hunting history – BookYourHunt Blog

Lions and Lion Lands. From “The Book of the Lion”, 1913, by Sir Alfred E. Pease

In my youth I believed myself so hemmed in by circumstances and duties that I thought I should never break through such barriers into the real world beyond. Conventionalities which then looked like a granite wall I have discovered to be a delusion. I have learnt that human beings do not always understand the language in which duty calls, and that by the use of a little force a hole can be made through the thorny zariba of circumstances by which the poor, impounded creature, whether peasant or potentate, may escape to taste of life.

The First Safari Book: Cornwallis Harris’s “Wild Sports of Southern Africa”

Africa / Hunting History / Hunting Stories

Many a page in the “Wild Sports of Southern Africa” may seem appaling for modern readers, both for the blatant racism and for hunting practices described. However, it is a document of an epoch, and inspired many later hunters and explorers. Here we reproduce an abstract from it.

Hunting in Northern China

Hunting History / Hunting Stories / Asia

Today, you can’t legally go hunting in China. A century ago, however, things were different, and you can find testimony on pages of old books. Here we reproduce a few extracts from one such book, “Fur and Feather in Northern China” by Arthur de Carle Sowerby, F.R.G.S., published in 1914. Bats, admittedly, are mentioned only in passing, but we hope you’ll enjoy the stories about wild sheep, wapiti, and antelope.

A collage of fallow deer antler, boar tusks, and other hunting-related objects

Monteria: Hunting like a king!

Hunting Tips and Techniques / BookYourHunt / Europe

Monteria is a classic Spanish and Portuguese hunt for big game, such as red stag and wild boar, using beaters and packs of hounds to drive animals towards hunters. It allows an opportunity to harvest many animals in a day of hunting, but it is a very challenging hunt, requiring advanced skills in game identification, shooting running, and keeping a cool head for safety. Elaborate rituals and excitement makes it a truly royal hunt.