New to Forum… went on my 1st safari a few weeks ago and can’t stop thinking about how to make it back!!

[DieJager]

Welkom! Great trophies and two beautiful baboons .

Now the hard thing to say , it will be tough for you to hear. But you now have an addiction. You may think it is not so but trust me you have.

If it is as bad as the one I got it goes like this. You will look numerous times a day one this forum, daydreaming about your next hunt and refreshing the homepage eager for your next dose of Africa related hunting stories. You will wake up thinking about Africa and go to bed thinking about Africa. Your wife begins to detest you because all you can talk about is hunting Africa.

If you thought about having more kids it will still stop. Why waste the funds if it can go to hunting in Africa..

All jokes aside... Welkom my fellow addict

 

[cpr0312]

Welcome aboard and congrats!

 

[BDollar]

Welkom! Great trophies and two beautiful baboons .

Now the hard thing to say , it will be tough for you to hear. But you now have an addiction. You may think it is not so but trust me you have.

If it is as bad as the one I got it goes like this. You will look numerous times a day one this forum, daydreaming about your next hunt and refreshing the homepage eager for your next dose of Africa related hunting stories. You will wake up thinking about Africa and go to bed thinking about Africa. Your wife begins to detest you because all you can talk about is hunting Africa.

If you thought about having more kids it will still stop. Why waste the funds if it can go to hunting in Africa..

All jokes aside... Welkom my fellow addict

Well now I get to quit buying so many reloading components and put it toward plane tix, trophy fees and tips

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Now the hard thing to say , it will be tough for you to hear. But you now have an addiction. You may think it is not so but trust me you have.

If it is as bad as the one I got it goes like this. You will look numerous times a day one this forum, daydreaming about your next hunt and refreshing the homepage eager for your next dose of Africa related hunting stories. You will wake up thinking about Africa and go to bed thinking about Africa. Your wife begins to detest you because all you can talk about is hunting Africa.

Yep, what he said. Welcome to AH. You clearly had a great first time in SA. Awesome. Looking forward to your hunt report.

I have been on this journey for a year now. Booked my first hunt for 2025 and am going with four local friends, some of which went last year also. But along the road to getting ready, improving fitness, reading books and this forum and watching hunting videos, I am already addicted and have not yet went on the first safari. As a result of this malady, I booked another PG hunt for this year and am leaving soon. So many details. I figured this is a good way to practice and learn about hunting Africa, by... Hunting in Africa. Who-da-thunk-it?

I have been practicing shooting more offhand and from sticks. This weekend with a group of redneck friends from KY, OH, WV, SC, and TX we were shooting machineguns and all manner of long guns. I jumped up and shot three 1/2" dum-dum suckers with a 22lr off sticks at 65y (That is a tough shot on a 1moa tgt). Then a bit later, touched off a load of tannerite for the crew with a standing offhand shot with my FAL. Not hunting rifles but the skill sets are similar. For hunting I am not practicing for ultra long shots since the area we will be hunting in Limpopo is not as open and most shots should be inside 300y with the majority closer, so I have concentrated on 100-300y distances. Next year when we go on the real hunt we will have Cape Buffalo on the menu. My buddies keep telling me that once I complete the first trip the illness gets much worse, lol.

 

[BDollar]

Yep, what he said. Welcome to AH. You clearly had a great first time in SA. Awesome. Looking forward to your hunt report.

I have been on this journey for a year now. Booked my first hunt for 2025 and am going with four local friends, some of which went last year also. But along the road to getting ready, improving fitness, reading books and this forum and watching hunting videos, I am already addicted and have not yet went on the first safari. As a result of this malady, I booked another PG hunt for this year and am leaving soon. So many details. I figured this is a good way to practice and learn about hunting Africa, by... Hunting in Africa. Who-da-thunk-it?

I have been practicing shooting more offhand and from sticks. This weekend with a group of redneck friends from KY, OH, WV, SC, and TX we were shooting machineguns and all manner of long guns. I jumped up and shot three 1/2" dum-dum suckers with a 22lr off sticks at 65y (That is a tough shot on a 1moa tgt). Then a bit later, touched off a load of tannerite for the crew with a standing offhand shot with my FAL. Not hunting rifles but the skill sets are similar. For hunting I am not practicing for ultra long shots since the area we will be hunting in Limpopo is not as open and most shots should be inside 300y with the majority closer, so I have concentrated on 100-300y distances. Next year when we go on the real hunt we will have Cape Buffalo on the menu. My buddies keep telling me that once I complete the first trip the illness gets much worse, lol.

I had shots on the koppies overlooking waterholes that were close to 500yd. I was prepped for 600yd and in. Load my own and true BC of bullets, etc… when I took the Waterbuck off bipod and backpack at 420yd and follow up at 441 after it fell but head still up I was happy… this then let my PH know I was capable. Now the bad part, I wish that waterhole with the hartebeest and impala was 500yd to back side but my PH figured I could do it after that waterbuck. Anyway… made a few miraculous shots and the rest is I’m tickled I practiced how I did, it only made those 80yd freehand shots much easier… I believe a lot of it is bw the ears!!!

 

[358 Norma]

I understand what you mean. I just returned from my first safari yesterday. I was fortunate enough to complete a lifelong dream of taking a cape buffalo! I hunted with Tsala Safaris, and PH Brandon Van Zyl. I think the one thing that I learned from the trip was Buffalo hunting is addictive! I'm now a helpless addict, and I can't wait to get back to do it again!

 

[BDollar]

I understand what you mean. I just returned from my first safari yesterday. I was fortunate enough to complete a lifelong dream of taking a cape buffalo! I hunted with Tsala Safaris, and PH Brandon Van Zyl. I think the one thing that I learned from the trip was Buffalo hunting is addictive! I'm now a helpless addict, and I can't wait to get back to do it again!

I bought a gun(375RUM) and had it when I went to Africa and didn’t even take it but figured I’d want it one day for Buffalo… hope to add that on my next trip!! Congrats on your Buff… I can’t wait to experience that first hand!!

 

[358 Norma]

I bought a gun(375RUM) and had it when I went to Africa and didn’t even take it but figured I’d want it one day for Buffalo… hope to add that on my next trip!! Congrats on your Buff… I can’t wait to experience that first hand!!

All I can say is Buffalo hunting is addictive yeah!

 

[BDollar]

All I can say is Buffalo hunting is addictive yeah! View attachment 614134

All I can say is BIG BOSSES!!! Very proper bull

 

[358 Norma]

All I can say is BIG BOSSES!!! Very proper bull

 

[358 Norma]

View attachment 614138

My Chapuis Elan 470 Nitro for size comparison.

 

[sgtsabai]

Welcome, great hunt, great shooting. May you always be able to fuel your addiction...lol.

 

[randallhebert]

Welcome aboard and definitely, some awesome trophies. Side note: There is no known cure.

Theirs only one know medicine that helps alleviate the symptoms and that's another trip over there.

 

[BryceM]

Great report.

People don’t simply go on a hunting trip to Africa…….

Instead they go on their “first hunting trip” to Africa.

 

[tws503]

Welcome to AH! Glad to have you on board.

 

[Global Rescue]

Welcome, and we look forward to your participation! Congratulations on your trophies

 

[enysse]

Welcome to AH, congrats on your first safari!

 

[JG26Irish_2]

BDollar - You dun gewd brother. I am still in Limpopo on my "Practice Hunt". Will return next year. We are doing Limpopo and Free State next year. You (and I) will never have another spare dollar to your name but it is a happy addiction. I have tagged out except for a Baboon and warthog. We are going out to look for this week. I will post a proper hunt report on my return. Just another hillbilly hunter from KY. Two of my group for 2025 just returned from Limpopo 2 weeks ago and took a 300 PRC similar to yours and it performed very well. I proofed the video with the outfitter this morning over coffee. I took a pair of vintage Brownings that did the trick. 308 and 375 and all shots were 1 shot and DRT except a long shot on a Alpha herd bull Blue Wildebeest. 1st shot with 375 killed him but it took two more for him to accept his change in life status, lol.

PS - that shot of you posing with your brother is priceless. I think I will copy it if/when I see one, lol

Irish