What traits have you picked up from your Professional Hunter?

[Charles de Ribeau]

Trophy Photo set up and composure - DETAILS!

Absolutely!

 

[Charles de Ribeau]

I'm too busy to bleed.

Easier to just have one of the dogs lick the wound. They have a clotting agent on their butts.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Agree with others, on trophy set up for the success photos. I gave a lot more thought to it this during the fall after watching what Wik insisted on during my African hunt.

Also, these plants were freaking everywhere - I do not remember the name. I would see him pluck a leave and chew on it, while we would be glassing or when stalking animals. He said he'd always done it, that it was just a long-time habit and it put a little bit of flavor in his mouth. I started doing the same.

 

[Ragman]

Spekboom

 

[John J]

Open the bolt and stick pinky finger into chamber to make sure rifle is clear. PH did it, my son and I started doing it and calling clear, and still do. Can't hurt to be double sure.

 

[shootist~]

That the underlying meaning of "Let's go Brandon" is also popular in Africa.

 

[Hogpatrol]

As one PH said, "Camouflage is just a fashion statement. The animals don't care."

Yeah, regardless of what you're wearing, they'll still kill you.

 

[TXHUNTER338]

I catch myself saying ZeBRA instead of zeebra and kuda comes out different too

 

[Joker12]

We had built a brush blind by a waterhole hunting warthog. Lots of game was in and out till mid-afternoon when the wind switched and blew our scent directly to the waterhole and everything stopped coming in. Cris Lorden, the PH decided to experiment so he gathered some dry dung and built a small fire with it. The smoke covered our scent and game started coming back to the water including a very nice pig at dusk that now resides at my house in Michigan. Hecsaid he wasn't sure if it would work but had always wanted to try. I've used that deer hunting a couple of times since and it works.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I catch myself saying ZeBRA instead of zeebra and kuda comes out different too

And I revert to Zeebra so that you guys know what I'm talking about....

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

We had built a brush blind by a waterhole hunting warthog. Lots of game was in and out till mid-afternoon when the wind switched and blew our scent directly to the waterhole and everything stopped coming in. Cris Lorden, the PH decided to experiment so he gathered some dry dung and built a small fire with it. The smoke covered our scent and game started coming back to the water including a very nice pig at dusk that now resides at my house in Michigan. Hecsaid he wasn't sure if it would work but had always wanted to try. I've used that deer hunting a couple of times since and it works.

When we have swirling winds while sitting in the bow blinds, we make use of Zebra dung. Place them end to end, and light one side. The zebra dung smoulders, creating smoke which confuses the animals.
Its an old bowhunters trick, and it works for sure.

 

[Longwalker]

One detail that I remember learning from my PH is that sunlight glinting off a rifle barrel in the intense Namibian sunlight can spook game. That hasn't been an issue during my regular hunting back home. So I learned to carry my highly polished rifle in a way that didn't make bright flashy reflections.