30 Days in Africa -- 56K warning!!!
- Thread starter Neo
- Start date
hunter7mmRM
CGN Regular
- Location
- Northern Alberta
wow! amazing photos. thanks for sharing. that is one of my dreams as well, to go on a hunt like you did!
The sky's the limit in African hunting -- but you can also get there for much less than you would think. In the case of this 30-day odyssey, it was really 3 trips rolled into one -- hunting in South Africa, fishing in Vic Falls, and hunting in Zimbabwe. I'm trying to forget how much it cost
You can have an awful lot of fun hunting the more common plainsgame species in South Africa for 7 days for $5-6K. The prices go up quickly, though, when you throw dangeroous game into the mix. A 15-day leopard/buffalo combo hunt in Zimbabwe is going to run around $20-$25K including trophy fees, with plainsgame on top of that.
Taxidermy is another matter altogether -- and it can certainly make a lot of sense to simply come hope with pictures rather than mounts (and for what it's worth, I think the photos inevitably end up being cherished the most).
Hands down, giraffe was my favourite meat on this trip. The first one I shot made it to the table in the form of slow-cooked giraffe tail, and I couldn't resist a second full serving at dinner that night. The texture was somewhat beef-like, but with little fat and remarkable flavour. It literally fell off the bone, and each bite called out for one more. Mmmmm....
The "heavy" was a Ruger 77 Safari Magnum in .375 H&H (sorry Gatehouse!
), which saw use on the buffalo and the two giraffe I shot. Bullets were 300 grain -- Swift A-Frames for a softpoint and Hornady DGS for a solid.Everything else taken during the trip was shot with a Remington 700 in 30/06 shooting 168 grain TSX bullets.
No, I didn't. In the months leading up to the hunt I had a bunch of personal and work issues that really got in the way of range time, and by the time I had to commit to a choice of firearms, I simply hadn't had enough trigger time with the .450/400 to be 100% comfortable with it.
Ah well, that's what the next hunt is for
Even if it were possible (which I don't believe it is), the shipping costs alone would make it prohibitive, as you would be looking at cold storage via international air cargo. The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) aren't easy to deal with at the best of times, and in this case would likely be impossible.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The "heavy" was a Ruger 77 Safari Magnum in .375 H&H (sorry Gatehouse!
RSM's have done a lot of work overseas, even just this board's group.
Jamie Black R/T
CGN Regular
- Location
- God's Country, AB
this thread is awesome
i went through the whole thing on my blackberry while in bed last night LOL
you have a knack for writing sir....kept me on the edge of my seat like a good novel...people would pay to read stories like this.
All that being said....i HATE you
good day
i went through the whole thing on my blackberry while in bed last night LOL
you have a knack for writing sir....kept me on the edge of my seat like a good novel...people would pay to read stories like this.
All that being said....i HATE you
good day
Neo,
Great post, better trip! I love the old buff and your "death weasel" collection.
As to bringing meat back, the short answer is no. You'd never get the appropriate vet certificates etc. and then there is the shipping issue. All of that is generally irrelevant because it is pretty rare that a foreign hunter would even be the legal owner of the meat being taken. In a lot of places some combination of the landowner, concession holder, game department and local villiage is the legal owner of the meat. The one exception I'm aware of is Tanzania where the license holder (hunter) is the owner of the entire carcass. It is traditional to give what you don't use in camp to the staff who dry it for their own use. I'm sure they end up selling a lot of it when they get home.
Dean
Great post, better trip! I love the old buff and your "death weasel" collection.
As to bringing meat back, the short answer is no. You'd never get the appropriate vet certificates etc. and then there is the shipping issue. All of that is generally irrelevant because it is pretty rare that a foreign hunter would even be the legal owner of the meat being taken. In a lot of places some combination of the landowner, concession holder, game department and local villiage is the legal owner of the meat. The one exception I'm aware of is Tanzania where the license holder (hunter) is the owner of the entire carcass. It is traditional to give what you don't use in camp to the staff who dry it for their own use. I'm sure they end up selling a lot of it when they get home.
Dean
Jez, leave the country for a couple weeks and all hell breaks loose. I've got to go back to the beginning and read every word, but just had to skip to the end and offer my congrats and the Dogleg stamp of approval.
How are you likeing the A-Frames? If there's a better "hittem hard" bullet, I don't know what it is.
Welcome to the sacred order of giraffe slayers.
I've got to go back to the beginning and read every word, but just had to skip to the end and offer my congrats and the Dogleg stamp of approval.How are you likeing the A-Frames? If there's a better "hittem hard" bullet, I don't know what it is.
Welcome to the sacred order of giraffe slayers.
It's been said before, but i have to say it again. You sir are a rat bastard for not bringing me along! I was blissfully happy thinking I may get my 1st elk this year, now i want a goddamn giraffe!
Thanks again for sharing your wonderful story, you know just how to weave a tale to keep me reading. Congrats on the successful hunt! One day I hope to start a thread of my own as wonderful as this one!
Jez, leave the country for a couple weeks and all hell breaks loose.
How are you likeing the A-Frames? If there's a better "hittem hard" bullet, I don't know what it is.
Welcome to the sacred order of giraffe slayers.
I was hoping you would enjoy it. Particularly the photo of the bushbuck. Just 7/8" off of the world record, and I'm not smiling -- not even a little. That, my friend, is a pure "This photo is dedicated to Dogleg" moment!!!
Am definitely a big fan of the A-Frames now that I've used them. They kill big stuff, that's for sure.
As for the Sacred Order of Gerome Slayers, A-Zone seems to be making a run for the Grand PooBah position. I called it quits after knocking over 2 of them. He tipped over 3, and I'm pretty sure he would have continued the carnage had time permitted. The mad bugger was actually using the poor things to test bullets -- one for the TSX, another for the A-Frame, another for the Rhino. I'll let him post the results, but I will say this -- those Rhino bullets are freakin' scary how wide they open -- think 1" plus frontal diameter from a 380 grain .375 bullet, with penetration best measured in feet rather than inches. Still, for all-around use on big non-pachyderms, the 300 grain A-Frame is definitely my go-to bullet now.
It's been said before, but i have to say it again. You sir are a rat bastard for not bringing me along! I was blissfully happy thinking I may get my 1st elk this year, now i want a goddamn giraffe!
Thanks again for sharing your wonderful story, you know just how to weave a tale to keep me reading. Congrats on the successful hunt! One day I hope to start a thread of my own as wonderful as this one!
If any of my ramblings inspire a guy to save up for a dream hunt, then the time taken to write is all worthwhile!
Oh, and if makes you feel a bit more excited to be chasing after an elk this fall, you should know that you'll be one up on me -- I still don't have one of those myself! You go, girlfriend!!!
