We can talk about this till kingdom come. If you do not take to driving on small properties and shooting from the back of the truck then I'm sorry for the luck you had. Good thing is you asked for walking and seemingly got it. There are a number of us, including Hack, who are working at uplifting the image of hunting in SA to the level where the typical idea of p&t hunting is dead and buried. Unfortunately perceptions are very hard to change. It's a difficult road but one worth following in the end.
First time I went to the US in '06 I spoke to a rather well-known US outfitter in the mid-West who sold a 400+ class elk for 12k. I was impressed with the quality of his pictures being close and all. He had the elk in a 4 acre enclosure with three other bulls and the hunter was on his way to hunt the animal the following week-end. I will be the last person to be complaining about the splinter in your eye while I have a log in mine, this is just to say that p&t hunting is not limited to SA alone.
I feel it is rather harsh to want to say that 80% of animals are hunted from the back of a truck in SA. Maybe with the company/ies you hunted with but certainly not with mine. Hack, maybe you can comment about your company but what I know of you I would be willing to wager you agree with me.
There have been hunters who wanted to shoot from the truck and I have allowed it. Some people have an illness/heart trouble/disability and cannot do the physical part. Also, what do you do on the very last day at last light, it's your only trip to Africa and you have but seconds to make a decision and your dream kudu is standing right there. It all depends on the hunter. Have had one who refused to shoot his animal from the truck, last day, last moments of daylight. I also respect his decision.
There are some nyala in the North West Province and yes they have been introduced. When I have no idea. Neither do I know how many generations they have been there but does that make it wrong to hunt them if they fully sustain themselves by natural reproduction? Australia would then have a similar hunting issue like hunting fallow deer, chittel and feral hogs. Hunting in New Zealand would be limited to the protected kiwi bird and not fallow deer, elk/wapiti, himalayan tahr, red deer and so on.
There are no springbok in Kruger. If we have to start defining where the Kalahari is that's going to be another major point of discussion!
Please accept that there are great outfitters and hunting companies in South Africa just as there are great outfitters in the US, Europe and Australasia. I also accept that there are outfitters here who are not the real deal.
Would you be willing to try a statement like: the company I hunted with says that 80% of their clients shoot from the back of a truck because they (the clients) preferred to do so?
