Since some of you have asked, I'll try to go back to my first hunt in 2018 and provide a little background and some photos.
I honestly don't know what inspired me to pick hunting in Africa, it just happened.
Bad dream, something I ate, Hatari or Tarzan movie - something got me interested. In retrospect it was it most likely a combo of "Idle hands are the devil's workshop", and too much time on my hands.
Whatever the cause, I Googled, "Hunting in Africa" and Shakari Connection popped up so I started reading. I had stumbled upon the "Reader's Digest" version of Hemingway.
Slowly - at first, I began to imagine myself, in full khaki - armed with a double - following in the footsteps of Roosevelt, facing lions, elephants, buffalo - all the challenges Africa presents. (Shakari has sections dedicated to each of the above - and more)
Totally captivated - I read on. "HELL YES - I could do this".
Ladies, at this point I would like to caution you; when you leave your retired husband at home, unsupervised.
This sort of thing can happen.
Listed in the section, "African Hunting Rifles" was Heym, USA; there it was - a phone number in the US. I dialed and Chris Sells answered - blame or credit, that's what set the wheels turning.
Who knows, if he hadn't answered I might have moved on and Googled "Building Your Own Boat".
My wife was barely through the door when I announced, enthusiastically - "I'm going hunting in Africa". I'm fairly certain, "You're going to do what?" were the first words to leave her lips. "What, why, when, OH dear God, and you can't be serious, preceded - YOU DON'T EVEN HUNT", all clear and distinct. I'm not sure what followed, I could see her lips moving but I don't think they were forming real words.
"Honey, I got this - it's right here - I Googled it".
Her response was definitely "Oh dear God".
"Look, it's right here on this website - they list everything you need, shoes, pants, shirts, hats, guns - everything". And I talked to a guy, he said if we come to the DSC Convention in Dallas I can get everything right there".
She invoked God a third time.
* Guys, I would like to point out my use of the inclusive, "WE".
For whatever reason, and this is not the forum for speculation, she said, "Well be careful".
DSC Convention 2018 was one-stop shopping. Shoes, pants, shirts, binoculars, 2 rifles, Outfitter/PH, airline tickets - I am set.
The plan was to attend a shooting school - FTW, prior to my hunt. Great plan, I wish it had gone that way; but in April I fractured my femur and had to cancel.
(I set the femur myself - but that's another story)
In Oct, the Outfitter/PH called and said the last hunt in Nov. was open if I felt up to it.
Nov, 2018 I fly to Tanzania to hunt with Rungwa Safaris. Leg on the mend coupled with no trophy room, no agenda, and no clue as to what most of these animals are, the PH says, "Let's just drive around and see what we find".
"We have an animal which is only found in this area", the PH says as we enter the first hunting area. He's about 2 minutes into describing the characteristics, habitat, etc, when a tracker points to one standing behind a bush with his head sticking out.
This is the animal:
That is how the rest of that hunt went - animals just showed up.
To be continued
