The absolute best hunters I ever met in my hunting life were the SE Asian Hmong hunters that came from the Central Valley after immigrating to America. Usually they were in groups of 4 to 6, They camped/hunted in the dense jungle like Big Sur Los Padres national forest overlooking the ocean.
Their endurance, commitment to being good hunters, snake awareness and success were just amazing. Mostly I was a lone hunter there and visited their hunting camps. By virtue of my personality, I was welcomed in their camps which allowed me to get a good feeling of their skills.
The Hmong hunting family group i had supper with were like little tanks, Not skinny, not fat, but solid and fit. They seemed to favor long rifles, mostly old pre-64 Winchesters, heavy with 24 inch barrels.
Surely, they were influenced by the fact these were often the rifles of American Snipers in the Vietnam War.
Their bush skills were fine-tuned as were their hunting ethics. Theyb all followed the new no lead bullet rule too.
They travelled light, hunted the same areas year after year, were successful.
In the morning after sharing supper with them their first night, i headed out on my own and found a fine perch to sit on overlooking some ideal broken country far below me.
Glassing across the canyon, I saw one member of the group I was with the night before. He too had found a fine perch.
In the valley below, the younger hunters were, moving through the thick brush
with patient dedication doing a deer drive for the elders.
They took turns and were crack shots and all helped with recovery.
Just once, I invited two basic young California hunters to join me on a hunt in the Big Sur Coastal mountains. I hoped to repeat the drives hunts I saw the Hmong do so successfully.
I offered to, and did a successful deer drive for them. But there were no shots. Before the morning was over, they gave up, did not, could not get to the overlooks I suggested, went down to their truck and headed home. They left me a note claiming the land was too rough and hard. They were too soft, lacked grit, and were too fond of beer.
