You guys really don't have a clue.

so instead of making us all sound like *******s maybe you should tell us what you think

I second the request from bowtech. Please enlighten us.

I didn't see the show and no way would I want to shoot a rhino with a dart from 15 yards but............... here is your enlightenment.

The whole reason there are huntable populations (darts or bullets) of rhinos is a direct result of the selling of tags to hunt them in the first place. At one time the white rhino (I thnk) was left to only a couple breeding pairs left in the world.

I can't remember all of the details but a man who aparently had these rhinos on his land, or somehow aquired them, or what ever, sold off a tag for an ungodly ammount of money and began funding research, and conservation efforts for these rhinos If it were not for the incredibly rich "dumb arses" that like this sort of thing there would not be any rhino left on this planet to see, much less look at in National Geographic.

Basically he made it so the rhino was worth more to the governments alive then they were worth dead which prompted the governments involvement to initiate protection for the rhinos and begin capturing, prosecuting, or shooting on sight poachers of rhinos.

Aside from that once the rhino is drugged and down valuable data is collected from the animal for scientific research which has a direct impact on the overall health and population of these animals. It's not just for a photo op with a rhino.


It is tragic that this particular rhino had to be killed the way it was but get and know the facts surrounding a hunt like this before you start bashing people like this.

Bigbulls, I did happen to know all of the facts behind it just like you stated about the data collection and the money for protection of the species. I guess I just don't agree with letting any Tom, Dick, and Harry go out and dart a rhinoceros. There are so many factors that can go wrong that to me it just seems that the risks outwiegh the rewards. The situation with the charging had to end the way it did or the hunters would have been hurt bad, if not killed, but I think that putting that kind of thing on television is just going to add fuel to the fire down the road regardless of how many good things come from the money that hunters are putting into the research and conservation efforts of these animals. I am the first to agree that what is being done for the rhinos is incredible and to have a stable population again back from the edge of extinction is amazing, but it just needs to be handled a little differently for the public eye. I'm not trying to argue with you, I know that you are a well respected member on HuntingNet and not a pot-stirrer.

There are many factors and situations that can go wrong in all types of hunts. Rhino as well as elephant dart hunts are both very successful ways of raising money for not only the preservation of future elephant and rhino populations but also huntable populations of both elephant and rhinoceros. I should also note that dart hunts are still done on a permit basis. You are not allowed, even if you technically own the rhino, to dart that animal more than a small number of times in a given year. In most cases, when a dart hunt has taken place, a veterinarian will be on hand to perform routine check-ups on the animal which has been darted.
I got a bad taste in my mouth not about the circumstance in which this hunter and his PH were put in, but how you portrayed the events that unfolded. Saying the guy shot a charging rhino in the head sounds a lot less emotional then saying he shot it in the face as it struggled to get to it's feet. If you get a chance, watch an elephant hunt or a buffalo hunt. Often times, even when shot with a lethal shot, these animals will continue to charge. Until the animal has been completely dispatched, they still pose a strong threat to the hunter, PH, and anyone else in that hunting party.

Yes there should have definetly been some sort of introduction about what was going on in the "hunt" before the show even started and why it was being conducted the way it was.

Should this show been televised? Seeing as how just this simple thread has everyone outraged about the killing of this rhino. People can jump to conclusions real quick if they don't know the reasons and efforts behind something like this. And they probably didn't need to show the hunter jumping around like he accomplished anything other than not getting killed. Having said that I don't see why it shouldn't be televised. Though it sounds as if it could have used a bit more editing so as not to make us hunters look like such an asanine group to the general public.

One thing to remember though is that someone has to get within 15 yards of this animal in order to drug it to collect the data needed and regardless of who is doing the dart shooting they are just as likely to be charged as this hunter was. May as well be making a bunch of money from it from rich hunters to better fund conservation efforts.

I assure you guys that this rhino did not go to waste at all. Within an hour or two the locals would have had that animal completely butchered.

I'm not positive that 15 yards is the maximum distance for dart guns. I'm almost certain that there are darts with longer ranges. The rhinoceros is a dangerous animal. One of Africas Big Five. I've had the fortune of being on Rhino dart hunts. I've also been in very very close quarters with different rhinos. I had one situation where I was only 7' feet from a rhino. Was it a very dangerous situation, of course it was. If he charged would I have been shooting, probably not. If that same rhino were to charge and I had a client, a cameraman, a veterinarian, a tracker, and God knows what else behind me would I have shot, probably.

And BTW, TurkeyStalker, stuff like this just kills me. I don't know whether to laugh or get pissed:
TurkeyStalker:
"I don't agree with the safari hunts either. "

I agree with you on the data collection, and how it's useful for scientifics and the like. I don't nescesarilly like the idea of hunters darting them, if it was landowners or people who were in charge of the research it'd be alright. I'm not upset with the situation, personally I just don't agree with the situation of darting by hunters. I appreciate you responding however, caused it seemed as though you were just shooting off. Once again I appreciate your explanation.