HUNTING TRADITIONS
Common to all is respect for the quarry
IIT HAS BEEN my privilege for over 60 years to hunt in the game-fields of different parts of our world. It is clear that human beings, the ultimate hunter-gatherers, have developed unique traditions connected with the hunt, be they Kalahari Khoi San or European aristocrats. These traditions have evolved, often enriching the cultures of their communities – for example, the hunting fraternity in Germany, steeped in tradition, even have their own language.
It is interesting to compare the African safari with the manner in which hunting is conducted in some other parts of the world. ‘Safari’ (a coastal East African Swahili word meaning a ‘journey’) had its origins in expeditions by outsiders to explore the interior of what was referred to as the Dark Continent. Motives varied from curiosity, discovery, hunting or trade for resources such as rubber, ivory or sadly, slaves, to outright exploitation and colonization. Whatever the motive, adventure seemed to have been a vital component.
The old-time safaris were mobile. They evolved from foot safaris with lines of porters, to wagons and horseback (tsetse fly allowing), to safaris involving the first trucks, and ultimately to the highly mobile and sophisticated safaris prevalent today. Originally, being mobile meant that shelter became necessary, hence the evolution of the safari tent. More recently, most safaris take place in a fixed location, hence the safari lodge.
I firmly believe that the pulse of Africa is best felt through the soles of your feet. The safari vehicle, in my opinion, should be used to convey the hunting group from A to B and
perhaps help with the retrieval of the quarry. In Scotland and North America, particularly in the mountains, horses are often used. The vehicle component of our modern-day safari can be both a curse and a godsend depending how it is utilized.
The so-called ‘Champagne Safari’ of the last century was interesting. Yes, the dining table was decked with linen, silverware, fine food and drink – but hunters slept in a tent and the nucleus of everything was a campfire. No need to change the last element – nor should we.
A major contributor to the modern safari tradition was The East African Hunters’ Association; a group that laid out the regulations for ethical safari hunting in East Africa in the last century. These rules were to ensure that the safari industry conducted itself in a sportsmanlike manner and became the template for ethical hunting elsewhere in Africa. Sadly, in the safari world of today, some of these traditions are ignored.
IN SCOTLAND, RICH in hunting traditions, I hunted – or stalked, as they say in the UK – hill stag during the rut. It was one of my most enjoyable hunts and also one of the most physically demanding. The hunt was entirely on foot and we packed the stags out on our backs. The estate comprised some 33 000 acres of private land on Lake Glass in the hills north west of Inverness. The lodge, Wyvis Lodge, built in the 1800s was a mansion by any standards and yes, we menfolk dressed for dinner. The living space was wood-panelled and over 100 years of memorabilia and trophies decorated the walls. The game-keeper lived on the estate, as did his father before him. It was not only an unforgettable experience, but
a wonderful hunt epitomizing the concept of fair chase, combined with the ultimate in luxury and tradition.
There were four couples in the lodge to whom four stalkers (PHS) were allocated. One likeable member of our party could not handle the physical aspects of the hunt and gave up after the first day. Interestingly, he had been on one safari to Africa that he absolutely loved. He extolled the fact that in seven days he shot – this was not a hunt – ten animals from a seat on the back of the hunting vehicle, which was also equipped with a compact fridge. Each time he shot something, refreshment was produced to toast his success. Other than for the photos, I doubted that he vacated his comfortable seat during the course of the proceedings.
On the other end of the scale, I hunted Asian water buffalo in Arnhem Land, Australia. It too, was a memorable experience, and one that I shared with my daughter Kim. She and I were each allocated our own small tent and we slept well notwithstanding the proximity of a billabong in which there were saltwater crocodiles. For the first two nights, we shared our long-drop toilet with a 6-foot banded tree snake which is only mildly poisonous and which we carefully removed. However, the snake came back twice, as there were many frogs around this structure. On the third night our outfitter’s wife had had enough and we reluctantly terminated this critter. We also had an open-air shower nearby, the territory of a venomous Australian brown snake which, thankfully, was quick to disappear at the first sound of human footfall. Needless to say we watched where we walked, carried flashlights and inspected our stretchers every night.
In between, I have hunted from a variety of lodges in Hungary where the hunt at times became distinctly ceremonial, in North America with its own traditions and, of course, in Africa. My accommodations have ranged from established semi-luxurious lodges in Hungary to log cabins in British Columbia, tents in northern Quebec and a variety of accommodations including farmhouses, in Africa. In my estimation, second only to the classic African safari tent is the ubiquitous thatched African rondavel.
THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN safari hunting experience, spiced with an element of adventure, is, I fear, being slowly eroded with the advent of super-luxurious safari establishments and hunting methods. To some degree I hold the non-consumptive (photographic) safari industry responsible for this. In searching to offer the ultimate in everything, these places miss the point that this is Africa, not Las Vegas. At the end of a long day in the bush all I ask, and most of my hunting friends would agree, is a warm shower, a cold beer around a mopane fire, some traditional food and somewhere comfortable and safe to sleep. It’s about the hunt, immersion in an African experience, marvelling at the skills of the trackers, the scratches, the bites, the dust, the sharpening of the senses, and the awareness and appreciation of what is happening around you. These are the elements that contrast with life in the urban jungle that so many of us inhabit. It is the discovery of a different world. The cadence of the early morning awakening, the heat of the midday sun and later, the clear night sky with a gazillion stars twinkling above to the background of the chorus and sounds of the African night.
Durwood Hollis, an avid hunter and American outdoor journalist said it best when he stated much of what I have echoed above, “I want an African experience – please, don’t pamper me.”■