The officers often took part in driven tiger shoots, riding on elephants or horses, which were considered great social events. Many of the super-rich maharajas of the time also loved the regal sport of tiger hunting, ordering fantastic custom Holland & Holland rifles by the dozen, and going out into the field with all their luxurious creature comforts. 'Shikari' is the term used for a native professional hunter in India. They were recruited by British officers and maharajas because of their local knowledge of the jungle and hunting skills. Baiting a tiger with a dead or alive domestic animal and shooting from a machan was the uncomfortable method of choice, especially by forest rangers who were trying to deal with a problem man-eating tiger. Once up the tree, a hunter was stuck there until morning light as it was foolhardy to come down in the darkness when the tiger might still be around.