Green hunting or "catch and release"

[jjhack]

How do you feel about hunting for the biggest dangerous game with a dart gun and M99? At 60 grand or more to kill a white rhino it allows hunters to track on foot, stalk and get to 35-40 yards for a shot at a huge White rhino. If hit properly it will go dwon in a few hundred yards or less. Photo's can be taken and the rhino is given an antidote which brings him back to fully functional in about 30 seconds to one minute. I have done this often for parks and landowners but we often have this opportunity when hunters are on site. It's not nearly as expensive to set up a green hunt for rhino as it is to shoot one. It is also much MUCH more of a hunt to get within 35 yards then to shoot one from 50-75 yards away.

 

[marmot]

I like the idea. You get the hunting experience and no taxidermy bill. I think I would just have to put my initials on his horn with a magic marker.

Is it safe for the animal, no danger of him croaking and what would happen if he did?

 

[jjhack]

There is an expense to the hunter to do this hunt. The costs are as follows. A vet must be on site, there must be a helecopter on site, and there must be a PH with the hunter. The costs run anywhere from 2000.00 to 8000.00 bucks for these kinds of hunts depending upon the local costs for the chopper and the vet. We also have an insurance policy for accidental death from any cause. We have never lost a single rhino and will only allow each one to be darted twice per year and never more then once in 6 months. The chopper is on standby in case we cannot find him when he drops. You have about 20 minutes maximum before he dies if he falls poorly and crushes his lungs and cannot breath. They leave little to nothing in the way of tracks and no blood to follow. We also need the chopper to scare off the others in the herd who often stand around the one that is darted. Over all it's a fantastic experience hunting one of the premier game animals remaining on this planet.

 

[wildlifedesigner]

Dont worry about not bieng able to add it to your trophy room, they now make cast rhino shoulder and even a lifesize mount. If properly done it will look great.

 

[RIFLEMAN]

    I've never heard of the term "Green Hunting" before, and up 'til now, I thought us houndhunters were the only ones to catch and release our game (hogs, bears, lions, bobcats, fox and raccoon).

    You already addressed my concerns regarding the frequency that an individual animal could be darted, so I truly cannot think of any overwhelming harm to it.  

    What a potentially wonderful concept!    

 

[jjhack]

This can only be done with certain species. If it was done with say a Kudu I think the hyenas would find it before you would. I Kudu would vanish once darted, not even a helecopter would likely find it! This is limited to the biggest species and invloves some of risk for both the hunter and hunted because of the range involved.

We tried Painball as well which worked well but you cannot get photos with the game and most people really want the photo's for their "trophy" at home. I know I would want something to display from the hunt.