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Scott Allan

@scott_canum

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📍Liverpool
‘94

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An incredible week over in Kazakhstan! An honour to be the first Brit ever to attend. Big thank you to @professor_kzz for hosting us and ensuring we wanted for nothing the entire time we were there. Also, big thank you to @zhanabaevv_00 who I found on Instagram, liked his dog, messaged him and that’s how all of this came about.
The Tazy’s were stunning dogs, three in particular stood out, Alisher’s ‘Naiza’, a dog named ‘Kokshokai’ and Azat’s ‘Kok Zhendet’.
Basically, every mile or so there are small patches of bushy willow or windbreaker tree lines. As there is nothing else around, the Siberian Roe hold up in these. We would drive up to them, beep the horn repeatedly / drive through them and the Roe would flush.
In the vehicles we would then catch up to the Roe, stop the car, let the dogs out and begin to follow the dogs. By the time the dogs are out of the vehicle and headed towards the Roe, the Roe would have anywhere between 200/400 yards of law.
Dogs are judged on performance, no point scoring system. A dog must lead for a set period of time and a dog must show drive to catch the quarry. I can’t say I disagreed with any decision. One course went on for 1 1/2 miles and two dogs were neck and neck the entire time, both dogs were progressed into the next round due to their performance.

Kazakhstan, it was a pleasure and an honour! I will be back! taken in Kazakhstan by @scott_canum

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a day ago

And so another Panther Trackers adventure comes to an end. An incredible fortnight with incredible company (& @tate_scott22_ ).

My fourth consecutive year hunting in Africa with @gavlipjes and another unbelievable time was had. Sadly, we were unable to find a big enough Leopard on this occasion but the experiences along the way are what make the hunt.

Watersports with a spitting cobra. Channeling my inner Steve Irwin with a Rock Python. All manner of animals seen, the Cheetahs in particular will leave a lasting impression, but that’s one for the book!

The lads managed to take a 56” Kudu, a 37” Buffalo, another similar sized Buffalo, a 28” Wildebeest, an Impala and a Zebra. Congratulations!

Back to the day job on Monday but I return with a renewed optimism. Texas is calling…

Africa, Gents, it was a pleasure! taken in Mozambique by @scott_canum

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3 months ago

I’ll definitely be back in Texas next year. They’re experiencing a drought down near the border and it’s made getting on any cats nigh on impossible. It’s 30 Celsius by 11am and there’s no water or moisture anywhere other than the cattle wells and lakes. The grounds dry, the plants are dead and nothing is holding scent.
I’ve developed a bit of an appreciation for the cat as a quarry, I’ve never had to try so hard to catch something. Every cat hunt I have been on has required fieldcraft, understanding, planning, often risks and 50/50 gambles. It makes the completion of the task all the more memorable when it comes.

We had the option of either 1) Staying one more day in Mexico and hunting bobcats that were showing on the trail cameras daily. Or 2) Return to America and hunt near the coast in hopes of moisture in an area with plenty of cats.

50/50 we chose option 2. As it transpired, no further bobcats or lions appeared on the Mexico trail cameras. However we got back to America at 3pm ish and someone sent over a fresh bobcat kill that he witnessed the cat on, in the direction we wanted to go. Paid off.

We had been up since 4am hunting that day and 4 days prior and we had just driven back from Mexico. We were tired and so were the dogs, instead we gambled and opted to hunt him early the next morning when there would be dew on the ground and hopefully fresh scent from him returning to eat. Thus boosting our chances.
We got there early, dew on the ground, fog in the air, ideal.

Coyotes had eaten its kill. No scent of a bobcat anywhere near it.

We drove the entire ranch, up and down with the dogs on the ground scenting for bobcats until at 11 it was 30 Celsius and any remnants of scent would be gone. The cats would be laid up somewhere quiet in the heat, not making any fresh scent. We stopped near the gate to load up the dogs and there, clear as day, a fresh bobcat print from that morning. At the start of the day, at that same gate, we could have went left or right. 50/50.

That’s hunting and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Big thank you to @wildcathounds and his wife for their incredible hospitality and friendship. It’s immensely appreciated. taken in Texas by @scott_canum

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7 months ago

We had just called it a day on bobcat hunting when we rounded a corner and seen a load of dogs in the field. As we approached we realised they were coursing.
Jumped out the car and introduced myself to both Willie (82) and Abel (84). Willie can’t walk, so he sits at the car and watches the coursing comfortably. Abel can walk, but he can’t see very well. Between them, they’re my favourite hunting team I’ve ever met. Abel flushes the hare, the dogs go off chasing, he walks back to the car and asks Willie if they caught it and about how the course went.
I only walked maybe a mile at most with Abel but I loved every moment of it. He told me about his life, his dogs, the difference between each of his dogs.
He liked coursing that particular patch as it has plenty of places for the hares to escape.

Whilst walking with Abel, he told me he had previously had a stroke, couldn’t see very well and was walking with two metal knees. Abel said “I believe my day is marked, and I’m ready for it. I’ve hunted dogs for 84 years and I still love every single day of it. I see the good in every day and I enjoy every day I live”.

When we got back to the car, Abel was told the hare got away! One of the guys said “man that was a dark Jack rabbit, I’ve never seen one that dark”.
“Those are the faster ones” replied Abel.

When I grow up, I want to be Abel… taken in Texas by @scott_canum

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7 months ago

Well, Mexico, I’ll never forget you. I will be back.

In 2018, before the first France trip. I wrote a certain animal down on a bucket list of things to hunt. I had absolutely no right to write it down, I was only several years into photography, I hadn’t even hunted abroad at the time. It was an unachievable dream.

Let me tell you now, I didn’t get all the way to the Mexican border for the cartel to fuck up my plans. The morning before we went to Mexico, the Mexican government killed El Mencho. It caused uproar, shootings and vehicle fires were happening all along our route.
We told all sorts of people we were going, Mexican officials, American officials, ‘other Mexicans’. Some were saying it’s okay, others advised against it.

I’m sorry to my mum who was already worried before the uproar, but I sent explicit instructions to my closest friend on what to do should anything have happened. This was unequivocally the most dangerous hunting trip I have ever been on and likely ever will go on. I didn’t know what to expect but my phone was flooding with all the same media you seen at home. Shootouts, road blocks, murders etc.

Driving down there we would see police cars with officers on the roof mounted to a .50 cal rifle. Helicopters went over our heads with machine gunners hanging out the side. We waved at the cartel Falcones along the roads and they waved back.

We got to our destination and once there, it was pretty quiet. What a place. We stayed in the Vaqueros quarters on a ranch for 5 days and hunted morning & evening in pursuit of cats.

Jorgé - “Do you know any Mexican music?”
Scott - *insert stereotypical mariachi song*
Scott - “Do you know any songs from the UK?”
Jorgé - “We all live in a yellow submarine!” (The Beatles, also from Liverpool and therefore also kind of stereotypical)

Gustavo - “Those fisherman down at the lake came back up here scared, they said they heard a cat calling right behind them. I laughed and told them it was the gringos and they had nothing to worry about so they went back down. That caller sounds incredible!”
Us - “we weren’t calling cats last night”

On a completely separate note, there were jaguars on our trail cameras taken in Mexico by @scott_canum

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7 months ago

Finally had a chance to sit down and edit some images from New Mexico. Not happy with my own performance in honesty given sighthounds are my bread and butter. I shoot the shit out of a sighthound. I’ll be back though 10000% I had a blast. Brilliant company and a stunning place to be.
I met up with @seth.houndsmanxp for the first time after a number of years in contact and it was nice to finally put a face to a name. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in New Mexico, especially sitting around the fire whilst multiple coyotes sang to each other around us. Interesting fact, the Latin name for coyote translates to ‘singing dog’. taken in New Mexico by @scott_canum

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8 months ago

“I love the hunt, I love the chase, but I live for those first five seconds at the tree. When I look up at him and smile, and he looks down at me pissed. I know, he knows, I won.” - @southridgeguideservice

“Did you get one of my moustache?” - @southridgeguideservice

Big thank you to @coldstrike.gear, @southridgeguideservice & @onthearcllc for looking after me this week! Your company was a pleasure. See you again in the future! taken in Arizona, USA by @scott_canum

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8 months ago

If this isn’t on your bucket list, it should be! Following hounds through the Arizonan mountains on mules is an adventure I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
Day 1 - we trailed a cat all morning but we knew it was around 36 hour old scent. We didn’t catch up to him.
Day 2 - we trailed a different cat in a different area all morning until the dogs were 100 yards from the highway and we called them off. One dog b-lined for hippy camp and the lady there told us a lion had been through camp the night prior.
Day 3 - Snow arrived! We left the mules at home which was a nice break, after those two days riding, after 23 years off a horse, I have developed a real appreciation for the achievements of Bonnie Blue.
We found Coyote, deer, bobcat, grey fox and eventually, lion tracks. Dogs made light work of it and treed him within around 1 mile of them initially scenting him. We sat beneath him for around 20/30 minutes, taking it in. Then we called the dogs off and left him sitting in the tree to live another day.

This is training in every sense of the word. The cat is trained to understand he is not the apex predator but the human is. This reduces Human / Lion interactions. The dogs are keeping sharp, being worked, the pups are learning.

Tomorrow is due rain and snow but we will be back out on Thursday for one more go.

Thank you very much for inviting me over, showing me your dogs and for being great company! It is hugely appreciated! @coldstrike.gear @southridgeguideservice @onthearcllc taken in Arizona, USA by @scott_canum

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8 months ago

Another incredible weekend at the ICC National Coursing Meeting! Honoured that I got to photograph it and so thank you anyone and everyone involved in that!

Great weekend that’s highly recommended! Good dogs, good hares, good craic! taken in Clonmel by @scott_canum

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8 months ago

Big thanks to the Ballyluskey lads for having us out. Very enjoyable day with good company. Will definitely be back over in the future.
The Ballyluskey is a small community footpack located in a little village and they regularly do fundraisers for good causes. The local village now has 5 defibrillators and 5k has recently been raised for Community Suicide Awareness Workers Tipperary (C-Saw Tipperary). They’re doing some great work so be sure to give them a follow. taken in Tipperary by @scott_canum

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8 months ago

Day 2 with the Galgos, better conditions for action shots but that doesn’t make the hares run in your direction. Great two days coursing however. This is my final bit of hunting on this trip to Spain, back to the UK for 8 weeks now. I suppose I’ll have to work my own dog for a bit, rats and rabbits here I come…
Thank you to every single person in Spain who has me out, makes me feel welcome. It’s a special country with special people and it will definitely be a stronghold for working dogs for many years to come. taken in Valladolid by @scott_canum

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a year ago

Struggled yesterday I think, not happy with my action shots. That fog just killed off any chance at decent action. The lads are finding it hilarious, they tell me there is NEVER fog here but I have been to see them three times and every, single, time. Fog.
I was planning on flying my drone and getting some videos for the YouTube but there’s already a couple of drones flying about and I think it would be like Star Wars so I’m not bothering. Hopefully I can convince @a_ojo_de_halcon to let me use his footage and in exchange I’ll give him my action cam footage of the slipping… taken in Valladolid by @scott_canum

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a year ago