The hunt that epitomizes Africa

[ActionBob]

Well a belated happy birthday to you Grunt!

I don't own stock in any gun companies but I probably should.... I went a gun fair we have locally once per year over a 3 day weekend and brought home a new DPMS Prairie Panther 223 AR15 in Kings Snow Camo. Found out my wife had just bought two new frying pans. So I had to go back the next day and get another gun, only seems fair, right!

Hell I still haven't shot that 223 (haven't even got a scope on it yet)... Thank goodness the wife has been using the frying pans and has a sense of humor....

It is not that I want every gun, it's just that I always seem to want the next one. Sure would be fun to take that AR to Africa for Baboons, especially with the 60 round clip. I did see someone is making a pump action AR to be California compliant.... Wonder if a person could get that into RSA?

 

[Pheroze]

I went a gun fair we have locally once per year over a 3 day weekend and brought home a new DPMS Prairie Panther 223 AR15 in Kings Snow Camo. Found out my wife had just bought two new frying pans. So I had to go back the next day and get another gun, only seems fair, right!

We seem to always end up with a new and fancier coffee maker when my wife feels neglected. I have learned to factor that in to my hunting budgets.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

Kudu, Bushbuck, Impala and Warthogs should be on your list in my opinion.
I will always try to hunt and shoot at least one Impala and one Warthog on every hunting trip in Africa.
Hunting one or both of the Wildebeests should also be a part of your African hunting experience.
Personally I like the Black Wildebeest the most.

If you want to bring home a rug that screams Africa, you need to get a Zebra too
If you get a chance at hunting and shooting any of the tiny ones, you should also grab that with both arms as well.
And also have some extra money in case you suddenly get the urge to hunt and shoot an animal you didn't plan to shoot when you boarded the plane flying you to Africa

If your main focus is to experience the hunting and not so much the trophies, I highly recommend to mainly shoot cull animals for a lower price.
That will give you much more hunting for the money

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Thanks, Bob! And that last post should have said "selling" a shotgun I hardly use, but y'all probably figured that out

 

[charleslabounty]

Pheroze,
I'm going to Limpopo, for a first African hunt this September, 9 days of hunting.
So just for a reference for you ---
Currently on my list is Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra, Impala, Blesbok, Wildebeest, & Warthog.
My current taxidermy plan is Euro mount the horns for all except the Impala and have a shoulder mount for the Impala.
Having all the hides tanned. I'm using Trophy Pro in RSA for the Dip & Pack, euro horn mount & tanning and they send out for the shoulder mounts. Using their price list this will be about a $4500 expense - this is way over my budget, so I will be cutting it back. I feel obligated to bring back something from each trophy for some reason.
Anyways - -
Good luck.
(Oh, I'm using my Savage 111, 30-06. Hoping to get Federal Premium Vital Shok TBT for ammo.)

 

[ActionBob]

Charles;
Sounds like a great hunt! You will certainly treasure the experience and it is nice to bring home mementos of each animal.

There ought to be several ways to accomplish that and still save some money. One of the problems you will have though is that you have a selection of really beautiful animals, except the Wart Hog. The Wart Hog you can just clean the skull and set on a shelf or mount only the tusks on a plaque. On all the rest the hides are certainly worth keeping if you can and they can make beautiful rugs or flat skins. You will likely see examples when your there or just look at various pictures of the insides of chalets and lodges and you can see them laying on floors and hanging on walls.

If you spend a little time browsing some of the taxidermy sites you may notice some have examples of various Curios. We are having book ends made from Zebra hooves. There are simple patchwork blankets or rugs done with just pieces of different animals. Furniture can be covered or re-upholstered with the skins and there is a lot of that in the hunting camps. But if you get the skins tanned properly, I don't see why you could not do that stuff later.

I have also noticed that even Euro mounts add up for the cost of the Plaques or? I am having one skull simply cleaned and not mounted at all. I plan to just set it on a shelf and if I ever want to do more with it, I can do that later. I've also seen ads for a "skull hook" that is simply an attractive hook you mount to the wall and hang the skull on, seems a lot cheaper and has a simplistic charm.

On the Kudu and Gemsbok especially, you could fore-go the skull and jut keep the horns.

I don't know what is done differently to make a rug for the floor or wall... Or just tanning a flat skin. I think some of the "rugs" I saw in Africa are really just cheaply tanned flat skins that can be thrown out if they wear out. One could fold them up and pack them away and just bring out for special occasions to make them last longer. Some are just thrown over the back of a couch.

I suppose I may catch it from the US Taxidermists for saying this, but if you have a lot of the work done in Africa, it will save the cost of dipping.

I think there are lots of ways to bring home very nice "trophies" without spending a ton of money. But you need to have a plan and costs in mind before you go, you will need to give instructions on the spot as to how you want the animal skinned. And try to have the cost in your head for nicer mounts just in case you get a real whopper and think you might regret not having it mounted. And you can always have it caped for a shoulder or pedestal mount and go back on that plan later... But you cannot go forward once the cape is cut up... Likewise you cannot have a full flat skin done once it is caped.

And keep on mind you only need to pay a deposit on the taxidermy and it will likely be a year before you get the finished products and have the balance due.

Do your research but don't fret it too much... Your going to have a blast and you will figure out how to have a great set of trophies and mementos!

Bob

 

[Breaker Morant]

I was reading another thread about not brining the trophies home. I am thinking the experience is the thing as I do not particularly collect trophies. I may select one or two that will represent the trip. Perhaps a skin and a classical set of horns. I am most excited about being out in the field, smelling the air, feeling the heat and trying to close on some beast! Is there one or other that gave you a particular experience you reflect back on because of the challenge or the terrain?

I was torn about bringing trophies home too. I went buff/kudu plus a couple of others in Zimbabwe last year. Now I am glad that I kept the option of sending them home. Just got an email that they are finally ready to ship. It kind of is keeping the experience going. I have no real hopes about their condition. If they are good-great-if not-at least I will get my horns home.

Not that the inches matter, existentially-but I really , really want to put a tape on my Kudu to see if he is really as big as I have been told he was by people who saw him in the skinning shed area after my trip.

Plus the kids are excited about the animals/plus my wife basically told me that I owed it too the animals.

 

[Pheroze]

It does sound like a great trip Charles and I am really looking forward to hearing about it! Thanks for the info.

I was looking at the Russel Moccasin website for boots and I noticed that they have a service of turning hides into boots! I thought that was pretty cool if you get the right beast. A friend had a number of deer hides (nine I think) turned into a pretty impressive jacket.

I can see that after a year or more it will be nice to have a memento in some form.

 

[AZDAVE]

The definition is for you to really decide what do you want and what says Africa to you? Last year we went to the Eastern Cape and hunted one of the nice plains game packages. My better half wasn't going to hunt but she said she would go out for a couple days and then do all the non-hunter activities. Well she went out the first day and as soon as she got in the truck and glassed her first Kudu she was hooked. She beat me and the PH to the truck everyday. She decided to hunt about day 5 and shot her first animal ever and nice Impala. Like others have said get her and even better set of bino's than you have and see if she wants to take pics of do a Journal? We also did a 4 day photo safari in Kruger Nat Park after the hunt. My thoughts on that are do the photo safari first, (We stayed at Jock Safari Lodge) then do your hunt. To Me my likes and recommendation would be Kudu, Bushbuck, warthog, and Impala. You could do the spiral horn 4some and add Nyala and Eland. Or some of the tiny 10. It is just and amazing experience from the time the truck leaves in the morning till the drinks and stories told around the camp fire after watch yet another wonderful sunset. We are headed back next year for Cape buff/maybe lion, my Sweet lady has Sable and Gemsbok on her plan and to sit around a fire back in Africa, Take your time and enjoy the planning of what is Africa to you Have a great time.

 

[Pheroze]

Thanks AZDave, you told a beautiful story. All the advice has really helped me to form an idea of what I would like to do. The funny thing is that I am already planning what I will do on my second trip and I have not even done my first trip yet!

 

[enysse]

Once you start planning you will have trips lined up a decade ahead! Africa has it all. The only thing that messes it up is dictators and anti-hunters.

 

[PeteG]

Pheroze,
My personal preference would include Roan/Sable (Roan more so than Sable) Eland, Sitatunga, Kudu and Buff (gotta be on the list )
One thing to note is that looking for the smalls can be fun as well, Duiker, Bushbuck, Reedbuck, Warthog, Bushpig, Klipspringer etc.

 

[joester]

You may wish to consider hunting spotted hyena. These critters really represent Africa for me, they are tough, adaptable, and ugly-beautiful animals. I've hunted Africa 5x, incl. cape buffalo, each & every day was exciting; however, calling in a pack of turf-defending hyenas was extra special. I don't enjoy hunting over bait, and calling , for me, is sooo exciting. Foxpro & others have hyena sounds chips. Best of luck to you!

 

[Frederik]

Pheroze, from the sounds of it you want to spend time on your feet in the bush there is no more cheaper fun to hunt an old blue eland bull late season in the Mopane bushveld in the northern parts of Limpopo. Hunt is the same as for buffalo drive round till you find tracks and start walking. Make that your no.1 goal and in 5-7 days of hunting you will bump into other specieshe you could shoot.

Beware this is not your normal hunt there will be days without spotting your game or shoot anything but the sounds smells and time around the fire will be the same.

 

[VanderLaan]

Pheroze,
I'm going to Limpopo, for a first African hunt this September, 9 days of hunting.
So just for a reference for you ---
Currently on my list is Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra, Impala, Blesbok, Wildebeest, & Warthog.
My current taxidermy plan is Euro mount the horns for all except the Impala and have a shoulder mount for the Impala.
Having all the hides tanned. I'm using Trophy Pro in RSA for the Dip & Pack, euro horn mount & tanning and they send out for the shoulder mounts. Using their price list this will be about a $4500 expense - this is way over my budget, so I will be cutting it back. I feel obligated to bring back something from each trophy for some reason.
Anyways - -
Good luck.
(Oh, I'm using my Savage 111, 30-06. Hoping to get Federal Premium Vital Shok TBT for ammo.)

PM sent.

 

[Huntin Africa]

As an African ....... I think for your first visit to Africa your list must include:
Kudu - the African Giant of plainsgame
Oryx - the African Knight of the desert
Springbok - the elegant trophy of the African plains
warthog - you cannot come for your first African hunt without shooting the African clown

 

[Cody Malone]

Congrats on the first step! Many memories will be made