Going to a safari hunt in South Africa

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Well, I never subscribed to Soldier of Fortune magazine although I did thumb through some when the expats/Veterans were recruited for service there. As I understand it, most didn’t live to see their tour bonuses. The folks that hired them made sure they didn’t have to pay in some cases.
A dirty war/business it was.
 

rooseveltrancher

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View attachment 117289 View attachment 117290 My wife and I finally checked off my bucket list hunt last year and traveled to Namibia for my first and what I believed at the time to be my only African hunt. We opted to use Qatar Airways as they are owned by a hunt friendly family and getting my rifle into Namibia was exponentially easier than the red tape I would have had to fight in order to get my rifle into South Africa. The flight from Dallas to Doha took 13.5 hours, we had a 9 hour layover in the airport (Let's just say that it was a culturally enriching experience and leave it at that...) and then another 9 hour flight to Windhoek.

The guide/owner (Stefan Goldbeck of Astra safaris) had previously discussed the potential animals my wife and I were interested in taking. With the exception of a baboon, I'll be danged if we didn't get them all!! We doubled up on a lot of animals including eland, impala, kudu, gemsbok and four zebra. My wife also bagged a blue wildebeest and a warthog. I was fortunate enough to shoot a giant old bull giraffe. My mind frame at the time was that we would never hunt Africa again so, "If you see it and like it, take it!" In all, we took a total of 18 animals for what I thought a very reasonable trophy fee for the hunt of a lifetime - $16,000.

True hunting at its finest! We had to play the wind and use available cover to stalk within range and close the deal. On one of the stalks for gemsbok, we unwittingly came within 30 yards of a rhino. VERY big and VERY exhilarating!!

It was amazing to see how well cared for each trophy was and that nothing was wasted. We ate as much of everything we wanted with the rest going to the very grateful natives. The hunting and availability of animals was superb, the lodging was very comfortable and the food bordered on the divine. About day 8, we got bit by the Beback bug which can only be cured with a return trip someday!

This was truly an incredible experience and I wish good luck to everyone who is planning an African safari. We encountered no complications during our Namibian adventure but for those of you who are contemplating a hunt in South Africa, I would suggest that you monitor the political climate as things there are becoming a bit sketchy. View attachment 117289 View attachment 117290
 
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rooseveltrancher

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Man, sounds like an incredible trip!
You got in your share of hunting for sure.
That’s one of the trips I’ve always wanted to do.
Congrats!

Thanks! I had dreamt of going on an African safari since I was a child. The adventure always intrigued me and I have to say that the actual experience was better than I had imagined.
 

rooseveltrancher

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Excellent! Thanks for sharing, and congrats! I'd like to go back, but it will probably never happen.
Thank you. It really was the trip of a lifetime. My wife and I love experiencing new adventures so before we go back we plan on dove hunting in Argentina, maybe a Newfoundland combo moose/bear hunt as well as a Canadian caribou hunt. However as incredible as our African trip was, we WILL be returning one day!
 

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Rooseveltrancher,

thank you for sharing your pictures with us, beautiful animals! Glad you and your wife were able to make such a memorable hunt!

I have dreamed many times of going to Africa to hunt for cape buffalo....... maybe one day!
 

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