Warthog Wednesday

@315 ......my goodness, Jim - that is a set and a half..!

Any further info about this particular trophy...?
 
Paul, I was fortunate enough to have saved up enough overtime for a few years and went to Africa in 2012 with a buddy. The timing was right as my girls were still young and college was a few years off. I had a great hunt, taking 8 animals with 8 shots, alternating between my .35 Whelen and 7x57. The Warthog was number 1 on my list of animals. We saw several, but it seemed the larger ones in that are liked to fight a lot because most had broken tusks. I took this one with my .35 Whelen. The professional hunter I was hunting with told me people from Spain will come to hunt nothing but warthogs, just for their tusks and taking anywhere from 6 to 10 on a trip. I would love to go back someday if this COVID crud ever gets sorted out. Who knows, maybe I could commission a knife build with tusks off an animal I took?
 
315 said:
Paul, I was fortunate enough to have saved up enough overtime for a few years and went to Africa in 2012 with a buddy. The timing was right as my girls were still young and college was a few years off. I had a great hunt, taking 8 animals with 8 shots, alternating between my .35 Whelen and 7x57. The Warthog was number 1 on my list of animals. We saw several, but it seemed the larger ones in that are liked to fight a lot because most had broken tusks. I took this one with my .35 Whelen. The professional hunter I was hunting with told me people from Spain will come to hunt nothing but warthogs, just for their tusks and taking anywhere from 6 to 10 on a trip. I would love to go back someday if this COVID crud ever gets sorted out. Who knows, maybe I could commission a knife build with tusks off an animal I took?
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- great story.
Yes, am desperate to get back there too for my 'Africa fix'.......with a bit of luck, early next year. Shall be shooting with a Nikon - though, I'd like to do just one proper stalk n hunt - Kudu, something for the pot.
During my last trip (Namibia) managed to get this lovely coloured pair, centre pic below. That's my dear ol' Pa in the photo - he was Royal Navy WW2, and was pathfinder for the RN base in Mombasa, where I was born.

 
Kind of off-topic question, but is Warthog meat edible? Wild-Boar here in Europe is an acquired taste but I like it alright-marinated in Redwine before cooking.

Do Warthog tusks require special curing before they can be turned into knife-scales?

Thanks, Will
 
Will Power said:
Kind of off-topic question, but is Warthog meat edible? Wild-Boar here in Europe is an acquired taste but I like it alright-marinated in Redwine before cooking.

Do Warthog tusks require special curing before they can be turned into knife-scales?

Thanks, Will
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- edible...?!

One of my most endearing memories of my times on safari in Africa was standing around the fire one evening..........the stars, Milky Way, so bright you didn't need a torch; cochophony of hyenas laughing on one side, lions bellowing the other, startled zebra yelping in alarm - a joint of Warthog in one hand and glass of Beyerskloof Pinotage in the other. Utter heaven.

Not dissimilar to Wild Boar, but I believe on the braai, better when it's a younger one...
 
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@Chui Magical imagery. Sounds like Hemmingway or perhaps the late Wilbur Smith.

But, with all that wildlife-and likely SNAKES roaming about, I'd need a bottle of Pinotage before I could sleep :D
 
Will Power said:
@Chui Magical imagery. Sounds like Hemmingway or perhaps the late Wilbur Smith.

But, with all that wildlife-and likely SNAKES roaming about, I'd need a bottle of Pinotage before I could sleep :D
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....stamp your feet, make a noise, create a presense - they're more scared of you.

Done a few walking safaris, never seen one.........they're gone before you would ever realise. Found a Black Mamba once, but that was because we went towards where we could hear birds 'creating', so we knew something was up......and there he was.
 
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Great thread @Chui ! You and @Will Power are two of the most interesting and eloquent men on the Porch. I look forward to your posts. You always have great insight and information.

Will, I have spent quite a bit of time in Africa, and I agree with Paul that snake sightings are rare. But, when you do see one…ouch!

I would imagine that eating Warthogs is a bit like eating wild hogs here in Louisiana. The taste varies quite a bit depending on their age, what they have been eating, and how they were slaughtered. It can range from pretty good to God awful! Have you ever been to the Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi Paul? I bet they serve it. I would much rather stick to using their tusks as knife handles. To Will’s question Paul, is the tusk cured or stabilized in any way before hafting or is is used au naturale?

I have been considering ordering a knife from Jerome Latreille. Warthog tusk would be a great handle choice.
 
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This one is a "virtual" knife; I designed it on Renaud Aubry's configurator. Unfortunately, I dithered for a while before I decided to put it in my cart (I had a couple of expensive customs in the works at the time). When I finally decided to buy it, the website returned a notice that, due to health reasons, my purchase could not be completed. I checked back pretty frequently for a few months, getting the same message, when a French member PM'ed me to let me know that Mr. Aubry had succumbed to his illness (R.I.P.).

It would have been a beauty if it came out anything like this!

configurator1.png

configurator2.png
 
@aji1 ………a beauty indeed :)

Really hope you find someone one day to make you same/similar - a warm gesture towards Mr Aubry
 
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Will Power said:
@Chui Magical imagery. Sounds like Hemmingway or perhaps the late Wilbur Smith.

But, with all that wildlife-and likely SNAKES roaming about, I'd need a bottle of Pinotage before I could sleep :D
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You can eat snakes too...in Paris a few years back I was drooling over a Warty Laguiole in an Aladdins cave of knives on Iles St Louis....the price was out of reach. I opted for a gorgeous Ramshorn instead...my wife had an expression on her face not unlike a warthog so I got the best of both worlds ...Jeez I think if I had a pair I would have bought the Warthog Ivory and she would have turned into one and gored me with her tusks...
 
Been about three weeks - not sure if anyone wants to keep this thread current?

Tried a new "beauty shot" of the Meerkat, hopefully to showcase the wonderful lines and beauty of the handle. I need to get better with lighting, the upper right of the quarter of the image has a bit too much lighting on the material used for the sweep.
original.jpg
 
OldHercDude said:
Been about three weeks - not sure if anyone wants to keep this thread current?

Tried a new "beauty shot" of the Meerkat, hopefully to showcase the wonderful lines and beauty of the handle. I need to get better with lighting, the upper right of the quarter of the image has a bit too much lighting on the material used for the sweep.
original.jpg
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- very nice too, Gordon.........beautiful character to yours :cool::thumbsup:
 
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