African Safari advice needed

Theoretically I'm sure people know that things are different, but the mind isn't ready to take the leap to how different. It's hard to remember that someone living with 8 people in a tiny hut made of sticks, straw, mud and cow#### and eating boiled corn meal by hand out of the same tin can before sleeping on the dirt floor is normal. Hell, he might think he has the world by the tail for all we know. Just got to keep the door closed and it nice and smokey inside to keep the evil spirits at bay and it's all
good.��
 
Good perspective and good hunting to you, if it wasn't for the two flights between you and home you'll come back the most relaxed you've ever been. I miss siting around a mopane wood fire with a Lion Lager or brandy something fierce right now. Dead of winter outside still and 59 degrees north in the bush.

This is the same as any social interaction, but once you figure your PH and if you decide you like him, just let him do his job and trust his judgement. I made clear my first trip to Zim I was there to experience it and if some animals came out of it, great. They went above and beyond to make it great as we struggled to find a Cape buff bull which was my focus, ended up with one day 10 of 10.

By being laissez faire and enjoying my adventure rather than focusing on the horn length and species they had me do several days of Impala culling, took me on their nightly beer and wingshooting sundowners, and I went and enjoyed the PH's true passion with him; fishing. I simply "went along for the ride" each of my trips, and the less I tried to direct or spell out considerations to the fine detail the better every trip went. I haven't had a bad PH yet though and this could bite me one day.

I'm an experience collector not a head collector, and this approach has brought more of what I hope for out of each African trip; life experiences. We walked up on black rhino in Zim, shot dozens of birds in warm nights with a rosy beer glow, and each day early pushed hard on buff until a remarkably sweet ending. I think I'll keep following the policy of asking any PH I trust immediately "What would you do, if you were me. I'm not here for a crate that follows me home, I'm after memories?"

They're usually taken aback a bit, and as mentioned the immediate response in Zim was fishing a beautiful spot, in the Kalahari it was a long Gemsbok stalk that we put more efffort into by far than Lion, and in Limpopo it was late evening Warthog hunting and long shooting for fun offhand with .375s and .458s at their airstrip. Seems like the question "What would you do?" with a smile busts through the client-hunter barrier and let's them know they can do no wrong with you. So far everyone has been great, and this approach may get a stinker yet.
 
Big Game said:
What makes other parts of the world so great is that they aren't the same as ours. I could never understand people that got all pissy because things weren't the same as at home. Why bother leaving home then?
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Big Game, with an attitude like that I have no doubt you will have a good time! I have had clients that are all about the trophies (nothing wrong with it) but it does require a different approach from the PH. As stated by several of the guys above be candid and genuine with your PH/Outfitter and it will definitely go smoothly. Most PHs like being asked their opinion, it just doesn't happen often enough as far as I am concerned. I will say that South Africa is a lot different than Zim/Zam or Moz. OR Tambo in JO is just like any modern airport and infrastructure in RSA is much better than some of the other African countries. Enjoy a castle or hansa lager while you are there and do try a gin and dry lemon:)
 
Thanks for all the sage advice from all you African vets. I'm not in this for the record books, if I manage to take some animals that are a good representation of Africa I will be ecstatic!
 
Ardent said:
Go for the Zebra for a rug, that's one trophy your wife will appreciate. The rest is really straightforward South Africa is very tame and packaged if you're not driving yourself (worth it too though, hit the parks with your wife if so), in other words rather headache free. On your next trip further afield you'll run into more TIA.
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As much as I love a good zebra rug, those floor pedestal zebra mounts that look like a knight from a chess board look pretty damn cool and don't take up nearly ythe room of a rug.

Maybe OP needs two zebras?

zebrapedistal02-jpg.47813

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RojamB21 said:
^^^^^^ .. ^^^^^^
That's a deer who smiled at black......ah .... SA girl !!!



Bravo ---- great info.
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WOW........she musta been uggggly.......

I'm having one of my last 2 zebras done like that and the other flat rugged.........When I heard about such a mount I thought it would be real ugly, but then I saw one at the African Show in Calgary a few years back and it was stunning. Of the 2 I shot last, one was a younger stallion and his facial stripes are exceptionally vivid and well defined. He shall be pedestal mounted for all posterity........



As you can see he has much better defined facial markings than the old mare on the right. And don't give me a hard time about the high hit on the mare, she was running about 120 mtrs out, and it bang/flopped her no problem.......375 with my 270 gn TSX load.
The herd spooked when they saw us through the thin bush and took off, so I jumped down and managed to poke her, being the last animal in view. Then the stallion wheeled around and came back to gather her up with the herd and that was his terminal mistake...........voila, 2 zebra on the ground within 10 mtrs of each other all within less than 30 seconds.
 
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Douglas, nice looking Zebras! I had one done up in a shoulder mount (actually the wife shot this one) Next one will be a mountain zebra and we will likely flat rug it.

 
play.soccer said:
What caliber(s) are required for an African hunt?? (Gotta know which guns to sell and which to keep) lol
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Depends on what you are going to hunt. For dangerous game in the majority of African countries .375 is the minimum. Most of the plains game animals are typically hunted with similar cartridges you would see here for elk and deer. However when you look at the spread from Duiker (25-50 lbs) to Eland (1100-1300 lbs) the calibers that we see can really vary:)
 
If heavy game, buffalo and up, is not on the menu, any 300 mag is about ideal. I have had to make a couple 400 mtr shots in Africa, so don't think everything is right on the end of your barrel and choose your cartridge accordingly. I find the 300 with 200 gn ABs to be about perfect...........or the 375 with 270 gn TSXs work for everything as well.
 
OP..........I wouldn't be comfortable poking an eland or Kudu with anything in your current lineup..........MAYBE the 270 WSM...........but we all know how I feel about 270s, and you'd want to be using top grade bullets like maybe 150 Parts, but my feeling is that it is too light for eland, roan, sable and kudu, and definitely wildebeest.
For those of you who have never hunted there, you have no idea how tough these animals are. I have shot impala with a 300 180 gn Part, through the ribs and out the off shoulder, a shot that would tip any deer or caribou on it's nose instantly, even a moose. That impala shuddered and took off running for 200 mtrs before it piled up. I have seen African animals react like this over and over and over, they have an amazing resistance to shock and an absolute will to live and escape. The only way to sack any African animal is to smash both front shoulders or a CNS hit, they can go for hundreds and hundreds of mrs with a double lung rib shot. This is why the trackers there are so good........they get lots of practice.
If you take great pride in being a "one shot kill guy", don't go to Africa, your ego won't survive it.............
 
play.soccer said:
What caliber(s) are required for an African hunt?? (Gotta know which guns to sell and which to keep) lol
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For plains game, any caliber/rifle combination that you would unhesitatingly use for elk under varied and unknown conditions; then bet a few thousand dollars on every shot. You can safely rule out super long range shooting though. There's quite a range of things that work, but it is hard to find fault with a .300, providing you can shoot it well. If you can't, then perhaps a 30-06 would be more manageable; but if that is the case, don't bother reading the second half.

Dangerous game caliber choice is subject to legalities, as well common sense. The .375 is legal for every species, in every African country that has caliber restrictions as far as I know. It also works very well for a one rifle safari. Nobody who can pull off a hunt in Africa really needs to keep it to one; but the reality is you can only carry one at a time anyway. For buffalo and elephant a case can be made for the most powerful thing you can shoot.
 
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