Q & A: John Sharp and his trackers.

In prehistoric times, when man had to hunt to survive, all men were well versed in bush craft, in the same way that today most teenagers can operate a computer and cell phone with amazing skill and dexterity; it’s all about survival in your environment.

Modern man hasn't’t needed to hunt for his food for a couple of hundred years, and as the saying goes, ‘if you don’t use it you’ll lose it’, which is what has happened to these skills. Only a few hunter-gatherer people, such as the Bushmen of the southern deserts and the Pygmies of the equatorial forests, retain this ability. Other than a few hunters and farmers, most people today – including many sport hunters and nature lovers- are unable to tell one track from another or to recognize even obvious signs.

For those who have not lost these ancient bush skills, a vast amount of information can be gleaned about mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates without ever having seen them. Although this may sound strange, every animal leaves some indication of its presence or passing. Whereby it can be recognized.

Skilled trackers do not need to see an animal in order to identify it and learn something about it’s behavior. For them reading the sign creates a picture which is just as clear and accurate as if the animal had been physically seen. In some cases the abstract sign is more reliable, as it tells a story independent of time; what the animal was doing over a long period of time.

For example a lion walking, crouches in ambush, lunges at it’s prey, the panic of the antelope springing away. Rarely will one see the whole story in real time.
A great bushman will unravel the mystery of darkness every morning by observing the sign left behind. The ground for them is an enthralling novel with no end and an ever-changing story line, sometimes amusing sometimes dramatic.

As already stated, the only people who have retained the ability to track are those who require it for their survival, be that professional hunting or photographic guiding, poaching, or people like the pygmies and bushmen who still can legally hunt in their own territory.

Safari Newsreel asked a number of questions of professional hunters from different parts of Africa, to try and get an idea about the use and importance of trackers to them. In this installment professional hunter John Sharp was interviewed.

John Sharp is one of the most experienced big-game hunters operating in Southern Africa today, and counts many famous names among his repeat clients worldwide. While adhering to the strict ethics of Fair Chase, John epitomizes the authentic ‘Great White Hunter’ of legend. A pilot, a crack shot and an excellent host, John puts the client at the center of everything he does.

John Sharp offers a variety of dangerous-game hunts in a number of Government safari areas as well as Leopard and Plains game hunts on a variety of private areas in the Zimbabwe Lowveld and the Matopos.

Safari Newsreel: How important are trackers to you in your business? 

John Sharp: My head tracker is my right hand.

If you are taking on a new tracker, what would you look for, how would you test him during his probation? 

I would obviously look for someone who could already track.  My head tracker and I would watch him closely until we ended up in a tight situation to ensure that he would not lose his nerve and try to run.

What skills do you look for in a tracker? 

Tracking ability, good rapport with clients, willingness to work and the ability to stand firm in a tight situation.

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