What has happened to Africa.

Odd that, as I’d keep thermals but ban the use of hounds unless tracking post shot.

To me - baying hounds are the lazy approach over having to stalk and approach a beastie quietly….you still need to do the leg work with thermal.

Regards,
Gixer
Depends if you are running with the hounds- that is definitely leg work.
 
baying hounds are the lazy approach over having to stalk and approach a beastie quietly
Hoy gixer, you better look up "hunting sambar deer with hounds" On a good day you might get away with doing only 5 k`s on foot, some blokes follow the hounds through and do 10 k`s..or more. And that is in the Aussie bush/mountain country.
Depends if you are running with the hounds- that is definitely leg work.
That is exactly true.
 
Hoy gixer, you better look up "hunting sambar deer with hounds" On a good day you might get away with doing only 5 k`s on foot, some blokes follow the hounds through and do 10 k`s..or more. And that is in the Aussie bush/mountain country.

That is exactly true.
is hunting with hounds common in australia?
 
Hoy gixer, you better look up "hunting sambar deer with hounds" On a good day you might get away with doing only 5 k`s on foot, some blokes follow the hounds through and do 10 k`s..or more. And that is in the Aussie bush/mountain country.
It’s still the hounds doing most of the work, then just following the sound.
 
It’s still the hounds doing most of the work, then just following the sound.
I think you don`t understand the difficulties associated with it at times. I put in quite a few years hunting with a hound team and boy its not beer and skittles schitt.
Sometimes the hounds get so far out or into such very long creek systems that you simply cant hear them.
 
I think you don`t understand the difficulties associated with it at times. I put in quite a few years hunting with a hound team and boy its not beer and skittles schitt.
Sometimes the hounds get so far out or into such very long creek systems that you simply cant hear them.
I understand it and have seen it in the US, which I imagine isn’t a million miles off what you do in OZ, but again - the hounds do the main chasing part - which is what I don’t like, same as fox hunting. We don’t all have to agree we like the same things, that’s just life!
 
is hunting with hounds common in australia?
Hunting Sambar deer in Victoria is a traditional time honoured sport. I don`t think other states allow it but then they don`t have the sambar numbers. Its not a case of just tipping hounds out of a trailer into the bush and hoping for the best. Mostly it is done by scouts finding deer sign that`s good and fresh or at least good enough for the cold scenters to work them out. Then the hounds are led into the "marks" and released. We cannot use hounds on the other five deer species.
Hounds are legally used in Tassy to hunt wallabies.
 
The difference is obvious... Africa where the most honourable hunting has now given way to thermalling game at night.
Honourable??

Have you actually been to Africa, rather than just read all the romantic great white hunter stuff?

Like anywhere, there’s what’s put on for the tourists, and there’s what the locals do on a day to day basis. They’re usually very different.

In particular, pest control hunting on private land in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana etc has always been a pretty grim, industrial business. For instance, it was not uncommon to string up nets, drive herds of springbok into them with lamps and vehicles at night, then pick them off.

Baiting for leopards has been standard since the beginning.

And that’s before you even consider what gets done illegally…

I think you need to get over your righteous indignation. It’s no different to people shooting ‘roos under the lamp. Using the best tool then available to get the job done.
 
I use thermal spotter in uk as places want significant numbers of deer reduced- I would never take one to SA 🇿🇦 on a hunting trip. They would be great for hunting Klipspringer but would take the challenge out of it.
 
Why? In SA I’ve seen them sitting in trees at distance…
I say this from experience, I have not only hunted leopard myself but also been on many more leopard hunts for others. in most of Africa you wont see them until its too late!
In south Africa you might well see them at distance up a tree, most on a breeding ranch.
If you see wild animals up trees they have seen you and I doubt you'll get near them.
Hounds are the most exciting but bait nearly as good if the lamp explodes lol
 
I say this from experience, I have not only hunted leopard myself but also been on many more leopard hunts for others. in most of Africa you wont see them until its too late!
In south Africa you might well see them at distance up a tree, most on a breeding ranch.
If you see wild animals up trees they have seen you and I doubt you'll get near them.
Hounds are the most exciting but bait nearly as good if the lamp explodes lol
I also speak from experience - you will get close to them and they don’t always know you are there, my father lives in SA and brother owns a house there just beside Mbombela.

Not all leopards will act the same over Africa.

I have not hunted a leopard as I choose not to, but have been around Africa a number of times.

I was once hunted by some Baboons in Rabi when walking along a dirt track, I had no idea of it until a driver stopped and said how close they were and that they were following me and to get in right away. 😳
 
I have hunted Africa a number of times. Never managed a Leopard, although tried twice over baits. Nearly all Leopard hunts, to my knowledge are over a bait. There is NO gaurantee of success.
Some years back Botswana allowed you to hunt Leopard on foot in the Kalahari, using Bushmen trackers over a day or two or more. In most instances the Leopard charged, and there were some interesting stories abound at the time. However to my knowledge this has all been stopped for sometime.

I was not aware that anyone could use thermal to hunt at night in Africa, maybe the laws have changed. If this is the case I would add this is not hunting and in my opinion should not be allowed.
You pit your wits against wild animals, some considered dangerous game, you rely on the skills of your PH and more importantly the trackers. This is the essence of a true hunt and safari. Driving around in a 4x4, shooting out of the vehicle and using an night imaging to kill is not hunting in Africa, and a number of safaris these days can be nothing more than drive around a fenced area, sometimes huge, sometimes not so, in SA. And its all about which animal you want to take off the menu. Or how many Impala you want to cull off the farm.
Either way Africa has never been cheap, although these package hunts for 7 days, and shoot cull Springbok or Impala seem to be some peoples choice, and within their budget.
Not for me, I would rather go once in several years and take 2 or 3 well earned animals, and enjoy the whole experience, and work hard to get the shot, if I don't, well that's hunting. Without a thermal.

I might add that just about all my visits to Africa were in the 1990's and just into the 2000. But I have hunted Botswana (when you could, on concession) Zimbabwe, Cape, Transval, Zululand and the Drakensburgs.
 
Ever sat in the bush near a dying campfire, in the small hours, whilst being on camp-watch

Listening to the sounds of the bush

Then firing up a thermal ?

It is quite extraordinary

Second only to bundu bashing (at night) in an open top jeep

j
I worked on an oil pumping station in the middle of the Cameroonian bush. Once the sun had gone down, it sounded like there was a party going on every night on the other side of the boundary fence. Bloody amazing!

Jamsie
 
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