Has any one read the article in the March/April edition of SAFARI MAGAZINE titled "Father & Son Tanzanian Adventure (on pg 40)?
Shocking to say the least! Unbelievably ridiculous....

What's on the cover of that issue. It'll make it easier to find in my pile.

I think it has big horn sheep on the cover?

Yes, and I was very disappointed that someone could shoot such immature animals and make the magazine. The description of the buffalo as a mountain species with unusual horn structure was beyond belief. The eland was also very immature.

I'm not an SCI basher, but the folks who edit the magazine seem to be hard up for articles or don't know much about Africa. The subject article is not the first about which I have wondered a big .

The story appears to indicate the clients were on a 10 day hunt with a 10 day permit so Eland shouldn't even be on the potential trophy list. If so, then there a 3 flagrant violations of the Tourist Hunting Rgs:
a) Immature buffalo
b) Immature eland
c) Shooting an animal without a legal permit

The unbelievable thing is that TPHA have requested SAFARI magazine to publish their position and observations on TPHA ethics violations and are being led around a real merry-go-round by some technocrat!

I cannot believe there are clients out there such as Mr Goeldner that can be so ill-informed about cape buffalo to think that they have received their money's worth after a hunt like that! How can we educate them?

the guy sure did need to feed his ego

Would it surprise anyone if money enters the picture somewhere?

I'd be totally shocked.

I thought the same thing. What a couple of knuckleheads. I would have been embarassed.

Will - say it ain't so! Money involved? No way...

I see the PH associatio has put this out....

The executive committee of the Tanzania Professional Hunters Association issue the following Statement regarding an article recently published in the March/April 2010 issue of SAFARI magazine, entitled “Father and Son Tanzanian adventure”.

1) According to Walkers Mammals of the World 1999 and Van Hooft et.al. 2002 there are 2-3 subspecies of African buffalo. Syncerus caffer caffer (Cape buffalo), Syncerus caffer nana (forest buffalo) and possibly Syncerus caffer brachyceros (the so called West African buffalo).

To the TPHA executive committees knowledge the only African buffalo endemic to Tanzania is Syncerus caffer caffer (African cape buffalo), Currently, there in no such buffalo variety as “mountain buffalo” as stated in the article.

2) It is the TPHA executive committees opinion that the two animals depicted in the photographs are immature. TPHA and its members consider it unethical to harvest an immature animal of any species as a trophy.

3) TPHA executive committee found the statements regarding confrontation when encountering poachers while hunting to be unfounded. Any confrontation, with any persons while on an organized hunting safari with a recognized operator in Tanzania is extremely rare and improbable.

4) None on the persons mentioned in this article are or have been a member of TPHA.

5) TPHA have informed in writing the Editor-In-Chief of the SAFARI publication of our aversion and concerns’ regarding the printing of this article.

The Executive Committee

Tanzania professional Hunters Association

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Would it surprise anyone if money enters the picture somewhere?

As long as SCI is involved, you can bet there's money involved!

Before I read the text under the picture, I thought they had shot a young cow...

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Would it surprise anyone if money enters the picture somewhere?

As long as SCI is involved, you can bet there's money involved!

Surely not!



Ah dammit, there goes another rib!

I'm certainly not good enough to tell if an animal is 39" or 41" looking through brush with sweat running down my face, but I didn't have any problem in determining that the "trophies" shown in the article aren't what they are claimed to be.

I blame the editor. The writer of the article simply doesn't have a clue and believes he actually did something grand, poor fellow. SCI let him make himself out to be an idiot. The editor should have politely declined to publish. They owe that to their membership, particular those who try, in good faith, as this guy probably did, to contribute to the club's magazine.

If the editor is clueless, too, then how much trouble would it be to send proposed articles and pictures to someone with a bit of experience who could cull the ones that are bizzare, stupid or sophomoric (not to mention harmful to SCI's image)? E-mail is cheap worldwide. SCI does have some real experts as members and it would one only a couple of hours to do the review. Not much or a task to make the magazine better, I believe.

If I were David Horsley, I'd have seen to it that my client "lost" his camera.

BTW, in the same issue, did you see the hat on the fellow on spring break? I'm going to get one of those and wear it to the DSC party on Saturday night.

I was very surprised at the "quality" of the animals.

Then again some here would say 'if it is legal and its their money' etc

Do not blame the client as he probably feels he did shoot a good Mountain Buffalo. The PH had balls to notify him of this new specie, however he should now be castrated.

Many who post photographs here often have the odd animal that maybe a tad on the young side, and one that does not generally warrent comment.

I admit I have had the odd client shoot young animals and this was mostly due to poor communication on my side. My most famous was to instruct a first timer to shoot the Zebra on the far right thinking that the big stallion towering over the foal was the obvious target. Apparently not so.

BWANAMICH, Two things. (1) I agree with you, typical SCI Editorial. (2) I want to pick your brain on a project I am working on as yours is a very competent brain on the subject I am working on. Would you send me a PM so I have your email so I can fill you in on the details. Very many thanks in buddy.
Dave

Seems to be a pattern recently with Safari magazine. In one of the recent issues there was a story by a woman who took an extremely immature "trophy" bongo.

I just dug out the issue and read the article (I passed before as I usually don't read stories about Tanzania), it appears to me this was probably a first African hunt and the client placed all his marbles in the hands of a questionable PH. If there is blame to be placed it should be on the PH and the company. This apparently uninformed hunter was proud enough of his hunt with his father that he wrote a story about the experience (which he seemed to enjoy) of his hunt. I hope he doesn't frequent this site.

Yes I realize the purpose of this thread was to bash SCI, but an apparently innocent bystander is being drug thru the mud.

DOJ:

I hear what you are saying, could be the guy was an innocent and unknowing hunter. And at the end of the day it was primarily the fault of the PH.

But, I also think anyone who goes on a dangerous game hunt ought to study the country, animals, local people, etc. and not just blindly follow the directions of the PH.

My opinion is that as hunters we have a responsibility to educate ourselves as well as hone our shooting skills.

Anyone who has ever watched Boddington on Buffalo or read Doctari's books (Africa's Most Dangerous or The Perfect Shot) or any of the hundreds of hunting books and dvds would know that buffalo was not mature. Okay, I'll grant you the eland might have been a tougher call for someone without experience; after all it's probably not unheard of for female eland to get shot by accident.

Based on Doctari's books that buffalo looks like it might be four or five years old, and of course it looks nothing at all like the forest, Nile, or West African buffalo.

I'm no expert and don't pretend to be; I've only gone on two safaris. I've never before criticized anyone else's trophies. The first animal I ever shot in my life was an impala and the second was a Cape buffalo. I am the perfect example of a green-horn, inexperienced hunter. But I can say for sure I never, ever would have shot that buffalo in the article we're discussing, regardless of what the PH said. I watched way too many good dvds and read way too many books to be that clueless. I bet I watched Boddington on Buffalo 12 times before my first hunt and I've read The Perfect Shot cover-to-cover many times. I mean reading about Africa is what I do for fun.

I differ Jagter and I do not think that SCI is to be bashed (yet again) here. It has been pointed out that these animals are immature and I presume you are making reference to ethics? Swings and roundabouts.

Yep. I was a little in disbilief when I read that one. What a piss poor ordeal. I agree with many that the clients were likely totally clueless and taken for a ride. The PH/company should be castrated/cruisified which ever is most prudent. I've noticed recently that I read less and less of Safari Magizine any more. For starters damn near the whole magazine is direct advertisement or inderect avdertisement by some writer writing about a product. What's left is little and half the articles are of little interest. I generally read about 4-5 articles out of the whole magazine anymore. Kind of pitiful.

Brett

PSmith, I agree, but you are posting on AR and that in and of itself shows you have more than a passing interest in Africa. I just wonder % wise how many people who hunt Africa spend the time to aquaint themselves before hand about all the details of the animials they are going to hunt. I look back now after a half dozen or more African hunts at what my thoughts were on the first hunt. Believe me I am still a novice and rely upon my PH's to guide me in trophy selection. I will say I have hunted with the same PH for over 70% of my Africian hunts.

PSMITH- yeah that bongo was a disgrace...seriously...that thing still had milk on it's lips.

Oryxhunter,

Not milk it was dog saliva.

I love it!!! That got a hardy gut laugh!!!

Brett

fairgame, I guess my thought process started when I read the post and the first sentence carries "SAFARI MAGAZINE" in what I understand to be loud shouting in net speak.

Anyone have pictures to post for those of us who do not receive the magazine?

I certainly don't qualify as an experienced Africa hunter and, having watched this site long enough, I understand that I may be excoriated by the local authorities for not having enough posts or experience; however, I will put in my two cents worth. I've been to Europe a number of times and have looked through a number of German hunting magazines. Not infrequently, there is a story of a trip to the western U.S. and a photo a German hunter with a thin horned four point mule deer or raghorn elk. At first, I wonder why they came all the way over to shoot "that". Then I look at the grin a mile wide, see the mountains in the background and realize that a few inches of antler wouldn't have made the grin any wider or the mountains any prettier. Before I took my son on my one and only safari to Namibia, I tried to study as much as I could about the animals we expected to hunt but, frankly, I wouldn't have known a 53 inch kudu from a 48 incher at 200 yards (or 50 yards) or a 36 inch gemsbok from a 39 incher if my life depended on it. And, like the German hunters, another three inches on a gemsbok or five inches on a kudu wouldn't have made our smiles any wider, the scenery any more vivid or our memories any sweeter. It's their safari not yours.

High Desert,

Quite refreshing.

High Desert, I agree 100% with you, a few inches of antler or horn, or the place in the 'book' shouldn't matter as much as the experience of the hunt...

...provided the animal is mature.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
fairgame, I guess my thought process started when I read the post and the first sentence carries "SAFARI MAGAZINE" in what I understand to be loud shouting in net speak.

I hear you.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Oryxhunter,

Not milk it was dog saliva.

Now that was funny as hell.

I just read through the whole magazine.

Without looking hard, I found some really questionable actions related by the guys that wrote the articles on Africa, i.e., shooting an elephant at 100 yards (and not knowing much about the animal's anatomy), claiming he didn't kill the elephant quickly because his .458 Win. Mag. wouldn't penetrate as well as his .470 (which he left in the vehicle because he wasn't going far????.... a guy claiming he had a "dud" when it most probably was a short stroke (that after trying to neck shoot a buffalo with a solid, which will work if you know what you're doing, but???)... a guy shooting an elephant from 70 meters after his P.H. told him not too (but he was too excited and did it anyway)... a guy hunting DG with a scope he knew to be malfunctioning... geeze...

The magazine needs editors! Some folks read it like it is the gospel. Lots of bad info being promulgated, IMHO.

I get the magazine, saw the article and had the same reaction as Bwanamich regarding the animals and the write up.

But I felt sorry for the hunters. Not so sorry for Safari magazine, though.

Inexperienced hunters (and experienced ones too, for that matter) are generally forced to rely on their PH for advice as to trophy quality.

Just as magazines must rely on their editors to decide what's worth printing.

Both the PH and the editor did a very poor job in this case.

Judge,

Remember your first footsteps on African soil? Would you not have done the same?

I have yet to meet a chap who is willing to follow up a wounded Lion or other dangerous game without his PH. I have offered this fantastic opportunity to all and to date have had no offers?

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Would it surprise anyone if money enters the picture somewhere?

As my bi-line used to say...and as my father taught me well...it is the "Golden Rule" - He who has the gold, makes the rules!

Hey, the editors of the fine magazine are Steve Comus and Stan Skinner. Both are very well known. I do know that they have very strict so-called "guidelines" as to what they will and will not publish, as they refused to publish my Leopard Killing Leopard Story because, even though I had legally shot it over bait at night (the big tom leopard's own bait-his female leopard kill of that morning)with an artificial light (flashlight)on Jonsyl Farm in Southern Zimbabwe, doing so was not sporting in the eyes of SCI and therefore they wouldn't publish it. I was told in a round about way that if I would take out any references to shooting it at night with an artificial light that they might consider publishing it. I had it subsequently published in African Hunter Magazine with all of the true and correct facts.

Said magazine has been at my house for a month now and I haven't really looked at it. I certainly will this evening to see this mountain buffalo. Always exciting to discover a new species.

What about the buff in the last Petersen's Hunting mag...I thought is was a wildebeest until I read!