African Predator

Here is a brief comment on myths and real truths; also please note I do not make direct remarks against anybody here but just talk in general – I decided to put this on my website as I do get many guys who really are bambooooozled by crap that people talk. In English we have the perfect saying “Bullshit baffles brains” and you had better believe it.

We sat around a fire this past hunt and talked in general about things, and then a friend of mine commented to the farmers because the one farmer said he will not pay but the hunters drove over 1,600 kilos to his farm etc etc, so my friend commented that “ja, he shoots often and is fully booked all year and is paid no matter how many he kills” All I can say is dream on, you are just another sucker who believes crap people talk.

I had a friend who now lives in the UK, he used to hunt antelope etc, and then a few times a year hunted jackal as a hobby, after a few months he gathered a few farms who wanted jackal removed, he never asked money as it was a hobby etc. He killed a good few in a few years and had very nice success, (I remember once he sent me a photo of 13 he had klapped one night and I was very envious of him) then he purchased upper market equipment and started doing it more than ever, but due to his outlay he then approached the farmers who had given him permission to hunt the lands (4 in total) and asked them for some kind of contribution as it gets expensive, using the bakkie, diesel, equipment etc, and HE LOST ALL THE FARMS WITHIN 2DAYS!

This brings me to my point – I personally, in over my last 10 years have met ONE GUY who was so happy I killed his jackal that he INSISTED to pay me, I have never besides this guy met any other farmer willing to pay me ANY amount to kill jackals, NOT A CENT! To many now especially farming is no longer profitable and most now go to other avenues like guest houses and other things to help pay farm costs as to only farm with stock like sheep no longer pays well enough as most the stock is stolen / poached or killed by predator

So, enter the guy who claims to hunt every month and ask amazing figures for killed jackal and who claim to be all so busy, fat chance!

Here is an example, lets say a farmer pays a jackal hunter to sweep the farm often and every time the hunter kills 5-10 jackal and lets say he comes 3 times a month, that’s a total of about 30 jackal at R650-00 each, making it a figure of R19, 500 so a farmer who is now days finding it hard to farm sheep, pays a hunter R19, 500 a month to kill jackal and then he must still farm with profit!!! Sure, so lets put this myth to rest, think about it, before you get indoctrinated by crap people talk think about it, simply put “BULLSHIT BAFFLES BRAINS”.

Put it simpler, lets say he pays a hunter to come once a month and the hunter kills 15 jackal, that’s R650-00 times 15 dogs, that is R9,750-00 plus travelling and other expenses, so tell me, how many farmers you know who are willing to pay a hunter just once a month?? How many do you know? Send me an e mail and tell me, I already know the answer – NOBODY. He can’t farm profitably anymore, or most cant, and now he is going to throw away R10 grand in one day, yeh sure!

I personally since 2007 am very involved with the manufacturing aspect in my business and no longer make it my business to get contracts to hunt jackal, sure I do have a few places, I have 5 spots I am paid to kill jackal, BUT I don’t go to the farms all the time, so a farmer isn’t making out large cheques or such, and due to my business many times, I slip away to just go enjoy myself and klap a few, all I ask is my fuel is covered and if at a strange farm that I am funded for a few dogs. I do not do this to make money – anyway even if I tried most of them don’t pay, so you are back to square one anyway.

Farming today with stock is not easy - and as example, I know a client who had 250 springbuck, within 1 year he lost 80% of them all due to jackal, BUT HEY this guys pays also to shoot the jackals right? – yeh sure!!!!

Don’t be fooled, it’s the same as amounts quoted by individuals who kill truck loads full of jackals ( don’t forget the paid part), I speak to many people EVERYDAY within the borders of my business, and I spoke to a person who was asked to help produce a movie of jackal hunting, in a province in SA, he told me straight that a well known guy is COLD, a totally overated person who by the way claims to shoot loads of them, the caller told me that he is far overated, has no idea how to do it properly and is all mouth, and totally wasted his time in trying to film anything, no wonder this hero does not have a website!

Another thing that pops up is SERVICE, in my business I am 100% dedicated to customer service, since 20 years back, till today I have treated all my customers well, I have NEVER HAD any unhappy clients, or just customers that have problems, if this is a lie I challenge you, tell me who was unhappy and I will throw in a free gift for you! Because I have never had any unhappy customers! I give EVERY CLIENT A GIFT when they place an order with me to show my respect and on ordering I supply courier tracking numbers immediately, I do not mess people around, and believe that they are willing to spend their money with me so I treat them well, so now that you have read this, how many of you if running a business also do this?

It is time to put myths to rest, don’t get caught up in crap spun by many that claim to do this and that, if you are a hunter reading this, ask yourself, how many farmers do you know who will pay with a blank cheque for jackals and cats shot anytime at his farm, especially if he knows you will get at least more than 6-8 every time, chances are you wont know any!

This is the ONLY jackal I ever killed in over 12 years that the farmer out of his own said to me that he wants to pay me for it, most want it done for free!

I went out on this particular hunt with a client from Montagu one night quickly as he wanted to see how a Foxpro worked; this was 12 years ago, we made a set up and I called in this dog, when we got back he insisted to pay me, this is the ONLY man I ever met who INSISTED to pay me, since then 12 years later I still haven’t met any other farmer willing to pay at all, but yes so many hunters are so busy they cant keep up, yeh right – O by the way I am a professional.

The bottom line is many guys talk the talk, but not many actually show proof of what they claim, also remember that different areas also dictate the totally you can get, for instance if I hunted Natal to shoot 120 jackal a month is not hard, Namibia they are pretty easy to call also, but then try the small Karoo, you wont get the same results from here, they are more cunning, intelligent and just plain wiser!

In 2007 I went calling in Natal and Namibia with overseas clients, Natal yielded us in 3 nights, 8,5 and 13 – total in 3 nights was 26, and then we went to Namibia, and shot 26 jackal in 9 hours ( 2 nights) this was a total of 52 jackal in a total of 5 days( we have this on DVD). So, to get high results in good areas is not hard, BUT many people claim very unrealistic totals and also claim that most farmers are all waiting with open arms to pay – what crap.

The moment you start your bakkie and drive to a farm, especially if its far from you, and you must drive more than 50 kilos to reach it, if you shoot less than 6 jackal at R650-00 each that night it is NOT worth going as you make nothing at all, taking wear and tear of truck, fuel, equipment used, telephone calls etc, and time factors, after you get back, and look at that hunt minus all the overheads you will see you make ZERO, it will only pay if you get R650-00 per jackal, drive no more than 50 kilos, and kill 10 plus, then it starts to pay, otherwise its not really worth the effort, and the farmer sits at home with a valuable farm while you freeze you ass off and get no profits from the deal.

Recently my friend blew his Isuzu motor, a 250 D on a farm, it cost him R35,000 to fix it, PLUS towing fees etc, the farmer is still wealthy , even more so due to less jackal on his farm, but my friend has to now make up that loss, and again driving on farms, over rocks, scratching his bakkie and abusing it and to earn money for shooting 3-5 jackals a weekend, and then driving 300 kilos back home, nee wat ou maat, think outside the box.

UNLESS you drive no more than 50 kilos to a farm, cover no more than 10 kilos on it, shoot 10 plus jackals for that time period and get R650-00 a dog its NOT worth the effort, your costs far override your profits. At the end of the day you will make zero, accountability and profitability must be very well understood and thoroughly looked over before you go call a farm and expect to make a profit.

To close read this letter, I wrote this to a friend who had a farmer who contacted him, read this, as this is what I deal with many days of a month and no longer do charity work.

O pal, jammer but as discussed with my partners these last months especially after that Danielskuil story that cost me money, I am no longer allowing myself to be abused by ANY farmer again.

You said we must pay for our food on the trip, and pay fuel to Willowmore, then my fuel to you and back, then our equipment we use at night, and we shoot jackals free! and your CHOMMA as you quorted isnt willing to pay anything.

So, John Doe, I ask you this - what is he contributing from his side, so let me get this straight, you are saying I drive to you costing me money and back again (200 kilos), then we pay fuel to his farm (600 kilos ONE WAY) and we must pay to feed ourselves, and he isnt even willing to give us food! but wants us to shoot jackals as "they maak hom klaar" as you say, then we leave his farm and he sits pretty and I am even poorer than when I arrived as I must lay out all that money to shoot his jackals.

Does he even know that the night vision alone we use is valued at R45,000 !!! no matter all the other stuff we use!

Well all I can say is tell him to go to ........ seems like he and many others think all the equipment we use is free, guns are free, bullets are free, fuel is free, wear and tear is free, our bakkies are free, night vision is free, Foxpro callers are free, food is free, batterys we use are free, and all other hunting aspects are free, not to mention our time is also free! Maybe the farmer also farms for free ( I bet you not!)

Amazing that many of them cry poverty but buy new bakkies every year, they can do that because they use guys like us!

A few of the guys I know no longer hunt jackal for money / bounty rewards, they have given up and go to other avenues to look at making money, even at this time (2009 July) the economy is bad so Americans and other tourists are not coming over to hunt as all are feeling the economic meltdown, and to take out locals to hunt isn’t worth it and to many it is far to expensive anyway, so these hunters that no longer hunt jackal have another walls to climb as to guide on hunts isn’t paying either, and what it pays isn’t worth the time and effort. Sure some people get paid to call jackal sometimes, but mostly it’s a smoke screen!