African Plains Game
03-30-2003, 09:02 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Western Nebraska
Posts: 3,393
RE: African Plains Game
you' ll need a passport, you' ll need some immunizations ( not required) and you need some info for tipping....there' s a lot of info available but the best tyhing is to ask your outfitter for advice.
For Plains game you want a .30-06 or larger and you are limited to 11 pounds of ammo and three guns. You must register the guns you are taking out of the country to allow them back after you return. See your local cusoms agent for details.
For Plains game you want a .30-06 or larger and you are limited to 11 pounds of ammo and three guns. You must register the guns you are taking out of the country to allow them back after you return. See your local cusoms agent for details.
03-31-2003, 06:40 AM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location:
Posts: 317
RE: African Plains Game
Funny you should ask this question. My wife and I just returned from a 14 day safari in South Africa, so this is all fresh in my mind. I would be happy to give you the benefit of my experiences, so here goes:
First of all, get ready for a great hunting experience. You don' t mention which outfitter you are using, but I assume you checked it out. Most will have more luxurious accomodations than you can imagine, and you can expect to see more game than you think possible.
Second, contact your family doctor to see what shots you need. If you are in a malaria zone, I would suggest that you tell your doctor you don' t want to take larium. It has some unpleasant side effects, not the least of which are wierd dreams. You will need shots for tetanus, typhoid, hepatitus, and perhaps a polio booster. Your doctor may recommend others depending upon the area you will be hunting. I hunted in the Limpopo River Valley and near Kruger (Northern Province)
Check out these websites for some helpful information:
http://www.safaribwana.com
http://users.lantic.net/ken/
http://goafrica.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/safrica.htm
Taking firearms into South Africa is not difficult, just time consuming. The South African police will check your firearms in and issue a permit. It is helpful to have the permit application filled out in advance. If you haven' t booked your flights yet, I suggest Gracy Travel Agency in Texas. They handled our flights and gave us a wealth of advance information as well as the gun forms for SA.
http://www.gracytravel.com/
Shawn Wescott was my agent, and she does a super job.
Check your health insurance to find out if you are covered while in South Africa.
If you would like more information, email me.
First of all, get ready for a great hunting experience. You don' t mention which outfitter you are using, but I assume you checked it out. Most will have more luxurious accomodations than you can imagine, and you can expect to see more game than you think possible.
Second, contact your family doctor to see what shots you need. If you are in a malaria zone, I would suggest that you tell your doctor you don' t want to take larium. It has some unpleasant side effects, not the least of which are wierd dreams. You will need shots for tetanus, typhoid, hepatitus, and perhaps a polio booster. Your doctor may recommend others depending upon the area you will be hunting. I hunted in the Limpopo River Valley and near Kruger (Northern Province)
Check out these websites for some helpful information:
http://www.safaribwana.com
http://users.lantic.net/ken/
http://goafrica.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/safrica.htm
Taking firearms into South Africa is not difficult, just time consuming. The South African police will check your firearms in and issue a permit. It is helpful to have the permit application filled out in advance. If you haven' t booked your flights yet, I suggest Gracy Travel Agency in Texas. They handled our flights and gave us a wealth of advance information as well as the gun forms for SA.
http://www.gracytravel.com/
Shawn Wescott was my agent, and she does a super job.
Check your health insurance to find out if you are covered while in South Africa.
If you would like more information, email me.
04-02-2003, 06:31 AM
#5
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location:
Posts: 317
RE: African Plains Game
Here is a picture to get you worked up on the subject. this is of part of a cape buffalo herd which numbered over 300 animals. My wife snapped this in Kruger National Park.
http://www.hunting-pictures.com/memb...alo%20Herd.jpg
http://www.hunting-pictures.com/memb...alo%20Herd.jpg
04-02-2003, 02:47 PM
#6
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 30
RE: African Plains Game
Thank you so much for the wealth of information. I' m sure I' ll contact you several times before August. We booked with bethaven safaris out of Port Elizabeth. Check them out at www.bethavensafaris.com Like you mentioned the accomodations looked wonderful. They are providing us with their luxuary suite (whirlpool tub, ect) as my fiance and I are using this trip for our honeymoon. Like your wife, mine does not mind days spent videotaping hunts for me. I had to promise her the zebra though, she wants it to hang in her office. Thanks for the websites especially the lantic and cdc both very informative.
As for flights, I booked through www.luxuaryhunts.com and they supply an airline wholesaler for tickets. We will fly from Pittsburgh to Atlanta to Cape Town, and he anticipated tickets at about $1600 per. How much were your dip and pack fees or are you having them mounted overthere?
Any items you did not think of taking that you would have?
Which animals did you hunt, and average shot distance on them?
I' m using a Browning Stalker in 7mm WSM and 165 grain Fail Safe bullets for everything, I don' t think I' ll be under gunned as the ballistics on that gun are pretty impressive.
Also thanks for the buffulo, but large kudu would get me more excited.
Included in my hunt is one each kudu, gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest, impala, blesbok, and warthog. I traded away the smaller antelope for the gemsbok.
As for flights, I booked through www.luxuaryhunts.com and they supply an airline wholesaler for tickets. We will fly from Pittsburgh to Atlanta to Cape Town, and he anticipated tickets at about $1600 per. How much were your dip and pack fees or are you having them mounted overthere?
Any items you did not think of taking that you would have?
Which animals did you hunt, and average shot distance on them?
I' m using a Browning Stalker in 7mm WSM and 165 grain Fail Safe bullets for everything, I don' t think I' ll be under gunned as the ballistics on that gun are pretty impressive.
Also thanks for the buffulo, but large kudu would get me more excited.
Included in my hunt is one each kudu, gemsbok, zebra, wildebeest, impala, blesbok, and warthog. I traded away the smaller antelope for the gemsbok.
04-03-2003, 07:37 AM
#7
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location:
Posts: 317
RE: African Plains Game
Ask, and ye shall receive. Here is the large kudu you requested.
http://www.hunting-pictures.com/memb...yhntr/Kudu.jpg
My plane tickets cost $1300 each round trip. You are wise to book through a travel agent. Many agents will reconfirm your flights 48 hours before take off, some will not. You need to be sure this is done.
We spoke with a taxidermist in South Africa, and before I left, I got an estimate from my local stuffer. My local taxidermist would have charged me quite a bit more than the going rate in RSA, so I am having my heads mounted over there. If you are interested in checking out a taxidermist, here is his information:
Kevin Cooper T/A Images of Africa
email: [email protected]
Dip, pack and crate would have cost me about $450 total for the 7 animals. Shipping home to my door would have been about another $1000 +/-. My total bill for mounting the 7 heads will be a bit less than $2800. Shipping of the heads to my door will be about another $1500 so the total bill will be about $4300. If you contact Kevin, please tell him George in Pennsylvania gave you the information. He is a member of SCI.
Actually, we took way more than we needed to take. You are going a bit later, so I would pack a sweater or sweatshirt for the mornings and evenings. We didn' t need one. Be certain your boots are broken in. Blisters make a hunt a miserable experience. My wife' s shoelaces broke on her boots, and we couldn' t find a set long enough. We should have checked them before packing. Your outfit will probably do laundry every day. When I go again, I will pack two changes of clothes, and that will be that. Do take a pair of knocking around shoes. Other than that, ask your outfitter. Bother him. He won' t mind.
Good optics are a must.
As to your 7mm WSM, you might find it a bit light for eland, but I think it will handle kudu OK. Don' t spare the expense on quality bullets though. My suggestion would be to take Federal Premiums with the 175 grain Trophy Bonded bullet. They are worth the difference in cost. You are spending thousands of dollars on this hunt. Don' t try to cheap on bullets and save $10 or so. It just doesn' t make sense. I used my .300 Weatherby for everything except the eland and the cape buffalo. My bullets were 200 grain Trophy bonded Federal Premiums and 200 grain Barnes X handloads. They worked perfectly.
You have a nice mix of animals. Your trip will be a blast. I would like to hear about it and see pictures when you return.
http://www.hunting-pictures.com/memb...yhntr/Kudu.jpg
My plane tickets cost $1300 each round trip. You are wise to book through a travel agent. Many agents will reconfirm your flights 48 hours before take off, some will not. You need to be sure this is done.
We spoke with a taxidermist in South Africa, and before I left, I got an estimate from my local stuffer. My local taxidermist would have charged me quite a bit more than the going rate in RSA, so I am having my heads mounted over there. If you are interested in checking out a taxidermist, here is his information:
Kevin Cooper T/A Images of Africa
email: [email protected]
Dip, pack and crate would have cost me about $450 total for the 7 animals. Shipping home to my door would have been about another $1000 +/-. My total bill for mounting the 7 heads will be a bit less than $2800. Shipping of the heads to my door will be about another $1500 so the total bill will be about $4300. If you contact Kevin, please tell him George in Pennsylvania gave you the information. He is a member of SCI.
Actually, we took way more than we needed to take. You are going a bit later, so I would pack a sweater or sweatshirt for the mornings and evenings. We didn' t need one. Be certain your boots are broken in. Blisters make a hunt a miserable experience. My wife' s shoelaces broke on her boots, and we couldn' t find a set long enough. We should have checked them before packing. Your outfit will probably do laundry every day. When I go again, I will pack two changes of clothes, and that will be that. Do take a pair of knocking around shoes. Other than that, ask your outfitter. Bother him. He won' t mind.
Good optics are a must.
As to your 7mm WSM, you might find it a bit light for eland, but I think it will handle kudu OK. Don' t spare the expense on quality bullets though. My suggestion would be to take Federal Premiums with the 175 grain Trophy Bonded bullet. They are worth the difference in cost. You are spending thousands of dollars on this hunt. Don' t try to cheap on bullets and save $10 or so. It just doesn' t make sense. I used my .300 Weatherby for everything except the eland and the cape buffalo. My bullets were 200 grain Trophy bonded Federal Premiums and 200 grain Barnes X handloads. They worked perfectly.
You have a nice mix of animals. Your trip will be a blast. I would like to hear about it and see pictures when you return.
