+1 For the Lion.

[Texas_Bryan]

2How, you don't understand what you are talking about.
First, you have never seen phone poles in the wild ? That's odd because America was criss crossed with telegraph poles as far back as the 1850's. South Africa was pretty well wired by the end of the Boer war in 1900.
Secondly, you need to expand your idea of a "Game Preserve" this is NOT a farm were animals are led out and shot. Think more along the lines of Yellowstone. These animals are as wild as they ever were. According to the information on YouTube the video seems to be from the Kruger National park, it measures 217 MILES by 37 Miles and amung many other species contains 1500 lions (1499 now    )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kruger_National_Park
All the Big Five game animals are found at Kruger National Park, which has more species of mammals than any other African Game Reserve (at 147 species). There are webcams set up to observe the wild life. [8]


The park stopped culling elephants in 1989 and tried translocating them, but by 2004 the population had increased to 11,670 elephants (2006: approximately 13,500, 2009: 11.672). The park's habitats can only sustain about 8,000 elephants. The park started using annual contraception in 1995, but has stopped that due to problems with delivering the contraceptives and upsetting the herds.

Kruger National Park holds over 48 tons of ivory in storage. According to Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), it is allowed to sell 30 tons.

I second that.  Perhaps you've only experience the 'wild' in your neck of the woods, but I tie my 'tree' stand up to telephone poles, that run through remote property, while bow hunting.  Animal populations in that type of managed environment have to be controlled, or stuff go nuts.

You could make alot of pianos with 30 tons of ivory, or some really nice pistol grips.

[tombogan03884]

 I could not tell from the video but what 2How thought were "Phone poles", may very well have been trees striped by Giraffe, or the 3000+ excess Elephants.

[ratcatcher55]

I'm not sure what's going on with the first video.

Yes there are lot's of telephone poles in South Africa and many people fence to keep the animals out, not in.

You can't hunt in Kruger, the wardens do the culling of elephants, but some wildlife moves out of the park and there is hunting in the area around it. Wildlife causes big problems for ranchers and framers in the area and hunting by sports is a great source of income locally. I had a chance to go to Kruger after doing some work in South Africa and it's an amazing place.

SCI let it's members know that there was in fact some "stocked"  lion hunting going on in South Africa and that they would not list lions in their trophy books until this was resolved.  I don't know what the status is currently.

I think in the longer version I saw the sports shirt is ripped. So it very well might be a lion that wandered off the park and was legal game. Old Leo sure didn't act like somebodys pet or some reject from the circus.

I thought it was a perfect example of were optics can be a problem on a rifle. Once that lion charged it would be very hard to get a good sight picture. Express sight were made for that reason.

[tombogan03884]

I'm not sure what's going on with the first video.

Yes there are lot's of telephone poles in South Africa and many people fence to keep the animals out, not in.

You can't hunt in Kruger, the wardens do the culling of elephants, but some wildlife moves out of the park and there is hunting in the area around it. Wildlife causes big problems for ranchers and framers in the area and hunting by sports is a great source of income locally. I had a chance to go to Kruger after doing some work in South Africa and it's an amazing place.

SCI let it's members know that there was in fact some "stocked"  lion hunting going on in South Africa and that they would not list lions in their trophy books until this was resolved.  I don't know what the status is currently.

I think in the longer version I saw the sports shirt is ripped. So it very well might be a lion that wandered off the park and was legal game. Old Leo sure didn't act like somebodys pet or some reject from the circus.

I thought it was a perfect example of were optics can be a problem on a rifle. Once that lion charged it would be very hard to get a good sight picture. Express sight were made for that reason.

All I know about Hunting Africa came from some books by Hathaway and Ruark but in the Wiki article it said there were 11 safari lodges ?

[tombogan03884]

 That is meant as a question for clarification, in case I wasn't clear.

[Sponsor]

[Bill Stryker]

Kid,
I have eaten lion at an Explorers Club dinner in New York. The meat is not bad. I was surprised to see how much fat was on my piece. The lion was just one of many appetizers. The main course was wild boar and was it ever good.
BTW I was a guest and not a member.
I am not big on going to Africa to hunt, but you have to give the sport its due.

[2HOW]

THAT VIDEO IS PURE BULL SHIT , IF YOU THINK THAT WAS A RIGHTEOUS HUNT YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MIND. SAY WHAT YOU WANT I DONT BELIEVE A MINUTE OF IT.ANYONE WHO CONDONES THIS CRAP IS SOMEONE I WANT IN MY FACE.

[2HOW]

WELL IM SURE YOU BIG BAD GUYS HAVE A LOT OF LAUGHS KILLING A CONTAINED BEAST AND FEASTING ON HIM. YOU ARE THE SADEST PART OF THE GUN CULTURE.

[ratcatcher55]

Tom,

I'm sure no expert. I read the same books.

The big problem when I was there in 1999 was too many elephants. They want to cull even more but were a catching a load of dung from the animal rights crowd.

They said they knew we were hunters even though we weren't there to shoot.  The one thing I heard from rangers, guides and the lodge owner (we stayed west of the park) was what cheap skates and pain in the butts the eco-tourist were.  

I would love to go back and hunt but now that I have the money, I don't have the time.

2show, the hunting culture predates the gun culture by a day or so.

[Ping]

I agree with Texas Bryan 100% on carrying a side arm while hunting. Especially if you are hunting dangerous game. I cannot believe none of those hunters were hurt when the lion charged and attacked? Scary video.

I also agree with Kid Shellen, if you are not going to eat it, why kill it?