The Secret Seven

[Hank2211]

I was recently re-reading Peter Flack’s “Hunting Icons of Africa.” For those who aren’t aware, in that book Peter, who is based in South Africa, and is likely one of the most accomplished hunters of the modern era, chooses 25 trophies which he believes are true icons of African hunting.

One of his icons is the caracal. In reading the relevant section, Peter mentions something I hadn’t come across before: the “Secret Seven.” These are smaller predators which are secret by virtue of the fact that they’re generally nocturnal. His list consists of the following animals: African wildcat; African black-footed cat; Caracal; Serval; Civet; Large spotted genet; and small spotted genet.

Peter’s list made me think that it might be interesting to start a thread dedicated to hunting these interesting creatures. So this is that thread!

But first things first. We have to agree on the list. I would generally defer to Peter, given his status as an authority, but I think he misses the mark a bit here . . . if I can say that without being presumptuous. First, I’m not sure it’s necessary to include two of the very small cats, especially when one of them isn’t available for hunting (the black-footed cat). So I would propose to delete the black-footed cat.

My second issue is with the genets. There are apparently 14-17 subspecies of genets, so I’m not sure why these two – even if they are the most commonly hunted – make the cut. There’s another reason for my reluctance to accept this though. I’ve shot two genets, and in both cases, there was an argument among apparently knowledgeable people as to whether I had shot a small spotted genet which was quite large, or a large spotted genet which was a bit small (in other words, a large small spotted genet or a small large spotted genet!). Apparently, people base their identification on the region in which the genet is shot, on the assumption that the ranges of the two don’t overlap. I think they do, but rather than get into that discussion, I would just include the one species of genet, and any of the sub-species would do.

I did a bit of research (emphasis on bit) and found one other reference to the secret seven, in a video called something like “Natural Killers.” This video had a much different list – it consisted of the African wildcat; pangolin; civet; porcupine; serval; civet; and aardvark. I won’t spend too much time on this list – it’s frankly absurd. First, you can’t hunt pangolins, so they would be out even if they were carnivores (eating insects doesn’t make you a carnivore in my book, or the robin outside my window would count); second, porcupines aren’t carnivores; and third, aardvarks aren’t carnivores either (ants are insects in my view) and in any case, I wouldn’t want to encourage anyone to shoot these inoffensive creatures!

My criteria for inclusion in the list would be firstly, that the animal is a carnivore; secondly, that it be nocturnal or otherwise secretive; thirdly, that it not be “big,” (whatever that means); fourthly, that it not be essentially the same species as another animal on the list; and lastly, that it be both huntable and reasonably available.

So that leaves me with five animals that both Flack and I agree should be included: the genet; civet; serval; caracal and African wildcat. We need two more to get to seven, since “secret five” lacks the alliterative allure of “secret seven.” I hope we could all agree that the honey badger should be included in this list. It’s huntable in many places and is generally nocturnal, it’s not big and it’s a carnivore. Plus it’s a fun animal to hunt.

That leaves me with one to go, and here we have options. We could go for hyena, but the spotted is really too big to be thought of as ‘secret’, as are likely the stripped and the brown, and only the brown is reliably nocturnal (the others are, but are also relatively often found during the day). The aardwolf, though, is an option, but I suggest it fails because it’s mostly insectivorous. The various foxes could be included, but they are rarely available under license, so I think that knocks them out. There are animals like mongooses, but I don’t think I’ve ever come across one while hunting, and the various African rats, which are carnivorous given the opportunity, but aren’t really hunted. That doesn’t leave too many more options . . . except the various jackals. I’ve shot some during daylight, but more often at night. They are undoubtedly carnivores and they are generally very shy and secretive, especially when under pressure (which is usually everywhere). And they aren't too big.

So unless there are objections, can we agree that the "secret seven" should consist of:

• Genet
• Civet
• Serval
• African wildcat
• Caracal
• Honey Badger
• Jackal

Feel free to argue; once we agree we might then move on to a discussion of hunting these various creatures.

 

[IvW]

Small spotted genet has a white tipped tail, only black spots and the large spotted genet has a black tipped tail and rusty color included in spots irrespective of size or what "experts" say...both are found in SA so I think that is where this comes from...

I would dump the Jackal and include the white tailed mongoose..

 

[Red Leg]

I was recently re-reading Peter Flack’s “Hunting Icons of Africa.” For those who aren’t aware, in that book Peter, who is based in South Africa, and is likely one of the most accomplished hunters of the modern era, chooses 25 trophies which he believes are true icons of African hunting.

One of his icons is the caracal. In reading the relevant section, Peter mentions something I hadn’t come across before: the “Secret Seven.” These are smaller predators which are secret by virtue of the fact that they’re generally nocturnal. His list consists of the following animals: African wildcat; African black-footed cat; Caracal; Serval; Civet; Large spotted genet; and small spotted genet.

Peter’s list made me think that it might be interesting to start a thread dedicated to hunting these interesting creatures. So this is that thread!

But first things first. We have to agree on the list. I would generally defer to Peter, given his status as an authority, but I think he misses the mark a bit here . . . if I can say that without being presumptuous. First, I’m not sure it’s necessary to include two of the very small cats, especially when one of them isn’t available for hunting (the black-footed cat). So I would propose to delete the black-footed cat.

My second issue is with the genets. There are apparently 14-17 subspecies of genets, so I’m not sure why these two – even if they are the most commonly hunted – make the cut. There’s another reason for my reluctance to accept this though. I’ve shot two genets, and in both cases, there was an argument among apparently knowledgeable people as to whether I had shot a small spotted genet which was quite large, or a large spotted genet which was a bit small (in other words, a large small spotted genet or a small large spotted genet!). Apparently, people base their identification on the region in which the genet is shot, on the assumption that the ranges of the two don’t overlap. I think they do, but rather than get into that discussion, I would just include the one species of genet, and any of the sub-species would do.

I did a bit of research (emphasis on bit) and found one other reference to the secret seven, in a video called something like “Natural Killers.” This video had a much different list – it consisted of the African wildcat; pangolin; civet; porcupine; serval; civet; and aardvark. I won’t spend too much time on this list – it’s frankly absurd. First, you can’t hunt pangolins, so they would be out even if they were carnivores (eating insects doesn’t make you a carnivore in my book, or the robin outside my window would count); second, porcupines aren’t carnivores; and third, aardvarks aren’t carnivores either (ants are insects in my view) and in any case, I wouldn’t want to encourage anyone to shoot these inoffensive creatures!

My criteria for inclusion in the list would be firstly, that the animal is a carnivore; secondly, that it be nocturnal or otherwise secretive; thirdly, that it not be “big,” (whatever that means); fourthly, that it not be essentially the same species as another animal on the list; and lastly, that it be both huntable and reasonably available.

So that leaves me with five animals that both Flack and I agree should be included: the genet; civet; serval; caracal and African wildcat. We need two more to get to seven, since “secret five” lacks the alliterative allure of “secret seven.” I hope we could all agree that the honey badger should be included in this list. It’s huntable in many places and is generally nocturnal, it’s not big and it’s a carnivore. Plus it’s a fun animal to hunt.

That leaves me with one to go, and here we have options. We could go for hyena, but the spotted is really too big to be thought of as ‘secret’, as are likely the stripped and the brown, and only the brown is reliably nocturnal (the others are, but are also relatively often found during the day). The aardwolf, though, is an option, but I suggest it fails because it’s mostly insectivorous. The various foxes could be included, but they are rarely available under license, so I think that knocks them out. There are animals like mongooses, but I don’t think I’ve ever come across one while hunting, and the various African rats, which are carnivorous given the opportunity, but aren’t really hunted. That doesn’t leave too many more options . . . except the various jackals. I’ve shot some during daylight, but more often at night. They are undoubtedly carnivores and they are generally very shy and secretive, especially when under pressure (which is usually everywhere). And they aren't too big.

So unless there are objections, can we agree that the "secret seven" should consist of:

• Genet
• Civet
• Serval
• African wildcat
• Caracal
• Honey Badger
• Jackal

Feel free to argue; once we agree we might then move on to a discussion of hunting these various creatures.

Cool idea! My only quibble is maybe the jackal. They can be secretive, but then again at places like Etosha you have to practically kick them out of the way to get to and from dinner. That said, I don't really have a better idea, and they aren't going to require a specialized expedition.

And I'll have to admit that the caracal also can be on occasion less than completely wild ........

So let's do it. Suspect someone will be offering a "Secret Seven Slam" within the month!

 

[Hank2211]

Well we seem to already have an issue around the jackal. I can accept that, but I'm not sure I can accept a mongoose as a substitute. Who hunts mongooses? (mongeese?)

And @Red Leg, that's a nice caracal . . . until it eats your dog. I think the ability to make a pet out of animal can't exclude it from the list. Otherwise, we'd have no Big 5 (thank you Joy Adamson).

So we still need a seventh we can all rally around, or else we might have a secret six, which also works, alliteratively speaking, but I hesitate to change Flack's number, even if I don't hesitate to change his species!

 

[Mort Hill]

I would like to add as #7 the Nubian Princess. They are carnivores preying mainly on newly arriving safari hunters at the bars of local hotels across Africa. Although often seen briefly during daylight hours, they mainly hunt at night. Their numbers are quite high so there should be a good quota. They are quite secretive until they start asking you to buy them drinks, which usually precedes the bearing of great fangs and claws when denied. I have never seen one mounted, but understand that when mounted, and done right, it is a frightening sight. Just saying.

 

[Red Leg]

I would like to add as #7 the Nubian Princess. They are carnivores preying mainly on newly arriving safari hunters at the bars of local hotels across Africa. Although often seen briefly during daylight hours, they mainly hunt at night. Their numbers are quite high so there should be a good quota. They are quite secretive until they start asking you to buy them drinks, which usually precedes the bearing of great fangs and claws when denied. I have never seen one mounted, but understand that when mounted, and done right, it is a frightening sight. Just saying.

In our brave new world of AIDS and other exotic STDs this post borders .......

 

[Hogpatrol]

Put those varmints, the meerkats on that list. They eat anything.

 

[Randy F]

Put those varmints, the meerkats on that list. They eat anything.

He seems offended.

 

[Buffalo1]

I have been fortunate enough to kill a jackal with my bow. Shot at and missed a caracal. Never seen a cat jump so high in all of my life.

I would not shoot a mongoose as it can take down a mamba.

 

[Hank2211]

I have two votes against jackals, though I'm unsure why. One vote for mongoose and meerkat. I don't think you can hunt the latter, and not sure about the former. I may have to stick to the jackal, unless those who don't like it can come up with something far more convincing.

 

[Tra3]

I support the inclusion of a jackal. That would allow many of us to be at least one animal into the list or offers an easy entry point for most.

@Mort Hill your suggesting might bring the most lasting expense, Safari and Alimony should not mix.

 

[mark-hunter]

Generally, I agree with Hanks list.
I am not an expert on the subject, so I will follow this thread with great interest.
My suggestion would be to update the list with huntable subspecies for each of the seven.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I was recently re-reading Peter Flack’s “Hunting Icons of Africa.” For those who aren’t aware, in that book Peter, who is based in South Africa, and is likely one of the most accomplished hunters of the modern era, chooses 25 trophies which he believes are true icons of African hunting.

One of his icons is the caracal. In reading the relevant section, Peter mentions something I hadn’t come across before: the “Secret Seven.” These are smaller predators which are secret by virtue of the fact that they’re generally nocturnal. His list consists of the following animals: African wildcat; African black-footed cat; Caracal; Serval; Civet; Large spotted genet; and small spotted genet.

Peter’s list made me think that it might be interesting to start a thread dedicated to hunting these interesting creatures. So this is that thread!

But first things first. We have to agree on the list. I would generally defer to Peter, given his status as an authority, but I think he misses the mark a bit here . . . if I can say that without being presumptuous. First, I’m not sure it’s necessary to include two of the very small cats, especially when one of them isn’t available for hunting (the black-footed cat). So I would propose to delete the black-footed cat.

My second issue is with the genets. There are apparently 14-17 subspecies of genets, so I’m not sure why these two – even if they are the most commonly hunted – make the cut. There’s another reason for my reluctance to accept this though. I’ve shot two genets, and in both cases, there was an argument among apparently knowledgeable people as to whether I had shot a small spotted genet which was quite large, or a large spotted genet which was a bit small (in other words, a large small spotted genet or a small large spotted genet!). Apparently, people base their identification on the region in which the genet is shot, on the assumption that the ranges of the two don’t overlap. I think they do, but rather than get into that discussion, I would just include the one species of genet, and any of the sub-species would do.

I did a bit of research (emphasis on bit) and found one other reference to the secret seven, in a video called something like “Natural Killers.” This video had a much different list – it consisted of the African wildcat; pangolin; civet; porcupine; serval; civet; and aardvark. I won’t spend too much time on this list – it’s frankly absurd. First, you can’t hunt pangolins, so they would be out even if they were carnivores (eating insects doesn’t make you a carnivore in my book, or the robin outside my window would count); second, porcupines aren’t carnivores; and third, aardvarks aren’t carnivores either (ants are insects in my view) and in any case, I wouldn’t want to encourage anyone to shoot these inoffensive creatures!

My criteria for inclusion in the list would be firstly, that the animal is a carnivore; secondly, that it be nocturnal or otherwise secretive; thirdly, that it not be “big,” (whatever that means); fourthly, that it not be essentially the same species as another animal on the list; and lastly, that it be both huntable and reasonably available.

So that leaves me with five animals that both Flack and I agree should be included: the genet; civet; serval; caracal and African wildcat. We need two more to get to seven, since “secret five” lacks the alliterative allure of “secret seven.” I hope we could all agree that the honey badger should be included in this list. It’s huntable in many places and is generally nocturnal, it’s not big and it’s a carnivore. Plus it’s a fun animal to hunt.

That leaves me with one to go, and here we have options. We could go for hyena, but the spotted is really too big to be thought of as ‘secret’, as are likely the stripped and the brown, and only the brown is reliably nocturnal (the others are, but are also relatively often found during the day). The aardwolf, though, is an option, but I suggest it fails because it’s mostly insectivorous. The various foxes could be included, but they are rarely available under license, so I think that knocks them out. There are animals like mongooses, but I don’t think I’ve ever come across one while hunting, and the various African rats, which are carnivorous given the opportunity, but aren’t really hunted. That doesn’t leave too many more options . . . except the various jackals. I’ve shot some during daylight, but more often at night. They are undoubtedly carnivores and they are generally very shy and secretive, especially when under pressure (which is usually everywhere). And they aren't too big.

So unless there are objections, can we agree that the "secret seven" should consist of:

• Genet
• Civet
• Serval
• African wildcat
• Caracal
• Honey Badger
• Jackal

Feel free to argue; once we agree we might then move on to a discussion of hunting these various creatures.

Bat Eared Fox and Aardwolf?

 

[IvW]

Well we seem to already have an issue around the jackal. I can accept that, but I'm not sure I can accept a mongoose as a substitute. Who hunts mongooses? (mongeese?)

And @Red Leg, that's a nice caracal . . . until it eats your dog. I think the ability to make a pet out of animal can't exclude it from the list. Otherwise, we'd have no Big 5 (thank you Joy Adamson).

So we still need a seventh we can all rally around, or else we might have a secret six, which also works, alliteratively speaking, but I hesitate to change Flack's number, even if I don't hesitate to change his species!

The white-tailed mongoose attains a weight range of 1.8 to 5.2 kg (4.0 to 11.5 lb), with an average of approximately 3.38 kg (7.5 lb), has a head-and-body length of 53 to 71 cm (21 to 28 in) and a tail length of 40 to 47 cm (16 to 19 in).

They are quite big and not to be confused with the smaller species that run in large groups, they are also nocturnal. Interesting animal.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Is the Cape Fox a candidate? IIRC, they may have been a non shooter in RSA. I vote for keeping the jackal.

 

[AES]

No Zorilla?!

 

[AZDAVE]

I have always loved the night hunts for the small predators. Based on the list you could just have a list of all of them and hunt till you have your 7. Mine would be
Serval, Carcal, Bat eared Fox, Ardwolf, Honey Badger, Civet, Genet.

Would also like a jackal, African wildcat

 

[Hank2211]

Bat Eared Fox and Aardwolf?

I thought of those - note the reference to the various foxes as well as the aardwolf in my original post. I dismissed them because, in the case of the bat eared fox, permits seem to be very hard to come by and in the case of the aardwolf, all my reference sources say that it's an insectivore (mostly termites). So we don't want an animal that can only rarely be (legally) hunted nor one that isn't a predator.

If the bat-eared fox or the cape fox are reasonably huntable, then I would vote to include them in the list rather than jackal.

View attachment 370040

The white-tailed mongoose attains a weight range of 1.8 to 5.2 kg (4.0 to 11.5 lb), with an average of approximately 3.38 kg (7.5 lb), has a head-and-body length of 53 to 71 cm (21 to 28 in) and a tail length of 40 to 47 cm (16 to 19 in).

They are quite big and not to be confused with the smaller species that run in large groups, they are also nocturnal. Interesting animal.

Can white-tailed mongoose be hunted? I've never seen one on a list of available species . . . and given the size, I'd have tried to hunt one if I'd seen them!

Is the Cape Fox a candidate? IIRC, they may have been a non shooter in RSA. I vote for keeping the jackal.

I think that's where we're going to end up. I admit it may be a bit of a stretch to call a jackal nocturnal, but the animal doesn't actually have to nocturnal, just "secret" in the sense that it's rarely seen. Again, that may be a bit of a stretch (perhaps depending on where you are), but in my experience, you rarely see them during the day unless you make an effort to call them (got three one morning that way from one spot).

So I propose we go with the initial list, which includes the jackal. Depending on what I can discover about the white-tailed mongoose, and the huntability of foxes, one of those may ultimately replace the jackal.

So to get this ball rolling, how many of the secret seven do you have, and how did you get them?

 

[Wheels]

Can white-tailed mongoose be hunted? I've never seen one on a list of available species . . . and given the size, I'd have tried to hunt one if I'd seen them!

Bossie has had a number of clients take them. Here are a couple of photos taken from AH archives.

The Tiny Ten is a list established by someone in southern Africa. You have enough duikers to have a Tiny Ten of duikers only. Why can't a Peter's Duiker substitute for a Red. Why can't a Zebra Duiker substitute for a Blue. Or a Kirk's, Gunther's or Salt Dik Dik substitute for a Damara. Why isn't the smallest antelope, Royal Antelope on the Tiny Ten list. It is because the list was probably created by someone in southern Africa to promote hunting in southern Africa. Yes these are all rhetorical.

If we go with mongoose, imho, we should open it up to all mongoose, not just the white tail. Your list shows jackal which is great as there a multiple kinds of jackal that can be hunted. There is no reason to exclude the list to black back, to the exclusion of side striped or Ethiopian Wolf if one was hunted. There probably aren't many African Golden Cat's shot these days. They may only may be available in some west African countries now, but if one was taken, it might be more appropriate to have it on the list than say a jackal, or an omnivore like the civet, while the rest of the list are carnivores.

I am not meaning to dirty the water too much. I would just like the list to be more inclusive than exclusive, with the opportunity to substitute.

This is an interesting topic you have opened. Hope I haven't made it too muddy. I look forward to watching how this thread progresses.

Certainly do what ever you want regarding the list. My comments are not meant as criticism, just food for thought.

Appreciate your starting it Hank. Nice to see a unique thread!

 

[K-man]

Does it need to be a mammal? How about a big python?
Have tracked one to its lair, gone in after it, and (with help) pulled it out. A worthy opponent.