Kevin Thomas

I'm just your average Rhodesian born guy. We were privileged to have been born in the immediate aftermath of WW2 - I guess of that generation who in the US were called 'baby boomers'! Growing up during the 1950s/1960s in what was still colonial British Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) was something special. With a father who was in the conservation field we lived in the then remote Sabi (now Save) Valley. It was wild and my introduction to hunting started at a young age. By age 8 I was a pretty dab hand with an old hand me down .22 Remington, keeping monkeys at bay from my mum's vegetable patch. I also shot a lot of doves, guinea fowl and francolin - all of which we used as table fare.
By age 11 I also had an old side by side 12ga and I'd graduated to using a .22 Hornet. It was about then when I shot my first antelope, a duiker, soon followed by impala. Having spent most of my boyhood in such a remote area, hunting, fishing and riding miles on horseback, it wasn't hard for me to decide on a career as a game ranger. In 1968, at age 17 I joined the then Rhodesian Department of National Parks & Wildlife Management, under their cadet game ranger scheme. It was an excellent in-house 2 year training scheme, big on practical, including a lot of game work by way of PAC. At that time too, it was probably the best career choice anywhere in southern & central Africa to gain dangerous game hunting exposure.
Birthday
Nov 3, 1950 (Age: 74)
Website
https://www.kevindthomas.com
Location
Wiltshire - UK
Country of residence
United Kingdom
State/Province of residence
Wiltshire, UK
How did you find AfricaHunting.com?
Web ad
I am a
  1. Hunter
  2. Hunting outfitter
  3. PH / guide
  4. Other (hunting industry)
  5. Other
Member of
Previously ZPHGA, PHASA, SCI, ECGMA - all now lapsed since I'm no longer active in the industry but still support it fully.
Gender
Male
Have you hunted in Africa?
Yes
Number of times I have hunted in Africa
Retired safari operator and PH
My favorite African country
Zimbabwe
Hunted
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique.
Species I have hunted in Africa
I have guided on virtually everything southern Africa has to offer.
My best African Trophy
Buffalo cow - 54 1/4" - I shot her in the Zambezi Valley in 1971 while I was still a game ranger in the Rhodesia of old. There was no big deal to the hunt, she was stuck in a mud hole on the edge of the floodplain. No doubt herd weight behind her had forced her out into the mud where she'd floundered. I had the head mounted and it hung in my trophy room, irrespective of where we lived, until October 2015 when we emigrated to the UK.
My favorite African trophies
Buffalo
My preferred weapon(s)
.458 Lott, .375 H&H, 7x57mm Mauser, Pump Action 12ga 3" Magnum
What weapon(s) do you hunt with?
  1. Rifle
My preferred optic(s)
Zeiss
Occupation
Retired PH now a writer
Gear I cannot live without
Camera
My best hunting tip
Stay alert & listen to your PH.
My other interests
Fishing (freshwater & sea), wildlife art, photography, writing books and feature stories.

Signature

Kevin Thomas - Game Ranger, Special Force Soldier, Personal Security Officer, Professional Hunter and Writer
Website www.kevindthomas.com
MY BOOKS:
There's Something about Buffalo: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/theres-something-about-buffalo.44888/
The Hunting Game: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/the-hunting-game.44891/
Tracking the Memory: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/tracking-the-memory.44892/
Shadows in an African Twilight: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/shadows-in-an-african-twilight.44893/

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