Mark Sullivan kicked out of SCI

[mklap]

Now I know why I have never wasted my time with blogs/forums/etc......You people have WAY too much time on your hands-

Adios

 

[Skyline]

I don't think anything needs to be said, it speaks for itself.

 

[Big5]

Kelly, I'll second that.
.

 

[Dande Jack]

Mark Sullivan

Years ago I watched Black death, the first thing that struck me was why pay tens of thousands to go and have Mark sullivan shoot all the animals for you?
I know many PH's that would be horrified to do such a thing. This guy wants your money and the lime light too. It is good he has gone,he just doesn't get it. Jack

 

[375lvr]

mklap : I have spent many years convincing my wife that hunting is not barbaric and that harvesting of animals is not just to pad the ego. I saw a Mark Sullivan video at Cabela's and bought it. I talked my wife into watching it with me. Let me say that out of disgust, my wife left after 10 minutes. I was thankful that she didn't witness Mark taunting a Buf that had been spined and was immobile. The Buf shock attempting to get up, but was unable. After Mark decided that he had milked that suffering animal for all the video drama he could and it was not able to provide the glorious charge and "decide it's fate", he allowed the animal to be dispatched. Any way you look at it, that is Barbaric and is only to pad his ego. His actions are indefensible !!!!!
Perception is reality ! Especially to the anti hunting establishment.

 

[Rod Smith]

1831 views on this thread, that beats anything else I have seen on AH so far!! This is one of those things that you either love or hate, there is no grey area and that too is how the anti hunters see it. His version of hunting is bad news period.

The point was raised about taking a 100 yard shot at a dangerous animal with the chance of deflections and other factors causing wounding, I don't recall anyone advocating shooting these animals from far away, it should be a hunters challenge/responsibility to get as close as they can without the game knowing they are there(the essence of a good stalk) and from a reasonable distance, where they are confident of a one shot kill, take a shot at a reasonably undisturbed STANDING animal(tends to improve the chances of a well placed shot). To push those animals as far as Sullivan does whether wounded or not is just plain wrong and does not show any respect whatsoever for the game he is hunting. Some one should shoot him in self defence, because his image is dangerous to the rest of our futures.

Well done SCI!!!!

 

[browningbbr]

....I wish his gun would jam...there I said it....

This has been a fun thread to read, but I like enysse's quip the best! Kinda like poetic justice. Thanks for adding some humor!

- browningbbr

 

[enysse]

This has been a fun thread to read, but I like enysse's quip the best! Kinda like poetic justice. Thanks for adding some humor!

- browningbbr

Thanks, I thought it was funny too. And surprised nobody else caught the irony of the situation.

 

[TexasLebenskunstler]

Say what you want about Mark, but the real hero is the camera man. He is there, without a gun, capturing the amazing footage for everyone else to critique. Unless you’ve been there, your version of the story is based only on what others have told you or what you have seen on video. The camera man brings you that video, which is only one version of the real story (that has been edited and polished with music.) That, by the way, is also true of Boddington, Brittingham, Watts, etc. Be honest with yourself and ask what you really know about any of these guys.

Yes, I do love the intellectual debates on this site. I’ve seen so many sites with inappropriate language and rude behavior that this one truly stands out in a classy way. Thanks to all who think before they type.

 

[Skyline]

Having been in on the ground floor on about a dozen hunts that were filmed for TV up to this point, I can tell you that many of the final products do not show what actually happened and are far from giving an accurate rendition of the whole event.

I agree that the camera men are the unsung heroes in a lot of cases and to a great degree are responsible for making the 'hosts' look good in many cases. In the end though it is the cutting and editing and the re-enactments that are done again and again and again.........that produce the final product. Some of the final products I have seen were so completely different from what actually took place in the field that I would not have know it was the same hunt I was at..........except the names, date and place were the same.

These are just my observations and I in no way am suggesting that this is what has taken place on Mr. Sullivan's videos as I was not there for the filming of those events............but those are my observations on the actual events and the end products for events I was privy to for 6 or 7 hunting programs and DVD producers. It has a lot to do with why I would only recommend a DVD from a handful of people producing them at this point in time, and that is because I know them to be credible and accurate in their depictions of the events.

Poor shooting, product failures and just generally poor hunting practices and ethics that are displayed in the field will rarely reach the TV screen or the final DVD on the sales rack. If it did there would be a few less people producing these things due to a lack of sponsors.

 

[sutherland]

Right or Wrong ? Mark dared you to you face yourself. His style beats shooting from the truck ,so you can run over to whip out your tape. He has been around much longer than 99% of the fat gutted ,gray haired trophy room Tarzans. The guy has a set of Rowland Ward Balls. He is, the real deal with a double rifle.
I have hunted Africa 4 times . I must admit , very little has been done with perfect ethics. I have shot from the truck.I have shot at night. I have shot in a canned situation in SA . I now , have learned the ways of the industry. SCI has been infiltrated by pc politics .

 

[Mike70560]

"Right or Wrong ? Mark dared you to you face yourself."

Dead Wrong

 

[Red Leg]

Sutherland, with all due respect a fellow hunter, that is absolute nonsense. I imagine that I am one of a number of people on this forum who have been shot at by well armed adversaries who had the intent, training, and means to complete the deal. That is an opportunity to come to grips with the character which forms your soul. As a result, I have always been a bit put off by the hairy-chested daring do filling too much of the literature surrounding dangerous game hunting. That is not to in any way devalue a close encounter with any of Africa's dangerous game. But the vast majority of those encounters, particularly for us, the clients, are dangerous in potential, not fact. Because of that perspective, I find the notion of antagonizing an injured animal, on film no less, as a way to "dare you to face yourself" somehow pathetic.

Get in close, make a sure shot, and cleanly take an animal capable of killing you - there is, indeed, value, even honor, in such quests. If torturing something dangerous is somehow appealing, I would suggest playing with a rattlesnake.

 

[sutherland]

Hey Mike and Red. I would like to hear a conversation between you and Mark. Maybe you could school him with your years and years of experience in the African bush. Mike ,without Mark by your side in a sticky situation,you just might be dead wrong! Red ,argue ethics with Mark,you might find yourself feeling pathetic. Come on boys, bring it on.

 

[Mike70560]

There is no doubt you are a Sullivan fan. Grow up.

 

[RichP]

Kelly, Well said. The camerman is the unsung hero on these videos. Dave Fulson who has filmed a lot of the tracks across africa and Boddington vids was the guy behind Sullivans Black Death from what I understand. After that, he was not associated with Sullivan.

Are these videos for me, yes and no. I enjoy watching the hunting aspect, but I would never hunt with him. He comes across as an ego maniac, but for some guys, they get to hunt africa and see themselves on a video. It is my hunt and I do not want a PH crossing lines unless I am flirting with danger. I want to hunt and take the animal without assistance from a PH. He has done a lot for hunting, some positive, and some negative. He is not my cup of tea of what I look for in a PH, but it takes all types for the world to go round. I say live and let live.

 

[Hank2211]

It seems we can argue endlessly about whether we agree with Sullivan's style of hunting or not. For the record, I've seen some of his videos, and I'm in the camp that doesn't agree with it. I prefer to shoot my own animals, and, while I'm not always successful, a one-shot instant kill is my idea of "the perfect shot."

Having said that, my two cents is this. I'd argue that whether you agree with Sullivan or not, whether love him or hate him, is simply irrelevant. The real question should be this: Is what he does good for the sport of hunting or not?

Make no mistake, our sport is under siege from all directions. Given that, and given that hunting has been banned in many parts of the world, and bans are being considered in many others, we owe it to ourselves and the generations to follow to act in a way which the non-hunting public - which after all make up the majority of the world - find acceptable. We'll never get the rabid PETA types on our side. But fortunately, they're the minority. Many people I know don't want to hunt, and can't see themselves ever killing an animal. But they will uphold my right to do so. Or at least so long as it isn't offensive to them.

Given - as is evident from this thread - that Sulllivan's videos offend so many hunters, imagine their impact on the reasonable non-hunting community. Showing the intentional wounding of animals, or showing wounded animals being baited to induce a charge, will turn reasonable people against our sport.

And that's enough for me to say that I support SCI's decision.

 

[browningbbr]

Hank2211,

In just a couple of paragraphs, you have encapsulated the most important points about Mark Sullivan's negative impact on perceptions of the larger hunting community. Thank-you for stating this so clearly.

- browningbbr

 

[michaelhh375]

Thanks, I thought it was funny too. And surprised nobody else caught the irony of the situation.

Haven't seen it until now. This comment is , so far, the best on AH ! LOL !

 

[86thecat]

Sullivan may have learned that some are "more equal than others". Bet that certain outfitter will be there next year even after recently being nailed by the US authorities for illegally importing an illegally taken leopard trophy for a client. Having your attorney on the board of SCI seems to work wonders.