Review of the gear I used:
Gun-MRC 375H&H worked well when I did my part. Should have practiced on sticks to 250-300 yards. Heavy at 10 lbs to carry all day (what large caliber isn't?). The muzzle brake (slotted) would occasionally grab thorn bushes.
Sling-Nylon sling was too slippery and grabbed thorn bushes. A wide leather one would probably work better. I mostly never used it.
Scope-Leupold VX6 1-6x red dot. Worked very well. Red dot was off during the day and was easy to find during the night hunts. I think I will get a CDS turret made for it out to about 300-400 yards.
Guncase-Pelican 1750 and a soft case.
Ammo box-Pelican 1150, but it will only hold 2 boxes of 375 H&H or 300 Win Mag. I need a larger case.
Ammo-
Barnes 300 gr TSX worked well on buffalo, bushbuck and I believe would have on bushpig if I had waited for a side shot. It really messed up the skull.
Hornady 300 gr DGS worked fine on the close in duiker, but didn't kill the 200+ yard shots on jackal and baboon. I needed to be more accurate with shot placement or use an expanding bullet. Moving game at longer ranges is difficult to do accurate shot placement.
Binoculars-Nikon 8x32 Monarch 7 was light quick and easy to use. 8x was plenty adequate for the ranges in this middle-veld area and the 32mm was fine for the close in night hunts.
Rangefinder-Lieca 1600. I still fail to understand why PHes never carry these. I quit carrying mine when we only hunted the thick stuff, but really needed it when taking long shots at baboons. I may have some rangefinding binos on the next trip.
Sunglasses-these things can save an eye either while riding in a bakkie or walking! Mine are Smiths with a reader.
Pants (2 pair) 5.11 Tactical pants worked well in tundra color although they got pretty warm. Maybe a little noisy, but no thorns came through.
Shirts (2)-Wrangler long sleeve shirts. These have a soft finish almost like flannel, but not as warm. I like long sleeve shirts. If it's cold in the mornings, leave them long and buttoned. During the heat of the day, roll them up. These were both neutral colored plaids.
Belt-Heavy leather 1 1/2” belt. Carried a Leatherman used only once (but still nice to have) and a drop down 10 round cartridge slide. 5 softs on top and 5 solids on bottom. Very convenient. But I think after discussions with Pieter that a separate shooting belt that you can put over your pants for the hunt and take it off afterward would work better.
Shoes- Courtneys worked well except in the steep rocky area we hunted buffalo. No ankle support and that made a high potential for spraining an ankle. Also I should have gotten the Courtneys with the quieter flat soles and not the cleated sole. I think they would be quieter and not pick up gravel.
Socks-wool with sock liners. Synthetic sock liners work for me, so I use them. Wool or mostly wool are pretty much what I wear year round.
Vest-I like a travel/hunting vest in cotton in the warmer seasons (quiet and cool) and synthetic in colder temps (noisier but blocks the wind). Mine is the Cabelas. Works well and easy to have everything in it while going through airports. That and a daypack come off and on easy to go through Security checks. My IPad mini fits easily in an outside pocket and the flap closes over it. I can also slip a bottle of water in it while stalking or sitting in a hide. I drink lots of water and eliminate lots of water.
Jacket-fleece for the first few hours in the morning or sitting in a hide at night this is nice to have. I do wish mine had wind stopper though. I'll look into that. I also used a Cabelas camo rain jacket to block the wind, but a single fleece wind blocking jacket in either camo or a neutral color would be better.
Gloves-Magpul Core Tactical gloves work very well. I'm going to get a couple more of them. Not great for warmth, but driving around in a bakkie at night, early, or late in daylight blocking the air is very good as well as holding a cold steel barrel. These even have finger tips that work OK on an iPhone.
Shemagh-if you've never used one get one and try it out. They're cheap. Early and late they warm the neck. Sitting or stalking they work as face camouflage. They hide my white hair and white mustache my wife says lights up in the moon shine like a lightbulb. Wrap it across your face to block the dust while driving around. Block the scorching sun off your neck. Pad/soften a noisy hide gun rest. On and on I will always thank a buddy who was in Afghanistan for recommending this to me.
Knife-I always carry a Swiss Army knife. I keep trying very nice folders and wind up needing tweezers, toothpick, or corkscrew at the most inconvenient times. Don't leave home without one. You can always carry a Tactical folder or hunter too.
Daypack/carry-on-Camelback Hawg. Admittedly red is probably not the best color, but I originally got it some 30 years ago to use mountain biking and just haven't found anything I like better (bought and gave away several other brands). At times it could be larger and at times I wish it were smaller, but it mostly works for me. I keep spare glasses, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, medicines (daily dosages in small baggies), eye wash, TP in a ziplock mostly gone, IB, copies of documents and other small items. On the plane I carry spare socks, under shorts and shirt, pants and shirt on my way to Africa and spare under shorts and shirt on my way home. I keep my chargers, 220v adapter, earplugs, earbuds, etc in it for traveling.
Flashlight-Fenix E12 single AA is my current favorite. On low I can see for several hours to get out of most spots and on high it puts out a good enough light to find game. Fits in any pocket along with a spare battery. Ideal to go in the small pocket in 5.11 pants, or in a small pocket in my vest.
or if I get the short straw and end up with Pieter I will be so mad.
