Explaining hunting in africa

[Stormy Kromer]

Hello friends.

I am a very low key guy. I live on my farm and keep to myself for the most part. I hunt a lot. Have a few elk, deer, pronghorn and a caribou on the wall. I'm not a big score keeper, I just enjoy seeing memories of my hunt.

My closest town is under 1.000 people. I went to coffee the other day and someone said " I heard you went to AFRIACA" "Must be nice!!!".

I didn't respond. Then the next guy says " Did you let them get out of the pen before you shot them?!.

I just left. I didn't want to explain to them that hunting in Africa isn't all that much different than hunting private land in the US or Canada. I've been on private land Elk, Antelope and Mule deer hunts in the US. Africa was harder, much harder. Thorns, brush, low visibility, much, much more wary game.

Hell the easiest hunts I've had have been in the US on private land or next to federal land (next to Jackson Hole WY) The moose and caribou I have hunted weren't near as weary as ANY animal I hunted in Africa.

I like my fellow hunters very much, but how do you respond when someone tells you Africa isn't a real "hunt" ? Not that it matters to me, but I'm interested if anyone else has faced the same judgement.

I don't need to defend myself from these fellow hunters. Just interested if anyone else has been judged for hunting in Africa and how do you handle them? GTH is my current response.

 

[Hunting Hitman]

Don’t waste your time…when this situation has happened to me, and as I get older it happens less, I tell them to go fu*k themselves.

HH

 

[fourfive8]

Yes, most of us have run into them. Jealousy and/or ignorance is a common, self-inflicted human trait. Sometimes I just say, “Spoken by one of experience, eh”. They usually get the idea and drop it or leave. And not just about Africa hunting either. I have friends and relatives scattered all over Alaska. I don’t have deep pockets but have done 23 mostly DIY trips to Alaska over the years and get the same odd jabs from the same crowd. Sometimes I tell them I have no debt nor mortgage, don’t do bars or many parties and don’t drive around in a $100,000 Raptor PU…

 

[375Fox]

The must be nice comment is all the time. The pen comment has never been so direct, however I will also say being educated on the subject can change the conversation from the start greatly. Telling someone to go to hell only reinforces their thinking. I see it too often here on AH, people either deny put and take exists or justify it by being legal and affordable, neither do us any favors. I’ll tell people put and take does exist in South Africa and the type of operations to look for. When discussing wild areas, I’ll explain why there is no wildlife outside the hunting area and the benefits hunting brings. If they are hunters telling you this, they don’t have their mind made up, they just aren’t fully informed. I think most want to learn. Telling them to go to hell just let’s them continue thinking as they do.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

Hell, most deer in my home state ( Minnesota) are harvested out of 12' stands on private land, often out of heated blinds. Not to judge my fellow hunters, I do too.

Western US hunts aren't as remote as your average African hunt. I've done a bunch and know. "Get in the truck! We're going hunting!"

I've been on horseback hunts and waited by the Yellowstone line for the elk to come out. I rode horseback for 30 miles, but the elk knew to the foot where the boundary was. When they came out we shot them.

In Africa, the game was on many more acres and they were in the thick nasties..... I know they were fenced in, but so was the next ranch where they're getting hunted too. I liked it and will go back.

 

[JES Adventures]

Hello friends.

I am a very low key guy. I live on my farm and keep to myself for the most part. I hunt a lot. Have a few elk, deer, pronghorn and a caribou on the wall. I'm not a big score keeper, I just enjoy seeing memories of my hunt.

My closest town is under 1.000 people. I went to coffee the other day and someone said " I heard you went to AFRIACA" "Must be nice!!!".

I didn't respond. Then the next guy says " Did you let them get out of the pen before you shot them?!.

I just left. I didn't want to explain to them that hunting in Africa isn't all that much different than hunting private land in the US or Canada. I've been on private land Elk, Antelope and Mule deer hunts in the US. Africa was harder, much harder. Thorns, brush, low visibility, much, much more wary game.

Hell the easiest hunts I've had have been in the US on private land or next to federal land (next to Jackson Hole WY) The moose and caribou I have hunted weren't near as weary as ANY animal I hunted in Africa.

I like my fellow hunters very much, but how do you respond when someone tells you Africa isn't a real "hunt" ? Not that it matters to me, but I'm interested if anyone else has faced the same judgement.

I don't need to defend myself from these fellow hunters. Just interested if anyone else has been judged for hunting in Africa and how do you handle them? GTH is my current response.

I too lived near a small town for many years and can honestly say not many people ever understood me. That being said, small towns tend to be inhabited by small minds so I mostly kept to myself. It was generally my banker and my lawyer that knew what I did for sport and they were genuinely interested. I never have hidden who I am, I just tend not to share my experiences with those that can’t grasp what I’ve done. We Sportsmen that hunt Internationally are no doubt a minority and we will be hard pressed to find like minded people outside of the SCI/DSC Conventions to converse with.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

Thanks. I worry too much about what others think. I won't let them worry a good hunt.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

The must be nice comment is all the time. The pen comment has never been so direct, however I will also say being educated on the subject can change the conversation from the start greatly. Telling someone to go to hell only reinforces their thinking. I see it too often here on AH, people either deny put and take exists or justify it by being legal and affordable, neither do us any favors. I’ll tell people put and take does exist in South Africa and the type of operations to look for. When discussing wild areas, I’ll explain why there is no wildlife outside the hunting area and the benefits hunting brings. If they are hunters telling you this, they don’t have their mind made up, they just aren’t fully informed. I think most want to learn. Telling them to go to hell just let’s them continue thinking as they do.

Thanks, I appreciate help from those experienced. Good example on how to handle things.

 

[John Wasmuth]

You never really have to travel very far to get slammed around about they way, and where you hunt. It’s the 2 functioning brain cell mind set of “I don’t hunt like that so it’s not real hunting”. Best just to ignore it. When they start paying your bills then they might have input on where and how you hunt.

 

[R.M.C.]

I had the same situation, got back from my first safari last August and my buddy posted my pictures and stuff on Facebook ( I'm not on Facebook) and I had a lot of idiots tell me the " must be nice " bit and one dumb ass told my mother at a friends birthday party that he would never go to Africa and waste all that meat, I doubt he believed her when she said her son had been there and nothing was wasted. I live in a very rural town myself and I'm kinda known as the " guy that hunted in Africa " , a couple guys have stopped at the machine shop I work at to ask about the hunt and the costs involved. Its truly incredible how bizarre some of the misconceptions are hunting in Africa, even from guys that have hunted their entire lives. Sometimes I don't say much and other times I argue a bit. One idiot came up to me at a dollar general , leaning in like he had a secret, and asked if I knew that I had to pay a trophy fee for the animals I was importing into the country. I had a good chuckle and told the guy he didn't know wtf he was talking about. Small town bullshit lol

 

[Mekaniks]

Most folks I talk to are simply uneducated or ignorant to any hunting outside of their immediate world.

I generally break them down into three groups...

The first group are the "if I cant eat it (bring the meat home) I am not going to hunt it." or "I am a meat hunter, I don't hunt just for sport" group. These are usually the same people that will spend a week every year at "deer camp" with the same people and never kill anything. IMO this group tends to be more set in their ways, smaller thinking, and require a basic discussion about wildlife conservation.

The second group see hunting in Africa (or abroad) as extravagant. i.e my dad and many from his generation got their education from reading about Teddy Roosevelt and the year long, full bag safaris with animals that are now on display in the Smithsonian. "It's all for the rich and famous" and the "it must be nice" comments usually fall into this group.
These people are usually easy to talk to and will understand the basic economics of conservation and how the safari industry has evolved over the years. They usually will understand basic wildlife conservation when it's explained in ways they understand. They usually require the group 1 discussions as they progress.

The last group is the anti's. "I don't understand why we cant just leave all the animals alone" or "Why do you have to kill these animals" These are the folks that truly do not get wildlife conservation and usually don't want to understand it. Most are hopeless just because they don't want to hear it. Some can be educated, but usually require a lot of effort just to get them moved into group 2 or group 1.

The only way folks will learn is if we educated them. One at a time... It's a bi.ch. But it can be done.

@Sue Tidwell book is an excellent resource and I frequently recommend it to folks that I have these discussions with.

Cries of the Savanna: An adventure. An awakening. A journey to understanding African wildlife conservation.: Tidwell, Sue: 9781737903925: Amazon.com: Books

Buy Cries of the Savanna: An adventure. An awakening. A journey to understanding African wildlife conservation. on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

 

[Neil Molendyk]

I like my fellow hunters very much, but how do you respond when someone tells you Africa isn't a real "hunt" ? Not that it matters to me, but I'm interested if anyone else has faced the same judgement.

I've had similar experiences from "domestic" hunters and even from employees of the provincial department of Fish and Game in Alberta when she made the comment that "Oh, you're one of those hunters!" I was in there office to apply for my land owners Mule Deer tag as I was skunked on all my draw applications.
To which I told her, sit down and listen for a couple of minutes and you might learn something.
I pointed out to her that I had hunted in Africa (Namibia) for 10 days accompanied by my wife.

Scenario Africa
That all meals and accommodations were included, hospitality was phenomenal.
Eight PG animals were taken, 2 Kudu, 2 warthogs, Blue Widebeest, Red Hartebeest, Impala. All taken in low fence concessions spot and stalk.
Myself and my hunting partner were the only 2 hunters on the concession, area of over 50,000 acres.
The hunt was followed by a 20 day guided tour for the four of us (hunters and wives) through Namibia (Namibi desert, Swapomund, Damaraland, Etosho Park, Caprivi (sleeping on a houseboat in the Popo River with the hippos all about), traveling through Botswana (Chobe National Park) and ending in Victoria Falls (it makes Niagara look like a leaky faucet).
Flights were Calgary to Heathrowe, Johannesburg, Windhoek and return Victoria Falls, Johannesburg, Heathrowe, Calgary.
All in it cost for myself and wife for approx 30 days including all meals, accommodations, beverages, and airfare and the experience of a lifetime, 22K Can, probably 18K USD. And we got to see a fantastic, beautiful and mesmerizing part of the world and had a chance to meet some truly fascinating people. Not just a hunt but a vacation as well.

Scenario at Home
So consider hunting domestically assuming that you do get drawn for a tag,
Application fee, $8.00 per application, regardless of the number of applications. Then if you do get drawn it"s another $30.00. But you may not get drawn for up to 12 years depending on you preferred draw zone.

Getting into confrontations with trespassers on your own property, (A far to common problem, even on your own deeded land).
Priceless and maybe dangerous.

Now for 30 days for two people at 3 meals per day at $30.00 each. $1800.00

Driving your $50,000 F150, Ram or Silverado at $150.00 per day for 30 days. $4500.00

Taking time off from work, even if self employed.
Variable.

Beverages?
Again Variable.

Having to abandon the hunt to address issues at home (can't do that when you're 7000 miles from home)
Variable

And this is the big one.
Chance of finding and harvesting a good whitetail, mule deer, moose or elk with all the completion from other hunters either with permission or not. 0-2%.
I can't define the hunt at home as a real hunt

After my lecture to the employee in question, and I should say that some of her coworkers joined her to listen, she did admit that she had no idea about the case for hunting Africa and she apologized for her snobby remark.

Ignorance is bliss and there are some very blissful people out there.

 

[JES Adventures]

I had the same situation, got back from my first safari last August and my buddy posted my pictures and stuff on Facebook ( I'm not on Facebook) and I had a lot of idiots tell me the " must be nice " bit and one dumb ass told my mother at a friends birthday party that he would never go to Africa and waste all that meat, I doubt he believed her when she said her son had been there and nothing was wasted. I live in a very rural town myself and I'm kinda known as the " guy that hunted in Africa " , a couple guys have stopped at the machine shop I work at to ask about the hunt and the costs involved. Its truly incredible how bizarre some of the misconceptions are hunting in Africa, even from guys that have hunted their entire lives. Sometimes I don't say much and other times I argue a bit. One idiot came up to me at a dollar general , leaning in like he had a secret, and asked if I knew that I had to pay a trophy fee for the animals I was importing into the country. I had a good chuckle and told the guy he didn't know wtf he was talking about. Small town bullshit lol

You can’t discount common jealousy. Many will scoff at you for your successes and what you’ve done with them. I just turned 59, and for the last several years my eldest son would say “you just don’t give a shit”. I told him of course I care. Now, in retrospect, I guess I don’t give a shit what “they” think.

 

[Andrew62]

In my hometown of 1850 people, people know I hunt Africa, and over the years when people would ask, I would always speak about how much the natives enjoyed all the meat I was able to harvest on their behalf, not to mention how hunting keeps healthy animal populations in check, hunters money would go to build schools, dig wells, etc (that's what people want to hear). But for those who don't want to listen, and they make a comment, just smile and walk away. It's nearly impossible to have meaningful conversations with the uneducated.

 

[R.M.C.]

You can’t discount common jealousy. Many will scoff at you for your successes and what you’ve done with them. I just turned 59, and for the last several years my eldest son would say “you just don’t give a shit”. I told him of course I care. Now, in retrospect, I guess I don’t give a shit what “they” think.

Yep, common jealousy is exactly right. And ignorance to the fact that my safari wss probably less money than their " out west" elk hunt . Not giving a shit is probably the best policy for these people. They're not interested in reeducation. I'll go on planning my next hunt of a lifetime.

 

[John Wasmuth]

In all honesty around this small town people are my surprised if you haven’t been to hunt Africa.

 

[375Fox]

After my lecture to the employee in question, and I should say that some of her coworkers joined her to listen, she did admit that she had no idea about the case for hunting Africa and she apologized for her snobby remark

This is why I say not to walk away from the comments. This is usual outcome I see.

 

[375Fox]

I had the same situation, got back from my first safari last August and my buddy posted my pictures and stuff on Facebook ( I'm not on Facebook) and I had a lot of idiots tell me the " must be nice " bit and one dumb ass told my mother at a friends birthday party that he would never go to Africa and waste all that meat, I doubt he believed her when she said her son had been there and nothing was wasted. I live in a very rural town myself and I'm kinda known as the " guy that hunted in Africa " , a couple guys have stopped at the machine shop I work at to ask about the hunt and the costs involved. Its truly incredible how bizarre some of the misconceptions are hunting in Africa, even from guys that have hunted their entire lives. Sometimes I don't say much and other times I argue a bit. One idiot came up to me at a dollar general , leaning in like he had a secret, and asked if I knew that I had to pay a trophy fee for the animals I was importing into the country. I had a good chuckle and told the guy he didn't know wtf he was talking about. Small town bullshit lol

I particularly like your comment about wasting meat. I’ve seen so many people in Pennsylvania take 10 trips to Colorado to finally get one elk but two years later they are still trying to give away the meat in their freezer. I’ve seen a lot of meat go to waste in Pennsylvania but not Africa.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

When I was having coffee in my hometown yesterday the subject came up about the meat from the animals on a safari. I told them how happy the trackers and staff were to have new meat this year ( I was there in March). After I got my zebra I got to ride in the back of our PH's Toyota ( a thrill by itself!!). The tracker, George, patted the zebra and smile so big. He said "tonight my family eats ZEBRA! I was so happy.

We harvested many animals and loaded them directly on the truck and back to camp. In the US it is common to field dress (gut) then first. I asked my PH about this and he told me that the locals use all the meat from an animal and very little was wasted. They used the heart, liver, kidneys, intenstines and more.

A lot of game in the US goes into the freezer and folks look for ways to get rid of it. Not every hunter, but a lot of them.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

but two years later they are still trying to give away the meat in their freezer. I’ve seen a lot of meat go to waste

Except for a blend of deer, moose and pork, sausage, seasoned and smoked. All the grandkids got through their small rural elementary school with great marks by giving some to their teachers. It's not bribery, it's called sharing.