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Hunting >> Hunting in Africa & hunting dangerous game
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hoppdoc
.400 member


Reged: 02/03/06
Posts: 1791
Loc: Southeastern USA
PH/Safari Evaluation
      #51615 - 06/03/06 12:24 PM

I would like to open the forum on comments on qualities needed for a good PH for a quality Safari. Your life is obviously greatly affected by his judgement with DG.If we remove all the names of quality PH's and look at their personal qualities what exactly do we look for and in what order?

Knowledge of wildlife and locale?
Organization Resources and personal references?
Personal Qualities-common sence, congenial interaction/teaching ability?
Recogntion by professional hunting organizations?
Tenacity/Courage?

The perfect PH doesn't exist---
but what can we ask to seperate quality PH's from the fast talkers and Sales types.Do the hunting bulletins speak the real truth or BS everybody to make all look good?

We all hate to go on a $$$hunt and find out we have been sold a bill of goods.

African hunters,PH's, and anyone with info,
please chime in-----



--------------------
An armed man is a citizen of his country, an unarmed man just a subject.

Edited by hoppdoc (06/03/06 12:26 PM)

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allenday
.333 member


Reged: 18/04/04
Posts: 318
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: hoppdoc]
      #51667 - 07/03/06 03:10 AM

A good PH needs to love what he's doing, and he needs to convey that message in every meaningful way to his client. If the PH is up every day, has a good attitude, smiles, laughs, jokes, treats the staff well, and treats every day like a holiday -- like it's the greatest day in the history of his existence -- then the client will be at ease and will perform at his very best as well. Enthusiasm is contageous, and it gets results!

The PH needs to speak all of the common languages fluently, be a keen observer and a good communicator, and a good navigator in the bush who is intimately familiar with everything that roams and grows in his hunting area, but he won't waste the client's time -- or his own -- by reciting throughout the day the Greek and Latin names of all the plant and animal species.

The good PH is resourseful. He's a good mechanic who can keep the rig running and patch the flate tires. He understands the fundamentals of good photography, and understands the important aspects of safari rifles and ammo, as well as optical gear. He knows how to SHOOT WELL plus he's cool-headed. He stands his ground and is wise enough to not run in the face of a charge -- he'll stand his ground and finish whatever gets started, no matter what.

The top PH knows that he needs to trust and rely on his carefully-selected and proven trackers and other staff members, but ultimately he needs to trust is own judgment even more. So he's a self-reliant man who is a good tracker and totally bush-savvy in his own right. He needs to see himself as the CEO of his safari crew: Ultimately, the buck stops with him, and no one else, he he knows it.

A good PH has a great work eithic. He might have a drink or two by the fire at night, but he's no raging alcoholic who has a hangover to work his way through at the start of every hunting day, and he's wise enough to know that such behavior only puts himself, as well as his clients and trackers, at risk. He goes to bed at a reasonable hour, and he's up and ready to work every morning, on-time, and ahead of the client. He eats a healthy diet, stays in top shape, and he thinks wholesome thoughts. He's the undisputed leader of the expedition, and he needs to act the part at all times, as well as LIVE the part at all times.

It's all about professionalism..........

AD

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8x56mn
.300 member


Reged: 26/02/04
Posts: 149
Loc: Wine Country, Finger Lakes Wa...
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: allenday]
      #51670 - 07/03/06 03:46 AM

Reading Alan's post brought back memories of my first and only hunt so far in Zim. The qualities that he mentions are spot on and I believe that my P/H fit that description to a tee. In the short time that I was there (11) days we hunted Buff and plains game and he made me feel absolutely alive and excited about each and every moment of the hunt. He always made sure that I was safe and comfortable during and after the days hunt. He take the time to answer any and all questions and went out of his way to explain the many different animal and bird sounds. I remember the first couple of days when ever I would see an animal I would blurt out " Did you see that what the heck was that" and he would say "oh that, just a baboon, or just a Jackal". I guess what I'm trying to say is that your P/H will defffinatly make or break your hunt.

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bulldog563
.400 member


Reged: 21/10/05
Posts: 1153
Loc: California
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: 8x56mn]
      #51729 - 07/03/06 11:47 PM

Good post Allen.

8x56,

Who was your ph in Zim?

--------------------
Join the National Rifle Association:
https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp

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8x56mn
.300 member


Reged: 26/02/04
Posts: 149
Loc: Wine Country, Finger Lakes Wa...
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: bulldog563]
      #51730 - 08/03/06 12:25 AM

My P/H was Wayne Bartlett, he guides for Bishope Stone.

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larcher
.416 member


Reged: 11/01/05
Posts: 2655
Loc: Saverne, Alsace, France
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: allenday]
      #51763 - 08/03/06 06:56 AM

Wow ! What to add to the comprehensive description Allen is providing. He knows his work and I am sure he has seen what are the best and the worst.

I would modestly add that a good PH is capable to extirp the best from his even recalcitrant or desperate client. He can entice him in being of better mood ( when waking up, when lady luck is trolling elsewhere.....etc..), be enthralled with the getting of representative decent trophies far from a World record class....................and best he can coax him in stalking many many hours, many many miles, what usually the client wouldn’t do even for a goldmine.
My classement would be 1) bushcraftmanship 2) be obeyed and enjoyed by the hunting team (so as to get the best from them,)3) fast assess the game and fast make shoot.
Estimating a game and showing it require experience and talent.
The value of a good PH is to show the game and to depict precisely and quickly where it is. The one who know how makes shoot more valuable game than other equally good Phs.

Allan will you be kind enough to tell us how often the client was not able to see the game quickly enough to shoot it?


--------------------
"I don't want to create an encyclopedic atmosphere here when we might be having a beer instead" P H Capstick in "Safari the last adventure."

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zimhunter
.333 member


Reged: 05/02/04
Posts: 388
Loc: Southern Arizona
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: larcher]
      #51785 - 08/03/06 01:37 PM

The PH I hunt with (Theo Bronkhorst) has become such a good friend that he is constantly challeging me. If we see a Kingfisher he wants ME to identify it if we see tracks he wants ME to identify and explain where whatever it is is going. I've probably learned more from him than from anyone at any time on the outdoors yet he has never once made me feel uncomfortable or has not catered to my whims no matter how foolish. He has even carried me across a stream to keep me from getting my boots wet . Incidentally I weigh 260lbs. He's probably the most knowledgeable person I've ever met on the flora and fauna of Zimbabwe. I also know Wayne Bartlett VERY well and he is a very competent PH. We have been friends for about 10 years. Excellant Leopard PH.

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hoppdoc
.400 member


Reged: 02/03/06
Posts: 1791
Loc: Southeastern USA
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: zimhunter]
      #51789 - 08/03/06 02:21 PM

Bartlett sounds like a great PH and a clients dream.

What available sources can one check to find multiple previous clients and inquire about a PH other than those references listed in the PH's sales literature? All safaris can potentially have problems.Where can one check any nasty game situations and how the PH resolved them?

What other sources can inform the potential client?

Suggestion? Comments?

--------------------
An armed man is a citizen of his country, an unarmed man just a subject.

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bulldog563
.400 member


Reged: 21/10/05
Posts: 1153
Loc: California
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: hoppdoc]
      #51810 - 08/03/06 06:08 PM

huntingreport.com is what I use in addition to this site.

Could you update your profile with a location?

--------------------
Join the National Rifle Association:
https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp

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allenday
.333 member


Reged: 18/04/04
Posts: 318
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: larcher]
      #51906 - 10/03/06 02:31 AM

Larcher, I grew up hunting blacktail deer, mule deer, pronghorn, and rocky mountain elk here in Oregon and the surrounding states. Glassing is a big part of the ballgame when it comes to hunting in our part of the country, and well as the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, where I have also done a great deal of hunting.

So when I first went to Africa some 11 years ago, I took glassing to heart, as I always have, and I took a very active part in glassing from game. It was second-nature anyway, so why not? After a week of hunting, my PH told me, "You're only helping your own cause by working as hard as you do with your binoculars". In the years since, I've never let up. In fact, on many occasions I've spotted game before the PH or trackers have, and in some cases this has resulted in some of the best African trophies I've ever taken, some of which would not have been taken at all if I hadn't spotted them to begin with.

Almost to a man, every African PH or NA hunting guide I've ever been out with has complained about clients who sit on their dead a$$ and do nothing while the professionals do all the looking. This is the wrong approach for the client to take. The client needs to see the hunting party as a team, and as such, he needs to pull his weight and look for game along with everyone else. The PH will respect those efforts, and the work will ultimately pay off in spades, believe me...........

AD

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mikeh416Rigby
.450 member


Reged: 24/02/03
Posts: 6051
Loc: The beautiful Oley Valley, PA....
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: allenday]
      #52272 - 13/03/06 12:48 PM

Well said, AD. I'd like to throw in my two cents worth on this subject. I can't begin to tell you the number of guides/PHs/outfitters I've walked away from, or never responded to, for one simple reason: telling me how big an animal I'll shoot. IMO, if anyone promises me a certain size animal, I feel very strongly that 1. It's a canned, or small enclosure shoot, or 2. I'm having smoke blown up my butt. No guide/PH/outfitter, can guarantee the outcome of a fair chase hunt. I don't care who they are. They can't control the weather, vehicle breakdowns, game movements, the hunter's physical condition, etc. Likewise, they have no idea how well, or poorly a prospective client can shoot.

Now, the ones I've booked with haven't promised me the moon and the stars. They tell me that I'll be in an area where animals the size I'm looking for frequent. He promises a fair chase hunt. He promises a clean, comfortable camp with good meals, and plenty of clean drinking water. He promises that he and his staff will give me a 110% effort, and they will work as hard as possible to see that I'm successful, the rest is up to me.

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allenday
.333 member


Reged: 18/04/04
Posts: 318
Re: PH/Safari Evaluation [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #52343 - 14/03/06 02:02 AM

Mike, I agree with all of that. A PH can tell you about animals that have been taken by previous clients, and he can tell you about animals that have been spotted, but not put in the salt. But beyond that he can't guarantee you anything, that is, if it's a legit hunt.

AD

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