Fabulous report, thank you for sharing it. The Rigby rifles are incredible to see. It’s almost a spiritual experience just to see them pictured on safari here, especially in those calibers. (I accidentally hit the post button on the comment above and couldn’t figure out how to edit it.) All the 1990s-2000s military action created a generation of Americans and Europeans who like stainless steel and plastic stocks, yielding utilitarian firearms with no artistic value, no excitement. Despite hunting weapons historically being heavily engraved or artistically adorned. So seeing these classic Rigby safari rifles brings me happiness.
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SOUTH AFRICA: A Month In Limpopo
- Thread starter SFRanger7GP
- Start date
Uncle Sauce
AH elite
What a great adventure! Congrats and thanks for sharing!
mdwest
AH ambassador
I knew I was going to be jealous when you told me you were going on this hunt a few months ago...
definitely lived up to all everything I thought you were going to experience, and a lot more.. sounds like you had an incredible time man...
congratulate mama... and pat yourself on the back a few times..
well done!
definitely lived up to all everything I thought you were going to experience, and a lot more.. sounds like you had an incredible time man...
congratulate mama... and pat yourself on the back a few times..
well done!
SFRanger7GP
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Part 5: Summary and thoughts on our month in South Africa
This was our 4th trip to Africa, and we have now hunted with 6 different outfitters in different areas of South Africa and Namibia. Many on here have much more experience, but I am just going to address our experiences with hopes that it will help the newer Africa hunter. We always do a lot of research. However, too much information can often just feed fears and concerns. Having said that, I strongly suggest you do your research before putting down your hard-earned coin and have open conversation with whoever it is you plan to hunt with. This forum is a wealth of information, and its members are eager to help.
Documentation and Travel: We are very seasoned international travelers and have never felt the need for a 3rd party travel agency. When in doubt, I call directly, ask questions and document everything. Never forget that courtesy costs nothing yet pays huge dividends. We have never experienced some of the stressful stories with TSA, CBP, airlines or other foreign officials that are so common on hunting and travel forums. Maybe we are just lucky or maybe the lost art of courtesy and following the rules still works today.
Our process at check in is to arrive early with plenty of copies of all documentation and kindly and calmly walk the agent through the process. After the initial greetings and letting them know we are declaring unloaded firearms and ammunition:
We used an in-country firearms clearing service (and always do). In this case, Africa Sky. We have never had problems. The officer at SAPS told me I was very smart to use Gilbert from Africa Sky. He said there are people that assist with firearms clearance, and they never have to worry about them. He went on to say the “smart guys” behind us will be here awhile because they did everything on their own and he must check everything. Right or wrong, it is what it is. Also, we used all ammo in country. When we declared no ammunition during check in and arrival, DFW officials, Qatar and CBP were noticeably relieved. I won’t attempt to guess why, other than real and imagined worries on their part.
The Kit: We were very happy with the kit we carried. Most is what we have used for quite some time. I have become more of a “vest with a lot of pockets” guy than a “batman gadget belt” guy over the years. I cannot tolerate much weight and pressure on my lower back now. I love my cartridge belt but found myself just carrying the cartridge belt slide and an MTM ammo wallet most of the time.
Some people have battery failure fears on illuminated optics even though a scope is still a scope even if the battery fails. I turned on my Leica scope every morning when I loaded my rifle and turned it off at the end of the day after clearing the rifle. I guess I had around 250+ hours on one battery with no problems. In the shadows of the thick brush and especially on black animals, I appreciated the illuminated red dot in the Leica scope.
We love the 3-piece sticks from African Sporting Creations. We received a lot of positive comments from PH’s, trackers and fellow hunters. We always prefer to carry what we are familiar with. It was hard for me to turn loose of that much coin for shooting sticks, but I have zero buyers’ remorse other than wishing I would have bought them a long time ago.
More and more, I was leaving my heavy, Geovid Leicas on the truck or passing them off to the tracker and using the Leica compacts. They are awesome binos for their size.
The Hunt: South Africa and Namibia game ranches have saved game in southern Africa and made an African Safari dream available for the working man. I have always believed South Africa gets a bad reputation due to a few bad outfitters with small, fenced in kill pens. Unfortunately, that is not the only place that offers this type of shooting. There are exotic animal “guarantee kill” places all over the US. I choose not to judge it or support it. Everywhere we hunted had well managed, sustainable herds of game. Except for my warthogs on the last day, we did spot and stalk hunting which makes any property big. Every place we hunted was challenging. Even the “best” fences were far below the quality level of a high fence on a South Texas whitetail ranch, and they seemed to be about as effective as a traffic light in Colombia. We plan to hunt Zimbabwe and Zambia in the future, but we will always return to South Africa and Namibia for their diverse plains game hunting opportunities.
My wife is my hunting buddy. Aside from the day she accepted my marriage proposal, one of our more memorable moments is when she said “I would like to try hunting with you…” She has made hunting so much more enjoyable for both of us. However, we have hunted places where I had to pull the PH/guide aside and explain skill and height differences between him and her, among other things. We never had that problem at any of the 3 places we hunted. All the PH’s and trackers were professional gentleman and fun to hunt with. They eagerly shared knowledge and looked after us like family.
I stated earlier in my reports that we had never hunted where a lot of people were in camp with us. In one camp there was a lot of other hunters (family and friend groups) and in one there was one other group of hunters. We had a great time in the evenings sharing stories and getting to know the other hunters and attention and service was never lacking from the staff. I think as hunters, our love for the entire hunting experience brings us all together on the same level, regardless of social and economic status.
The Lodges: We all have different wants and needs for our safari experience. For us, camping is a hotel without room service.
We can get as wet and nasty as the situation requires, but at the end of the day, we want a good adult beverage, hot shower, good food and a comfortable bed. Everywhere we stayed exceeded our wants. They all had comfort, great food and drink, and exceptional hospitality. The one recommendation we had at all lodges (outfitters take note) was please put a rifle rack in the rooms. Our rifles picked up a few character marks during the hunts, and that is expected, but I cannot lean my rifle up against a wall or other object. The thought of a rifle crashing to the floor has me traumatized. We laid our rifles on the open rifle case or sofa.
Every place was very family and group friendly and offered other events as well for non-hunters or when you want to slow down the pace and enjoy more of what Africa has to offer. Everything from elegant spas to Game Reserves and trips to Victoria Falls was available.
Final thoughts: My health issues and world events caused us to change our focus on life in 2020. We downsized and are now spending all our time together and enjoying life. Everyday is obviously not unicorns and puppies, but happiness is a personal choice. We had a great adventure and I hope everyone enjoyed our reports and photos. We thank everyone for your kind and supportive comments. My advice to those who have not been to Africa but are thinking about it, go now. Don’t wait. The Africa Safari Industry needs you and you need and deserve the adventure. You will not regret it. None of us know what tomorrow holds.
As I sip my coffee on our balcony here in Colombia and look at the mountains with their lush, green, coffee farms, I cannot help but wonder, where is Africa calling us for our next adventure?
If you have questions or want more information, please visit the websites in the reports or give me a holler.
Safe travels and Safe hunting!
Deum Diligite Animalia Diligentes
This was our 4th trip to Africa, and we have now hunted with 6 different outfitters in different areas of South Africa and Namibia. Many on here have much more experience, but I am just going to address our experiences with hopes that it will help the newer Africa hunter. We always do a lot of research. However, too much information can often just feed fears and concerns. Having said that, I strongly suggest you do your research before putting down your hard-earned coin and have open conversation with whoever it is you plan to hunt with. This forum is a wealth of information, and its members are eager to help.
Documentation and Travel: We are very seasoned international travelers and have never felt the need for a 3rd party travel agency. When in doubt, I call directly, ask questions and document everything. Never forget that courtesy costs nothing yet pays huge dividends. We have never experienced some of the stressful stories with TSA, CBP, airlines or other foreign officials that are so common on hunting and travel forums. Maybe we are just lucky or maybe the lost art of courtesy and following the rules still works today.
Our process at check in is to arrive early with plenty of copies of all documentation and kindly and calmly walk the agent through the process. After the initial greetings and letting them know we are declaring unloaded firearms and ammunition:
- Here is a copy of the email where I notified your customer service a few weeks ago as requested
- Here are copies of our passports and CBP 4457 forms as required
- Here is a copy of our invitation letter and a copy of the Host nation firearm permit (or other required documents) that will be finalized upon inspection when we arrive in country
- Our ammunition is in proper packaging and secured with a lock in a hard side case separate from the firearms in suitcase X and weighs under 11 pounds/5k
- Our unloaded firearms are in this case and there is no ammunition
We used an in-country firearms clearing service (and always do). In this case, Africa Sky. We have never had problems. The officer at SAPS told me I was very smart to use Gilbert from Africa Sky. He said there are people that assist with firearms clearance, and they never have to worry about them. He went on to say the “smart guys” behind us will be here awhile because they did everything on their own and he must check everything. Right or wrong, it is what it is. Also, we used all ammo in country. When we declared no ammunition during check in and arrival, DFW officials, Qatar and CBP were noticeably relieved. I won’t attempt to guess why, other than real and imagined worries on their part.
The Kit: We were very happy with the kit we carried. Most is what we have used for quite some time. I have become more of a “vest with a lot of pockets” guy than a “batman gadget belt” guy over the years. I cannot tolerate much weight and pressure on my lower back now. I love my cartridge belt but found myself just carrying the cartridge belt slide and an MTM ammo wallet most of the time.
Some people have battery failure fears on illuminated optics even though a scope is still a scope even if the battery fails. I turned on my Leica scope every morning when I loaded my rifle and turned it off at the end of the day after clearing the rifle. I guess I had around 250+ hours on one battery with no problems. In the shadows of the thick brush and especially on black animals, I appreciated the illuminated red dot in the Leica scope.
We love the 3-piece sticks from African Sporting Creations. We received a lot of positive comments from PH’s, trackers and fellow hunters. We always prefer to carry what we are familiar with. It was hard for me to turn loose of that much coin for shooting sticks, but I have zero buyers’ remorse other than wishing I would have bought them a long time ago.
More and more, I was leaving my heavy, Geovid Leicas on the truck or passing them off to the tracker and using the Leica compacts. They are awesome binos for their size.
The Hunt: South Africa and Namibia game ranches have saved game in southern Africa and made an African Safari dream available for the working man. I have always believed South Africa gets a bad reputation due to a few bad outfitters with small, fenced in kill pens. Unfortunately, that is not the only place that offers this type of shooting. There are exotic animal “guarantee kill” places all over the US. I choose not to judge it or support it. Everywhere we hunted had well managed, sustainable herds of game. Except for my warthogs on the last day, we did spot and stalk hunting which makes any property big. Every place we hunted was challenging. Even the “best” fences were far below the quality level of a high fence on a South Texas whitetail ranch, and they seemed to be about as effective as a traffic light in Colombia. We plan to hunt Zimbabwe and Zambia in the future, but we will always return to South Africa and Namibia for their diverse plains game hunting opportunities.
My wife is my hunting buddy. Aside from the day she accepted my marriage proposal, one of our more memorable moments is when she said “I would like to try hunting with you…” She has made hunting so much more enjoyable for both of us. However, we have hunted places where I had to pull the PH/guide aside and explain skill and height differences between him and her, among other things. We never had that problem at any of the 3 places we hunted. All the PH’s and trackers were professional gentleman and fun to hunt with. They eagerly shared knowledge and looked after us like family.
I stated earlier in my reports that we had never hunted where a lot of people were in camp with us. In one camp there was a lot of other hunters (family and friend groups) and in one there was one other group of hunters. We had a great time in the evenings sharing stories and getting to know the other hunters and attention and service was never lacking from the staff. I think as hunters, our love for the entire hunting experience brings us all together on the same level, regardless of social and economic status.
The Lodges: We all have different wants and needs for our safari experience. For us, camping is a hotel without room service.
We can get as wet and nasty as the situation requires, but at the end of the day, we want a good adult beverage, hot shower, good food and a comfortable bed. Everywhere we stayed exceeded our wants. They all had comfort, great food and drink, and exceptional hospitality. The one recommendation we had at all lodges (outfitters take note) was please put a rifle rack in the rooms. Our rifles picked up a few character marks during the hunts, and that is expected, but I cannot lean my rifle up against a wall or other object. The thought of a rifle crashing to the floor has me traumatized. We laid our rifles on the open rifle case or sofa.Every place was very family and group friendly and offered other events as well for non-hunters or when you want to slow down the pace and enjoy more of what Africa has to offer. Everything from elegant spas to Game Reserves and trips to Victoria Falls was available.
Final thoughts: My health issues and world events caused us to change our focus on life in 2020. We downsized and are now spending all our time together and enjoying life. Everyday is obviously not unicorns and puppies, but happiness is a personal choice. We had a great adventure and I hope everyone enjoyed our reports and photos. We thank everyone for your kind and supportive comments. My advice to those who have not been to Africa but are thinking about it, go now. Don’t wait. The Africa Safari Industry needs you and you need and deserve the adventure. You will not regret it. None of us know what tomorrow holds.
As I sip my coffee on our balcony here in Colombia and look at the mountains with their lush, green, coffee farms, I cannot help but wonder, where is Africa calling us for our next adventure?
If you have questions or want more information, please visit the websites in the reports or give me a holler.
Safe travels and Safe hunting!
Deum Diligite Animalia Diligentes
SFRanger7GP
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Thank you, Brother. We have to get together for an adult beverage (or two) when we are in the same AO.
TucsonFX4
AH fanatic
Very amazing reports. Thanks for sharing and also for sharing your process and recommendations.
WMU05
AH veteran
This is such a great report. A month in Africa with your best friend...you're a lucky man. What a life! Thanks for sharing it all with us.
I leave for my first safari 3 weeks from tomorrow. My wife and kids are going too. Reports like this are going to make it even harder to work, or sleep, until departure!
I leave for my first safari 3 weeks from tomorrow. My wife and kids are going too. Reports like this are going to make it even harder to work, or sleep, until departure!
SFRanger7GP
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Thank you for your kind words. I really am a blessed man. I am looking forward to the report from your trip. Who will you be hunting with?
WMU05
AH veteran
We're spending 11 days with Kowas in Namibia. The first half I'll be bow hunting while the second half we'll be "on safari/touring the country". A lifelong dream about to come true...
mdwest
AH ambassador
Make sure you’re stateside during the week of Veterans Day… I’ve got an AO set aside for a link up that’s covered in whitetail .. and that has evenings filled with Hooten & Young Barrel Select
Katy Darren
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Great report and thank you for taking the time and effort to do it…as a first time safari planner and traveler I’ll be re-reading this for tips. I’m comfortable traveling internationally and I’m comfortable hunting but this is my first time combining the two….and hopefully adding family on the adventure as well.
Beyond the many tips and advice in your report, you captured the spirit of it for you and your wife and the thrill of the hunt which is hard to do. Again. Thank you.
Beyond the many tips and advice in your report, you captured the spirit of it for you and your wife and the thrill of the hunt which is hard to do. Again. Thank you.
DylanS
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Awesome story and well put together! The tips you give for first timers is great! Some friends and I will be going in 2024 with Kuche Safaris as my friend got the hunt on a Ducks Unlimited auction. I am curious if you got any of your animals mounted by them or what your choice was.
Also, if you or anyone else you know, or anyone reading this has any experience with these auction hunts that would be great!
good hunting!
Also, if you or anyone else you know, or anyone reading this has any experience with these auction hunts that would be great!
good hunting!
Mike B. 216
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Great report. I appreciate all the details about your trip. It will help those of us who haven't been to Africa to plan our first safari.
SFRanger7GP
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We have done several auction hunts, and all have been excellent. However, we did our research prior to the bidding.
Kuche is doing our taxidermy. We went to their facility and were satisfied by what we saw. Disclaimer: almost all of our taxidermy will be euro mounts.
Feel free to PM me and I will share my contact info if you want to pick my brain on the phone.
Safe hunting
SFRanger7GP
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