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For those who have hunted (or travelled) in the various parts of Africa, one of the unique features of travelling in Ethiopia is the presence and proliferation of governmental and non-governmental agencies at levels I’ve never seen elsewhere. USAID, the EU, the UN, all have major presences in...

I never felt actually unsafe, but I did wonder from time to time, especially when in the desert, what I was doing there. If you look at a map, Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea in the north (with which it is intermittently at war and currently has an active conflict); Somalia to the north, east...

They do have a rifle available for rent - I believe it’s a .300 Weatherby, but they may have others. i think the binocular thing is a result of the recent “unrest.” The government must be afraid that the other side may end up with binos - though why is a mystery. It’s not like they’re hard to...

Your outfitter has to file a permit application with the authorities in Ethiopia, and apparently it just takes time and paperwork. Not sure what would happen in the binoculars didn’t have a serial number. My outfitter arrived in Addis with his binos and a copy of his permit, but they wouldn’t...

Last instalment - no hunting, but for those who might be interested in the mechanics of travel with firearms. And some post hunt thoughts. March 16 and Departure The next morning we set off for Addis at 8 am, arriving after a long, hot drive at about 5.30 pm. We checked into our hotel and it...

March 11 We got up early to start our drive to the desert. While the camp is only 260 kms from Addis as the crow flies, by road it’s at least 10 hours, including a brief stop for lunch. And while temperatures in Addis and the highlands tend to the temperate at this time of year, as soon as...

Up till now, the shooting has been pretty good - everything down quickly with one shot (even if not necessarily the right animal). But now . . . Instalment 3 March 8 This was leaving day - we were going back to Addis, so I had one last chance to get the colobus before departure around 10 am...

Thanks. This is interesting. I note that none of the 'glamor" game is available to residents, which isn't surprising. Most of these are relatively scarce (the mountain nyala is listed as 'threatened') and ar what attract western hunters to Ethiopia in the first place.

Instalment 2. There was a thread recently where people were a little annoyed that someone showed a poor shot, and I admitted that I'd made some poor shots in my time. Mistakes happen, and this instalment is evidence of that. We learn, and we commit to do better, but I believe we need to be...

Hunter-Habib, I actually have no idea if the locals can hunt. I assume they could hunt if they went about it the way we do, but the cost would exceed the ability or willingness to pay of most local people (although there are some very wealthy Ethiopians). Many countries have lower cost...

My trip to Ethiopia was planned more than two years ago. I had originally planned to go in 2023, but my outfitter couldn’t guarantee the availability of a Menelik’s bushbuck. He believed we’d be ok, but rather than risk going to Ethiopia and not getting one of the two endemic bushbuck, I chose...

I haven’t measured it exactly but a bit over 4” I’d say. And I have had a duiker cut in two by a shot . . . !

Trail-type or hiking sneakers have come a long way in the last decade. I've noticed that many PH's have moved away from more traditional types of hunting boots and moved towards more comfortable-out-of-the-box types of footwear for hunting. As have I, for a few reasons. First, as I said...

I should have added two things: 1. The watermelon cost about 25 cents and was bought off a farmer in Ethiopia; and 2. The knife was made by a former member of this community . . . and the handle is New Zealand swamp kauri (which unfortunately you can't see).

Another reason to carry a knife on safari. And it's better if the blade is damascus.

I’ve used a .300 Win Mag on the high neck shot with quite satisfactory results (“timberrrr . . .”). If the shot hits the neck bones, it’s dead on the spot. If you were using the .375 as backup, so much the better. i wouldn’t worry too much about it. And I look forward to the report.

I like the idea of ‘sanctuary countries” for elephants and other mega-fauna. My guess is that the welcome wouldn’t last even as long as the welcome lasted in US sanctuary cities.

I’ve probably taken at least six giraffe. I enjoy the hunt - it’s not easy to sneak up on them and if badly hit, they can cover some distance. My first was taken with the heart lung shot, but ever since then, I’ve gone for the high neck shot. It really produces a very satisfactory result...

If I could perhaps be allowed to differ a bit . . . Anyone who hunts enough will make a bad shot from time to time . . . and frankly, I don't believe anyone who says they've never made a bad shot. We practice, we try our best, but sometimes we fail. When we do that, and the animal is wounded...

Congratulations. One of the great trophies of Africa and not one of the easiest to get. Your PH was smart to advise you as he did, and you were smarter to take his advice! No all we need is a picture!

I fear we're hijaking this thread . . . but I agree with Lon. I would also add that while Lon infers it, any dangerous game baited hunt requires an enormous amount of work by the PH and his (or her!) team and resources, far more than does a plains game hunt. There is also the supply and demand...

Has anyone tried to enter the US with a firearm, let alone one with the serial number wrong? In Calgary, we pre-clear US customs at the airport here, and even with the proper ATF forms pre-approved, it can take up to an hour (though usually half that long) for US CBP to let you go with the...

Agree completely. Even in more “mainstream” African hunting destinations you can find yourself in trouble for unknowingly violating local rules and regulations, or even just a local interpretation of what you thought you understood. While in Mozambique recently we found that one police officer...

While we were in Liberia my hunting partner was told that an outfitter was looking to set up an exploratory hunt in Gabon, but there were no real details. If anyone knows anything, I’d be glad to hear it. I have some interest in camping out in an ‘untamed’ jungle to see what can be found...

You’re welcome. But I would love to hear about hunting in Gabon . . . Didn’t know it was open, but thought they were trying to open it. I wouldn’t mind going somewhere untested . . . Provided I knew that in advance!

Without trying to start something, I note that without the Chinese, we hunters would have a problem. We’d all still be using bows and arrows (which I’m no good at), since the Chinese invented gunpowder . . . and, of course, the paper most things, including money, are printed on. I have no...

I hunted buffalo in Bubye, but can’t comment on Save or Dande. We saw plenty of buffalo in Bubye and as has been mentioned, it’s almost 1,500 square miles, so it’s more than a bit disingenuous to call it a ‘fenced area’ although that’s technically true. There were lots of buffalo but i was...

I’ve hunted with Mayo Oldiri in both the forest (bongo, sitatunga) and the savannah (LDE, etc.). Hunts were both successful and reports are somewhere in here. Both hunts were with Guav Johnson, who, I hate to say it (in case he reads this), I believe is one of the best PHs in Africa. I don’t...

Ethiopia in March for the two bushbuck there, hopefully an gerenuk (some license issues) and a giant forest hog! And whatever else I can get that I don’t already have . . .

I’ve done it once before, but that was some years ago. No problems then. I’m flying Ethiopian again to Addis on March 3, taking a firearm. Like you I’ve been told fill in a form and no worries. I can let you know once I’ve done it (again)!

That is one impressive collection of Buffalo Trace impossible-to-find products! Are you hiding the other two Pappy’s?!

1. It took only one day, but what a day. They generally know (if only for security reasons) where the rhino are, and they try not to dart the same ones too often, so a good one will generally have been picked out in advance. There will be spotters around so they can find it after it's run off...

I did a rhino dart hunt with Wintershoek two years ago . . . I posted a story about it, but there was only so much I could say . . .! It was a great experience, and I was very happy to complete the Big 5 in that way, rather than by killing a white rhino. The dart hunt is a lot more exciting -...

Let me start with my own - personal - definition of a ‘legitimate’ buffalo hunt. It’s one where: 1. The buffalo are not put and take; that is, the buffalo you will be hunting is from a self-sustaining herd which lives and dies on the same property. Having said that, the buffalo you are...

Has anyone transmitted Italy recently with a firearm? Requirements and experience? Thanks

Wrap up time Another bait . . . and one more . . . I need to say a few words about poaching. Most of the coutadas in Mozambique were decimated in the civil war (1977 - 1992) which raged after the Portuguese left. Something akin to the civil war, but at a low simmer rather than a furious...

Fortunately, the area isn't seismically active! With the suni in the bag, we had only the lion and potentially a nyala to worry about. So we took up the usual routine the following day, looking for lion and looking at nyala only if one crossed our path. At this point, the weather was...

The funny part is that the wholesale price of these isn't that high. I can tell you that the Pappy 20 wholesale's for a bit over $200 Canadian in Canada (although you can virtually never find it). the Weller is about the same. When I see the prices in the secondary market, I can't quite...

A few days later, we found what appeared to be male lion tracks which appeared at least reasonably large and quite fresh. While our trackers followed the tracks, we decided to drive around the area and see if they had crossed the road. Before long we saw vultures circling overhead and decided...