“We first decide the areas in which they might be found. Then we come before sunrise and hide in nearby rocks with our rifles, ready to shoot on sight,” said Yousuf Maghli. “The hunter should patiently wait until the first hyrax, which is usually the leader, comes out of its hiding to lead the others. It will sit on a high place to explore the area looking around before it calls out the others.”
If the hunters make a sound or are spotted, the lead hyrax “will make a certain cry that will keep all the members of the group in their hiding place.”
At a glance a hyrax looks rodent-like, a bit like a groundhog. At closer examination one notices toenails on padded rubbery feet.
DNA evidence supports the theory the ancestors of the modern hyrax branched off the natural history tree to become elephants, manatees and capybaras. The modern hyrax is found throughout Africa and the Middle East.
Hunters like Maghli consider them delicious and have figured out the best methods to hunting these timid rock dwellers. For example, he says the animal’s sense of smell is so acute that wearing cologne will tip it off to danger. Any sounds, too, will often cause the leader of the pack to grunt the sound of alarm. The hunter even recommends camouflage, and to avoid wearing white which reflects light.
Another tip: Shoot to kill.  “The hunter should make certain that his shot is deadly because the hyrax can quickly go into hiding again if it is not dead,” he said.
Massad Al-Banati, another hyrax hunter, said one way of hunting a hyrax is to put a radio near its hiding place and to keep it on throughout the night. In the morning the hunter turns off the radio and the hyrax will come out to see why the noise has stopped.
He also said a hyrax can be lured by imitating its voice.
Jamal Al-Bigaili said there are many ways to cook hyrax.
“Some people prefer to have it barbecued while others cook it with rice,” he said, adding that some hunters bury the body under the soot of an extinguished fire for some old-fashioned slow roasting.