BUSHPIGS WITH DAVE
These ugly but beautiful creatures of the night. They live most of their active lives in the dark, unseen by most people, living in groups called sounders.
I was seven (7) years old, on a family trip to Cape Town in 1966, when we visited a zoo in the Knysna area and it was then that I saw my first Bushpig. The image of this wild beast fascinated me and stuck in my mind for many years.
I started hunting the Potamochoerus Porcus, Bushpig, at the age of 16. In those days Bushpig were only found on the coast of South Africa and moved inland many years later. If memory serves me correctly, it was in the late 70’s that the rapid development of urban areas and cities forced the Bushpig to move inland where forests and farmlands provided perfect habitat for the Bushpigs. It is for this reason that the Bushpig population has exploded into areas they were never in before and in some areas the destruction of agriculture, mainly maize has become a problem resulting in loss of revenue for farmers.
In Zimbabwe, it was the development of very large agricultural farming and extremely large uninhabited bush areas that allowed the Bushpig population to explode.
I had the privilege of being able to hunt Bushpig in Zimbabwe for many years. I have spent hundreds of hours at night pursuing these highly intelligent beasts. I have endured cold winter nights, wet rainy nights and have slept in maize lands for days on end in pursuit of the Bushpig. I have shot them at such close quarters sometimes having to find the courage to pursue the next one. I have had some very hairy but exciting moments.
Being successful in pig hunting requires patience and more patience. There is no better feeling than tip-toeing around the forest late at night, the moon reflecting its light through the tree tops and the stillness of the forest. It is really good for the soul.
It was never about fame for me. It was the passion of hunting Bushpigs that has given me this valuable knowledge and the success of having hunted hundreds of pigs. I do not want to come across as the “big I am” or what people refer to as a “When we”, I have just done this type of work all my life and I am good at it.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to offer my expertise in the field of problematic animal control and anti-poaching together with farm sitting, to any person or organisation that has a need of such services, also including hunting outfitters that may need assistance in pre-baiting of difficult species such as cats.
Since leaving Zimbabwe 10 years ago, I have been running a large game / hunting operation in Mpumalanga. I have now retired and have moved to Mooi River, where I have bought a house and to be closer to my son, Rob Lotter, who is currently working for Waikato Dairies.
I qualified as a professional hunter in Zimbabwe and have hunted extensively over the past 30+ years in Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. I was very involved with the Anti Poaching unit of National Park Zimbabwe. As a young man I did wild pig control for many farmers and over the years have gained the recognition of having shot over 1000 Bushpig, hence the reason my hunting safari business was called Hogs Safaris.
The methods I used, ranged from using dogs, walk and stalk (especially in the maize lands)., pit traps and hides / blinds. Further to this, the weapons that I use all have the latest silencers that are made in Finland and are unique in that they have a built in muzzle brake which makes them exceptionally quiet and this allows me to shoot more than one pig a night and also does not disturb people or other animals in the area.
If you have a pig problem, I will resolve it. I will arrive at your premises, pitch my tent and stay on the property until I have shot all the pigs or whatever problem animal that needs to be kept under control. As I would be awake all night and sleep during the day, this would be an advantage to the landowner as I would also be able to observe any illegal goings on that normally take place late at night. This information would then be relayed to the landowner and the local security company in the area.
I am not offering my services because I have a need to hunt; I have had my fill of hunting for pleasure. I would like to generate an income from my services and to keep busy. My rate and conditions can be discussed once we have ascertained what the problem is. What the farmers in Zimbabwe did was they would sell the pig meat to their staff which was a way of recuperating their costs for my services.
