Dumb question...but forgive me, I have only hunted in RSA a handful of times.

What is the purpose of a game scout? Like many of you I watch the shows and read the articles and game scouts are discussed, picked up prior to hunting..etc.

Are they there for protection? Make sure game laws are followed? Do safari companies get the same scouts all the time?

Thanks

Ostensibly there to ensure that the game laws are followed. In Zim, the game scouts are assigned for each hunt by Parks, so while you may get the same scout on two different hunts generally the scout will vary from hunt to hunt. To my knowledge the outfitter cannot "request" that a particular scout be assigned for hunts. I am sure one reason Parks rotates the scouts has nothing to do with maintaining objectivity but is to ensure that every scout gets a chance to be assigned to a hunt from time to time to earn extra money from tips.

A game scout can be a great help or a PIA. As Mike says they are supposed to be making sure the game laws are followed on government controlled lands. In my experience though they have acted more as one of crew on the truck and been quite useful in tracking, building blinds etc. The ones I've had in Zim, Zambia and Tanzania have pitched in and earned a nice tip. Reports I have had from some clients have not always been so positive.

Mark

Yup.

We just had 2 scouts on my last safari. The Nation Parks guy was great. The local council guy was useless.

Some are good, some not so much. Some help out, some don't. Some deserve healthy tips, some deserve none - but always get something, so as not to screw the next hunter who draws him! Some are male, some are female. Some have 3-5 rounds in their AK-47 magazine, some have 20-30 rounds.

I have always understood that in addition to ensuring compliance with game laws, they also have a responsibility to protect the hunter from harm. Not so sure they are all qualified to do so.

I have had exceptional scouts and also one who smelled of Marijuana 100% of the time. Had one who refused to let me shoot a huge tuskless bull in a dry riverbed that was a concession perimeter - it is generally accepted that shooting in such a location is legal!

Totally luck of the draw as to which scout you get. I've had them in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia and other countries over the past 21 years of safari hunting. Not all countries have them. We actually had a white game Ranger - not a game scout - come out for our Rhino hunt last month in RSA. As soon as we had the Rhino down he departed for another assignment.

My last one in Zim (his name was Westin)made me promise him that I would shoot poachers if we saw one. I asked him if I had to pay a trophy fee. He thought a few minutes and (actually taking me seriously) said they would waive such a fee. That was one of the memorable moments of that safari.


Dutch

My favorite game scout story:

I was staying at Sijarira and "commuting" to Omay North about 12 years ago (when Parks was even more in the toilet money-wise than now). After dark one evening we ran out of gas about 1/2 mile from the Sij camp. The game scout fired a shot from his AK to alert the folks on the beach of our predicament.

We got no response and the P.H. asked him to shoot again. Dang if that wasn't the only round he had! We had to stop at the Parks office the next morning to get him another bullet.

quote:

I was staying at Sijarira and "commuting" to Omay North about 12 years ago (when Parks was even more in the toilet money-wise than now). After dark one evening we ran out of gas about 1/2 mile from the Sij camp. The game scout fired a shot from his AK to alert the folks on the beach of our predicament. We got no response and the P.H. asked him to shoot again. Dang if that wasn't the only round he had! We had to stop at the Parks office the next morning to get him another bullet.

I was wondering where Barney Fife had gotten off to.

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Originally posted by larryshores:
Yup.

We just had 2 scouts on my last safari. The Nation Parks guy was great. The local council guy was useless.

Actually had the opposite experience last hunt in Zim. The Council scout was very helpful and a good tracker. The National Parks scout was, for the most part, useless (although I dropped the clip out of his AK while he was away and it was full). Went on to the Omay and the scout was busy with a buff follow-up so he showed up after the fact and posed next to a hippo with my son's rifle (we had to film the shot as evidence).

Mike already described their purpose - and in places such as Zim where you may be hunting Parks and Council land on any given day, you'll likely have a scout from both present.

My only hunt in Botswana was on communal land that was part hunting, part photographic. Our communal scout was there primarily to ensure we didn't encroach on the photographic portion of the block (even though I repeatedly told him I wanted to take a bunch of photos ...).

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch44:
My last one in Zim (his name was Westin)made me promise him that I would shoot poachers if we saw one. I asked him if I had to pay a trophy fee. He thought a few minutes and (actually taking me seriously) said they would waive such a fee. That was one of the memorable moments of that safari.

Dutch

Pearler

Most of the time the game scout is a real asset in my personal experience. Have had a few exceptions.

Once, an accidental discharge in camp before breakfast came close to causing a major incident. Another time the game scout insisted an animal had been missed, when that was hardly the case (probably because it was starting to rain -- progressively harder). We recovered the animal, but I thought it was going to get ugly.

The worst was a woman game scout who they issued what was once a very nice Mauser in .458 WM. It had seen a bit of neglect in the last few decades and she was deathly afraid of it. We followed a large herd of buffalo into some thick riverine bush and spent a few hours dodging the wind and trying to sort out the herd. It was tight and pretty early on, I took the scope off my rifle. I must admit it was pretty intense. Ultimately, we found nothing there and walking out, we bumped an elephant bull that screamed at us. The game scout became physically ill. She refused to get out of the gari after that if it was in thick brush or near dark (that's another story).

I guess I've been lucky. All the game scouts that I have hunted with have real assets. They worked as part of the crew.

I'm probably due for a dud on my next hunt.

Their main purpose in life is to expand the pool of tip recipients, although some do actually earn one.

Great stories guys...thanks for the responses.

Some game scouts are fantastic -actually, the majority are.

Very helpful, know how to track, and generally behave as one of the crew.

But, one does get the odd one who is lazy, and will nothing to help, stays in the truck while we go on foot.

Some can be just plane ignorant.

Take the case of CHARLES.

Apparently he was one of the "freedom fighters" in Zimbabwe.

He was a big man, and did not like being called Charlie.

One day we were sitting around midmorning while the trackers were gutting and skinning an animal we had shot, and we started talking.

Me "Charles, which part of Zimbabwe are you from from?"

Charles "I am from Wankie. I am actually a prince!"

Alan "So you are a prince of the Wankers?"
Charles "Yes"

One day we stopped on top of a hill, to look at the other side for crocs in a river.

There was a very large log, of a dead tree lying close by.

Charles was sitting on the other side of the log, resting his back against it. The log must have been about at least 2 feet in diameter.

Roy and me were walking about 100 yards from the truck, going to look for a croc, when Alan came running at full throttle!

Alan "Come back, there is a big kudu bull feeding there!"

We ran back to the truck, and I got my rifle. It was a 338 Lazzeroni, with a muzzle brake1

Would you believe that the best place to see the kudu feeding was right next to Charles??

I sat on the other side of the log, just behind Charles.

Charles "what is happening?"

Me "Don't move Charles, there is a kudu feeding there. Have a look, he should come out soon!"

The kudu came out, and I shot him.

Charles jumped up, holding his ear, Roy had tears coming down his cheeks, and Alan screaming with laughter.

The three of us ran towards the kudu.
We looked back at Charles, he was still holding his ear!


We had one in Zimbabwe who refused to let me shoot an impala feeding by the Lake shore.

He said one was not allowed to shoot any animal below the high water mark - completely forgetting that we shoot both crocs and hippos there!!

Anyway, we waited until the impala walked back to the tree line, and I shot him. He was quite a bit further than he was before when he would not let us shoot.

I said "you see, it makes no difference"

He said "you are a sniper!"

We had no hassle with him any more.

We had a female game scout we affectionately called Doris. Her rifle of choice was sporter mauser in 375 H&H. The barrel was held on with a zip tie and the muzzle had a lovely little bulge with a hair line crack.


She didn't do much but she did cook the balls of Walters Buffalo for snacks.

Here is a memorable use for the game scout

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quote:
Originally posted by 505 gibbs:

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He told the PH the next morning that she was a bit shy at first and didn't smell so good but he put her into the chalet shower and scrubbed her down and then, not to go into too much detail, said that she tasted a bit "tangy" (the PH got a huge kick out of that term, laughed his ass off as he said it) and was good in bed.


That is the most disgusting thing I think I have ever read, and I have purposefully read some pretty sick stuff. I literrally just threw up inmy mouth a little bit.



That's Okay. I threw up in my mouth A LOT.