African Trophy Pursuit - Can anyone provide me information? Very First Safari, need guidance.

[JRobinette]

Hello, I am planning my first Safari and will be using African Trophy Pursuit. Can anyone provide me information and experiences with this outfitter? Also, what all do I need to know in advance and upon arrival for an African Safari hunt in general. e.g. lessons learned, experiences, items to bring, ease of weapon importation, what to expect....

 

[BRICKBURN]

Start reading every article of interest on this forum. So many questions have been asked and answered before.
Can't help you with that outfitter.

 

[DieJager]

Also, what all do I need to know in advance and upon arrival for an African Safari hunt in general. e.g. lessons learned, experiences, items to bring, ease of weapon importation, what to expect....

Congrats on booking you first hunt and Welkom to AH!

All of the answers to your questions can be found in the Safari planning guide on the mainpage.

Regarding your outfitter, hopefully a fellow member can help.

 

[JimP]

Welcome to the site, be ready for information overload.

I can't help with the outfitter but some of the other things I'll give you my advise.

Packing, keep it light. Three sets of hunting clothing is the most that you'll need. They do laundry every day so you'll always have clean clothes. Pack a set of hunting clothes in your carry on, that way if your luggage is lost or delayed you'll be good to go. Wear a set of boots that you can hunt in on the trip over but have some comfortable shoes to wear once there.

For importing your firearm I would suggest using Rifle Permits.com. If your outfitter is picking you up in Joberg then they may offer you assistance in clearing the SAP's office. Get your US Customs 4457 done the same year that you are going over. The South African Police believe that our forms are only good for a single year and it does no good to argue with them. Find a good plastic case about the size of a kids lunchbox to carry your ammo in. If you have to fly inside of South Africa they require it to fly along side of your rifle case. They can be as cheap as a plastic ammo can to whatever you want to spend.

Before you go over practice shooting out to 200 yards off of a set of sticks. These can be something as simple as a couple of dowels tied together to support your rifle to more expensive ones.

Use a travel agent for your flights, they are well worth the money that you pay them. I suggestion is to use Travel Express, they are a sponsor on the forum here.

As to getting your trophies home, decided on if you want to do them over there or bring them back. I have done both ways. Either way unless you are familiar with importing items it is good to have a importer who knows what they are doing. I have used Safari Specialty Importers on both of my trips. They are based in NY but will get you your trophies no matter where you are at in the US. Also if you want a local taxidermist to do the mounts here in the US, now is the time to talk to them and not when you get back.

 

[sgt_zim]

WRT packing clothes - what area are you hunting, and what time of year? Limpopo province, for example, gets quite chilly at night, even in late August and early September (low to mid-40s every night I was there), days warm up quickly. The area where we were is right at 1000 meters elevation. Late season hunting (October/November) in Limpopo, OTOH, can get quite hot.

Jo'burg is nearly 2000 meters. I brought 2 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of long pants, 4 shirts (1 too many), a jacket, and some medium weight overpants. I could have done with wearing long pants on the flight, then nothing but shorts and overpants for the chilly early mornings.

But if you're hunting the lowveld over near Kruger, altitude is only about 300 meters in a lot of places. If you're hunting the eastern cape near Lesotho, elevations can get as high as 3000 meters, I imagine mid-July is quite chilly there.

 

[Edster]

I have hunted with ATP in 2021 and again this past April. Freddie and crew are great people. First trip was post Covid, myself and a friend. We were the only people in camp. This past trip five of us went. My son and grandson came on this trip. We all had a great time, camp was full this time around. There was a group from Belgium there as well.

 

[Deni81]

I agree with practicing off sticks. I am predominately a bowhunter and never shoot off sticks- there were a few times in Africa when I had to shoot where I wished I had practiced. Good luck and it was absolutely incredible. Also, if flying through jburg- have patience- it’s a lot to take in if you haven’t been there before.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

Practice off of sticks. I did not do it enough and it just about cost me.