Peter Hathaway Capstick (1940–1996) was an American hunter and author. He was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and educated at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

although he was not a graduate. Capstick walked away from a successful Wall Street career shortly before his thirtieth birthday to become a professional hunter. His hunting career began in Central and South America and culminated with hunts in Africa for which he is best known. Capstick spent much of his life in Africa, a land he called his "source of inspiration". A chain smoker and heavy drinker, he died at age 56 from complications following heart surgery.

Biography

After a short career as a Wall Street stockbroker, Capstick headed to Latin America, where he traveled widely while hunting, fishing, and mastering the

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in th ...

. A few years later he returned to New York, where he founded a business arranging professionally guided hunting trips. Shortly thereafter, he took a position as Hunting and Fishing Director at Winchester Adventures of New York, a subsidiary of the famous gun manufacturer. In that capacity, he made his first trip to Africa in 1968. Subsequently, he worked as a professional hunter and game ranger in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

, and Rhodesia. Capstick started writing about his adventures in the late 1960s and published numerous articles in various sporting magazines. In 1977, he published his first book, ''Death in the Long Grass,'' which became a commercial success and established his reputation as an author of true adventure stories. Capstick is frequently compared to

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

and Robert Ruark in discussions of influential African hunting authors.

Death

In early 1996, Capstick was a keynote speaker at the annual Safari Club International convention in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, when he collapsed in his hotel room and was diagnosed with exhaustion. He was immediately flown back to his adopted country of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and underwent heart bypass surgery in a

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

hospital. He died just before midnight on March 13 of complications from surgery. After a small private ceremony, his ashes were scattered over the Chobe River in northeastern Botswana.

Legacy

The

.470 Capstick The .470 Capstick is a rifle cartridge created by Col. Arthur B Alphin from A-Square in 1990, named after writer and hunter Peter Hathaway Capstick. It is based on a .375 H&H Magnum case blown out and necked to accept a .475 inch (12 mm) ...

rifle cartridge, developed by

A-Square A-Square Company, LLC was a manufacturer of rifles, ammunition and bullets based in Chamberlain, South Dakota in the United States. The company was one of 19 that are members of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institution (SAAMI) ...

's Colonel Arthur B. Alphin in 1990, bears his name.* Additionally, his legacy is saluted by The Dallas Safari Club's annual Peter Hathaway Capstick Hunting Heritage Award for the promotion of responsible hunting and wildlife conservation.

Bibliography

*''A Man Called Lion'' *''The African Adventurers: A Return To Silent Places'' *''Death in a Lonely Land'' *''Death in the Dark Continent'' *''Death in the Long Grass'' *''Death in the Silent Places'' *''The Last Ivory Hunter'' *''Last Horizons'' *''Maneaters'' *''Peter Capstick's Africa: A Return To The Long Grass'' *''Sands of Silence'' *''Safari: the Last Adventure'' *''Warrior: the Legend of Colonel

Richard Meinertzhagen Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, CBE, DSO (3 March 1878 – 17 June 1967) was a British soldier, intelligence officer, and ornithologist. He had a decorated military career spanning Africa and the Middle East. He was credited with creating and ...

Filmography

Capstick published a series of hunting videos over the years. *''Capstick - Botswana Safari'' *''Capstick - Hunting the White Rhino'' *''Capstick - Hunting the African Elephant'' *''Capstick - Hunting the African Lion'' *''Capstick - Hunting the Cape Buffalo'' *''Capstick's Last Safari''

References