What makes a safari special?

[Kevin Peacocke]

I got chatting amongst our group about what is it that gets them so motivated, I guess what attributes of a hunting safari that are most important to them? Woods likes the camp ambiance, and being a dab cook he really enjoys the catering and bush cooking. Barney is a hunter through and through, he likes the ambiance so so, but it is the long stalk and the leopard crawl more than what the camp is like. Gary likes the rifles, they shoot the animal, but it is you that shoots them. He would quite happily hunt in jeans and a beanie if we let him, as long as the Sako had a Swaro on it. Me, I am the nostalgia buff, old Landy's, thatched accommodation, correct attire. All circles overlap, so we manage to give everyone a caviar experience every time, but it isn't always so for others. I know of a few hunters who have had less than stellar times because they were out of sync with the offering and had to compromise. I suppose therefore that it is important to get lots of photos of the camp and the type of veld before taking the plunge. There is a lot more to it than a list of services.

 

[Bruce]

Nostalgia... My first hunt, age 6 yrs, with my Dad and his brother, Uncle Willie in the Gwanda area of S-W Rhodesia. My dad teaching me, telling stories of his bush Hunts and experiences, rifle handling safety.
The bush war crept in far too quickly and that all ended.. For a long while!
I have been hunting on my own steam for the last 40 yrs or so. Always proud to take my old man some venison steaks and biltong.
Unfortunately, he passed away before I hunted the Big 5 and Dangerous 7..BUT, I guarantee that he was with me every step of the way. My two sons hunt with me.. They always say.. Imagine if grandpa was alive now, how proud he would be etc.
I am a different person in the bush. Whether I hunt impala for meat or DG trophies, I am in my element.
I don't need 5 star camps.. only a huge camp fire at night, my single malts and a good cigar to enjoy while reminiscing on the day's events. I look into the Flames and see the fleeting images... Half expecting the old man to say.. Did you see the lions face in that flame!!
A braai'd kudu steak, sadza and gravy for the meal.. NOTHING COULD BE BETTER!
An early start ( Dad always said, you want to hunt, get into the bush early and rise with the animals as the Sun peeks out over the horizon) . Feel that instant, sharp cold rush as the Sun breaks and the cold rises from the ground beneath your feet.. Keep a watchful eye out for that kudu, bushbuck or water buck stepping out into the Sun's rays to get a quick warm up to kick start the day... Look for the tell tale reflections of Sun rays off majestic horns.. Keep your hands warm to work the rifle.. You will only have an instant to see, locate, aim and shoot.
Then, there are the days that you just walk, walk and walk some more getting no luck. So what.. That's part of hunting... Try again later!!
The chats with the PH and trackers, deciphering the spoor and telltale signs... Getting into position, deciding on what animal to take, feeling that adrenaline rush as you complete the final approach and make ready for the shot.
I carry NO tape measure... I know which rams / bulls to shoot and leave the youngsters to grow bigger for future Hunts.
I show respect to the downed animal, often apologizing in a softly spoken voice.
I LOVE the hunt IN EVERY aspect and just like my Dad, I pass my knowledge and love down to my own boys.. the GREATEST honor is to hunt in the bush with your sons and friends.
Hope to join you in the bush sometime...

 

[jeanes]

Kevin, for me the correct answer would be All Of The Above and you are correct, there needs to be more than a list of services and pictures of trophies. That's one reason this site is so great.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Good to meet you Bruce. I still live in Zimbabwe, Harare in fact. I have four daughters, but they can all shoot well. My two son-in-laws come hunting with me so far and we will get the girls along soon. I am a latter day hunter, grew up with air rifles and only took a few impala way back with powder. Now it is catchup time, three hunts a year at least! So you have got your Big 5, well done man! And the Dangerous 7, that is a rare achievement indeed. Sable hunt has been booked, just waiting for the roads to open.

 

[rafaellinne]

Good to meet you Bruce. I still live in Zimbabwe, Harare in fact. I have four daughters, but they can all shoot well. My two son-in-laws come hunting with me so far and we will get the girls along soon. I am a latter day hunter, grew up with air rifles and only took a few impala way back with powder. Now it is catchup time, three hunts a year at least! So you have got your Big 5, well done man! And the Dangerous 7, that is a rare achievement indeed. Sable hunt has been booked, just waiting for the roads to open.

Any updates about when will Zimbabwe open to foreigners tourists/hunters?

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

South Africa's president has just announced the country will move to stage 3 on 1st June. That means stage 2 around 1st July and stage 1 on 1st August and stage 0 1st September. That includes international flights too. Zim follows SA, so I would say a safe bet is mid September.

 

[Tanks]

...That includes international flights too. Zim follows SA, so I would say a safe bet is mid September.

That is kind of discouraging. I was still hoping to make it to Harare end of July.

 

[tigris115]

I haven't been on a hunting safari but I've been on a photo safari in SA and a dinosaur dig with my college in Montana. Before SA, I've always been separated from these animals by a screen, moat, or reinforced glass. So seeing live, wild animals in their natural habitat in the flesh was nothing short of humbling, especially with the elephants.

With Montana, I've never been in such a wide-open place before. In America, I've always been to either suburbs or urban areas. Even my uncle's house upstate isn't that far away from other places. The places we went to in Montana to help out in quarries or prospect for fossils were sparse as all hell with not a speck of human evidence within miles, sans some bullet shells, and the occasional strip of road. It was some of the best natural scenery I've ever seen.

 

[rafaellinne]

I’m booked to arrive on October 6th in Zimbabwe. That’s the plan for the year, surviving and hunting in October.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Good plan rafaelinne, i believe it will be all open by then. You are most welcome in our country, thank you for supporting it

 

[firehuntfish]

Kevin, for me the correct answer would be All Of The Above and you are correct, there needs to be more than a list of services and pictures of trophies. That's one reason this site is so great.

I could not agree more with both of you.... The intangibles and the small things that cannot be put on any list are what makes a safari (or any outfitted hunt) for that matter, a stand-out experience. Attitude, enthusiasm, going above and beyond, and ensuring the smallest details are attended to are the types of intangible that I feel make a safari special.

 

[John Telford]

Kevin, I’m with you -old landys , or even FJ cruiser, thatch roof, hot water from a “donkey” and biltong that’s been hanging in the barn so long it’s turned white! For me I guess it’s the stalk and appreciating the skill and bush craft of the trackers.Then there’s the sound of Africa particularly at night. This cannot be duplicated anywhere else.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Aye, that sound. We were commissioning one of our Mining plants near Hwange game park, my daughter and I sharing a dome tent, she is a smart chemical engineer. Anyway, the lions started up maybe 60 metres off in the donga, we lay there in silence, wondering how tough this ripblock is. Minutes dragged by since they last roared an then this loud single scratching on the fly sheet. I nearly died, poor kid too. Then total silence again. Come morning i checked around the tent - no spoor. I can only think it was an owl landing.

 

[John Telford]

I recall lying in a tent in Chobe as a youngster with Lions roaring in the nearby bush. A few minutes later we heard what sounded like something trying to dig under our tent which in those days didn’t have the built in ground sheet! instinctively I swatted at the side of the tent with a stout wooded gwala and it stopped. So after a while my mate and I plucked up the courage to pear outside and to our relief there was no lions but instead a huge elephant bull standing right above us! The digging noise was actually The sound of the elephant sniffing around!

 

[John Telford]

Aye, that sound. We were commissioning one of our Mining plants near Hwange game park, my daughter and I sharing a dome tent, she is a smart chemical engineer. Anyway, the lions started up maybe 60 metres off in the donga, we lay there in silence, wondering how tough this ripblock is. Minutes dragged by since they last roared an then this loud single scratching on the fly sheet. I nearly died, poor kid too. Then total silence again. Come morning i checked around the tent - no spoor. I can only think it was an owl landing.

We recently did the sewer upgrade at Robins camp on Hwange. We got a request for some new tank lids as the elephants had found and drained the septic tanks!

 

[IvW]

South Africa's president has just announced the country will move to stage 3 on 1st June. That means stage 2 around 1st July and stage 1 on 1st August and stage 0 1st September. That includes international flights too. Zim follows SA, so I would say a safe bet is mid September.

I think that is optimistic the sh...will hit the peak in sept oct here.....