The Dangerous Game Designation

rooihond

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The Dangerous Game / DG designation for most on the list is usually intuitive and easy to figure out. What I am a bit cloudy on is how the lines were drawn. Is it likelihood of serious injury, likelihood of death, size of the particular species, tradition, a combination?

I can see how the Cape Buffalo makes the cut. Lions, too. Things get a bit more confusing when it comes to the Nile Crocodile. Yes, it can be extremely dangerous, especially when it is approaching you on its own terms. But when the distance closes on your terms it does not have a tendency to charge and is generally shy. I understand that your stalk and recovery of trophy may bring you into risky territory but that goes for other hunts not classified as dangerous as well.

Then there is the Bushbuck. It certainly has the attitude and equipment, but is it just not big enough to receive the label?

Several others come to mind but you probably get the idea. I thought that I would find a thread on this but came up empty. Big game classification came up but the scope of my question encompasses dangerous game only. Does anybody know the official criteria if there is such a thing?
 
We have talked about it already.

Dress up like a warthog and go down by the water edge. There is a good youtube video on what will happen. Many people get killed by crocs...whether they are fishing, gathering water or washing clothes. Crocs are deadly. I have a healthy respect for them.
 
Being a Top predator I can see croc in there, hippo a large Herbivore which could potentially display aggressive behavioral patterns ... Unlike Giraffe and definitely more so than wildebeest..

I believe they were classed by our founding hunters by the sheer danger involved when hunting such species and finding one self in a less desirable position.

Yes bushbuck can be tricky but most definitely not more so than most dangerous game when wounded or un wounded for that matter.

Interesting thread.

My best always
 
When my dad shot his croc someone had to retrieve it, this time it was the apprentice and a tracker. All the while there was a small pod of hippos just South of him, and we knew there was a few of the croc's mates in the water as well. Needless to say it was very tense and I was terrified for both of the men. Thank God it all turned-out okay. Crocs are very clever, very fast and absolutely one of the top five most dangerous animals in Africa. One thing with the croc or any reptile for that matter is their slow metabolism. You can shoot them in the brain but they have a nasty habit of living-on for quite a while. Even if they are considered "dead" they can still cause lethal injuries in the throes of dying. I defo think they are classified as DG for obvious reasons. Excellent question for the forum rooihond. I look forward to the answers the rest of the clan here can provide.
 
We have talked about it already.

Dress up like a warthog and go down by the water edge. There is a good youtube video on what will happen. Many people get killed by crocs...whether they are fishing, gathering water or washing clothes. Crocs are deadly. I have a healthy respect for them.

I will keep at it with the search button.

I certainly don't question that they are deadly. I will be hunting with a huge amount of respect. Probably even more respect when I am actually in its presence and in range and even more if I can help with a waterborne recovery. It's the classification process that I don't understand.
 
Being a Top predator I can see croc in there, hippo a large Herbivore which could potentially display aggressive behavioral patterns ... Unlike Giraffe and definitely more so than wildebeest..

I believe they were classed by our founding hunters by the sheer danger involved when hunting such species and finding one self in a less desirable position.

Yes bushbuck can be tricky but most definitely not more so than most dangerous game when wounded or un wounded for that matter.

Interesting thread.

My best always

Thank you, Mr. Strauss!

You see what I'm getting at.
 
When my dad shot his croc someone had to retrieve it, this time it was the apprentice and a tracker. All the while there was a small pod of hippos just South of him, and we knew there was a few of the croc's mates in the water as well. Needless to say it was very tense and I was terrified for both of the men. Thank God it all turned-out okay. Crocs are very clever, very fast and absolutely one of the top five most dangerous animals in Africa. One thing with the croc or any reptile for that matter is their slow metabolism. You can shoot them in the brain but they have a nasty habit of living-on for quite a while. Even if they are considered "dead" they can still cause lethal injuries in the throes of dying. I defo think they are classified as DG for obvious reasons. Excellent question for the forum rooihond. I look forward to the answers the rest of the clan here can provide.

The risk of that kind of recovery really adds to the attraction of my upcoming hunt. Great story. I hope that I return with a good one to share. I didn't consider the reptilian ability to keep crankin after suffering a fatal injury regarding DG classification. It's interesting how reptiles and some of their bird cousins are able to keep going. I agree that they are very deadly. I think I may be looking at the classification process in the wrong way. Thanks, I hope this will stir up some good info for all!
 
Well, thank you, the story actually turned out to be really funny. The apprentice whilst trying to rope the croc saw it's eyelid blink, poor kid literally, ("The F*&king thing's still alive!" I remember him saying) and I mean LITERALLY, ran so fast he hydroplaned to the little sandbar about 25 yards away. I swear he was faster than the speed of sound. We nicknamed him "Jesus" after that day. Good luck on your quest for a monster croc, I wanted to go for one too but they only had the one on quota. :rockon:
 
It's interesting how reptiles and some of their bird cousins are able to keep going. I agree that they are very deadly. Thanks, I hope this will stir up some good info for all![/QUOTE]

you have to love that, adrenalin gland
 
Well, thank you, the story actually turned out to be really funny. The apprentice whilst trying to rope the croc saw it's eyelid blink, poor kid literally, ("The F*&king thing's still alive!" I remember him saying) and I mean LITERALLY, ran so fast he hydroplaned to the little sandbar about 25 yards away. I swear he was faster than the speed of sound. We nicknamed him "Jesus" after that day. Good luck on your quest for a monster croc, I wanted to go for one too but they only had the one on quota. :rockon:

That just made a great story better! Hydroplaning is a better response than what first comes to mind and he got a cool nickname with pizzazz! I train hard but I have never tried the Jesus run. Thanks for the luck. I believe that I just may need every bit I can get.
 
It's interesting how reptiles and some of their bird cousins are able to keep going. I agree that they are very deadly. Thanks, I hope this will stir up some good info for all!

you have to love that, adrenalin gland[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I still have a tendency to stare in morbid amazement.
 
That just made a great story better! Hydroplaning is a better response than what first comes to mind and he got a cool nickname with pizzazz! I train hard but I have never tried the Jesus run. Thanks for the luck. I believe that I just may need every bit I can get.

I will live vicariously through you my friend, please update us all when you go on your hunt.. I am not exaggerating, I swear this kid flew across the water to that sandbar ( the depth of the pond was maybe about one meter) and he made it there before we heard him scream.. Damn I only wish I had the video. That croc was still angry when he was finally brought ashore even though my dad's shot was true. Great time for sure. You'll be great!!
 
I will live vicariously through you my friend, please update us all when you go on your hunt.. I am not exaggerating, I swear this kid flew across the water to that sandbar ( the depth of the pond was maybe about one meter) and he made it there before we heard him scream.. Damn I only wish I had the video. That croc was still angry when he was finally brought ashore even though my dad's shot was true. Great time for sure. You'll be great!!

:) I will post the story no matter what the outcome. Thanks again!
 
Haha! I see I'd better watch my sentence structure around here!
 
There are some funny stories about warthog and bushpig turning out to be dangerous. A friend of mine once got a real nasty bite from a supposedly dead warthog when trying to put a stone in its mouth for the after the hunt pictures!
 
Sometimes I also ask myself why some animals are put in the DG category and others are not.
What is the criteria for being a DG?
The risk of it attacking you with the potential to kill you when you hunt it?
The risk of it attacking you with the potential to kill you if it is wounded?
The fact that it has attacked and sometimes killed people unprovoked?
 
Sometimes I also ask myself why some animals are put in the DG category and others are not.
What is the criteria for being a DG?
The risk of it attacking you with the potential to kill you when you hunt it?
The risk of it attacking you with the potential to kill you if it is wounded?
The fact that it has attacked and sometimes killed people unprovoked?

I think the criteria would be its potential to cause harm and/or death.
As an (dumb) example, poke a hole in a Sable at 40yards and it probably wont turn around and try stick its right horn up your a**, poke a hole in a lioness and she may turn around with a look that says "nice try, now its my turn sunshine"!

I tend to think the common DG that we know of fit that bill, although I would not like to get too close to an injured Sable, I still won't classify it as DG. Dangerous under a unique circumstance, yes, but all wild animals can be dangerous under unique circumstances.

The fact the Buff, Croc, Ele, Hippo, Leopard, Lion and Rhino are more capable of harming/killing under a wider variety of circumstances would make it DG in my opinion.
But that's my opinion only.

On a lighter note, maybe we can add Mosquito's and Mamba's to our list of DG??!??! :crazylol:
 

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