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Our hero, Chris has gone on a new adventure.   

Chris Klineburger 1927-2020

The end of an era, my hero has passed

 January 12, 2020

Chris Klineburger is one of modern hunting’s architects and he is a prolific writer, as well.

 “The essence of life is discovering what is on the other side of the mountain. We start out with a dream, and are propelled by the challenge of the unknown, the lure and the mystery of faraway places.
  Upon reaching the destination, we realize that there is no end. Distant mountains lie before us; it is time to meditate and give thanks.
Most of all, we must share with others the delight of God’s creation.”
 —— Chris R. Klineburger

  This is the story of a man, a family, adventure, travel and the establishment of the modern international hunting tradition.
  My hunting and adventure heroes have always been Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick Selous, Martin and Olsa Johnson and Hemingway. They hunted the world and told of their adventures in the Americas and Africa; their tales were exotic and required months of preparation and travel. They also involved logistical support in areas, such as Africa, where transportation was most commonly on foot. I retain visions of their tales with long lines of porters which allowed them to travel in regions only natives inhabited.
  These were the dreams of my childhood. They were also the dreams of Chris Klineburger, who with his brothers Bert and Gene, was able to bring that dream to reality for myself and thousands of other modern hunters through their pioneering efforts.
  Following World War II, an era of greater world awareness, air travel and a new prosperity allowed the common man to dream of hunting and exploring the exotic places he had heard of, or perhaps “visited” during the war. It gave Americans a new world vision. The problem was the lack of infrastructure in these far away places. Chris saw the opportunity and seized it. It began in Bisbee, Ariz., in a family that mined, hunted and trapped. This helped them develop a strong independent work ethic that served Chris well and prepared him for his future adventures. It also imbued him with a lifelong commitment to conservation and a love for wild places.
  It was, however, his association and partnership with the renowned Jonas Brothers Taxidermy that set him and his brothers on a path to become the preeminent taxidermists, explorers, and travelers that paved the way for future international hunters.
  They eventually expanded their enterprise to Alaska where they became more involved with guides, outfitters, camps, lodges and the traveling hunter which helped them to develop a system to enable hunters and fishermen a dependable method of travel.
  While exploring and developing hunting opportunities in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South Pacific and the former Soviet Union areas of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, it was necessary to begin building from a non-existent experience with western culture and develop the necessary training and infrastructure. This was all accomplished through diplomacy with the host governments and an overriding mission to bring people together and conserve natural wildlife resources.
  Chris’s travels involved trekking the mountainous regions of the earth, as well as travel by horseback, Land Rovers and planes. Often he found himself in interesting situations, as in Mozambique, Africa. He and his party, which included Astronaut Charlie Duke, found themselves in an area that had recently been attacked by rebel forces. Upon disembarking from their plane they were given hand grenades and a mercenary guard, “just in case.”  This and other stories are told in exceptional prose and style, which I’ll leave the reader to discover.
  Chris’s new book, “Gamemasters of the World,” chronicles his adventures and puts into perspective the transition of historical international hunting and safaris to the modern day international hunting experience.
  Don’t expect a boring historical text, however, as he relates true adventures and the dangers of exploring new and little known parts of the world. We will also meet friends he made along the way including presidents, kings, emperors as well as astronauts, movie stars and other hunters, like you and me.
  Equally important and interesting are the many “Reflections” which he has set aside in the chapters that tell of his philosophy, personal anecdotes, experiences and thoughts from his journals which he kept throughout his travels.
  This is also an inspirational book of exceptional business and entrepreneurial insight. Chris and his family saw an opportunity to work and live in a business for which they had passion. They seized it and created a life of travel, adventure, hunting and outdoor conservation. This led to his involvement as a founding member of many international hunting and conservation organizations, including Safari Club International. He has been inducted into the International Hunting Hall of Fame, The Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame awarded by the Wild Sheep Foundation, and has also received the Weatherby Award and many others for his conservation achievements. Chris Klineburger is a Fine Fellow.
  Our trails have crossed many times in the sheep mountains of the Canadian Rockies, where I was a game warden; we also share many mutual friends and hunting locations. This has been the case with Canada, southern Africa and here in Nevada where we hunt with many of the same sportsmen.
  I first met him, however, in his home library as he was writing and editing his biography. The resultant book is one of the most exciting, and certainly the most thorough adventure tale I have ever had the fortune to read.
  Whether your thoughts are of North American sheep and bears, or exotic adventures around the world, this book belongs on your bookshelf.
  As we once again, as a nation, culture and people, face a changing world and are perhaps looking for opportunities to work and live our lives in a purposeful way, centered on something we feel passionate about, “Gamemasters of the World” and Chris Klineburger have given us a blueprint for such an adventure.
  It’s a big book at a most affordable price and a great winter read.
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For more information go to http://www.gamemastersoftheworld.com.
If you have a story or something to share, e-mail me at dansimmons@usa

What’s new
The tradition continues. Chris’s son, Kent Klineburger, offers complete trophy room restoration; the quality of his work is, as one would expect, among the finest in the world.  He is an artist and the trophies he works with are cleaned and repaired while antlers and horns are restored to their natural condition. They also offer trophy room set-up and design. Their goal is to make your mounts look great and last longer.  I, like many sportsmen, have a number of trophies to enjoy and remind me of previous hunting and fishing adventures. Also like many sportsmen, some of these are in need of repair, or as they say, “freshening up.”
  This is a company that I use and am familiar with as are many sportsmen from around the world.
For more information contact Kent or Molly at 425-785-0032 or 206-547-1376.

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June 2019

                         Famed Klineburger Brothers Receive 
                          Lifetime Achievement Award  





Chris Klineburger—noted international hunter, explorer, pioneer, conservationist, author and World War II veteran—was presented with the Lifetime Wildlife Conservation Achievement Award from the Las Vegas Chapter of the Woods and Water Club and Nevada Sportsmen Unlimited on behalf of legendary Klineburger brothers Bert, Gene and Chris at the chapter’s Sportsman of the Year Banquet on Feb. 16. As the sole surviving Klineburger brother, Chris, 92, was honored to accept the award recognizing the trio’s accomplishments and contributions to wildlife conservation over the past 60 years. Whether you know Chris as a pioneer of hunting in Asia and parts of Africa or the author of world-class hunting books, he and his family’s accomplishments are well-documented throughout the hunting industry—including by this NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum website.

Presented by Woods and Waters past president Mike Reese and the group’s founder Ken Johnson, Klineburger shared these words on behalf of himself and his brothers: 

"The essence of life is discovering what is on the other side of the mountain,” said Klineburger. “We start out with a dream and are propelled by the challenge of the unknown, to the lure and the mystery of faraway places. Upon reaching the destination, we realize that there is no end. Distant mountains lie before us; it is time to meditate and give thanks. Most of all, we must share with others the delight of God’s creation."

I’ve personally known Chris for 15 years, partly as I worked as an expediter for one of their companies, Klineburger Taxidermy. As for why this prestigious award recognizing the Klineburgers is so well-deserved, this is their story.

Making Their Mark on the International Hunting Scene

Brothers Chris, Bert and Gene were instrumental in the sport hunting arena as we know it today. Post World War II was a time when people had money and leisure time, as well as the availability of air travel, making distant travel a reality. It was also a time that the Klineburgers were involved on the ground floor of most all that happened in sport hunting.

Their careers started when they purchased Jonas Brothers, the renowned taxidermy studio in Seattle, Wash., in 1950 which, at the time, was one of the world’s largest. They became acquainted with most of the hunting outfitters, which were not very numerous in those days. Africa, India and North America were the main destinations for big game hunters. There were no booking agents then, so hunters wanting a tiger, polar bear, African safari or the like would often ask the Klineburgers who to contact. This led them to turn their company, in part, into a guide referral service. In those post-war years, the Seattle taxidermy operation became the most important link between sportsmen and hunting operations. 

For the first time in hunting history, the Klineburgers foresight and ambitious drive brought the hunting and outfitting fraternity closer together while opening new hunting opportunities at affordable prices. Cases in point are when Uganda and Tanganyika got their independence in the early 1960s. The Klineburger brothers partnered with these nations in their wildlife development programs. The low-cost safari packages included airfare from the United States as well as sightseeing opportunities. Operations ultimately became the basis for Jonas Brothers Worldwide Travel and the first-ever booking agency for hunters instead of merely offering guide referral services. Chris spent five months in Uganda teaching field care of skins and horns, as well as establishing Jonas Brothers of Africa in Kampala, a taxidermy and trophy forwarding station.

The Klineburgers became involved in the formation of hunting clubs for the purpose of bringing together those with common interests and conserving the wildlife they so loved. You old-timers may remember back in the mid-1960s when the Klineburgers partnered with the Sportsmen Clubs of Texas to form Game Conservation International, GAMECOIN, to organize the first ever worldwide conservation convention in San Antonio, Texas for hunters, outfitters and wildlife managers. The Klineburgers also proceeded in becoming founding members of most of the current conservation organizations. Bert and Chris Klineburger also were early life members of the International Professional Hunters Association (IPHA) and authored historical books chronicling many events that only could be told once in world history. Bert’s main focus was on destinations such as Africa and South America, while Chris’ was on North America and especially Eurasia where he spent three decades helping to establish new hunting destinations where India Shikars were the only thing going in that section of the world.

Many of the world’s hunting and conservation efforts have the Klineburger signature on them. Chris and Bert have been honored in many ways in the hunting fraternity, including by both being inducted in the SCI Hunting Hall of Fame and presented the Weatherby Award of Special Recognition, while Chris was the first recipient of the Mountain Hunter Hall of Fame. 

Both Chris and Bert have written extensively of their experiences, most recently in Chris’ “Gamemasters of the World” and “Conservation or Preservation.” Bert’s “International Hunter” and “Big Game Hunting around the World” are out of print, but both can be found through an Amazon or Safari Press book search.

The Klineburgers’ Lifetime Achievement Award comes on the heels of the IPHA presenting its inaugural annual Klineburger Award in honor of the brothers. Chris personally presented the award himself to John Jackson, III, international wildlife attorney, wildlife conservationist and founder of Texas-based Conservation Force during the annual SCI convention in January.

Editor’s Note: 
Chris Klineburger’s story is the story of wildlife conservation—the story of hunting—and I am proud to call him my friend. His epic life’s journey is even more impressive for someone who grew up in Arizona on the U.S./Mexico border during the Great Depression and at age 9, after losing his father, learned to hunt to help put food on his family’s table. At age 17 this American patriot couldn’t wait to join the U.S. Navy to fight for our country in World War II. After the war, he put himself through college, then he and his brother Bert bought the now world-renowned Jonas Brothers Taxidermy business. And the rest, as they say, is history.

I also cannot say enough about his books: “Gamemasters of the World”—770-pages chronicling decades of sport hunting and conservation—and “Conservation or Preservation,” an overview of the hunter’s critical role in wildlife management following the international outcry against hunting after the taking of a lion that wandered out of an African national park in 2015. For more on his adventures, check out his epic 1960s hunting film, “The Great Shikar,” chronicling the expedition he and brother Bert made in the footsteps of the great adventurer Marco Polo as they searched for the fabled Marco Polo sheep in Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor—an area dubbed “the roof of the world” for its sheer foreboding environment. Chris Klineburger and his brothers are the epitome of true pioneers.—Karen Mehall Phillips#########