Hi from Indiana

[russc]

My name's Russ and I have a problem... oh wait, no, we call it "fun" here.

I grew up (mostly) in the not so great state if IL in an anti-gun, anti-hunting family but got married, got out, and found the light. I've been actively into firearms for maybe 5 years or so but up till now haven't hunted more than groundhogs having their way with the garden. Then, the other night at a FNRA banquet, a friend talked me into splitting a group package African hunt that nobody else bid on... go big or go home right? Wife's stoked too. still trying to figure out what all we don't know.

Talked to my mom about watching our 6yo while we're away. She has more of a disney/bambi view of hunting. She'd been to Africa before on more of a mission/culture tourism trip tho and was curious about our trip. "yea mom it won't really BE anywhere, kinda more nowhere. It'll be sightseeing, finding the animals, some other stuff... then eating them" "well that'll be fun. oh, eating them what... uh... that'll be... interesting..." lol

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Welcome to AH Russ!

 

[Ridgewalker]

Welcome to AH Russ! Warning! It won’t be your only trip to Africa! Enjoy all the planning because it helps make the wait go a bit faster.
Learn to shoot off sticks!
Get a pocket copy of “The Perfect Shot”. Or download pictures from AH of the animals you plan to hunt. Vitals in African antelope tend to be a bit further forward than US big game.
Best of luck!

 

[Shootist43]

Welcome aboard russc. Hunting Africa is an absolute blast. Those group package "auction hunts" have a way of costing more than the initial outlay. Be prepared to buy extra animals only because it is hard not to squeeze the trigger on something standing in front of you. Decide about taxidermy ahead of time. Shoulder mounts will double the cost of the hunt. Does your wife shoot as well? If so, more fun but more $$$ as well. When are you leaving, who are you booked with, what animals will you be taking?

 

[Nyati]

Hi Russ, welcome to AH !

 

[BRICKBURN]

Welcome to AH. You have found an incredible resource to prepare you for your upcoming adventure.
Have fun planning and learning.

 

[meigsbucks]

Russ: Welcome to AH! Congratulations on your first safari. There is so much great info on this site and people more than willing to assist and answer your questions.
Ridgewalker and Shootest43 made excellent suggestions.
I would add that get as much shooting practice as possible. And it doesn’t all have to be with your big game rifle. Air rifles, ..22’s, .223’s are great and cheap to shoot. / practice.
Another tip I’d give is about your travel. Use a travel agent that specializes in hunters and firearms. I used Travel With Guns on both of my safaris and they have been great. There is also Grace Travel, Travel Express and several others.
You are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!

 

[cpr0312]

Welcome aboard!

 

[russc]

I already made some tripod shooting sticks for myself and my wife to practice on and planning on lots of practice with the small cals... the fundamentals are universal and I can get away with a .22 in my yard. Wife shoots a little but moreso something to do together on the odd "mental health" day off work. She even likes the M1 when something else is holding the bulk of the weight. She was enthusiastic about the trip and we had a talk: 1. Are you OK with killing an animal? 2. Because you want to? 3. How big/dangerous? 4. How small/cute?

Yes, I'm well aware of the escalation of costs. My friend has been looking at airfares but I'll take a look at TWG too. We've started looking over the available list of animals to figure out what we really want, some alternatives, what we want to put on the wall, and what that costs.

I've read about the location of vitals and have been looking at pics but as I said, I haven't hunted NA game. 9mm does wonders on a groundhog at 5 yds (opened the back door and caught the bastard munching on our garden) but isn't terribly relevant.

 

[enysse]

Welcome to AH, Russ!

 

[nztimb]

Giday and welcome to the A H forums Russel

 

[kesha]

Welcome to AH.

 

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Welcome to the family and the forum Russ! Nice to have you as part of our community.

 

[CAustin]

Welcome to AH

 

[Pron]

Welcome to this great forum @russc! Enjoy the site!

 

[VERNEY-CARRON COLLECTION]

Welcome to AH Russ! It is a great site, glad to have you here.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Welcome to AH.
Good luck.

 

[micbo]

Welcome to AH Russ! Nice to have you as part of our community. Enjoy the site!