Recent content by Charles de Ribeau

A decade ago, after my Dad passed away, I had to deal with moving a few guns (long and handguns). The shotguns and rifles were easy. I just put them in gun cases and checked them at the airport, after declaring them. Handguns were another matter. He lived in NY state. For those who don't know...

How many animals did you end up shooting? How many days was your hunt?

I've been on safari twice, but it's been almost 10 years since the last one. I've tried to get back again, but it hasn't happened. I'm not getting any younger and I recently realized that if I'm going to go, I need to make it happen soon before I run out of years. Between taxidermy and works...

Absolutely not!

Craig says that buffalo are more likely to behave like elk when the encounter humans and high-tail it for the next county. HOWEVER, there are exceptions, even with ones that aren't wounded. Perhaps you inadvertently put yourself between a cow and her calf. Perhaps you get too close (whatever...

On my first hunt for an animal officially considered "dangerous" (black bear in British Columbia), day 1 another hunter lightly wounded a bear and didn't attempt a follow up shot. The bear dove into some nearby thick cover. The guide went in after it. Bear charged and guide killed it at a few...

If you figure $2,500 for trophy fee and taxidermy, plus $1,500 - $2,000 for your flight, even if you doin't have to pay a daily fee, that's a pretty skinny budget.

I hunted Namibia in that time period a few years ago. Everything was fine until there was some rain. That's when the snakes started appearing. One day a puff adder and the next a spitting cobra. NO THANK YOU!

They don't have to be in an album. You can have large prints made, frame them and hang them on the wall. Over the past 15 years, I have done that even with most of the animals that I have had mounted.

Yes, photos or Euro mounts. My taxidermy has cost me a lot more than just the cost of shipping and taxidermist charges. We had to put a sizable addition on our house to accomodate my mounts. After 15 years with a trophy room that I loved, we decided to move. Those mounts made finding a new...

On my first safari, my PH told to NEVER have taxidermy done in Africa. That's all I can offer. You can get bad taxidermy done on any continent - even from the taxidermist down the street who has done all of your other mounts and did a fine job with them can do a bad job.

A friend just returned from a safari in South Africa. He told me that on the return flight he sat next to guy who claimed to be a PH and also claimed to have successfully hunted elephant with a bow. The guy said that the bow he used had a 100 lb draw. There are several things about this story...

I had cape buffalo tenderloin and it was awesome! It was possibly the best game meat that I have ever had. Of course, the kitchen was being run by a woman who used to have her own restaurant in Cape Town, so that says a lot. Most game meat can be good if prepared by a pro.

One possible problem with that end of season strategy... that late, the snakes may be out. No thank you.

Have you already paid him so or all of the contract price? If not, then you are in control. If you have, then things are much "stickier". Does your contract have a provision for you to be able to cancel?