safari hunt

[Skyline]

To avoid any problems with the airlines....Canadian and others, do the following. Make sure the rifle is unloaded (sorry Stuart - should be obvious but I have been told it has happened...loaded rifles in the case). Put a trigger lock on the rifles and have locks for the outside of your case. Also....have your contact information inside the case and on the outside.

Your ammunition should be stored in a seperate piece of checked luggage. DO NOT lock inside the rifle case. This past fall the Canadian airlines were calling the airport police or security to conduct investigations, when hunters checking in for their flights had ammo in their rifle cases.

Make sure you have your impressive little paper registration cards for each firearm with you and make several copies of the registrations incase you lose one.

Recently things changed in South Africa and you can have your firearms permit issued to you at the airport upon your arrival in RSA. But, most of the PH's prefer it if you fax them your firearms info and a copy of your passport in advance...they will then get the permit issued and have it waiting for you when you arrive.

Also, get an insurance rider on your firearms (all perils) before you go...just incase. Airline insurance is pitiful and not enough.

Feel free to PM or e-mail me if you want.

Kelly

www.skylineadventures.ca

[Josquin]

Thanks for the info. Just the usual "common sense" stuff but always worth reiterating.

Stuart

[Gary_K]

I'm bowhunting so what month do you all think would be a good month to go?

[pomoxis]

Going through customs in South Africa there was a fellow in front of me that used the golf case and the way he had things arranged is a small lockable case for his ammo and 3 small nylon duffle bags then the guns and below that was loose clothing. All he had to do is open the case set the duffles to the side hand the agent the rifle then if they wanted to check the ammo he could unlock that case. He also had a copy of the US custom forms right next to the rifle.

He was in and out of the office in no time while I was fumbling packing and un packing my stuff.

What ever you do check the paperwork to make sure all the numbers match. A typo can ruin your entire day. If you can get all the forms ahead of time fill them out with multiple copies. Keep one set in each peice of luggage.

Most people over pack since the laundry is done on almost a daily cycle you may only need 3 sets of hunting cloths, camp cloths and the rest is for your side trips.

If you have extra space (and weight) in your luggage you may want to ask what items the PH has a hard time getting their hands on. Electrical tape, zip ties, ziplock bags, videos....
My PH's wife really wanted freezer ziplock bags and their kids were looking forward to a Disney movie. Also if you bring second hand cloths for the local villagers it is often apprecieated. Childrens cloths are hard to come by and if you stop by Good Will and ask about the cloths that will not sell in the US you may be able to buy some at a deep discount.

There was one fellow who packed out the skull of my buffalo that was wearing just rags that was held together by threads. I wish I had an extra shirt with my to give him to show my appreciation.

[Skyline]

Well that sounds good, but Pomoxis I would not have the ammo in the same case as Josquin has to go through CANADIAN airlines on the first stint...........and I can guarantee he will end up delayed if the ammo is in the same case as the rifles, regardless of it being locked in a seperate ammo container.

The problem now is that some of the airlines have decided to have policies that go beyond what is actually required in the federal regulations and you do not know if the ticket agent you are going to deal with is pro or anti-hunter.....or for that matter if the are capable of independant thought.

Better safe than sorry. I ran into a number of hunters this past fall that missed connecting flights by the time they got things straightened out......because they had ammo in the same locked case as the firearms.

Josquin........I also forgot to say, get the Canada customs declarations to show ownership of your cameras and firearms, etc. before you go so that you can present them when you return. I am sure you already know to do that. I do it even when I go to the US.

Good advise from Pomoxis on packing. It is surprising how little clothing you actually need. I have bought clothes over there a few times as well since, coming from Canada, I found it easier to find the right kind of clothing over there and it was cheaper to boot.

You should also put together a good toiletry kit with various cold/flu remedies, allergy medications, stuff that you usually use, prescription medication if you use it, spare pair of eyeglasses if you wear them, etc. Good idea to take something for diarrhea and constipation as well......most people seem to have a bought of one or the other when they travel. Just pack all this in sizes that are appropriate for the length of your trip, plus a few extra days worth. Good sunblock and sunglasses are a necessity as well.

[grayghost]

These folks came highly recommended to me by guys that have used their service. A+ rating. I plan on using them for my trip to SA this summer. They send you a package with all the regs for each country, firearms, travel etc. They are $300 to $500 below all the other airfares I found due to them purchasing blocks of seats in advance. Let me know how your experience was if you contact them. And no; I have no affilliation with them in any way.
Gracy Travel International
San Antonio, TX
info@gracytravel.com
www.gracytravel.com
1-800-299-8558
Once our plans are finalized, I will post my personal experience with Gracy Travel.
Good hunting, grayghost

[Skyline]

grayghost......good info. I will check them out on my next trip. I can see how the buying of seats in blocks would be a real advantage in setting competitive prices.

I have been doing my own flight booking the last half dozen years as most travel agents are not very 'up' on Africa and in the end they cost more.

[grayghost]

Greetings Skyline; Several of my friends have told me very good things about Gracy. Too good for me to pass up. I'm waiting on my package of information as we discuss this. We're heading to SA this July and as you know, saving a little here and there adds up, especially when you can put those funds to other areas...like an extra animal Haven't seen any cost cutting or cheap corners, just seems to be good service by an experienced company. There's a reason why my friends use them over and over. Good hunting, grayghost

[pomoxis]

With ammo in a second lockable case (like a small pistol case) you can check it as your second peice of luggage. I tried to get to the airport early and if there is any question ask for the complaint resolution officer to settle the problem. The clerk may not have encountered a hunter and if you show them the FAA regulations it will be resolved in your favor.

On thing you should bring with you is over the counter allergy medication. The reason is you don't know if you are allergic to an african plant. I was bit by the TseTse fly and because I was so pumped up with adreniline during my buffalo hunt I did not react to them until 12 hours after my buffalo hunt. They started to swell up like a misquito bite. At the next camp a vetern hunter gave me some of his antihistimines and the swelling went right down. Small precaution

[Skyline]

Nasty little buggers aren't they?

[pomoxis]

Tsetse flies were not too much a problem or so I thought until the 5 days of bites started to all swell at once. On the drive from the Dande Safari Area in the north to the ranch country in the SE of Zimbabwe I could watch the welts grow.

What annoied me more were the mopane flies, they did not bite but are attracted to moisture. Well I spent nearly 20 minutes on the shooting stick waiting for a good buffalo to move and those things were buzzing around my ear with the high pitch buzz. I was sweating up a storm in the bright Zimbabwe sun and they got thick enough to land on my eye classes and scope. You can actually hear the flies on the video.

I am not saying to that bugs are a big problem when hunting but part of the experience.

[Skyline]

When you are not use to it they are very annoying. Fortunately the tse tse are spotty, or at least they were in the chewore.....when we were following buff you'd go a way without many flies, then hit an area where the tse tse were s thick and biting the hell out of you.

The mopane flies are annoying, but being use to northern Canada I didn't find them to be too bad. At least they don't bite.
The local boys didn't seem to mind them sitting around sucking moisture around their eyes.

By the way the FAA isn't what applies in Canada......that is the US body. In Canada it is 'Transport Canada' and the transport of ammunition is under the Canadian federal Explosives Act. Hunters in Canada jumping on a Canadian airline are faced with those regulations and Canadian interpretations, not FAA.

My biggest concern when I am transporting firearms and ammo is that I make the airlines happy so that I do not get delayed. Being 'right', but missing my flight connection is not a good trade off in my opinion.

I had US bear hunters do that very thing this year entering Canada. They were delayed due to issues with how their ammunition was packed and missed their connecting flights by the time it got straightened out. In the end they were made to pack their ammunition in another piece of checked luggage.

It was such a problem with US hunters checking in for Canadian flights that they actually had a warning being issued on the local radio station during the news broadcast informing them to pack their ammo seperately.

I'm not trying to beat this to death but it is important....the guy asking the question is Canadian. It is feasible to fly to New York on a Canadian carrier, then go on SAA/British Airways (who have their own regulations) and never even get on a US carrier.

[pomoxis]

I missed the location tag for Josquin, when I scoll down to read the post people have made to get the gist of the quesiton the location tag does not appear.

This proves the point that attention to detail (or lack there of) can cause a problem.

[Skyline]

Pomoxis............I have noticed that very thing as well. When you hit 'post reply' suddenly the posts do not have any info attached below the posters name.

It is a bit inconvenient....I have taken to hitting the back button to check it.....hey, maybe the administrator could have that fixed for us. Unless of course, you and I are the only ones that find it annoying.