Catch and Release Hunting with Jim Mills of Thermopolis
By Cate Cook

Thermopolis hunter Jim Mills has plenty of memorable hunts to his credit, from outstanding Wyoming trips to the most exotic imaginable on distant continents, including 15 trips to Africa. Over 100 of his trophies line the walls of the Holiday Inn Safari Club in Thermopolis: he offered free dinner if I could name them all, but I suspect there were some exotic critters whose names I couldn’t even pronounce! Yet not all trophies are actual mounts, and represent a new trend in exotic hunts that provides more affordable trips for more hunters, and preserves the game as well. Sort of a “catch and release” for African Big Game!

Jim had shot elephants in the past, so was looking for a challenging and exciting hunt, with no need to kill the beast. Darting hunts are growing in popularity in Africa, where hunters stalk wild game, then shoot their quarry with a tranquilizer dart. While the critter sleeps, photos are safely taken, and even a fiberglass cast can be made – in the case of an elephant, the tusk is molded, but take a close look at the Rhino shoulder mount at the Holiday Inn – yup, it’s a darted fiberglass mount!

While such dart hunts are normally accomplished with a specially equipped gun, Mills wanted to get this elephant with a bow. The common broadhead was removed from an arrow, and the dart, with its tranquilizing drug, put in its place. On a guided hunt, Mills moved in close, as the darts must be fired within 30 yards of the target to do their job. He then tracked the elephant nearly a mile. As the big pachyderm was still standing, he was given a second, milder dart; then the hunters took photos and measured his tusks while the elephant snoozed. After a veterinarian administered an antidote to counter the effects of the dart, the elephant roused and left the hunting party, possibly with a few stories of his own.

In spite of a growing interest in dart hunting, Jim may be the first archer to hunt African big game. This could open new markets for outfitters of dart hunts, and certainly an exciting new field for archery hunters. In addition, dart hunts can be combined with regular hunts (archery or firearm), as there are 40 different species to hunt on the African continent.

The really exciting element of this developing trend is the preservation of countless species, as natives begin to see the animals have value, then work self-policing poachers. A hunter pays several thousand dollars to the African government in fees for each hunt, some of that coming back to local tribal chiefs, with guidelines on spending to improve life in the community, through such things as medical care, schools, etc. As locals see the investment hunters make in their communities through those fees, they are committed to preserving the animals. By treating the game as a renewable resource, it is the hunters who are protecting wild animals through conservation-minded hunting.

While a sportsman may pay a daily rate of $600, plus trophy fees to the country of $10,000 for a regular kill hunt, the dart hunts offers a more affordable adventure, costing around $400 daily rate, plus $3,000 in trophy fees.

There are many outfitters that can guide your African hunt. The outfitter Mills uses can be found at www.JohnXSafaris.com . And, like any other hunter, Jim is always ready to swap hunting tales and share information, welcoming personal calls to him at the Holiday Inn. http://www.thermopolis-hi.com

NEXT STORY>