With all the dreary news, how about something cheery.

I just began rereading 'Horn of the Hunter.' It got me to thinking of my first night in Africa. It was Namibia. I was at a ranch house in the central part of the country. I had to find the southern cross. There was the smell of mopanee smoke, jackal calls, and bird sounds that I could not recognize. A soft warm breeze. A kudu barked. As I drifted off to a very restless sleep a cow was complaining that her calf was being weaned. I knew that sound.

Tell us about your first night.
Bfly

Tanzania, tented safari. sounds of elephant and hippo , strange new birds and a wart hog being killed by something in the night. Suddenly someone was at my tent door with coffe and it was time to go!Most expensive adventure of my life but I had more buyers remorse when i got my first i phone than that trip

I bet not many have had as exciting a first night in Africa as I have.

We arrived Rosslyn Safaris in Zimbabwe in the morning, had lunch, and went hunting in the afternoon after checking my rifles.

Shot a nice waterbuck, my first African animal.

Went back to camp, to the butchery.

Several people were there, and the main actors in this episode were Roy Vincent, my PH, Peter Johnston the owner of the camp, and the head butcher, sadly I cannot remember his name.

Roy's had a 22 pistol on his belt, he used this to finish animals off with.

The butcher was drunk.

Him and Roy did not like each other.

A screaming match started between them.

The butcher was quite a big man, and was telling Roy he would kick his ass if he did not carry a gun.,

Peter Johnston got involved, but the butcher would not shut up.

So Peter started slapping him across his face to stop him.

That did not work at first, so Peter continued to whack him, eventually we left the butchery in a bit of a state.

I was with my girl friend, who got absolutely scared of what she had seen.

We slept in a room that had a double door.

Only the bottom half closes!

I slept with my Ruger 25-06 with a full magazine in my bed!

Saeed, I can’t top that for drama. But I’ll try.

My first day in Africa was in a wonderful tented camp in old British tradition. Deep in the southern reaches of the Selous Game Reserve, which I trust we all know is in Tanzania. But this was the old and better Tanzania.

My first day, we arrived by charter plane mid-morning. I checked the zero on my rifles (all three of them!), and then we headed out into the bush in the green, “hunterized” Toyota.

By nightfall, I had shot an impala, a waterbuck and a Cape buffalo. The first two with my 7mm Rem. Mag., and the buff with my .458 Lott. My PH, a great old Portuguese professional hunter who had chased game all over Africa, and had hunted with grand dukes, princes and industrial magnates, allowed as how it had been a pretty good first day.

That night, a herd of elephants tramped through our camp. I understand that they made quite a racket, trumpeting and knocking down anything in their way. I heard later that our Maasai camp guards ran out, at risk of life and limb, shouted and shined flashlights at them, and finally drove them aside.

I learned all of this this the next day, from my dear wife, who had apparently been terrified.

She said that, when she had tried to awaken me, I had told her not to worry, that she was hearing things, that I was tired and that she should leave me alone.

I slept through the whole thing.

The sleep of a sainted angel.

My first night in Africa was in 2012. I flew from Chicago to Frankfort to Windhoek, with a long delay in Frankfort. After landing in Windhoek we still had a 6 hour drive north to Kamanjab. The drive was actually quite pleasant, as I got a chance to meet my PH, Jan du Plessis. When we arrived at camp, his wife Mariesje served what I thought was Filet Mignon, cooked over mopane coals, and with ice cold Tafel Lager to drink. Turns out it was Gemsbok backstraps. One of the finest meals I’ve ever had. Being exhausted after 2 days en route, I slept in until 8:00 AM. I was awakened by doves calling from a waterhole about 300 yards away. After breakfast, we zeroed my two rifles and headed to an elevated blind. At 11:00 AM I shot my first African animal, a 40” Gemsbok bull. I have to admit my eyes watered a bit, I was so happy. That was the first of five safaris with Jan.

Very drunk and jet lagged.

Was 2005, flew from Jerez, Spain to London Stansted, and then had to transfer to Gatwick to fly to Windhoek. I only had a backpack, so it was an easy transition through the city to get to the airport via the bus. Long bus ride, should have taken the train.

Got there in the morning at about 8 am, and there was no PH to be found at the airport. First problem. He eventually got there about 1 and half hours later. We were on time, but he claimed there was a ton of traffic in Windhoek. He was full of shit.

We hit the supermarket and bought some stuff and then headed to the Khomas Mountains. Stayed in a beautiful little rondoval camp near a lake. I can't remember the full details, but I wounded either an oryx or a red hartebeest the first day and we didn't look for it.

It went down hill from there, but I got to see a lot of Namibia; the Kalahari, the Khomas it was wonderful but the PH and I did not get a long at all.

Not hunting - 1983, Kenya.

Hired a Suzuki and headed into the bush with some candles, some tins of fruit, a big bottle of gin and absolutely no experience or knowledge.

It was a great trip - saw heaps of game (which there was then), got robbed in Tsavo, froze half to death halfway up Mt Kenya and just lived off our wits.

The first night we spent in Tsavo east at a government camp - lions killed a buff just outside and we were deafened by frogs.

Must have made an impression because we arrived in Dar es Salaam six years later with two small children and a couple of suitcases for a ten year stay.

Botswana late July to early August 2001.
First week was in Tuli Block before moving on to Okavango Delta.
Tuli Block is much like RSA where they share the banks of the Limpopo River, the "greasy green" little river.
First day was Blue Wildebeest at 150 yards with one shot from a .375 H&H, the poor man's cape buffalo.



First night was my first-day celebration campfire with Tusker beer and a PH who was a transplanted RSA Boer who had an orange plantation nearby.
A big, friendly fellow, Basie Riekert.
Bush Babies flitted about in the Iron Wood boughs overhead, their eyes glowing in the campfire light.
Night Jars warbled "Good Lord deliver us ..." over and over like the Whip-Poor-Wills of the opposite hemisphere.
And above, yes the Southern Cross instead of the Major Bear and Minor Bear.
The Milky Way glowed as I had never seen it before.
It was grand and I was grateful.

"Boss" Riekert:



Rip ...

Laying over in Joburg in the old Holiday Inn. Remember ordering a roast beef sandwich from room service and was surprised how tough the meat was.

I had forgot about the food.

My first African meal was lunch at the ranch house after we got in.

We had gemsbok tongue sandwiches.

I had never had tongue before. It needed salt, and something like pickles to balance it.

Rough sandwich, the food wasn't anything remarkable the rest of the week.

Except sheep ribs on the fire.

Also Namibia. July. We were in a tented camp. Cold night, big campfire. Windhoek Lager, just excellent all around.

EXCELLENT topic, this has got me thinking about the first night on all my safaris.

And the Gemsbok filet... in my mind it's one of the best cuts I've ever had!

My first night in camp was on the Zambezi in Chewore North. Shared a river front mopane fire with PH’sAndy Hunter Ian Gibson. My first safari and after leopard and buff. Elephants and hippos wandered into camp. Lions roared in the distance. The smells and sounds were indescribable. Addictive experience.

My first night...

I arrived late in Harare after my flights and I remember one of Mokore's appy PH's meeting me at the airport. It was well after dark.

I never had as white knuckled a ride as from the airport in to Barry and Bertie's house in Harare where I was put up in the guest house overnight until I could be flown out to Chewore the following morning. I did sleep the sleep of the dead for a while but was woken up by some rather noisy birds the following morning.

After wandering about for a while, we then went to the airport and flew out to Chewore South where I met up with my PH, Hilton Nichols.

That night in camp, I felt like I had came home. Strange sounds with hippos honking and monkeys chattering, but at peace.

The addiction began then.

The beginning of Horn of the hunter really kind of reminds me of an amalgamation of first nights in Africa. The closest was comparing it to my first hunt in Tanzania in Masailand.

My first night I was attached to my Mother's breast.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
My first night I was attached to my Mother's breast.

Poor sod!

You never recovered, did you?

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
My first night I was attached to my Mother's breast.

Poor sod!

You never recovered, did you?

Trouble is I cannot remember it

First night on safari was 26 years ago in Russ Broom's camp near Kariba. PH got roaring drunk with his out going clients and never rolled out until 8:30 AM saying "let go hunting" as he was blowing booze on me. I refused the offer and made it abundantly clear Sadie and I were going nowhere with him that day. Long story short we worked it out and we had a good safari with the PH staying cold sober throughout.

I learned a lesson here about going with the flow. I could have made a huge stink about this and got another PH in meaning we'd lose another day plus there would be hard feelings all around. As it turned out the next day we shot an elephant the first hour of my first hunting day on safari which was totally unexpected. That's another story unto itself. We also shot an ancient old dugga boy later on, the PH turned out to be very good at his job and most importantly I learned a lot about safari.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
First night on safari was 26 years ago in Russ Broom's camp near Kariba. PH got roaring drunk with his out going clients and never rolled out until 8:30 AM saying "let go hunting" as he was blowing booze on me. I refused the offer and made it abundantly clear Sadie and I were going nowhere with him that day. Long story short we worked it out and we had a good safari with the PH staying cold sober throughout.

I learned a lesson here about going with the flow. I could have made a huge stink about this and got another PH in meaning we'd lose another day plus there would be hard feelings all around. As it turned out the next day we shot an elephant the first hour of my first hunting day on safari which was totally unexpected. That's another story unto itself. We also shot an ancient old dugga boy later on, the PH turned out to be very good at his job and most importantly I learned a lot about safari.

Mark

Gavin?

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I bet not many have had as exciting a first night in Africa as I have.

We arrived Rosslyn Safaris in Zimbabwe in the morning, had lunch, and went hunting in the afternoon after checking my rifles.

Shot a nice waterbuck, my first African animal.

Went back to camp, to the butchery.

Several people were there, and the main actors in this episode were Roy Vincent, my PH, Peter Johnston the owner of the camp, and the head butcher, sadly I cannot remember his name.

Roy's had a 22 pistol on his belt, he used this to finish animals off with.

The butcher was drunk.

Him and Roy did not like each other.

A screaming match started between them.

The butcher was quite a big man, and was telling Roy he would kick his ass if he did not carry a gun.,

Peter Johnston got involved, but the butcher would not shut up.

So Peter started slapping him across his face to stop him.

That did not work at first, so Peter continued to whack him, eventually we left the butchery in a bit of a state.

I was with my girl friend, who got absolutely scared of what she had seen.

We slept in a room that had a double door.

Only the bottom half closes!

I slept with my Ruger 25-06 with a full magazine in my bed!

My second Africa trip was also with Rosslyn. We did not have any fights in the skinning shed. I did have a lot of drinks with Peter and Juliette on the deck overlooking the waterhole.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Laying over in Joburg in the old Holiday Inn. Remember ordering a roast beef sandwich from room service and was surprised how tough the meat was.

Your first night, was my last night on my first safari.
I was put up in the Okavango at a luxury greenie photo safari camp, and I shot my cape buffalo on my first day out, one-shot kill, .416 Rigby, 50 yards.
My PH there was an appy, Adam Young, the son of the owner of the Tuli Block "farm" where I had hunted previously for plains game.
We were somehow worked into the same Okavango area as Ronnie McFarlane was guiding the Match Book Toy heir and his wife on an elephant safari.
I left my .416 Rigby ammo with Ronnie when I left.

My appy PH liked to grab the tails of sluggish puff adders lying in the bakkie trails there.
We told and laughed about it in the greenie camp.
I got sent out early I think because the greenie-girlie guides not liking that.
So I had TWO NIGHTS in the Johannesburg Airport Holiday Inn on the way out.
I got so bored that I hoofed it into the center of Johannesburg the day before I flew out.
Most profound thing I saw was that the highway medians were burned instead of mowed.
The only nasty person I encountered was a white skinhead driving by who flipped the bird at me
as I strolled back to the airport after lunch in downtown Johannesburg.
I do not remember anything disagreeable about the meal in city center Johannesburg.
I do remember the airport restaurants being quite agreeable. I chewed the meat quite easily.

Rip ...