When it comes to hunting, there are many skilled hunters around the world. However, the question of who is the absolute best hunter alive is up for debate. Hunting requires a unique blend of patience, stealth, tracking skills, and marksmanship. Evaluating hunters’ skills and accomplishments across different types of game and terrain is no easy task. In this article, we will examine some of the top contenders for the title of best hunter alive today.
Key Skills and Abilities of a Great Hunter
So what makes a truly great hunter? Here are some of the key skills and abilities shared by the best hunters:
– Patience – Hunting requires long hours of waiting quietly for game to appear. The best hunters have learned to sit still for extremely long periods.
– Stealth – A hunter must be able to move quietly and conceal themselves effectively from their prey. Great hunters can sneak up on even the wariest animals.
– Tracking – Reading tracks, scat, and other signs allows hunters to pinpoint the location of animals even when they cannot be seen. Expert trackers can determine an animal’s size, speed of movement, and even how long ago it passed by.
– Marksmanship – When the opportunity presents itself, a hunter must be able to quickly and accurately place a lethal shot on their target. The best marksmen can regularly make difficult shots under pressure.
– Survival skills – Hunters must be able to thrive in the wilderness, constructing shelters, starting fires, finding water sources, and identifying edible plants. These skills allow hunters to survive in remote hunting grounds.
– Animal knowledge – An intimate understanding of different species’ anatomy, behavior, habitat, migration patterns, and defenses helps a hunter track and outwit their prey.
– Fitness – Hunting often requires hiking long distances while carrying heavy gear. Physical strength and endurance separate the best hunters from the pack.
– Perseverance – Persistence and determination, sometimes over many days or weeks of hunting, are required to successfully harvest an animal. The best hunters maintain focus over long fruitless periods.
– Adaptability – Hunting conditions change, and hunters must be ready to alter their strategies accordingly. The top hunters can quickly adapt to changes in weather, the movement of prey, or other variables.
The Top Hunters Alive Today
Now let’s look at a few hunters who stand out today as contenders for the title of best hunter in the world:
Byron Ferguson
Byron Ferguson is an American hunter who is considered by many to be one of the greatest archery hunters and exhibition shooters of all time. He has bagged animals on every continent using only traditional archery equipment like longbows and recurve bows. His skills are so extraordinary that he holds three Guinness World Records for feats like piercing an ace of spades card from over 100 yards away. Ferguson has harvested over 500 big game animals with a bow, including Cape buffalo, moose, caribou, and even an elephant. His combination of sheer archery accuracy and steady composure while tracking dangerous game make him a top hunter alive today.
Jim Shockey
Jim Shockey is a Canadian professional hunter, conservationist, and TV personality. He has been hunting since childhood and has now harvested over 320 different big game species across the planet using rifles, bows, and muzzleloaders. Shockey is renowned for his incredible consistency at making perfect lethal shots on animals even under difficult conditions. He can regularly drop charging predators like lions and bears dead in their tracks. Shockey also excels at baiting predators in close for careful shot placement. His successes in the field and contributions to conservation education make Shockey one of the most renowned hunters alive.
Tim Wells
American Tim Wells is a skilled hunter and host of the TV show Relentless Pursuit. He has shot animals across North America, Africa, Australia and beyond with archery equipment. Wells is best known for stalking whitetail deer, regularly killing mature trophy bucks each season through stealthy tracking and shooting. His ability to move quietly, predict deer movements, and place quick accurate arrow shots makes Wells one of the most consistent whitetail hunters today. He also excels at predator hunting, calling in and bagging coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and other beasts. Wells’ versatility at hunting different game makes him stand out.
Michele Leqve
Michele Leqve, from Namibia, has been hunting African plains game since her teen years. She is one of the most skilled female hunters in the world today. Leqve is an expert at spot-and-stalk hunting on the open savannah. She excels at creeping quietly over long distances to within shooting range of wary antelope species. Leqve is proficient with a range of firearms but prefers making long shots with her .300 Winchester Magnum rifle. She has harvested over 320 animals including kudu, gemsbok, impala, zebra, and many other African antelope. Her ability to thrive in harsh conditions makes Leqve a top hunter.
Steve Rinella
American outdoorsman Steve Rinella hosts the MeatEater TV show and podcast. He is an experienced and successful hunter who focuses on wild public lands hunting for meat and conservation purposes. Rinella has taken dozens of big game species across North America including elk, deer, sheep, mountain lions, bears and waterfowl. He particularly excels at spotting faint game trails to determine animal patterns and setting up ambush sites to intercept them. Rinella’s willingness to hike deep into remote wildlands gives him access to animals rarely pursued by other hunters. His practical skills and ethical hunting philosophy make him a model hunter.
Comparing Hunting Methods and Game
It can be challenging to directly compare hunters’ skills when they pursue different types of game in varying terrain using different equipment. Here is an overview of key differences between the top hunters’ styles:
| Hunter | Preferred Game | Main Hunting Method | Key Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byron Ferguson | Big Game – North America, Africa, Australia | Spot & Stalk | Recurve & Longbows |
| Jim Shockey | Big Game – North America, Africa, Asia | Spot & Stalk, Baiting | Rifles, Compound Bows |
| Tim Wells | Whitetail Deer, Predators | Still Hunting, Stalking | Compound Bow |
| Michele Leqve | African Plains Game | Spot & Stalk | .300 Rifle |
| Steve Rinella | Big Game – North America | Spot & Stalk, Still Hunting | Rifles |
This comparison shows some key differences between the top hunters’ specialties:
– **Game** – Some hunters specialize in certain species like whitetail deer or African antelope, while others pursue a wide range of big game all over the world.
– **Hunting Method** – Spot and stalk techniques are common, but still hunting and baiting approaches also produce success.
– **Equipment** – Various rifles, compound bows, and traditional archery gear each require unique skills to master.
Despite their different styles, these hunters all demonstrate excellence in stealth, tracking, patience, marksmanship, fitness and the many other attributes required to consistently harvest animals in the wild.
Ranking the Top Hunters
With so many skilled hunters around the world, any list of the absolute “best” is bound to be controversial and subjective. However, based on their overall records, versatility hunting different game on multiple continents, and influential impact on modern hunting, here is one potential ranking of the top hunters alive today:
1. **Byron Ferguson** – His extraordinary archery skills make Ferguson the most uniquely talented hunter alive today. Taking dangerous game on three continents with traditional equipment cements his status.
2. **Jim Shockey** – Shockey’s ability to successfully harvest over 320 species across the planet with various weapons demonstrates unmatched versatility as a global hunter.
3. **Tim Wells** – As the best living whitetail hunter who also excels at predator hunting, Wells shows exceptional specialization and consistency.
4. **Steve Rinella** – Rinella’s wild public lands hunting philosophy, conservation advocacy, and skills across North America make him an influential modern leader.
5. **Michele Leqve** – As a top female hunter who has mastered spot-and-stalk hunting dangerous African game, Leqve rounds out the list.
Of course, the relative ranking of these elite hunters is open to debate. All of them have shown incredible dedication, skill, and success in the field. There are also many other skilled hunters around the world who could deserve a place among the top hunters alive today. The five profiled here certainly stand out for their achievements and influence on hunting worldwide.
The Importance of Safety and Ethics
When ranking top hunters, it is important to consider not just their skills harvesting animals, but also their safety practices and ethical hunting philosophy. Responsible hunting prioritizes clean kills, full use of harvested game, and promoting conservation through licenses and tags. All of the hunters profiled here emphasize safe, ethical hunting practices in addition to their field skills. They serve as positive examples of how to be a sportsman in the outdoors.
Conclusion
Selecting a single “best hunter in the world” is nearly impossible with so many expert hunters today who specialize in different game and techniques. But the elite hunters profiled here – Byron Ferguson, Jim Shockey, Tim Wells, Michele Leqve, and Steve Rinella – certainly stand out for their skills and accomplishments. While their greatness is hard to rank definitively, each of these hunters has shown incredible dedication to their craft and made a positive mark on the hunting world. Their mastery of skills like stealth, tracking, shooting, and survival in extreme environments push the boundaries of human hunting capabilities. Any one of them could have a strong claim as the best hunter alive today.