Royal27
AH ambassador
This hunt was my 50th birthday present to myself, and from my loving and understanding wife.
Hunting Elephant....
I dreamed of it as a small boy. I never thought it would happen, but I dreamed of it.
The McMillan trophy room.... This was a large part of my dream.
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/bill-mcmillan-98-day-1947-safari.39684/
Seeing those 100 plus pound tusks as a small boy. Thinking that I wished I could do it, to be the hunter of elephant. Well, the dream of a 100lber is almost certainly dead for me, but the dream of hunting elephant isn't. It's happening. It's become real.
Here is one irony of my story. USFWS with their misguided "wisdom" helped to turn my dream to reality. They banned the importation of ivory from Zimbabwe and sadly many hunters support the ban by refusing to hunt unless they can bring a trinket home. Anti-hunting and politicians don't make the ban successful, hunters (collectors) do. I know this isn't always a popular opinion, but it's a fact. Call it what it is. Hunting isn't banned, but conservation still loses.
The import ban is bad for elephants. Period. For me though selfishly, it's good. It allowed me to go on a hunt I wouldn't have been able to afford under "normal" circumstances. It allowed me to live a dream and hunt elephant in a relatively remote place. I'd much rather have that experience than the trinket. Trinkets can be taken away, or destroyed, or lost. No one can take my experience away though, not for as long as I live.
This was not a good year for me to go to Zimbabwe. I had moved to Texas. My wife is still adjusting to the move. And I promised her a trip of her choosing next, unless a great offer on an elephant came up. I don't think she thought I'd find one. But then Wayne made a post and before long I had a hunt booked. I've known people that I trust like @Wheels whom have hunted with Wayne so there wasn't much research. I also knew going in that this was probably not going to be a classic tracking hunt and I am OK with that. I found the thought of shooting an elephant at night to be thrilling as well.
So in prep I did a lot of shooting and chose a North Fork 500 grain flat point solid for my bullet. I wanted a premium bullet and one that would have the same POI as a soft point, so matching NF bullets made sense. My .458 Lott shoots them better than I can. After hundreds of rounds and who knows how much dry fire practice I felt ready. I also studied the shot placement as much as possible and watched Charlton's shot placement tutorial over 20 times. That video is a must. Not only for shot placement but you can tell which hunters prepared and which ones didn't.I found it very humbling.
Flights were booked through Gracy Travel. After my hunt last year when my flight had to turn around and come back to Atlanta and I was delayed for two days I decided to go back to Gracy. I used a travel agent to assist when there are issues, and last year felt as if I was told "here is the number, good luck getting rebooked and let us know how it turns out" by the agent I used. It was stressful and it took me two full days to get back out. @buddy48 booked with Gracy and he was out in a day and they handled everything.I decided right then that I'd use Gracy for the next trip.
I wonder what the odds are of having a flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg take off, turn around after a couple of hours and then ultimately being cancelled two years in a row? Probably about the same as being struck by lightning would be my guess. Well guess what? Lightning struck! Mechanical issues in the form of an oil leak and after three hours we turned around. Ugh!!!!!! Here though, is where technology comes in.
I quickly used the internet to purchase access for whatsapp amd put out a blast to friends to call Gracy for me and get started sorting this. Thanks to @PHOENIX PHIL and @gizmo for helping out. To make a long story short , I was rebooked on the next day flight, hotel rebooked, and SAA flights rebooked, without having to lift a finger other than talking to Gracy. That's why I pay a travel agent and that's why they will have my business in the future.
So 24 hours later we take off again at last!
All is good now. I mean lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, much less three times, right??? Wrong.... Three hours in and we get the same dreaded announcement. We are on the same plane, and have the same oil leak, and the same result. After 12 hours in flight from Atlanta, I'm still in Atlanta..... This time they at least get us a new plane and scramble to find a crew. We take off just before 4 am, for the same flight that started at 6 pm the evening before, that was a 24 hour delay from the original departure time. What a mess! Rumor is that Delta will be reimbursing cost of ticket and when I get home that is what I will ask for if it hasn't already been offered. Their issues have now officially cost me hunting time, as well as money.
I've lost faith in Delta. It isn't the problems you have its now you react to them. Both this year and last Delta reacted poorly. For the next trip I will be looking at other airlines, even if they are more expensive. I may still fly Delta, but not if there are other reasonable options.
Luckily, the rest of the trip was uneventful. Rifles arrived and transit permits were obtained. I did use Gracy's concierge service, but did not have permits pre-approved. I prefilled the SAPS 520 form and it only added maybe 15 minutes. I do believe in using some type of service as insurance, but don't see a real advantage in pre-approval. Just make sure you have all of the required paperwork! I was in the hotel room for 3.5 hours and even got two hours of sleep. Bruce from Gracy got me again the next morning and check in was easy and the flight on time.
Now on to Zimbabwe...
Hunting Elephant....
I dreamed of it as a small boy. I never thought it would happen, but I dreamed of it.
The McMillan trophy room.... This was a large part of my dream.
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/bill-mcmillan-98-day-1947-safari.39684/
Seeing those 100 plus pound tusks as a small boy. Thinking that I wished I could do it, to be the hunter of elephant. Well, the dream of a 100lber is almost certainly dead for me, but the dream of hunting elephant isn't. It's happening. It's become real.
Here is one irony of my story. USFWS with their misguided "wisdom" helped to turn my dream to reality. They banned the importation of ivory from Zimbabwe and sadly many hunters support the ban by refusing to hunt unless they can bring a trinket home. Anti-hunting and politicians don't make the ban successful, hunters (collectors) do. I know this isn't always a popular opinion, but it's a fact. Call it what it is. Hunting isn't banned, but conservation still loses.
The import ban is bad for elephants. Period. For me though selfishly, it's good. It allowed me to go on a hunt I wouldn't have been able to afford under "normal" circumstances. It allowed me to live a dream and hunt elephant in a relatively remote place. I'd much rather have that experience than the trinket. Trinkets can be taken away, or destroyed, or lost. No one can take my experience away though, not for as long as I live.
This was not a good year for me to go to Zimbabwe. I had moved to Texas. My wife is still adjusting to the move. And I promised her a trip of her choosing next, unless a great offer on an elephant came up. I don't think she thought I'd find one. But then Wayne made a post and before long I had a hunt booked. I've known people that I trust like @Wheels whom have hunted with Wayne so there wasn't much research. I also knew going in that this was probably not going to be a classic tracking hunt and I am OK with that. I found the thought of shooting an elephant at night to be thrilling as well.
So in prep I did a lot of shooting and chose a North Fork 500 grain flat point solid for my bullet. I wanted a premium bullet and one that would have the same POI as a soft point, so matching NF bullets made sense. My .458 Lott shoots them better than I can. After hundreds of rounds and who knows how much dry fire practice I felt ready. I also studied the shot placement as much as possible and watched Charlton's shot placement tutorial over 20 times. That video is a must. Not only for shot placement but you can tell which hunters prepared and which ones didn't.I found it very humbling.
Flights were booked through Gracy Travel. After my hunt last year when my flight had to turn around and come back to Atlanta and I was delayed for two days I decided to go back to Gracy. I used a travel agent to assist when there are issues, and last year felt as if I was told "here is the number, good luck getting rebooked and let us know how it turns out" by the agent I used. It was stressful and it took me two full days to get back out. @buddy48 booked with Gracy and he was out in a day and they handled everything.I decided right then that I'd use Gracy for the next trip.
I wonder what the odds are of having a flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg take off, turn around after a couple of hours and then ultimately being cancelled two years in a row? Probably about the same as being struck by lightning would be my guess. Well guess what? Lightning struck! Mechanical issues in the form of an oil leak and after three hours we turned around. Ugh!!!!!! Here though, is where technology comes in.
I quickly used the internet to purchase access for whatsapp amd put out a blast to friends to call Gracy for me and get started sorting this. Thanks to @PHOENIX PHIL and @gizmo for helping out. To make a long story short , I was rebooked on the next day flight, hotel rebooked, and SAA flights rebooked, without having to lift a finger other than talking to Gracy. That's why I pay a travel agent and that's why they will have my business in the future.
So 24 hours later we take off again at last!
All is good now. I mean lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, much less three times, right??? Wrong.... Three hours in and we get the same dreaded announcement. We are on the same plane, and have the same oil leak, and the same result. After 12 hours in flight from Atlanta, I'm still in Atlanta..... This time they at least get us a new plane and scramble to find a crew. We take off just before 4 am, for the same flight that started at 6 pm the evening before, that was a 24 hour delay from the original departure time. What a mess! Rumor is that Delta will be reimbursing cost of ticket and when I get home that is what I will ask for if it hasn't already been offered. Their issues have now officially cost me hunting time, as well as money.
I've lost faith in Delta. It isn't the problems you have its now you react to them. Both this year and last Delta reacted poorly. For the next trip I will be looking at other airlines, even if they are more expensive. I may still fly Delta, but not if there are other reasonable options.
Luckily, the rest of the trip was uneventful. Rifles arrived and transit permits were obtained. I did use Gracy's concierge service, but did not have permits pre-approved. I prefilled the SAPS 520 form and it only added maybe 15 minutes. I do believe in using some type of service as insurance, but don't see a real advantage in pre-approval. Just make sure you have all of the required paperwork! I was in the hotel room for 3.5 hours and even got two hours of sleep. Bruce from Gracy got me again the next morning and check in was easy and the flight on time.
Now on to Zimbabwe...
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Best of luck getting your elephant....when you hear things going bump in the night, show them that you bump back!
