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Those of you that have been to South Africa to hunt

www.accuratereloading.com the Africa forum is THE place on the web for hunting advice. Nothing else comes close. That's where you search to find out about your operator and PH.

All of SA is fenced, so you won't be hunting free-range animals that have never seen a human. Depending on the size of the property, they may have been purchased at auction and placed there. Or they may have been born there, but all the properties manage their game carefully, and know how many of what (and the trophy quality) of what's on the property.

(To be fair, there are a few properties that are open on one side to a national park (like Kruger), and they get some truly wild animals.)

This does not mean the hunt will be easy-- you can chase a zebra around a 5000 acre "enclosure" for years and not get a shot.

Just some quick thoughts.... Taxidermy is of slightly lesser quality in Africa, but much much much cheaper, and much faster too! So consider having Estelle Nel or whoever do the work over there, if you want to see the trophies in less than two years anyway. (And it might be five in the states.) You'll have a blast, and will likely be going back. Enjoy.

I've been to SA once and Namibia twice, for plains game. While I'm far from the most experienced, I'll answer anything I can.
 
First day: The PH is going to take you to sight in your gun(s). He's doing that... but he's also studying you, to see how well you can shoot, and if you know what you're doing around a rifle and ammo. This will matter in particular when hunting the black death.

Do know how to operate your equipment, and be comfortable shooting off of sticks. Practice practice practice getting on sticks and taking shots. Buy three tomato stakes (the ones with the metal core) and bind them with an inner tube slice, or big rubber bands of some sort. You'll have to fiddle with the lengths; two short and one long. Maybe add some rubber feet to the bottom. They'll have sticks, but you need to practice with them here before you go.

Expect your luggage (the NON-GUN luggage) to be burglarized in the airport. Maybe it won't, but it happens a lot. Carry your camera and binos in your carry-on-- they stole my backup camera and my cologne, which meant they were rifling through my toiletry kit.

The SAPS office is a big joke... big signs warning you that they aren't supposed to ask you for bribes. They will though, and if you get there at shift change, expect to be there for a couple of hours at least-- assuming you're at the front of the line. (In Namibia, they take a look at your gun, and say "Welcome to Namibia!"-- not so in SA.) Your PH should meet you at the SAPS office and handle getting you through.
 
Not South Africa. Go on a real safari. No fences.

One of the best ways to get across the reality of a true Safari is summed up by one sentence in my journal from hunting with these folks.

"You haven't lived until you crawl through elephant crap to sneak up on a herd of Cape Buffalo."

I had so many experiences (including life and death) in the two weeks I spent with them that it's not even practical to go into it here. It's life altering.

 
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