YouTube Videos of Hunting in Africa

[Heym SR20]

Is it just me, or do others feel rather uncomfortable with a number of the hunting videos on YouTube. Usually vastly overweight Americans from the deepsouth going hunting which pretty much means subjecting a poor Toyota Landcruiser to driving them around former farmland, spotting a game animal, shooting it from the vehicle and then have a self congratulatory fist pumping at their superb hunting prowess.

And then to really show off their own and the PH’s skill they sit in a highseat over a waterhole waiting for the animals to come in and drink.

Don’t get me wrong, I am fully supportive of African hunting and how wild animals are now providing good economic resources as meat and hunting tourism, but surely hunting should be about getting into the wilds and up close and personal.

An example of what I am talking about.



Whereas a proper hunt where you are out tracking and following specific animals surely must be so much more rewarding



Equally still suffering with long covid has made me fully aware of the challenges that many will have.

 

[Nkawu]

Agree 100%. These kinds of videos are good ammo for the anti-hunting crowd. I deplore the utter disrespect shown towards the dead animal and the lack of sportsmanship on display during the hunt. Shooting a buffalo off a rooftop sandbag does not make you a buffalo hunter. I feel that outfitters and PH’s should really promote better ethics.

 

[tusker]

Couldnt agree more mate. When I took my Eland in Namibia we spotted her at 8 a.m. and tracked all day finally taking the shot at 17.00. Then the fun started as it was almost inaccesable for a vehicle and we finally arrived back at the lodge at 21.30. But what a day.
Tusker

 

[foxhunter]

I was just thinking the same thing the other day ....its not hunting. Fat yanks killing animals and often with badly placed shots.

 

[Heym SR20]

The thing that amazes me is the size of some of them. I pity the poor land cruisers and high seats. And just imagine if you got sat next to one on the flight to and fro.

 

[John Gryphon]

they sit in a highseat over a waterhole

And that is generally an artificial waterhole too.
I posted a pic yesterday of a thumping warthog...but first I cropped the man made structure out of the photo though.

 

[NP435]

Phrase fat asshole is more apt, nationality be dammed.

 

[User00044]

It's not just the YouTube videos , I borrowed some DVD's , in one a guy gut shot a black bear at 300 yards then proceeded to put 3 follow up shots into it . The last shot killed it ! Handshakes and congratulations all round .
It's the grip and grin that gets me .

 

[Tazz]

Having now done a few trips to SA and Namibia it is a sad fact for many stalkers that lots of these reserves and lodges are catering for “ Shoot them off the truck/Sit in a blind next to a watering hole or food station”. There is a massive difference between “Shooters” and “Hunters” I say to anyone before they go to SA or Namibia ask the right questions before you book if you are in the “Hunter” category

1) Do they specialise in “Fair walk and stalk”
2) How big is the reserve, IMHO you want 15K acres minimum, and will all the hunting be done there
3) What does a typical hunting day consist of

Like all things the more trips you go on the clearer you get on what makes a good trip, it saddens me when a percentage of people who book their first trip to Africa come home disappointed

 

[VSS]

One of the worst ones I've watched featured a woman shooting (her first I think?) big game animal on an African safari. I forget the species now, but she took the shot, clearly hit the animal, but in some less-than-vital spot, whereupon it hightailed it into the bush. All the blokes in the party started whooping and hollering, high 5s all round, trying to shake her hand and hug her and slap her on the back, and the poor lady just kept on repeating "but it's not dead, it's not dead". She was almost in tears, just wanted the reassurance that the animal would be followed up and put out of its suffering. I really felt for her. There was no compassion shown by the rest of the group, either towards the animal or towards her predicament. OK, so maybe the animal was mortally wounded, and they knew that, and knew that it couldn't be followed up immediately, but they should have read the situation and calmly explained that to the distressed woman, instead of prancing around like a bunch of clowns.

 

[dobber]

Been to SA three times, first trip put me in different concessions, but one of them i liked and went back to that property 2 more times. The owner/PH is a genuine sort of fellow, we hunted hard, walking on average 13km a day. Its a 25k acres of mixed terrain about 40% is uphill, 40% downhill with a few flat spots.
In an effort to do something different we did hunt out of the cruiser one night for springhare - used the high beam light and plinked at them with the .22. Something i am not used to, but it helped feed some of the pets and its amazing what we saw out and about that night. The hunt package was actually created based off Warren (PH) and my discussion, think he called it "for the love of the hunt"
I couldn't watch the video you posted, i will not give them one more view than they already have.
And lets face it, there's more than just fat yanks visiting, they just seem to be the loudest at self promoting their "skills"

 

[Puds]

There seems to be a national shortage of decorum in the USA.

 

[User00047]

I feel that much of the responsibility is on the guides/outfitters that cater for that kind of hunt.

 

[Jon P]

Just returned from SA this was my second trip, I will not shoot anything out of a vehicle and all animals were stalked or we used natural places to wait out for likely places for them to be, non were shot over water. We did visit one place with a view to shooting bushbuck and both me and the PH stated we would not shoot on this area as to small and the other animals looked extremely tame, after 20 mins we left. PH reported this back to his bosses so not to use this place again.
I was very selective in what we took, all had worn down teeth and going passed there best.

 

[User00047]

Just returned from SA this was my second trip, I will not shoot anything out of a vehicle and all animals were stalked or we used natural places to wait out for likely places for them to be, non were shot over water. We did visit one place with a view to shooting bushbuck and both me and the PH stated we would not shoot on this area as to small and the other animals looked extremely tame, after 20 mins we left. PH reported this back to his bosses so not to use this place again.
I was very selective in what we took, all had worn down teeth and going passed there best.

You don’t have to justify anything mate. We believe you.

 

[Jon P]

You don’t have to justify anything mate. We believe you.

no I was agreeing with the OP, people travelling out there have to say what they want and don’t get pressured into shooting canned animals

 

[Heym SR20]

By contrast to the earlier videos, I think this with Charlton McCallum on Mupata Gorge is very good. Not least that I spent quite a bit of time in my younger days on Zambian and canoeing down the river. Its a very special place

 

[Cumbrian 1]

I like the Buchanan Hunts videos, the Omay videos brought back a lot memories I hunted my first elephant from the same camp when Martin Pieters had the concession.

At that time the water level was just below the camp.

 

[Tom C]

I watched a few of the ‘African Sun Productions’ on youtube, basically a camera crew hired by the hunter / shooter, whatever you want to call them to film their trip.

The ones I have watched all appeared to be retired americans that could not walk 400 yards let alone 4miles, some atrocious shots going on.

Money talks over there though!

 

[bowji john]

I’m uncomfortable with all hunting videos if they are purely for personal gratification or attention seeking

It is an intensely personal experience for me and I’d no sooner post a video of hunting than I would having a **** in the bog

I too have great memories of the Zambezi and Kafue and wish I had wish I had more than just memories

If I had them, they would not be for sensation seeking