Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa The African Day-Dream.....

In 6 weeks my 18 yr old son and I will be going to Africa. We are quite new to hunting and took up the sport only last year. Here in Hawaii we've only hunted Rams, Billies, and Boars. We have not even had the chance to hunt deer yet, but we've booked a 7-Day hunt in Namibia for Plains Game. As pure novices,...we will be tested I'm sure!

We can't afford to go, neither can we not afford to go as prices for these hunts are only going to increase in the years to come. We have saved and scrounged for every penny to make this trip happen, we have been like many others who have sacrificed it all because of the PASSION to experience her, AFRICA in all her beauty....

We have our US Passports,taken our immunizations and all our travelling documents are in order. I just started to reload and we have worked up a load that will shoot 180gr Nosler Partitions sub-MOA in both of our 30-06 rifles. The thought of hunting in Africa with my first reloads is thrilling indeed. The EXCITIMENT and level of ANTICIPATION is incredible!

Being able to hunt with my son in Africa brings me a lot of joy and very deep emotions! It will undoubtedly be an EXPERIENCE of a LIFETIME for the both of us. I tell him, we'll be hunting together and creating Living Memories that will never die...

We have never really travelled much before, as 30-minute inter-island flights are about all we've been accustomed to in the past. This time however, it will be 31.5 hrs of actual flying time, whooosh! We'll be flying from Honolulu-Los Angeles-Franfurt-Windhoek...Its going to be a long one for sure but the PASSION to experience Africa far out-weighs the long air time.

My son will be hunting 5 Trophy animals; Greater Kudu, Gemsbok, Impala, and a couple of Warthogs and maybe a Leopard Tom if one presents himself which is quite common on the property we are staying at...

I will be hunting the same 5 Trophy animals and a Blue Wildebeest.

This entire experience of the extreme EXCITMENT and the stomach-curdling ANTICIPATION is becoming unbearable! I guess its all part of the experiece of going to hunt Africa...The pre-, present, and post-hunt experience is more than I ever bargained for when we originally booked this incredible hunt! I feel I already got my monies worth and I'm only in the "pre" stages of the game!...I can't wait,... for it will all happen in just a few weeks!!!

To all that have gone to Africa before us I salute you. And to all that will go to Africa after us I beckon you to go!

Although I am going and have not yet gone, I can hear the distinct sounds of Africa and see the picturesque beauty of her grandeur from dawn to dusk...And then I close my eyes in peace...

To day-dream of Africa is a beautiful thing....

Aloha!

Allright! sounds great hope you have fun......oh I'm sure you will.
Just remember you got a lot of loonies on this forum that likes pics........so take a bunch and post em!
Good luck too and be safe.
Aloha!

who are you hunting with?

PH Tommy Hall who a friend of mine hunted with in May 2007...

My friend is their American booking agent...

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the kind words and well wishes!

I just bought a [Canon XTi W/ 70-200mm f/4 +1.4/TC] special for this trip and I hope I'll get some magnificent photos of the adventure.

I will post when we get back for sure...

Aloha!

LateBloomer,

Wow, are you keyed up! I hope your son's and your hunt is all that you dream, with all of the fantastic memories and incredilbe sights and sounds imbedded for your life and your son's.

I look forward to when my son is old enough to join me and to share the incredible experiences, sight and sounds. He is eight now, so I've got a few years to wait and not the few weeks you have. I'll probably be just as keyed up when he is ready.

I know it will sound impossible, but try to relax, especially once you are there, and let it roll, taking it all in. Take lots of photos, but don't miss the opportunity to just watch and listen and take the experience in.

I hope you all have the opportunity to try for a leopard. Sunrise and sunset in the bush, away from camp, are special and amazing times; listening to the bush come alive in the morning and the changing of the gaurd from diurinal to nocturnal creatures in the evening is awesome. Even if the leopard opportunity evades you, try to sit silently through a dawn and a sunset or two, just for the experience.

Plan to start saving for your next African safari, because once will not be enough and you will yearn to return, at least that has been my experience and that of almost everyone else who has had the opportunity to go.

Best of luck to your son and to you.

JPK

JPK,

Thank you for taking the time to share those things with me.

That's all what I'm looking forward to and believe me I'll be taking it in like a sponge!

I might be feeling the way I am is because basically I've never really travelled anywhere for that matter and I'm a beginner hunter who has pretty much only hunted 3x this past year! Its like little league straight to the Majors in a flash and I thank God for this great life-changing experience...Until a few months ago I would have never dreamed of going to Africa, nonetheless hunting it! Its more than a dream come true and for me especially in the next 6 weeks its going to be bigger than life for this simple, homely guy and his son!

One day your 8 yr old son will be more than ready to accompany you and you too will feel that tremendous excitement and anticipation of being ONE in Africa!!!

Again, thank you for all that you have said!

God Bless,

Roland

Have a great time, I have hiked in Tanzania, and hunting Africa with my son would be a dream come true.

Best wishes.

Thanks for the warm wishes!

Hiking Tanzania must have been incredible and an experience second to none! I hope one day your dream to hunt with your son will come true too, its an incredible feeling right now and in several weeks it will all come to REALITY!!!

Aloha!

When I went to Zimbabwe in 2006, the trophy fee for a trophy lion was 5000$ USD. It is 20 000 USD now in most of Zimbabwe. The daily rate has jumped 50%. Go now and enjoy yourselves.

Best of luck to you both.

albertan,

Thank you for the warm wishes and I appreciate every single reply that I have gotten and relish the encouragement and coorespondence!

Yep, prices will increase that's why we need to go now!

Having dreams and making it happen seperates us from animals. Living them out is one of the greatest feeling we could ever have in life. The bigger the dream the bigger the experience. You and your son must have a super dream come true.

May the African sun warm you up and may the breeze always blow in your faces.

Thank you my friend for that blessing that has soothed my soul, for it has added much to my DREAM! I'm even a day closer today...
The warm wishes that I've been receiving from my post makes it evident to me,... that those that have experienced Africa understand my dream and with their right hand of fellowship are sending me off into her awaiting arms to experience her intimacy!

To hunt Africa will be an experience in itself, but to breathe-in her beauty and warmth and to gently gaze while basking in her elegance brings sheer peace to my soul!

Will she give up to me her precious trophies that I seek?
Will she allow me much time to wallow in triumph or will I just be awed-struck and humbled by her presence and splendor?

I seek to experience the gamut of emotions while I am there, to graciously take what she allows me and be of humble spirit when she says, no not today!

Only 7-days to spend with her is all I could afford, I have not yet gone but lately it seems my life is a constant daydream as she has already presented herself as if we had already met!

She is alluring and strikingly captivating...She has warmed my soul!


Aloha!

I have had dreams of going to Africa since I was 14 or so, unfortunatly, I am now 65 and the likelyhood of ever getting there is a long ago memory. It seems like it was always something, getting married, kids, more kids, bills, new homes ,, you know. I certainly wish you all the luck and success in your hunt, especially with your son... um,, you wanna adopt me?? Just kidding..
I almost never post in this area as I mostly read the adventures of others and draw a lot of enjoyment from that.
Take a LOT of pictures to share with the Fire. Heck. leave your gun at home and bring a backup camera instead..

I understand where you are coming from...That's exactly why I am going...its now or maybe never, oops did I say that!...I want to experience this more than anything in the world and I have a very small window of time and finances to do it right now and I had to take advantage of the situation...

I bought a camera especially for this trip and I will share my adventure with my 24HR Campfire family too...

Thank you for you well wishes and kind words!

Aloha!

Take two cameras. Just got back from Argentina only to find one memory card went FUBAR on me. Fortunately, I had 35mm back up, and my daughter's pics to fall back on.

Been to Africa with my Dad, took my daughter, and plan to take my son someday soon. Enjoy every second!

Hatari,

Thanks for the heads-up and warm wishes!

BTW, I just got me a great P&S Pentax Optio to go along with my DSLR Canon XTi...

The dreams are only getting better and today we're one day closer!

LateBloomer,

I planned for my African trip for years. There was always a reason not to go "this" year. Finally last year was the year. Backing up a bit, I've hunted all my life. Deer, hogs, ducks, geese, turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, doves, even moose and woods buffalo and more. My son and I went to Africa last year. There are no words that could describe the experience that we had. That hunt was THE best thing that I have ever done(with or without clothes on).It was picture perfect!!! The sights, sounds and animals were unbelievable!!! The bird life alone was fantastic. I know you and your son will have cherished memories. That is what life is all about. Good luck, shoot straight and take lots of pictures.

Aloha WoodsStalker...

Buddy, I am so glad to hear your response! The words you speak convey the deep feelings of emotion that are being engrained in my soul! The words you speak reflect the desires of my heart and to be able to experience this with my son will be truly incredible and everlasting!

I tell you, its people like you and all my fellow hunters who are responding makes this once-in-a-lifetime trip SUPER-SPECIAL!
The comaraderie and the cumulative support of you folks taking the time to articulate your tremendous experiences with me is truly rewarding and beneficial!

It confirms that what I desire to get out of this trip will happen for me and my boy too!

Thank you my friend for sharing your passionate experiences from The Land of Many Kingdoms, Africa in all her beauty!

Aloha!

LateBloomer,

I meant to mention to you that you ought to take a pad and pen to make a journal. It will help you recall what the heck your many photos were and it will be a stream of consciousness rememberance of the fantasitic things you first experience.

I'm not a good photo guy, and I'm not much on journals, but I'm awfully happy that I kept a journal of my first African hunt, no matter how brief it turned out to be.

JPK