Hunter-Habib
AH legend
It is with great regret that I write about the tragic demise of a great fellow sportsman & politician, Captain Gohar Ayub Khan (8/1/1937-17/11/2023). He had been suffering from dementia for several years before finally succumbing to his ailments one week back.
So passionate was this gent in our mutual hobby, that he actually authored his autobiography “Shikar In The Days Gone By” in 2009 which details his hunting adventures all around the globe. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have crossed paths with this gentleman, often referred to him as the “Elgin Yates Of Asia”.
Photograph Kindly Provided By @Bullhunter
The son of Pakistani President Marshall Ayub Khan, Captain Gohar was one of the few people (and definitely one of the last ones alive, barring myself) to have legally hunted Royal Bengal tigers in the Sundarban mangrove forests of South Bengal ( being fortunate enough to hunt two of these most elusive dangerous game animals between 1958 & 1962 when the Sundarbans used to be a part of then East Pakistan).
On 28th September of this year, I had authored an article on these forums where I had included a segment about Captain Gohar’s tiger hunting adventures... completely unaware of the grim fact that he would be breathing his last within less than two months from the date of my writing.
www.africahunting.com
I was fortunate enough to actually meet this passionate fellow hunter at the East Pakistan Rifle Club in 1967, where he used to frequently come & regale us all with tales of his thrilling shikar adventures from all across the globe (while he had once come to visit East Pakistan for a few months). All those hours of our group conversations always felt like mere minutes whenever we all used to gather our chairs around Captain Gohar’s table… so quick would time seem to pass whenever Captain Gohar would come to visit the club.
At the time, I used to merely be a bird hunter (of both the upland & the waterfowl variety) but I always aspired to one day be able to hunt all varieties of wild game which the world has to offer. My 16 year old self always used to listen very intently to the Captain’s dangerous game hunting adventures; especially the tales of his tiger hunting experiences in the Sundarbans. The tiger hunting stories always immensely fascinated me, because I was always uncertain as to whether this was one dangerous game animal which I would ever actually be able to hunt. After the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1973 declared complete legal protection to Royal Bengal tigers, I pretty much gave up on my fascination. Little did I know that in 1981… I myself would go on to successfully hunt a man eating Royal Bengal tiger in the Sundarban mangrove forests. And that this would be my first of three.
I never saw Captain Gohar again (face to face) after 1967, although I have always remained an ardent fan of him ever since and I used to follow his political career now & then over the years. He used to frequently tell me to go enjoy a thrilling tiger hunt in the Sundarbans, as it would definitely be the hunt of a lifetime. I have always wondered what he would do, if he were to ever learn that I successfully pursued man eating Royal Bengal tigers on no less than 3 occasions during the course of my career as the Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarban mangrove forests (from 1981-1989).
I earnestly pray that Captain Gohar is now finally at peace & shall be hunting eternally at the happy hunting grounds.
Captain Gohar Ayub Khan With His First Man Eating Royal Bengal Tiger; Armed With his 1939 Made .470 Nitro Express John Rigby & Co. Boxlock Ejector (1958)
So passionate was this gent in our mutual hobby, that he actually authored his autobiography “Shikar In The Days Gone By” in 2009 which details his hunting adventures all around the globe. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have crossed paths with this gentleman, often referred to him as the “Elgin Yates Of Asia”.
Photograph Kindly Provided By @Bullhunter
The son of Pakistani President Marshall Ayub Khan, Captain Gohar was one of the few people (and definitely one of the last ones alive, barring myself) to have legally hunted Royal Bengal tigers in the Sundarban mangrove forests of South Bengal ( being fortunate enough to hunt two of these most elusive dangerous game animals between 1958 & 1962 when the Sundarbans used to be a part of then East Pakistan).
On 28th September of this year, I had authored an article on these forums where I had included a segment about Captain Gohar’s tiger hunting adventures... completely unaware of the grim fact that he would be breathing his last within less than two months from the date of my writing.
Baagh Shikar: The Art Of Hunting The Royal Bengal Tiger
Hey, gents. Since a lot of you often get intrigued about how Royal Bengal tigers were hunted back in the good old days, I thought that perhaps this little article of mine might be of some interest to you all. Even though the hunting of Royal Bengal tigers became outlawed in our part of the...
www.africahunting.com
I was fortunate enough to actually meet this passionate fellow hunter at the East Pakistan Rifle Club in 1967, where he used to frequently come & regale us all with tales of his thrilling shikar adventures from all across the globe (while he had once come to visit East Pakistan for a few months). All those hours of our group conversations always felt like mere minutes whenever we all used to gather our chairs around Captain Gohar’s table… so quick would time seem to pass whenever Captain Gohar would come to visit the club.
At the time, I used to merely be a bird hunter (of both the upland & the waterfowl variety) but I always aspired to one day be able to hunt all varieties of wild game which the world has to offer. My 16 year old self always used to listen very intently to the Captain’s dangerous game hunting adventures; especially the tales of his tiger hunting experiences in the Sundarbans. The tiger hunting stories always immensely fascinated me, because I was always uncertain as to whether this was one dangerous game animal which I would ever actually be able to hunt. After the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1973 declared complete legal protection to Royal Bengal tigers, I pretty much gave up on my fascination. Little did I know that in 1981… I myself would go on to successfully hunt a man eating Royal Bengal tiger in the Sundarban mangrove forests. And that this would be my first of three.
I never saw Captain Gohar again (face to face) after 1967, although I have always remained an ardent fan of him ever since and I used to follow his political career now & then over the years. He used to frequently tell me to go enjoy a thrilling tiger hunt in the Sundarbans, as it would definitely be the hunt of a lifetime. I have always wondered what he would do, if he were to ever learn that I successfully pursued man eating Royal Bengal tigers on no less than 3 occasions during the course of my career as the Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarban mangrove forests (from 1981-1989).
I earnestly pray that Captain Gohar is now finally at peace & shall be hunting eternally at the happy hunting grounds.
Captain Gohar Ayub Khan With His First Man Eating Royal Bengal Tiger; Armed With his 1939 Made .470 Nitro Express John Rigby & Co. Boxlock Ejector (1958)
