I hate to be a dick (actually, I don't), but the more you write about this subject, the more you portray your absolute ignorance of the subject. I haven't even gotten past page three and I just have to interject. You sincerely have no clue what you are writing. I have been to Africa. I have lived there and I have hunted there. I actually know about the subject.Originally Posted by BOG
For starters, I can appreciate that some folks don't want to go to Africa. That's not the issue that I take with your drivel. The problem I have is that you spout nonsense. To address just a few points. First, natives, including the Maasai, with whom I lived for several months, have been killing large cats for thousands of years FOR SPORT. They kill them to protect cattle from a possible threat, and they kill them to become a man. A maasai cannot become a man until he has gone out in the bush and killed a lion with his spear. That lion is turned into a head dress to show everyone how much of a badass he had become. Hero shot? Damn right it's a hero shot.
Big cats becoming scarce? Hardly. There are huntable populations of lions and leopards in most of Africa. Some countries have removed lion from the list due to political pressure rather than science. The leopard becoming scarce? The leopard can be found from the Cape to Cairo and is one of the most prolific mammals in the world.
Second point, hunting elephants is the most dangerous hunting that can be done. Shooting them from safe distances? So 15-50 feet is a safe distance from an animal which ways tons and can close that distance in mere seconds? If you don't make a perfect brain or heart/lung shot, you stand a fairly decent chance of being trampled. Further, just because you take out your target doesn't mean his friends aren't going to get you. Hunting elephants is very difficult, covering dozens of miles a day in extremely hot weather for a chance at a decent bull. You must then get close so that you can judge his ivory and take a safe shot. No, it's not for everyone, but it is far from easy.
I hunted extensively in Botswana. I spot and stalked with a bow rather than sitting in a blind over a waterhole. Why? Because I wanted to enjoy the hunt and the challenge. Is some hunting in Africa fairly easy? Sure. Just not mine. Like any type of hunting, you can make it challenging if you want to. You can sit over a pile of corn in Florence or you can hunt a funnel in Laurens. Your choice. I know some people do shoot out of a bakkie, but the vast majority do not. Unfortunately, Baydog was incorrect when he wrote earlier that cats can't be taken with a light at night. The law varies from country to country and it is legal in some countries to hunt big cats at night with a light. I would not do it and don't agree with it, but it is legal in places. Again, however, most cats are not taken in this manner.
Another point made earlier was that you don't buy into the argument that hunting benefits the people of Africa. Truth be told, if we did not hunt, then there would be little left to hunt in many countries. Commercial hunting places a much higher value on the wildlife. If the wildlife has value to the community, then it is respected and not poached out. Look at Kenya (where I lived and travelled extensively). In the 1960's, it was the mecca of sport hunting. Now, it's hard to find a freaking zebra. Why, because they closed hunting, wildlife lost its value, and the people poached the country out of animals. I spent 30 days hiking and climbing Mount Kenya. I saw a total of about 5 elephants, two cape buffalo, one bushbuck, and 6-8 zebras. I saw 100 times that in a single day in a hunting concession in Botswana.
The bottom line is that you may hate the idea of hunting in Africa. That is your right. But your "facts" are flat out wrong and you really shouldn't talk when you don't know what you're talking about.
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