Africa is just not for me

[Flewis]

Considering auto driving versus airline safety, there's still a segment of the population that will not fly.
I mentioned to one of my shooting buddies about taking a trip to Texas for prairie dogs. He asked me if I was going to drive. My first thought was "Are you nuts"? I'm going to drive 1500 miles over two or three days each way to hunt four days"? The truth was, he was afraid to fly. I went anyway. Flew with my rifles and shipped my ammo ahead of time. Same scenario a few years later with Gizmo only packed ammo on that trip.

That’s a nice one day ride. Frank

 

[rigbymauser]

I have a friend I have invited to SA for a 14day PG hunt. He had to pay his own airlineticket but everything from there would be on my expense. He was very reluctant and later declined my offer.
Some folks apparently see "Africa" differently.

HUnting in SA doesn`t have to become expensive. Depends how much luxery one needs. All I want a soft bed and water to wash myself. Doesn`t even have to be warm water. If one has the time lots of small game can actually be hunted if speaking with farmers. Hunting at gamefarms are more expensive. Where I hunt in Freestate I can hunt warthogs and springsboks for free if I dress the game myself. However I do always give something so I know I can return.
Hunting none-trophy game definatly reduce price also.
hunting baboons at fruitfarmers etc usually are a great fun and challeging and can still be done for a silly money or for free. But again pay a little for appreciation to express it meant alot for you.
I hunted kudu for biltong in the NW province. it was for free but here I insisted I wanted to pay. Here I paid R5000 which was the local goingrate among farmers.
I have never had game stuffed. I`d rather spend another week in Africa than having dead heads hanging. But thats just me.

 

[Hogpatrol]

That’s a nice one day ride. Fran

In my bugsmasher, it took me 13 hours to fly from Summit, DE to Kerrville, TX, 11 hours in the air with two fuel stops, 1300 nm direct but I used Victor airways, around 1500 nm. I wouldn't even attempt to drive that far.

 

[Vintageguy]

Similar story here. An acquaintance from way back kept yakking about going moose hunting in Canada or Alaska. He thought he would just drive and pull a trailer up to either place, shoot a moose, have it butchered, drive back with a trailer full of meat... no sweat. Hah! Of course upon looking into the details he never went. Talked it up for years until old age and health issues caught up with him. He always had enough money for a hunt most anywhere. When he was still healthy enough, I even put the effort into detailing a plan for flying to AK, including where to go and who to go with to have a really good chance at a 60" bull. And even how to get a couple hundred pounds of meat back with little extra effort.. Nope, he was on a meat hunt don't you know.... but discovered it was a fool's errand to do it his way- then blamed all the outfitters for not going along with the idea. Got to blame somebody I guess.

He also continually told everyone around here all the details of how to hunt Africa, what animals to hunt and how to hunt them, what calibers to use, what bullets and rifles to use, how stupid Hemingway's Africa works were and so on. Same story as the moose BS delusion- too expensive and didn't want to go anyway because he couldn't bring the meat back. Never went moose hunting anywhere and never went to Africa.... but ask him, he knows all about both

I have found through the years that some people just like the idea of something rather than actually doing it. I extend invites sometimes but never delay my own plans for them.

 

[JimP]

That’s a nice one day ride. Frank

I do a 800 mile drive one way from Colorado to Arizona and that 800 miles is usually 15 hours depending on the weather. I can't eve imagine a 1500 mile in a day by yourself, eve with two drivers it gets real old real quick.

 

[CoElkHunter]

In my bugsmasher, it took me 13 hours to fly from Summit, DE to Kerrville, TX, 11 hours in the air with two fuel stops, 1300 nm direct but I used Victor airways, around 1500 nm. I wouldn't even attempt to drive that far.

Yeah, the couple of times I drove to Harrisburg, Pencilneckvania from here is 1600 miles and some 24-26 hour drive. We'd stop in Columbia, MO for the night going and Kansas coming back. It's two full days of driving with one driver. From here, it's a day and a half drive to Port Aransas, TX. With the price of diesel now, I'm flying whenever I can.

 

[BourbonTrail]

I do a 800 mile drive one way from Colorado to Arizona and that 800 miles is usually 15 hours depending on the weather. I can't eve imagine a 1500 mile in a day by yourself, eve with two drivers it gets real old real quick.

I’ve done the 1800mi from KY to Arizona over 20x…it got old in 2004.

Longest single solo stretch was from Tulsa to Tucson at 17ish hours. I don’t remember anything from Truth or Consequences, NM to Benson, AZ. Ah, to be 22 again, lol.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Just my opinion Alaska is awesome for scenery brown bears and other wildlife. But its absolutely no comparison to what you see and experience in truly wild Africa.

 

[chiefdale]

yes when I went was very disappointed in the treatment of the Africans at our outfitters .every day pick them up and see their living conditions was humbling and they were not allowed to eat lunch with us and were some of the hardest working people I have ever seen . brought up my experience at a show and found an outfitter that treats them with respect as human beings. he explained that younger population went to school together and have a different outlook

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Considering auto driving versus airline safety, there's still a segment of the population that will not fly.
I mentioned to one of my shooting buddies about taking a trip to Texas for prairie dogs. He asked me if I was going to drive. My first thought was "Are you nuts"? I'm going to drive 1500 miles over two or three days each way to hunt four days"? The truth was, he was afraid to fly. I went anyway. Flew with my rifles and shipped my ammo ahead of time. Same scenario a few years later with Gizmo only packed ammo on that trip.

@Hogpatrol
I plan on driving the 6,000km round trip to hunt scrub bull next year. Yes I could fly and have no fear of flying but the last leg is in a small a ll mail plane. Small planes and I don't mix. Tried it once but a six and a half foot 260 pound male just don't fit into a small plane without removing a few seats..
Sharing the driving with 2 others will make it a piece of cake and we will see country none of us have seen before. Plus it will work out cheaper for the 3 of us.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have a long time friend in the states. For years I have offered him a buffalo, leopard or even elephant hunt, no cost! He does not have a passport and will never get one he is very comfortable living and hunting the western slope of Colorado.
Lon

@Tokoloshe Safaris
A very generous offer that 99.9% of hunters would jump at before you finished asking them
Bob

 

[CoElkHunter]

@Hogpatrol
I plan on driving the 6,000km round trip to hunt scrub bull next year. Yes I could fly and have no fear of flying but the last leg is in a small a ll mail plane. Small planes and I don't mix. Tried it once but a six and a half foot 260 pound male just don't fit into a small plane without removing a few seats..
Sharing the driving with 2 others will make it a piece of cake and we will see country none of us have seen before. Plus it will work out cheaper for the 3 of us.
Bob

Wow, that's 3,728 miles, so 1,864 one way. Not bad with three drivers? Plus, you can bring all the Bundy and Vegemite you want along with many boxes of .35 Whelen and .243 cartridges. Wish I were going along!

 

[Flewis]

Yeah, the couple of times I drove to Harrisburg, Pencilneckvania from here is 1600 miles and some 24-26 hour drive. We'd stop in Columbia, MO for the night going and Kansas coming back. It's two full days of driving with one driver. From here, it's a day and a half drive to Port Aransas, TX. With the price of diesel now, I'm flying whenever I can.

You must live near Denver. Frank

 

[CoElkHunter]

You must live near Denver. Frank

Nope. Colorado Springs. I’d rather have a root canal than have to drive to or through Denver! LOL

 

[Flewis]

Nope. Colorado Springs. I’d rather have a root canal than have to drive to or through Denver!

Watch on 24 they moved some speed limits around.

 

[Flewis]

Watch on 24 they moved some speed limits around.

My house to darango using 10 and 160 is about 28 hrs. I run it one shot.

 

[cajunchefray]

My wife is going on this one and this will be the first hunting trip she has been on with me, other than sitting in a deer stand here at home. She has taken to turkey hunting in the last couple years and killed her first long beard this year. We killed a double over a decoy. It was some 8 yards away wild west type stuff and she is pretty hooked on the turkey hunting now. She does not think she will kill anything in Africa. I find it a curious thing with women, they seem to assign value of life based on how cute something is. I will kill a turkey, they're ugly, can't shoot a deer because they are so cute. It would make an interesting psychological study honestly.

Now that is some truth about women and hunting. When we got married, 26 years ago yesterday, my wife said, “ I don’t mind you hunting and having guns, I’m just not into it.”
Fast forward to 2006, we moved back home to Louisiana, and she came with her Dad and I dove hunting. She is an excellent wing shot, better than most

However, she would never shoot a rabbit or deer, like we see in our yard.
Some student should really study the “cute factor “ for women.

 

[Woodcarver]

I do a 800 mile drive one way from Colorado to Arizona and that 800 miles is usually 15 hours depending on the weather. I can't eve imagine a 1500 mile in a day by yourself, eve with two drivers it gets real old real quick.

I have being driving to AZ every year for 20+ years now. A little over 800 miles. Takes about 13 hours for me, barring weather, going down; usually about an hour longer pulling home. Flying would be nice, and faster, but the freight bill for the wood I haul home would kill me.
Same for the drive we used to make to San Antonio. That drive was 16-18 hours and did get long. She usually required doing it in 2 days rather than straight through.

 

[Damonk1384]

I’d like to go to South Africa but probably won’t. I just don’t have a burning desire to make it happen. I wonder, not really hard though, what the non-safari working natives are thinking when, a hunter with his or her entourage in tow, goes driving past. Me Jealous some? Maybe. Although it Might be a mixed blessing that all the people you would like to accompany don’t/won’t go. Because, if enough people went to Africa it could become like walking a skirmish line on opening day for pheasants…in Northern California. (My experience)

 

[Jason Miller]

and they were not allowed to eat lunch with us and were some of the hardest working people I have ever seen . brought up my experience at a show and found an outfitter that treats them with respect as human beings.

Interesting comment, and I feel the same way in most cases, however you should see how Africans treat other Africans from different tribes or classes. I work in Kenya and shocked how wealthy Africans treat their fellow African servants, or visitors from another tribe. Its shocking.