Agreed.

Impressive to go on record in a public forum. I for one salute you!

I don't think that very many people who have hunted with Vaughan, and know him, are surprised by his reaction to this tea-pot sized tempest.

He is certainly one of the most stand-up people I know.

And we will be back hunting with him next year!

I am one of the hunters that does not have his trophies from last year. Vaughan is one of my closest friends and we talked a few days ago about this trophy situation. I told him that I knew some things were not under his control but in the end the owner is where the buck stops. He accepted full responsibility and told me he had reorganized the entire process.

I am glad he posted and not hid like some would have done.

I will be glad to get my trophies so that Kaitlyn, my little girl, will stop asking when the giraffe is going to get here!!!

Mike

Hell, Vaughan, I mount a brilliant pro bono defense and you plead guilty!

Get yourself another lawyer.

All kidding aside, I am not in the least surprised by this very honest and honorable response to a problem that was, to a considerable extent, beyond your control.

Now, you have seven months to get my trophies here or I will flame you before man and God.

Vaughan,

As a hunting outfitter myself I know that, despite your best efforts at getting a smoothly running show, there is a Murphy out there! So things can and do go wrong. The way you handle the situation is what I judge. On this one you came out with high marks.

Andrew McLaren

Well my trophies from a hunt in RSA last year just made it into the USA. Not sure when they'll make it here, but things are looking up. Now I just hope that we get the right trophies.

All,

I have never hunted with Vaughan but would certainly like to given the lion that a client of his took recently! I also appreciate the fact that he came onto this public forum and made a generous offer hoping to "make good" for a situation that appears to have been largely, though likely not entirely, out of his control.

That said, and as unfair as it may seem, the buck ALWAYS stops with the PH. It is his reputation on the line when it comes to issues like this. I doubt Vaughan would assert that the situation has been handled perfectly, but he was kind enough to try to make things right. Unfortunately, offering discounted future hunts is a truly kind offer and may be the only thing Vaughan can do but it doesn't put the original trophies on the walls in the US any quicker. I understand Mark's frustration and have hunted with him in the past. Let me tell all of you, and I think Vaughan would agree wth me, that he is certainly NOT the type of guy to make complaints just for the sake of hearing himself talk. He is generally flexible and content to enjoy the company around a good campfire...game or no game. Quite honestly, I hope to hunt with Mark again as much as I hope to shoot a big 'ol lion with Vaughan. Can we all kiss and make up now?

Best,

JohnTheGreek

.

I think most of you who "know" me would agree I'm normally a pretty nice, easygoing guy and don't look for problems or pissing contest. I've tried to avoid this subject because on one hand I'd like to forget it and move on. But on the other hand, at the risk of looking like the biggest ass in town, I want to speak my mind on this subject on last time. I don't buy "this is Africa" and that�s suppose to make everything all better. With 12 months in year, of which I'm now told for 3 months the trophies were in quarantine, why has it taken 9 months to get the trophies to the shipper? In short its been almost 13 months now and still no trophies, not even a phone call or e-mail from the shipper, and I'm very disappointed in the way this has been handled. Vaughan knows that on our income we had to work and save for 2 years to make this trip happen, it was to be our "trip of a life time", now it feels somewhat cheapened. I just can't help but feel this was not handled very professionally. But hey, I'm a big guy, I'll get over it and in time move on. There is still a lot of the world I'd like to see and hunt.

Vaughn: I think you have handled this in a very good manner, and if I hunt Namibia in the future, I'll be contacting you. I've had some problems getting trophies back from RSA, and I certainly have not had a reaction like this. I've been with the largest, and i've been with the smaller outfits and much prefer the hunt with a smaller outfit.

Having just read this thread from beginning to end, it's nice to see all the defenders come out in favor of this guy but the bottom line is, HE is responsible for getting Mark's trophies to him. "It's out of his hands now" doesn't cut it. He needs to stop hunting, go to the proper authorites and FINISH THE JOB. Offering to sell you more hunts at a lower price can't possibly replace the experience Mark had and without them he will probably remember the down side of the hunt more than the up side, no matter how good it was.

Personally, I would not spend one penny with this guy again until I received my trophies. No matter how great a guy he is or how successful a PH he is, he simply didn't get the job done here. If someone was complaining about my business on an international forum I would do everything in my power to rectify the situation. IMHO asking someone to spend more money with me (even at "half price") is a poor response. The excuses seem pretty lame from this side of the table. The client wants RESULTS, not half off specials.

DC300

No good deed goes unpunished.

For the record I�ve talked to Wendell a few times but have never booked a hunt with him.


Wendell, I�m not sure why you wanted to stir the pot with that last statement but I do have a few questions.
When problems between your clients and the PH, who is your friend, arise do you always go to such great lengths to protect the reputation of the PH? Is this the �service� clients get?

An old and true proverb: "No good deed goes unpunished."



But the best among us do them anyway--in spite of the punishment, which in this case has turned quite public.



I understand mark65x55's frustration. In the best of circumstances, it takes a long time to get one's trophies. And these circumstances were not the best.



As for other critics, I'm sure Vaughan realized he was opening himself up to cheap shots when he posted his response.



But he has nonetheless publicly apologized, explained himself without blaming others and made a very generous offer to make amends to those affected.



That is more than many others in his position would ever do and more than enough for me.



Let's not forget that hunting is about far more than trophies. Sure, I like mine, but they could all vanish tomorrow and I wouldn't shed any tears. I'd still have my memories of the experiences I had while hunting them, and those are far more important.



Hunting is about the pursuit of game, walking, wading and climbing in wild places, and being an ethical and careful conservator of wild creatures. All my trophies do is stimulate my memory of these things, and it's the memories that I cherish, not the trophies.



And African hunting, in particular, is about even more. Since a PH is a necessity, African hunting is about collaboration and companionship with your PH. In the best of circumstances, your PH will be someone you like and whose company you enjoy--someone, who by his words and deeds, proves himself to be a person who is a skilled hunter, and also worthy of admiration and respect on a personal level.



For my wife and I, Vaughan has proven himself to be all of these things, and hunting with him was a terrific experience, and will be in the future, too, God willing.



But some would now jump on him and run him down because he isn't perfect--and worse, because he admits it publicly, apologizes for it and offers ample recompense to all affected parties. In my estimation, the replies to Vaughan's post, both favorable and unfavorable, say far more about the ones replying than they do about Vaughan.



Oh, I almost forgot: Vaughan, you now have six months and twenty nine days to get my trophies here before I flame you before man and God.



Edited: I was writing this while the above posts were being made. Wendell: Another old proverb, take your choice: Either "Great minds think alike." or "Fools seldom differ."

Mark, you have every right to be upset. It's high time outfitters put as much effort into the assurance of prompt delivery of trophies as they do the more immediate facets of hunt organization. NAPHA and it's counterparts, elsewhere, need apply pressure where needed, achieving results more in line with the expectations of the client. Following a particular hunt in Namibia, I was billed for substantially more than quoted for both the taxidermy and air freight. By the time my PH got done with them I paid less! Point is, it's in the best long-term interest of all parties to do a better job of it, rather than washing their hands of the matter after dropping off the trophies.

Nothing personal ... only general.

I agree, I should know better also.

I was never worried, the first time I hunted Zimbabwe, it took a year to get the trophies....It let me save up for the taxidermy bill.....I'll be coming back..