady "Sir you are drunk!" He replied, "Yes maam, but in the morning I will be sober, while you maam will still be ugly"

No kidding though, a lot of folks obssess about shaving a pound off of a rifle, most of us would be better served by hiking and shaving 10 lbs off of our middles ... I live and hunt elk in Colorado, and trust me carrying my 12 lb 500 Jeff while weighing 180 is much easier than carrying my 8.5 lb Rem 270 weighing 195 ...



Chuck

In the past ,there have been a few scathing reports about unsuccessful hunts. In some cases, the person filing failed to mention they were fat, out of shape and could not walk 400 yards.

Hard to kill elephant and buff when you can't walk more than that.

quote:

No kidding though, a lot of folks obssess about shaving a pound off of a rifle, most of us would be better served by hiking and shaving 10 lbs off of our middles ... I live and hunt elk in Colorado, and trust me carrying my 12 lb 500 Jeff while weighing 180 is much easier than carrying my 8.5 lb Rem 270 weighing 195 ...

Best to do both, shave the weight off the rifle and shave the weight off the mid section. For some it is easier to one or the other, but both have their rewards.

JPK

I weigh 75 kilos and stant a hair under 6ft.

I came back from Botswana 83 kilos!

That, despite wakling alot and bouncing up and down in a standing position on the back of the truck a lot (never had my arse on a seat the whole 16 days).

I cam home with calf muscles like 'The Governator' and my girlfriend said I looked like alittle pink pig after all that sun a dn camp cooking and beer.

In my rugby playing days, there were a good few 'fat boys' who carried enough muscle under the lard to put in 80 good minutes of rugby. Some of them could get up some speed too.

I still know some big guys who can do serious physical work but just seem to carry weight.

I will definitely be in better physical shape when I next go to Africa. I can walk all day without complaining but when shifting faster or traversing obstacles at a crouch when stalking up to a warthog, rifle in hand in serious heat and then being steady enough to take the shot right is another matter.

This is why I went back to Kung Fu training twice a week!

It's not too fat, it is too short. I've tried for years to loose weight with diet and exercise. It has not worked. I have now decided that I shall grow taller. I plan to grow about three inches over the next year. It will improve my body mass index and make me more attractive to women! Can't be any harder than loosing weight, which I have proven, can't be done.
Like going to Africa, it won't happen if you don't beleive.
Bfly
Bfly

Teddy wasn't fat in that photo. Not old either.

I believe he left the Presidency at 48. That would make him 50ish. Not old at all, or at least I hope not since I'm knocking on the half century door.

To put "fat but able" into perspective, think college or NFL linemen.

JPK

I've just lost about 30 lbs. I do about 4 mi. in an hour's walk with the terrorier in the evenings during the week and in the morning on weekends. Can't wait to get back on safari!

Too fat in my opinion is when your physical weight impeads your ability to acheive your objective, whether it be walking, running, climbing, whatever.
Just looking at Fedor you would think he is fat, but he has unbelievable cardio and stamina. If you go by BMI he would be considered obese but I don't think I'd call him fat to his face.

quote:

I've just lost about 30 lbs

Good stuff - must feel good. well done!

Anybody notice NO outfitters/PHs are posting on this thread?

A little too hot to touch I think.

quote:

Originally posted by 404WJJeffery:
Anybody notice NO outfitters/PHs are posting on this thread?

A little too hot to touch I think.

404
Here is the question that started this thread:

quote:

Is it frustrating for PHs who have to hunt with fat and out of shape clients?

I think it is fair to say that most PHs would rather be in the bush hunting with fat guys than standing in the unemployment line, so no need for fat asses to stay home.


But yes, I am sure it gets a bit annoying when you have to deal with clients who won't walk.

I am sure immobile clients rank right up there with drunks, braggarts, guys who can't shoot, know-it-alls, loud-mouth client's wives, and all the other unpleasant traits PHs have to deal with.

I guess FAT people's money spends as good as skinny peoples.

quote:

Originally posted by USAONE:
I guess FAT people's money spends as good as skinny peoples.

Just not as much because they spend more on Big Macs.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Norman:
I might be fat...but then there are those who are stupid. I can lose weight.

good one!

If this is a serious question, then there is really no good answer IMHO, my experience with outfitters and PHs would reflect a general disregard for body size provided you can fit into the land cruiser, super cub etc. They are far more interested in your "heart" and enthusiasm . If you try your hardest, most PH's will customize the experience to your abilities, again provided you don't bitch about NOT getting everything on your list especially when you wouldn't or couldn't walk the walk. I would imagine PH's are far more annoyed by many other things than the waist line size of their client. I know many heavies that could walk the average Joe into the ground, and a few bean poles who need a 4 wheeler to get to the tree stand. In the end, as previously stated the fat boys money spends as well as the slim boys does. And in the end It is the clients dime and his hunt, a good PH knows this and tries to treat all clients with respect and in a professional manner. Im not sure this has added much to the discussion but I really think the question is odd.

As an additional thought you might refer to Saeeds post on African Travel Forum...this could be the upper limit, but ou never know he coud be a sharpshooter

My PH had a gut on him and was probably 40 to 50 pounds overweight, about 5'8" and stocky. I never met a tougher man in my life who could walk faster and farther than I could ever hope to. Fooled me. One tough SOB. A great guy, too.
Oh, I almost forgot, I lost 15 lbs and was not in the shape I should have been.

Dutch

It has amazed me that more PH's are not grossly overweight. The meals they serve every night (with dessert and liquor) and for breakfast are quite fattening as everyone knows. They must feel that it is their place to be at the table with the hunters.

Some days they walk and some days they just ride around.

I'm not small, never have been. There was a time in my mid 20s when I was 200 lbs with 6% body fat. That was before I had a 60 hr/week high stress desk job. Now, ten years later, I go 250 and the 6 pack has grown into a keg. However, I work all through the year in the yard and on the farm as time permits, I walk great distances in the local hunting seasons, I walk the dog, I ALWAYS take the stairs, and when a hunt is coming up, I get into my exercise and shooting regime so I will be ready to go all day, up hill and down, when I hit the ground in Africa, Canada, NZ, or where ever. I don't look like I did in the good ol days, but this pasty pile of goo is the Enegizer Bunny when the hunt is on.

For purposes of this post, the mere appearance of the client as "fat" or "thin" is an irrelevant factor for purposes of guaging the difficulty of any African hunting. It also has little to do with whether the client is in "hunting shape".

quote:

Now, ten years later, I go 250 and the 6 pack has grown into a keg.

Damn but that is funny!

JPK

quote:

Originally posted by Grenadier:
Not fat?

No, not fat. Maybe if he were in profile I would have a different take, but that ain't fat imo.

The fellow next to Teddy is shaped like a pear, larger in the hips than the shoulders. Maybe that is only the line of his coat. But to me, it looks like Teddy is by far the more athletic of the two.

BTW, the boxer pictured below your post isn't fat either.

JPK

Too fat to go on safari with ...



Just right!





Chuck

You're too fat when you can't see your own shoes.

Or when you piss based on sound rather than sight.

Or when your waist size exceeds your jacket size.

Or when you stop wearing lace ups and shift over to loafers based on inability to tie your shoes rather than style.

Can I stop now!?

This is way into the record books. The living proof ...



My, my ... look at that poor sucker next to him!

I am fairly thin, but there might also be a problem with the airlines making their seats too small for the average customer.

My pant size is 34" waist, but I would guess that the average is fairly larger.

Maybe the airlines need to have some plus sized seats and charge accordingly....

But I still think that all the seats are somewhat small for the current average person.