Trophy Hunting

Hunting safari is the traditional name for it. The trophies are incidental.

Similar to a photo safari except hunting needs a sustainable supply of animals whereas a photo safari only needs one.
 
To me, unethical means the shooting of animals in small fenced areas. I have hunted in RSA several times, on large open farms or very large fenced game farms. I never felt that what I was doing was unsportsmanlike, but I realise that hunting behind any fence raises a whole new argument.

I’m definitely onboard with the fair chase concept.

However you could drop the word “trophy” from “ethical trophy hunting” and that argument still holds water, in that shooting a cow or doe of whatever species in a confined space would be just as unethical.
 
I’m definitely onboard with the fair chase concept.

However you could drop the word “trophy” from “ethical trophy hunting” and that argument still holds water, in that shooting a cow or doe of whatever species in a confined space would be just as unethical.
I’ve also culled park deer and had no problem with it, it’s necessary, I don’t think it’s unethical but it’s not hunting. If it’s sold as “ hunting “ it’s gotta be fair chase.
 
I’m definitely onboard with the fair chase concept.

However you could drop the word “trophy” from “ethical trophy hunting” and that argument still holds water, in that shooting a cow or doe of whatever species in a confined space would be just as unethical.
I have hunted in SA and Namibia on a number of occasions and the “Fair walk and stalk“ that many of us look for is to a degree subjective. After my first trip to SA which was disappointing I was very clear after that as to what I wanted. Fair walk and stalk I wanted minimum 30K acres, minimum use of vehicles and plenty of walking. Other opinions will follow
 
on my last trip we had 10 hunting days, for 4 consecutive days I did not fire a shot as no suitable animals were seen, so it is definitely not shooting fish in a barrel as some would think.
 
"Wildlife management" is an apt description of the way we do things here in the UK, but for the African situation (or at least, my (albeit limited) understanding of the African situation) I feel that the term "sustainable use conservation" is more appropriate. I don't see why that should be considered "green washing" if it accurately reflects what's actually happening on the ground?

We’ll have to agree to differ on this one I’m afraid Tim, as to me “sustainable use conservation” sounds like it could equally be describing a new type of domestic heating fuel or the latest in eco washing powders. ;)

By the time I’d described what it means in this context I’d fully expect someone in the audience to pipe up “so it’s about shooting animals then?”
 
I wanted minimum 30K acres, minimum use of vehicles and plenty of walking. Other opinions will follow
Where we were, the particular hunting (unfenced) concession, is the size of Switzerland - which is (approximately) 16,000 square miles or (to mirror your unit examples) ten and a quarter million acres (10,240,000 acres).

Unknown-38.webp🥵
 
All the concerns being expressed over what constitutes fair chase avoid the simple fact that the Bill being proposed has nothing to do with where or how any animal is shot. What it does do is prohibit the importation of hunting trophies. Tellingly, no-one seems to be able to offer a reasoned argument explaining why retaining a souvenir of the hunt is so vital, nor defend the activity of trophy hunting - as opposed to ethical hunting - itself.

Maybe, as @Norfolk Deer Search suggested, this really is a case of picking our battles.
 
All the concerns being expressed over what constitutes fair chase avoid the simple fact that the Bill being proposed has nothing to do with where or how any animal is shot. What it does do is prohibit the importation of hunting trophies. Tellingly, no-one seems to be able to offer a reasoned argument explaining why retaining a souvenir of the hunt is so vital, nor defend the activity of trophy hunting - as opposed to ethical hunting - itself.

Maybe, as @Norfolk Deer Search suggested, this really is a case of picking our battles.

Simply why not ?
If some people want to pay a fortune to have a trophy on the wall that brings so much good to so much else - then as i say simply why not ?

I see little difference as i say between a roe head - or red - to an antelope or sabele or whatever it is

As i say i have no interest in trophies or African hunting - i wont even fly - at all
But i do see and appreciate the positives

It must be about educating other people not simply bowing to some preconceived ideas
 
Tellingly, no-one seems to be able to offer a reasoned argument explaining why retaining a souvenir of the hunt is so vital, nor defend the activity of trophy hunting - as opposed to ethical hunting - itself.

"Trophy" hunting can be done 'ethically'.

In relation to retaining a souvenir of a hunt as being 'vital', it's not and such pejorative language is unhelpful.

Nothing wrong with retaining a souvenir (and to be clear, I mean skulls, skin, mount, tusk or horns etc).

I have a shed full (literally a shed full), all hunted ethically, all brought back (at considerable expense) and consequently enriching those whom I paid, whilst (ironically) impoverishing me...🤔
 
It could be argued that as well as being a hobby of collecting taxidermy ( lots of non hunters collect taxidermy) that the head, horns ,skins would just be a by product and disposed of either in hole in the ground or burnt. Instead someone is paying a substantial amount of money to a taxidermist to make it into something with value, so allowing a local business to prosper.
 
Cecil the lion fuked it all up, and it’s been a roller coaster down all the way at a rapid rate of knots!

What is more appealing, a hunter stuck behind his trophy with his rifle be it a kudu, a muntjac, a CWD, a stag, an elephant, or a giraffe, etc, or a picture of a plate of venison neatly presented, and wonderfully cooked?

You don’t have to be a fukwit to realise which one is going to get more stick from the other!

You only have to look on social media to the amount of damage people perched behind their given highlight of their hunting career, so to speak, Facebook is full of them by the thousand You can’t tell me, those private forums are not infiltrated with anti’s?

The death of hunting and guns will be the fault of the hunter nothing else!

I’m bloody glad I’m slowly getting my affairs in order and getting ready to call it a day, because the clock is ticking to the demise, I reckon now it’s about 13 more years to go!
 
"Trophy" hunting can be done 'ethically'.

In relation to retaining a souvenir of a hunt as being 'vital', it's not and such pejorative language is unhelpful.

Nothing wrong with retaining a souvenir (and to be clear, I mean skulls, skin, mount, tusk or horns etc).

I have a shed full (literally a shed full), all hunted ethically, all brought back (at considerable expense) and consequently enriching those whom I paid, whilst (ironically) impoverishing me...🤔

If trophies are merely incidental, what's all the fuss about?
 
If trophies are merely incidental, what's all the fuss about?
We can 'fence' all day about pejorative language...


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'Vital' and 'incidental' are as inaccurate as each other.

I have always hunted/stalked/fished, for the joy of doing so. I hope, I have always do so 'ethically'.

I have (irrespective of the 'size') on occasion, kept the 'trophy' (itself an unhelpful description) of the animal I have taken. In the UK, (unless I am on a paid stalk) this costs me nothing, and I have a small 'lifetime's' collection.

Anything brought back from abroad (always expensive) has now become so dear as to exclude folk in my income bracket. Fine. There are now skinners, packers, transporters, taxidermists, importers, vets., exporters, governments, who will no longer benefit from the income that was generated from the likes of me. Obviously not everyone is forced to watch their bank balance like a hawk...

Unknown-38.jpeg

Apropos safari .

There was mention earlier in this thread, of photographic safari. Where we have just come back from, we spent half the trip in an 'old' photograph safari camp.

Why?

Because they had shut it down as a financial loss making enterprise. Like it or not, hunting (ethical hunting), with 'trophies' (for those that can afford them), is the way to bring proper, regular income to areas of the world where poverty, poaching and utter lack of infrastructure, is otherwise the absolute norm.
 
What's a trophy, my most recent is a Roe buck, the last one I shot on a bit of land mounted on a shield a friend gave me - a huge amount of memories tied up in that one.
 
This is a topic very very dear to my heart

I talk about it with the teachers and children (special needs - but not daft) that come to my place to learn about conservation, bushcraft etc etc

I'm putting one of the lads (who came to me when he was 12 and is now 18) through his FGASA qualification in order that he might work as a game guide in Southern Africa

Next year, through my African Conservation through Education and Training programme (ACET), we are taking a school group to Moz to learn about the bush, conservation and where the true threats to wildlife lie

Hunting plays a vital role in conservation - this Gov initiative is an attack on wildlife by ignorant, self interested and intellectually lazy politicians

j
 
Cecil the lion fuked it all up, and it’s been a roller coaster down all the way at a rapid rate of knots!

What is more appealing, a hunter stuck behind his trophy with his rifle be it a kudu, a muntjac, a CWD, a stag, an elephant, or a giraffe, etc, or a picture of a plate of venison neatly presented, and wonderfully cooked?

You don’t have to be a fukwit to realise which one is going to get more stick from the other!

You only have to look on social media to the amount of damage people perched behind their given highlight of their hunting career, so to speak, Facebook is full of them by the thousand You can’t tell me, those private forums are not infiltrated with anti’s?

The death of hunting and guns will be the fault of the hunter nothing else!

I’m bloody glad I’m slowly getting my affairs in order and getting ready to call it a day, because the clock is ticking to the demise, I reckon now it’s about 13 more years to go!

Please hurry
 
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