What has gone wrong on your safari?

2 from back when I was guiding that I was not directly involved in but might make someone a little better about their bad hunt.

#1 Northern BC bush pilot coming in to pick up hunters and drop off supplies. Hits wind shear when landing , flips Supercub, dies on impact. Clients and guides can do nothing but move the body and clean the wreckage off of the runway and wait for another plane to take the now terrified clients back to Norman Wells, last hunt of the season cancelled. Not as traumatic but equally sobering, I had the task of pulling the trailer (well at least riding in the truck pulling it anyway) of wreckage back to Watson Lake. I dont know how many times I looked back at that trailer. The pilot was a good man and a good pilot.

#2 Northern BC bush pilot clips treetops with landing gear 1st time landing at newly constructed landing strip. Plane flips and guide pulls to safety and cares for pilot and client, despite having a broken leg, for 2 days until bad wather that blew in before they were found to be missing finally clears up and rescue chopper locates them. Client and pilot in hospital for several months but eventually OK, both are full of pins and screws now though.

After four African safaris the absolute worse thing that has happened was an appy was a half hour late picking us up at the airport in Harare. Not too bad.

First hunt: The Selous with PH Zayne van der Merwe. Zayne, my wife, the staff, and me were the only ones in camp. An asolutely wonderful experience.

Second Hunt. The Omay with Martin Pieters where I was introduced to Zimbabwe, Lake Kariba, Martin, and the Omay. My life will never be the same after that experience.

Third Hunt: Mozambique and The Save in Zim with Neil Duckworth. Words truly could not describe the experience much less the time spent with Neil and Mr. Barrie Duckworth (he even let me shoot his 505 Gibbs). I have been told by other PHs they consider Neil to be perhaps the best PH in Zim.

Fourth Hunt: Omay with Martin Pieters and Shaun Buufee as my PH. Shaun is an absolute gentleman and a dedicated leopard hunter. Shot my leopard in the daylight in Omay South.

I have never cut corners, did my homework, stayed involved from the booking until the trophies arrived in the US. All four of my PH's being fully licensed Zim PH's helped.

After four years straight I may sit this one out. If things work out next year I will spend a month or two in Zim. I am booked for elephant in 2013 with Martin, will hunt with Buzz Charlton once in my life, and would like to make a trip to see Bubye Valley Conservancy with Shaun Buffee.

Before I began writing this I was thinking about some of the BS that is written on all forums including this one. I then began to think about what attracted me to Africa and begin thinking about how lucky I have been to experience safari with my wife. My thoughts then turned to Mr. Owain Lewis and his family, and that I am sorry to have never met him.

Arguing on the internet really does seem petty.

Originally Posted by Mike70560

Before I began writing this I was thinking about some of the BS that is written on all forums including this one. I then began to think about what attracted me to Africa and begin thinking about how lucky I have been to experience safari with my wife. My thoughts then turned to Mr. Owain Lewis and his family, and that I am sorry to have never met him.

Arguing on the internet really does seem petty.

Mike, You're 100% right! Safari in Africa can be a wonderful thing if you pursue carefully the steps to doing it right. Owains passing leaves a gap in our ranks.
Arguing with someone you've never met..and probably never will...is rather futile isn't it?!

Originally Posted by Ole Bally

Mike, You're 100% right! Safari in Africa can be a wonderful thing if you pursue carefully the steps to doing it right. Owains passing leaves a gap in our ranks.
Arguing with someone you've never met..and probably never will...is rather futile isn't it?!

Helping someone you don't know enriches us all!

Perhaps we can then all be fortunate enough to do it right.

My second safari I had a very specific list of animals with size restrictions. I had a fast and furious 10 days of hunting. I shot so much you could have cooked steaks on the barrel of my 338-378 wby. On the 3rd to last day my ph wanted me to put a head shot on a springbuck at 30 yards for meat. I layded out flat and shot about 30 feet over his back. about 7 springbuck later and 6 total misses I was lined up on another springbuck at 20 yards. I was just trying to hit him and shot both his horns off. Dumbfounded as all my shots to that point were spot on we were desperate to figure out what was going on. My ph asked me to unload my gun and then he grabbed it by the barrel to inspect it. He noticed the gun was wobbling all about when he grabbed it so he held the gun and turned the barrel about 10 rounds and it came completely off. It was a weatherby accumark and their barrels aren't removable. The gun was bought brand new before the safari and I was very upset with weatherby to say the least.

Sounds kind of hazardous Tap.

One my first trip last month I have a real bone to pick with South Africa Government

WHAT THE HECK IS THE DEAL WITH NO SKOAL, HOWS A MAN SUPPOSED TO LIVE. I was ready to sell out and move to SA in a week but to find out they do not have Redman, Skoal or God Help us Copehagen that is the final straw,

I was thinking about a class action lawsuit everyone smokes but they discriminate against dippers.

Originally Posted by tap

..... I had a fast and furious 10 days of hunting. I shot so much you could have cooked steaks on the barrel of my 338-378 wby. .....

Be careful with your metaphors.

Originally Posted by huntingbigun

One my first trip last month I have a real bone to pick with South Africa Government

WHAT THE HECK IS THE DEAL WITH NO SKOAL, HOWS A MAN SUPPOSED TO LIVE. I was ready to sell out and move to SA in a week but to find out they do not have Redman, Skoal or God Help us Copehagen that is the final straw,

I was thinking about a class action lawsuit everyone smokes but they discriminate against dippers.

They have Buffalo chips! Same thing isn't it!?

On my first trip to Zim in '86, Ranch owner (PH) had me shoot a Water Buck.. he said it was a "nice" one, and I did know any better until it was too late.. only 19- 20 "..

After that I was much more educated as to what a "nice" one of any specie really is.

I've had PH's late to pick me up at Airport.

I've had them try and add $500 to the bill for Airport Pickup and return... BUT I had paper work showing it was included..ooops,, sorry. Had I not had the paper work with me we would have had an incident.

I've had outfitter refuse to have my black tracker sleep or eat with us. Wanted him to sleep in the barn and eat outside. I gave the outfitter two choices,,,,,,,,,,,

Again, PH's being Late picking us up... really irritates me.

PH drink too much every night, and their mouth gets out of hand. So I quit hunting with them.

PH mentions "tip" ( more than once) ... Got a solution for that... tell them "If I hear the word TIP once more, you won't have to worry about seeing one".

You will see lots of "nice" animals. I always say I'm looking for the "right" animal.

And you are 100 percent correct to have all the paperwork and trophy fees in a folder...when it comes time to pay the bill. Make sure everyone is on the correct page . I have never had a problem, but there has been only one bill that was 100 percent correct the first time. And I did appreciate a discussion on the final bill with no hard feelings.

I tend to run out of money by the end........

I'd say if you run out of money by the end, you're doing something right! It's far better than running out of money towards the middle...

On my last trip, one of the hunters in our camp was in his mid-70's. At dinner we were eating some Kudu steaks from a fairly old bull my partner had shot. The meat was somewhat tough, and the older gentleman got a piece lodged in the lower part of his throat. He couldn't seem to dislodge it, and while he could breath ok, it cause his blood pressure to rise over the next few hours to dangerous levels. In the middle of the night, the owners of the concession had to drive him several hours to a hospital, where he had to spend several days. The hospital would not take his American insurance card, credit card, or money, and required that the concession owners pay for the treatment up front in Rands before they would treat him. It all worked out well, fortunately.

In 2009 I went to Zim to hunt leopard. On the third morning I took a nasty fall while climbing a gnomo and caught my left arm in the fork of a small tree. My body kept going and I snapped the ball off of the upper bone in my arm and it shattered into 3 pieces. I didn't realize that at the time. I assumed I tore ligaments etc. We took part of a sheet and tied the arm to my body and I tried to go on. Lasted 5 days before the edema got very bad and I finally relented to go to a doctor in Bulawayo. X-rays told the story and after a long lecture about my stupidity I had to head home for surgery. SAA was very uncooperative and Global Rescue ended up footing the bill for very expensive one way tickets for my wife and I on Air France to get me home. Finally had surgery 10 days after the mishap. Lots of plates and screws and an arm that will never be the same again. Pain will be with me for the rest of my life but we can soldier on. Lessons learned - I always take pain killers with me now when I travel to hunt and I never travel now without Global Rescue.

Still hunting though. Got a 9'6" Brown Bear in Alaska last month and will go to Zim next year for one more try at that Leopard.

[QUOTE=Ole Bally;58230]

Originally Posted by BRICKBURN

Not so much wrong as things I would adjust:
Break up your larger groups and make sure the PH's are included in dinners. Not left at the end of the table talking amongst themselves. (i think this was exacerbated by the third issue)

Ummmm I think its coz he was black Brick! There's still some dumb ass prejudice alive and well out there.

You can say that again.

Originally Posted by StickFlicker AZ

I'd say if you run out of money by the end, you're doing something right! It's far better than running out of money towards the middle...

On my last trip, one of the hunters in our camp was in his mid-70's. At dinner we were eating some Kudu steaks from a fairly old bull my partner had shot. The meat was somewhat tough, and the older gentleman got a piece lodged in the lower part of his throat. He couldn't seem to dislodge it, and while he could breath ok, it cause his blood pressure to rise over the next few hours to dangerous levels. In the middle of the night, the owners of the concession had to drive him several hours to a hospital, where he had to spend several days. The hospital would not take his American insurance card, credit card, or money, and required that the concession owners pay for the treatment up front in Rands before they would treat him. It all worked out well, fortunately.

There is a good outfitter for you.

Originally Posted by BRICKBURN

There is a good outfitter for you.

I think allowing a client to die (or almost die) ranks in the top 10 reasons (roughly #1) not to use an outfitter so he really had no choice! IMO No squabbling definitely earns a feather in his cap though.