Anyone Else Into Preserving Traditional Hunting Methods?

[Joseph Flores]

Just started reading up on old African tracking techniques and how some hunters are blending them with modern gear. It’s wild how much you can learn from old trails, signs, and local wisdom. Ever tried hunting without GPS? Or learned from a tracker who reads the bush like a book? Would love to hear your experiences — maybe even start a little sub-thread on traditional meets tech. No trophy pics needed this time, just knowledge.

 

[franzfmdavis]

What source are you reading? Im interested in it too!

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I began hunting in Africa in 1974. There were no GPS trackers back in those days. You relied on your trackers, a paper map & a compass. I had a good friend & white hunter in Tanzania by the name of Clint Taylor. He knew all of the Sealous Reserves like the back of his hand.

During my career as a DFO (Divisional Forest Officer), whenever I used to get posted to oversee a new forested area… the first thing which I would do upon my new posting, would be to tour the entire forest range with my men so that I can memorize every nook & cranny of the area. Doing this benefited me & my administration greatly on more than one occasion.

That said, modern technology exists to make our hunting excursions safer. These days, it would be extremely foolhardy not to utilize a GPS Tracker. Especially when hunting in unfenced areas where Africa is truly at it’s wildest. I have gotten lost in the bushes of Tanzania once for several hours, near Ugalla Game Reserve. This was in 1978, when Tanzania had just reopened hunting again after the five year hunting ban first enacted in 1973. But at that time, TAWICO (Tanzania Wildlife Corporation) ran the show and caucasians were not permitted to be white hunters in Tanzania. Only native (black) Africans could guide professionally. Our white hunter (while an extremely honest & good natured fellow) was quite inexperienced and he had gotten a portion of our hunting party lost. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

 

[mark-hunter]

Just started reading up on old African tracking techniques and how some hunters are blending them with modern gear. It’s wild how much you can learn from old trails, signs, and local wisdom. Ever tried hunting without GPS? Or learned from a tracker who reads the bush like a book?

I never use GPS.
My standard gear is magnetic compass on the belt, and good bino.
In Africa, get local trackers and look how they do do their magic. Trackers are mandatory companions with PH on safari. You dont have choice.

In Europe, most common users of GPS are dog handlers, on driven hunt. They attach GPS tracker to track their dogs, who have the device on collar.

 

[dogcat1]

Not sure what you are asking but using binos and GPS is not a bad thing. Cell phones can be life savers. Flying to a remote place vs driving or taking local transport is a plus as well.
I don’t use black powder or cordite. I use modern rifles and modern ammo.

I use an old knife if that counts.

I don’t use bows and arrows or spears either…

However, a hunt without trackers is not really a hunt, it is a "Where's Waldo" contest. Trackers are amazing, yet you need the PH to help with direction, desired quarry and trophy quality. I can pick out a 45" buff from 36" buff, I can see hard vs soft boss, but I struggle mightly on 53" vs 58" kudu or nyala or bushbuck.....

 

[chuckwellington]

I’m fascinated by natural navigation and advanced tracking techniques. When practical (in the US), I’ll purposefully rely on the sun, landmarks, and natural sign to wayfind with my phone’s GPS as a back up.

I also like to cut sign and follow it as far as I can. I’ve killed a few deer and pigs this way. Once, I was following up a shot wild pig sow that wasn’t bleeding very well at all. I couldn’t find a single drop. I dry tracked following where the dew or spider webs had been knocked off and predicting where she would have gone. I was bent over in some tall grass and finally stood up to stretch. There she lay right next to me. About 100 yards from the shot. Of course, this is all not in the African context. Still very rewarding.

I’ve enjoyed The Comprehensive Guide to Tracking by Cleve Cheney and The Natural Navigator 3 book set by Tristan Gooley for some reading on the matter.

 

[grand veneur]

I also don't know why we should give up the existing modern technology to play something traditional. Explorations of unknown territories in the past often ended in death because people got lost. Anyone who has gotten lost in the wilderness knows how unpleasant that can be.

This is primarily about hunting in Africa, where nowadays, thanks to well-know and well-mapped hunting areas with a lot of roads and tracks, especially in southern Africa, the risk of getting lost is extremely low, even without GPS. Anyone who wants to play the explorer can do so; the trackers will make sure it does not end in disaster.

 

[JimP]

First off you need to define "traditional hunting methods"

Does that mean going back to a rock and a club? Eating what you kill right on the spot, not to mention wasting the vast majority of the meat.

I use a high power rifle with a good optic for sighting, that is traditional to me since I was born in the 50's. I also use open sights. I don't let meat go to waste unless it is not preventable. I butcher and preserve most of the meat that I get to my home.

As for navigation, why use a compass? Those same people that used rocks and clubs just wandered about looking or game. I doubt that they could care less of where they actually were at unless it was time for them to migrate to warmer climates before the snows hit. Then they just followed the animals as the animals moved to a warmer area.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I am relatively "primitive". No GPS, trail cams, lighted reticle, or drones. I'm on my sixth and seventh bird dogs. Never used electronics with any of them. Have a friend in Montana who has retrieved a couple of my muley bucks with his SxS but I have dragged a couple out of the same area. Last one when I was seventy years old. About 1.5 miles. And another the following year for him. Probably a bit longer drag but mostly downhill. That buck was taken on state land where using motorized vehicles is forbidden. I prefer tracking in snow. Or hunting the bottoms of dry land coulees on windy days. Or following the dogs hunting uplands. Lots of walking fits me ... and keeps me fit. Ambushing animals over bait or waterholes doesn't do it for me. Boring. Back in my youth I had my own pack horses. Also packed livestock for the government. Those were great times. Sigh!

I prefer to hunt alone but in Africa I am bound by law to be accompanied by a PH. Hunting alone there would be pretty hairy anyway I think. Too many critters that are dangerous, including some who walk on two legs. Best to follow those who are more familiar with the environment.

 

[dlmac]

Actually, IMO you need all of them in the scouting, tracking and land navigation. Map, compass and GPS. Yes, I think being able to track and read sign is a basic hunting skill. I once was given a guide who turned out to be a NYC Daniel Boone. He was fired the next day....for many reasons.

 

[Betterinthebush]

I own a lot of traditional skills. I keep them all in my memory bank in a drawer labeled “stuff that might save your ass one day”. Friction board, fire bow, flints I can do them all. Land Nav? Even with GPS I still carry several ranges of maps beyond and surrounding the area I operate in. A compass is an absolute. There’s a lot more old techniques I like to master, but, in truth, none of them that I don’t know would I regret not knowing if the chips were down. It’s kind of like the “wants or need” aspect.

I think that if Daniel Boone were to be a guest in my home for a few days before going bear hunting with me and he were to look at just the advancement of firearm technology, he be awestruck. If we were loading up gear and weapons into the truck and I handed Danny my .50 TC Flintlock and said “this is yours to use” while I loaded my .338WM into the truck, I bet I’d get clubbed to death with that .50 cal. toy.

Technology should make us better, more accurate and proficient. Not miserable.

 

[375Fox]

If you go on a dangerous game safari in any concession area north of South Africa it’ll be as traditional as it ever was. Find a track and follow. The GPS aids in locating the nearest road but doesn’t aid the tracking. Camp will have a few more luxuries than before like solar and Starlink, but the hunting methods are not any different than they were.

 

[pilar]

Hell son I was a charter boat captain and hunting guide before loran C and GPS was invented, pure dead reckoning by compass and paper maps.
Just shoot a azimuth and go ( hard as hell sometimes on the open ocean)
I like the art of tracking Africa is about the only place where you still see it

These days I think hand held gizmos are a must have if you’re not above 45-50 YO and want to see land or your truck again

 

[HankBuck]

Just started reading up on old African tracking techniques and how some hunters are blending them with modern gear. It’s wild how much you can learn from old trails, signs, and local wisdom. Ever tried hunting without GPS? Or learned from a tracker who reads the bush like a book? Would love to hear your experiences — maybe even start a little sub-thread on traditional meets tech. No trophy pics needed this time, just knowledge.

@Joseph Flores - Welcome to the Forum. What type of hunting have You done? Tell us a little about yourself, what you prefer to hunt and where etc.. Everyone here seems to learn from both their own experiences and those of others. Hope you enjoy AH