the statements from those who oppose hunting with a "guide" just kill my soul. Some places I've hunted it is illegal to NOT have a "guide"...Africa comes to mind. I've rarely used a guide, mostly DIY it in several western states for turkey, deer, elk. I have used a guide for deer and pronghorn. More like having an extra friend along than anything else.

Bears?? I've killed two and BOTH were exciting as all hell. First one was with dogs and was pretty calm till I shot the bear out of the tree...then all hell broke loose. Bear hit the ground and bounced six feet up, young pup dashed in and got tangled with the notdeadyet bear....both started rolling downhill...dogs owner tried to grab his dog and FELL ON THE BEAR. All three started rolling down a very steep incline...dog owner got loose, dog got loose and the notdeadyet bear slid under a log just as I reached it and put the barrel of my 357 in his ear and made him a DEAD BEAR. So much for the "designated shooter" idiocy.....

Second bear took a 300gr 375H&H and ran 400 yards into an alder thicket. My "guide spotted it an anounced it was dead. Told me to go poke it and make sure. As I got to about TWO FEET(+ or - six inches) it roared and stood up, all 300+ pouinds of his pissed off arse. I shot him three times in .7 seconds...with a Ruger #1 single shot. I could of used a good desiginated shooter right then.....

But but but but, black bears are likened to black labs eating doughnuts.

Africa??? I really cannot wrap my head around why any real hunter would not want to hunt Africa. And I'm not just talking killing a Kudu or anything else...the damn trip and lodging, the sights and sounds, the people....were all worth the money and long flight. The trophies were all gravy. Zimbabwean guides(PHs) are prolly the best guides in the world, the most knowledgeable of flora and fauna, and the beat rifle shots in the world. And you get to spend days and days with such a person, make it what you will.

My PH in 2005 in Zim was a fella named Jim Mackie, bout my age. Fought several years in the Rhodesian War, kinda like doing five er six tours in Nam!!!!! Survived and got a job as a Zim Game Warden, chasing poachers in the old shoot em up days. He lost several Rangers to poacher ambushes. He quit when the black Zim government tried to charge him with murder for killing three Zambian poachers armed with FN-FALs who killed two of his rangers. One tough SOB.

Jim liked to pig hunt above all else, esp at night. We would go sit in the skinning area on a raised slab of concrete, our only cover a knee high wall. It was black dark, can't see yer hand at six inches black. We carried 12ga shotguns and buckshot with a flashlight taped to the barrel. tracker, wife Melanie, me, Jim, and another tracker sitting side by side with NO noise.

After maybe 30 minutes we hear bone crunching at the boiling pot 25 yards away IN THE PITCH BLACK. I whisper to Jim "is that a pig?"...no answer...I ask again and he whispers harshly "shut up, it is a lion".......I shut the hell up and stare into the blackness.

A while later JIm says "pigs"..."get ready"....and the light goes on. Pigs run everywhere and I pick a big one and center it in a buckshot pattern at 20 yards. The pig disappears to out right and Jim is up and running after it. I follow. We go 30 yards and stop, hearing animals running ahead of us. We do this several times and end up in the river reeds where visibility is maybe three feet. I hear an LARGE animal maybe ten FEET away, moving across in front of us. I ask, JIm says Hippo. I ask if my shotgun (or his) will stop a hippo in here. He says hell no and we beat feet back to the more open woods. We walk back to the shed to find wife and trackers have found my pig ....we ran by it chasing a healthy pig.

We walk back to camp in the darkness and spot a large lioness IN the camp area, not near, but between several of the tents. Including the damn broken zipper tent wife and I sleep in. If you call laying all night with one eye open, and a 375 under the covers with you...as that damn lion walks around the tents and the big male Leopard walks the river bank 50 yards away, coughing and voicing his displeasure. Sleep is way overrated......

When we got home and folks would ask about the "safari", the animals we killed were several, several, items down the list of the memories of the "hunt"...I guess I was a "desiginated" adventurer, but I did do some shooting...

some of ya'll really need to rethink yer ideas on Africa....or anywhere else outside the county you were born in..LOL

True.

Granted I've been blessed and shot more than my fair share but the critters take a back seat my memories.

I've got lots of critters mounted but they aren't for me to show off, they are trophies of my memories. Very few people have been to my trophy room at home. They aren't for me to pat myself of the back. They are a collection of many years, many dollars, and untold memories.

And I'll say again, if not for hunters dollars spent hunting these critters here and abroad, lots of them would be in serious trouble.

Didn't know being an Alabama Game Warden paid so good. Congrats.

That Zebra sure was cute with his Jingle Bells and red Christmas garb on.

must be tough being such a petty jealous bastard Dan......

really bothers you dosen't it??? LOL

Guess I shouldn't show any pics of my trip to Scotland stag hunting.....

rifle I was looking at in the gun vault...


at this lil gun shop....


then we saw stags fighting IN A DOWNTOWN London Park



then we drove to northern Scotland and hunted.....



and then Troy shot a Red Stag....free range and no fences of any kind....


and it costs a LOT of money to do this........

You sure are an attention whore. You've posted those pics several times. I envision you an old prick sulking in a drink wishing folks would bow to you for your accomplishments..........hoping someone cares.

You forgot about all his guiding on the side Dan.......

actually I'm sitting here laughing at your petty little ass. Must be a sad life you lead....

No you're not. You're sorting through your selfie file like a 13 year old girl.

whats a selfie???

I wonder where I got all that money to go on all those trips from?????

Watch it! He has a name and phone number! He's getting a lawyer!

must of been tens of thousands of dollars, maybe a LOT more......dang GW job paid GOOD......

Compliments of US Steel I'm sure......

true talker, you lil dicksucker, how ya doing???

you two jealous bastiges hang out together sucking on things???

I'm doing just fine....just enjoying the view now....