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Dean: Poachers a major detriment to sports hunting
Nevada Daily Mail
High-profile international events have thrust trophy hunting into the spotlight.
One such incident occurred July 1, when American dentist Walter Palmer of Minnesota, ignited an international uproar when he shot and killed Cecil, a 13 year-old lion beloved in Zimbabwe.
Cecil was lured from his habitat, shot with a bow and arrow, killed by rifle fire, then beheaded and skinned. Palmer reportedly paid $55,000 for the kill.
In response to Cecil's death, eight airlines announced a ban on transport of trophy hunting kills.
Richards resident Steve Dean, co-owner of JS Worldwide Hunting, said that those violating international hunting laws and quotas should be punished.
Dean shared his views on recent events making headlines, as well as his experience hunting lions.
"All lions killed in Africa are on a quota," Dean said. "Those quotas are established so there continues to be harvestable animals. That's the key. You don't violate those quotas. And if you do ---- you get in trouble."
Dean said hunting in Africa is highly regulated.
"The hunters that frequent Africa shoot about 1,500 lions a year, and there's (approximately) 12,500 lions in captivity being raised to be hunted," he said. "And so there's a perpetual supply of lions. That may sound cruel, but that's sports hunting."
Dean said that his affiliate in South Africa has killed 41 lions since March 1, bringing in roughly $700,000, as well as numerous jobs to the South African economy.
"Sports hunting brings in a tremendous amount of wealth to Africa," Dean said, adding, "'If it pays it stays.' And that's (universal) ---- from the lady fixing hair on the Nevada Square up to 3M. That stuff is all regulated, so there continues to be a supply. Right now it's estimated that in the entire continent of Africa, there's only 2,500 wild lions."
Dean said that where game is prevalent, hunters are the world's No. 1 conservationists.
"People don't understand that," he said. "Here's why that's true. If (you) want to be able to hunt lions in Africa, the way that happens is ---- I have a gallery of pictures of lions, and you call me and say 'Hey, I want to shoot a male lion.' I say, 'OK, what's your budget? What do you want to spend?' Then I send you pictures of what each one of those male lions looks like, and you make your choice.
"That's the way that's most productive for harvesting a good lion. And what happens is, that lion is turned out into 5,000 acres where you go out and hunt him. These lions are meaner than wild lions, because they're not scared of humans. They're more dangerous for the sport hunter than the wild lion."
Dean went into further detail.
"If you want to kill a $15,000 lion, you'll be shooting at lions that are 6 to 7 years old," he said. "And depending on how much black mane he's got, that runs the price up. Like the lion I shot, he's got lots of black mane, that will run you $25,000."
The lion Dean killed is currently displayed at his Richards home.
"It's in perfect condition. It's a perfect specimen," he said, adding that would not be the case if a poacher had killed it.
Dean discussed poachers, who he said are a major detriment to hunters worldwide.
"Poachers in Mozambique poisoned a pride of lions for their teeth and claws," he said. "There's a market for that in China. That destroyed a whole pride of lions over there. "The hunter is the No. 1 conservationist, and the poacher causes the No. 1 damage to the animals. Because those people kill a valuable commodity.
"They probably got $50 for the claws off of one lion, and probably $100 for the teeth."
Dean also said that poachers have "ruined" lion hunting, and have done the same to Rhinos.
"The only place now that has Rhinos, are farms in wild reserves that have electrified fences with 24-hour surveillance," he said. "To shoot a big Rhino, costs you $150,000.
"And what you've have to go through to do that is nearly insurmountable. There are all kinds of permits and all kinds of questionnaires, because the U.S. State Department wants to be sure that Rhinos are not being black marketed to China. Africa also requires the same documentation.
"And the reason it's that way is because the poachers have just demolished the white Rhino population. And there are very few black Rhinos left. Poachers get $200 for the horn, when it could be worth as much as $50,000 plus for an aphrodisiac (Rhino horn). It's tragic."
Dean discussed his past experiences hunting the brown bear on the Kamchatka peninsula in southeastern Siberia. Dean said hunters assist in controlling the numbers population-wise.
"That's a situation there if it's not done, brown bears come into the towns and people have no way of protecting themselves," he said. "Also, the male brown bear kills the cubs. They're born in the wintertime. And when they come out of hibernation, the first thing these male bore brown bears do, is look for female dens and kill the (cubs) so she'll cycle again."
Big Five, Dangerous Seven
Dean said in the hunting world, it's all about the Big Five and Dangerous Seven
"The Big Five for the hunting world is: Rhino, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo, and lion," he said. "The Dangerous Seven, you, add crocodile and hippo."