China Potential Trophy Mecca
Whitetail Deer
After being banned for 3 1/2 years of Covid, we have finally returned to our second home in Mianyang, China for a visit. (Wife is Chinese). Every time here, I am astounded at the fantastic habitat totally devoid of wild game. Today driving around the Southern rim of the Sichuan basin Mianyang - Chengdu - Chongqing - Dazhou, surrounded by rolling mountain foothills intermixed with occasional tiers of corn & bean crop fields, among many other things. Water everywhere. Most of this terrain is too steep for homes or farms. They are only in the bottoms. I just have to believe this expansive place has all the potential to be a deer/elk trophy Mecca if it were only populated, with the native species or even the North American versions. The farmers here break their backs taking their produce to market for a pittance in yuan while one tourist hunter would drop five years of income on them for just one trophy buck. And travel expenses are dirt cheap here like 20% of that in the US. What an untapped resource. There are archery clubs here that poach on public land for wild boar in a few spots, so there is local interest. But just think of the demand from abroad. Just have to believe some day it will happen.
What a colossal waste. And we drove through 300+ miles of this awesome stuff on today’s route alone.
I watched a documentary on China, it was an aerial view of the entire country, wow. There has to be game there.
When I lived in Togo in west Africa I was blown away as well by the complete lack of any kind of wildlife. The only thing left was a rat looking thing the locals called a bush rat. Really makes me thankful for the ones in our past that saw a need to protect our wildlife all those years ago. Just imagine the rocky mountains void of wildlife. We were so close to just that.
One really nice thing about visiting is it’s like Mayberry RFD. Due to their real capital punishment stance, it’s safe even in the poorest neighborhoods. The bad guys are disposed of, not thrown back on the streets like in Chicago.
Well, from what I see here, I'll bet they have no shellfish in their tidal rivers.
How blessed are we here to have the “North American Wildlife Model”.
Bet if they dropped a bunch of whitetails off in there they'd do good...
I was going to post same thing as Charlie.
That's maybe because the average person is starving at below poverty level and any game is hunted 24/7 just to add some meat on the table?
The way they treat their people in that country it's highly likely they treat the wildlife worse. Over 78 million killed between 1943-1976 by Chairman Mao. It hasn't gotten much better either, just ask the Xingu.
No Thank You I'll pass on ever hunting or traveling there.
There were some interesting stories years back by some international hunters that hunted China when it was open. Some amazing animals taken.
I think Archie Nesbitt took two Takin with a bow.
However like others have said no way I would go there.
Yes, exactly why they eat bats from the marketplace. No wild game.
An otherwise beautiful place that has become a hellhole for humanity.
I can't believe someone is on Bowsite advocating commercializing and capitalizing on hunting in China, when those are the exact things that are ruining hunting in the US.
Matt
My concern would be what your putting out on phone, what your saying, and getting out of that country.
LOL they dispose of the bad guys??? I’ve heard it all.
The government there ARE THE bad guys.
Surprised your wife didn’t think it never looked better than in the rear view mirror
It’s still a beautiful country with wonderful people, who BTW love Americans. The negatives are from another source. The concept of Teddy Roosevelt’s NAMWC is great & noble, but is sadly being thrown under the bus by near every Western state, with Utah leading the way via auction, outfitter welfare, LO, wealth tags in general. Hopefully some day China will establish a real dept of wildlife and get a game plan to do it right.
GG, I didn’t advocate anything. Just stating the economic reality based on the habitat. The re-establishment of many native populations would be incredibly easy with deer food dam near everywhere here. That is what I’d like to see myself.
Thanks for sharing Zim..... I'd love to visit China. Not all realize how vast and varied a country it is. As you know only a small part is the stereotypical rice paddy as imagined. A beautiful country .
My older brother is a VP for a corporate aircraft mgmt company based in Hong Kong with facilities on mainland also.... The last 10 or 15 years he's been with them. He's spent a full year there and 4-8 weeks multiple times. Otherwise he works here in the United States, from his home and deploys to Savanna and half a dozen maintenance places around the U.S. . Good gig for a 78 year old guy. I've been fortunate to host 2 Chinese families and their boys and twice a Chinese by himself. (My brother only lives 25 miles away from me so it's a natural process.) I really like them a lot. Curious, intelligent and friendly. And even more apolitical than I am. I consider the ones I've met to be my friends for sure.
Thanks again for posting and showing pictures.
On the other hand I would like to get a Panda, could bait with bamboo
Yeah it’s not the people it’s government.
"I just have to believe this expansive place has all the potential to be a deer/elk trophy Mecca if it were only populated, with the native species or even the North American versions." Please don't be an advocate for introducing non-native species anywhere. Look at Australia. Well, look at what's happened to all of Florida. Horses out West. Yikes! Encourage propagation or reintroduction of the native wildlife that should already be there.
Dutch oven, The problem in China is the vast majority of the native species have already been extirpated. So they’d be looking at similar alternatives to fill empty voids. I do know they do have two deer species and one elk/stag type critters strictly on reserves.
I wonder if there were large amounts of wildlife there historically at anytime?
My wife’s parents fled Laos (another communist country then) and came to America as refugees in the early 1980’s. She was born here a couple years later. From what her parents told me no one would dare kill any wild animals. The government would shoot you for even picking fruit/ vegetables. It all belonged to the government.
Interesting topic to think about
bowhunt, Yes I’ve seen numerous ancient murals while here depicting deer, elk, sheep, etc. in the Sichuan Basin. They brought back the red crowned crane from the brink around 1980 when 7 were found North of Sichuan. Also, when we visited the Chengdu Panda Zoo about 6 years ago, they had an atrocious very old & bad taxidermy display that featured an array of critters.
I think Sichuan Province is where Ringneck pheasants originated...
The list of native animals in China is huge. Brown bears to elephants and all sorts of stuff in-between.
So, if China once had a large wildlife population, what happened to it? Were they hunted to extirpation? If so, how? Can a civilian individual even own a firearm in China?
Matt
GG, Yes I’m assuming most were hunted to extirpation. Probably all prior to 1949. I assume private citizens were allowed to own guns prior to that. Today only the most rural farmers are allowed scatter guns to hunt rabbits/small game.
Matt..... no they can't own firearms. One of the mandatory things with my Chinese guests has been to take them over to Boone's Firearms and let them handle a million guns. They're fascinated by my firearms and reloading equipment too.
Thanks Zim and Dan. I'm also reading that over-population and pollution have contributed to the demise of wildlife in China. Interesting. I didn't know this about China. By the looks of the landscape in Zim's pics, you'd think that a few ungulates would have survived. At least they don't have to worry about wolf re-introductions, I guess.
Matt
Zim, cool to see the countryside. I worked with a guy from China for a number of years, the pictures he would share were beautiful. Your observation that the people are cool makes sense to me. Most of the people I've met from other countries were great - just like most of the people from the US. it stinks the government there is the way it is, but the regular folks do seem like good people.
There has to be some sort of wildlife, just looks like amazing habitat!
Also, Charlie, fully agreed. Thank goodness for the North American Model here for dang sure!
Yesterday we visited some family friends who treated us to lunch & dinner. Then went to their apartment and saw this print on living room wall. I asked our driver and he said they do have wild hogs and a sort of chicken that he has seen. That’s it.
Zim - where does the red meat on the table come from ?
Historically was China rich in wildlife that could be hunted? (asking, I have zero idea)
I personally think it would be awesome to visit China, in the remote areas, it is stunning in geographical beauty
The meat looks like Golden Retriever....??
The deer on the print is a Chital Deer (axis). According to the books on China wildlife there are still small numbers of them in the northeastern part of the country. Lots of variety of wildlife in the country. A short search will give you a list
This thread had me looking up info about wildlife in China last night
On Wikipedia it made it seem like the country is teaming with wildlife. It was really interesting to read
Stealthycat - Just typical cattle & pig farms. I was told by an archery shop owner in Beijing that the primary reason there are no huntable populations of deer/elk was that China did not have a DNR nor CO’s. Basically there is no effort to manage the game for hunting. Apparently they have other bigger priorities?
Looks like China is by far the leader in pork production worldwide.
Isn’t PSE now a Chinese made product.
China trails only the United States and Brazil in chicken production.
And China is #5 in beef production. Guess they don't just eat bats. ;)
I think PSE along with Hoyt remain assembled in the U.S. . Parts are not made in the U.S. but China.
(Second hand information, I didn't verify)
I know after looking at these china numbers we should be so proud of them
#5 in Beef production
# 2 in poultry production
# 1 in pork production
And
# 1 in dog and cat consumption 10 million Dogs 4 million cats
Great start in getting rid of these obvious pests
I live across the street from Lucky and Grace. Two very lucky Rescue Golden Retrievers from China
Why should we be proud of them for meat production? I'm not, I was stating facts is all.
China has a population of about 1.5 billion people and they only eating 4 million cats!?!? Seems like maybe an under served market…
—Jim
No sweat RK.... Just an attempt to show reality, I prefer reality.
And you got a point on the cat and dog dining. Not my thing either. Been assured majority of them don't partake. That's nice.
I do not wish to give them any more of my money than I already do. Trying to eliminate anything that comes from there within my life and home.
Surprised your wife didn’t think it never looked better than in the rear view mirror
I have been to China on several occasions both on vacation and for work. It's a beautiful country and everyone I met there were very friendly. I seen more poverty on the streets of LA than anywhere I visited in China.
I can’t say enough about the culture and work ethic of the Chinese people. I’m 64 years old and incredibly, but true, have yet to see my first Asian panhandler. I completely stopped going to McDonalds in Chicago or Milwaukee due to being harassed by as many as three at one shop in one morning. These are two of the five major metro areas in my work area the last 17 years alone! I see a lot!
They probably execute them so you don’t see them
Not in the US.
Hell you could murder someone in Chicago and they just tie a yellow ribbon on a tree outside the Thompson Center and call it good.
Beautiful country. I feel sorry for the people of China. Can't blame the people of China for what the government does...unlike here in the US
China had some foreign hunting in the 2000's, pretty sure Archie Nesbitt got a Takin back then.
Zim, is that meat raw in those pics?
I truly hope that the comments regarding Chinese homeless and beggars aren't being naive as to why....
Nature and wildlife is incredibly resilient. Given a chance, the animals would thrive. Since they are not, is is blatantly obvious that there is an ongoing factor preventing it.
SteveB, Yes but that’s because it’s a hot pot dinner. At that restaurant they don’t put one big pot in the middle. Each diner gets their own little pot w/individual mini-range built into the table. And each pot is seasoned per request.
