Which is the hardest hunt you've ever been on, in terms of physical and/or mental toil? You could have been the hunter, PH, tracker, cameraman, water-bearer, cook, girlfriend of any of the above....
Some stories would be nice.

Dave

Dave,

For me lion hunting has been the most difficult. Up at 3:30 AM, check and replenish baits, day after day nothing hits the baits and you can't really hunt much else. It is mentally draining and the early AM eventually catchs up with you but when the big lion hits it is a feeling like no other.

Mark

Tracking Lion in super hot conditions and Thar hunting in New Zealand's Southern Alp's.

Elephant for me.

My self guided hunt in Cameroon. This hunt was conducted totally on foot with 12 porters. A hard hunt and great experience!

Overall it's pretty rare to find a hunt in Africa that comes anywhere near as difficult as some North American hunts in the mountains.

Tur hunt in Azerbaijan, here are a few photos of the mountains.








Regards
Aziz

quote:

Originally posted by Robert johnson:
My self guided hunt in Cameroon. This hunt was conducted totally on foot with 12 porters. A hard hunt and great experience!

That must have been an incredible experience Robert. I have recently been communicating with Cam Greig and he told me a little about some of the foot safaris he conducts. Must be pretty much the ultimate, insofar as African hunting is concerned. My brother once did a twenty day foot safari with an Australian guy, many years ago, early 90s, along the Chewore/Dande boundary... I have accompanied hunts when we went on 4/5 day hiking/hunting stints in the mountains, but I reckon what you did must be pretty much the ultimate African hunt.

Dave

Oz/Aziz,

Those mountains look intimidating.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in 1979. I lost all of my toenails and quit the hunt. It was the worst I have been on. The problem was mostly that I was unprepared mentally.

Aziz....Whoa! And I thought Elk hunting in the Rockies was challenging.

In terms of physical and mental difficulty, I would say without hesitation; spring Bear hunting in the Idaho wilderness. 13 hours in the saddle on the first day and most of the rest spent climbing mountains, vertical ridges, crevasse's, wading rivers and streams. I took my chocolate Bear on the last day of the hunt: 20 minutes before sunset. It was 1:30 A.M. before we came out of the mountains.

goat and sheep hunting here in the rockies-hands down the most difficult-but normally really cool hunting.

One goat hunt in B.C. was areal bitch for me--- for lots of reasons

The hardest hunt for me was a selfguided Tharhunt in NZ.


Very nice pics Aziz. Looks like a wonderful place. Would love to see pictures of your tur? What's the next hunt you plan?

The hardest for me was stone sheep.

There was 10 days of absolutely horrible weather. We were getting little sleep because it was getting dark about 1AM. We had no wrangler. When we got back we had to cook and deal with the horses. The cabins sucked. You couldn't get dry or comfortable.

We made long climbs every day. On the 10th day we made a long climb to get a ridge. We went about 2 miles down the ridge in deep snow to get to where we could shoot. I shot the sheep late in the day. It rolled way down the mountain. We had to climb down. The sheep was skinned. I carried about 80 pounds about 2 miles back to the horses. We got on the horses and rode back to the camp largely in the dark and got back about 5 AM.

I think I was 46 at the time.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in 1979. I lost all of my toenails and quit the hunt. It was the worst I have been on. The problem was mostly that I was unprepared mentally.

How did you loose your toenails?!

A foot hunt for moose/woodland caribou in Newfoundland with a gallbladder going bad.

Blue sheep in Nepal.It was also my greatest adventure.

For me, my first hunt for Marco Polo in '98--but that was partly self-inflicted 'cause I didn't take Diamox until it was almost too late, had altitude sickness really bad. In Africa, the hardest hunting I've done is for Derby eland. Ferocious heat, not much shade in the terminalia forest. But, depending largely on one's luck, ANYTHING can be extremely difficult or extremely hard. Cheers, C

Physically hardest was goat in the Yukon, but got weakest on elephant hunt in Caprivi Strip in the heat of November, middle of the afternoon after tracking all day couldn't stand up till I drank about 5 cans of cola.

I guess my hardest hunt to date would be for klipspringer and mountain reedbuck. Chasing those little critters up mountains and twisting my ankle in the process. After a few days of it I was finally successful.

Hunting Elephant in the very tall hills of northern Zimbabwe on the edge of the Doma Safari Area. I did not know or believe that Elephant lived in the mountains but they certainly do and are very agile about it. The hardest hunting I have EVER done anywhere. Add to that a PH who was and is the most fit person I have ever known and you are pushed to the limit. You would find Elephant sign on the side of a mountain on a trail I had a hard time staying upright on. Absolutely the most unbelievable hunting I have ever done anywhere.

Self guided tahr/chamois hunt in NZ on foot for sure.. brutal but beautiful country!!

Zimbabwe 2007 leopard hunt, PH bound and determined to get me a leopard after a few trys without. 14 bait sites worked every day in early May, roads were terrible shape. My butt had permanent grooves in it from sitting on that crusier all day. Up before light back after dark. 14 days No Leopard. Only shot some impala and a PAC bull ele.

BigB

Ibex in Tajikistan. In addition to altitude, that 33 hour ride into the Hot Springs camp from Dushanbe was a killer.

tough question;
Goat hunting in BC in my early 40's however I can remember hunting moose and caribou on foot 150 miles north of Kotzebue Alaska in my late 20's. We (A local Alaskan friend of mine and I) killed 4 caribou and 2 bull moose and packed it all out on our backs in thousands / millions of acres of tussocks.
I lost 15 lbs in 8 days. I was in shape when I began the hunt. I hate hip boots and burleys!
I have bad ankles to boot!
\EZ

Jeez, all of the above makes me wonder why we do it! And not only do it, but enjoy it too!

Physically, the hardest hunt I ever went on was an eland bull hunt in Chewore. How weird is that when I have quite a few grueling elephant bull hunts to compare it to? Just the way the cookie crumbles I guess. On that eland hunt we tracked herds and lone bulls constantly for eight days, and it never panned out until the penultimate day of the hunt. We had already accounted for elephant and buffalo in the first week, and physically speaking those hunts paled in comparison to the eland. After about 6 days tracking those eland all over the place, one of my tackies (Zimbabwean version of trainers) exploded. Masking tape kept it together for the rest of the hunt!!

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in 1979. I lost all of my toenails and quit the hunt. It was the worst I have been on. The problem was mostly that I was unprepared mentally.

How did you loose your toenails?!

I wore Browning light weight upland boots that fit rather loose. I was cramming my toes into the end of the boots all day every day. It was ugly.

Colorado elk bowhunt in either 2000 or 2001, can't remember which as I hunted with same outfit both years. Guide's girlfriend dropped us off at a pass on the Divide way before daylight and we climbed over and down and walked out. Don't remember the altitude, but it was high. No air.

Come to think of it, that must have been the 2001 trip, because I lost toenails on the first hunt. As one poster asked, problem is on downhill when boots allow toes to hit end of boot. Like hitting your nail with a hammer -- repeatedly and then you lose it. Not fun.

The other problem was my guide on this hunt had finished in the top 10 of Pike's Peak marathon for the past few years. He beat me into the dirt. I should have clicked when he said he wanted to hunt (one of the many in the Rockies) "hell hole." Only time I've been on all fours for any reason other than to stay under the available. This time, it was to stay on the ground.

Give me hot, flat land, even lowland, swamps, mozzies, tsetse's anytime. I hate mountains.

Any mountain hunting is physically hard. The hardest, I think, at least for me, was an elk hunt in the northern Rockies.

Next hardest, again for me, is hunting in extreme heat - such as we found in the Selous or the Caprivi Strip, when hunting elephant in October.



Next hardest for me is extreme cold, as in northern Quebec cold. After coming back from a hunt in northern Quebec, I guarantee that you will spend considerable time combing through catalogs looking for the warmest clothing on the market, including electric socks!

Heat for me is worse than cold, because in the cold, you can always put on more clothing, but in the heat - unless you're willing to go totally Pondoro - you can only take off so much!

My most mentally demanding hunt was a tracking hunt for a problem lion in northern Namibia.

No question for me, mountain lion hunting in January in Colorado. The combination of the cold, altitude and climbing . . . at one point I told my guide if we were not within 100 yards of the truck, he could just leave me there and come get me in the Spring, and I meant it. Anyone who suggests that hunting with dogs is peice of cake, needs to hunt mountain lion at 10,000 feet climbing up and down mountains in 15 degree weather.

I guess I have not had a hunt that was just plain physically "hard". I've never hunted sheep or goats but I have been winded a bit chasing turkeys through the mountains, scrambling up mesas hunting mule deer in Colorado and had a few long stalks in Africa but nothing that just plain kicked my but - yet.

I would have to say the hardest hunt was my last trip for eland - and it was from a mental aspect. By day 7 into a 10 day hunt I had pretty much accepted the fact that I might go home without an eland. It was not easy to accept that but I did accept it. My PH picked up on my anquish and gave me a couple of options but none were acceptable to me. I wanted to hunt eland by tracking them and that is what we continued to do. In the end we lucked up on an eland that we suspected had stayed on the property when other bulls we had tracked earlier in the day had crossed the fence (as they had done every other day). I can't tell you what a relief it was to have him on the ground.

mrlexma:

Understand your view, but I look at it just the opposite. I can always take off clothes, down to buck naked. But I may not have enough clothes to put on -- or dry clothes, if hunting in rain, snow, fog, etc. Another hunt in Northest Territories comes to mind. Coldest week of my life. Never got warm or dry.

But you're from Mass. and I'm down here in Texas, so that may explain the difference.

lavaca,

I spent a year in hell one summer in Texas!

Love the people; hate the climate!

But I hear you. Cold and wet are a bad combination . . .

Late season elk hunting. Mentally tough, horseback riding over ice covered trails day after day. One missed step by your mount could have been a disaster. Horse fell on me, fortunately on the uphill side or it would have been bad news. When I finally got a chance for an elk on the last day, a big grizzly showed up and the guide backed us off due to their endangered species status,he wanted no conflicts. I think the tough hunts make the best memories for nights in front of the fire.

mrlexma

It can get a bit warm and humid down here. Not pleasant for anyone, but I'd trade that for cold any day.

MR, I love that photograph!

My phyically toughest hunts have all been in North Amercia, Bighorn sheep, MT. Lion, Mule Deer and Elk.

The toughest hunt mentally for me was my first buffalo. Two weeks before we arrived, a friend of mind wounded and never recovered a great buffalo bull in Lokasali. On the last day of the next hunt, they were finished with dangerous game and took the medium bore rifles out looking for a wort hog. While driving by a karongo, out charges the wounded buffalo and attacks the land cruiser. They went back to camp, got out the big bores, and the hunt was one. They got into a running gun battle with the wounded and aggressive bull and 14 hits later he gave it up.

When my wife and I arrived in Arusha, the hunter on that last hunt had been in the bar a bit when we arrived. We were introduced and he told my wife "Don't go, there is death around every corner". That was our welcome to Africa.

We went hunting and on the third day I wounded a cape buffalo using a borrowed 416 Rigby on a frontal shot at about 40 yards. We spent the next three days tracking that bull. It eventually got down to pin head size drops of blood, then nothing.

During the tracking, my heart was in my throat. The brush was dense and I just knew the bull was laying up and ready to attack. It was very intense. Occasionally I would look down to help track (yeah right) and my PH would correct me telling me my job was to protect the trackers and be ready for a charge.

I've hunted men all of my career, but tracking that cape buffalo, man was I alive!

No bragging, but I have hiked the grand canyon, in one day, finished Mt. Mitchell 100 miLE bike race twice, 12,000 feet of climbing, called the hardest one day race in North America, completed Hotter than hell 100 Mile bike race in Texas `112F. when we finished 8 years ago
NOTHING compares to Mt. goat in SE Alaska.
Started about 4 am in the morning Shot the goat
about 2pm hiked in hip boots, not my choice.
came down in the dark, got lost. Hit the rack about 2 pm next day used 3 of my nine lives.
I WILL NEVER GOAT HUNT AGAIN.

Leopard hunt with dogs in Namibia for me. It was more like a sheep hunt than an African hunt, but then sheep don't charge

Interesting subject. For me I find that most hunting is difficult. I believe that this an attraction to the hunt itself. Hunting elk in the Bitterroot Mountains is pretty tough! Tracking lions in the Kalihari heat is exhausting both mental and physical. Freezing in a deer stand in Pa. brings another challenge. My Cape Buffalo hunt wasn't that difficult. I killed my animal with one shot. However, I practiced alot to make that shot! So, the hard work was applied before the hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Colorado elk bowhunt in either 2000 or 2001, can't remember which as I hunted with same outfit both years. Guide's girlfriend dropped us off at a pass on the Divide way before daylight and we climbed over and down and walked out. Don't remember the altitude, but it was high. No air.

Come to think of it, that must have been the 2001 trip, because I lost toenails on the first hunt. As one poster asked, problem is on downhill when boots allow toes to hit end of boot. Like hitting your nail with a hammer -- repeatedly and then you lose it. Not fun.

The other problem was my guide on this hunt had finished in the top 10 of Pike's Peak marathon for the past few years. He beat me into the dirt. I should have clicked when he said he wanted to hunt (one of the many in the Rockies) "hell hole." Only time I've been on all fours for any reason other than to stay under the available. This time, it was to stay on the ground.

Give me hot, flat land, even lowland, swamps, mozzies, tsetse's anytime. I hate mountains.

I hate mountains almost as much as I hate horses. Give me Africa everyday to one day on a horse in the mountains. Never again.