Hi from Montana!

[TStensatter]

I am excited to be going to South Africa the last week of July this year. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[EXECUTIVE HUNT AFRICA]

Good day! Welcome to AH! Will this be your first trip to SA?

 

[TStensatter]

Yes it will be my first time there.

 

[cpr0312]

Hello and welcome!

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Welcome to AH TStensatter!

 

[EXECUTIVE HUNT AFRICA]

Yes it will be my first time there.

Prepare yourself for a great time!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I am excited to be going to South Africa the last week of July this year. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Use the search function to look for tips threads. They are numerous. Will you be taking your own gun?

 

[Velo Dog]

I am excited to be going to South Africa the last week of July this year. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Greetings TStensatter,

Khomas Highland Hunting and Fishing Safaris of Namibia, welcomes you to the greatest forum on Earth.

“Tips or suggestions” —> Where do I begin. LoL
If you’re not physically fit, start walking a little bit now and stop eating excess amounts of food, (especially sugar and fake sugar).
Work toward being able to walk a lot before your day of joy, Aka - lift off from your home airport.

Practice with shooting sticks, from standing position.
Use similar ones to whatever your PH will be using.
Shooting sticks are a cultural thing in Africa and it is offensive to the locals when a foreigner flippantly declares they can do better without them.
As the saying goes, “When in Rome”.
I prefer the simplest bipod type but your mileage may vary.

As usual, I’ve gotten my cart ahead of my horse here.
So with my apology, below is where I should’ve begun.

Priority Numero Uno:
Do ask your chosen Safari Company for a list of things to bring and what to do, what not to do in transit plus in their country.
Any suggestions after that, including my eccentric ones printed below, pale in comparison to direct info from whomever you will be hunting with.

Don’t bring too many clothes.
I only bring one long pants, two hiking shorts, two button shirts, 3 army green T-Shirts, 3 underwear, 3 pair army green socks, a surplus canvas Czechoslovakian army coat that, is also water proof, a warm hat and a sun hat (I don’t usually wear baseball caps in hot weather, as they don’t keep the sun off the top of my ears).
I bring one pair of simple leather “cowboy gloves”, not insulated and two dull color or camouflage bandanas.

100 % cotton fabric is best, as they hot wash and iron your clothes every day in almost (almost) every camp and country on that remarkable continent.
Only bring a familiar pair of thoroughly broken in hunting boots or hunting shoes.
Wear your hunting shoes in transit, that way if the dim-bulbs in the airline industry loose your luggage, you can press on without sore feet.

For over 40 years now, I have been carrying waterless hand wash in transit, even within the USA, many years before I “discovered” Africa.
In those long gone times, that product was hard to find.
The only brand where I lived / live now was from the Go-Jo Company and only available sporadically at that.

I would refill the empty little bottles with rubbing accohol and use it without fail after touching flush handles, door knobs, and especially before eating airline meals.
Now I have switched to vodka, as it is less toxic when cleaning wounds and such.
Perhaps not as powerful as rubbing alcohol but so far, it evidently is killing the germs as required.

Personally, I’ve quit bringing a firearm across International borders, only renting one now .
This was a difficult decision for me because I only go hunting as an excuse to own some very cool firearms.
Nonetheless, I have become suitably comfortable with my decision.
Many hunters disagree with that idea but it works well for me.
I likes to travel light, I surely do.

I haven’t covered everything (binoculars plus many other topics) and I could go on all day but I’ve blathered on so much now that I’m even boring myself.

Best Regards,
Velo Dog.

 

[BWB]

Welcome to AH ! I’m doing my first safari in August. Lots of great info here

 

[TStensatter]

Use the search function to look for tips threads. They are numerous. Will you be taking your own gun?

Yes, I was planning on it. Would it be better to rent one there? I was planning on taking my Ruger 416 and a 338 Win Mag. The Ruger ammo is hard to find. I have enough for the trip if think.

 

[Firebird]

I will Also be in Africa the last week of July-not my first trip. Taking my own rifles but majority of phs will have good rifles for rent.
Practice shooting off sticks!
I would secure the help of a helper to get rifles into the country and home again. Several members on this site or through your travel agency.
A book on shot placement is a fun way to get ready for your hunt- a pocket version will do but a full book would be my preference.

 

[Mekaniks]

 

[TStensatter]

I will Also be in Africa the last week of July-not my first trip. Taking my own rifles but majority of phs will have good rifles for rent.
Practice shooting off sticks!
I would secure the help of a helper to get rifles into the country and home again. Several members on this site or through your travel agency.
A book on shot placement is a fun way to get ready for your hunt- a pocket version will do but a full book would be my preference.

I have sticks. The same ones I see on several videos. Yes, I will practice before I go. It has been a couple of years since I used them. Practice with sticks is a common recommendation.
I saw a company on this site that was recommended by several people here to use to get the rifles through the entry process. Lol, I am green as grass to hunting out of the country. Alaska was my first trip out of Montana tha I had to fly.
Thank you for your suggestions.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Yes, I was planning on it. Would it be better to rent one there? I was planning on taking my Ruger 416 and a 338 Win Mag. The Ruger ammo is hard to find. I have enough for the trip if think.

What are you hunting? If only plains game, even the 338 would almost be overkill. I hunt them with 30-06. 416 Ruger for dangerous game if that is on the menu. During my first safari a very good deal came up unexpectedly for culling an extraordinary cow buffalo. I borrowed my PH's 375 H&H and took her with one shot at 110 yards. I only fired it once at the range earlier that day.

Rental plains game rifle would almost certainly be 30-06. Should something happen to your luggage enroute (which does happen), it could be difficult to find ammo for either of your rifles in Africa (airlines do not allow ammo in the gun case). Transporting guns is a bit expensive (or a lot expensive on the wrong airline) and there can be some hassles with airport police unless you grease a palm (here or there). Up to you. I can shoot a borrowed rifle just as well as my own.

PS: I'm originly from the Flathead and return every fall to hunt birds and deer on the Hi Line.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Yes, I was planning on it. Would it be better to rent one there? I was planning on taking my Ruger 416 and a 338 Win Mag. The Ruger ammo is hard to find. I have enough for the trip if think.

Welcome to AH! What will you be hunting? If only PG, you don't need the 416 Ruger, the .338WM will do everything you need. If only PG and you have another rifle say in any of the .308 calibers, that would be a good backup rifle in case something happened with the .338.

 

[Nyati]

 

[MontanaPat]

Welcome to the forum fellow Montanan

 

[1dirthawker]

welcome aboard. you are gonna have fun here!

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

Welcome welcome welcome

Remember to relax have fun amd look around and take it in