Indians For Guns

Hi all,
here is a great read on Shikar and how it was during the early years.

The author is Jack Dentonn Scott. - Forests of the Night.

I have a hard copy of this book and have had a great time reading it and wish to share it with you.

You can download the PDF / EPUB version from here.

https://archive.org/details/forestsofthenigh010401mbp


/S

Very interesting reading sniper. How ever looks like jack lighting prevailed it seems even then when hunting was legal . The GORAZ' were conditioned and brain washed into believing that which ever animal they shot at night was legal. Insisting on Shooting herbivorous in day time was a clever cover up. Robert Ruark (mis spell maybe) too exposed the shikaar company in India for fooling him into shooting a already dead leopard placed strategically in the bushes to please him with the trophy he was promised. He even mentioned fearlessly that Mr. khan Saheb Jamshed Butt was the guy who executed this plan. I am sure quite a few of you must have read Mr. Butt's book on hunting. I've had the good fortune of visiting and staying in the same Forest guest house of BORI jungles. I am happy to say that this and adjoining jungles of DHANYEE, CHOORNA and MADHAI still remain almost untouched and devoid of the influence of the outside world. Mr. Vidyacharan shukla was an influential rich Zamindaar of M.P. and he along with his elder brother Shyamcharan Shukla (later C.M. of M.P.) had considerable clout with the officials and ran this Shikaar outfit at a considerable profit till 1971. He later was handed the charge of information and broadcasting Ministry as a union minister during indiraji's regime and eventually fell pray to Naxalite bullets in Bustar (MP).
Alas!!!! had these guys along with the so called night drive shikaris had adhered to wild life rules, we would still be hunting legally today.

Marksman

Thanks for that info Marksman. I have often wondered that if just some effort had gone into conservation and rehabilitation at that time then today we might have had a better and more vibrant game and wildlife program in effect.

The Bori and the vast adjoining forest now is a part a of Vindhyachal and Satpura Tiger sanctuary, and thus boasts of various different terrains to suit variety of animals that are difficult to come by in a single forest. The good news is that all the small hamlets and villages including the village of Bori has been relocated out of the sanctuary last year. I have clicked the picture of that ancient rusting steam roller at Bori Forest Guest House that is mentioned in the book. i had the good fortune of staying in the same forest bungalow when I was there.The steam roller is more then 150 yrs old and would make a fine conversation piece in any museum.
Cheers !!!
Marksman

I purchased both books Forests Of Night by Jack Denton Scott and Shikar by Jamshed Butt more than 35 years ago in a bus stand book shop. In his book Scott is full of praises for Indian SHIKAR and Allwyn Cooper Company. I think the company had given him some extra special treatment since he was a columnist in US media to attract more clients from USA. And I think Jamshed Butt might be a great shikar guide but he is more of a butcher and not worth the name Hunter.

hi Marksman, will you be kind enough to share the picture of that steam roller.

Shikar - By Jamshed Butt can be downloaded here.

https://archive.org/details/agrammarmaguind00unkngoog

Thanks.
/

<a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/user/marksm ... x.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z186 ... wtib4x.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Steam roller at Bori Forest 001_zpss5wtib4x.jpg"/></a>

Here it is. Bori Forest Bunglow is partially seen behind my friend and the Satpura mountain range in the background.

Cheers!!!
Marksman

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z186 ... wtib4x.jpg
<a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/user/marksm ... x.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z186 ... wtib4x.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Steam roller at Bori Forest 001_zpss5wtib4x.jpg"/></a>

Thank you
/S

Interesting link and some really nice shikar tales snIPer - thanks for sharing! Now you have successfully destroyed my night's sleep - I must finish at least a few chapters!

marksman - thank you for the nostalgic images of this ancient steam-roller - very cool!

Lovely Book!!!!! would have loved to live those times.

Death in the Long Grass, and Death in the Silent Places, both by (I think Peter) Capstick are my two favorites on that topic so far, I will read this one with pleasure, I'm sure. Thanks for the download. I wish I could put the two above up for download, but don't have e-copies or know how to do it.

Very interesting Sniper, but I could read only up to page 42 only. After that all the pages are blank. I don't know if it is like that or there is something wrong with my computer.
I will have to buy this book now.

Atul

Thanks for sharing the name of the books and author Vik...


ISBN: B006GR5128



Here are some nice images from DEATH IN THE SILENT PLACES

TariqPathan wrote:Lovely Book!!!!! would have loved to live those times.

Definitely! An age gone by that will probably never return.

Alas!!!! had these guys along with the so called night drive shikaris had adhered to wild life rules, we would still be hunting legally today.

Hunting today? I doubt it very much.
With no interest in Delhi and no management from the services in charge; we did to our flora and fauna in about 30 years, what the British didn't do in 200.
There is no one to blame but ourselves. We, the citizens of India, voted for those successive governments who were in charge of the Forest Departments, who didn't have a clue as to what Resource Management was about.

BTW, Sniper, that was a very good read.