Just booked 1st African hunt. Any pointers?

[madmurph]

I recently booked my first trip to Africa. I will be hunting South Africa in May 2008 for kudu, impala, blesubuck, springbuck, bushbuck, warthog, zebra, and blue wildebeest. I will also take a baboon and a duiker as "opprotunity" animals if I get the chance.
As a first timer, I'm just looking for some advice from those of you who have been there. Anything from travel tips, items to bring that one wouldn't normally think of, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

[pomoxis]

There are a number of things that can make your trip more memorable. I would highly suggest that you spend time being a tourist since a major cost is the flight to Africa. Spend a couple of days in a Game reserve so you can have all the photographs that people expect from a trip. When I am hunting, I do not take that many photographs.

Since laundry is done every day, you can get by with packing a couple sets of hunting cloths and that way you can pack more trinkets home.

I would suggest that your travel gun case is a golf club suitcase. The advantage is that it has wheels to get your through the airport quickly, it appears to airport baggage handlers that you are not traveling with a gun and it can hold all your gear. I saw one fellow in SA that had a piano hinged golf bag lay it on its side opened the lid and took out fully packed small duffle bag, unfolded egg foam and produced the soft side gun case for inspection by the customs inspectors. He had a second locked box for the ammo. After the inspection he just reversed the process and was out of their very quickly. With the small duffle bags you can use on as a second checked bag.

The extra bags can be packed with gifts or supplies not readily available. Ask you PH or booking agent what would be appreciated. My PH's wife in Zimbabwe really like Ziploc storage bags. In some locations, children’s cloths are really appreciated and you can go to Goodwill or hit the garage sales and tell them you are going to Africa and if they are willing to donate or sell cheap the things not moving off the shelves.


I was told to pack all the things you need for your hunt except rifle and ammo for your carry on. This includes your cameras medication, 2 pair of hunting cloths, and a set of street cloths. That way if things go sideways with your baggage you still can go on your hunt. You may have to borrow a rifle but you can still have a good time.

[gerry375]

Pomoxis has said it perfectly and I urge you to read his post again and again -starting with his first paragraph. I went to Africa in 1993 -and never got back there again. I stayed in Johannesburg while transiting to Zimbabwe. Coming out of Zim I again stayed overnight in Johannesburg. I didn't go down to Capetown and have regretted it ever since. Worse, I didn't go to Victoria Falls while in Zim -and I wasn't more than a hundred miles away. Yeah, Pomoxis is dead on. Be a tourist as well as a hunter.

Make sure that your safari shirts and pants are already laundry shrunk. (I was in the bush and all laundry was boiled in a big pot (yeah, like the cannibal pots in the cartoons) Wear long sleeved shirts. You can always roll them up during the day. In early morning it might be chilly enough to want to cover your arms - but not so chilly as to need a jacket. ( Also if you are going to be in a malaria area then long sleeves in evening are giving the mosquitos less of a target area)

Try and carry a small camera in your shirt pocket. I carried a Leica Mini and it gave great pics -and I'm no camera nut. (A buddy of mine when we were kids said I needed a camera with a PHI button -"Push Here Idiot") You may want to weigh about bringing expensive binocs with you. After all, the PH is likely to have a pair and I'm sure if you ask him nicely he'll let you look once in a while. Seriously, they are an expensive item to be toting along. It's your call, of course.

Pick your taxidermist ahead of leaving on the trip. Join SCI and get their magazine. (beautiful glossy covers) It will have ads by taxidermists. You want a taxidermist who knows what a live duiker looks like and can make the eyes look alive. It's what will determine the whole look of your trophy so make sure you have this guy lined up. (He can also supply shipping tags and labels so that when your trophies come into the States your Customs agent will already have them - I recommend somebody like Fauna & Flora in NY to handle the formalities of getting your trophies through Customs.

Oh, yeah , final advice - Enjoy the trip!

[Varmint Hunter]

I have never been to Africa so I may be wrong about this BUT:

My first concern is always health & safety. When traveling to distant places and remote parts of the world it is always a good idea to get a complete physical before leaving. This will also give your doctor an opportunity to give you any preventative shots that may be advisable and a prescription for any meds that you may need to bring along- just in case.

I'm guessing that with all the hunting details and the excitement of the trip, preventative health care is not something everyone would think of.

Good huntin'

[gerry375]

Varmint Hunter:

You're absolutely right, of course about health and safety. First order of business is to find out if where you're going is a malaria area. Then arrange an apointment with a doctor experienced in tropical medicine (your local hospital can suggest names). There's no vaccine yet available for malaria but any number of prophylaxis are available and should be taken. Also get shots for all hepatitis and pills for typhoid.

I should have mentioned that it's also wise to retain somebody to handle getting you the paperwork to go through RSA and wherever else you're headed. I used CIBT located at 3201 New Mexico Avenue,N.W. Washington, D.C.20016. They charged me something like $50. I suppose it's more nowadays. It's worth it because they have up to date info and from my own experience they took care of visa and transiting through RSA to Zimbabwe. Don't try to do this yourself -and don't count on the outfitter's info as being up to date. {It may be but why risk a last minute foul up?)

[Beeker]

May is winter in South Africa, it could be in the 30's in the morning. I was in Namibia in July and needed a light jacket first thing in the morning.

Be very specific with you doctor about where in South Africa you are going. This will help in determining what vacanations you will need.

Take a good lip balm with you. The climate over there tends to be a little dry. Chaped lips get alittle anoying.

Also take more rounds than you think you will need. I took 80 rounds with me. Your gun case will get bumped around quite a bit on the way there and it can take a little to sight the rifle back in. Better safe than sorry.

A lot of people I have talked to took hiking boots with them to Africa. These have too heavy of soles. In other words they are hard to walk quietly in. I got a pair of boots there made from Kudu leather with a thin sole and it made a big difference. Wear tennis shoes it you can't find shoes with light enough soles.

Green seems to be a better color than sand or kaki over there for cloths as these two colors can be too bright in the sun. It makes them look too white.

Above all have fun, and when you get back all you will be able to think about is when are you going back.

[gerry375]

I agree with Beeker that green is an ideal color ( or else olive). (No camo! Don't know about RSA but camo was a no -no in most of Africa when I was there) I had hesitated to say anything about footwear because I never hunted in SA. (I was in Zimbabwe) From what Beeker says, I now see that apparently walking conditions are similar. My PH in Zimbabwe wore tennis shoes and I wore Russell custom made boots (6") with crepe rubber soles. A pair of good sneakers would have done me as well -and I did a considerable amount of walking. Bottom line - Don't invest in heavy leather 8" boots.

[Rapier]

In your carry on bag you should have;
Extra socks, extra underwear, all of your meds, sun screen, chap lip treatment, toilitries, your passport, your tip money, tickets, a gortex jacket, gortex pants, floppy hat, gloves and face net (sunburn). Wear your hunting boots on the plane. I bought a pair of Chipawa ankle height walking boots with a smooth sole. Also, depending on age, go get a pair of reinforced high stockings for your feet and legs, to prevent leg blood clots from sitting so long. You should have a complete outfit to wear on the first day, should your baggage get lost. We arrived on Sunday and did not see our luggage until Thursday night.

I hunt South America every year and have been to Africa. I have seen lost luggage and lost guns. Guns you can rent but hunting clothes can be a problem, especially good boots. Now I have a full set for one day with me.

I wear camo clothes everywhere I hunt. I am a bird hunter and like the shadow grass pattern by Mossy Oak. Ah, yes, no semi-auto shotguns in the RSA.

Next time I go to Africa I will stay 1 day in the hotel at the refueling stop, both ways. 16-18 hours is just too much for my back after my surgery. Going is pretty smooth, but the return ride is bumpy due to air currents.

If going into JoBerg, have a $20 in your pocket for the drink box. Pay the $ and shut up, unless you need a new address, the airport customs waiting room.
Ed

[Steve Franks]

I'm no expert, having spent only 7 weeks in two different hunts in RSA. I must disagree with the previous post on clothing. Gortex is really hot. Buy some rip stop OD green trousers and get long sleeve T shirts in the same color. If you go in June, July, or August, then plan on bringing a light jacket, cap with ear flaps for riding in the truck, and gloves. It's their winter time and it's rather cool. By 1030 hrs. you'll shed the jacket and the long sleeve T shirt will be plenty. If you are going in these months, don't worry about bugs. The only malarial zone is in the northern area and then it's a "maybe", in that area. My family doctor is aa old Africa hand and she checks with the CDC prior to each of my trips and sets me up with my med kit. That's where I have hunted twice and I take preventative malarial meds because I've seen what malaria does and I'd just as soon pass on that rodeo.

Camera. If you don't have a digital get one with a couple of extra memory cards. My last trip, 3000 pictures! With film that gets expensive. Once you return then you can decide what you want to get printed.

Buy yourself a set of Stoney Point Shooting Sticks (tripod model) and practice with them. Zero your rifle at the range your PH recommends, then forget the bench and start shooting off the sticks. I used 6" paper plates set at 100 yards and practice 2 shots with a timer. It aided in rapided reload though I only used it once, but this practice paid off. Practice, practice, and practice some more.

Ask your PH if he can take you by a taxidermists shop. Pictures in books are nice, but mine took me to a shop where I got to see what the animals "really" looked like, then he showed me where to hit them at different angles.

As for taxidermy, I found it cheaper, quicker, and better quality to have it mounted in RSA then to have it done in the US. This inclused shipping.

Buy and take a journal, then write in the darn thing! My first trip I wrote over 80 pages, the second over 120 pages.

I'm going back this summer to the Zambesi Valley for buffalo and hopefully a tuskless elephant for 21 days, then back to RSA to get my bush bucks. One more thing is once you go, you'll never be the same. My last trip, I took my wife and she said it was the best vacation of her life.

[grayghost]

"As for taxidermy, I found it cheaper, quicker, and better quality to have it mounted in RSA then to have it done in the US."

Steve: I beg to differ. Cheaper...absolutely. Better....absolutely not! Much of the work coming out of Africa doesn't hold up well over the years, and some looks like #%@#! when it's unpacked. I have toured many African Taxidermy shops in several countries and I have yet to find superior work to US Taxidermists. By no means do I mean any US shop, but I can advise of who's who in the US trade. I do have a trained eye (17 years as a professional Taxidermist) as an advantage over the average hunter, but I wouldn't want anyone to confuse cheap with quality. I've used some of the best in Africa as a litmus test, but if one wants the best, have it done here by one of the best. I no longer am in the Taxidermy trade, rather the hunting consultant business. So I have no interest in this subject other than to state facts. We use shippers who operate on a 99 day delivery (Africa to the US) and there are US Taxidermists who offer a standard 90 turn around. I hope this enlightens the subject. Good hunting, grayghost

[Steve Franks]

Greyghost,

You and I are both guilty of the same thing, speaking in generalities when writing about specifics. The "turn around" time on taxidermy for me, locally, is over one year. Is the quality good, yep! Better than my taxidermist in RSA, I don't think so, but then again, I did a lot of homework in selecting a taxidermist in RSA. On another forum a hunter displayed his buffalo done in the US. First the horns weren't the same as the one he killed and secondly the buffalo looked like a domestic cow. Can the same thing happen had he had it done in Africa? Yep. Would it be easier resolved in the US? With our legal system? The coin is in the air on that one. African PH's have a tremendous influence on taxidermists since they are a huge source of a client base for taxidermist. To anger and lose that source of clients could spell the death song for that taxidermist's shop. One last thing, if Heaven forbid, if anything bad happens to any of your capes in handling, shipping, or at the local taxidermist, does he have a replacement?

My trohies are over 5 years old and have been on display at the last 5 SHOT Shows and are still beautiful and drawing praise for the life like quality. I think both you and I did our homework and are well please with the work we had done and that my friend is the key, doing the home work. God Bless.

[Terry Blauwkamp]

Originally posted by madmurph
I recently booked my first trip to Africa. I will be hunting South Africa in May 2008 for kudu, impala, blesubuck, springbuck, bushbuck, warthog, zebra, and blue wildebeest. I will also take a baboon and a duiker as "opprotunity" animals if I get the chance.
As a first timer, I'm just looking for some advice from those of you who have been there. Anything from travel tips, items to bring that one wouldn't normally think of, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

Now that you have been there, what did you learn?

[madmurph]

Terry, what I learned is that I should have gone sooner. What an absolutely phenominal hunting trip. I enjoyed every minute after getting off of the plane. I was actually sad and depressed when my PH left me at the airport for my return trip home.

All of the people I made contact with were great. My PH (and 2 other PH's) and I hit it off well right away. We stayed in contact upon my return to the states and they just came to visit and spent a week at my house.

In all honesty Terry, there would be little that I would do different when I return. I did tweak my packing list just slightly to include a couple additional items and also to leave a couple of others behind.

Two pieces of advice that I took from this thread were keeping a daily journal and packing clothes for a hunt in my carry on. Fortunately, my luggage arrived on time and the clothes in the carry on didn't matter, but a great idea none the less. I will enjoy looking back in the journal to remember some of the details that otherwise would have been forgotten.

I will be returning soon to take additional plains game and also to pursue lion. (Lioness I should clarify, as a male is a bit expensive for my checkbook.) (I have posted another question on this forum in reference to the next trip regarding 375 H&H vs. 375 Ruger.)