Thanks guys.
I'm in south central Kansas, down near the casino south of Wichita.
I do the typical hunting one does here in Kansas - birds and deer. Quial, pheasant, and prairie chicken are the main ones, but once in a while duck and geese are added to the mix. Don't really hunt squirrel or rabbit anymore, wife has an issue with it.
My family had a property lease on a 400+ acre tract of land that was perfect for all of the above. We had the lease for just a little over 30 years and then the owner got sick. Our family was negotiating a purchase with owner and had settled on a price, yet she died before signing. The estate/family did not want to honor the agreement and we lost the lease. Instead thay leased the property to a private hunting club out of Chicago. No one from that club has ever been here to hunt on it. Unfortunately that's the way it's going in my part of Kansas. Over 80% of the owners of huntable land have leased it out to private clubs from the bigger cities outside the State. Most hunters I know, including myself, who hunt deer, have no place to go locally that's not State/County owned. For every hunter I know that gets to go deer hunting I know several who don't get to go. What's frustrating and sad is that the deer population in our area is getting out of hand.
In the past I'd either take a sporterized 1891 Argentine Mauser or Springfield '03 that my brother gave me when he first got into gunsmithing. Eventually I switched over to using either a Springfield '03 (1918); SMLE Mk III* (1918) or Mauser Gew 98 (1916).
A couple years ago a lebel 1886 m93 was added to the collection. I wanted it primarily for its collectability, but had read it was a popular rifle for big game after WWI. They are known for how well their sights are straight out of the factory. The one I got hadn't been fired since 1972. Right out of the box I got a bull's eye, that impressed me; it's the only historic firearm I've ever owned that I haven't had to fiddle with the sights. Getting rounds for this thing isn't all that easy; it takes an 8×50mmR. I was on a waiting list for over 4 months before getting any modern rounds. A gun guy did sell me a box of the modern PPI version so I could take it to the range; however you can still buy rounds made in the '40s. I have a few of the rounds from the '40s and took those to the range as well. I can honestly state that the Lebel, using the old rounds, is the first firearm I've shot since I was 10 years old that left a bruis on my shoulder. The target was obliterated. Seriously, at 100 yards, the 2x4 wall that held the target had a hole torn out of it that was bigger than my fist. The wood shards were embedded in the earth bank behind it.
I really wanted to take the Lebel deer hunting, but haven't found a farmer/land owner yet that's allowing hunters. They've either have someone else using it, or only allowing family or just don't want hunters out there.
I don't reload, but my brother does.
There is no time frame to go yet. I do look at the various companies in Africa that specialize in hunting to get an idea of cost. Based on that, it's going to be awhile.
I'm almost finished refurbishing a '63 Land Rover SIIa 88 Station Wagon. When we DO go, we are hoping to ship it over there and do a bit of sightseeing as well.
