First encountered this book in 1984. It was on a coffee table in the UT law school library and I would read it little by little during study breaks. Guess I must have mentioned it at some point and I'm finally targeting croc next year. My wife found a copy and I'm reading it again after 35 years.

A good woman indeed! Who is the author?

Peter Beard and I forget the other guy. Good book

quote:

Originally posted by tomahawker:
Peter Beard and I forget the other guy. Good book

Alistair Graham

They killed 500 crocs on Lake Rudolph in Kenya and the biggest was 15' 8". They mentioned a cull on Lake Rukwa where I'm going, again, and said there was one that was 17' 4". Now that's a beast.

But mostly, I think it's an adventure story. Those guys were totally nuts in my humble opinion. But you've got to admire their dedication and single-minded stupidity and bravery.

The author is Alistair Graham. Peter Beard took the pictures and he is an excellent photographer. I have a first edition.

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
The author is Alistair Graham. Peter Beard took the pictures and he is an excellent photographer. I have a first edition.

Many might not know, but Peter Beard worked with RL Wilson on Wilson’s Beretta book.

Finished it cover to cover today. First time I'd read it that way. Interesting hunting information about crocs not liking deep or rough water and looking for the lee side of structure. I won't be wading or swimming in the lake behind an innertube looking for them, but I remember an old article in a magazine talking about doing that. I think the magazine's name started with an "M", but can't remember.

They don't like rough water. In the aftermath of the British slaughter in Cawnpore in the 1857 mutiny, some took to the river rather than the mutineers. Those that went to center stream + "rode the rapids" survived from the 'muggers'.I recall many magazines of the late 50s-early60s that were along that line of MALE ADVENTURE!!! Those may not be the same mags you are thinking of but these I found entertaining to a pubescent boy. Action + adventure with at least one story about how the author escaped from a nazi sex camp or spent a night with a different woman every night during the war, take your pick. Those old trash mags are probably worth a fortune now. On a more serious side, I always liked the illustrated page of Outdoor Life where it depicted a story of "This Happened To Me." Usually Grizzly attacks, etc.

I was always very careful walking the banks of the Ruaha River looking for tracks. It was crawling with crocs. They can explode out of the water. Was fun watching the little one's at night. Never saw the big ones at night.

I was talking on the phone last night to an old friend I had sent him a copy of Will's Elephant book + he loved it (FREE PERK WILL). We got to talking about the mindset of hunting + dealing with D.G. At one point he said, for the thrill of the experience some don't hunt cape buffalo, they surf in shark-infested waters; while waiting for the wave having your legs over the side of the board in the water. And when one of the surfers gets taken the phase is "Looks like the landlord called." I surfed in the 60s, I would never do it again, even if I was fit enough.