Why are trackers unarmed? When they are armed,they have a axe. I wonder if they at times wish to also have guns with them. Or would that make it worse by having too many guns within the group?

White North

This is a good question, and I must admit I had never thought much about it. I know one time I let the head tracker carry my rifle when we had been tracking all day, and I wanted to take a break and have a drink of water. I also remember when we set up a target and let the trackers shoot a 375; most were not very good shots, but I recall one was. I would say the reason is that there is no reason for the trackers to be armed, because they would not need to be shooting, and the client, PH and Game Scout are all armed.

The best tracker is the San bushman who would be using poison arrows ... not applicable to the safari ...
Or the Afrikanner white man named "Kaas" or "Cheese" who will have the armed PH at his heels, because the PH has given up and summoned the juju of Kaas ...

There are enough guns at hand, whatever ...

Bongi can shoot.

At least in Namibia, as I understand it, trackers are not armed because they are not trained and present a potential liability. What is done there now, is to train trackers to become, through a licensing process, Hunting Guides and Master Hunting Guides, a process that includes firearms training.

Bottom line: nobody, and that includes some idiot clients, should be armed unless they can actually shoot...

Regards

Some trackers are fine and know how to load and unload and shoot a rifle. I believe many are not proficient and I do not want someone inexperienced to be behind me with a loaded rifle.
Too many ph's have been shot and killed by the boys.

Mike

I had a tracker in Zim who knew how to handle a rifle and was a good shot; someone in camp said that he had served in the Army; a "War Vet". Probably the best tracker I ever had.

Probably has a lot to do with the firearms laws in these countries.

The PH's have to jump through a lot of hoops, and prove that they are not a liability.

Remember that a lot of trackers are ex-poachers also, makes it a little unlikely that the parks and game folks want them to own a gun.

No experience in Africa, but on the two hunts I made in Canada, the guides that I hunted with were not armed.

Not to hijack the thread, but I have talked to some folks that stated on their Canadian hunts the guides were armed.

Does anyone know if this is something that varies by Province.

As for trackers in Africa carrying firearms, I go along with the idea of it being more of a liability than an asset.

JMO.

Crazyhorse

In my area, any hunting,the guide has a gun,because of grizzly and polar bears.

When I win the lotto, I am going on a elephant hunt,and when we get in shooting range, of a shootable elephant,I will give my gun to the tracker and,say shoot that for me. And give him the tusk for him to sell.

Simple. Division of labor.

Each man on the team does a specialized task, and ideally one that he can perform at peak skill and efficiency.

And each man on the team needs to trust each other man to do his job, and do it well.

Too many rifles can be worse than none at all.

I know men, and know of several cases of other men, who have been shot by armed trackers or game scouts in dangerous game situations.

Far better it is that each man should do the job he is best suited to do, rather than that every man should try to do every job.

quote:

In my area, any hunting,the guide has a gun,because of grizzly and polar bears.

I hunted in Nunavut in 2000 out of Cambridge Bay, in the Fall for Musk Ox and Caribou, and none of the guides were allowed to carry rifles.

I am sure things have changed, since that was the beginning of when the natives were taking things over from the folks in Ottawa, but then and in 1996 in Newfoundland, the guides were not carrying guns.

Basically the MAIN reason is because the tracker is NOT the PH/Guide, he is the tracker.

The client and PH are as a rule the only ones whom are normally armed. Of course a tracker may (carry a rifle) on behalf of someone but just as a bearer of arms not a licenced hunter.

Having said the above, there are SOME TRACKERS (albeit rarely) with the appropriate credentials to carry and/or use a rifle if required in special circumstances.

We have (over the years) employed a tracker in Zambia named DIXON whom is licenced and was a Parks Game Scout way back in colonial times, in fact Dixon has shot/culled more elephants that MOST of the PH or hunters that post on these forums have

Cheers, Peter

When I was hunting in Zim - it was May, therefore long grass, dense undergrowth...contact with buff was realy close (matter of feet rather than yards), the leading tracker was armed mainly to defend himself or to join the fray if things would go south...



Still at the moment the contact was made - all the trackers would make a low profile retreat with PH and me making a jump forward.

An unarmed tracker is also called "Bait"

Having taken an AK bullet in the leg from a brave parks game scout fleeing from the scene of the action.....my tracker carried a matebele shield and spear on follow ups.

If a tracker is armed he is not really a tracker any more but possibly a 2nd PH!

Rifle hunters mostly grow up handling a rifle, shooting off hand etc this is not really something that can be taught to someone who does not own a rifle.

As Ganyana said standing your ground and remaining composed is not something all trackers/game scouts can or will do no matter how good they are. I don't let the game scout follow up with me in a potentially dangerous situation, all he need to know is that it is wounded and will be paid for, he is not there to follow up.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Simple. Division of labor.

Each man on the team does a specialized task, and ideally one that he can perform at peak skill and efficiency.

And each man on the team needs to trust each other man to do his job, and do it well.

Too many rifles can be worse than none at all.

I know men, and know of several cases of other men, who have been shot by armed trackers or game scouts in dangerous game situations.

Far better it is that each man should do the job he is best suited to do, rather than that every man should try to do every job.

The above is absolutely correct! The whole flight crew doesn't fly an airliner, but all are essential to the operation of the flight and completion of the trip.

Each person in a safari party has his job and he does it much better if he is not multi-tasking. The general rules is that when tracking dangerous game there is an order to the position of those different jobs. First in line is the head tracker, who keeps his eyes on the bush ahead, for the animal, and for the tracks he can see at a distance ahead of him to avoid surprise. Sort of like an early warning system! The second man is the real tracker who is concentrating on spoor, and/or blood trail, and his attention is on the ground. Next is the PH who has the first rifle, and usually a real "stopper", and his eyes are on the bush ahead. Next is the client, who is also armed, and like the PH his eyes are on the bush as well with rifle ready. Behind all these people is usually the game scout with an AK47 that may or may not work. The game scout is the last ditch if everything else fails.

When the game is spotted, usually by the first tracker, he folds to the side, and the second tracker also folds out to the way giving the PH, an opening to shoot. If there is time the PH may move slightly to the side giving the client hunter a lane to shoot as well. If everyone in this party has performed his job correctly, everyone is out of the line of fire, and all have done their individual jobs. The PH, and the client are the legal shooters along with the game scout back-up. This is not to say, however, that if one or more people are hit by the animal that the others my pick up a rifle and shoot the animal off the person hit.

This all boils down to the way the PH trains his trackers to move in the tight spots that sooner or later will come about on a safari. By doing things in a consistent way avoids as much as is possible, someone getting shot by another member of the safari party.

Any PH worth his salt will discuss all this with his client before the hunt begines, and his trackers are already trained.

Most all of the Tracker's that are good shots served in their "Army" and fought...guess who? Some of my PH friends.

On one of my last trips to Zim, the PH and his head tracker had been talking at quite some length before my arrival, and had come to the conclusion that they most likely fought one another during the bush wars. In spite of that revelation the head tracker was and is as loyal to that PH as anyone could ever be. He could also shoot.

Safety man, safety!!!!

They do not need guns as most can out run the white hunter.

The slowest guy loses....