dream safari

You must be hunting with Garry Kelley? Better add Nyala and be sure to post a report on that hunt!

I don't know who I'm hunting with. I let my old ph line out a hound hunt. It's in the zim lowveld. He's hunted this property several times. Last year he had 1 super cat on bait on day 1. By day 5 he said there were 3 super cats on bait. He said the leopards were thick. The only problem was that the super cats were very wary of blinds as that's the only hunting that's ever been allowed. He pulled a favor with the outfitter and he's going to allow us to be the first and only hound hunt he's ever conducted. My ph seems very excited about the prospects of getting one of those truly monster cats. I'm excited to be hunting with my old tried and true and trusted ph. I know I'm going to have a good time. He's gonna be down next week for sci Reno so I'm looking forward to getting more details. Cross your fingers and pray I get to post pics of one of those monster lowveld tom cats.

I'm also gonna try to get my ph to send me the trail cam pics of those cats. Last time he sent me trail cam pics of the cat he had on bait it was a monster cat. I was skeptical until I saw that the bait site was definitely a perfect match to the pics I had been seeing. I'm very skeptical as I assume outfitters usually just send pics of leopards they found on some website. U never know but I have a lot of trust in my ph.

As far as I know ALL darted rhino hunts in South Africa are illegal, you can shoot one but you cannot dart one! If someone has different facts please enlighten me.

Cheers

Mart

Originally Posted by marty

As far as I know ALL darted rhino hunts in South Africa are illegal, you can shoot one but you cannot dart one! If someone has different facts please enlighten me.

Cheers

Mart

Evidently not!

"SCI Auction 2013

7-day South Africa Black Rhino Vita-dart for One Hunter and One Observer


Value: $ 20,000
Donation: # 29982
Auction: Thursday Night Auction
Slot # TN016
Donated By: Tam Safaris

One lucky bidder will have a rare and new opportunity to vita-dart a black rhino on this 7-day, guided rhino dart experience for one hunter and one observer, donated by Tam Safaris. "

Darting as it once was is indeed illegal. The above hunt is a vita-dart "hunt". It entails the client shooting a rhino with a dart filled with vitamins. A vet then darts it with a tranquilizer. This must be done for medical purposes only.

From SCI

Rhino Darting

The issue of darting rhinos in any form continues to swirl in South Africa. Since my article in the Safari Times last month, more clarified information has surfaced on the matter. Here is the latest information available.

Full-fledged "green" darting of a rhino by a hunting client is still illegal. This is where the hunter fires the tranquilizing dart himself. But, vita-darting of a rhino is legal if it is done under the banner of "medical purposes". The tranquilizing dart must still be fired by a licensed veterinarian, then a dart full of vitamins is immediately fired by the client. Note that the rhino must need to be tranquilized for some sort of medical purpose. This could entail blood testing, microchip implanting, the need to move the rhino to another property, or another part of the owner's property, or doctoring for an injury, etc.

Legal permits will be issued for this type of hunt by the government, once justification is determined. I have just spoken with an SCI member who participated in such a hunt with Irvin Tam within the past couple of weeks. The rhino was tranquilized, and then moved to another property. This member has the legal permits in hand.

Originally Posted by Mike70560

Darting as it once was is indeed illegal. The above hunt is a vita-dart "hunt". It entails the client shooting a rhino with a dart filled with vitamins. A vet then darts it with a tranquilizer. This must be done for medical purposes only.
....

The latest twist.. Added one more step before the picture is taken.

Originally Posted by Mike70560

Darting as it once was is indeed illegal. The above hunt is a vita-dart "hunt". It entails the client shooting a rhino with a dart filled with vitamins. A vet then darts it with a tranquilizer. This must be done for medical purposes only.

From SCI

Rhino Darting

The issue of darting rhinos in any form continues to swirl in South Africa. Since my article in the Safari Times last month, more clarified information has surfaced on the matter. Here is the latest information available.

Full-fledged "green" darting of a rhino by a hunting client is still illegal. This is where the hunter fires the tranquilizing dart himself. But, vita-darting of a rhino is legal if it is done under the banner of "medical purposes". The tranquilizing dart must still be fired by a licensed veterinarian, then a dart full of vitamins is immediately fired by the client. Note that the rhino must need to be tranquilized for some sort of medical purpose. This could entail blood testing, microchip implanting, the need to move the rhino to another property, or another part of the owner's property, or doctoring for an injury, etc.

Legal permits will be issued for this type of hunt by the government, once justification is determined. I have just spoken with an SCI member who participated in such a hunt with Irvin Tam within the past couple of weeks. The rhino was tranquilized, and then moved to another property. This member has the legal permits in hand.

This is just silly and I would feel totally stupid paying money for doing this.
I might as well bring a slingshot and shoot a little stone at the Rhino and then say I have hunted it.
I am even sure it would be more fun than the vita-darting....

Originally Posted by Norwegianwoods

This is just silly and I would feel totally stupid paying money for doing this.
I might as well bring a slingshot and shoot a little stone at the Rhino and then say I have hunted it.
I am even sure it would be more fun than the vita-darting....

Norwegianwoods
Not if the Vet misses the vita-dart will give it more energy for running you down. The Darting is for hunters like me that does not want to kill a rhino or can't afford the $100,000+ for shooting one and are working hard to get there Big Five.

Originally Posted by Bobpuckett

Norwegianwoods
Not if the Vet misses the vita-dart will give it more energy for running you down. The Darting is for hunters like me that does not want to kill a rhino or can't afford the $100,000+ for shooting one and are working hard to get there Big Five.

I understand the pricetag part and I also understand the want to complete the Big Five even if that is something I have never desired myself.
I have never felt the desire to complete any lists or do any form of slams, but I totally respect all hunters that want to

But to shoot some vitamins into an animal that a vet already has shot a tranq dart into just to say that you have hit the Rhino with something to call it a completion of the Big Five is something I don't understand at all.
What if you miss with your vita-dart? Do you shoot again at a sleeping Rhino or do you wake it up and try again?

I can understand it if you can shoot the tranq dart yourself as it is you yourself that put the Rhino down, even if it is just to make it sleep to take some pictures.

But I want to make clear that even if I don't understand the vita-darting at all, I am not against it or anyone that wants to do it

Originally Posted by Norwegianwoods

I understand the pricetag part and I also understand the want to complete the Big Five even if that is something I have never desired myself.
I have never felt the desire to complete any lists or do any form of slams, but I totally respect all hunters that want to

But to shoot some vitamins into an animal that a vet already has shot a tranq dart into just to say that you have hit the Rhino with something to call it a completion of the Big Five is something I don't understand at all.
What if you miss with your vita-dart? Do you shoot again at a sleeping Rhino or do you wake it up and try again?

I can understand it if you can shoot the tranq dart yourself as it is you yourself that put the Rhino down, even if it is just to make it sleep to take some pictures.

But I want to make clear that even if I don't understand the vita-darting at all, I am not against it or anyone that wants to do it

I understand completely what you are saying as to the reason the only pics of Rhino in the wifes and my gallery are live and chasing us away. Its a sad thing but this darting method is the only legal way to dart Rhino in South Africa and this is where I have my problem for a lot of money you can Shoot a Rhino in RSA but for a few dollars you can't tranq dart one Yourself. Sorry not trying to Hijack the thread.

Don't worry Norwegianwoods, I would feel stupid for doing a vita-dart hunt too. Not my cup of tea!

I'd rather hunt a rhino with a baseball bat than suffer the embarrasment of being environmentally or politically correct.

I want to shoot one with a rubber blunt on my arrow or a paintball gun.

Originally Posted by TOM

I want to shoot one with a rubber blunt on my arrow or a paintball gun.

You had better have your track shoes on! or make yourself very small.

the blunts would be the go for sure tom .
paint ball would be for the p.h and tracker

Hey I'm all for the Paint Ball gun, that way you know if it would have been a good shot just before it shoves its horn up your dark side.