The date is 1925. You have just learned that you are the heir to a small fortune and have decided to book a full bag 28-day safari to Kenya, a relatively new British colony and the former British East Africa protectorate. You must now decide on who your professional hunter will be. Please indicate who you would book with, and most importantly, indicate why. If you would book with someone not on the list, who would it be and again mention why. Remember, it is 1925 (so folks like Harry Selby have just been born).

I will be first up. I would book my hunt with Bror Blixen. Bror sounds like he was great fun to be around, enjoyed life, lived it to its fullest and was an incredible hunter to boot. He was a known raconteur who personally knew and associated with many characters of the era and would be the source of many interesting stories around the campfire. I am sure that the liquor cabinet would be well stocked too. I would leave my wife at home though.

Next?

Question:
Who would you select as your professional hunter for your Golden Age Safari?

Choices:
John Alexander (J.A.) Hunter
Denys Finch Hatton
Philip Percival
Bror Von Blixen-Finecke

 

That's a hell of a tough question. Blixen would be fun, Finch-Hatton would provide excellent intellectual conversation and Percival is attractive because of his avoidance of motor-cars, at least early on.

Given that, I'd take Blixen. He was supposedly a hell of a shot, was excellent at tracking and locating game, knew elephant bahaviour very well, and no matter how much he drank, was always up for the hunt.

I would request Finch-Hatton as second, however.

I would also leave my wife home.

I'm with Baxter on this one.

I've often found upon meeting people that those I thought I would like, I sometimes don't, and vice versa.

So, I'd have to meet them. Got a time machine?

Never read a bad word about Percival, though.

I chose James Hunter. From his books, he seems like a I guy I would enjoy and not to worry about funny business with my wife.

I chose Hunter. I have imagined many times what it must have been like to see for the first time and hunted the crater with him.

My first African hunting book was Hunter which I read in 1970.

Brian Herne's book makes the choice even more difficult but I went with JA Hunter.

One correction though, It would have been a 90 day safari and not 28 days!

Trader Horn!! I liked the way he blew the smoke out of the barrels of his double after shooting a Rhino in the movie.

Sorry! Couldn't help it.

I chose Denys Finch Hatton 'cause he was real cute in the movie!!!! (I'm blond)



Best regards, D. Nelson

If I had inherited a fortune, perhaps the prudent choice would be all four.

Man, I just can't choose...have to think on this a while.

Any of them would work for me.....

Hunter ~ loved his book. starting out as a pheasant poacher

as a Swede myself it could only be Bror.

A fellow Scandinavian would be my choice.

I do believe i would have to go with Phil Percival--he seems to have been the consummate professional and his references are impeccable.




SSR

quote:

Originally posted by D. Nelson:
I chose Denys Finch Hatton 'cause he was real cute in the movie!!!! (I'm blond)



Best regards, D. Nelson

I love the replies by the two women who posted on this thread so far!

Ann - That's a very nice painting by John Seerey-Lester. Thanks for posting it.

Percival because he was with the Roosevelt expedition.

A quick view of the poll shows Hunter taking the lead by far.

Would be cool to do this poll by decade seeing who would be chosen as new PH's entered the field.

As my mom always said, "Dreaming is cheap." And as Aerosmith said, "Dream on!"

Denys hands down for me...we have/had much the same philosophy on life.

If we're going by movies, as a hunting companion, I'd much prefer Klaus Maria Brandauer to Robert Redford - although for other reasons and purposes, I'd naturally choose Meryl Streep!

Meryl Streep is a pretty handsome fellow but I think I would forget about the safari and use the fortune to camp out in front of every game department office in East Africa until someone hired me on for control work...ridding the landscape of cheeky rhinos and such..

Sorry to say, but we ladies and gents are 100 years to late

28 days.....Really!?! Mine would be 90 days minimum and more than that likely.

Blixen or Hunter either would be fine.

I agree...90 days it is!

With a small fortune just inherited, I think I would leave it all behind, move to Africa, and do what was necessary to become one of them! I think I would pick Bror to show me the ropes!

Denys Finch Hatton - He was obviously very skilled and professional in the field, but from his writings he seemed to be the lowest key and most thoughful (not in the kind sense, but in the sense that he considered life and the world aroung him) of the group.

Like Todd's idea, I too would pack up kit and make for Kenya for the long haul.
Oh, and tout a 450NE, 404 and 9.3x62.

I also picked Hunter. But if it were 1925 and I inherited a small fortune, I would probably buy a farm there and go hunting with these guys when there are no clients in town.