Dukats Journal of Hunting

Times have changed and now there are numerous African hunting videos on the market.  So many, in fact, that it’s tough to decide what to spend your money on.  I’ll try to make that decision a little easier for you.  I haven’t seen them all, but I’ve seen enough to have a pretty good idea of what the best are and these are my top picks.

There were many things to consider when trying I was deciding how to develop this list.  There are instructional videos, kill shot videos, entertaining videos, and much more.  I have based my decisions primarily on excitement and entertainment and the quality of the video.  The bottom line is, if I had $40-$50 to spend on a video this is where I would spend the money.

So without further delay, here we go:

1.  Death by Double Rifle – Big Bore Productions
 
This video  features Mark Buchanan hunting in three African countries.  Although this is Mark’s first video, he spent several years filming, and packed this video with his best footage and most exciting hunts.  Mark takes four of the big five including elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard plus numerous plains game.  As the name suggests, all of the animals are taken with big bore double rifles.  Excluding the leopard, he takes the animals with open sights from close range.  The filming is over the shoulder with an elephant and buffalo charge, both concluding too close for comfort.  The video is raw hunting with a great variety of animals and ripe with hunting excitement. 

2.  The Mane Event – Sable Trail Productions

This video features former CNN correspondent Marc Watts on a safari in Tanzania.  Marc splits the safari between Masailand and the Selous, two of the top hunting destinations in the world.  Marc earned the name “Bwana Moja” on a previous safari, meaning one shot for his extreme accuracy with a rifle.  In this video Marc makes several amazing shots including a 503 yard shot on a zebra.  He hunts buffalo, lion, hippo, crocodile and more. The marksmanship in this video is amazing and that’s what moves it to #2 on list.  When you add Marc’s ease behind the camera and a storyline, you have one great video.

3.  Boddington on Leopard – Safari Classics Productions

Writer, Craig Boddington has been on over 65 safaris over the last 30 years and that number continues to grow every year.  He has hunted many species in Africa, but has found the leopard to be one of the most difficult prizes.  Professional hunter Andrew Dawson of Chifuti Safaris joins Craig in this video and proves to be a leopard hunting perfectionist, fooling some of the smartest cats in the bush.  I would classify this video as informational, but Craig does an amazing job of pulling the details of leopard hunting from Andrew and if you’ve ever dreamed of leopard hunting you need this video.  The quality of information and the on location shooting make this my #3 pick.

4.  The Ghost and the Darkness - Paramount

This is a Hollywood movie based on a true story of man-eating lions by Lt. Col. J.H. Patterson, D.S.O. written in 1907.  Col Patterson was assigned to build a bridge across the river Tsavo in Eastern Africa in the late 1800’s.  Soon after his arrival, two man-eating lions begin terrorizing the workers and are credited with over one hundred deaths.  Col. Patterson tries and fails many times to kill the lions, and the movie is about his hunt to save his employees and his career.  Every once in a while Hollywood gets it right.

5.  Death Rush – Nitro Express Safaris

What African hunting video list would be complete without at least one Mark Sullivan hunting video.  Mark is a professional hunter in Tanzania and has been filming his hunting for many years.  Mark’s philosophy is different than most, in that he moves in on dangerous game until they decide to charge or flee.  He uses big bore double rifles and waits until the last moment in a charge to make the kill shot.  This philosophy makes for some hair-raising, adrenaline filled charges and it’s keeps you on the edge of your seat.  This videos show the dangerous side of dangerous game and makes the list at #5 for the heart pumping factor. 

So there you have it.   A little of everything from entertainment to informative and what I feel are the best on the market.  The quality of African hunting videos is getting better all the time, so we have a lot to look forward to in the future.  There is no better way to prepare for hunting Africa than a good quality hunting video.