Christmas Special - The Crocodile Which Made Me Appreciate Hand Loading

[Major Khan]

Glad you got the croc. Some closure for the family. Also I'm sure it kept many others from dying. You have had some great adventures in your life. Thanks for sharing. Good luck on your upcoming hunt.
Bruce

Thank you so much , Bruce. I will be needing all the luck l can get.

 

[cagkt3]

Another fascinating tale my friend, thank you!

 

[Major Khan]

Another fascinating tale my friend, thank you!

Thank you so much for enjoying it . Merry Christmas to you and your family.

 

[Newboomer]

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Another great article, Major Khan. I think you will find that we are interested in all manner of hunting and eagerly await yours and Kawshik's next revelation. Best of luck on your upcoming hunt.

 

[gesch]

Thank you so much for enjoying it . Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Thank you Major Kahn. I just read the report as my Christmas festivities have paused for the moment. I enjoy hearing how it is possible to go after a specific brute. Thank you for your service to that community. Tomorrow I will take several of my friends from out of town to do some target shooting—one is from the netherlands and one from Denmark! I told them about you and Sargent Rahman. They were most interested in hearing about my new friends. Thanks again for helping me to understand the passion for hunting that is common to mankind from around the world. Your friend. Brian

 

[Major Khan]

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Another great article, Major Khan. I think you will find that we are interested in all manner of hunting and eagerly await yours and Kawshik's next revelation. Best of luck on your upcoming hunt.

Merry Christmas , New Boomer . That is the beauty of this forum . Members here are equally interested in a hunt for the smallest snipe , as they are in a hunt for the largest elephant. And thank you so much. I will be needing all the luck which the Almighty can bestow upon me.

 

[Major Khan]

Thank you Major Kahn. I just read the report as my Christmas festivities have paused for the moment. I enjoy hearing how it is possible to go after a specific brute. Thank you for your service to that community. Tomorrow I will take several of my friends from out of town to do some target shooting—one is from the netherlands and one from Denmark! I told them about you and Sargent Rahman. They were most interested in hearing about my new friends. Thanks again for helping me to understand the passion for hunting that is common to mankind from around the world. Your friend. Brian

Thank you , my friend . It is an honor to hear that both Kawshik and l are the subject of so many ( healthy ) discussions between you and your friends. The beauty of hunting is that it unites gentlemen and ladies from all over the world with our common love for the sport which we admire so dearly. May l ask what fire arms , you gentlemen will be trying out tomorrow ? By all means , resume the festivities . I made a 21 day dry aged beef standing rib roast today for my guests , which every one tells me that they enjoyed greatly.
Your friend ,
Major Poton Khan ( Retired )

 

[CBH Australia]

@Major Khan we do enjoy the stories of the early hunts that you did with @Kawshik Rahman we read stories from both of you intently, stories of taking dangerous game are of interest, stories of guiding Shikar are interesting there maybe on 2 members on the site that have seen or experienced India and it heyday, stories of tracking a killing known mana eaters are very interesting. Sometimes the stories are quite bizarre when you speak of using a corpse as bait. It was a different time and a different culture. In regard to culture I mean the Cast system etc. What you had done saved many but in other countries it would be frowned upon even to take the corpse of homeless person. We are all born equal and some struggle throughout life and others manage or become successful in various ways . No one would be born of the lower cast. If a person is born to a poor family or born in a bad part of town they still have rights as an individual and with hard work and determination they have a right to pursue education and career.
About the hunt, Christmas is over in Australia and it’s the morning of the 26th. Tomorrow is the 27th and we look forward to accounts of the upcoming hunt with you and Mr Rahman, you’ve had some amazing great hunts and it’s amazing that you can both still hunt together at your age so keep it up and we’ve hope to read accounts of this hunt from both of you.

 

[Major Khan]

@Major Khan we do enjoy the stories of the early hunts that you did with @Kawshik Rahman we read stories from both of you intently, stories of taking dangerous game are of interest, stories of guiding Shikar are interesting there maybe on 2 members on the site that have seen or experienced India and it heyday, stories of tracking a killing known mana eaters are very interesting. Sometimes the stories are quite bizarre when you speak of using a corpse as bait. It was a different time and a different culture. In regard to culture I mean the Cast system etc. What you had done saved many but in other countries it would be frowned upon even to take the corpse of homeless person. We are all born equal and some struggle throughout life and others manage or become successful in various ways . No one would be born of the lower cast. If a person is born to a poor family or born in a bad part of town they still have rights as an individual and with hard work and determination they have a right to pursue education and career.
About the hunt, Christmas is over in Australia and it’s the morning of the 26th. Tomorrow is the 27th and we look forward to accounts of the upcoming hunt with you and Mr Rahman, you’ve had some amazing great hunts and it’s amazing that you can both still hunt together at your age so keep it up and we’ve hope to read accounts of this hunt from both of you.

Thank you so much , CBS Australia . There may be a very small miscommunication here , so l should clear it before it goes any further . I myself personally do not believe in the caste system at all , because l believe that all men and women are born equal regardless of race or religion or financial back ground . I am a Muslim and we do not have any caste system in our religion . The caste system belongs to Hindu religion , which as you know was ( and still is ) the majority religion of India . Hindus ( even more so back in the old days ) do have the caste system , with the Brahmin caste being treated , as 1 of the highest in status . And back in those days , the corpses of lower caste Hindus were treated by higher caste Hindus as , little more than a rotting blob of flesh .
I never for once determined how l would treat a person , based on their caste . That servant boy , Ponual , whom l always patronize and praise in my writings , was infact a Hindu of the lowest caste and while Hindus of higher caste ( like Brahmins ) would not even shake his hand , l treated the boy like my own brother ( as you can read in my stories , he saved my life on more than a few occasions ) and he was my playmate when l was a child . Therefore , l can assure you that l do not believe in the caste system at all .
Regarding the corpses , l can say that l was INDIFFERENT to them . But never , not once in my life did l believe that l am justified in using those corpses , because they belonged to people of a lower Hindu caste . To me at the time , l just saw them as easily available bait for man eaters . I knew that the corpses of lower caste Hindus were treated with disdain by the higher caste Hindus and l merely used that to my advantage .The Hindu caste system meant nothing more to me than having access to easy and attractive bait for man eaters . I was completely indifferent to their beliefs about caste .
I admit that this was not an ethical view , but l am writing about who l WAS , not who l SHOULD HAVE BEEN . I am not saying it because he is my friend , but Kawshik was always a far better human being than l was . Anyone who reads his writing ( including myself ) can see that there is a great deal of empathy in his writing . He has a heart of gold . But l never had Kawshik's empathy and was greatly desensitized to many things which would unsettle even Kawshik . That does not make me stronger than Kawshik . It makes Kawshik a far cleaner hearted man than me . For many of the things l did in the past , God also punished me and in my own way l am still suffering today ( although l appreciate my life very much , because there are many people in this world who suffered worse than l did ) . During the war , both Kawshik and l suffered severe losses . But after the war , Kawshik dealt with it much better than l did ( even though his loss was far worse than mine ) , which is why Kawshik is where Kawshik is , today .
Anyway , l seem to have gotten distracted while writing . Back to the original topic , l cannot imagine a life without hunting . It is who l am . I hope to continue for the rest of my ( hopefully very long ) life . By grace of God , l consider myself fairly physically healthy for my age and very active . After the hog deer shikar on the 27th , l will finish a few more partially completed articles and post 1 every few days and the hog deer shikar will also be put into writing eventually.

 

[CBH Australia]

@Major Khan and cc @Kawshik Rahman
No disrespect I was speaking generally of a culture I know very little about.
I don’t follow a religion. and was just speaking generally of how that might be accepted in India in that time but not so in Western culture.
I’m sure that the atrocities of war will desensitise even the hardest of souls. I’ve lived through a different time and had a pretty good life. I’ve seen some pretty bad things around me in civilian life close but not directly.
I’m travelling to Africa shortly and hope to see how others live. I made a friend here who I’ve made phone contact with . He went recently and his account of the people there is while many have nothing they are happy.
Enjoy that hunt we can enjoy the article.

 

[Newboomer]

Major Khan,
Don't dwell on the past. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not here. Live for today. What happened then was a normal part of life unique to the culture and times. We all have many things in our past that we regret, the coulda shoulda experiences that we look back on and wonder why we did it. We all survived and hopefully learned from it. It is what we are today that counts. What happened then was all a part of growing and learning. As long as we continue to live a quality life and treat all fairly we have nothing to fear. At 79, my doctors are amazed that I am as healthy and active as I am. It takes some work but the results speak for themselves. An oldtimer told me a long time ago, "As long as you keep going, you will keep going. It's when you stop you're dead." That is kind of my philosophy of life. Long life to you, my friend.

 

[Major Khan]

@Major Khan and cc @Kawshik Rahman
No disrespect I was speaking generally of a culture I know very little about.
I don’t follow a religion. and was just speaking generally of how that might be accepted in India in that time but not so in Western culture.
I’m sure that the atrocities of war will desensitise even the hardest of souls. I’ve lived through a different time and had a pretty good life. I’ve seen some pretty bad things around me in civilian life close but not directly.
I’m travelling to Africa shortly and hope to see how others live. I made a friend here who I’ve made phone contact with . He went recently and his account of the people there is while many have nothing they are happy.
Enjoy that hunt we can enjoy the article.

Oh , no. I never thought that you were disrespecting me . I just thought that you were under the impression that l believed in the caste system . So l just wanted to clarify it to everyone here that l never believed in the caste system myself .
And l agree with your philosophy . The key to being happy is not about how much you have , but rather how well you can appreciate what you have .
And l do appreciate mine . I said it in a thread before , so l can elaborate on it , here . I did attempt to take my own life after the war once ( for personal reasons ) . But l am glad that l did not succeed . It made me appreciate my life and realize how valuable life really is . After that day , my life started getting better , and l found my will to live again .
Have a safe trip to Africa.

 

[Major Khan]

Major Khan,
Don't dwell on the past. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not here. Live for today. What happened then was a normal part of life unique to the culture and times. We all have many things in our past that we regret, the coulda shoulda experiences that we look back on and wonder why we did it. We all survived and hopefully learned from it. It is what we are today that counts. What happened then was all a part of growing and learning. As long as we continue to live a quality life and treat all fairly we have nothing to fear. At 79, my doctors are amazed that I am as healthy and active as I am. It takes some work but the results speak for themselves. An oldtimer told me a long time ago, "As long as you keep going, you will keep going. It's when you stop you're dead." That is kind of my philosophy of life. Long life to you, my friend.

What you said , New Boomer ... I found it very beautiful. I am 79 years old , as well. And l am glad that you are active and healthy as can be. You have a very good philosophy . I have always treated every man and woman as my equal ( except anti hunters and vegetarians , but then you can understand why very clearly ) . I am touched by your words of encouragement . I hope that you will give us all a review of your new .404 Jeffery bolt rifle when it arrives . Merry Christmas and happy holidays .

 

[CBH Australia]

Only one thing wrong @Newboomer , tomorrow is coming it’s the 27th and it’s the day our friends will go hunt together, that is the start of a new story for us and an adventure for them, hopefully some meat for their efforts.

 

[gesch]

Thank you , my friend . It is an honor to hear that both Kawshik and l are the subject of so many ( healthy ) discussions between you and your friends. The beauty of hunting is that it unites gentlemen and ladies from all over the world with our common love for the sport which we admire so dearly. May l ask what fire arms , you gentlemen will be trying out tomorrow ? By all means , resume the festivities . I made a 21 day dry aged beef standing rib roast today for my guests , which every one tells me that they enjoyed greatly.
Your friend ,
Major Poton Khan ( Retired )

Thanks again for your article. My friends and I will be shooting a 22 lr bolt action Mossberg and a .223 Remington 700. These are inexperienced folks snd I don't want to have the recoil discourage them so I am staying with the light recoiling rifles. Thanks again for your articles snd support. Brian

 

[Kawshik Rahman]

Poton
This was an excellent account . I genuinely loath crocodiles with a passion. These loathsome beasts kill more people every year than every other dangerous animal in India , combined !
I have been so busy organizing for Fabliha's wedding , that l have not had a chance to visit the forums lately. However , l have found time today .
I will disagree with you in one thing, old friend . I do not consider you unethical in the slightest . You have received the " Bir Bikrom " title for your actions in the war . That is an award even higher than mine . You received that title , because you risked your life and got injured , to save our fellow soldiers . You earned your title , Poton . Never forget that . In regards to using human corpses , l could personally never bring myself to use a human corpse as bait. However , that does not make me a better man than you. It makes you a stronger man that l , Poton . What you did , stopped those beasts from ravaging innocent villagers by the dozen . Villagers who got to live their whole lives , because of you . Never forget that .
And @Newboomer is 100 % correct. The past is painful for every person who served in a war. However , the future can be happy . You have come a long way over the years , in terms of finding some stability and l salute you. While l suffered my own losses in the war , l at least had my parents and sister to return to . Therefore , things were slightly more convenient for me . However , you had to cope with your losses all alone and that takes a great deal of determination .
Now , let us go and secure a brace of hog deer tomorrow !

 

[mark-hunter]

Now , let us go and secure a brace of hog deer tomorrow !

I wish you both, a good hunting!

 

[Major Khan]

Poton
This was an excellent account . I genuinely loath crocodiles with a passion. These loathsome beasts kill more people every year than every other dangerous animal in India , combined !
I have been so busy organizing for Fabliha's wedding , that l have not had a chance to visit the forums lately. However , l have found time today .
I will disagree with you in one thing, old friend . I do not consider you unethical in the slightest . You have received the " Bir Bikrom " title for your actions in the war . That is an award even higher than mine . You received that title , because you risked your life and got injured , to save our fellow soldiers . You earned your title , Poton . Never forget that . In regards to using human corpses , l could personally never bring myself to use a human corpse as bait. However , that does not make me a better man than you. It makes you a stronger man that l , Poton . What you did , stopped those beasts from ravaging innocent villagers by the dozen . Villagers who got to live their whole lives , because of you . Never forget that .
And @Newboomer is 100 % correct. The past is painful for every person who served in a war. However , the future can be happy . You have come a long way over the years , in terms of finding some stability and l salute you. While l suffered my own losses in the war , l at least had my parents and sister to return to . Therefore , things were slightly more convenient for me . However , you had to cope with your losses all alone and that takes a great deal of determination .
Now , let us go and secure a brace of hog deer tomorrow !

Thank you , Kawshik. You said it very well and logically . I am extremely lucky to have a friend like you .
It is good to see you back on the forums again , now . Indeed , l am very excited for tomorrow .

 

[Shootist43]

Poton and Kawshik, although we like to read stories about dangerous game hunting not all of us have done it or will ever get to do it. Hunts of any and every kind are enjoyed here.

 

[Major Khan]

Poton and Kawshik, although we like to read stories about dangerous game hunting not all of us have done it or will ever get to do it. Hunts of any and every kind are enjoyed here.

Absolutely , Shootist43 . I am of same view as you . It is 1 of those things which is flat out terrifying when you actually have to do it , but is very enjoyable to write about , once it is actually over and you know that you have been victorious and are safe now . I will write my next article on the 28th after tomorrow's hog deer shikar . It will feature another crocodile , because most forum members here are clearly fascinated by these saurian brutes .