Local Communities & Hunting

Mark Audino

AH veteran
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Honeoye Falls, NY USA
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SCI, DSC, WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION, NRA, GSCO
Hunted
C.A.R., Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Mongolia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Spain, UK, Romania, Mexico, Canadian Provinces, Multiple States in USA
Among multiple trips to hunt in Turkey, I was reminded just how much local communities value hunters and their wildlife. On this occasion, I was hunting Nemrut Ibex, a Bezoar hybrid, in the small mountain village of Adiyaman, the center of gravity for this subspecies. Sitting high on a perch and glassing in wicked high winds, a large herd in the valley below began moving to higher elevation. I had to hurry and did the best I could to pick out a big one. It was a make or break shot, but I let a .308 slug fly from my old Steyr SSG69 sniper rifle and the Ibex dropped at 350 meters. My elation was only surpassed by what I later experienced in the village. The Mayor welcomed me and my guiding team into his home and served food and tea. He was the father of 7 daughters (nothing must scare this guy by now!). Later that evening, over 50 villagers showed up for the ceremonial skinning of the trophy at the Mayor’s house. Teacups emerged out of nowhere like loaves & the fishes, and everyone watched, shared pleasantries, and thanked me as they sipped their tea. They were so proud of what their land had produced. They were happy for me. They were gracious beyond words. And all of that made me realize yet again that hunting runs deep in many cultures and that local communities not only depend on hunters for revenues but what they produce is their signature point of pride and honor. Pictured is my guiding team and a scene from the skinning ceremony.

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Sounds like an exceptional experience. Many communities derive a noticeable amount of money from hunting. Sometimes they even recognize that it is important to them. Thanks for sharing.
Bruce
 
That is so awesome and the same goes for hunting here in Africa... what do the anti hunters do to give back?
 
You guys are right on all accounts. African safari teams have their unique way of welcoming hunters, celebrating hunter success, and being thankful for employment as you well know. They make safaris such a wonderful experience in life. And no matter where I hunt, the wonderful people on the ground make you think that humanity still has a chance. I recently happened to watch one of Jim Shockey's shows, Uncharted, where he is hunting Kashmir Markhor in Pakistan. It's hard to explain the rigors of some mountain hunting let alone explain the commitment the local teams make, minus all the gear so plentiful to us. That particular episode of the show is all one needs to see. And yes, what are the real contributions that anti-hunters provide to the good people on the ground? Crickets. Their money goes toward politicking and funding a war machine against us.
 

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Bighorn191 wrote on Mtn_Infantry's profile.
Booked with Harold Grinde - Gana River - they sure kill some good ones - who'd you get set up with?
85lc wrote on wvfred's profile.
Fred,
If youhave not sold your 11.2x72 Schuler, I will take it.
Just PM me.
Roy Beeson
HI all, here is a Short update on our America trip, I currently in Houston and have 2 more meetings here before movings North toward Oklahoma, Missouri and Iowa, and from there I will head to Colorado and Idaho,I have been met with great hospitality and friendship, and have met several new and old clients and we are going to book the rest of 2025 season quick and have several dates booked for 2026!
That's a wrap, on our first hunt of this years season.

Hunting conditions are a bit tougher in South Africa during the month of February, but can be just as rewarding if done right.
 
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