Which species draws you back to Africa?

[Deepfork]

Hartman's Zebra is #1 because of my experience with them on my last trip. We pursued a small group for a couple of miles over rough hilly terrain. I got on the sticks twice and was literally a fraction of a second from my shot and they spooked. We moved on the next day to a area where they were not present.

After that the next two on my wish list are a Kudu and Nyala.

 

[Green Chile]

I can appreciate that zebra experience. It seems like when you're NOT looking for them, they are right there...but God help you if you need one for a leopard bait because you're going to wear out the truck and boot leather looking for them! It took me 10 days to find one last trip but we were in a drought too and zebra need water daily. I think most of them had left to get water. I also think the Hartman's are beautiful!

 

[TheGrayRider]

No single species draws me back to Africa. Over time, I fondly appreciate and remember the trips over more and more. I enjoy revisiting and remembering the people , the scenery, the sights, the smells, and the travel. The hunting is definitely fun and exciting but not the only draw. I cannot say that I have ever had a bad or miserable day on the Black Continent. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider.

 

[uplander01]

Hard to imagine a better way to spend a day than walking 8-10 miles with a big bore in your hand hunting Buffalo. Never hunted lion or elephant and probably never will, but can imagine it’s about the same.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Uplander, That is exactly what ruined me. I was primarily a bowhunter. And had killed my nemesis (Eland with a bow) on the last hunt.

So I then figured we would go after Livingstone Eland since I had time and a very mature bull had been seen.

I made the mistake of carrying my PH’s double in .500 NE


Just carrying that rifle, trailing Eland. Flipped a switch. And now I wanted to only hunt with his double instead of my recurve bow. Even though it weighed 10 additional pounds :>))) I thought custom recurves were expensive.

 

[Green Chile]

I cannot say that I have ever had a bad or miserable day on the Black Continent.

Now if only we could say that about the friggin airport hassles to get there!

 

[Green Chile]

Uplander, That is exactly what ruined me. I was primarily a bowhunter. And had killed my nemesis (Eland with a bow) on the last hunt.

So I then figured we would go after Livingstone Eland since I had time and a very mature bull had been seen.

I made the mistake of carrying my PH’s double in .500 NE


Just carrying that rifle, trailing Eland. Flipped a switch. And now I wanted to only hunt with his double instead of my recurve bow. Even though it weighed 10 additional pounds :>))) I thought custom recurves were expensive. View attachment 576814

Excuse me....eland with a recurve while tracking? Wow!!! Hats off to you! And yea, you kind of ruined it for yourself after that. What an accomplishment.

 

[Green Chile]

Hard to imagine a better way to spend a day than walking 8-10 miles with a big bore in your hand hunting Buffalo. Never hunted lion or elephant and probably never will, but can imagine it’s about the same.

I would say it's similar but just a little heavier feeling...more serious somehow. You've probably seen how the trackers body language changes around elephant that are close. It's real. I've heard similar things happen around lion.

 

[MontanaPat]

No plans yet. I just did two hunts in Zim the last two years, so I assume that's where I'll return for a bull Elephant. My dad has dementia, and is getting worse, so I've decided to put international hunting on hold for now. My mom is having a tough time taking care of him by herself.
Yes, some of those Elephant hunts are definitely eye watering! But, if you're going to take a really big one, it definitely won't be cheap.

Thoughts are with you, your dad and mom. I’ve been down that road with a dad with dementia and helping out my mom before he passed almost 20 years ago now, still think about him weekly. He taught me to hunt and gave me a love for all things wild. The hunting I do now is often thinking of him and the hunts he wanted to do but never got the chance. He always wanted a big bull elk. The day I shot mine was a special moment.

Hope things go well for you and your dad and you get the chance to go back to Africa soon.

 

[MontanaPat]

No single species draws me back to Africa. Over time, I fondly appreciate and remember the trips over more and more. I enjoy revisiting and remembering the people , the scenery, the sights, the smells, and the travel. The hunting is definitely fun and exciting but not the only draw. I cannot say that I have ever had a bad or miserable day on the Black Continent. Happy hunting, TheGrayRider.

You nailed my feeling exactly!

 

[Altitude sickness]

Green Chile, I shot the eland bull over water with the recurve. Then tracked the Livingstone with the DR

 

[CoElkHunter]

Kudu! I've only taken one and it is my one shoulder mount. Every time I look at it, I want to hunt one again. Maybe to me, it's like the "ghost" Wapiti I've chased here for years. Almost haunting.

 

[Rare Breed]

There are no wrong answers of course and buffalo are fantastic but…elephant are another level. You can feel it in the trackers and the PHs…it’s a heavier feeling…more intense. I love it.

agree on elephant…this year i could really sense the difference in my PH when we hunted elephant…much more dangerous particularly in what they call Jurassic Park in The Omay

 

[Rare Breed]

Buffalo and Elephant. Bull Elephant is on top of my list for upcoming hunts.

You and me both…going in April starting the weekend after my birthday for a trophy bull elephant with Tokoloshe Safaris!!!

 

[Longwalker]

Buffalo, Eland, Kudu, in approximately that order. But I have yet to successfully hunt bushbuck, or Bushpig, and a bunch of plains game have eluded me so I'm also interested in my first hartebeest or waterbuck, black wildebeest and mountain zebra, etc. ...

 

[mdwest]

The Homo sapiens are the species that bring me back for the most part.

Don’t get me wrong.. I love a good buffalo hunt as much as the next guy..

But the wonderful people I’ve interacted with over the years are the big draw for me these days..

I’ve made numerous friends that feel more like family that I genuinely love spending time with each year…

The excellent hunting is a bonus…

 

[375Fox]

Im a little torn, I think I relate to the "next place, next species", but also think I might have a hard time justifying the trip unless I tracked some sort of DG. I would love a scrum cap and seen a few (youtube) shows making it seem like Uganda had a high percentage. Why would that be?

I thought about starting a thread about how one might go about planning a trip with high odds of finding a scrum cap.

If you ever decide to look into this hunt you might want to talk with some references. I’ve never heard anyone unhappy with Uganda but I’ve had several hunters say they thought the hunting was too easy. A scrum cap might not have the same value as a place like Zimbabwe. Reading the description of karamoja and watching those videos, I’m not sure it has a higher scrum cap ratio than anywhere else, but large numbers of buffalo that can be seen from truck and open areas to effectively glass the whole herd would add up to more scrum caps taken than in brush country.

 

[Green Chile]

I've watched a number of videos of buffalo hunting in Uganda under current conditions. I saw huge groups of buff in the open and a lot more shots on moving buff than I ever expected. If there were 4 hunters taking 2 buff each, it seemed like everyone had to shoot at least one of the buff moving along the edge of a group. I think those big groups get a lot of pressure over a season. I did see a lot of scrum caps in those videos but it just wasn't anything like a tracking hunt. It was more like Moz but without the high grass/cover.

 

[Rickmt]

The draw back to Africa for me is not one animal but the variety of game that you see while hunting . I’ve been 3 times and will go again in September. I enjoy hunting different areas and seeing new species.

 

[Green Chile]

The draw back to Africa for me is not one animal but the variety of game that you see while hunting . I’ve been 3 times and will go again in September. I enjoy hunting different areas and seeing new species.

What's your area and target list for Sept? Sept is getting hot but I'm going for end of Oct next year!