Harry Selby (hunter)

Harry Selby is a South African white hunter who made a name for himself in Kenya and then in Bechuanaland. Selby honed his hunting skills early in life while working for the Safariland safari company and under the tutelage of legendary hunter Philip Percival. During his time with Ker_and_Downey_Safaris_Ltd., he also met and befriended Robert Ruark, whose subsequent writings about Selby made Selby famous around the world.

Born in South Africa, Harry was very young when his family moved to Kenya. Harry’s parents had acquired 40,000 acres of prime ranch land – with a view of Mount Kenya - where they grazed cattle. The land was also home to big game, and as a child Harry was surrounded by herds of zebra, eland and impala. From time to time groups of buffalo and elephant passed through the property, and occasionally lions or leopard. The presence of the big cats would spark a hunt in order to protect the livestock, and at the age of just eight years old Harry was entrusted with his own single-shot .22 rifle.

Harry's early pursuits kept the family's larder stocked with guinea fowl, francolin and gazelle and it was during these times that Harry perfected his gun handling skills. He became familiar with dangerous game while hunting smaller game on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Harry hunted with experienced local trackers; expert hunters in their own right who would pursue even the largest game with bow and arrow.

Harry’s career as a hunter emerged from a job as a field mechanic for Philip Percival, a veteran East African white hunter. However, it was not long before Percival realized that Harry’s personable nature and considerable big game experience would be invaluable on safari. Percival took Selby on as his apprentice, and by the time Harry turned 22 he was already well on his way to becoming one of Africa’s most respected professional hunters.

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Wikipedia