Doubleplay
AH elite
I'll be honest, I don't like writing hunting reports, I guess I'm too lazy.
But after being a member here for a while and reading so many, I felt like I should contribute and along the way hopefully help members who are planning similar hunts or trips.
This will be part about hunting and part about travel and because it will be long, I'll tell it in parts.
Some pics will be posted but it will not be pic heavy and mostly about story telling.
I'm no expert by any means but I made multiple trips to Africa since 1992 and I might also include some opinions on top of facts and some insights and I might omit some names or don't mention.
Also please excuse the grammar mistakes, like I said I'm lazy, not a good writer and "We" means wife and I.
Here we go..
Planning for this trip started a while back, actually right after we returned from Africa on August 2023 when we visited and hunted with family in Limpopo.
I'll tell more about the family living in Pretoria but for now let's look at the planning of the 2024 trip.
We had bunch of American airlines points and started looking at options of using them for the inbound flight to Johannesburg.
After some research and because we were very flexible with dates I was able to find a one way JFK-DOHA-JNB for 65000 points + $60 each business class for late June with Qatar Airlines and I jumped on it. This was around December 2023.
Qatar Airlines is a One World partner and that allows you to use American points with them.
Since we flew with them before trough Doha, we knew what to expect and how it'll work.
After securing the tickets, I started planning the hunting part. I know most people do this in the reverse order but like I said I was very flexible with dates.
Second day at the SCI Nashville a friend of my son who's also owner of a game farm in Limpopo where we hunted before introduced me to Pete Fick.
Pete was a friend of his father took him hunting when he was a teenager.
For those of you who don't know Pete he's a well know and very respected PH in Zimbabwe and also the author of book called "Cut to the Chase" and board member of Zimbabwe PH association. His nick name is "Gazi" among trackers meaning blood!
He operates Mazunga Safaris and his main operation takes place in Bubye Valley Conservancy in Southern Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately he was sold out in July and August but he told me he's waiting to hear back from a client who had a buffalo hunt booked for beginning July and he'll get back to me next day.
Well, he got back and we had a seven day buffalo hunt booked for beginning 1st of July, 2014.
To be continued...
But after being a member here for a while and reading so many, I felt like I should contribute and along the way hopefully help members who are planning similar hunts or trips.
This will be part about hunting and part about travel and because it will be long, I'll tell it in parts.
Some pics will be posted but it will not be pic heavy and mostly about story telling.
I'm no expert by any means but I made multiple trips to Africa since 1992 and I might also include some opinions on top of facts and some insights and I might omit some names or don't mention.
Also please excuse the grammar mistakes, like I said I'm lazy, not a good writer and "We" means wife and I.
Here we go..
Planning for this trip started a while back, actually right after we returned from Africa on August 2023 when we visited and hunted with family in Limpopo.
I'll tell more about the family living in Pretoria but for now let's look at the planning of the 2024 trip.
We had bunch of American airlines points and started looking at options of using them for the inbound flight to Johannesburg.
After some research and because we were very flexible with dates I was able to find a one way JFK-DOHA-JNB for 65000 points + $60 each business class for late June with Qatar Airlines and I jumped on it. This was around December 2023.
Qatar Airlines is a One World partner and that allows you to use American points with them.
Since we flew with them before trough Doha, we knew what to expect and how it'll work.
After securing the tickets, I started planning the hunting part. I know most people do this in the reverse order but like I said I was very flexible with dates.
Second day at the SCI Nashville a friend of my son who's also owner of a game farm in Limpopo where we hunted before introduced me to Pete Fick.
Pete was a friend of his father took him hunting when he was a teenager.
For those of you who don't know Pete he's a well know and very respected PH in Zimbabwe and also the author of book called "Cut to the Chase" and board member of Zimbabwe PH association. His nick name is "Gazi" among trackers meaning blood!
He operates Mazunga Safaris and his main operation takes place in Bubye Valley Conservancy in Southern Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately he was sold out in July and August but he told me he's waiting to hear back from a client who had a buffalo hunt booked for beginning July and he'll get back to me next day.
Well, he got back and we had a seven day buffalo hunt booked for beginning 1st of July, 2014.
To be continued...