Search results

I look forward to your report when my father and you return from the Caprivi!

One detail I accidentally omitted was our dates. Our trip was from June 22 to July 5, so in the midst of winter.

That bar was awesome!

Thank you everyone for the compliments. One picture that I forgot to include is one involving Erik, Jaco, Eon, E.T., and Neil from Quagga, along with us (due to the craziness of the internet, I have blurred out the faces of my brother, my father, and I for various reasons, but there are...

Departure – Day 12 “Farewell, my friends, my path inclines to this side the mountain, yours to that. We are no longer the representatives of our former selves.” - Henry David Thoreau Thus, we had to come the conclusion of our journey. I was sad to see it end and found myself yearning for more...

Winding Up and Down – The Last Day of Hunting, Festivities, and Shenanigans – Day 11 “All I wanted to do was get back to Africa. We had not left it, yet, but when I would wake in the night I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.” - Ernest Hemingway I woke up on this day conflicted. I...

The Bush Lunch Gathering, The Drowning Gemsbok, “Dennis,” and The Running Man Dance – Day 10 The next day we would all once again go our separate ways, but then all three hunting groups would reconvene together for a braai in the bush. None of us had much luck that morning (but I don’t think we...

The Demise of “Polaris Magnus” - Day 9 The next morning, Jaco, my nephew, and I went back out to the hartebeest area to once again verify that I hadn’t wounded an animal and do one last look around. On the drive over the Dark Side of the Manketti, we ended up passing by the small buffalo herd...

Pater familias and “ODB” – Day 7 The next morning, we all gathered in the lodge area to help track and find my father’s wounded buffalo. Luckily, the lodge area has smaller blocks than the Manketti, which makes tracking between the blocks easier. Thus, the trackers and PH’s have an easier time...

Wildebeest Vengeance and Waterbuck Offering – “Butt Shot,” “Stumpy,” and “Sundowner” – Day 6 In a changeup to routine, my nephew joined Jaco and I on our excursions to the Manketti and the “Dark Side.” I was very happy to have my nephew join us, as him and his younger brother are the closest...

Eureka – The Day of “Leeroy Jenkins,” “Kneecap,” and “Miss Piggy” – Day 5 “In Africa, time becomes more fluid; everything happens in its own rhythm.” – Ernest Hemingway I awoke today afresh and anew, determined not to be encumbered by nonsensical matters that I had no control over. Jaco...

Missed Opportunities and The Last Stand of “Charger”– Day 4 “It’s déjà vu all over again.” – Yogi Berra Finally, a day where I could finally escape work and all its commitments! It was a brisk morning with a clear sky, and we were off to the far side of the Manketti in search of whatever the...

The Buffalo Hangover and Zoom Meetings– Day 2 “For every action in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.” – Newton’s Third Law of Motion The next morning. That’s what could hurt me. When my alarm went off at 5:00 am the next morning after my divine ascension into drunkenness, I could...

“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa - for he has so much to look forward to." – Richard Mullin Background: This was my second excursion out to South Africa with Quagga Safaris, my first being two years ago in June 2022 (as previously covered in my earlier report)...

I have hunted two buffalo in Limpopo. While it's true that you won't be exposed to the wide open terrains of other African countries, assuming you're going to hunt in Limpopo, get ready to walk through a Pantheon of Thorns for many miles. Shorter distances, maybe, but you'll be navigating...

Sorry for your bad experience. I recently took a waterbuck in South Africa on the Manketti Reserve with Quagga Safaris, back in June. The attached shows what a mature bull should look like. The Manketti Reserve is about 56,000 acres, so there were was a ton of room to roam and we saw an...

Thanks everyone for the awesome feedback! All this is very helpful and appreciated.

We just finished our second safari and decided that we were going to utilize Trophy Solutions in South Africa for taxidermy purposes (we utilized Conroe Taxidermy for our previous trip). Since I'm having the taxidermy finished in Africa and sent here, without using a U.S. taxidermist as a...

I'll second this. Erik also won Outfitter of the Year this year from the Houston Safari Club. I hunted a buffalo with them in 2022 and will be hunting another one here in about a month. I definitely would recommend Quagga Safaris. They will make you work for your buffalo (in a good way).

We stayed there on our last trip and will be staying there again in June. We definitely liked it and it was an easy transition after landing. The restaurant was also very good; however, if you're a whiskey drinker, don't ask for doubles. The concept was lost on the waitstaff and all I got was...

Any specific recommendations, particularly those who do leather goods?

We're leaving for our second hunt in June with Quagga Safaris. Previously, for our first hunt with Quagga, we utilized Trophy Solutions Africa for dip and pack, and then Conroe Taxidermy (Conroe, TX) for taxidermy. So far, I've been very happy with both entities and they have both been very...

I can second this. We went with Erik and Quagga back in June 2022 and we are going back in June 2024. I did the exact hunt that you're looking for (i.e., buffalo and various plains games) and had a blast Quagga will be at DSC and are worth meeting with (if you're there). DSC is an...

Looks amazing! How long did you have to wait after your order and did you have any issues with customs? I've looked at this craftsman before, but was curious if and what needed to be done with U.S. customs.

I like to think I'm a present day embodiment of Karl in the novel. As Hemingway would characterize him, "a terrible hunter with infinite luck."

I work with individuals and companies in developing intriguing narratives regarding their inventive technologies and then utilize those narratives to: (1) convince a government office to provide forms of protection based on said narratives and (2) enforce those protections on my clients'...

Biltong! My only regret from my trip to South Africa this last June was that I never tried biltong. I kept telling myself that I'd eventually come across it, but I never did. In hindsight, I should have bought some at the Joburg airport and enjoyed it on the flight home. At least I did...

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm going for the first time, along with my dad and brother. I'm looking forward to seeing all the booths and the sheer magnitude of the event!

This is awesome and very helpful in planning my trophy setup for my office! Your trophies look awesome and you've definitely made my decision to wall pedestal my nyala a very easy decision.

I'm definitely putting my cape buffalo on a pedestal so my short stature can still enjoy the awesomeness of the buffalo's horns, especially the boss. IMO, there's so much beauty in the boss that would be missed if the animal is too high up.

You have convinced me to do the wall pedestal on my nyala. You make some excellent points in your breakdown and I greatly appreciate the photos!

The kudu will be placed in a section of my office with an 11' ceiling.

My beloved trophies are about to ship out from South Africa and get into the hands of my taxidermist (Conroe Taxidermy). However, I am facing a conundrum that I would love to receive feedback on from those who are quite knowledgeable on the subject matter (i.e., this forum). I am trying to...

Sure thing, I've added pictures of the barking bushbuck and my kudu.

Pursuant to requests, I've attached some photos from my hunts. Due to potential PR issues and the unpredictability of the internet these days, I have marked out my face for anonymity purposes (my apologies, but it's a crazy internet world out there).

My condolences to your family, especially to your mother and you. It sucks to lose a parent and to make sure that the other parent is doing okay. It sounds like your father lived a great life, especially when he was bear hunting at 89, and he knew what he loved in life. Prayers to you and...

Excellent question! It was very hard leaving Africa. It felt so "right" being in the bush. I can't get those beautiful African sunsets out of my head. I still wake up and miss the crisp African winter morning and the feeling of the dust caking your skin at the end of the day. I don't miss...

Thank you for Thank you for the kind words and I'm very sorry to hear about the passing of your mom. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease.

We were all late starters in regard to hunting My dad didn't start hunting until he was in his early 40's when one of his friends started bringing him on black bear hunts. That was my dad's first animal (the black bear) and he would occasionally hunt with his buddy down in New Mexico for elk...

Thank you all for the warm welcome and condolences! I've been wanting to share my story for awhile, but I just had to take the time and consideration to write it all up. We hunted with Quagga Safaris, who was a top notch organization that I cannot speak highly enough about. They were...

There are two reasons that I wanted to share my story. First, and probably foremost, it’s a means for me to process the recent passing of my mother, whose cancer was the cause of me venturing out over 9,000 miles to go on my first hunting trip ever. Second, I wanted to share my story with a...