The Old Shikari Interview With Kawshik Rahman For 2021

I used to be paid 4000 Rupees for a standard package Shikar ( two species ) , 3000 rupees for a budget package Shikar ( one species ) , 5000 for a mega package Shikar ( three species ) and 6000 for a deluxe package Shikar ( four species ) . Trackers would typically be paid 500 Rupees Coolies were paid 200 Rupees.

So in US-Dollars:
80 Dollar for two species
132 Dollar for three species.
160 Dollar for four species

Everything was included?
Tax, Outfitter, pp.?
Did you/they stayed im Hotels? Or in tends in the forest.

And:
(An hot question)
What was about tipping?
On witch way?
How mutch?
And what did you think (personal) about it (we had this several time sin many thread, then it comes to hunting big game)?
 
This was in the old days .
Today one American Dollar is equivalent to 70 Indian Rupees


So in US-Dollars, today it was (inkl. infloration::
200 Dollar for two species
330 Dollar for three species.
400 Dollar for four species

This is very cheap.
:)

Again, please
Everything was included?
Tax, Outfitter, pp.?
Did you/they stayed im Hotels? Or in tends in the forest.

And:
(An hot question)
What was about tipping?
On witch way?
How mutch?
And what did you think (personal) about it (we had this several time sin many thread, then it comes to hunting big game)?
 
I used to be paid 4000 Rupees for a standard package Shikar ( two species ) , 3000 rupees for a budget package Shikar ( one species ) , 5000 for a mega package Shikar ( three species ) and 6000 for a deluxe package Shikar ( four species ) . Trackers would typically be paid 500 Rupees Coolies were paid 200 Rupees.

So in US-Dollars:
80 Dollar for two species
132 Dollar for three species.
160 Dollar for four species

Everything was included?
Tax, Outfitter, pp.?
Did you/they stayed im Hotels? Or in tends in the forest.

And:
(An hot question)
What was about tipping?
On witch way?
How mutch?
And what did you think (personal) about it (we had this several time sin many thread, then it comes to hunting big game)?
Sir
That is very accurate , yes.
Our guests would stay in Darjeeling Circuit House . They would some times stay in tents when we would go to the hills to shoot Asian sloth bears . This is because the hills were very far from Darjeeling and it would take at least nine hours to go there and nine more hours to come back . At any rate , we would always carry a tent inside our land Rover , just in case rain started or it got too late , to safely return to the town. Or in one case , if the vehicle broke down and needed fixing.
It was considered unethical for us Professional Shikaris to ever ask clients for tips , but they were generally good people and used to tip us generously . It was at their discretion , how much they would want to tip us. The highest l was ever tipped by a client was an extra thousand Rupees.
I did not think much about getting tipped. I remained indifferent to it , so that l can treat clients with care and respect regardless of whether they tip me or not.
Even those who did not tip us with money , usually left us behind their shot-gun cartridges if it was a 12 bore or treated us meals in restaurants after the Shikar was over.
 
How many other people was included the hunts?
(Exeption, you (PH) and the client.)
Driver, tracker, gun-bearers... and...?
The skinners are in town? Taxidermy?

Did you use horses, elephants or dogs?
Or plans?
Or...?

You had written in other threads, that you normaly use the hunting-methods "stalking" and "baiting with animals".
Did you make driven hunts also?
Tracking?
And...?
 
How many other people was included the hunts?
(Exeption, you (PH) and the client.)
Driver, tracker, gun-bearers... and...?
The skinners are in town? Taxidermy?

Did you use horses, elephants or dogs?
Or plans?
Or...?

You had written in other threads, that you normaly use the hunting-methods "stalking" and "baiting with animals".
Did you make driven hunts also?
Tracking?
And...?
Sir
We also had two to four coolies ( depending on how much baggage had to be carried ) , two trackers and my personal assistant , Rishi who was also a gun bearer.
We used dogs predominantly for hunting bush boars and mouse deer. For hunting mouse deer , dogs are highly recommended. In my life , l have supervised two Shikars using macchans on top of elephants. One went uneventfully . The other almost resulted in a leopard reaching our client ( l had arrogantly assumed that leopards cannot spring up elephant macchans in real life ). What a horrible day to be proven wrong .
We were heavily dependent on our Garo trackers , especially Jeddiah who was the best tracker l have ever known.
We often used driven hunting. We would often arrange beats to draw out tigers and leopards , although it was a little costly due to the large number of beaters we had to organize.
Rishi knew basic field dressing and skinning. But whenever possible , we would go to the town to Bhulu Miah who owned a taxidermy shop
 
Looking at the map, location of Darjeeling, i see Bhutan and Nepal are close by.
Question, for Buthan and Nepal: was there then, and is there now any legal hunting?
 
Looking at the map, location of Darjeeling, i see Bhutan and Nepal are close by.
Question, for Buthan and Nepal: was there then, and is there now any legal hunting?
Mark Hunter
Oh , yes. The Ibex sheep are usually hunted over there for meat . There are also brown color bears in the area . Snow leopards exist , but are protected except for problem causing animals. Unfortunately , l have never hunted there. A younger friend of mine , however , has . He is alive and very healthy . If you ever wish to contact him , let me know .
 
In my life , l have supervised two Shikars using macchans on top of elephants. One went uneventfully . The other almost resulted in a leopard reaching our client ( l had arrogantly assumed that leopards cannot spring up elephant macchans in real life ). What a horrible day to be proven wrong

This is an great story.
Did you shoot him?
Or did the Leopard scratch the client?
I ever heard about tigers attack elephant or the machan (on top of the elephant).
But I never heard it from leopards.
 
37114888xg.jpg


I read this kind of storys many times.
Also this kind of drawings are common in the old books about "hunting in old India".
 
37114888xg.jpg


I read this kind of storys many times.
Also this kind of drawings are common in the old books about "hunting in old India".
Bull Hunter
Sadly , l did not believe this at all until 1965 when l saw it happen with my own eyes. I was terrified for the client.
 
Bull Hunter
Sadly , l did not believe this at all until 1965 when l saw it happen with my own eyes. I was terrified for the client.
This video will give everyone an idea what it must have been like.
 
This video will give everyone an idea what it must have been like.
Red Leg
Why yes. It is like re living that horrible day from 1965 again. I only thought that this happens in films like Stewart Granger's excellent piece " Harry Black and the tiger " .
 
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Very dangerous animal.

Luckily , in the short time I have been hunting in southeast Asia , I never meet one , always just seen tracks. It's not safe to hunt Sambar deers , the meat of the tigers , if you don't sit on the back of an elephant !:)
 
Very dangerous animal.

Luckily , in the short time I have been hunting in southeast Asia , I never meet one , always just seen tracks. I's not safe to hunt Sambar deers , the meat of the tigers , if you don't sit on the back of an elephant !:)
Kurpfalzjager
I used to think just like you. But hunting from the back of an elephant possesses some risks. The elephant may go mad at any time either due to gun fire , or if a leopard or tiger wounds it . During the two Shikars in my career which were from the back of an elephant macchan , we always had to bring along an officer from the forest department , armed with a .303 bore Lee Enfield rifle , loaded with 215 grain blunt nose metal envelope bullets to kill the elephant , in case it went mad. A five ton mad elephant can certainly be an intimidating adversary. Imagine going to hunt Royal Bengal tigers and realizing that you now have to deal with a mad elephant as well ( possibly while that Royal Bengal tiger is still alive ) ?
An example of this , can be read about in my article on these forums titled " An exciting leopard Shikar from the back of an elephant " .
 
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The elephant does not try to fight with the tiger ?

The african elephants seem to be more aggressive.
Kurpfalzjager
It is the fighting with the tiger that can actually drive an elephant mad.
African Elephants probably are larger and more aggressive . Indian female elephants never have tusks and only some male elephants have tusks.
 

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