quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Stop for one minute and think. Unless those people listening to our stories concerning our hunts, were actually THERE, how do they know we aren't embellishing what actually happened??????

CH, there are some events in PHC's writings that are over-exaggerated to the point they even beat the best science fiction BS and yet there are some people who swallow it hook, line and sinker - which brings to mind cult psychology and Waco Texas.

If one were to review and edit 30% of Capstick's published verbal diarrhea one might end up with some acceptable prose, most of which would relate to hunters other than himself.

Had he still been alive, he would be 77 years of age and if you were to "stop for one minute and think", there are still a good number of people, some younger, some older, who would have known and have outlived him.

Again, if you honestly believe half of what he wrote you must also be a firm believer in the Tooth Fairy.

P.S. I for one am most certainly not jealous nor paranoid of Capstick and his fairy tales.

Damn...

Fulvio,you've gone and soiled my evening.

I was just re-reading the tale of how the Lion had stealthily found himself on top of Capsticks Chalet, he somehow fumbled around in the dark, found and loaded his "Beloved William Evans .470." He managed to get it loaded and fire just in the nick of time, while the flames from the .470's mighty roar licked the thatched ceiling and nearly burnt the chalet to the ground...

When I was young I liked to read the stories published in Sports Afield by Russell Anabell. He told some pretty exciting tales about hunting in Alaska. But just like Annebell and Capstick later did I ever believe it was all true. Both however wrote exciting stuff that fueled a passion in me for wanting to hunt both the north country and Africa.

Reading some of the silly responses in this thread reminds me of a guy who suddenly realizes that the joke being played on him wasnt real and is affended to suddenly discover it.

Bottom line is Capstick wrote stories that still makes people want to read it. If your affended after discovering it wasn't all true than there isn't much anyone here can do to make you feel better.

Writers of any kind, embellish events and their participation in them, if they didn't they would not sell many books.

If Capstick were to all of a sudden walk on water, the haters here (many of which OWE their livelihood to his writings as Saeed pointed out) would say, "yeah, that's because he can't swim". Enough already

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
If Capstick were to all of a sudden walk on water, the haters here (many of which OWE their livelihood to his writings as Saeed pointed out) would say, "yeah, that's because he can't swim". Enough already

Very well said, Jorge!

being a fraud asside, it was his stories that resurrected hunting in Africa after the dead spot in the sixties. He put many visions of adventure in men's minds. He should have stayed out of the film for sure.

Having read 15 pages of this thread, I broke down and ordered "Death in The Dark Continent". I just finished reading it, and found it thoroughly enjoyable. I didn't find any of Capstick's chapters to be less than credible and being a veteran of four African safaris, I especially enjoyed his descriptions of the sights and sounds of Africa. I'll start reading "Death in The Long Grass" tomorrow and look forward to resurrecting many fond memories of my own African hunts.

quote:

Having read 15 pages of this thread, I broke down and ordered "Death in The Dark Continent". I just finished reading it, and found it thoroughly enjoyable. I didn't find any of Capstick's chapters to be less than credible and being a veteran of four African safaris, I especially enjoyed his descriptions of the sights and sounds of Africa. I'll start reading "Death in The Long Grass" tomorrow and look forward to resurrecting many fond memories of my own African hunts.

Think I'll join you in this.
I'll just grab 1 of my PHC books & head down memory lane.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Stop for one minute and think. Unless those people listening to our stories concerning our hunts, were actually THERE, how do they know we aren't embellishing what actually happened??????

CH, there are some events in PHC's writings that are over-exaggerated to the point they even beat the best science fiction BS and yet there are some people who swallow it hook, line and sinker - which brings to mind cult psychology and Waco Texas.

If one were to review and edit 30% of Capstick's published verbal diarrhea one might end up with some acceptable prose, most of which would relate to hunters other than himself.

Had he still been alive, he would be 77 years of age and if you were to "stop for one minute and think", there are still a good number of people, some younger, some older, who would have known and have outlived him.

Again, if you honestly believe half of what he wrote you must also be a firm believer in the Tooth Fairy.

P.S. I for one am most certainly not jealous nor paranoid of Capstick and his fairy tales.

Damn...

Fulvio,you've gone and soiled my evening.

I was just re-reading the tale of how the Lion had stealthily found himself on top of Capsticks Chalet, he somehow fumbled around in the dark, found and loaded his "Beloved William Evans .470." He managed to get it loaded and fire just in the nick of time, while the flames from the .470's mighty roar licked the thatched ceiling and nearly burnt the chalet to the ground...

PHC never owned that rifle, it was borrowed and it was never stolen from his home in Florida as some claim because he never owned it and he didn't have it with him while he was living here in the States. I can't remember who told me that, it may have been Boddington but don't hold me to that until I ask him. At any rate, the Evans .470 he writes about in his books he never actually owned, he may have used it or borrowed it for a time. I think it may be Ivan Carter or a partner of his that owns the rifle now, perhaps he can elaborate, I just can't remember exactly.

quote:

Originally posted by SquirrelNut:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Stop for one minute and think. Unless those people listening to our stories concerning our hunts, were actually THERE, how do they know we aren't embellishing what actually happened??????

CH, there are some events in PHC's writings that are over-exaggerated to the point they even beat the best science fiction BS and yet there are some people who swallow it hook, line and sinker - which brings to mind cult psychology and Waco Texas.

If one were to review and edit 30% of Capstick's published verbal diarrhea one might end up with some acceptable prose, most of which would relate to hunters other than himself.

Had he still been alive, he would be 77 years of age and if you were to "stop for one minute and think", there are still a good number of people, some younger, some older, who would have known and have outlived him.

Again, if you honestly believe half of what he wrote you must also be a firm believer in the Tooth Fairy.

P.S. I for one am most certainly not jealous nor paranoid of Capstick and his fairy tales.

Damn...

Fulvio,you've gone and soiled my evening.

I was just re-reading the tale of how the Lion had stealthily found himself on top of Capsticks Chalet, he somehow fumbled around in the dark, found and loaded his "Beloved William Evans .470." He managed to get it loaded and fire just in the nick of time, while the flames from the .470's mighty roar licked the thatched ceiling and nearly burnt the chalet to the ground...

PHC never owned that rifle, it was borrowed and it was never stolen from his home in Florida as some claim because he never owned it and he didn't have it with him while he was living here in the States. I can't remember who told me that, it may have been Boddington but don't hold me to that until I ask him. At any rate, the Evans .470 he writes about in his books he never actually owned, he may have used it or borrowed it for a time. I think it may be Ivan Carter or a partner of his that owns the rifle now, perhaps he can elaborate, I just can't remember exactly.

I feel indebted to PHC for exposing me to African hunting. I read every one of his books before I set foot in Africa. I enjoyed reading those books so much. Quite honestly, I'm not sure if I every would have made it to Africa without reading his books. So I am thankful.

With that being said,...going back and re-reading the books about his own exploits, after I've done several hunts for elephants, buffalo and plainsgame,.....well,.. let's just say it is not same experience 2nd time around. Some of it is so stupid, it is almost comical. Then watching his hunting videos,...with that fucking beret and monocle. Come on Man!!!!

quote:

Writers of any kind, embellish events and their participation in them, if they didn't they would not sell many books.

CH: You therefore agree/confirm that varying levels of BS are a vital ingredient to the making of a good story.

"Embellishments" could be considered acceptable additions to a script in order to keep the reader interested but not the copious amounts of incredulous codswallop the CHP fantasizes.

That said, I wonder how other legendary hunters past and present, the likes of Selby, D.F. Hatton, Bunny Allen, Boddington, Frank, Elsie & Gerard Miller, Glen Cottar, Alfredo Pellizzoli, Angelides, Samaras, Roy & Alan Vincent, Brian Herne, Robin Hurt, Tony Sanchez, to name a few, fare against PHC - would their writings even come close to his, or be regarded as "damp squibs" due to their "down-to-earth" and factual recounting of their experiences?

Capstick was undoubtedly a master of deception who cunningly captured a large portion of public attention with his phantasmagorical writing style and to which I tip my hat and toast to his success.

Other than that .....

I know I don't post much on here and am mighty late to the thread, but I have a question. Concerning the PHC story of the lion on the roof and setting it on fire with muzzle blast...I am 99% sure it was a .475 Jeffrey No. 2 and not a .470.

My question would be...so just which rifle did he own or not own. The .470 Evans mentioned in his writings on multiple occasions, or the .475 Jeff In this one story.

I have read all of his books and have read this entire thread. There are several instances where posters have run PHC down, but it would seem by their statements that they themselves have not actually read his books. It has also been pointed out that his name does appear as the PH on some sport hunted trophies. So that kind of discounts the statements made that he was never a PH.

There is a good chance that he did embellish his stories, but he was in the business of selling books. For all of the posters calling BS on him, he still accomplished his goal and sold you a book. Maybe all the vitriol comes down to he was a better BS'r than you and lived the dream doing it. Let the man rest in peace.

Now...fire away on that.

quote:

Originally posted by salesman3:
I know I don't post much on here and am mighty late to the thread, but I have a question. Concerning the PHC story of the lion on the roof and setting it on fire with muzzle blast...I am 99% sure it was a .475 Jeffrey No. 2 and not a .470.

My question would be...so just which rifle did he own or not own. The .470 Evans mentioned in his writings on multiple occasions, or the .475 Jeff In this one story.

I have read all of his books and have read this entire thread. There are several instances where posters have run PHC down, but it would seem by their statements that they themselves have not actually read his books. It has also been pointed out that his name does appear as the PH on some sport hunted trophies. So that kind of discounts the statements made that he was never a PH.

There is a good chance that he did embellish his stories, but he was in the business of selling books. For all of the posters calling BS on him, he still accomplished his goal and sold you a book. Maybe all the vitriol comes down to he was a better BS'r than you and lived the dream doing it. Let the man rest in peace.

Now...fire away on that.

It doesn't matter what the rifle was, no rifle will light a chalet on fire. That is pure fantasy.

Nope, the roof catching on fire was not the point. The point is that you commented on the .470 Evans, that you say he never owned. Well since you know so much about what PHC did or did not do, I assumed that you would know that in the story the rifle was not a .470 but a .475; I then further assumed your sources would have disclosed to you whether or not he owned that one as well, since they seem so well versed in PHC lore.

Now we can go point by point, but I think some of the "sources" out there seem to have their own agendas as well as some of the posters on here.

By the way, if you have read his book I think you will find that PHC never said the the roof did catch fire. Only that the flames from the muzzle blast concerned him about it possibly catching fire. Where is the embellishment there?

I am not carrying water for PHC, only noting the inconsistencies the bashers are presenting against what was actually written.

My interest in dangerous game hunting and shooting was piqued after discovering a couple of Kenneth Anderson's maneating tiger and panther hunting books in my high school library. Later in life more of Anderson's books and those by Jim Corbett rounded out hunting in India for me while Selous, Roosevelt, Taylor, Hunter and Bell did the same for Africa. Somewhere along the way I was loaned one of Capstick's books, can't remember which one but did have a title of Death in the Long Grass or Horn up the Butt or something similar. This type of title often indicates the style of writing and after a diet of the aforementioned books, Anderson, Corbett, Selous to Bell, such titles often turn me off.

I approached reading PHC's book from a point of ignorance of the author except he did feature in an old A Square catalogue I have a copy of, posing alongside Art Alpin and a couple of downed buffalo and then another photo of him holding his Hannibal rifle in the new 470 Capstick chambering. He stated that he may use other rifles but will only hunt with a Hannibal Model.
It is some time ago now but I don't think I actually finished reading Capstick's book, I just couldn't relate to the hyped up style of writing irrespective of whether the stories were true, heavily embellished, or pure BS.

I have been interested in obtaining a copy of his book about Pondoro Taylor, "A Man Called Lion". I understand someone else did all the research for the book and Capstick put it into words so presumably the story is a true account of Taylor's life. Haven't found any reviews on the book so has anyone read this book, is it worth a read?

It has been a while but as I recall it is worth reading.

I see the bile continues from the usual suspects, particularly those with multiple expulsions and logins. It begs the one simple question "why"?

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:
I see the bile continues from the usual suspects, particularly those with multiple expulsions and logins. It begs the one simple question "why"?

Lives bereft of meaning...

Heck I can go one better than PHC burring down a chalet with a .470. I once burned out my whole Zimbabwe farm with my .505 Gibbs!
Regardless of what has been said about PHC we Africans are indebted to him for lighting and keeping burning the 'desire to come and hunt in Africa' fire. Africa's wildlife is today a lot better off thanks to his writings - so what if it is mostly BS - it is at least good readable and well written BS!

quote:

Regardless of what has been said about PHC we Africans are indebted to him for lighting and keeping burning the 'desire to come and hunt in Africa' fire. Africa's wildlife is today a lot better off thanks to his writings -

Well said and from a man with impeccable credentials. Now why can't the spiteful on here see that? Must be a mental issue...

quote:

Originally posted by salesman3:
Nope, the roof catching on fire was not the point. The point is that you commented on the .470 Evans, that you say he never owned. Well since you know so much about what PHC did or did not do, I assumed that you would know that in the story the rifle was not a .470 but a .475; I then further assumed your sources would have disclosed to you whether or not he owned that one as well, since they seem so well versed in PHC lore.

Now we can go point by point, but I think some of the "sources" out there seem to have their own agendas as well as some of the posters on here.

It wasn't me who brought up the lion on the roof story nor did I bring up the .470 Evans, I commented after the fact the he never owned the William Evans .470 that he wrote about. I've thought about it some more and I'm positive it is Andrew Dawson who owns it now. Ask him about it if you don't believe me, I don't own you anything.

Just finished reading "Death in the Long Grass" and found it most entertaining . Some of Capstick's tales are a little far fetched, but nevertheless entertaining

Very few writers don't embellish and/or fictionalize their stories.

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
Very few writers don't embellish and/or fictionalize their stories.

There's a big difference between embellishment and making up outright lies and writing about them as fact. I believe that is called fantasy.

But not much difference in assholes who will do anything or write anything to tear the guy down. Get a fucking life Squirrelnut, you and others on this thread are really pathetic.

Or do I need to check with my confirmed or unconfirmed sources to make such a statement about you....

Let's see, was it my good friend Boddington who told me you were Adrook, Cane Rat or any other undesirable former character here... no wait, it was Andrew Dawson!

If I could pick one person to go on safari with, PHC would definitively be on my short list. BTW, I have a friend who knew PHC and I'm going to ask him about the 470 Evans again.

In the final analysis, books are bought for education or entertainment. The books aren't educational. Therefore, they must be for entertainment. If they entertain you, who cares if they are true or not? I don't.

Now carry on wasting your time gentlemen.

16 pages of the most frivolous BS Ive ever seen on AR!! mostly by folks that don't have a clue. based on second and third hand he said she said, Most never knew him or his wife, and those who like to kick ya when your down, and the man is 6 ft. under. Served a purpose in the world of African hunting for beyond the posters here..Sewing circle post of worthless gossip.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bwanamrm:
But not much difference in assholes who will do anything or write anything to tear the guy down. Get a fucking life Squirrelnut, you and others on this thread are really pathetic.

Or do I need to check with my confirmed or unconfirmed sources to make such a statement about you....

Let's see, was it my good friend Boddington who told me you were Adrook, Cane Rat or any other undesirable former character here... no wait, it was Andrew Dawson![/QUOTE

+1

quote:

Originally posted by salesman3:
Nope, the roof catching on fire was not the point. The point is that you commented on the .470 Evans, that you say he never owned. Well since you know so much about what PHC did or did not do, I assumed that you would know that in the story the rifle was not a .470 but a .475; I then further assumed your sources would have disclosed to you whether or not he owned that one as well, since they seem so well versed in PHC lore.

Now we can go point by point, but I think some of the "sources" out there seem to have their own agendas as well as some of the posters on here.

Salesman3, I don't know about the Evans .470, I think that was Andrew Dawson who owned the Evans. The .470NE double Capstick had was a Champs&Fomars double he shot the Elephant in
the film "HUNTING THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT" with! I don't know if he owned it or that it was borrowed or not.
IMO, a full 90% of his shooting in Africa was with a 375H&H bolt action Mauser. He didn't like double rifles all that much.

.................................................................

This whole Cluster Fuck shows just exactly how far Hunters(????????), have devolved.

We wonder why hunters can not stand together as a group and defend hunting, yet people are ready to rip each other apart over opinions concerning a writer.

quote:

I don't know about the Evans .470

Capstick owned an Evans as well. The Champlin came much later towards the end of his life. He used it to take his last elephant.

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
This whole Cluster Fuck shows just exactly how far Hunters(????????), have devolved.

We wonder why hunters can not stand together as a group and defend hunting, yet people are ready to rip each other apart over opinions concerning a writer.

Hunters? I doubt it.

quote:

Capstick was a fraud. Page 1 2 ... 15 16 chipolopolo 633 39378

I am willing to bet that out of 633 replies and 39,378 views, on this ONE discussion about Capstick, that has been in existence since November of 2008, everyone that has participated is a Hunter!!!!

This is just sad.

Jeff

Care to go into more detail about what is so sad about the situation?

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
Care to go into more detail about what is so sad about the situation?

That Steve started it?

All I know is that as a young man, I read all of Capstick's books and loved them. It was one of the things, along with John Wayne's Hatari movie that gave me the drive to pull together a safari in South Africa.

Capstick might have been full of shit, but I don't care. I have been there, done that and now that I can't any longer, have the memories.....

quote:

Originally posted by bwanamrm:
But not much difference in assholes who will do anything or write anything to tear the guy down. Get a fucking life Squirrelnut, you and others on this thread are really pathetic.

Or do I need to check with my confirmed or unconfirmed sources to make such a statement about you....

Let's see, was it my good friend Boddington who told me you were Adrook, Cane Rat or any other undesirable former character here... no wait, it was Andrew Dawson!

Do you kiss your mother with that mouth, Russell? I would think a cultured gentleman such as you would use better judgement when choosing your words. In fact, I recall Saeed disapproving of such language because his daughter reads this forum. Shame on you.

That aside, it is Andrew Dawson who owns the rifle, a William Evans originally built in the 1920s for Carl Akeley. Capstick borrowed it and used it and it figures prominently in his writings. Quite a provenance for a rifle and if Andrew ever sells it he'll be able to retire comfortably.