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One of my African PH friends passed this on to me tonight and it was backed by a booking agent here in the States. Evidently, Top Class Africa, operated by Dirk Terblanche, is ripping people off. I quote: "Very friendly 26 year old guy, but big trouble. Natal nature conservation told me Dirk Terblanche isnt even a regestired outfitter or PH! Be carefull for that guy. He gives all us outfitters bad names. Mike can back my story on this." Apparently, he has been collecting money for hunts from fellow PHs, clients and booking agents and has disappeared with everyones money. I do not know this person so I am only reporting this as a courtesy. I did gather info from a PH in RSA and a booking agent here in MT. Top Class Africa has a web site. Caveat Emptor! Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | ||
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Do booking agents in the U.S allow for a deal where all the daily rate plus expected trophy fees remain in an escrow account until the beginning of the hunt? For someone who saves money for a once in a lifetime safari, an event like this would be devastating. The price of knowledge is great but the price of ignorance is even greater. | |||
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Harris, some do, some don't. I offer this but some hunts require payment by a certain time before a hunt, some are OK with waiting until afterwards. Most require a deposit to book the hunt but there can be a big difference between companys. I know who I've been able to trust and they know me, however sometimes it's a matter of stocking camps for a hunter(s) and some funds are required. Then some outfits will allow clients I know personally to pay their bill after a hunt and I release their funds. LDK Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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WOW!! Is there any proof of this? Or, is it just "word around the campfire"? I would say that this is potentially the very definition of slander and libel. Poor form. | |||
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 Now that's a busy 15 days. Full Dangerous Game Package | $108, 000 15 Days For 2 Hippo Big Bull Elephant 50 pound + White Rhino Bull Lion Brown main Buffalo Hard Boss 35"+ spread Leopard ______________________ DRSS ______________________ Hunt Reports 2015 His & Her Leopards with Derek Littleton of Luwire Safaris - http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/2971090112 2015 Trophy Bull Elephant with CMS http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/1651069012 DIY Brooks Range Sheep Hunt 2013 - http://forums.accuratereloadin...901038191#9901038191 Zambia June/July 2012 with Andrew Baldry - Royal Kafue http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7971064771 Zambia Sept 2010- Muchinga Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4211096141 Namibia Sept 2010 - ARUB Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6781076141 | |||
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I wonder if the taxidermy is already done on them? SSR | |||
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Must be done already. They know the lion has a brown mane.  | |||
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"WOW!! Is there any proof of this? Or, is it just "word around the campfire"? I would say that this is potentially the very definition of slander and libel. Poor form." Brad, did you read all of my post? Did you understand what I said? "I do not know this person so I am only reporting this as a courtesy. I did gather info from a PH in RSA and a booking agent here in MT. Top Class Africa has a web site. Caveat Emptor!" As an AR member who stands constantly ready to jump on anyone and anything that doesn't seem to suit you, I'd have thought you'd be the first one here to be glad a scoundrel had been identified. You puzzle me...you really do. However, this person is being sought and investigated in numerous countries. How about I give you the contact information and you can call a booking agent here in the US who's been scalped by this individual? I'm more than happy to back up what I posted. Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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Then you should. | |||
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L. David, thanks for the post. I, for one, appreciate the heads up. Tom ...I say that hunters go into Paradise when they die, and live in this world more joyfully than any other men. -Edward, duke of York ". . . when a man has shot an elephant his life is full." ~John Alfred Jordan "The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero - 55 BC "The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities." - Ayn Rand Cogito ergo venor- KPete “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.” ― Adam Smith - “Wealth of Nations” | |||
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Thank you Tom, I appreciate it. I read a number of reports and comments on this guy and evidently he took off leaving a lot of clients/PHs in the dark...and with their money. Some have made restitution out of their own pocket and legal remedy is being sought. I've advised the PHs, clients (not mine, I never used this guy) and the agents to submit their own reports if they wish. My helpfulness here is over. Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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David, I have no say in what you post or do not post. This is however an open forum where we all are allowed to share our thoughts, I did just that. I did read your entire post and commented on it accordingly, I think the way it was posted appeared libelous and slanderous. You state yourself that you have no first hand knowledge of this person, yet you do not hesitate to levy some fairly hefty accusations on him. If you gathered info from someone who has firsthand knowledge of this situation, I would say they would be the ones to post it, please encourage them to join or post. As to me being "constantly ready to jump on anyone and anything that doesn't suit me", you obviously misinterpret my intentions in this post and others. And if you know someone in this situation who has actually been taken advantage of, why not get them to tell the story rather than gossiping about it, i assure you that will hold more weight and do more good with the silent majority here. As for me calling them, I am really not that concerned, I was just making an observation. Good Luck, Brad | |||
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Those involved directly are awaiting Admin approval to join. Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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Hi Guys, I am one of the guys directly involved with this case. First of all, thanks David for helping spread the word on Dirk. I am a booking agent here in the US for the past 11 years, before that I owned and operated a safari business in Southern Africa. I have had lots of outfitters that I have booked for over the years that have done well for my clients, but as in any business they retire, go out of business and in one case die. Anyway, last year I was contacted by Dirk Terblanche with a great deal to come hunt with him and eventually book hunts for him. I never book for a guy unless I either hunt or observe on a hunt first. Well as a gift to my step son for finishing HS with honors, I booked the trip to Kwa Zulu Natal for the 2 of us. Before doing so I checked his references, there weren't many as he is a younger guy, and contacted SCI. The references checked out, but SCI - South Africa never responded. I hunted in May 2010, shot great trophies and had a blast. I saw no reason not to go ahead and book for Dirk. Over the course of the following months I enquired about my trophies and when I would be invoiced from his taxidermist. Dirk told me that he was going to pay for the tanning and shipping as his gratitude for all of the help I was giving him. Well we booked quite a few guys for 2011 and did a few outdoors shows. A client who booked a hunt ran into someone from Dirk's home town who warned him to stay away from Dirk as he was not legit. I started looking into the allegations (poaching, fraud etc...) and learned from Kwa Zulu Natal Wildlife ( much like or DNR and DFW's) that Dirk was in fact not licensed as a PH or Outfitter and that all hunts booked , including mine, were illegal. The license number he used on my paperwork and the certificate in his lodge were revoked. I also learned that he dropped my trophies off at a local taxidermist but since he did not have the appropriate license he could not obtain an export permit. This ordeal has cost me thousands of dollars as I have had to pay deposits back and reroute hunts out of my own pocket. So if any of you run across Dirk Terblanche or Top Class Africa , please notify KZN Wildlife or the South Africa Police. | |||
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Sorry to hear about this. I hate it when the Industry gets a jackal like this lurking around.There are so many good outfits in SA that suffer because of a fool like this spreading insecurity in the industry. Dave Davenport Outfitters license HC22/2012EC Pro Hunters license PH74/2012EC www.leopardsvalley.co.za dave@leopardsvalley.co.za +27 42 24 61388 HUNT AFRICA WHILE YOU STILL CAN Follow us on FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/#!/leopardsvalley.safaris | |||
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Thanks for that report Mr. Willey and Welcome to the forum. Hope that information will satisfy some of the doubters. Even the rocks don't last forever. | |||
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Thanks for the heads up,, one of the main reasons I am on this site,,,L.David Keith's word was good enough for me but Mike just put the nail in the coffin for me, thanks, drwes you can make more money, you can not make more time | |||
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David, Certainly appreciate your looking out for the unsuspecting.... I would not give a second thought about the resident and online seat of the pants legal expert! | |||
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A word to the wise is sufficient! Thanks for the heads up David and welcome to AR Mike... I appreciate your candor in telling your story. On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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505.....any thoughts?  “The greatest happiness is to scatter your enemy before you, to see his cities reduced to ashes, hearing the old ones wail, to see those who love him shrouded in tears, and to gather into your bosom his wives and daughters, while riding his gelding.” Genghis Khan | |||
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There is 100% truth in all this. We have nearly been on his sharp end with a Hippo hunt, but caught him out due to some investigation into all his boasts and claims. At least 2 of my friends have been caught by him. They are bussy with now. The old saying of "when it sounds to good to be true, it ussualy is" Charl van Rooyen Owner Infinito Travel Group www.infinito-safaris.com charl@infinito-safaris.com Cell: +27 78 444 7661 Tel: +27 13 262 4077 Fax:+27 13 262 3845 Hereford Street 28A Groblersdal 0470 Limpopo R.S.A. "For the Infinite adventure" Plains Game Dangerous Game Bucket List Specialists Wing-Shooting In House Taxidermy Studio In House Dip and Pack Facility In House Shipping Service Non-Hunting Tours and Safaris Flight bookings "I promise every hunter visiting us our personal attention from the moment we meet you, until your trophies hang on your wall. Our all inclusive service chain means you work with one person (me) taking responsibility during the whole process. Affordable and reputable Hunting Safaris is our game! With a our all inclusive door to door service, who else do you want to have fun with?" South Africa Tanzania Uganda | |||
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What a  | |||
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David: I appreciate the candor of your message of warning. We had a local taxidermist here that did the same thing for a couple yrs. He got to me pretty heavy. The Colorado state legal dept nailed his ass pretty hard and got some particial refunds back. Nowhere near the full amount, and none of the skins or horns either of course. Re: Clay Shelly, Penrose Co. dba: Trails End Tsxidermy Sure helps to read the facts from one of the guys that was burnt to back up the initial claims too. Thank you sir and welcome to the board. Hopefully you'll stick around now that you're here. George "Gun Control is NOT about Guns' "It's about Control!!" Join the NRA today!" LM: NRA, DAV, George L. Dwight | |||
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Yes this guy is a crock and should be stopped now! before he is fooling more people!!  | |||
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Thanks for the heads up David. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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