His birthplace dictated his life’s course because Clements was born and raised in Tanzania on Lake Victoria, next to Serengeti National Park. He grew up hunting and his love for wildlife was instilled in him as early as he can remember. Clements commented, “I have been in the hunting world all of my life. From the beginning, I was immersed in a culture where hunting is a way of life and the primary means of conservation and economic growth. My heritage has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the hunting industry. At the age of 7, I took my first Cape buffalo and my first lion at the age of 14 establishing my lifelong passion for hunting, wildlife and the African bush.”
Clements has hunted on six continents and personally taken over 250 different species of animals, and his clients benefit from his extensive experience. Over the past 20 years, he has guided clients in Tanzania to at least 108 leopards and 91 lions. Speaking about his work, Clements says, “I pride myself on having a long and excellent reputation and a loyal clientele because I am always honest, providing what I promise and paying personal attention to each client. As an outfitter, my company, Safari Trackers, offers some of the best areas, camps and professional hunters in the industry.”
Throughout Africa, Clements hunts lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, plains game, Lord Derby Eland and bongo. He added, “I hunt every species it is legal to hunt.”
Clements is a licensed professional hunter in Tanzania and currently hunts the Maswa North Game Reserve, Rungwa East Game Reserve, MHJ3 in Selous Game Reserve, Lunda Mkwanbi in Rungwa, and Simnajero East in Masailand. For his field firearms, Clements prefers .375 .470 and .505 cartridges for maximum stopping power.
Clements recounts his interaction with clients: “Every single safari is a special experience and every safari with a client is memorable. Every hunter has a different experience and different emotions during a safari. There are always harrowing charges from wounded animals, but I do not believe that those experiences are common. It is everything else hunters experience on their safari that provide life long memories. I appreciate clients who take everything in and who understand the real meaning of the hunt is not just pulling the trigger. On a safari last year, I had a client who had never been to Africa and had never hunted anything dangerous. He booked a full 21-day hunt for cats. After shooting his leopard and lion, the emotions and tears of joy that the client had at being able to hunt and take such beautiful animals is what appreciating a safari is all about. The early mornings with a beautiful sunrise and the crisp fresh air and the excitement of a new day with the smell and sounds that only Africa can offer is what I enjoy the most. Being in the true wild and remote areas is where you truly become closer to nature and God.”
Regarding conservation and education, Clements outlines his philosophy and involvement. “As a hunter, conservation is my main concern to ensure we can continue to enjoy the rich wildlife with which God has blessed us. Conservation involves being selective about trophies, and giving back to the communities so they understand the benefit of having wildlife. Paramount in this hunting industry is the need to educate the local communities about the wildlife and its related benefits. Anti-poaching is very important because most local governments do not make aggressive efforts and it remains the responsibility of all outfitters to police and control their areas. This is huge cost that most likely would never occur to clients.”
In addition to hunting, Safari Trackers offers photographic safaris, fishing, beach vacations and has even arranged weddings. An SCI Life Member, Clements exhibits at the conventions and helps fund SAFARI Magazine through advertising to its readers.
