Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Hindsight is 20/20, What I Would Do Different Next Trip...

Figured I'd bump this with the first timer advice inquiry.

Safe travels to everyone on their way over the next couple of months.

Tag.
Glad I found this.
I'm to the "looking at tickets" phase for next May.
I found out real quick Delta "business class is outrageous.

I highly recommend the front row Isle seat of coach comfort just behind business class.

If you are over 6' tall you will be much happier after the 16 hour flight with footroom to stretch out.

This is nice for $150

Thanks for the heads up.
I found out today I can use my AA miles on Delta and they quote 160,000 miles roundtrip to Joburg.
Business class.
That's more like it.

The Airbus 777 business class seats turn into a bed

I took 40 and we must have shot up 30+ rounds at the range after the safari, ammo was no good left behind, no one there had ever seen a 45 cal Sharps paper patch load or a 400 Whelen.

Generally good advice, though I must respectfully take exception to two points:

1. If you can afford to do so, upgrading from coach to 1st, or even Business, Class is worth every cent if, like me, you're in your 60's or older.

2. Bring more, not less, ammunition than you think you'll need. When I hunted on the Selous, it happened that another hunter from a camp many miles upriver arrived sans ammo because his airline lost it in transit. Fortunately, he was shooting a .375 H&H and I happened to bring a spare box of ammo with me, which I gladly conveyed to him. Aside from such eventualities, your PH will appreciate your giving him such ammo as you have left over following your safari.

And then add Taxidermy and you have quite a bill.

I will add to this even though this safari is over

Hire your USA taxidermist before you leave.

A reputable one with lots of experience with African taxidermy and everything about it

Use the USA taxidermist D/P/S people and not your African outfiter/host D/P/S guy as South Africa is getting a reputation for putting the old flip side whammy on the American hunter

Bump. Re reading threads as I plan my second trip in August. Good stuff.

Heading out for our fourth in August -- forget videos and TV shows. Make up your own mind about what's important (out of the exhausting list produced so far.)
Forget about a shopping list. Hunt and "take what the bush provides."

Listen to previous hunters where you are going and -- decide now to shoot again, even if the PH says, "You hit him hard!" It's your money and you pay either way.

Tip #1: Go!! It's great hunting. Make the hunt what you want. If you want to ride around in the truck, fine. If you'd rather spot and stalk, tell the PH. Mine were happy to do whatever I wanted. I had one of the greatest hunting days of my life stalking Kudu through the lowveld bush.

Tip #2: Consider doing less taxidermy and instead taking great pictures and having them nicely framed. Taxidermy really adds up and you could shoot more animals vs. having more taxidermy. Tough call, but the taxidermy really ended up more than I anticipated. I could have shot a couple more bigger animals such as Kudu, or many Impalas.

Tip #3: Either shoot or dry fire A LOT prior to going. Easy to do, and it will make your life easier. Bad shots are expensive. I used printed targets set up across my basement and loaded three blanks to practice shooting off sticks and cycling bolt. Really helped.




Tedthorn; great idea on the medical kit.

Take even MORE money. Passed up on a leopard on bait because I was short of funds (the PH later told me I could have wired him the money!) and here I am over ten years later and who knows when I'll have another cat opportunity like that one..

Take a couple extra TSA locks packed in your luggage. I now only use the cable style. Every trip I've been on my locks are bent or lost so having a replacement, especially for my rifle case, has been beneficial.

TSA locks are ILLEGAL for gun cases.

I also carry an extra lock for my gun case.

On taxidermy, I am leaning more and more towards Europeans. Short of my buffalo and bushbuck, last years take in Zimbabwe will be Europeans. Same for our up coming trip to Namibia in June. Next years trip to Burkina Faso will only see my roan and bushbuck in a shoulder mount, the balance will be Europeans. Having the Europeans done in Africa is pretty inexpensive.

Sitting in a lodge in Limpopo reading this and chuckling. Thus far 7 zebra, 4 wildebeests, 5 impala. 270 Federal 130 TB Tipped. Perfect.

Oh and the most popular ctg in new rifle purchases...6.5 CM to the exclusion of all others.

You'll never see me with that uber-gay caliber, that's for sure

Nice, that is great Rick. Any recovered bullets?