To go along with Ackleys thread, will hunting dangerous game ruin you for taking plains game?

It takes several years for me to afford an africa trip. So basicly i could hunt one DG animal or i can hunt multiple plains game species.
I know its a natural proggression. I am wondering if i should hunt all of the plainsgame i am realy interested in before i do a buff hunt?

I am certainly not the most experienced guy here on the subject, but for me these days, I wouldn't travel all the way over there unless there was at least one DG animal as a possibility. I still enjoy the PG, but it takes a definite back seat. That being said, I am not a collector and am not concerned with taking 40 species of PG. I hunt Africa for the experience and to me hunting buff, ele or leopard are a far more rewarding experience than anything else.

I won't say I would never go on a dedicated PG hunt as I would love to take my kids, or some other reason might always come up, but if I have any say in things, there will always be a buff or cat as a possibility...

In contrast to Tim's post, I would much prefer to hunt PG. The dangerous game may be just that "dangerous" but plains game is just as much a "hunting" challange especially the pygmy antelope and on second thought more of a challenge when hunted as a specific hunt not a "shot on opportunity" type of "hunt". You want a "tracking hunt" just follow an Eland for a day trying to catch up to them. You want to climb rocks hunt Klippys not to say anything about Mt Nyala or Minlicks Bushbuck. Maybe try a swamp hunt for Sititunga. There is always the hunt for Vaal Rhebok with eyesight that make a Pronghorn seem to need a "white cane"

Doing a plains game hunt has its own magic. Anyone who has really hunted an Nyala or Kudu in their environment will confirm that.
Dangerous game has a different magic, but not one which will diminish the thrill of hunting plains game.

quote:

I am certainly not the most experienced guy here on the subject, but for me these days, I wouldn't travel all the way over there unless there was at least one DG animal as a possibility. I still enjoy the PG, but it takes a definite back seat. That being said, I am not a collector and am not concerned with taking 40 species of PG. I hunt Africa for the experience and to me hunting buff, ele or leopard are a far more rewarding experience than anything else.

I won't say I would never go on a dedicated PG hunt as I would love to take my kids, or some other reason might always come up, but if I have any say in things, there will always be a buff or cat as a possibility...

Good Hunting,

Tim Herald

THis is perfectly stated as how DG hunting effects me!

Best regards, D. Nelson

quote:

Doing a plains game hunt has its own magic.

I agree 100% with 500 here. I have hunted my fair share of DG but just the opportunity to be in Africa with rifle in hand, tracking in new country and hunting a unique species turns my crank too! Whether it is Vaal Rheebok in the mountains of South Africa, lechwe on the Kafue flats or sable in the Matetsi, it's all good!

I like hunting anything, anytime, anyplace, Hunting is hunting no matter what. Do I enjoy buffalo hunting HELL ya!!!!!! Does it ruin hunting other game hell no I'm to that shallow!!! Just my opinion

This really is a great question.

I have been dying to get back to Africa myself and the "next step" is supposed to be dangerous game. The real issue with that is the cost difference. Lets face facts,a dangerous game hunt costs 3 times more then a plains game hunt or more. A better question might be, would you rather hunt PG every other year or dangerous game every 6 years?

For me the only thing missing from my PG hunt was not being in more "wild" Africa. To be honest I want to hear lions roar, see Buffalo and Elephants etc. but I'm not sure it is worth 20K more just to pull the trigger and have it on the wall.

The biggest benefit of DG seems to be the areas where it is hunted more then the actual kill or trophy. To me a Nyala or Kudu are far more attractive to have on your wall then a Buffalo. Also to me a guy climbing a mountain to shoot a animal is both more impressive and dangerous then some guy plugging a Buffalo 100 yards from the truck. Obviously not all DG is taken this way but you can't shoot a Mountain Nyala on flat land after driving around for 5 hours.

Someday I'm sure I'll hunt DG but for me the environment of the hunt and the challenge are what does it for me. For me, I don't get the "I'm a big man now" rush of shooting dangerous game that others seem to thrive on. I have seen it many times on bear hunts and wild boar hunts where you can just see the fear in the hunters eyes and hear it in their voices. I get the rush of excitement when I take and animal but not the wave of fear.

I have known too many guys who have died from sports and hobbies I've done like motocross to playing lacrosse and I don't know anybody that has died or got seriously hurt hunting dangerous game. Hell I know 3-4 guys personally who have fallen out of tree stands hunting whitetails and one could have died if he fell the wrong way. In reality swinging your leg over a Harley Davidson or even driving to work in the morning is far more dangerous then hunting "dangerous" game.

No doubt DG hunting is fun and having a set of elephant tusks would be great but I don't think it is $35,000 great.

Now a tuskless cow for $5,000, that might be worth it.

Both 500nitro and bwanamrm are 100% spot on. DG hunting should not diminish PG hunting one bit or vice versa.Usually the areas are a little to a lot different where better PG hunts take place over DG hunts.If you are a hunter at heart both will make your pulse quicken and both will satisfy you.Hell being an observer on a hunt in Africa is pretty damn good. I did that this past July for tens days and enjoyed it.
Wesley

Plains game is just something you shoot while hunting buff or ele...or...for cat bait!

quote:

Plains game is just something you shoot while hunting buff or ele...or...for cat bait!

Cetainly not the case for me, with eland hunting almost on par with buff....a lot more than just a target of opportunity.

My trip was 10 days for plains game, then a week for a buffalo. There was NO WAY that I was going to Africa without hunting buffalo! I also insisted when booking the trip that the PG be done first, with the buffalo the following week. As wonderful as the PG hunt was, I very much doubt that I would ever do it again, except as a sideline to another buff (or other DG) hunt. If I did, it would be a hunt for LD Eland, or some other PG that entails a bit more effort than a typical ranch-type PG hunt.

John

First off, I need to state that I have never been to Africa.

NO, I do not believe DG will ruin me for plains game.

I am going to go to Africa, and when I do. It will be all about the hunt, the area, and local flavor. That will be the most important factor.

Most hunters talk about the individual species. I tend to focus on geographic areas.

For example:

I want to hunt Mozambique. Buffalo come to mind as well as Nyala and Sable. There are some small antelope there as well.

I want to hunt Namibia, Gemsbock and Springbok come to mind, preferably the Kalahari.

Definitely Botswana, but that door may be closing. So I will have to see when the time comes.

Eastern Cape of S. Africa. Cool country from what I have seen.

My goal is not a grocery list of animals, but a list of hunt areas.

Planning on going to Reno in 2012 to get the Africa bug going. Then every other year for the rest of my life while I am physically able, and it is politically feasible.

jwm, you should go to Natal and hunt Suni. The first morning we took 45 min to travel 70 yds. not because we were stopping and waiting for any thing it is a bit thick where these little guys call home.

I am blessed. I have been able to hunt in Africa a few times, and each time seems to only get better. I didn't hunt my first buffalo till my 4th trip, and there is nothing like a DG hunt. That being said it does not deminish the PG hunt.

You can do a DG hunt for your first trip, and you will probably be successful. However I believe you will do yourself a great disservice. You can't fully apreciate a DG hunt on your first trip. The person who thinks you drive around, spot the buffalo, walk a hundred yards, and shoot the buff hasn't hunted buffalo.

No matter how much hunting you have done in America, how many videos you have watched, and how many books you have read. Africa is totally different. You need to hunt PG there at least once, and get your feet back on the ground. That way you will be fully prepaired to enjoy everything that is a DG hunt.

It can, but there is only one way to find out! For certain, what I thought 10 or 5 years ago is different than how I view it now.

At this point in time after multiple trips - excluding specialized hunts where the focus is the plainsgame (Lord Derby, Bongo, Mt Nyala, Sitatunga, Roan…and maybe Sable) where quite possibly buffalo are secondary - I find that I am excited about hunting plainsgame when planning a trip but when on the ground, it’s all about buffalo, hippo and elephant. The DG PH’s share this sentiment too…it is hard to get a charge out of elephant (hey there is a pun in there!) and still be excited about shooting a wildebeest.

I think for me it is not so much “plainsgame” versus “dangerous game” per-se, but the HUNT (overall experience) that it represents. I am mostly past the collector phase (except for a few!), and “diesel stalking” plainsgame is something I do not want to do. When hunting DG, assuming you and the PH are on the same page, by default it will involve tracking and getting to know your quarry a bit before putting one on the wall. As was pointed out, eland and I would add bushbuck and kudu can be great fun…along with the little guys and others hunted in unique areas/habitats.

A few years ago I shrugged off shooting a little duiker, but they are now are something I think I could build a trip around, assuming they were stalked on foot and we were in at least a "semi-wild" game area.

Hey but in another 5-years, who knows!

Don't want to be misunderstood that DG hunting has "ruined" PG hunting for me. I still very much enjoy it and as has been stated, you are in Africa hunting . I do agree with the other comment that where much of the DG lives is more "wild Africa" and that adds to the experience as well, not considering the game you are hunting.

DG hunting isn't about feeling like a big shot for killing a buffalo to me. It is just the type hunt, the place you hunt, and the possibility of what could happen. I don't ever want to have a bad situation with a buff. I would rather pick my shot and have them all be "uneventful", but like with hunting a brown bear, etc., that possibility is there, and it heightens our senses.

Hunting a bull eland by tracking is much the same hunt as a buff and is a blast, no argument here. That being said, I would rather hunt in a wild area (no ranch setting) where I see ele, hear lions etc. and track buff for 5 days hoping to get one shot, rather than hunting PG somewhere less remote and killing an animal every day for 5 days...

I am also not saying that DG hunting is more of a challenge. I don't believe that to be true. I guarantee some PG animals are much harder to come by than a Cape buff...

Now that being said, I am taking a group of guys to Namibia in May for a PG hunt, but I will have a leopard permit. My chances may be slim, but I will have a permit. The others are all hunting PG...it is not fenced, but we will not see elephant or hear lions. I am sure I will have a great time, and I will be hunting in Africa, but unless we get some leopard action, it won't be nearly as much fun in my book as my 10 days in Dande last August...

I would look at the term "Plains Game" differently: there are antelopes that are often found in herds or small groups and tend to inhabit open spaces with sparse vegetation. Some are skittish and call for long shots, others can be more condescending. This group of antelope are simply "collected" or "harvested" as it is just a question of selecting the one you like most. These I would call Plains Game.

Then you have the others that travel singly, in pairs or a "small family" and these are normally found either in wooded or forest areas (G.Kudu,L.Kudu, Suni, Red Duiker, Bushbuck, Reedbuck, etc.)

Hunting the former is basically spot and stalk (more to close the distance) and shoot while hunting the latter can be a bit of an enterprise and which makes it more appealing to the hunter. Hunting Suni, Red Duiker or Bushbuck on their terms can be quite frustrating but sometimes extremely rewarding.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
In contrast to Tim's post, I would much prefer to hunt PG. The dangerous game may be just that "dangerous" but plains game is just as much a "hunting" challange especially the pygmy antelope and on second thought more of a challenge when hunted as a specific hunt...

+1

As I mentioned on the other thread, every hunt has its special rewards. Life is way too short to discount them. We must each examine what is personally important to us but allowing the large triumphs to diminish the smaller ones is self defeating in the bigger picture.

I would love to be looking over his shoulder and whispering advice when my son shoots a 40+ inch buffalo but I don't think it would come close to recalling doing the same when he shot his first whitetail doe. The intentional "events" of our lives are each important for their own reasons. Trying to rank them in importance just isn't fair. ...just one old fart's opinion. Should your's differ I can live with that!

Thunder Head,

DG hunting is just something different than PG hunting just as a whitetail hunt is much different than a brown bear hunt. Both are great but completely different adventures. Some folks do discover that they want to basically hunt elephant or buffalo to the exclusion of almost anything else. I find that most of my clients though are interested in a mixed bag with perhaps one or more DG species as the main targets but they are also very interested in the other species available.

I have found that personally I'm far more interested in shooting the greatest variety of species I can. I guess that makes me a collector but more importantly it gives me a different experience on each safari and often I'm hunting in a different country. To me the best part of my safari experiences has been traveling to 8 African countries and hunting from 27 differnt camps.

Others mentioned the "wild" factor in DG hunting as opposed to PG. Ithink a lot of don't realize that you can have that wild experience on a plains game hunt at plains game rates in both Mozambique and Zimbabwe. A plains game hunt where you are apt to bump into elephant and buffalo while you stalking your kudu is a completely different experience than hunting PG in the more common ranch setting. If a hunter is seeking a more "Classic" safari experience but doesn't need the DG these hunts in Zim and Moz are just the ticket.

Mark

To only have hunted PG is to have read only one page in the great book called Africa..

To have hunted only DG, is to have read one page in the great book called Africa..

One must read the entire book I believe, to get the full meaning

If you drive around all day you are missing the best part of hunting in Africa, which is to walk. If you are in a game rich area you will have an opportunity for both. Driving around can save a lot of time of course, and if you are on a one-week hunt it may even be a necessity. But walking is the good part of either PG or DG.

I love both, but I always look forward to hunting plains game. In many ways some species are more difficult than much of the DG. Cat hunting is my favorite but if you want dangerous, go in the thick riverine after a wounded Bushbuck. Several PHs I know have had close calls with death from being gored by a wounded Bushbuck. Another friend told me the only injury he'd ever sustained was from a "dead" Steenbuck. Personally, I love it all and always look forward to hunting plains game.
LDK

fujotupu - your post above is an excellent way to look at this...there really should be some way of differentiating the various "non dangerous game" animals that reflects the native habitat and thus the way they are typically hunted.

I too love both. I don't believe that I have ever hunted DG that I haven't also hunted some plains game on the same hunt. But, I have hunted plains game on two safaris without hunting any DG and loved it just as much. I'm with Die Ou Jagter-try hunting Suni (and Red Duiker) in the thick bush of Natal!

I guess I am like Mark, in that I enjoy the different countries (not to 9 yet) and the different species. The hunt for each species has it's own flavor. Hunting elephant in amongst them (management bull) was a hoot and a rush. Listening to the hounds tree a Leopard had my blood rushin, the long time waiting for just the right time to brain shoot a bobing Hippo was taxing on the patience. Shooting a White Springbok at 300+ yds was a challenge for me maybe not so others. The time it took to out wait a Bontebok ram to clear the heard was in it's way a challenge. The time consuming setting and calling a Red Duiker in the thick bush of Natal was just like turkey hunting in Pennswoods. Maybe one of the most memorable was the Blesbok as it was my first African species. I could go on and on and with it all I look forward to my next hunt in Africa which will be a PG hunt.

Loving a good steak never made me discount a baked potato ! Nope, they both have their good points, and for me at least, always will.

I much prefer to hunt dangerous game.

Well, my latest shipment just cleared ATL with four buff skulls, one leopard, and one set of bushpig teeth. DG Ruined? Yes.

Seriously, the issue for me is that once you have shot the common PG, there's not much to be gained (IMHO) from jumping off the truck and shooting another ______(impala, duiker, blesbok, springbok, wildebeest, etc). If I see a great _______, it's game on. Until that happens or not, put me on a fresh track and let's walk bulls or bait cats.

This topic is like asking what is the best rifle? Lots of opinion all of them o.k., depending upon ones preference. I like both, though I must confess the adreniline rush from DG is very addictive. I am also the first to admit chasing a bushbuck in thick riverine brush is real hunting as well.

The answer is simple......yes.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI (another year)
DSC

quote:

There is always the hunt for Vaal Rhebok with eyesight that make a Pronghorn seem to need a "white cane"

I took a Vaal rhebok, in Nov...I thought I was going to die...those bastards can spot you from miles away, and then they run run run....

quote:

Originally posted by Oryxhunter1983:

quote:

There is always the hunt for Vaal Rhebok with eyesight that make a Pronghorn seem to need a "white cane"

I took a Vaal rhebok, in Nov...I thought I was going to die...those bastards can spot you from miles away, and then they run run run....

Tell me about it. Think they are born with a pair of 10x40 strapped to their heads.

One of the best plains game hunts I have done and I am by no means an expert, was on Eland in Zim. we track ,missed and finally got a great bull after three soild days of tracking/hunting...loved every minute of it....But then I hunted cape buff with a 500 Jeffery,I will never be able to hunt lion and no point in leopard as I can not import them to Australia but I can tell you this for my point of view..... DG hunting will not stop you enjoying plains game hunting but you will never be able to hunt anywhere there is Buff and not want to hunt them as well

I know this may raise a sneer or two from the Rifle guys here, but I choose to hunt (walk and stalk) plains game with a bow rather than a rifle and do my DG with a rifle(although a buff with a bow is my next ambition). The stalk with a bow is a real thrill and matches the DG experience. On my last hunt I shot an impala that I stalked for a good hour and a half. I guess its the experience that counts and what sort of thrill you get from each facet. For me , pitting my skills against ANY animal is where my pleasure comes from.

I've been fortunate to be able to hunt Africa quite a few times over the last 20 years.

I do not think DG hunting "spoils" one for PG, but.....

It is not possible to be unchanged by your experiences and what is important to you changes.

For me, buffalo hunting is the greatest thrill---moreso even, than elephant or cats.

While elephant and cats are fun, they are very limited, while buffalo are more abundant.

Any safari which includes cats is dominated by that fact. You are constantly building and checking baits. Your other hunting is controlled by the need for bait. Nothing wrong with this, but it is a reality.

All of my hunts have been for 20-21 days. My last two hunts and my next scheduled hunt have been for 4 buffalo (only) in 20-21 days. No other distractions, save for occasional camp meat.

I have a limited amount of time which I can hunt. If you tell me I have 3 weeks---what would you like to hunt, it will be buffalo. Nothing wrong with PG, it just doesn't compare with buffalo.

Has DG spoiled me for DG? Yeah, I guess so.

“…will hunting dangerous game ruin you for taking plains game?”
Lots of interesting posts and opinions on this thread…For me, the question is so easy to answer…No. Emphatically even. My first African experience was an elephant hunt. The only live African critters I had even seen before I shot my first elephant were a couple of zebras.
Within four days of taking a huge bull elephant in Zimbabwe I was back in Oklahoma chasing fox squirrels around a tree with a Ruger .22 pistol. And I enjoyed every damn second of it.
My personal theory (and that is all it is so no one need get their shorts wadded up over this) is that if you truly have a hunter’s heart, there is no game you can pursue which will “ruin” you for other types of hunting. Now that is not to say that you won’t enjoy some forms of hunting more than others, obviously taking an elephant and taking a impala are two very different experiences, though both can be ultimately rewarding.
This year I spent nearly five months in Zimbabwe and South Africa. I shot my first impala during this trip and let me tell you, I took as much pride in that scrubby impala as I did in my first elephant.
It is all about your perception of the event.
Best of luck to you on your first safari.
Cheers,
Brian

This is an easy question for me to answer.

YES!

If I were starting over again, I'd start with buffalo and take plains game as they came. I won't book a hunt without one of the big 5 again, unless it is to take my kids.
The idea of a hunter needing to work his way up may make sense for the inexperienced, but if you're a hunter at home you're a hunter in Africa as well.

I won't say "ruin" as far as doing the PG hunt after experiencing DG.

I still get the shaking hands, rapid heart beat, all that after shooting any animal. That includes bird hunting. Can't say that fishing has the same effect, and I have kind of dropped off on that.

I will note that someone else had said more or less my "feelings" on the subject.

Its a matter of time to me. I only get a limited amount of time to go off and make a dedicated hunting trip in any year. As such I try and maximize the experience- new areas, new game animals, different ways of hunting all are good.

I can hunt on a game farm/exotic ranch here in the US if I want to, so I so far have not gone to Africa and hunted on them- I don't have a problem with it, but why do all the travel to do it in Africa? So far, if I have a DG hunt, I can also hunt PG (within quota) so I try and do the most encompassing hunt I can (lately, cats with Buffalo) and I have never been at a loss where I'm in camp looking for some non-hunting activity to do (which is how I view fishing and dedicated photo taking- others love fishing and would look at taking a day off to fish as a gain, for example). I guess what I am saying is that I don't think that DG spoils me for PG, but the way I hunt in Africa has spoiled me for the way I used to hunt in the US, with one game tag and the trip being done when the game was bagged. Now I try and make sure I can hunt birds, 'yotes or something else when I go locally.

I hunted Alaska this year, and I was worried that if I got my game early that I would be "wasting time" and not hunting. I ended up getting my game on the last day both times so I never found out what my reaction would be to in camp down time.

Kind of rambling, but my thoughts on the subject.