First trip, but not the last.....

[Greenhorn]

Congratulations. You need to ask Jerome to change your handle, as you are no longer a greenhorn.

Haha, maybe one day, after I get a few more safaris under my belt and have some time to think of a more clever name, I'll give it a change!

 

[VertigoBE]

Welcome to AH and congratulations on a very successful first safari! Here’s to many more to come!

 

[GA Hunter]

Congrats. A great looking bag of trophies.

 

[Bearskinner]

What are some places and species you think I should add to the list?

Do some reading, looking at every critter in safari books, it’s kind of a personal thing. Some hunters must deer hunt every fall, personally, I like a one of everything type of approach. I love the variety of animals, and going to different places.
I would check with some Safari groups that you feel confident with, and plan a couple multi species hunts. They are cost effective, and get you lots of time behind the gun. If you complete your list, with a couple days to spare, spend some driving time looking for something that you just must have! I acquired my Springbok while looking for a big impala. You never know what may present itself

 

[Greenhorn]

Do some reading, looking at every critter in safari books, it’s kind of a personal thing. Some hunters must deer hunt every fall, personally, I like a one of everything type of approach. I love the variety of animals, and going to different places.
I would check with some Safari groups that you feel confident with, and plan a couple multi species hunts. They are cost effective, and get you lots of time behind the gun. If you complete your list, with a couple days to spare, spend some driving time looking for something that you just must have! I acquired my Springbok while looking for a big impala. You never know what may present itself

I'll do some homework. I like the take what it gives you approach, like your experience with your Springbok. On this trip, we had a lot of trouble getting on gemsbok but saw plenty of Steenbok. I regret not taking one of them but, now I get to start my Tiny Ten another time!

 

[Shootist43]

Welcome aboard Ex-Greenhorn. Your comment about the relative size of the game animals you were looking at struck a chord with me. That is why we "preach" listening to your PH. Hopefully your continued use of AH will help you get better acquainted with the species you decide to hunt on your next trip. One of the things I did was to make up a spreadsheet showing the "requirements" for SCI Gold, Silver and Bronze animals in my package. Not that antler / horn sizes decide what makes a good hunt and or trophy, but it will give you a better perspective as to what a good "representative" animal is. Being from Texas covers a lot of territory, what part do you "hail" from?

 

[Bearskinner]

Definitely listen to your PH! Unless you detest the animal he is pointing out to you,( and it’s affordable) if he insists it’s a good animal, just do it. That Springbok was on my first ever safari. I had a list, and WAS going to stick with it. Glad I didn’t, that tiny Springbok went No 1 SCI. Way over 17”, which looked small to me. Well compared to a Kudu it is small, but my PH was right!

 

[PARA45]

Congratulations on a great first safari. BTW, that kudu is a stud.

 

[Sue Tidwell]

Thank you Sue! A pig with a broken tusk always adds a good bit of character to the trophy room. I bet your husband was more stoked than I was after completing a 3-year chase!

He absolutely was! We had seen warthogs before but no mature harvestable ones.

 

[Greenhorn]

Welcome aboard Ex-Greenhorn. Your comment about the relative size of the game animals you were looking at struck a chord with me. That is why we "preach" listening to your PH. Hopefully your continued use of AH will help you get better acquainted with the species you decide to hunt on your next trip. One of the things I did was to make up a spreadsheet showing the "requirements" for SCI Gold, Silver and Bronze animals in my package. Not that antler / horn sizes decide what makes a good hunt and or trophy, but it will give you a better perspective as to what a good "representative" animal is. Being from Texas covers a lot of territory, what part do you "hail" from?

I'll have to put together a spreadsheet for myself. I like the idea of using it as a tool to have a better perspective on the game you're hunting. I am out of Houston Tx.

 

[Greenhorn]

Definitely listen to your PH! Unless you detest the animal he is pointing out to you,( and it’s affordable) if he insists it’s a good animal, just do it. That Springbok was on my first ever safari. I had a list, and WAS going to stick with it. Glad I didn’t, that tiny Springbok went No 1 SCI. Way over 17”, which looked small to me. Well compared to a Kudu it is small, but my PH was right!

I definitely leaned on my PH a lot during this trip. He was super knowledgeable and did a good job working with me and my optic malfunctions haha.

 

[Greenhorn]

Congratulations on a great first safari. BTW, that kudu is a stud.

Thank you! I was super lucky to get him, you wouldn't think an animal so large would be so difficult to make a stalk on. The bush was particularly thick this past season as well and didn't make it any easier!

 

[Nyati]

Congrats, very good trophies !

 

[Tanks]

What are some places and species you think I should add to the list?

Tuskless elephant in Zimbabwe. Not expensive and full of adrenaline.

 

[gillettehunter]

For plains game you might consider Nyala,Lechwe, Bushbuck and Duiker. There are so many options from the big 5 down to the tiny 10. It really amounts to what turns your head.
Bruce

 

[Bearskinner]

Cape Buffalo with a Revolver is quite exciting too. I recommend it!

 

[mikecatt13]

Welcome! What outfitter did you hunt with? Looks like a great trip if the animals are any indicationation! That kudu is beautiful, the shape and tips, just awesome.

As far as what you should do for your next safari, only YOU can answer that. Plenty of info on here and places like YouTube to check out content, locations, and animals and see what peaks your interest and go from there

 

[Just Gina]

to AH!
Great pics, thank you for sharing. We look forward to hearing more and hearing of future adventures!

 

[Greenhorn]

Welcome! What outfitter did you hunt with? Looks like a great trip if the animals are any indicationation! That kudu is beautiful, the shape and tips, just awesome.

As far as what you should do for your next safari, only YOU can answer that. Plenty of info on here and places like YouTube to check out content, locations, and animals and see what peaks your interest and go from there

I booked with Bush Africa Safari's, and I would say a 10/10 experience. I will write more about the outfitter in my hunting report when I have time to write it.

As of right now, I plan on returning to Africa with the same outfitter in June or July to continue on my plains game collection and maybe even start my tiny 10.

 

[Greenhorn]

For plains game you might consider Nyala,Lechwe, Bushbuck and Duiker. There are so many options from the big 5 down to the tiny 10. It really amounts to what turns your head.
Bruce

I love the Nyala and the Bushbuck. The spiral-horned species are definitely head-turners, they are what originally drew me to Africa. I never had any interest in any of the tiny ten species until I got there and realized the difficulty of obtaining those trophies. The list grows longer every day haha