One Last Elephant Hunt - Changes In The Wind

[IvW]

Would a 450/400 be better than a 375 Ruger with a 300 or a 350 gr bullet?

Yes....

 

[375Fox]

Wow. Pervert AND crazy! He must have been born to money. No one that messed up could ever be a success in business. So you cut the safari short and sent him home? My first (and still favorite) PH came very close to sending a young client home for essentially the same reason. I told Glen to keep an eye on me and don't be afraid to put me in line if needed. I spent a lifetime solo hunting and this would be unfamiliar ground in every respect. At lunch he told me about the client who fashioned himself a solo hunting superman because he'd spent a decade sitting in whitetail deer stands and hunting turkeys. The guy insisted on hunting alone in Africa. Glen said that's not how it's done. Client gets hot about it: his money, he'll do what he wants, blah, blah. Glen asked to check his gun, unloaded it, and told him to get back in the truck. "You can change your flight when we get back to the lodge." At the lodge the owner was able to make the client see reality. Do what you're told or you're gone. He did finish the safari but Glen said he pouted like a six year-old the entire time.

Life is about dealing with sketchy people: on the job, on the bus, in the supermarket, even at church. But how do you deal with sketchy people when guns are involved? That's gotta be challenging. In combat soldiers sometimes come unhinged but they are typically comrades. You do what you can for comrades. But those trainees who go into combat without all their marbles usually don't last long ... one way or another. When guns are in play, mutual trust is essential.

Sounds like someone taking Larium for malaria prophylaxis. It can make some individuals do some very strange things.

 

[Mark Henderson]

Sounds like someone taking Larium for malaria prophylaxis. It can make some individuals do some very strange things.

375Fox, I worked in 9 different countries on the west coast of Africa for over 8 years and took practically every kind of malaria prophylaxis there is from Lariam to hydroxychloroquine and worst of all malarone. I can tell you first hand that I did suffer from hallucinations on malarone but only when sleeping. Basically incredibly vivid dreams. Now unfortunately my particular visions were horrific nightmares while I know another guy’s visions were sexual in nature and not quite as disturbing, only messy. But even with all that said, I believe that guy’s actions sounds to be conscientiously strange and perverse. I never had a side effect that caused me to change my moral character. Just my personal experience and opinion…

 

[PerH]

A lot of odd people turns up in odd occasions and usually gatherings where they shouldn’t be . And creeps turns out there also .

Someone wrote it’s on safari one learn more about people on 3 days than on years , and some buddies and couples left other ways when over it was . Was it Ruark that wrote it maybe .

Cedergren wrote about such also , but that was about an assault on a lady that was moments away from murder 1 , if not the ph had stopped it in the midst of the night.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

375Fox, I worked in 9 different countries on the west coast of Africa for over 8 years and took practically every kind of malaria prophylaxis there is from Lariam to hydroxychloroquine and worst of all malarone. I can tell you first hand that I did suffer from hallucinations on malarone but only when sleeping. Basically incredibly vivid dreams. Now unfortunately my particular visions were horrific nightmares while I know another guy’s visions were sexual in nature and not quite as disturbing, only messy. But even with all that said, I believe that guy’s actions sounds to be conscientiously strange and perverse. I never had a side effect that caused me to change my moral character. Just my personal experience and opinion…

Malarone you say? I'll have to check into that. Intimacy has been on the skids since my wife died in 2010. I'm willing to risk nightmares for some safe sex. Climb into Depends and turn out the lights. The diaper will get filled one way or the other.

I mean, how do you find this stuff out? Conversation at your African hunting camps must be VERY interesting! Another chapter for the book "Bizarre Campfire Tales."

 

[Ridge Runner]

Malarone you say? I'll have to check into that. Intimacy has been on the skids since my wife died in 2010. I'm willing to risk nightmares for some safe sex. Climb into Depends and turn out the lights. The diaper will get filled one way or the other.

I mean, how do you find this stuff out? Conversation at your African hunting camps must be VERY interesting! Another chapter for the book "Bizarre Campfire Tales."

I think those Tales could be a separate book. A Volume 4.

 

[flying sailor]

375Fox, I worked in 9 different countries on the west coast of Africa for over 8 years and took practically every kind of malaria prophylaxis there is from Lariam to hydroxychloroquine and worst of all malarone. I can tell you first hand that I did suffer from hallucinations on malarone but only when sleeping. Basically incredibly vivid dreams. Now unfortunately my particular visions were horrific nightmares while I know another guy’s visions were sexual in nature and not quite as disturbing, only messy. But even with all that said, I believe that guy’s actions sounds to be conscientiously strange and perverse. I never had a side effect that caused me to change my moral character. Just my personal experience and opinion…

I took Malarone for one week plus afterwards. never bothered my sleep at all.

 

[Rare Breed]

Malarone you say? I'll have to check into that. Intimacy has been on the skids since my wife died in 2010. I'm willing to risk nightmares for some safe sex. Climb into Depends and turn out the lights. The diaper will get filled one way or the other.

I mean, how do you find this stuff out? Conversation at your African hunting camps must be VERY interesting! Another chapter for the book "Bizarre Campfire Tales."

To be clear. Malarone is fine if you take it in the morning. If however you take it at night when having alcohol you will run screaming into the night not that I have done that but people I respect have told me so…no names. Also given I have taken it on my last three safaris I find it upsets my stomach for about two days then I am fine. Just me

 

[Graham Hunter]

I know that Mefloquine can cause upset stomach, cause nightmares to the point of hallucinations. Never had any problems with malerone. It can make you sensitive to bright sunlight or possible upset stomach. I and any one hunting with me have always taken Malerone with no side effects. Two of my friends didn't listen and took Mefloquine. Both quit after 4 days because of the nightmares.

 

[Mark Henderson]

It was a requirement to take these meds for my work. I had to take drug tests to prove I had it in my system. Over that 8 years I was cycled through different ones depending on the companies malaria med of choice. I know lots of people that were just fine on Malarone…not me.

 

[Sideshow]

As I’ve said before. I’ve being an overland guide you see a lot in with over 300 clients plus all the other trucks that we ran parallel with. It is a fairly big pool of experience with regards to prophylactics. They all have side effects some worse than others for the above subject Larium had the worst side effect that I ever witnessed. We only found out later that the young lady that was taking it was also taking antidepressants. Larium can make you even more depressed. She had been acting fine until the houseboat on lake Kariba where after a party (alcohol as mentioned above) she was very very determined to go for a swim. We had to strap her to a bunk. Sounds funny but wasn’t! Once we had her strapped down the Girls looked after her till morning. Where she was good as gold hardly remember it in fact a little confused to why she was tired to a bed.
Not sure what the croc numbers are In Kariba I’ve heard upwards of 10000 and they know that the house boats would chuck their food scraps over the side so a swim would have been umm short….
I on the other hand had the sex dreams when on it…..unless I’d been drinking then they would be very weird. Not all the time just for the first two to three weeks.
It also depended on the brand some where better than others. If I recall the Spanish made ones seemed to mess with your head more. Yet for the majority of takers no issue.

 

[Pondoro]

Some have all the fun..no sex dreams for me when on malarone..

A hunting buddy had nightmares and felt slightly depressed though..

 

[375Fox]

I’ve never thought your advertised hunts were a scam, but I have thought they are being conducted in very marginal areas. If you want to change the perception I’d recommend less mention of bad agents, terrible clients, illegal hunts and talk more about the areas you hunt. Some of the older posts you’ve made seem much higher quality than recent posts. Some photos help too.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I’ve never thought your advertised hunts were a scam, but I have thought they are being conducted in very marginal areas. If you want to change the perception I’d recommend less mention of bad agents, terrible clients, illegal hunts and talk more about the areas you hunt. Some of the older posts you’ve made seem much higher quality than recent posts. Some photos help too.

He seems to have generated a lot of positive feedback re past experiences as well as genuine interest in this offer ... from genuine folks. Lon has very much sparked my interest as a colorful straightforward down to earth sort, exactly the kind of guy I would want to share camp and hunt with. If I was at all interested in an elephant hunt, and I'm not, I would jump at the chance to meet him. Your criticisms seem to me rather lacking in substance and would not dissuade me in the least. In fact, given the source, I'm sure they would steer me in his direction. .

This thread took an interesting and unusual direction but I don't think it hurt his offer. Good advertising is about making the product interesting and Lon is selling himself and his lodge as much as the elephant. As far as I'm concerned, he succeeded. Or I could click on some glossy patronizing terribly predictable high tech ad. Tons of those. Yawn.

 

[375Fox]

He seems to have generated a lot of positive feedback re past experiences as well as genuine interest in this offer ... from genuine folks. Lon has very much sparked my interest as a colorful straightforward down to earth sort, exactly the kind of guy I would want to share camp and hunt with. If I was at all interested in an elephant hunt, and I'm not, I would jump at the chance to meet him. Your criticisms seem to me rather lacking in substance and would not dissuade me in the least. In fact, given the source, I'm sure they would steer me in his direction. .

This thread took an interesting and unusual direction but I don't think it hurt his offer. Good advertising is about making the product interesting and Lon is selling himself and his lodge as much as the elephant. As far as I'm concerned, he succeeded. Or I could click on some glossy patronizing terribly predictable high tech ad. Tons of those. Yawn.

I’ll look forward to your report . . . If these hunts are that difficult to sell at $15k I think there is a problem. I was not only referring to this thread.

 

[Tex .416]

....Some of the older posts you’ve made seem much higher quality than recent posts....

He has posted that he has cancer, is undergoing treatment, and his wife is guiding hunts for him. Perhaps a bit of understanding and compassion are in order.

 

[375Fox]

He has posted that he has cancer, is undergoing treatment, and his wife is guiding hunts for him. Perhaps a bit of understanding and compassion are in order.

I am aware. There is a point where honest feedback is important as well. If medication affects his ability to post where it is damaging to their business maybe it’s better not to post at times. He can do what he likes with the feedback. If he doesn’t care that’s fine, but I don’t think many of his recent posts are helpful to establishing confidence in an outfitter.

 

[Mark Henderson]

I am aware. There is a point where honest feedback is important as well. If medication affects his ability to post where it is damaging to their business maybe it’s better not to post at times. He can do what he likes with the feedback. If he doesn’t care that’s fine, but I don’t think many of his recent posts are helpful to establishing confidence in an outfitter.

I just can’t help but chime in on this. I am the person that bought one of the two permits advertised. Once I saw the original ad it sparked my interest as I have been very actively shopping and pricing them for 2025. I actually had it narrowed down to one of two hunts…one Botswana and the other Zimbabwe. Now one of these was with a PH that I have been on a leopard, lion, two PG hunts and a rhino booked for this year so I have a definite amount of loyalty connected to this PH. But that price got my attention, so now is it what it’s supposed to be? I WhatsApp Lon and we had a very good conversation. Just like his posts he was very transparent and direct about what to expect. He explained the pricing, logistics, hunt manners/expectations, and was even very honest about his health and that his wife Liesl is who I need to deal with on this. I searched his posts on AH and any comments about Tokoloshe and it all sounded the same as advertised and the clients comments were all glowingly positive. So I spoke to one of his past clients on the phone. A raving positive review that matched everything they said. I then contacted Liesl and started to get things in motion. She wound up giving me more references, one because of something entirely different. But I called him and once again it became apparent that these clients are leaving very happy, even when they don’t kill out everything their after. Now that’s a testament to them. I even had my close friend PH ask around thru the PH Network and all he came back with was it’s a good operation and Lon has cancer. Now I was not turned off in any manner by his posts, actually quite the opposite. I did my research and checking references because I think that is my responsibility to ensure this is what I’m looking for and worth my time and money. I don’t know these people from Adam and am only stating my interaction with them and their posts, phone calls. I am grateful though for this opportunity at this price and how professional they have treated me so far! I can’t wait till it’s time to put the boot leather to work tracking a dream in the Zimbabwe bush!

 

[Daisy]

I am aware. There is a point where honest feedback is important as well. If medication affects his ability to post where it is damaging to their business maybe it’s better not to post at times. He can do what he likes with the feedback. If he doesn’t care that’s fine, but I don’t think many of his recent posts are helpful to establishing confidence in an outfitter.

No hunts in SA. Check.
No CBL. Check.
No hunts if price is too good. Check.

Have I missed any?

Just messing 375!

 

[375Fox]

No hunts in SA. Check.
No CBL. Check.
No hunts if price is too good. Check.

Have I missed any?

Just messing 375!

I did not criticize the price anywhere. The OP wrote it’s assumed their hunts must be a scam due to the price. I wrote the assumption I’ve made previously partly due to the price. I’ve also never seen it corrected when I’ve asked public questions about their areas in the past. They can do as they like with the feedback.