My true outdoor stories out of Africa....

[Observe]

Man, that looks like alot of fun.

I wonder how the big cats over there compare to our mountain lion. A hound may take several hours to work a trail out to where he can jump the cat. Once the hound does jump the cat though, the chase is usually very short as mountain lions have a very limited lung capacity and are unable to run long distances.



Tex

Tex, interesting....



vs

[unseenone]

Here is one from around the states (Utah) but they are all over the place. I think they are quite a bit smaller than some. Bear in mind game here is managed, not poached. This is supposed to keep a balance in the numbers, deer for example are heavily managed, down to the number of females that can be taken for example. Break the rules, pay the price, as Game Wardens are notorious for having more authority than any other Law Enforcement officer. I have seen evidence that fish are managed on even small boats via spy satellite. They will be waiting for you when you arrive back at port to fine you.

[Observe]

I am surprised by the size of it on the photo!
I have REALLY thought it is a bit smaller...
well you learn something new everyday!



Here is the original 'leopard CRAWL' LOL

[unseenone]

To put it into perspective, the fellow on the left is a friend who stands about 6 feet. I notice the two guys use an identical stance to hold them. There is a video of a hunt, it was taken with a Bow.

Neat pictures!!

A lot more on that particular video channel if you are curious. Unbelievable how high in the tree that cat is.

[Observe]

Now that is neat!
What IS THE WEIGHT OF ONE?
Leopard FEMALES are ABOUT 85 PD AND MALES ABOUT 115 PD

[unseenone]

I'll ask him now he's out of town..

[W.Lynn]

I've heard that lions and tigers will go into the usual "happy cat" routine if someone gives them catnip, has anyone ever given some to leopards and cheetahs?

I think I know what I'm going to look for on youtube today!

[Observe]

delete

[Observe]

.
see the puzzling thing?
how on earth did that porcupine got one of his own tail quils right between his eyes...???

[unseenone]

It's another porcupines quill. Ya, we have those too. The quill colors are a bit different though. Is he dinner? I can't quite make it out in the picture

[W.Lynn]

Quills make good beads.

[Observe]

My Porcupine kierie survival experiment…..



It is strange how some seemingly unrelated thoughts and random prior information can sometimes determine your actions, as happened to me the other day after reading an article about sustainable calorie intake in an active long term survival /bug-out situation. This excellent and thought provoking article had me thinking.....

I could not agree more with what was said in that article about how difficult it would be for the average modern man to survive sustainably over a long period of time out in the bush/wild.

Also it’s about that an active [walking, hunting, gathering, building etc] person in a survival situation needs about 2000-3000 calories per day, and what animal/plants will give you said calories...[Less calories per day and your body will start consuming itself [fat first] and then you are on a downhill curve.....]

A very rough calorie estimate of obtaining said 2000-3000 calories per day of choice meat [depending on the terrain etc.] would maybe require [but rarely sustainable or achievable in a survival situation!] something like the following: [plants added will help!]

[There could be lots of variations here----this is just a starting point to make you think of what would be required for ONE person only...]

weight type ¬+_ calories ¬+_portions Needed per day
1 egg Chicken 155 15
1 Flame grilled Chicken breast 250 5
1 kg Fish 850 3
1 kg Cooked beef 2000 1
1 kg Cooked Lamb 2500 1
1 kg Cooked pork 3650 1
1 kg Cooked rabbit 2000 1
1 kg porcupine 1300 2-3 days
1 30 gr mouse 30 80
1 300 gr rat 300 8

Sustainable and practical survival is really not that easy or all moonshine and roses as some popular reality T.V. programmes or egocentric bloggers want to B.S. the inexperienced masses out there......

I hope that you will like this practical photo chronicle adventure story of mine about a primitive hunt for porcupine in the Limpopo, from the making of a hunting club to the final conclusion and utilizing of the hunt, with the above mentioned info in mind and playing the 'what if....' game that only true survivalists/primitive hunters, old fools and the still young at heart tend to play when alone out there…!

One afternoon some months later, while I was [again unsuccessfully] solo primitive spear hunting warthog in Limpopo, I came across a 'live' [active] porcupine hole in the ground, half concealed under a brush. Then, as I stood looking at that hole, I suddenly started thinking back about what I’ve recently been reading on the net by a lot of clever armchair primitive provider hunting ‘experts’, and their theorizing without any real practical experience of the reality out there, about how they would survive out in the bush with only the basic of equipment.

I don’t say here for a moment that it could not be done, as sustainable survival has been done by many all over the world and in different terrain, [I myself have learned many useful things about this topic on the net.], and of course you can theoretically kill an elephant with just a knife, or cut off a finger to feed yourself in bad circumstances, but really, I must sometimes question some of these ‘expert’s advice on some of these blogs….!

I decided on the spot to hunt that porcupine that night, not with my spear, but with a self-made hunting club, just to try a different solo primitive hunting method under African conditions ….
If somebody else could learn something from my adventures [and many-many failures!], I would be very happy, but really, I do these things from a young age purely for my own experiences…..

First, after founding this potential meat source [porcupine] location, is finding a suitable branch in a tree from which to create a sturdy club [or kierie as we call it in this part of the world] that is going to be used to dispatch the porcupine.
The branch selected is indicated on the photo if you look carefully...




One of my various EDC knives in the bush that day is a handy and versatile Victorinox folder with a potent little saw blade with which I first removed the unrequired branches from the tree.



I next started to clean and shape the branch with my bigger blade [In this case a cold steel recon scout]...



Here I'm nearly finished ‘smoothing’ it down, and finishing both the ends of the kierie... [I truly believe that for this type of primitive hunting situations, to carry a 3- blade combo on my person at all times, ---a good multi-tool, a skinner/bushcaft knife and a bigger fixed blade belt knife] ---observe my old army boots...lol



Here is the end product with a nicely weighted 'head' on one side, and a hole at the other end for a piece of rope to put around my wrist when hitting...
[It took me about an hour to make it—far less time than it took me to try and write this article! lol!]



Here is my hunting kierie on the right of the picture, with the porcupine hole in the back ground half under the bush, [tonight I'll visit it...]




That night, after a long time of sitting in the moonlight patiently and quietly waiting for it to emerge from its hole, finally success!
Although the moonlight was not that bright due to some clouds, it's excellent senses let it became aware of me as soon as I quickly advanced on it with my raised club, and just before I could whack it, it started turning its back on me [so as to provide me with its dangerous and extremely sharp and germ invested quills.]

The first blow aimed at its head connected it on its side, but before it could recover, I fortunately enough got a second hit in and connected it with my kierie again --this time on the head and thereby killing it instantly...

As an experienced rifle and bow hunter, standing there in the quiet night listening to the ‘death-rattle’ of its quivers, let me be the first one to tell you that I know that I was extremely fortunate and lucky during this hunt, as it's not really that easy as it sounds here, and I’ll probably never be able to do it again!

I then called the game ranch owner and my good friend on my mobile to come and pick me and my prey up with his truck and called it a [successful] hunting night.
[It’s not always that save/brave to stumble about 5 km through the dense and dark Bushveld in the cloudy moonlight night where there are leopard and hyena [not to even mention poisonous snakes, scorpions etc!] in attendance, carrying a bleeding animal and armed only with my belt knife and my hunting kierie—I really wanted to push this primitive hunting adventure only this far!]

I’m sure it could be done, [by younger or braver hunters than me] but my adventure and experiment of proofing to myself that solo hunting a porcupine with a home-made kierie could be achieved by an average hunter in a survival/provider crises situation was over as far as I was concerned...

Here is the kierie and the porcupine the next morning.



It makes a delicious meal, and stewed in a cast iron pot with potatoes etc., you would swear its lamb, as it got lovely tender red meat!



Here is the porcupine with my 7‘- hunting knife to give some perspective of its quills.



African porcupines are also quite capable to defend themselves against big apex predators like leopard and such in the wild...



Here are some porcupine quills for size comparison. The porcupine is Africa’s biggest and the prickliest of rodents. Its Latin name means "quill pig." Some quills, like those of Africa's crested porcupine, are nearly a foot (30 centimetres) long. A porcupine can live up to 7 years old and weigh in at 25-35 pd [12-16 kg]—In the above scenario, my porcupine of about 10-12 kg would have fed 2 active people for maybe 2-3 days.......



Here is my next primitive hunting adventure that I'm already planning / dreaming of....
Using my cold steel bushman knife to make a spear with on location, and then to hopefully successfully walk- and-stalk ethically solo primitive hunting a warthog with it...



Well, next year if all goes well I will make a photo chronicle of that hunting adventure as well.
Until next time, and always remember that it’s primarily all about the ethical hunting [experience] and not the blood!

Take care and keep sharp!

[tk]

There is nothing like a porky's quill that will keep traveling under the skin faster. With its barbed end it just keeps inching along with any movement. I have pulled quills from my hounds and you always seem to miss one or two that had broken off that causes problems later. I agree totally meat isn't always easy to acquire and even a slow moving porky will go undetected in the brush or up a tree when your standing right next to them. That's why I think the edible plants and vegetation is very important to know (AND I DONT KNOW MUCH) in your area because you will need these as much as meat and it will stand still and let you harvest it. But a winter survival situation here will be all meat .

[Observe]

Life is tough out there....!

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[Observe]

It doesn't matter who you are...
out there you will always be challenged!!