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My opinion is slightly different. To begin with, a white PH raised in the bush and speaking dialects is at the same level than the black helpers. My experience in CAR proved it. In CAR the PH was also the camp manager and the master after God. Very strict, and very playful when breaks where needed. He was marginally dependent on his helpers. At the same time my cousin Luc had a black PH. This guy was an accomplished bushman. Wasn’t strict but dictatorial with the helpers and never joked with them. His talents were incredible but for a couple of reasons. He wanted to do better than his white boss. Always hunting in faraway zones and taking lots of risks as skirting the green inferno at halitosis distance of eles and buffs that they can’t even see. He was looking only for good trophies and didn’t care about risky shots or error on sexing the game. At the last moment he wasn’t directive, letting my cousin opt for the better option. The white PH was cautious first, either with zones not too far from trails for a safe return or close approaches for asserting the game and allowing an accurate shot. In Burkina we both hunted with black teams. These guys were absolute bushmen and know the game, their habits and the various moments of the day for tracking each game. But they could be lazy when finishing a hangover. Always ready for dangerous pranks like pissing ele cows (when on foot) or trying to snatch a game from a dining lion. When motived by an angry camp manager they can do miracles in no time. But once again, they didn’t care at what distance one may shoot, and also were sort of dominated by the white, letting the hunter decide at the shooting moment, without considering distance, vegetation, sometimes trophy quality. The white client remains the boss, what could be a recipe for disaster. So in my experience black PHs can be better bushmen, but the white PHs have authority, wisdom and caution. I also deeply appreciated the cruel competition between the head tracker, the junior tracker and the most motivated, the young water-bearer when we were at lost for deciphering the track. Africa is cruel and the hierarchy was questioned and sometimes upset. |