If you've never seen the Kalahari Desert, or ever wondered exactly which game animal the world's most famous Bwana considers the most dangerous, then this fine video is a must watch. To a much greater degree than most hunting videos I've seen, this one captures the true intensity of hunting dangerous game. When Professional Hunter (PH) Ronnie Blackbeard and client hunter Ken Wilson follow trackers close to a gigantic Kalahari Lion there is an intensity bordering on outright apprehension. As PH Blackbeard says to client Wilson "If he charges, for goodness sake, take him from the truck because we're all in danger on the back of this vehicle."
Indeed, there is much talk about lion charges and "getting nailed" by one. And as Peter Hathaway Capstick points out "I don't think there's anything more dangerous to hunt under bush conditions such as we have here." As a natural predator, a lion is a genetically programmed killing machine and throughout this video there's an intensity of awareness and purpose in the other natural predator (man) seen in few others. Truly, hunting Simba is a much different proposition than potting a gemsbok, springbok, blesbok, wildebeast, hartebeast, or any other of the myriad "boks" and "beasts" in all of Africa,... or any place else.
Capstick turns down a shootable male lion with a mane not quite big enough. The lion is part of a pride with a female lion wounded in some unknown way. Capstick theorizes that if they continue following the pride the lioness would undoubtedly charge and he'd be forced to shoot her. So, they leave.
Only one lion is taken on film and although it's a monster the shooting sequence is not brilliant. The lion is obscured by brush and there's simply no safe way for the cameraman to get closer. Nonetheless, this is quite a good video. The discussions and hunting stories are interesting, a shower stall is ravaged by lions passing through camp at night and there's footage of beautiful real estate in both the Chobe and the Kalahari.
If you've never seen Botswana's Kalahari Desert you're in for a surprise. It's not the "hot rocks, snakes and toasted scrub" that the Namibian deserts are (or that much of the American West is). Not to say there are no snakes or that it doesn't fit the formal definition of a desert (a place of "little or no rainfall") but simply that it's not what most people think. The Kalahari is a savannah, a beautiful golden brown grassland interspersed with stands of green trees and assorted brushy plants. It is scenic, and except when Simba's prowling or growling, peaceful and serene.
This video is informative, interesting and surprising. And even though only one lion is taken, it conveys the spirit of the hunt much better than most. And, it takes you to Africa's land of enchantment: The Kalahari Desert.