Page 32 - NORDIC SAFARI CLUB CHAPTER NEWSLETTER 1st QUARTER 2021

Major H.C.Maydon, in his classic book, Big Game have walked up to within four to five metres of GFH
Shooting in Africa, the “bible” that became the without them moving away. But his sense of smell is
forerunner to Mellon’s great, magnum opus, African excellent and it reminds me of that of an elephant. He
Hunter, provides some practical information for can smell you from quite a long distance and even
hunters. He writes, “if the male sees a sow is wounded, where you have walked at salt licks, meadows or
or is hit himself, he can be counted upon to make a across their pathways. One day we were inspecting a
determined attack, and once he succeeds in knocking salt lick for tracks when we saw a GFH sounder
a man down, not even a cutlass will induce him to approaching. We moved 30 metres away, hid and
leave his victim.” He goes on to add that, “These Hog waited. As the big sow reached the salt lick she
seem to be one of the most difficult of the forest stopped, raised her snout and picked up our scent.
animals to stalk for, they can travel a great distance in The big boar at the back of the sounder of 13 animals
a single night. They go under bush so thick that time joined the sow quickly like to protect the all bunch
and again they hear one and clear right away.” of pigs and immediately ran away with the rest of the
group in hot pursuit. It taught me a lesson.
GFH are scattered across Africa but they do not
tolerate low humidity. Their range resembles that of the GFH are very noisy animals. They are not very careful
bongo - mainly forest grassland mosaics, swamp when moving. It seems as if walking on dry leaves or
forest, gallery forest and wooded savannah. A year through a noisy thicket when sneaking up on them
round and plentiful supply of green fodder and dense does not bother them. When feeding, their almost
cover are found wherever the hogs occur. Their range, hairless ears flap incessantly, flicking away flies and
about 20 square kilometers in extent, is punctuated by bees and making a clapping sound. Because of their
sleeping sites, latrines, wallows, water holes, salt licks poor eyesight, they are often very vocal. They use
and grazing meadows. They use pathways made by close contact quiet grunts and a louder barking call
themselves to reach these places. over distance. Boars make an extended grunting call
that builds up to a trumpeting crescendo and then dies
Mainly grazers (sometimes scavengers), they eat away and again sounds like a charging elephant…and
many types of grasses, sedges and herbs which are almost as loud.
cropped at various stage of growth. Despite their long,
flat and big snout, they tend not to root up the soil It reminds me of a story. We had tracked a big boar
when feeding. They like mineral rich earth which they with great difficulty for nearly four hours. When we at
excavate with their lower incisors and form big holes last saw the boar, he was quartering away from
and even caves. us at a distance of about 20 metres. My client’s .375
HH solid bullet had to traverse a thicket before it hit the
The basic social group is a mother and her offspring, hog some 20 metres away. The boar went about 30
including two to three others with a mature boar in metres before it ran out of steam and lay down. We
close attendance. The sounder is composed of five to could still just see it when, suddenly, we heard a
20 animals. They have also been known to associate strange sound that I had never heard before. I asked
with neighboring families using the same sites. the trackers what it was, what was going on? The
trumpeting sound was very loud and they explained it
The GFH is considered a nocturnal animal but I was made by the dying boar. I wish I had been able to
disagree. I have spent many nights in a machan record the sound. As we moved closer, we could see
overlooking salt licks without seeing a single hog. all the other pigs surrounding the dead boar. I also
Where I hunt in the CAR they are completely diurnal remembered how smelly they were and that you could
and we see them between 08h00 and 16h00 with a pick up their scent from quite far away.
peak at midday.
The GFH is not an easy animal to hunt nor is it found
The GFH is also not a shy animal as some people in many collections. In fact it is seldom seen at all.
think. His sense of hearing is good but human intrusion Most giant forest hogs are taken as targets of
does not bother him as long as his flight or fight opportunity. But not any more, believe me. Where I
circle is respected. His eyesight is terrible and it is hunt in CAR, I do a special 14 day GFH hunt with a
almost as if he is blind. I have known them to look very high success rate because they are really plentiful
straight at me from close range and not see me and I due to the perfect biotope and my hunting

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