What is it that makes a good PH into an excellent PH? Some PH's become famous when publicized in books or videos but what was it that attracted the attention? Are they really superior leaving their colleagues dorsal in rank or do they just plain get lucky?

The reason why I ask is because it seems most PH's do more than just get the job done. I've talked to a lot of people lately about their safari adventures in an effort to be prepared for my hunt, and it seems everyone has an experience of a lifetime. They get most if not all the trophies sought and their PH was always very good. Some of these same people talk about the PH as if he was their immortal savior and yet, somehow, the PH remains unknown.

Evan here on this forum PH's are launched into greatness with claims of excellence, two good examples would be Buzz Charlton and Vaughan Fulton. So what is it that sets these guys apart? Are these PH's famous because they really are head-and-shoulders above the rest?

Isn't it possible and even likely that there are Professional Hunters in Africa that remain relatively unknown but for a small circle, and are actually superior hunters and marksman than their famous counterparts? Sort of excellence in incognito, likely giving them more desirable personality traits as well.

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Isn't it possible and even likely that there are Professional Hunters in Africa that remain relatively unknown but for a small circle, and are actually superior hunters and marksman than their famous counterparts? Sort of excellence in incognito, likely giving them more desirable personality traits as well.

You have answered your own question

RayRay funny you should bring this up I returned from RSA yesterday ( my first time) I hunted with Xomaqua ( I will do a full hunt report with pics soon) My PH was Peter Butland, though this was my first PH experance I am a Guide, I work with lots of other guides and have hired Guides. Peter was truly great I will try to tell why. He was an extraordinary gentelman at all times. He was extreamly professional and allways attentive to the clients wants or needs. A great judge of trophys and clam and non pressureing when I was about to shoot. Peter works with a few PH / Outfitters as well as books his own clients. Plains Game and Dangerous Game. Should I have the chance to return to Africa I would Hunt with Peter again.

Look up who has won the Zim "PH" of the year award for the last decade. I doubt if I have seen any of their names mentioned on the forum! The award goes to the PH who has delived the best trophies consistently over the year.

You also have two distinct types of PH's . Those who market their own safari's and those who work soley for others- either as free lance PH's or often- on a full time contract. Any good safari operator knows that a PH who delivers the goods, yet has no intrest or ability to market hunts himself is a treasure to be protected! He isn't trying to build a client base for himself and will build the company's reputation rather than his own. Many of the men that I consider to be the best PH's fall into this category. They can smell an animal, out guess any and know more about the bush than their tracker. Most are often though intrinsicly anti-social people or have poor people skills. When hunting they are awsome. Back in camp - the fire is better company, and the camp manager or appy does the client entertaining.

If, though, a PH wants to "get ahead" book his own clients and perhaps one day set himself up as a safari operator in his own right, he had better market himself - become a known name. Some do this by specialising in getting great trophies of a particular species- Wayne Grant and Wayne Williamson on leopard, Buzz on Ele etc. Others become "charicters"- Mark Sullivan and John Sharp ( not to imply that these two are similar men- but they are both notable Charicters!) to name but two. Believe me- In the PH game, if you don't sing your own praises - nobody else is going to do it for you Also though, men who "specialise" or who portray an interesting persona are not necessarily bad hunters- it is the only way to get ahead.

Ray Ray,

I think as bwanamich said you answered your own question. I think the vast majority of really good PH's are not very well known at all. A group of people who have hunted with them may know them as excellent but generally you won't see their names in print or if you do they won't be very recognizable.

The guy that impressed me the most did get in print a couple of time only because he took a guy on safari that decided he wanted to write a book after the fact and because he had the unfortunate distinction of having a client killed by an elepahant. He didn't ask for any of that publicity nor did he want it. I think that is the case with most of your average good PH's.

I also think that some forum members believe that there are so many people on AR with African experience that they need to go no further for all their safari planning information and all the good PH are known to the members. In reality AR is a great resource but only one of many and doesn't necessarily reflect an industry wide perspective.

Mark

As is normal, Ganyana hit it right on the head. For a PH to gain fame he (she) either has to be somewhat of a charecter or have exceptional people skills and be lucky enough to take out a famous writer who will extoll his virtues in print. Being an excellent hunter and producer of high quality trophies is not enough. The PH that can make friends out of his clients has it all over the PH that produces trophies but grates on the clients nerves. Now we all meet people that we find fault with and if the faults are bad enough we may show are displeasure in one form or another. It is hard to hide from someone that you do not repect them. But a good PH can do just that. A PH that belittles his client no matter how much it is deserved is cutting his own financial throat. In one case I saw a PH try to walk to death a client that he didn't like because the client had been on a few safaris and thought he knew it all. You know the type I'm talking about. The PH would have been better off in my opinion to have just treated him like someone he liked. I think that is the key to a great PH.

465H&H

Recently completed over 3 weeks of hunting with Buzz Charlton and this subject came up over a camp fire. Ray Ray and Ganyana have it right that there are many company PH's of high standing. On this trip, I have met a few of them and was witness to the great hunts they produced.
Charlton, who I feel is a gifted PH, indicated that since he is independent he must spend time marketing himself to clients. But he was quick to point out many really top ph's in Zim who, as was stated, are not well known, but who have for years produced top hunting experiences for the client.

Dak

Although I have only hunted with one PH, I have hung around with a bunch of them, both in the field, and here in the states. Mike Payne, who was the PH who stopped that messy buff charge mentioned a few days ago (the one with Boddington and Steve Hornady) never ceases to amaze me. When I had him staying at my place, I took him, another PH, and some other friends to Joshua Tree National Monument sight seeing. We were hiking back into an oasis when Mike spots some tracks in the sand.

He stops dead in his tracks and gets down on his knees and looks intently, then asks me what kind of animals are in the area. I told him that they looked like Desert Bighorn Sheep Tracks, and that they are quite a few in the area. that's all he had to hear. "I MUST see one of these!"

Next thing you know, we're all following Mike, as he's tracking a big horn in a national park! We followed him way up into the rocks, and I gave up, but he didn't stop until he was at the highest possible point, and was in pure rocks, with no trail left to follow. It was like following a German Shorthair on a quail hunt. His whole personality changed. the best PH's have hunting and tracking in their blood.

Maine Woods, very interested in that hunt report. Just sent a deposit to hunt Xomaqua in '08.

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"I MUST see one of these!

N'gagi,
That blew me a way. good story thanks!

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the best PH's have hunting and tracking in their blood.

The best people have hunting in their blood period, if you can track you're just good at it!