I initially never had any interest in hunting an elephant (although I obviously never had anything against it), but after seeing them for the first time in the wild in Kenya in 1974… I immediately resolved to hunt one the next time I would be going on an African safari. Eventually, I succeeded in shooting a couple of magnificent bull tuskers over the years. And hopefully will be going after more in the long run.
I also used to be initially extremely dismissive of wing shooting in Africa. I used to think “What kind of tasteless fool goes travels all the way to the world’s most exotic big game hunting paradise for bird shooting ?” All that changed one day in that Kenyan safari camp of ‘74. Using my white hunter’s (Mr. Cheffings) 12 gauge 3” Magnum B.S.A side by side boxlock ejector and Eley Alphamax Magnum 42 gram #6 shells, I folded a good number of sand grouse and immediately found myself eating my own words. On another day, I went after guinea fowl. Soon, I realized that wing shooting in Africa is probably one of the most underrated hunting experiences in existence.