I am generally interested in free-roaming hunting. But on occasion I have to engage in fair chase hunting That is a personal chioce and I am glad I stil have the option to hunt free roaming animals and to do it in most places aound the globe. But I have to, very respectfully, disagree with some of the posts on this particular thread. Not because I want to or would hunt this particular lion, but because of intelectual honesty.
Fair chase is an SCI created moniker for animals that are hunted in areas where they can maintain their basics instincts and have a reasonale chance to escape the hunter. As I recall, and ssomeone will urel corect me if I am wrong, but I think SCI then defines "fair chase" as any hunt that occurs on more han 12,000 acres - even if the 12,000 acres is high fence. So "fair chase" and free-roaming are not the same thing. Most of the hunting is RSA and increasing amounts arounf the world are "fair chase" but that is not free-roaming. The size of the fence is arbitrary and could as easily be 20,000 acres or 5,000. Someone just made up the rule. I ive in the Eastern US where whitetails rarel range more than 40 -100 acres and fair chase could easily be considered 1,000 acres or less. it is a matter of degree and the social acceptance of continuously changing standards.
For those who hunt in RSA, including me, we are almost certainly hunting in a high fence situation and only the size of the fence distinguishes beween fair case and canned hunting. Most ranches have stock management programs, bring in new breeding stock from time to time and release the best mture bulls when its time for new breeding stock for good genetic diversity. That is just sound game management. Those great animals are usualy great trophies for someone. I know of at least one operation in RSA that promotes its ability to deliver on a 60" Kudu. A very sought after trophy and a well run and respected operation. But there is more too it han just being lucky to own an area with good Kudu stock.
The issue with lions seems to generate more of a negative reaction, probably because its more transparent than other species and the cost involved. Few people would express such passion about stocking and then hunting trophy impala. High fencing, animal ownership, supplemental feeding, food plots, breeding stock, segragated animals to promte horn growth before introduction into the herd are all part of commercial hunting around the world.
My point not critisize anyone's personal views on hunting in general of this particualr lion. Personally I think it is a magnificent specimen of what a Lion could be, and what might have roamed Africa generations ago. I put that Lion inot the same catagory as New Zealand Red Stags where the new SCI world record and #2 stags are currently up for bid. It is the product of genetic breeding to obtain the most desired attributes using the best avaible agricultural and wildlife breeding/management practices to produce animals that would never achieve such attributes in a truly free-roaming situation in what is left of the wilderness of the today. Personally I would neither pay $100,000 to hunt it, or any other lion. But I am sure some will.
I would like to say, again without offending anyone, that we should all be careful about how we judge the hunter who takes that Lion or any other like it. We have created distinctions within the hunting community between free roaming, fair chase and estate hunting and have special rules, scoring system and acceptable parameters for each. But it is becoming increasingly more difficult for any of us to say that we only hunt truly free roaming game. That being the case, the non-hunters are not likly to "accept" the distinction we regularly make between free roaming, air case and estate hunts.
We all are entitled to our own opinions and that extends to the manner in which we hunt. As long as the applicable laws, rules and regulations are followed, we are all part of the hunting community and should not be to quick to condem the methods of take used by others less we come under attack for our preferred method of hunting.
The lion you would get would have so much more character as well.
