Hunters At Heart: Aske Rif Torbensen

Hunters At Heart continues with Aske Rif Torbensen, Aske is our inhouse Photographer and a part of our Marketing Department.

"As a photographer, I am curious by nature. Once I started hunting, it became clear that there were a lot of stories waiting to be told. In a few years’ time, I went from being a fashion photographer to becoming a full-time hunting photographer"

How were you introduced to hunting? What sparked your interest?

Growing up, I was surrounded by black and white pictures of a proud hunter from another time. Historic scenes of camps full of Thai people, trackers and helpers. And in the middle, my great-grandfather Rasmus Havm?ller. He is either smoking his pipe or posing with his Mauser and a safari helmet. But no one in my immediate family was a hunter. For a long time, I thought hunting was only something you could do in the old days. It wasn’t until I met a friend that had just started his own hunting license course that I got into hunting. Primarily, it started as a way to experience a small part of what my great-grandfather might have experienced back in the golden days.

As a photographer, I am curious by nature. Once I started hunting, it became clear that there were a lot of stories waiting to be told. In a few years’ time, I went from being a fashion photographer to becoming a full-time hunting photographer. My passion is to convey hunting in a way that makes people who know nothing about hunting understand why people hunt and how hunting can contribute to today's nature conservation.

I am so fortunate that my great-grandfather's adventures are well documented. Once he returned from Siam (present-day Thailand), he brought home crate after crate of trophies and collections of his exotic travels and founded his own museum in Ebeltoft, Denmark - The Siamese Collection. It’s a place I like to visit as often as I can. The museum is filled from floor to ceiling with tiger skulls, crocodile skins, a variety of stuffed birds and a huge collection of photographs. Everytime I visit, I discover new things that I have not seen or read before.

In the process of renovating the museum, I discovered that my great-grandfather was an exceptional photographer, not only taking pictures of his hunts but also documenting everyday life in Siam and its people. So you could say that I walk in his tracks both in passion and profession.

What does hunting mean to you??

Hunting is in my blood and it has been my work for almost 15 years now. It has become entwined with who I am and I will never stop pursuing the experiences I get from hunting. It is a very primal feeling when you are on a remote mountain-side in New Zealand without food to fill your stomach, depending on your skills to survive. Everything else fades away. You have one goal and it’s pretty simple - hunt food for your survival. I believe we, as humans, need that clarity and simple way of living. It’s a great contrast to our everyday life with distractions and noise. For me, it’s like meditating or tai chi. You have only one focus that blocks out everything else and gives your brain a pause.

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What’s a hunt that’s stuck with you??

Almost all my hunts are embedded in my memory. But to name a few without going into too many details would be:

· A six hour hunt in the African bush while injured on crutches. I was pursuing a bachelor giraffe that was harassing the Alpha male. In Africa, you don't give up easily. With help, we camo-taped a safety orange marker on my crutches and put a brown sock over the cast on my foot, then went hunting.

· Hunting an arctic fox on a red beach in Iceland at 300 meters to protect an eider duck settlement. The fox was standing on top of a big black stone when I shot him. When I retrieved the fox, it was laying beside a pilot whale carcass. That explained why there were so many foxes in the area threatening the bird species.

· Hunting the elusive Samba Deer in Australia was a special hunt because I was walking similar footsteps of my great-grandfather as he hunted them back in his days. By far, the most difficult species I have hunted, but I managed to shoot a young stag after almost 12 days nonstop hunting from sunrise to sunset.

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What’s something you would like a non-hunter to understand??

That hunting and storytelling is deeply rooted in us all. From the cave paintings to the stories we entertain our friends with nowadays. Both come from a desire to tell of something extraordinary. That is what great stories are made of.

But also the huge benefits of hunting. Whether it is a privately funded project to better the habitat for wildlife or more organized anti-poaching work funded by hunting tourism. Both are important to help ensure the continued health of the wildlife population.

What’s something people would be surprised to know about hunting?

That hunting is human nature. Most non-hunters don't need to pull the trigger to experience it. Every time I have a non-hunter with me on a hunt, they get really excited even though they were a little hesitant to join in the first place. If we see animals, I often have to quiet them down because they are pointing and excited. And if we don't succeed, they get really disappointed. It is the same mechanisms they go through even though they are not the ones pulling the trigger.

What’s the best thing about hunting?

To me, it’s a way to experience both sides of life. You get a contrast to your everyday life and some time to reflect about the importance of life and death. Hunting is a way to get more grounded in the natural life and reminds me that in order for us to live, something has to die.

What’s your best advice for fellow hunters??

Turn away from the campfire.

If we want to continue to hunt for years to come, we need to save our campfire stories and start telling them to everyone else. We need to talk about our cause every time it is fitting and not shy away from an opportunity to educate or convey hunting. I have been doing “show & tells” at kindergarten and grade schools for many years now and I have only met interested kids, teachers and parents who loved that someone gave their children an eye-opening experience. When you bring the skull of a giraffe or the back skin of a muskox, the kids have so many questions that they forget to raise their hands. Their energy and enthusiasm is so much fun and I learn from it every time I do it.

My advice would be to get involved with conveying hunting, and oppose when the media or people voice false or incorrect facts about our passion. Always in a respectful manner and with patience because hunting can be difficult to comprehend.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a hunter??

That preparation will take you a long way. But you have to be ready when the time comes. I find that the harder the struggle is, the more ready I become. Once you have trekked for five hours, jumped over an ice cold river and climbed vertically with only grass to hang on to, then you are ready when the time comes. Otherwise, it was all for nothing and you have to return the way you came, empty handed. I was ready when the Chamois (goat-antelope) returned to the ridge at the very last light in New Zealand. The walk back with the meat and trophy was so much easier.