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Really has nothing to do with Capstick, whom I didn't know and don't care for his books, but I disagree strongly with Atkinson about "once he has been put to rest, let it be." If I think someone is a SOB when they're alive, their death, while possibly satisfying, doesn't change them in anyway except from being a live SOB to a dead SOB. The obvious comment is that to be a well known African writer in this crowd, Hemingway, Ruark, or Capstick, you have to be, at a minimum, a very heavy drinker. FWIW I tried to read "Death in the Long Grass" several times, never could get through it and I am a constant reader. To each his own. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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Regarding the original question, was PHC ever an game control officer, I once asked Rolf Rohwer PH about Peter Capstick. Remember, Rolf was the first Chief Game Cropping Officer of Zambia (Northern Rhodesia). Rolf had a lot of bad things to say about Peter Capstick. The one humorus thing said by Rolf was that he, Rolf, dismissed Peter from being a PH twice, once from each of two Safari companies. And thus, Peter Capstick would never write about him or mention his name. As a follow up, I handed a copy of DEATH IN THE LONG GRASS to Rolf Rohwer and asked him to make a few notes for me on a page of paper. The notes as I read then now show.... Page 4, Rolf Rohwer apprenticed for four years under Peter Harkin. Peter Capstick did not attend the funeral of Peter Harkin and had nothing but very third hand information about Peter Harkin. Page 40, Paul Neilssen apprenticed under Rolf Rohwer. Page 40, Armando Basi, was a client of Rolf's and still living in Barcelona Page 76 Johnny Uys, was my chief warden when I was Chief Game Cropping Officer in Luangwa. Also Best Man at my first wedding. Killed by elephant. Page 93, Bob Langevelt was my assitant and later took my job when I left the game department. (It is my guess, me being Virginia Creeper, that Peter Capstick ran some with Bob Langevelt as a volunteer.) Page 100 Game Scout, Rice Time was hired and trained by Rolf Rohwer. Page 139 Brian Smith was mauled by a leopard the first time when standing next to me by leopard that he stepped on! Page 193 Ian Manning was another of my apprentices. Rolf Rohwer felt that Peter Capstick got his best information by hanging around the bar in the old Arusha Hotel (TZ). Rolf did say that no one did more to promote the safaris business than Peter Capstick. Rolf felt that the writings of Peter Capstick combined with the invention of the modern jet airplane really developed the modern Safaris. Unfortunately, Rolf Rohwer died at the age of 65 of a major plague breakage (massive heart attack) while in Reno for the January 2008 SCI show. Sincerely, E Pluribus Unum - where out of many, we will become one. | |||
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Personally I don't care if someone is alive, dead or standing next to me, the truth is the truth. I don't teach my kids that lying is perfectly fine as long as the outcome seems ok and I certainly wont start thinking that way myself. If you write fiction then call it fiction, if you write non fiction then call it non fiction. | |||
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Sounds like Brian should at least get the "assist"! _______________________________  | |||
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I checked Death in the Long Grass and found that Rohwer's notes do not deny the incidents happened as Capstick reported. More importantly, Rohwer did not comment about Capstick’s claim on page 93 of “spending quite a lot of time cropping†after Langevelt offered him a job as a full cropping officer. Rohwer’s comments on pages 4, 40, 76, 93, 100, and 193 merely pointed out that Rohwer had trained or worked with people Capstick mentioned briefly. As for page 139, Capstick used just two sentences to say that PH Brian Smith was attacked twice by leopards. If he had described each attack he would have had a reason to say Rohwer was there for one of them. In none of the instances cited did Capstick claim to have been at the scenes, nor did he claim to know all of the players well. He merely reported what had happened to other people, using the incidents as examples to bolster his theme that Africa’s animals are dangerous. Bill Quimby | |||
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Anybody with a lick of sense knows that Capstick's stories are mostly fictional. It seems that it takes longer for some folks to discover this than others. I guess when some folks discover this after lapping up every word as gospel they get offended and embarrassed. The real choker was the claim of 1000 elephants. Come on now, did you really believe that?  Seems everyone that finally discovers most of it was baloney they have to make a career of taking shots at Capstick to repair their egos. Such big detectives. ------------------------------- Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun. --------------------------------------- and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor Member, GOA, N.A.G.R. _________________________ "Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped “Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped. red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com _________________________ Hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go. | |||
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Here in Argentina ,PHC,was well respected ,he hunted a lot even wildboars with knife ,my wifes grandfather was there and he said Peter was a hunters above all,another person i respect a lot ,DON HEATH,told us that PHC served with the brigthligths during the RHODESIA war ,very dangerous work ,so i dont understand while some people are so hard with him,besides that his books are excellent and he always speak about another hunters Juan www.huntinginargentina.com.ar FULL PROFESSIONAL MEMBER OF IPHA INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL HUNTERS ASOCIATION . DSC PROFESSIONAL MEMBER DRSS--SCI NRA IDPA IPSC-FAT -argentine shooting federation cred number2- | |||
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Hi Bob Langevelt told me that he was cropping together with Peter Capstick buffalo, elephants and I think some hippos in Zambia. Not knowing Capstick personally but getting to know Bob quit well over the years I have no doubt that this information is correct. As to numbers I think that is within the possibility of a cropping officer to shoot high numbers of animals in relative short time given the right infrastructure and the logistic in place! According to bob they had a abattoir set up to handle all the meat from the culls and had trucks running day and night to collect the carcasses. This was not a culling operation to reduce overpopulation but a tsetse control operation meaning to eradicate all animals in “corridor areas to make land available for farming†if possible in the case of elephants the matriarch would be shot first to confuse the herd and stop them from running away and then the older animals would be targeted last the young and infants. All this had nothing to do with hunting. Bob died about 2 years ago and sadly a lot of history, knowledge and information died with him. I urged him to write down his experiences but I don’t think he ever done it.. He was not a big talker and you had to have patience to extract any information from him! IMO he was not a man to exaggerate. Bob shot well over 2000 elephants in his life including a charging half grown bull with his 9mm High Power pistol because this was the only weapon he had! He defiantly knows his elephants. And he told me once he and peter used a flare to cull some buffalo in a herd at night and this worked very well till the flare burnt out and then it got a bit tight.  Cheers | |||
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I've never really understood Capstick bashing. I found it easy to separate the personal stories from those he merely reported. I never got the idea that he claimed the reported stories as his own. Obviously, others have. I also never got the impression that he considered himself as a bush expert. He passed along what he did know in a marvelous style. I had the good fortune to come to know PHC from SCI at Reno, when it was held at the old MGM. He was always willing to chat, and mentored my meager writing skills, and encouraged me until I became published. i would write to him in South Africa after he moved, and he was always kind enough to reply quickly. PHC made it very plain that he was an American guy who got the "African bug bad". He said he was very fortunate to live out his dream hunting there, and then make a career writing about it. He never claimed to be the equal of any African born PH. He made it clear that any American has huge obstacles to overcome trying to PH not being raised there. Culture, language, contacts were all decidedly against any foreigner. I never found his writings braggadocios, and he was humble in person and respectful in his words about the PH's that were at SCI selling safaris. He made it known that PH'ing was a tough gig, and objectionable clients now and then really strained one's nerves. I for one, am thankful we have his writings, and I'm all the richer for reading his works and knowing him in person. I'm sorry he left the hunt early. | |||
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So you don't loose your 33 post standing, maybe Saeed or Don will let you change your username to 450/400 JEFFERY. ------------------------------- Will Stewart / Once you've been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun. --------------------------------------- and, God Bless John Wayne. NRA Benefactor Member, GOA, N.A.G.R. _________________________ "Elephant and Elephant Guns" $99 shipped “Hunting Africa's Dangerous Game" $20 shipped. red.dirt.elephant@gmail.com _________________________ Hoping to wind up where elephant hunters go. | |||
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If Langeveldt said it was true, then there's no doubt in my mind Capstick's role in that regard was accurate. jorge USN (ret) DRSS Verney-Carron 450NE Cogswell & Harrison 375 Fl NE Sabatti Big Five 375 FL Magnum NE DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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I saw Tink Nathan and his wife at the Las Vegas Shot Show three years ago. I went up to engage them in some friendly conversation, and they were rather rude and appeared to be turned off to any friendly discussion. I was left with a negative impression of them both. | |||
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I for one would love to know more about PHC. I'll take first dibs on his biography. Regardless of numbers of elephant or buffalo shot or whose experiences he wrote about the man had a way with words. His writing was in superlatives. He illuminated the world of Africa like few ever have or will. I personally owe him a debt that I'm afraid I will never be able to repay. He started my passion for all things Africa and inspired a boy who hated to read to develop a love of reading. I was 13 years old when my father took me on a weekend trip to Columbus, Ohio. While there we visited an old college buddy of my dad's Don (We're now both Ohio State alumni). Don was a hunter so the conversation naturally turned towards hunting. He asked me if I had ever considered hunting Africa. I laughed at the idea because I'd seen shows on National Geographic and you could practically drive right up to the animals, so how hard could it be? Don informed me that I might be operating under the wrong impression and quickly produced a copy of PHC "Death in the Long Grass" which he gave to me. The whole 2.5 hour ride back home I read the book. I just couldn't put it down. Today I'm 25 and have read at least 40-50 African hunting books, I genuinely love to read, I have already taken a 7 day to Tanzania, and ALL I think about is going back!!!! He among others who he made possible for me to read has inspired me to write about my future travels and hunts around the world. We can dissect his life, we can mock him, and we can disprove his statements, but we can never diminish his writing or his impact on African hunting. Thanks Peter and good hunting! Brett DRSS Life Member SCI Life Member NRA Life Member WSF Rhyme of the Sheep Hunter May fordings never be too deep, And alders not too thick; May rock slides never be too steep And ridges not too slick. And may your bullets shoot as swell As Fred Bear's arrow's flew; And may your nose work just as well As Jack O'Connor's too. May winds be never at your tail When stalking down the steep; May bears be never on your trail When packing out your sheep. May the hundred pounds upon you Not make you break or trip; And may the plane in which you flew Await you at the strip. -Seth Peterson | |||
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Everytime someone brings up this subject, the same handful of guys bash Peter and the rest of us get on here and say that we enjoyed and appreciated him for what he was...an inspiration to visit Africa. The next time it comes up, we'll do it all over again. _______________________________ | |||
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You bet and I'll be swinging for Peter! Cheers to Peter on St. Patrick's Day! I'll raise a pint to Peter tonight!!!  Brett DRSS Life Member SCI Life Member NRA Life Member WSF Rhyme of the Sheep Hunter May fordings never be too deep, And alders not too thick; May rock slides never be too steep And ridges not too slick. And may your bullets shoot as swell As Fred Bear's arrow's flew; And may your nose work just as well As Jack O'Connor's too. May winds be never at your tail When stalking down the steep; May bears be never on your trail When packing out your sheep. May the hundred pounds upon you Not make you break or trip; And may the plane in which you flew Await you at the strip. -Seth Peterson | |||
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I see that "Will" is a famous author himself?? I have never read his book, but if I ever do, will take it all with a grain of salt. The way he bashes everyone else and what they do on here, couldn't bring myself to believe a single word he would put in print!! I'll just save my 55 bucks and buy another PHC book. Oh that won't work, already have them all. Oh well?? PHC got me to Africa through his written word and the visit I had with him at the SHOT show in Dallas, so I guess that's all that really matters. Larry Sellers SCI Life Member | |||
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Capsick is great reading, for entertainment. But Will's book is better for learning to shoot elephants. Worth the $55 and more, as Capsick's books are worth what you pay for them and more, but for the entertainment value. Might take some time in Africa to realize what great entertainment Capstick's books are, btw. JPK  Free 500grains | |||
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Larry Sellers: +1!  | |||
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I don't see it as unfair to seek the measure of a man by asking if he is what he claims to be. It makes no difference how great he may be. By many accounts Bill Clinton may have been a great politician and president but who here can overlook his faults? Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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+2. ----------------------------------------------- "Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder." | |||
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Wills not really an asshole he just plays one on the internet.  | |||
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I have all of Capstick's books. I enjoyed all of them, I read them for entertainment, not as a 100% correct instructional book. Capstick has accomplished what he intended to do. He made money writing them, created wander lust in many of our hearts for Africa, left a mark on the literary circle, and has for years after his death, had many of us discussing him and his adventures and work regardless of whether the facts were stretched a little. I can tell you a few stories also,, and many of my animals may have had ground shrinkage and the fish lost weight once in the boat. Enjoy them for what they are. you can make more money, you can not make more time | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Was Capstick really a game control officer?
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