SOUTH AFRICA: My First African Safari

Plains game in the east cape south Africa

Congratulations and welcome. Looks like a great hunt!

My one safari was with Bayly-Sippel - 100% top notch. My plane in was very late but they were there to greet me. Most importantly to me was that the hunting felt like hunting - on foot and nowhere near the vehicle. The company was pleasant in the truck, at the table, and around the campfire. The food was excellent. I mentioned I was a coffee drinker and they made sure to have fresh brewed coffee every morning even though everyone else was a tea drinker. I mentioned that I was a birder (bird watcher) and they made sure the PH assigned was a very competent birder as well as an accomplished PH. Don't tell my wife (she won't fly) or kids but it was the best 8 days of my life.

On the way back to the airport, I tried to take a few pictures of Hadeda Ibis flying over through the windshield of the moving Toyota. The PH noticed and asked. I know they're common and almost considered a bother by the locals, but I told him it was a bird that I really wanted to see. Granted, he already had his tip money in hand but told me don't bother with shooting through car window. When we got to the airport he turned right instead of left. I told him he missed the turn but he just smiled and said to trust him. He drove around back, through a garage then between a gas station and dumpster. There on the dumpster was a hadeda ibis. He started hooting and hollering. It turns out he was bored and driving around because of my delayed arrival flight and happened to notice the dumpster-diving ibis. Eight days later, he hoped the bird was keeping up its habit. It was...

Bravo! & welcome to AH

Congratulations. You really got it done!

Congratulations!

Nice work. Been my dream since the same age, which is much longer

Very nice trophies!!!

Congratulations on all your trophies, that is a proper old buff!

That is a very heavy horned impala. Must be an old timer.

I shot a baboon last month but not really after one. Outfitter and property owner wanted it gone. They can be hell on sheep, especially during lambing which was just starting (they will catch ewes and tear off the udders for the milk). Also, clients were coming to cull a couple cow kudu and the baboon was keeping them off the citrus bait. I filled my list and had a day to kill so outfitter said go shoot the SOB. So I did. He was a nice one. Outfitter wanted the skin and I presume he took the skull.

Boy, do I really look that old? Time to make a date with Miss Clairol.

Ontario Hunter said:

That is a very heavy horned impala. Must be an old timer.

I shot a baboon last month but not really after one. Outfitter and property owner wanted it gone. They can be hell on sheep, especially during lambing which was just starting (they will catch ewes and tear off the udders for the milk). Also, clients were coming to cull a couple cow kudu and the baboon was keeping them off the citrus bait. I filled my list and had a day to kill so outfitter said go shoot the SOB. So I did. He was a nice one. Outfitter wanted the skin and I presume he took the skull.
View attachment 789480
Boy, do I really look that old? Time to make a date with Miss Clairol.

Click to expand...

You're only as old as you feel. I'm 97 some days.

Mark458 said:

You're only as old as you feel. I'm 97 some days.

Click to expand...

Ah well ... who wants to live to be 100 anyway? The guy who's 99.

Hell of a bull! Enter that in the Rigby contest next go around.