Ryder":d8agxxsv said:
js1234":d8agxxsv said:
My Dad's first Safari was in the early 80's with Russ Broom in Zambia. He never has hunted with the Whittall's, nor have I. When we hunted Sango, Roger and his wife (Anne I think it was) did come and have dinner at camp one night. They were there to see Johnathan Hulme and Theirry Labat but they were fantastic and it was an honor to share a table with a legend like Roger.
Ruark is great, Something of Value is an exceptional book.
I've been a total of 6 times to hunt in Africa. 2x Zimbabwe, 2x Namibia, once each to SA and Tanzania. It is truly infectious. I'm going back to Zimbabwe in 2018 assuming things don't change in a prohibitive fashion.
Africa is a magic place and it is infectious, no doubt.
I can hardly wait to share it with my sons.
I consider
Something of Value to be one of the best books I have ever read.
Would like to hear from you men with experience as to what a typical day on your hunts would be like, if there is a typical day.
I talked to one young man who had just returned from Africa and asked him if he spent a lot of time hunting. He said, "All day every day" and indicated it was very strenuous. He remarked how much harder it was on their guide ( if that is correct terminology).
I have no way to picture this experience.
It's a hard thing to describe "typical". First off, it would depend on the type of safari, in terms of the quarry etc. Outside of a few very specialized hunts, like Bongo in the jungle and Mountain Nyala in the mountains (I've done neither but I know a couple guys who have), there are a few things that hold true on every safari.
1. The food is outstanding, you will eat an amazing breakfast at camp, have a lunch packed out to the field with you complete with place settings etc. or return to camp for lunch. Dinner will be sundowners after you cleanup for dinner, then a 3-4 course meal with a great mix of beef/pork/fish and game that has been shot by the hunting party. If there is something you like to eat or drink, it will be in camp if they are made aware.
2. The level of service and comfort for a tent camp if in the bush or lodge if on a ranch is mind boggling. I've stayed in tent camps that were a 4 hour drive and then a 2 hour flight from civilization and my tent had a toilet and hot water en suite. Your laundry will be down daily, ironed fresh and laid out for you. Your wakeup call will be a glass of whatever coffee or tea you drink hand delivered to your tent.
3. The ability of the trackers and game scouts is stunning. The way those men can read spoor and/or follow wounded game, through any terrain is truly awe inspiring.
4. How welcoming, genuine, happy to have you there and friendly the black africans who are the bulk of the labor in camp is very impressive.
5. The skill of the PH (Professional Hunter) at about everything is amazing to me. They must manage a small army of staff, plan the days, keep the vehicles moving, be well aware of rules and regulations, know the politics of the local tribes, be a great judge of trophies, a master hunter, a deadly accurate shot either bringing down a wounded animal going away or a charging one coming toward you, be a gunsmith, have some medical ability and survival skills, be wonderful company that can intelligently talk travel/business/hunting/politics or anything else and keep it lively and enjoyable for 10-30 days together nonstop, all with a smile and too many other things to count.
6. You will see more game and do more shooting on a 10 day safari than on
10 week long elk hunts.
While there is no denying that dangerous game hunting and East African safaris are very expensive, Plains game is surprisingly affordable. The average 7 day plains game hunt to say Namibia is almost certainly less than a truly good guided elk hunt in New Mexico or Arizona.
On a typical plains game hunt or maybe Cape Buffalo/PG or a true classic mixed bag safari thats 21-28 days, the "normal" day is to rise at daylight, have breakfast, go hunt somewhere on the concession, have lunch, relax a bit in the afternoon, hunt the evening or maybe shoot some birds over a river or lake, get cleaned up have a cocktail and dinner, then another couple cocktails around the fire afterward. While killing is only a small part of the experience, you will shoot plenty of animals. on a 10 day PG hunt, probably 8-10 different species.
On a more specialized hunt, such as a 14 day elephant hunt, like I went on up in the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, you really focus on the primary animal until its taken so often less total animals are shot. On that elephant hunt as an example, we were up early every morning, cut some bull tracks and then follow them until you see what made them. We tracked 6 bulls in 8 days before we connected on my bull on the 8th. day. We hunted hard all day every day and in the first 7 days of the hunt, I shot a hyena one evening and a warthog at the request of the cook. I shot my bull on the 8th. day, a tuskless on the 11th. day. We shot sand grouse etc. for a couple days, along with a truly big duiker on the last day. So in 14 days, 5 big game animals were taken, including one for camp meat. That's a bit more of a post graduate hunt though.
I will say this, I've been blessed and have hunted in one form or another in 11 Countries on 5 Continents including quite a few States here in the US. That said, there is something magic about Africa and I've never hunted somewhere that works itself into your psyche, as soon as I leave, I'm thinking about going again. I'd recommend you go at some point, you won't regret it.
