My african safari

[Bapu]

Looks like you were in Namibia from the photos and the list of trophy animals you hunted. Who was the outfitter and the PH you used ?

Bapu

[MoA]

I love the Cheetah pic. Beautiful animals. BTW curious as to what do you do with meat of the game killed.

[TwoRivers]

Dear Prashant: I have indeed been following the thread, and all are certainly entitled to their opinions. Whether anti-hunting or pro.
But, regardless of opinion, utilizing the meat while not giving a hoot about the trophy does not make one a "poacher"; nor would going for the trophy (while wasting the meat) make one a true "hunter".

Happy Hunting!

[xl_target]

The "hunter", on the other hand, abides by law and ethics. He does not waste the meat. If he does not like the venison, he gives it to those that do. He may, or may not, preserve and treasure the trophy. But not doing so, does not make him a poacher. Just as the "trophy" hunter who hunts ethically is not a poacher. Only when his only concern is the trophy, going so far as to kill, or wound, several animals in order to get a bragging size trophy, while wasting the meat, would I put him even below the poacher.
And yes, where the expansion of human populations has destroyed or limited the natural habitat, and intense management of game (and hunting), is required to maintain wild game populations; hunting/culling of females and fawns may be called for if numbers exceed the carrying capacity of the available habitat.

Happy Hunting!

Absolutely, I enjoy venison. My wife has some great venison recipes. With the predominance of agriculture in this area, Whitetail deer have a very similar diet to the locally raised cattle and some people call them "high speed beef".
I hunt strictly within the regulations determined by the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR). These regulations are set up by the DNR with the best interests of the herd in mind. I care not a whit for a trophy buck, though if one presented itself, I would prefer to take that. My intention is to get meat, pure and simple. My family will not starve if I do not get a deer one season. However, the DNR has determined that reducing Does by a certain amount will prevent the numbers in the Whitetail population from exploding and condemning a large number of deer to slow starvation from over grazing and competition for finite resources. From many accounts, there are now more Whitetailed deer on the continental US, than when the first white settlers moved in. The Whitetailed Deer management program in the US is one of the most sucessful animal management programs in the world.

Does this make me an unethical hunter or a poacher?

[prashantsingh]

Dear Bapu,
These snaps are from South Africa.Namibia is a neighbouring country.

Dear MoA,
Thanks. We ate what we shot. The rest of the meat was cut, packed to be sold later, by the land owner. You will find it interesting that while I prefer the "raan " .....the landowner and the professional hunter's favourite was the neck and the back.

Dear TwoRivers,
The meat is one of the products of the hunt. In some cases it is not even utilized (eg. bears , lions, leopards etc). There may be certain exceptions where some people probably eat such meat or some parts of the animal (eg bile of the bear and it's fat, tiger bones and meat are used in Chinese medicine ) but in general the meat of such animals would be wasted.
On the other hand if a poacher shot a deer he would probably feed his family, sell the meat and also the skin. Similarly I doubt there would be any hunter who would not eat a part of the deer he shot .
When I say the basic difference(apart from legal and ethical) between a poacher and a hunter is that the poacher hunts for meat ....I mean that (assuming) if a hunter were given a choice to shoot down a 2 year old buck (eg.Axis axis)and on the other hand an older male (even if it inviolved more hardship) a hunter would prefer to go for the latter while the poacher would conveniently take the former. Though both these animals would probably carry the same amount of "meat" on them .
A true "hunter" can not be defined . For the simple reason that the "ethics" may differ from individual to individual and place to place. Yet if I ever went to the U.S. for a white tail......I would still go for a stag and one with decent antlers.

[xl_target]

I forgot to mention, Prashantsingh.... Great Photos!

[prashantsingh]

I live in India unlike "Two Rivers" and "MoA". In India only the males amongst the antelopes and deer have antlers/horns. So my elders always advocated "Never shoot a female". The conservation programmes here are not as successful as the U.S. or Canada. Hunting is banned in India yet unfortunately we are loosing so many wildanimals along with the apex predator the "tiger". Loss of habitat , pressure on land and poaching are the main causes. Wildlife and conservation are amongst the last priorities of the Govt. for the simple reason that in the largest democracy "Votes" matter and unfortunately animals can not Vote.

[captrakshitsharma]

hi prashant.. i too am from doon. but presently an airline pilot and in gurgaon.. so kudos... how did u import these trophies. i have some trophies my father holds in dubai.. any help or leads on how to get em here

[jashwantsinh]

Thanks for sharing wonderful Wild Life pictures, Prashant. ..pls keep up. amazing all of us.

Regards,

Jashwantsinh.

[prashantsingh]

Dear Capt.Rakshit Sharma,
Since you live in Gurgaon I would suggest you get in touch with the officials of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The office (for North India) is in the Annexe of Bikaner House (near India Gate). They would be the best people to guide you. As mentioned earlier the laws are changing and you will get the latest info. from their office .
Thanks Jashwant

-- Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:45 am --

Just reminded me of my first visit to this office to meet the Director. There were gruesome snaps of dead animals and posters in the waiting room . One of the posters asked "Kya aapke haath in maasoom janwaron ke khoon se range hain". I thought to myself "NO. NOT YET but will be once I get the permission to import my trophies". It was a very mixed feeling.

[Puneet]

Prashant, I see you're from Doon. So am I, though in the US for the past several years. Will be coming "home" next month for a week. My father still lives in Doon. Maybe we could meet?

[captrakshitsharma]

Thx prashant bhai,
i m gonna be in doon soon.. so lets meet my number is 9971818386 and lets have a good time over some drinks and hear of ur expedition

[prashantsingh]

Sure. Just send me a p.m. when u r in town.

[maximus]

Hi Prashant,

Great safari you must have had thanks for the snaps good head, iam in for a plains game safari in Limpopo this July , hope to take gemsbuck,zebra,wathog,kudu,impala & springbok. which outfit did you hunt with?

Maximus

[prashantsingh]

Kudu is a beautiful animal and has fantastic horns. Zebras make lovely rugs.I am sure you will enjoy every moment of your trip.
Initially, when I was planning my hunt I wanted to get a Zebra as well. But I thought to myself that Zebras are such docile animals and shooting one would be no fun. I was WRONG. When you track zebras you realise how smart they really are. A good trophy male is not easy to get. All the best and take lots of snaps.