Hello everyone, I posted a thread way back in 2019 about possibly becoming a hunter in Africa. If you read the thread, you would know that I have no experience in stalking-based hunting (ie. most of African hunts), but rather a "waiting for target" based form of hunting (ie. go in the bush, which is basically thick jungle, and wait around in an area known for small game animals, such as agoutis). Rarely do we hunt deer (I hunted deer for seven times in my entire life), and in our country hunting for everyone (so no "PH" business even for the most experienced hunters) is largely limited to a few months (September to January last time I checked). I began university beginning in 2020, and will complete my BA this year God willing. I got a few replies telling me that it's quite difficult to become a PH, as there are many locally born fellows that would obviously be more competent for the job than someone who is not from there and even worse, an inexperienced hunter. However, someone did tell me that learning Mandarin or Cantonese would be a possible asset for an otherwise inexperienced person, but I don't know if Chinese interest in Africa has evaporated due to that event which lasted for two years (and is still currently talked about by the WHO). Is there Chinese interest in big game hunting in Africa as of 2024?
To summarize my real question:
I have little skills in tracking animals (other than some basic scent-trailing and a LITTLE BIT of environment-based trailing such as observing animal dwellings in a supposed empty area due to the nature of the animals found in my country and circumstances). We've used hounds most of the time as well.
I wouldn't call myself an experienced hunter due to the point above and also because I have only hunted around 20 times in my life, again due to circumstances. Hunted 20 times in a relatively relaxed manner - there's no dangerous and true big game animals in my part of the globe!
I am 24 years old (23 years at the moment but my birthyear is the beginning of the 21st century)
I currently still cannot speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but I have the opportunity to learn it from both part-time courses (not related to my BA degree) and a friend of mine who speaks the language (Cantonese). I can still "network" with Mandarin speakers, however. I have a limited grasp of Spanish from Venezuelan friends, but I don't speak the language too fluently because I don't see them too often anymore (I'd argue that they're my cousin's friends and I socialized with them due to proximity). Do PH's speak AND write the non-native languages that they use such as the local African dialect and clients' languages like Spanish and whatnot? Or do they just speak the language? How fluent is fluent? What level of language proficiency is required for a PH?
I am aiming to enter the trade before age 31 (if it is even possible) - but I likely won't consider joining it now even if I already had the three qualities mentioned above since I intend to save some money and basically live by myself (I live in an extended family). I want to establish myself financially regardless of dreams, as I know money is important whether one moves to Africa or Europe or any other area of the world. I live frugally relatively speaking, so a PH's salary is not a problem. If by some miracle God told me that I can become a PH somehow, I still have to spend some time learning Chinese and Spanish (the two closest accessible languages that is not my mother tongue), and I can't delay my age. If I end up at least on the conversation stage of speaking these languages, would that be enough to become a PH?
Manual labour is not a problem as I've worked with a friend in construction (no pay, voluntary work). Lifting bags of cement is fine, and mixing it is also fine by me. Sore arms, but satisfied mind after the work! Farm labour is not a problem but I don't have much experience there. I did not end up choosing an agriculture based degree as well. I did help a friend plant his crops for a while, and I don't mind manure and other literal crap jobs. I prefer manual work even if my degree is suited for an office job, but I digress.
Is it still feasible for me to enter the PH business in the future? Or are the stakes too high here? Do the Chinese still have an interest in African hunting, or was that a fad? How many hunters in Africa speak Mandarin and Cantonese?
To summarize my real question:
I have little skills in tracking animals (other than some basic scent-trailing and a LITTLE BIT of environment-based trailing such as observing animal dwellings in a supposed empty area due to the nature of the animals found in my country and circumstances). We've used hounds most of the time as well.
I wouldn't call myself an experienced hunter due to the point above and also because I have only hunted around 20 times in my life, again due to circumstances. Hunted 20 times in a relatively relaxed manner - there's no dangerous and true big game animals in my part of the globe!
I am 24 years old (23 years at the moment but my birthyear is the beginning of the 21st century)
I currently still cannot speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but I have the opportunity to learn it from both part-time courses (not related to my BA degree) and a friend of mine who speaks the language (Cantonese). I can still "network" with Mandarin speakers, however. I have a limited grasp of Spanish from Venezuelan friends, but I don't speak the language too fluently because I don't see them too often anymore (I'd argue that they're my cousin's friends and I socialized with them due to proximity). Do PH's speak AND write the non-native languages that they use such as the local African dialect and clients' languages like Spanish and whatnot? Or do they just speak the language? How fluent is fluent? What level of language proficiency is required for a PH?
I am aiming to enter the trade before age 31 (if it is even possible) - but I likely won't consider joining it now even if I already had the three qualities mentioned above since I intend to save some money and basically live by myself (I live in an extended family). I want to establish myself financially regardless of dreams, as I know money is important whether one moves to Africa or Europe or any other area of the world. I live frugally relatively speaking, so a PH's salary is not a problem. If by some miracle God told me that I can become a PH somehow, I still have to spend some time learning Chinese and Spanish (the two closest accessible languages that is not my mother tongue), and I can't delay my age. If I end up at least on the conversation stage of speaking these languages, would that be enough to become a PH?
Manual labour is not a problem as I've worked with a friend in construction (no pay, voluntary work). Lifting bags of cement is fine, and mixing it is also fine by me. Sore arms, but satisfied mind after the work! Farm labour is not a problem but I don't have much experience there. I did not end up choosing an agriculture based degree as well. I did help a friend plant his crops for a while, and I don't mind manure and other literal crap jobs. I prefer manual work even if my degree is suited for an office job, but I digress.
Is it still feasible for me to enter the PH business in the future? Or are the stakes too high here? Do the Chinese still have an interest in African hunting, or was that a fad? How many hunters in Africa speak Mandarin and Cantonese?