D
Deleted member 43267
Just got back, and the return trip arrangements were begun before I left Africa. I learned a lot, and made some both good and poor choices with gear and such. Here are some opinions, and they are geared toward people that might be going for the first time.
There are three factors that will contribute to a successful hunt more than anything: 1) listen to your PH and do what they tell you to do, 2) listen to your PH and do what they tell you to do, and 3) guess. I had vowed beforehand to to that, and it worked. Except for one time, and it turned out OK despite my idiocy (there were two bull gemsbok, not one, and I shot the wrong one. He was still a beautiful trophy but slightly smaller than the one I was supposed to wait for. )
Let the PH and tracker spot and track; your job is to watch them and follow them quietly as possible. If they freeze, you freeze. If they take a knee slowly, you take a knee slowly. If they crawl, you crawl. Just be a giant copycat. I spent a lot of time staring at where to put my feet so as to not make noise. Just step where they have stepped.
I found LL Bean long tropical cargo pants to be almost perfect, and saved my legs when we had to sprint into position or get close quick to make sure an animal was really down. But, they are a bit baggy in the legs and swish and catch thorns. Next time, I am bringing some elastic bands to rein in the extra fabric. They come in an olive that is perfect.
I lucked out and had a chance to pick up a leather belt cartridge case in Johannesburg that held 5 cartridges. I learned later that nothing screams NOVICE louder than a full cartridge belt and giant knife. I filled it the day before the hunt, and worked cartridges in and out until it loosened up so they could be extracted when needed. Light, and was the only thing that did not snag.
I also lucked out and found Jonsson short sleeved shirts in Johannesburg. They were super light and perfect for hot afternoons. The oversized breast pockets were perfect for my iphone (used as camera). I had brought some Tag shirts, and they are tough but so well made they were a bit hot in the afternoons.
Merrill moab ventilator boots kept my feet dry and comfortable, but were not as quiet as Russells that I wish I would have had. Tried tennis shoes one day but that was a disaster and my toes were trashed by sunset. Somewhere there must be affordable quiet footwear that goes beyond running shoe protection but is not a vibram soled noisy boot.
Jeez, do not forget your sunscreen and chapstick. I did not, but would have died.
I brought candy to pass out as treats, but the most popular snack was biltong. People almost fought over it. Not really, but they loved it. Buy some in town, and do not let them wrap in plastic. Store in a paper bag so it does not mold.
Next time, I am bringing a tiny bottle of gun oil. My rifle bolt got super dry, and we had to scrounge some in camp.
It seemed that all my optics were covered with dust, all the time. I had brought tons of CVS lens wipes, but my PH taught me to lick the lenses to get the grit off before using them. That way I was not grinding stuff into the glass. Best trick ever.
My biggest screw up is not bringing a light down jacket. Looked at the weather forecast that called for 90-95 cloudless daytime temps and thought that it could not get that cold at night. So stupidly wrong. I did have a shell, but longed for that jacket every night.
We did it so correctly by hunting during the dark of the moon. Seeing the milky way and the southern cross each night was beyond cool. I missed more than a few animals on the night game viewing drives because I was looking up all the time.
I think that I also did something that helped; I told my PH that we should go for nice, representative examples of animals and that he should recommend what to shoot. I think it made his life easier, and I filled my tags by Thursday morning with beautiful individuals. That was good because a cold front rolled through and put everything down the next day. Had I held out for specific sizes, I might have gone home disappointed. A veteran hunter might be OK with this, but if it is your first time you naturally want to be successful. AND, it led to some unexpected fun. We used the extra time to hunt guinea fowl, which I renamed "flying eland." And evenings were spent calling in jackals.
I am convinced that had I not practiced shooting on sticks, I would have come home with nothing but empty shell casings. I even practiced slowly mounting the gun and getting a sight picture. Again, that was valuable. I was still a wreck with adrenaline, but found that when everything is shaking, you can move the crosshairs off target, and move them back on slowly. Squeeze as they hit the sweet spot. That was my technique of last resort, and it got me an eland (separate post for that tale).
People do not like to talk about it, but all of us had digestive upsets from the travel, time change, water, change in diet, and the fact that you are encountering novel bacterial strains. Foreign tourists get sick when they visit the U.S., and the same is true for U.S. people when they travel. My travel doc told me to take a pepto bismal tablet every morning, and one with dinner. It keeps things under control, and can stave off the real bad stuff should you encounter it. It worked.
But here is the thing. The angling writer John Gierach was talking about fly fishing, and he described it as beautiful beyond description. Africa, the people, and the wildlife are the same. And he went on to say that when a certain type of person is touched by a certain type of beauty, your life is either saved or ruined forever. My life was saved, my bank account is going to be ruined in perpetuity, and I do not care one bit. All the posts about Africa getting in your blood are some of the truest statements ever written. Only 332 days until the next trip and counting every one.
Thanks for reading ...
Jeff
There are three factors that will contribute to a successful hunt more than anything: 1) listen to your PH and do what they tell you to do, 2) listen to your PH and do what they tell you to do, and 3) guess. I had vowed beforehand to to that, and it worked. Except for one time, and it turned out OK despite my idiocy (there were two bull gemsbok, not one, and I shot the wrong one. He was still a beautiful trophy but slightly smaller than the one I was supposed to wait for. )
Let the PH and tracker spot and track; your job is to watch them and follow them quietly as possible. If they freeze, you freeze. If they take a knee slowly, you take a knee slowly. If they crawl, you crawl. Just be a giant copycat. I spent a lot of time staring at where to put my feet so as to not make noise. Just step where they have stepped.
I found LL Bean long tropical cargo pants to be almost perfect, and saved my legs when we had to sprint into position or get close quick to make sure an animal was really down. But, they are a bit baggy in the legs and swish and catch thorns. Next time, I am bringing some elastic bands to rein in the extra fabric. They come in an olive that is perfect.
I lucked out and had a chance to pick up a leather belt cartridge case in Johannesburg that held 5 cartridges. I learned later that nothing screams NOVICE louder than a full cartridge belt and giant knife. I filled it the day before the hunt, and worked cartridges in and out until it loosened up so they could be extracted when needed. Light, and was the only thing that did not snag.
I also lucked out and found Jonsson short sleeved shirts in Johannesburg. They were super light and perfect for hot afternoons. The oversized breast pockets were perfect for my iphone (used as camera). I had brought some Tag shirts, and they are tough but so well made they were a bit hot in the afternoons.
Merrill moab ventilator boots kept my feet dry and comfortable, but were not as quiet as Russells that I wish I would have had. Tried tennis shoes one day but that was a disaster and my toes were trashed by sunset. Somewhere there must be affordable quiet footwear that goes beyond running shoe protection but is not a vibram soled noisy boot.
Jeez, do not forget your sunscreen and chapstick. I did not, but would have died.
I brought candy to pass out as treats, but the most popular snack was biltong. People almost fought over it. Not really, but they loved it. Buy some in town, and do not let them wrap in plastic. Store in a paper bag so it does not mold.
Next time, I am bringing a tiny bottle of gun oil. My rifle bolt got super dry, and we had to scrounge some in camp.
It seemed that all my optics were covered with dust, all the time. I had brought tons of CVS lens wipes, but my PH taught me to lick the lenses to get the grit off before using them. That way I was not grinding stuff into the glass. Best trick ever.
My biggest screw up is not bringing a light down jacket. Looked at the weather forecast that called for 90-95 cloudless daytime temps and thought that it could not get that cold at night. So stupidly wrong. I did have a shell, but longed for that jacket every night.
We did it so correctly by hunting during the dark of the moon. Seeing the milky way and the southern cross each night was beyond cool. I missed more than a few animals on the night game viewing drives because I was looking up all the time.
I think that I also did something that helped; I told my PH that we should go for nice, representative examples of animals and that he should recommend what to shoot. I think it made his life easier, and I filled my tags by Thursday morning with beautiful individuals. That was good because a cold front rolled through and put everything down the next day. Had I held out for specific sizes, I might have gone home disappointed. A veteran hunter might be OK with this, but if it is your first time you naturally want to be successful. AND, it led to some unexpected fun. We used the extra time to hunt guinea fowl, which I renamed "flying eland." And evenings were spent calling in jackals.
I am convinced that had I not practiced shooting on sticks, I would have come home with nothing but empty shell casings. I even practiced slowly mounting the gun and getting a sight picture. Again, that was valuable. I was still a wreck with adrenaline, but found that when everything is shaking, you can move the crosshairs off target, and move them back on slowly. Squeeze as they hit the sweet spot. That was my technique of last resort, and it got me an eland (separate post for that tale).
People do not like to talk about it, but all of us had digestive upsets from the travel, time change, water, change in diet, and the fact that you are encountering novel bacterial strains. Foreign tourists get sick when they visit the U.S., and the same is true for U.S. people when they travel. My travel doc told me to take a pepto bismal tablet every morning, and one with dinner. It keeps things under control, and can stave off the real bad stuff should you encounter it. It worked.
But here is the thing. The angling writer John Gierach was talking about fly fishing, and he described it as beautiful beyond description. Africa, the people, and the wildlife are the same. And he went on to say that when a certain type of person is touched by a certain type of beauty, your life is either saved or ruined forever. My life was saved, my bank account is going to be ruined in perpetuity, and I do not care one bit. All the posts about Africa getting in your blood are some of the truest statements ever written. Only 332 days until the next trip and counting every one.
Thanks for reading ...
Jeff