Can lions and leopards just walk right onto my tent. Will there be armed guards posted in the camp. Is this a area for concerns.

Heinz

THAT question brings back some memories.....

I hunted the SAVE in 05 at Arda Camp. My tent had a broken zipper so there was no way to close up the tent.....

First night a leopard walked down the river bank right by camp calling(coughing) as he went by. I wasn't sure what it was till next morning when my PH told me it was a leopard.

Now ya got to understand I grew up reading Corbett...you know, like MAN EATING LEOPARDS KILLING FOLKS WHILE THEY SLEPT!!!! PH said the African leopards "USUALLY" didn't turn maneater.

That made me feel a LOT better...not!!!

Dang leopard walked by camp every few nights...and I slept with my .375 under the covers with me. And my dang wife snored loudly, sounding like the leopard. Can you say "call the leopard"????

Funny now, wasn't so funny then.

troy

I advise sleeping with a loaded rifle next to the bed while in the bush. Better safe than sorry.

I have never seen armed guards anywhere near any camp I've been. You are your own armed guard.

I had a PH tell me he preferred to keep an open tent when in a dangerous game area. His reason was he had the best lion alarm available....his wife. He enjoyed the roar of the lions way too much.

I woke up one night as something had rubbed against my tent. When I looked out the open screen I could not see anything because a single tusked bull elephant was standing next to the tent pulling up palm shoots.

Defense? Be very quiet

If you don't have a gun, at least have a big stick.

It is called a gun.

I always load my big bore double when in the tent.

I have also had a big bore revolver in the bed with me.

I have stayed in one camp on 2 different Safaris where I only had half a door.

In the Save I have had elephants eating from the tree that was one food from my tent.

When in bear country in the USA I wear a big bore revolver on a belt in a holster in my sleeping bag.

I keep a handgun, and a long gun near me when sleeping in the civilized world as well.


I do this EVERY NIGHT, no matter where I am.
It is called being prepared.

I sleep quite well.

I have heard lions will not bite thorough mosquito netting. Would a mosquito net shirt be a good idea? Would it work against hyena?

Do you see the defense in this photo?



It's there. In 1998 Bordeaux Superieure .416 Remington Magnum Cabernet Sauvignon caliber.

Eine kleine drinken fer die wilde bestchen zer viedersehn, AJ!

As it should be.

carry a portable CD player with mini speakers. play heavy metal music at full volume all night. Lions and other predators can't stand head banging music, it makes them nervous and timid.
LDK

quote:

Originally posted by Stubby:
I have heard lions will not bite thorough mosquito netting. Would a mosquito net shirt be a good idea? Would it work against hyena?

looks like Saeed didn't catch all the trolls!

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by Stubby:
I have heard lions will not bite thorough mosquito netting. Would a mosquito net shirt be a good idea? Would it work against hyena?

looks like Saeed didn't catch all the trolls!

I never would have guessed that Michelle Obama was a troll!

Brett

I have had lions outside my tent several times. Relax and enjoy the ambience.

quote:

Originally posted by Alpinejaeger:
Can lions and leopards just walk right onto my tent.

Yes

Will there be armed guards posted in the camp.

Not likely, They are hidding in their huts.


Is this a area for concerns.

Yes, but only If you are concerned.

Heinz

Having a rifle next to the bed is not much help but its better than a Mamba next to the bed .

Mana pools in Zim I had a hyena stick his muzzle through the open bit of the tent flap (the bit where the 3 zippers are meant to join together, but never quite do if the tent's a bit crap)
I wasn't armed, was very tired and threw a tin or something at it and went to sleep. In hindsight should have taken it more seriously, but first time in Africa.
I'd definitely have your rifle with you - close. You take responsibility for your own safety...

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
I have stayed in one camp on 2 different Safaris where I only had half a door.

What about Buzz Charlton's Tiger Odyssey fishing camp in Dande where the chalets literally have 1/2 walls and no door whatsoever. In the middle of the night my wife and I heard the "ting ting ting" of something messing with our iron coat rack. It was only an African Wild Cat but there were lion tracks on the road into the camp. That gets the blood pumping at 1am I can tell you that!

In Binga last year the stone huts had only half walls, no door and there was an armed guard on the porch all night, but he was there to protect against 2 legged wonderers. the only game I saw at night was a Hippo about 25 ft from the porch. I could hear them in the river and lake.

In Namabia Vaughan Fulton told me to keep the tent zipped up because of snakes, I listened!

i've had all sorts of critters come into camps at night, but they just are passing through, except for may that grysbock in one camp, and he was a real danger. only time i[ve had guards was many moons ago when rhodesia was about to become zim. but that was sure different times

The big stuff doesn't worry me at all, if anything I'd be worried about a snake in the tent, spider in the boots, etc. Use common sense & you'll be fine.

quote:

Originally posted by Stubby:
I have heard lions will not bite thorough mosquito netting. Would a mosquito net shirt be a good idea? Would it work against hyena?

I think in your case a good dose of BAD GAS might be the best defense...

I'm just sayin...

Now I will wait for the PC police to knock on my computer monitor...

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by Stubby:
I have heard lions will not bite thorough mosquito netting. Would a mosquito net shirt be a good idea? Would it work against hyena?

I think in your case a good dose of BAD GAS might be the best defense...

I'm just sayin...

Now I will wait for the PC police to knock on my computer monitor...

LMAO

Jaeger,

Many on this forum are much more experienced than I, but having hunted from a tented camp on several occasions in Tanzania and Zambia I have never felt threatened. Common sense dictates that you keep a loaded firearm in your tent at night and if you have a real phobia of snakes go during June, July, or August.( coldest months) The only hot weather safari I've been on, Tanzania in oct., We saw many snakes. Just watch where you put your feet and do what your PH says and you will have the time of your life.

Cheers, Adrian

I have had leopards, lions, elephants and hyenas all in camp at sometime or another. Best story was when the trackers stashed some meat in a tree above their tent. A leopard jumped in the tree and knocked the meat down on the tent. Cat and people running like hell and making lots of noise. Fortunately no one was hurt. The PH absolutely chewed out the trackers and gave them some "extra" duty for their stupidity. We never did get that cat back even though we baited near camp.

One night I had a discussion with a tracker about leopard. He told me that if a leopard came in it would be best for me to lay down and act as if I were dead and the leopard would not bother me. I figured this was actually his escape plan that while the leopard was chewing on me the tracker could run away.

The PH will spread a special powder around the tent so dangerous bugs and snakes will not cross it.

I think for a minute my wife almost belived he was telling the truth.

We have had snakes on the tent, leopards out front, elephants at night waterbuck, buff etc.

No problems so far, guns are always loaded.

The only thing I almost ever shot was the biggest spider I ever saw. It would not get off of my toothpaste no matter what I did.

BigB

In a North Mahenge, Tanzania, camp in 2006 we had hyena in camp several nights and lion too. The lion came in once about dinner time ... a safety guy in a tree stand spotted him and yelled "Simba!" Cause the PH to run for his gun.

The other evening I heard them some yards away ... and zipped up the tent windows almost to the top. Loaded the CZ 416 Rigby and waited. One lion came so close that I could hear it breathe. Was a VERY nervous night for me.

Upon getting home my wife ask me how it had gone, and very seriously I told her that I had to admit that I'd "slept" with a foreign lady while there. She gave me a very odd look which changed to a smile when I went on to explain that "Miss Rigby" had a problem and was "loaded" most of the time.

The rifle has been called "Eleanor" every since.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by Stubby:
I have heard lions will not bite thorough mosquito netting. Would a mosquito net shirt be a good idea? Would it work against hyena?

looks like Saeed didn't catch all the trolls!

+1

If there is a permanent camp, it is easy to take some PVC pipe and make a perimeter around the tent and then attach a "hot wire" on top of it with fence post insulators about a inch above the PVC. Use a solar panel to keep the system charged and just turn it on at night. It will keep the snakes out and anything else that step on it will let you know.
We use this system effectively in power substations in west Texas. It is very inexpensive for a PH to install.

A bit of a humorous story...

After our 10-day hunt on the Eastern Cape, my partner and I rented a car in Jo'burg and drove to a lodge outside of Kruger to spend a few days, mainly to take wildlife photos in the park.

On the way to the lodge, we got a bit turned around and almost wound up in Zimbabwe, but that's another story. Anyway, as a result, we didn't arrive at the lodge until about 10 pm. Because the main gate of the protective fence around the place was already closed and locked, we had to call from the main entrance at the road 5 miles away so someone would be there to let us in, which we did.

So the guy tells us where our chalet is and shows us where to park. Then he leaves. After entering the chalet to check out the layout, etc. we decide to unload our gear from the Toyota.

I turned on the outside light and opened the screen door. As I took the first step to go out, I spotted a moving shadow to my right near the corner of the chalet. A second later, a cheetah walks into the lighted area, and Tony -- now yelling for his partner -- quickly closed the door and retreated into the screened-in porch.

A few minutes later, the spotted cat moved off into the darkness, never to be seen again that night.

Naturally, at breakfast the next morning, I mentioned the encounter to our host who quickly informed me that the "wildcat's" name was Savannah, the camp pet. She said if I had left the door open, Savannah would likely have entered, climbed on a bed and went to sleep.

Over the course of the next few days, everyone at the lodge got to meet Savannah up close and personal as she often stretched out on a couch or chair in the main dinning room while meals were going on. I posted a photo of me with her on a couch in the cheetah thread in this section.

Guys,

I don't know if the original question is legitimate or not but I find the animal antics at night as a wonderful part of the safari "ambience" as BigBore Core said. Personally I love it all and knowing that leopard, ele, hippo, hyena etc are just outside makes it all the better. Now sleeping in a mashan on a lion bait really lets you know you are alive. Good stuff!

Mark

In Cherowe North one night we had elephant come to the outer ring of the camp fire light. In addition to being revealed by the fire light, they were silhouetted by the moon. It was a beautiful sight right out of the movies. As a couple of us got up from our chairs to have a better look a leopard flushed from a small clump of bush not more than 10 meters from the fire ring.

Here at home we have a number of black bears. One in particular, a big sow we call "Oprah" was up on my deck sniffing the grill again this morning.

TWL,

I owned a resort at the north end of Vallecito in the 1970s. Every spring we had at least one bear visit nearly every night to open the lid and feast in our dumpster.

When our cabin rentals were ready to kick off -- usually around Memorial Day -- I usually had area the wildlife manager come out and set a culvert trap because I didn't want any confrontations between guests and bear to occur. We would then take the bear to a more secluded area for release.

Tony:
I'm down the road about 2 miles below Lemon Lake. Bears everywhere along the Florida River. I use bean bag shotgun rounds on them. Eventually we'll have to do something about "Oprah" however. I've shot her 5 or 6 times and she keeps coming back.
Best.....Tom

Mate -
That why we stay in bush camps, to enjoy the bush and its inhabitants, stop worrying about HIV mozzies and toothy critters. You are statistically more likley to get hurt on the Autobahn than in the hunting camp.

I am sure Coenraad Vermaak can do a hunt in Pilanesberg (great game) for you where you can stay at the Lost City Resort and watch cabaret girls, thereby avoiding the wildlife in camp.
I know the old Kagama Wildlife had a client stay at lost City and they pick him up every morning to go hunting....why one would do that I have no idea....

TWL,

I imagine the old fire areas have been providing some good spring grasses for the teddies.

My 44-yr.old son, who lives in TX, rented a cabin at Durango Resort across from Pine River Lodge for the first full week in July. My wife and I will be coming up for a couple days, arriving on the 6th and departing on the 9th.

Scott is hauling a boat so we can chase some pike.

Do you live there year round?

Roger that. I'll PM you so we don't hijack this tread entirely.

10-4

I'm following with interest all the query put by Alpinejaeger. I think that some question suprise me because naïve, more over if it is done by a German, but I wish to put to Alpinejaeger a question: do you already booked the hunt or are you looking for the maximum number of informations?

In the first case I suspect that you choosed and booked a safari with tented camp. You already had a lot of info I saw. I slept in two touristic tented camps, one ina zone with desert elephants but nothing happened. Except that I slept very well.
This year I'll be in Namibia again, not for hunting but to visit the best natural areas like Madenge, Kaudom etc etc. The group will sleep in tents on the roof of the car. I'll have with me only my Puma White Hunter. But I think that it will sleep quietly like me

In the second case, instead, you are however in time to plan witha an organizator/outfitter/PH based in a farm, where you will be proteceted by walls.

The African nights are magical and mysterious and all part of the experience. Number one rule is to stay in your tent and you will be fine. Have had leopard sleep on the front porch of the tent, had lions on the porch, elephants drinking water from the back of the tent, hippos brushing up the side of the tent, lions sleeping by camp fire and so on. Fly camping is even better when you do not have the security of a big tent! The animals will not bother you in your tent. I am not sure though about some of the stories above with tents that do not zip shut, as that would be a little nerve racking, not because of animals though, but snakes.

I do have to state that I am not excited about having clients in camp with loaded guns. It is not safe to have any loaded gun in camp and that could prove to be more dangerous than any animal in camp. I do not think that there should be any loaded guns (bullet in chamber) in camp. Having a gun beside the bed with bullets in the magazine is fine in MHO. I had a client in the Selous one time who loaded his gun when he got inside his tent for the same above stories. In the middle of the night BANG. I go running over to his tent to see what had happened thinking he was being mauled and he had gone to sleep with his rifle loaded and when he sat up in bed to go to the toilet he pulled the trigger. That bullet could have hit his friend in the next tent, could have hit the PH tents or the staff quarters. Lucky only damage done this time was the clients pride and hole through the tent. So, be safe out there and do not sleep with loaded guns and do not have loaded guns in camp. It only takes a second to put a round in the chamber if really needed.