Safari Time!

[H&R BANG]

Hello everyone,

I am one of the three people signed up for the 2009 Leverguns safari in South Africa. My brother is one of the other two. I have not met the third yet. We need more people in the party! To this end, I am going to describe why I am going and my preparations. Perhaps it will get one or two of you off top dead center and going with us.

Ever since reading "Death in the Long Grass" by Peter Capstick, I have wanted to hunt in Africa. I know hunting now is not quite like it was in the 1970's, but it still worth experiancing. My plan had been to go when I retired, however, I have developed arthritis in my left hip that is starting to limit my mobility. Last year (around Christamas), I decided life is short, let's spend some of the retirement money now! It was not difficult to convince my brother to go too.

My plan is to hunt plains game this trip to get the lay of the land, then take a second safari to hunt Cape Buffalo. I am signed up for Bushbuck, Blue Wildebeast, and Common Blesbok. I will probably add an Impalla and Warthog during the hunt. After reading Chris' article on hunting bushbuck, I have to give it a go. I am not going to get "stuffed heads", but have the hides made into leather for a jacket, vest, and perhaps gloves. I will wear my trophies!

My brother and I are going over a day early to recover from the flight before the hunt starts. This cost an extra $150, but I think it will be well worth it. I have taken long plane flights before. I always feel inside out for at least a day.

If this is well received, I will post about the gear I am taking.

[Bill in Oregon]

H&R: Hope your safari happens. I finally decided at age 54 to raid the retirement fund and just do it in May 2007. Namibia was fabulous. I didn't use a lever, but a CZ 550 in 9,3X62 (which ought to chamber well in a Model 95, by the way) and took greater kudu, gemsbok, warthog, mountain zebra and a nasty old baboon. My brother also used my rifle as his Savagte 99 in .300 Savage just never settled down and shot straight. Our flights got screwed up and we were so exhausted on the flight from Munich to Windhoek that I didn't suffer one minute's jet lag. To say I was please is an understatement, as I have been woozy for two day just flying from Oregon to Ohio!
Guys, don't put off Africa. Get those memories sooner rather than later, so you will have many, many good years to enjoy them.
I'd love to go back with a Marlin .45-70, and one in .308 Marlin Express.

[86er]

I was set to go in 1990, having saved enough to make it happen. Then a job transfer caused a move and there went the money. Saved again but an engagement was in the stars so I cancelled the 1997 trip. Another savings account accumulated the necessary funds in 1999 but a home purchase became more important. Hard savings again filled the cup for a 2001 trip that was unfortunately cancelled due to a divorce and move. Two years later another wedding was in the works and funds were too tight to make the intended trip. At that point I vowed to make it happen. I budgeted my expenses based on regular income. I worked a little extra and stashed the cash. I had a sale and made a few bucks on otherwise unneeded stuff. I had my tax refund direct deposited and immediately did a wire transfer to Africa. Finally in 2005, 15 years after the quest started I hit dirt in Africa. I have made it an annual event since. One noteworthy tidbit is that it costs exactly twice as much in 2005 as it would have in 1990 for the same trip. DO NOT HESITATE and put it off! You may suffer a flurry of events like I did and may never get there! Furthermore, it will not get any cheaper so the longer you wait the harder it will be to save the gravy.

[maddog]

Yep, if you can go, do it! I went this year, with my son, best friend, and his son. It was an over the top trip! BIO, I used my Marlin .45-70 GG, and my buddy used his XLR MX.308. The 4 of us took 30 head of plains game, and enough pics to last a lifetime. Economic woes and physical health can get in the way if you wait too long.

So if some of you are fence stradling, the hardest part is writing the deposit check , then yer committed!

maddog

[Bill in Oregon]

Maddog: Have you posted pics and a narrative of your trip somewhere, and if not, when?

Here's a post on my 2007 hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve ... #455109776

[maddog]

BiO, Yeah its been posted on AR under african hunting reports about the 3d pg. back, and on 24 hr. campfire, as well as here. Just for fun, here is a coupla teaser photos.







Hope you enjoy them.

Mad Dog

[maddog]

BIO, I forgot to say that I looked back at your hunt report, and saw that you hunted with Shona Adventures. They were on my short list before I decided to go with cruiser safaris. I decided that I wanted to hunt thicker brush country, because I was using my Marlin GG, and wanted closer shots. That, and when I looked at overall pricing of the hunt, I personally felt that cruiser had the biggest bang for the buck, of all the companies that I looked into. What were your average shot lengths in Namibia? Mine in the limpopo, were 40-110 yds.

maddog

[Bill in Oregon]

Maddog: My brother had close shots, from 25 yards on his zebra, to about 85 yards on his gemsbok. Except for my warthog at 70 yards or so, my shots came at more like 150 to 175. I took two shots off sticks at a very big kudu, 58 inches or more with one horn tip broken off, but it turned out he was closer to 250 and I shot under him with the 9,3X62.
I have had experience with the .45-70 Marlin Cowboy on mule deer, and have found that once ranges get much beyond 150, my distance estimation is unreliable. I plan to buy a good rangefinder before I hunt with the Marlin in open country.