Franck Maes a Professional Hunter with Unexpected Talent

Franck Maes a Professional Hunter with Unexpected Talent

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9147&size=1
Professional Hunter Franck Maes with an incredible Elephant hunted in Tanzania, with tusks measuring a 2.44 meters (8 feet) in length.

I thought that I would share these paintings and hunting pictures that one of our member posted in the photo gallery.

Franck Maes is a renowned and respected PH in Africa as well as an African wildlife artist, a rare combination of skills. He shows his love for Africa, its' wildlife and people in everything he does.

Although he is French, Franck Maes was born in Brazzaville, Congo in 1962 and spent much of his childhood there as well as in Cameroon and Kenya. It was a hardship for him to go back to France to complete his studies. He was only nineteen when he returned to Africa to become a professional hunter, which is more than a job to him, it is his passion.

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting....php?file=9159
Franck Maes as a little boy in Brazzaville Congo in 1963

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9162&size=1
Franck Maes in Tanzania in 1972

He apprenticed in Senegal for a couple of hunting season from 1982 to 1983 and started his career as a professional hunter in North Cameroon as an assistant in 1983. After spending 4 years in Cameroon, he returned to Senegal for a couple of seasons then went on to Tanzania. For the next 20 years Franck guided for a prominent hunting operator in Tanzania from 1988 to 2008. He stepped back from hunting for a couple of years and found himself pursuing a new endeavor.

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9191&size=1
Professional Hunter and Wildlife Artist Franck Maes. His maasai friends named him “Mbwa Mwitu” which means “Wild Dog”, it is this name that inspired his signature.

He has been marked with an indelible print after spending a quarter-century in the bush walking amongst the wildlife and living with the maasai, whose language he speaks fluently. Through his paintings, he wants to show and share his passion for the wild animals he has encountered and the tribes who still live according to a traditional and preserved way of life.

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting....php?file=9164
Professional Hunter Franck Maes with one of his long time tracker Bawe in Tanzania.

Franck has recently returned to hunting in Cameroon where he now offers hunting safaris on foot with the hunting outfitter Frank Vannier.

Check out Franck's website at www.franckmaes.fr, he does custom paintings and enjoys creating very large framed paintings such as the life size elephant painting shown below.

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9169&size=1
Elephant Taille Reelle - Life Size Elephant by Wildlife Artist Franck Maes. Franck next to his large painting, no wonder he calls them life size!

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9154&size=1
Hunting Elephant in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9182&size=1
Lion Taille Reelle - Life Size Lion by Wildlife Artist Franck Maes. Franck while painting his life size Lion.

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9160&size=1
Hunting in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9173&size=1
Ditos les Amis

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9151&size=1
Hunting Elephant in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9165&size=1
Upepo mbaya - Taken by the Wind

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9161&size=1
Hunting Lion in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9166&size=1
Amarko - Hippo in Maasai

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9148&size=1
Hunting Buffalo in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9170&size=1
E-Muny - Rhino in Maasai

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9153&size=1
Hunting Leopard in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9176&size=1
La Baignade - The Swim

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9149&size=1
Hunting Buffalo in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9172&size=1
Faru eupe - Rhino in Maasai

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9157&size=1
Hunting Lion in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9178&size=1
La Charge du Lion - The Lion Charge

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9152&size=1
Hunting Leopard in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9179&size=1
Le Buffle de Franck - Franck's Buffalo

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9146&size=1
Hunting Elephant in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9180&size=1
Le Graal

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9155&size=1
Hunting Lion in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9183&size=1
Rencontre - Encounter

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9163&size=1
Hunting Lion in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9185&size=1
Uta n'doto

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9306&size=1
Hunting Lion in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9184&size=1
Simba Jike

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9150&size=1
Hunting Elephant in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9190&size=1
Migration

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9158&size=1
Hunting Leopard in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9303&size=1
Faru kali - Rhino in Maasai

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9156&size=1
Hunting Lion in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9304&size=1
Ulugaru geri

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9305&size=1
Hunting Lion in Tanzania

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9189&size=1
Ulugaro Kito

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9181&size=1
Le Soliste - The Soloist

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9187&size=1
Moranes na kuja

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9188&size=1
Sikulu les Ditos

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9174&size=1
Ibor - White in Maasai

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9175&size=1
Kissinga

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9177&size=1
L'arrivee des Moranes - Arrival of the Moranes

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9167&size=1
Ceremonie Maasai - Maasai Ceremony

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9168&size=1
Coco

http://www.africahunting.com/hunting...le=9171&size=1
Enk-Opiro - Plume in Maasai

Jerome,

Thanks for posting a brilliant write up on Frank , with out doubt a great professional hunter , thanks again for sharing the exquisite photographs............

Monish