Lion hunting SA

[Daisy]

This isn’t a style of hunting we are talking about. This isn’t baiting vs non baiting or hunting over a food plot or a natural food source. This is an animal which is normally a predator in the wild, raised and released only to be shot for a profit. Method of hunting has absolutely nothing to do with the practice.

So I agree with you there.

Doesn’t really address using “conservation” groups to support one cause, and deride them for others.

 

[375Fox]

Speaking of chinese and lion bones.
I wonder if CBL lion hunting and export of lion parts to china does it reduce poaching pressure on wild lion population elsewhere?

That’s the only conservation benefit it does provide. I really don’t care if someone wants to shoot a farm raised lion. My objection is when it’s called hunting and associated with overall hunting in Africa. Call it lion harvesting to make a distinction from hunting and my objection generally goes away, but that would be bad for marketing these “hunts”

 

[Daisy]

Every one of the organizations listed on that joint statement are a hunting organization. That says something to me. You’ll also notice it’s referred to as shooting not hunting. For good reason as well, it’s a farming practice with a unique harvesting method unfortunately sold as hunting.

I agree with all of that.

 

[mark-hunter]

That’s the only conservation benefit it does provide. I really don’t care if someone wants to shoot a farm raised lion. My objection is when it’s called hunting and associated with overall hunting in Africa. Call it lion harvesting and stop glorifying it as a hunting experience and my objection generally goes away.

Indeed. Btw, just to avoid misunderstanding, I am not into big cat hunting. Plains game hunting for me, cape buffalo in the future, maybe tuskless elephant in more distant future, then back to plains game hunting. Those are my preferences.

 

[Daisy]

Most of the people I encountered in SA hated wild lions. They kill their cows and occasionally people. SA is too densely populated to have a predator roaming around outside a park. My guess is as other countries overcome poverty and Infrastructure issues and population booms wild lions will become less and less.

One of my other websites is American hunting. Colorado released wolves recently. The repopulation of wolves, without adequate restraints by their only real predator (humans) has caused havoc to the game populations of lots of midwestern states.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Divide and conquer. Separate people into two or more competing groups and watch them beat each other down. We’ve seen simple political strategy since most of us were old enough to comprehend any difference in political opinions. You all know what I am writing of; pro-life or woman’s choice, give women the vote, prohibition of alcohol, draft or no draft, welfare, immigration, outlaw or legalize marijuana, foreign aid to Ukraine and/or Israel (or Gaza?), black lives or all lives matter, he is now a she and vice-versa, 2nd Amendment rights or gun control, assault rifles, high-capacity magazines, semi-automatic firearms, animal rights or hunting, subsistence or trophy hunting, and the issue of today, wild lion hunting or captive bred lion (CBL) hunting? For the preceding short list of issues that we may all have differing opinions of, perhaps CBL hunting is one that should be the least contentious among us hunters?

I admit of climbing up on a soapbox to preach about how hunting and consuming meat is the primary factor in human brain development and evolving into the homo sapiens of today. Granted it’s nice to have a large brains buts sometimes, maybe we over think some things. “Why don’t you just buy your meat in a store rather than killing it?” To that I respond, “Thinking like that would make me a bad person for paying someone to do my killing for me!” If someone is however a vegan, I will respect them for at least NOT being a hypocrite.

A while back I was doing a lot of pheasant hunting on preserves. I thought it was good sport and my dog didn’t know that I had paid someone to hide pheasants. I took pride in always bagging more pheasants than I had paid for. Those bonus birds were good work on my dog’s and my part or at least better than the last guy and dog. Are South Dakota pheasants on an expensive ranch any more legitimate than those I shot on a preserve in Michigan? Maybe, but how much more so?

There are hunters who pay high fees at trophy ranches for large antlered bucks. Is shooting one of those any less than me sitting in my heated elevated deer house for a dozen mornings until something enters or runs across my field? While different, I think they are both hunting.

Is the big rack from a trophy ranch buck better or worse that a 6-point I shot on my few acres? I say good for you if that’s what you want to hunt and can afford. Thinking of that, the real trophies are those decent size bucks shot on public hunting areas. They are the real trophies!

Is bow hunting in early season better than hunting with a rifle in the late season? Maybe but I if I want a big buck where I live, I better be in the stand during bow season!

Concerning money, if I won a super-duper lottery and suddenly had more money than I could comprehend, would I hunt a captive bred lion again? I think I would since I enjoyed my CBL hunt. Now, if I could hunt wild lion by tracking day after day, that would be more challenging. When however reading Use Enough Gun by Ruark, I don’t remember Ruark and Harry Selby tracking lion lions for days at time. I recall Selby or others would spot a big lion and then the stalk was on. Or was it that they spotted a big lion from the Land Rover? I think that CBL hunting is similar to that. Also, in 1950 when Ruark went on his first safari for a month, they were probably going to spot a lion or two. Ruark mentioned his safari cost $10,000 which is around $110,000 today. If only I could win a big lottery, or something like that. Until then, maybe another CBL hunt someday.

Then there is the whole “lion” thing. How could anyone shoot a lion? They are the king of the beasts after all. What about those majestic elephants? Or teddy bear like things we call black and grizzly bears? They look so cute. Aren't they all endangered species, or so I’ve been asked? To those questions I try to explain how human expansion has reduced habitat for wild animals, how an elephant will eat a native African’s year’s worth of food crop in a single night. Or how an aging lion will die a painful death by other lions or starvation and a hunter’s bullet isn’t so bad in comparison. It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?

So, if I go to a butcher, I have a 100% chance of purchasing meat of birds and animals. Similarly, if I pay to hunt with a PH who has a very high success rate, I will have a better than good chance of the PH getting me into killing range. And I’ve a pretty good shot! For lions and leopards, the success rates are lower than for other game, but for a decent PH in a good area, probably far higher than 50%. Granted, this in more sporting than CBL hunting, but how much more so. If a PH has a 20% success rate for trophy book cats, then yes, much more so. But if it's just a nice size cat, elephant, eland, or so on, then it's hunting. Some better than others, but still hunting.

This is all about ethics, isn’t it? Is hunting ethical? Is killing a wild lion more ethical than a captive bred lion? A CBL lion is bred to be killed by man similar to a cow bred on a ranch. A wild lion is if anything is, king of the beasts. How is it more ethical to kill a wild lion than a CBL lion? Then, since they are all living things, how is killing a CBL lion less ethical than killing a farm raised cow or chicken?

Different isn't bad, it's only different.

I'll don my flame proof Novax suit now and stand by...
Happy hunting to all and Merry Christmas!

 

[One Day...]

The irony of the "captive bred" and "fenced" lion hunt arguments........

I typically refrain from engaging in this argument, but I cannot help but notice that the virtuous indignation about hunting captive bred lions in fenced properties somehow vanishes when it comes to hunting captive bred buffalo, sable, roan, eland, wildebeest, hartebeest, waterbuck, lechwe - you name it, the list goes on and on... - on fenced properties. Why is that?

The hard reality is that except for a few endemic species living in hard to access places in the heights of the Karoo, such as kudu or vaal rhebok for example, ALL plains game and dangerous game species in South Africa are essentially captive bred, and this is big business. Don't go fooling yourself about thinking that buffalo hunted, or sometime just shot, (see next paragraph) in South Africa were born wild. The same goes for all glamorous species, especially sable and roan, and all larger PG species such as eland, wildebeest, etc. with maybe only the ubiquitous smaller species, like springbok or impala, possibly wild born ... within their fenced area.

Which bring us to the next point. This too has been discussed endlessly, but the hard reality, again, is that aside from the above referenced mountain game like kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, etc. virtually ALL plains game and dangerous game hunted in South Africa, are hunted on fenced properties.

"Captive bred" or "fenced property" mean nothing without qualification. Tracking by foot a high probability lion on 15,000 acres is a lot more hunting than shooting a guaranteed-by-contract 42" buffalo or guaranteed-by-contract 44" sable on 2,000 acres. There are as many ridiculous videos of shooting - note that I do not say hunting - buffalo in a pen as there are shooting lions against a fence. This is not a lion issue per se, aside from the fact that lions seem to trigger more emotions.

The simple hard fact, again, is that this is all a matter of economic opportunity, economics, and return on investment. One can hunt (or just shoot) a captive bred lion or a buffalo in 5 days for ~$8,000 in South Africa with a reasonable certainty of success; one needs to spend 10 times more and 5 times longer, sometimes several years in a row, to maybe (?) harvest a mature wild lion or a decent buffalo in one of the last relatively wild places of Africa. Many folks can afford the first option, few can afford the second option.

Should Africa hunting be again reserved to the rich and famous as it once was, on the premise that the only ethical hunting is for wild animals on million acres open concessions? Should we talk about hunting in Texas in the U.S., or Sologne in France?

I have hunted captive bred lion in South Africa on a couple tens of thousands fenced acres, and wild elephant in Zimbabwe on a couple million communal open acres, both by tracking on foot, and I could not tell the difference...

I have hunted in South Africa captive bred plains game on 100,000 or 50,000 fenced acres, and wild kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, mountain reedbuck on millions of unfenced acres, both by glassing and stalking, I could not tell the difference...

I wish I could afford a $100k full bag 3-month safari in the Moyowosi, but I can't, so I will still go hunting for $10k on private or communal land in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, etc.

 

[375Fox]

The irony of the "captive bred" and "fenced" lion hunt arguments........

I typically refrain from engaging in this argument, but I cannot help but notice that the virtuous indignation about hunting captive bred lions in fenced properties somehow vanishes when it comes to hunting captive bred buffalo, sable, roan, eland, wildebeest, hartebeest, waterbuck, lechwe - you name it, the list goes on and on... - on fenced properties. Why is that?

The hard reality is that except for a few endemic species living in hard to access places in the heights of the Karoo, such as kudu or vaal rhebok for example, ALL plains game and dangerous game species in South Africa are essentially captive bred, and this is big business. Don't go fooling yourself about thinking that buffalo hunted, or sometime just shot, (see next paragraph) in South Africa were born wild. The same goes for all glamorous species, especially sable and roan, and all larger PG species such as eland, wildebeest, etc. with maybe only the ubiquitous smaller species, like springbok or impala, possibly wild born ... with their fenced area.

Which bring us to the next point. This too has been discussed endlessly, but the hard reality, again, is that aside from the above referenced mountain game like kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, etc. virtually ALL plains game and dangerous game hunted in South Africa, are hunted on fenced properties.

"Captive bred" or "fenced property" mean nothing without qualification. Tracking by foot an almost guaranteed lion on 15,000 acres is a lot more hunting than shooting a guaranteed-by-contract 42" buffalo or guaranteed-by-contract 44" sable on 2,000 acres. There are as many ridiculous videos of shooting - note that I do not say hunting - buffalo in a pen as there are shooting lions against a fence. This is not a lion issue per se, aside from the fact that lions seem to trigger more emotions.

The simple hard fact, again, is that this is all a matter of economic opportunity, economics, and return on investment. One can hunt (or just shoot) a captive bred lion or a buffalo in 5 days for ~$8,000 in South Africa with a reasonable certainty of success; one needs to spend 10 times more and spend 5 times longer, sometimes several years in a row, to maybe (?) harvest a mature wild lion or a decent buffalo in one of the last relatively wild places of Africa. Many folks can afford the first option, few can afford the second option.

Should Africa hunting be again reserved to the rich and famous as it once was, on the premise that the only ethical hunting is for wild animals on million acres open concessions? Should we talk about hunting in Texas?

I have hunted captive bred lion in South Africa on a couple tens of thousands fenced acres, and wild elephant in Zimbabwe on a couple million communal open acres, both by tracking on foot, and I could not tell the difference...

I have hunted in South Africa plains game on 100,000 or 50,000 fenced acres, and kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, mountain reedbuck on millions of unfenced acres, both by glassing and stalking, I could not tell the difference...

I disagree with put and take practices for the above animals you mentioned as well. However, CBL falls into its own category. Most here would criticize a buffalo hunt released to be shot 7 days prior to the hunt, but a CBL lion “hunt” shouldn’t be criticized? Many buffalo hunts in South Africa are supplemented with bulls without the hunter knowing, but at least there is a breeding herd in many cases. Put and take to the level of CBL would actually need to be searched out. There are no prides of CBL lions on the ranches where these hunts take place. All lions introduced will be harvested that year. There is always an attempt to put all lions on high fenced ranches into the category of CBL but that isn’t the case. There are wild managed lions that live on high fence ranches and reserves that are hunted and managed sustainably and there are CBL lions stocked into ranches from breeding farms to be tracked down and shot by a hunter with no attempt at establishing a population. The CBL industry is also associated with cub petting for tourists and the lion bone trade. That’s why I say it’s a farming practice with a unique harvesting method disguised as hunting. I will not participate in this practice, but if I was someone researching this hunt I’d ask questions beyond the experience shown to hunters during the “hunt.”

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

The irony of the "captive bred" and "fenced" lion hunt arguments........

I typically refrain from engaging in this argument, but I cannot help but notice that the virtuous indignation about hunting captive bred lions in fenced properties somehow vanishes when it comes to hunting captive bred buffalo, sable, roan, eland, wildebeest, hartebeest, waterbuck, lechwe - you name it, the list goes on and on... - on fenced properties. Why is that?

The hard reality is that except for a few endemic species living in hard to access places in the heights of the Karoo, such as kudu or vaal rhebok for example, ALL plains game and dangerous game species in South Africa are essentially captive bred, and this is big business. Don't go fooling yourself about thinking that buffalo hunted, or sometime just shot, (see next paragraph) in South Africa were born wild. The same goes for all glamorous species, especially sable and roan, and all larger PG species such as eland, wildebeest, etc. with maybe only the ubiquitous smaller species, like springbok or impala, possibly wild born ... within their fenced area.

Which bring us to the next point. This too has been discussed endlessly, but the hard reality, again, is that aside from the above referenced mountain game like kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, etc. virtually ALL plains game and dangerous game hunted in South Africa, are hunted on fenced properties.

"Captive bred" or "fenced property" mean nothing without qualification. Tracking by foot a high probability lion on 15,000 acres is a lot more hunting than shooting a guaranteed-by-contract 42" buffalo or guaranteed-by-contract 44" sable on 2,000 acres. There are as many ridiculous videos of shooting - note that I do not say hunting - buffalo in a pen as there are shooting lions against a fence. This is not a lion issue per se, aside from the fact that lions seem to trigger more emotions.

The simple hard fact, again, is that this is all a matter of economic opportunity, economics, and return on investment. One can hunt (or just shoot) a captive bred lion or a buffalo in 5 days for ~$8,000 in South Africa with a reasonable certainty of success; one needs to spend 10 times more and 5 times longer, sometimes several years in a row, to maybe (?) harvest a mature wild lion or a decent buffalo in one of the last relatively wild places of Africa. Many folks can afford the first option, few can afford the second option.

Should Africa hunting be again reserved to the rich and famous as it once was, on the premise that the only ethical hunting is for wild animals on million acres open concessions? Should we talk about hunting in Texas in the U.S., or Sologne in France?

I have hunted captive bred lion in South Africa on a couple tens of thousands fenced acres, and wild elephant in Zimbabwe on a couple million communal open acres, both by tracking on foot, and I could not tell the difference...

I have hunted in South Africa captive bred plains game on 100,000 or 50,000 fenced acres, and wild kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, mountain reedbuck on millions of unfenced acres, both by glassing and stalking, I could not tell the difference...

I wish I could afford a $100k full bag 3-month safari in the Moyowosi, but I can't, so I will still go hunting for $10k on private or communal land in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, etc.

You’re trying to muddy the waters by introducing the fence stuff. CBL is not the same as most hunting and you know it. All this talk about “feelings” is asinine as well. Reality is what matters.

 

[One Day...]

I disagree with put and take practices for the above animals you mentioned as well. However, CBL falls into its own category. Most here would criticize a buffalo hunt released to be shot 7 days prior to the hunt, but a CBL lion “hunt” shouldn’t be criticized? Many buffalo hunts in South Africa are supplemented with bulls without the hunter knowing, but at least there is a breeding herd in many cases. Put and take to the level of CBL would actually need to be searched out. There are no prides of CBL lions on the ranches where these hunts take place. All lions introduced will be harvested that year. There is always an attempt to put all lions on high fenced ranches into the category of CBL but that isn’t the case. There are wild managed lions that live on high fence ranches and reserves that are hunted and managed sustainably and there are CBL lions stocked into ranches from breeding farms to be tracked down and shot by a hunter with no attempt at establishing a population. The CBL industry is also associated with cub petting for tourists and the lion bone trade. That’s why I say it’s a farming practice with a unique harvesting method disguised as hunting. I will not participate in this practice, but if I was someone researching this hunt I’d ask questions beyond the experience shown to hunters during the “hunt.”

We are on the same wave length, Friend, "put & take" is the issue, not the species. As to the commercial excesses of game breeding, they are endless, from lion bone or rhino horn illegal trade, to genetic manipulation. The point being that there can be ethical practices with any species, and unethical practices with any species as well.

 

[One Day...]

You’re trying to muddy the waters by introducing the fence stuff. CBL is not the same as most hunting and you know it. All this talk about “feelings” is asinine as well. Reality is what matters.

Not muddying the water, Friend, just dealing with reality indeed, and the reality is that there are worthy hunts for lion in South Africa with the right outfitters, and unworthy shooting for any species with the wrong outfitters.

This being said, I agree that the sad extremes to which some CBL practices were pushed were shameful, and were rightfully condemned. But, not throwing the baby with the bath water, I also observe that there ARE a few outfitters offering lion hunts in the Kalahari that meet similar levels of ethical private property hunting as those commonly accepted for all other species in South Africa.

 

[TXhunter65]

Now you've done it @One Day... , not only have you pointed out the irony in this argumentbut you went and mentioned TEXAS....

We love our corn-fed deer down here! They taste better…

Just kidding with ya @One Day...

For everyone...

Maybe someday we can ALL be brothers; I think a very large portion of us are. I’m not saying if you disagree with me, you’re not my brother. I’m saying if you disagree with me let’s talk, but let’s not insult, demean, and run each other down. If we come to an impasse let's leave it at that and move on and not continually harp on a subject, we’ll never see eye to eye on.

Now this is really going to be a stretch, maybe someday even if we disagree with our brothers, we can be happy for them just because they’re happy. I know it’s a crazy idea…but we can all dream.

Momma’s words hold true in most instances, “If you can’t say anything nice…” regardless of if it's an “Open Forum”.

 

[mark-hunter]

This is all about ethics, isn’t it? Is hunting ethical?

I am not into big cat hunting, but in topics like this I always try to look from working man blue collar perspective. Can a working man hunter from western country be ethical and hunt wild lions?

Lets say that a hard working man, a blue collar hunter saves the money for years to afford wild lion hunting. 40k, 50 k? Maybe more.
And then, as it can easily turn out, proper old wild lion doesnt show up.
And hunt failed.
Never again, such a chance, decade or more to save same money for second attempt.
There are hunts which are not certain, which cost money, and they are not for everybody.
Would such a guy take a risk in 50-50% chance? For once in a lifetime hunt, for one attempt only, wth all savings gone with the wind after that?

if I am in that kind of doubt, and in that kind of financial situation, I would go for CBL hunting. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead, and I wouldnt care what others will say!

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Not muddying the water, Friend, just dealing with reality indeed, and the reality is that there are worthy hunts for lion in South Africa with the right outfitters, and unworthy shooting for any species with the wrong outfitters.

Yes, you are. If you’re talking about a wild managed one then you’re correct, if you’re talking about cbl then no, you’re not. You have participated in it so you obviously have a vested interest in defending your actions.

 

[Daisy]

The irony of the "captive bred" and "fenced" lion hunt arguments........

I typically refrain from engaging in this argument, but I cannot help but notice that the virtuous indignation about hunting captive bred lions in fenced properties somehow vanishes when it comes to hunting captive bred buffalo, sable, roan, eland, wildebeest, hartebeest, waterbuck, lechwe - you name it, the list goes on and on... - on fenced properties. Why is that?

The hard reality is that except for a few endemic species living in hard to access places in the heights of the Karoo, such as kudu or vaal rhebok for example, ALL plains game and dangerous game species in South Africa are essentially captive bred, and this is big business. Don't go fooling yourself about thinking that buffalo hunted, or sometime just shot, (see next paragraph) in South Africa were born wild. The same goes for all glamorous species, especially sable and roan, and all larger PG species such as eland, wildebeest, etc. with maybe only the ubiquitous smaller species, like springbok or impala, possibly wild born ... within their fenced area.

Which bring us to the next point. This too has been discussed endlessly, but the hard reality, again, is that aside from the above referenced mountain game like kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, etc. virtually ALL plains game and dangerous game hunted in South Africa, are hunted on fenced properties.

"Captive bred" or "fenced property" mean nothing without qualification. Tracking by foot a high probability lion on 15,000 acres is a lot more hunting than shooting a guaranteed-by-contract 42" buffalo or guaranteed-by-contract 44" sable on 2,000 acres. There are as many ridiculous videos of shooting - note that I do not say hunting - buffalo in a pen as there are shooting lions against a fence. This is not a lion issue per se, aside from the fact that lions seem to trigger more emotions.

The simple hard fact, again, is that this is all a matter of economic opportunity, economics, and return on investment. One can hunt (or just shoot) a captive bred lion or a buffalo in 5 days for ~$8,000 in South Africa with a reasonable certainty of success; one needs to spend 10 times more and 5 times longer, sometimes several years in a row, to maybe (?) harvest a mature wild lion or a decent buffalo in one of the last relatively wild places of Africa. Many folks can afford the first option, few can afford the second option.

Should Africa hunting be again reserved to the rich and famous as it once was, on the premise that the only ethical hunting is for wild animals on million acres open concessions? Should we talk about hunting in Texas in the U.S., or Sologne in France?

I have hunted captive bred lion in South Africa on a couple tens of thousands fenced acres, and wild elephant in Zimbabwe on a couple million communal open acres, both by tracking on foot, and I could not tell the difference...

I have hunted in South Africa captive bred plains game on 100,000 or 50,000 fenced acres, and wild kudu, vaal rhebok, klipspringer, mountain reedbuck on millions of unfenced acres, both by glassing and stalking, I could not tell the difference...

I wish I could afford a $100k full bag 3-month safari in the Moyowosi, but I can't, so I will still go hunting for $10k on private or communal land in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, etc.

People that have done both offer a great perspective. Thank you.

 

[Ruraldoc]

I have been on a South African ranch with a sizable rhino population. They pay for antipoaching guards to protect the place.

Still they were losing Rhinos so they put up a cross fence,several miles long and adjoining a public road.

More than a dozen lions, male and female of breeding age are in this area. Signs warn people on the road that the area holds lions.

There is some hard hunted plains game and cattle are released into the area for the lions to hunt and kill.

I inquired about hunting a lion there. It may be the most dangerous lion hunt out there.

I was nervous driving through the area seated in the back of the truck. These lions are not there to be hunted and are not marketed as such.

But hunting one there has been on my mind ever since I saw the place.

 

[One Day...]

Yes, you are. If you’re talking about a wild managed one then you’re correct, if you’re talking about cbl then no, you’re not. You have participated in it so you obviously have a vested interest in defending your actions.

I would not know about shooting a CBL in a barrel, so I will pass judgment on this, but the lion hunt I did in the Kalahari, tracking on foot miles after miles, days after days, needs no defending, it stands on its own merit. Believe you me, a heck of a lot better than a lot of shooting I have seen done in Africa.......................................................

 

[Daisy]

Yes, you are. If you’re talking about a wild managed one then you’re correct, if you’re talking about cbl then no, you’re not. You have participated in it so you obviously have a vested interest in defending your actions.

What about the people that have done both, and think highly of their SA hunt? Is their perspective valid?

Have you done both? If not does that not mean you are defending the actions of the hunt you took, or maybe defending the large outlay of money you spent for your hunt?

 

[revturbo9967]

I am not into big cat hunting, but in topics like this I always try to look from working man blue collar perspective. Can a working man hunter from western country be ethical and hunt wild lions?

Lets say that a hard working man, a blue collar hunter saves the money for years to afford wild lion hunting. 40k, 50 k? Maybe more.
And then, as it can easily turn out, proper old wild lion doesnt show up.
And hunt failed.
Never again, such a chance, decade or more to save same money for second attempt.
There are hunts which are not certain, which cost money, and they are not for everybody.
Would such a guy take a risk in 50-50% chance? For once in a lifetime hunt, for one attempt only, wth all savings gone with the wind after that?

if I am in that kind of doubt, and in that kind of financial situation, I would go for CBL hunting. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead, and I wouldnt care what others will say

One could hire a prostitute or court a women to a long term relationship. One will be MUCH cheaper than the other. One will give you instant satisfaction that will quickly disappear, one will be hard work and need a lot of commitment to see it through. The marriage could fail, and money could be lost. Does that mean we shouldn’t drive for the latter because it will cost more and may not work out?

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

What about the people that have done both, and think highly of their SA hunt? Is their perspective valid?

Have you done both? If not does that not mean you are defending the actions of the hunt you took, or maybe defending the large outlay of money you spent for your hunt?

Like I said earlier, it’s obviously exciting and looks like a blast but that does not make it ok. I’ve even been tempted myself. Yes, you read like correctly. I seriously doubt I will ever be able to afford a wild (male) lion so the affordability of it is attractive. I’ll probably never be able to afford a bongo in central Africa or a markhor in Pakistan so instead of cheapening it by shooting one in Texas I’ll just do without. The same goes for lion.