Recent content by chonk34

My Carpathian Chamois hunt in Romania in 2021 was a wonderful hunt, but the trophy is still with my dad (who lives in Romania) and we are unsure of how to get the mount back to me in the U.S. The scenery is breath-taking. The way the clouds roll in and out of the mountains looks like the world...

My spouse is happy when I have the opportunity to go on hunting trips. She doesn't want to be a part of it and the specifics of hunting bore her to tears. By the same token, when she goes to do something that speaks to her I am happy that she has the opportunity. Sometimes we travel together to...

I think that bullets and broadheads kill in different ways. An archery hunter with a strong enough bow, shooting the right arrow, within the right range, and hitting the right spot at an appropriate angle should be able to put down a buffalo. I would have to shoot many, many more arrows with my...

Got a text from my dad today that Yuri and Alexander have reached some sort of understanding. Of course it will still be some time before they complete the journey to us, but good to hear that there is progress.

We do not have our trophies yet. We do have recent photos of them in which they appear to still be in good condition. There are many complications in the process, compounded by the personalities involved. Alexander wants more money in order to ship the trophies, and lives in a rather remote...

Obviously the situation between the countries is pretty volatile, but I think if we'd gone with a more established outfitter we wouldn't have had any issues. Our guide seemed determined to antagonize everyone who would listen to him, and I think we paid the price for that. It is a pretty good...

We didn't have any problems with getting the trophies back to the US. It was a lot quicker than some of the other international hunts we've done. Having done a few international hunts, I think this is something that gets overlooked a lot. An outfit that is professional will have the logistics...

The world is a big place. It might be helpful in a forum focused on international hunting to know that in Kazakhstan it might be common to buy duty-free alcohol for the baggage handlers to ensure that your rifle case makes it through customs without issue.

I perhaps didn't share the full story in my original post because I was uncertain about the legal ramifications. We ultimately wound up shooting 5 bears in total, two in the 8-foot class and three in the 9-foot class. Because of arguments between Yuri (the outfitter) and Alexander (the guide)...

The interpreter for the Russian police asked us why we didn't just lie and say that Yuri shot the bears while we were on a simple sightseeing tour, but I guess our natural honesty and uncertainty about the situation led us to be truthful. Yuri gave us a lot of bad advice, and I think the police...

I got my first buck this year. My first North American big game animal. I started hunting in 2019 when my dad invited me to South Africa. My first big game animal was a Zebra. I've spent the last few years here at home in Idaho trying to learn the ins and outs of hunting while chasing elk...

I wore TAG Safari on my South Africa hunt. I looked like a park ranger, but it helped me get "in character" for the hunt. You could wear normal hunting clothes and be just fine. I've done most of my recent hunting in merino wool stuff from various sources and/or Kuiu/Sitka gear. It's likely a...

I had good success with a .338 on my South Africa plains game safari. My dad had similar success on the same hunt with a 7mm Rem Mag. Shot placement is the more important factor.

I got the comic book characters my kids were named after on one arm and a tattoo commemorating my military service on the other arm. I thought about it for around ten years before I had it done. No regrets so far.

I didn't ever get the sense that they were really pursuing us on account of our government service. Even the special interview mid-sentence felt like they were training a new guy on interviews with Americans they happened to have on hand. I agree that we were dependent on faulty local advice...