Across the Universe

[timmy]

Prashant Singh, thanks for the pictures! The lodge looks quite nice and the countryside looks a bit like the mesquite-covered savannah in Texas. If you have some more, I'd love to see them!

[prashantsingh]

Thanks for explaining the word Dama. I had never seen Fallow deer before in flesh and blood and this reserve had so many of them. They even had a chocolate brown colour which was beautiful.
The lodge was totally wooden. Very posh and comfortable.
The trophies were nice. I shall put up a couple of them specially the multi-horn ram, which is a strange looking animal.
Did you all notice the professional hunter up on the tree.? The Pampas jungles are thorny and dry. They are also flat. So every kilometer we covered on foot we would climb up on the trees to get a birds eye view of the animals down below. As mentioned earlier I had a short hunting list which included an antelope and a deer species from India. It was not easy finding the animals. The most common deer species in India ,the Axis, was "not so common" there and was really spooky.
A couple of hunters were hunting from the blinds near a water hole. But I prefer to walk the jungle.I find hunting from a blind boaring.
I have yet to see so many different species sharing the same habitat. eg it was interesting to see a blackbuck along with a Red stag, something one would never see in India in the wild . Forced me to think how man plays with nature. The good thing is that these animals are living free and are protected.
Much of the Pampas have been cleared for cattle , soya farms and horse ranches. I asked my guide where the "natives" lived.
He answered smiling "We killed all of them".
I laughed and asked again. He answered with a straight face "Our forefathers killed all of them and took their lands".
I found it strange.
Interestingly there were none of the Argentinian deer species on the range.

[timmy]

Prashant:

Much of the Pampas have been cleared for cattle , soya farms and horse ranches. I asked my guide where the "natives" lived.
He answered smiling "We killed all of them".
I laughed and asked again. He answered with a straight face "Our forefathers killed all of them and took their lands".
I found it strange.

When Cortes landed in Mexico, within a year, many Native American villages were decimated by as much as 30% to 40%. The same held true around the time Pizarro invaded Peru. Native Americans had developed absolutely no tolerance to diseases like smallpox and measles, and this was one reason why Europeans were able to conquer them so quickly. There were other major reasons, as well, but disease was the greatest killer.

In the USA, the killing of the buffalo was a calculated attempt by the government and the people to end the Plains tribes' ways of life by starvation.

There are all kinds of stories of this sort of thing that can be told, but for the most part, Native Americans have disappeared, other than those who have been absorbed into the general population. However, in my state, New Mexico, we have two pueblos, Acoma and Taos, which lay claim to being the oldest continually inhabited dwelling of man in the Western Hemisphere.

If you are interested in such things, you might find Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel to be an interesting read on this subject. The isolation of the New World did not do the inhabitants any favors when it came to disease. However, the New World, especially Central and South America, did contribute hugely to the health and population of the whole world, with such crops as maize, potatoes, tomatos, squash (and other such gourds, like pumpkin), chile, sweet potatoes, and certain strains of beans. Stop and think about how many of these vegetables are considered "traditional" for Old World societies!

[TwoRivers]

Prashant: Had to smile when I saw the picture of your hunter in the tree, since I took a very similar picture of my PH last summer in Namibia.

[Bespoke]

Prashant,

A great report!Thanks. Did you use 20 bore as you mentioned for winged game?

[prashantsingh]

Timmy,
I find it hard to believe how an entire community could have been wiped out . Specially coming from a country like India with all her cultural diversity.

When I left Delhi the temp. was 40 degrees C.
In Argentina it was winter with tempratures from 0 to 10 C.

There is a 100% duty on import of arms and ammo. in Argentina.
Ammo is expensive.
It's US$15 a rifle cart.
US$ 15 for a box of 12 bore
and US$ 20 for a box of of 20 bore.
I wonder what the prices are in the U.S.


Some more snaps

[Vikram]

Very nice pictures and details of the place,Prashant.Keep them coming,please.Thank you.

Best-
Vikram

[shooter]

Native Americans had developed absolutely no tolerance to diseases like smallpox and measles, and this was one reason why Europeans were able to conquer them so quickly.

+1 ; not to mention distribution of blankets(on purpose) that had been previously used by small pox patients.

If you are interested in such things, you might find Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel to be an interesting read on this subject.

Also read bury my heart at broken knee. Or if not into books, see the movie by the same name though its not the same (are they ever, Ok dont mention Rambo and LOTR)

If not into heavy duty sad stuff, see dances with wolves. (its only slightly sad).

[prashantsingh]

A couple of shots at a hundred yards and I was ready for the hunt.

My God. I just blew 2X15X45= Rs 1350 /=
and I thought ammo in India was expensive. LOL.

Since all hunting would be done within 50 yards I was happy with my "kiraye ki" Rifle.

A day before I reached it had rained heavily. When we drove into the camp in the early hours of the morning,it was freezing cold. There was frost all over which had frozen and turned into ice.
This would surely be a bone chilling experience.
I was also wondering how the BlackBucks of the hot Indian maidaans had adapted itself in such a cold environment.
Fortunately the weather opened up subsequently and throughout the rest of my trip it was bright and sunny.
I had brought the Delhi Summer Sun along with me to Argentina.

[Sakobav]

The Trophy on the wall are amazing , keep the pics. coming Prashnat

Baljit

Congrats Prashant waiting for more

Cheers

[prashantsingh]

For those who may be wondering why this topic has come to an abrupt end. I would like to explain that a couple of friends (read wildlife lovers) here, who have now become good friends ever since I have joined IFG have expressed their appreciation for (my) not putting up the hunting snaps. They feel that some of my posts glorify hunting, which in todays times is not acceptable in the Indian scenario. I do agree with them to a large extent. Hunting for conservation is a topic which can be debated endlessly. It is very successful in countries where the human population is less and the pressure on land is less. An American hunter who was hunting with me in Argentina told me that every year about 50000 road traffic accidents take place in the US due to white tail deer coming on to the road and hitting a speeding vehicle. In the U.S. they need more hunters to put a check on the ever increasing white tail population.
In developing countries, like India, where pressure on land is taking a heavy toll on the wildlife and the forests. Introducing hunting in the reserves as a method to raise funds for conservation may well be the last nail in the coffin.
Argentina is a big country with a much lesser population. The average citizen is financially well off.
I saw some beautiful dogs on the range which were used for anti-poaching . I asked my professional hunter if poaching is a problem on his land. He said it is ." But we are more bothered about the well being of our hunters than the animals. We have guards and dogs only during the hunting season so as to prevent accidents. Don't want the hunters and poachers operating in the same area." He said. I was surprised . Also felt strange that though I was paying a decent amount as trophy fee , the local poacher was having a ball free of cost. LOL.

Here's a small story I dedicate to a friend sr swamy (Ram) . A story which talks about ethics of a trophy hunter.
Two of the animals on my list were the Axis and the Blackbuck.Amongst all the hunters I drew first blood, getting the buck on the first day itself . Early success. Attributed to the fact that I was walking the jungle looking for animals while the others were waiting on water holes in the blinds. Since it had rained the previous day there was enough water all around and few animals came to the water holes (where the blinds were).Over the subsequent days. As the rain water disappeared and the mercury rose the hunters waiting in the blinds has amazing success, bagging a number of good trophies. I,on the other hand would find myself spending a lot of time and energy walking around the place with limited success. We got a couple of animals but the Axis eluded me. Saw two young males with small antlers one day. Must have been about 2 years old.On the last day we saw three big males around dusk, but they all had velvet on their antlers. I did not fire a shot. I can not explain the pain and frustration I went through (in words) after walking and stalking for full three days, for not being able to bag an Axis (which I consider one of the most beautiful of all deer species). I also missed a day of Dove shooting which I had initially booked (in search of the Axis).
As darkness set in and we finally drove into the camp to retire I went to the shed and found a beautiful trophy (Axis) , shot by a lady hunter at a water hole in an adjoining block. I joked with her and told her she had shot "My Axis. Did you not see my name written on him.You should have shooed him away towards my side" She laughed and said she had thought of me before pulling the trigger . She very well knew how much I had wanted this animal.
What I am trying to say is that a hunter is not really a blood thirsty killer which most people consider him to be.The killing is only a part of a much larger outdoor experience.
Regards,
Prashant

[Sakobav]

Prashant

Its your choice for not posting pictures dont agree with your premise of offending some readers here. They can easily skip the pictures and as you correctly mentioned Hunters are the best conservators out there and you aptly summarized "What I am trying to say is that a hunter is not really a blood thirsty killer which most people consider him to be.The killing is only a part of a much larger outdoor experience.

Not many of us are ever going to have a chance to hunt and thus folks savor the experience by reading posts and seeing the pictures and its sad you chose not to post as they say a picture is worth thousand words

So do post more pictures including hunting and looking forward to your posts

Cheers

[Vikram]

What Navi said.And, with no disrespect meant to your friends, I find it really offensive to ask someone not to post pics of a lawful and legal hunt that was accomplished with hard-earned money,not in India, and in a different country away across continents. If they disagree, they can make their disagreement known and discuss about it. Or simply skip viewing the post. Does anyone force anyone to read it? Amounts to censorship.

Sorry, to rant,Prashant.I apologise. It is ultimately your decision and we respect that.


Best-
Vikram

[shooter]

What I am trying to say is that a hunter is not really a blood thirsty killer which most people consider him to be.The killing is only a part of a much larger outdoor experience.

+1

"One does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted."

by Jose Gasset.

[drifter]

Thanks for the wonderful post, you are talented indeed to write so well with all intricate details mentioned. May you be blessed with many more trophies.

Regards,
drifter.