quote:

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.

I'm surprised that nobody has said this earlier..I suspect that in a lot of camps the client having a load weapon in camp would be frowned on and its important to you, you're best canvasing your PH's viewpoint before you book the hunt...

if the PH isn't goping to stand outside my door in camp, then I WILL have a loaded rifle tucked in with me.

Rich
Buff Killer

quote:

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.

That's pretty much my thought.

Brett

Alister Norton told me he was almost killed in the grass hut they have in Zambia. The elephant came crashing in and the roof came down on top of him.
The bed slats breaking saved his life. He did not wait to tell me after my hunt was over but the same morning we had a ele. in camp. I hate him for that

That said. As I am getting longer in the tooth.
I had a funny event. The hair on the outside of my ear had grown in camp. My grooming habits in camp are a little less than normal. When I would move my head on the pillow it sounded just like something running across my pillow. I HATE SPIDERS. It took a week for me to figure it out.
I would jump straight up in bed looking for that damn spider. Funny as hell now. Sleepless nights then.

In Lemco, my wife, ph and son were driving around and came across a black rhino. My wife says - "why don't you shoot it?". The PH says, "they are rare and protected here". She says, "are they dangerous?" He says, "yes, if you get too close".
She then proceeds to tell my son to roll up the landcruiser window to keep the beast out!

We all had a laugh over that one.

On one of my early safaris in Zim I stayed at an outfitters home and he raised lions. Must have had nearly 100 of them. I must admit I slept with a 375 loaded by my bed. I was asked if I wanted to get in a cage with one and pet it. I did get brave enough to pet a lioness thru the wire of the cage and let her lick my hand. The tongue feels just like a wood rasp and I can see where they could easily lick the skin off. I could not muster the courage to get in the cage but it was demonstrated to me it was done regularly. She had been hand raised from a cub, but they STILL scare me. Once later i was at another ranch and in the guest cabin when I awoke at dawn sensing something at the foot of the bed. I saw a beautiful Servel sitting on the foot of the bed just watching me. It was the pet of the owners wife and followed her around along with Jack Russel and a large Mongoose. You could pet the Mongoose and the Jack Russel but the Servel would sit on the arm of your chair but never let you touch her. Beautiful cat, I would have given anything to have owned her. They were run off their ranch and I have often wondered what happened to the Servel. So many bad things for such a wonderful country. I really miss it.

Personally, I don't want loaded rifles in camp. Have had hyenas walk through camp. Leopards right outside the tent, and hippos close by. Had a herd of wildebeest stampede through camp once, presumably chased by something I never saw. Haven't had lions or ele's in camp as some have. But I still wouldn't have a loaded rifle in my tent. If I felt nervous, I'd load it then.

Personally, I'd be more worried about snakes, spiders, scorpions, etc., although that's not a big worry. I did step on a scorpion in my tent in Namibia a few years back. Didn't miss any hunting days, but foot was kind of numb for a couple of days. A mamba or a cobra could have ruined my day. Not sure what a loaded .470 would have done to help that situation though.

That's Africa and presumably why you are there. Enjoy the night noises. Don't mind the animals, but I'd hate to get shot. Back to no loaded rifles in camp.

The first time elephants were standing outside my tent at night I was very nervous, especially after one of them starting making a growling noise and urinating (sounded like a water hose). I didn't know what to do and debated whether to sit still and possibly get squashed or load my .470 and slip away. I ended up doing the latter and in the dark and met up with 2 Masai warriors that were guarding the camp at night. They spoke no english but started animating the shooting of my gun, letting me know they wanted me to shoot at the elephants! Well, I knew that wasn't needed and soon the elephants trumpeted and ran away. I got a good ribbing from my PH the next day as he told me I was probably in much more danger from having left my tent, but I joked with him letting him know I had to defend the camp and that the results on no getting creamed proved my point.
Two nights later the elephants came back. This time, rather than being all together nervous, I just chilled in my bed and realized just how amazing it was that I was in Africa, elephants were just a few feet from my bed, and I was able to simply hold still and enjoy the marvel of it all. Listening to lions at night, hearing baboons signal an approaching leopard, and hearing elephants crush a nearby tree, are among the sounds that to me help create the symphony of an amazing trip.

Just enjoy the sounds of the night. I always keep a couple rounds in the magazine but not the chamber. If something tries to cuddle up with me for the night only then is there a problem. I dont make a good midnight snack. Then again we are all talking like we want to live forever. If it is my time so be it just dont expect me to go quietly into the night. I plan on being damn well noisy about.

I spent a few weeks in 1992 fly camping in Kenya's Aberdares and Norther Frontier districts. The place was awash with lion and the defences consisted of a guy keeping the fire going at night. The sounds from the game were unforgetable. That was before I read all the Capstick, Rouark, WDM Bell, Stigand etc etc. I don't think I'd make that trip again without some firepower to hand.

I'm not keen on loaded rifles in a permanant hunting camp, however... too many accidents waiting to happen with nervous amateurs.

A good trick is to sleep in the middle.
A bit like running the fastest.

Or better still, get hopelessly drunk and you wont care (note the box of empty's).

The second night in a grass lean-to camp on the Luangwa river, we kept hearing a lion roar about a mile away. I don't know if it was the same lion or another one, but just before turning in we heard a lion roar not more than a half mile from camp up river. Before I turned into my bed I heard one, (same one? maybe) not more than 50 yds behind my lean-to. My sleeping quarters was the last one at the end of the grass fence right on the bank of the river. Shortly after I went to bed, I heard something fairly large come around the end of the fince and walk on the slightly gravely sand. It walked up to the open front of my lean-to, and not more than 8 feet from the foot of my bed, and stopped. It was so close I could hear it breath. There was no moon, and you know how dark it is in the bush when there is no moon. My 375 H&H back up rifle had a loaded magazine, and was laying on the floor beside my bed. It was so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my eyes, so I reached down. and picked up the rifle and as slowly as I could slipped a round into the chamber, and pointed it at the sound of the breathing between my spread apart feet, and waited for something to happen.

In what seemed like a half hour, but was only a few seconds, I heard the animal turn and walk on accross toward the open gate out of camp till I couldn't hear it anymore. Needless to say I didn't sleep very well that night. In the morning, I was washing my face at the pan of hot water the camp staff had brought me, when the PH came out of his lean-to next door about 30 ft away. I called him over to look at the large tracks in the gravely sand at the front of my lean-to. It was evident the animal had stopped turned to face my bed, stood there, then turned and walked away. The PH looked at the tracks, and said you thought that was the lion we heard near the camp at bet time, didn't you. I answered in the afirmative, and he smiled, and said it was a very large hyena, not a lion,but you were in more danger from him than if it had been the lion. He explained the hyena will walk up to sleeping people, and smell their breath, and if you are breathing with your mouth open, and have bad breath,and move they bite your face off. Very comforting! The rifle was on my bed for the rest of that safari, with the magazine loaded,bolt open, and back, chamber empty.

It is amazing what you get used to. In the Okavango Delta last year we had good tents that closed pretty well. We had a lioness in camp the first night, she jumped off the skinning cage onto the tracker's bell tent!

The next night we found pug marks where she had sat outside the PH's tent looking in for who knows how long.

We heard hippos and elephants crashing and crunching all night and a lepopard was seen often 50 yards from camp.

The PH told me to sleep with my shotgun loaded with buckshot and shoot anything that poked its nose in. I was more worried aboiut the hippos and elephants - those ele put the sh**s up me more than anything else.

Way back someone said a case of BAD GAS would be good, damn I don't think so as they may mistake you for bait, eh. I have never thought about having a loaded weapon in my tent, hut or whatever.

quote:

Originally posted by jeff h:

I HATE SPIDERS.
I would jump straight up in bed looking for that damn spider.

How do you cope?
If I was facing an angry lion and spotted a tinny-littel spider, I'd probably scare the living bejeezus out of the PH by shooting the spider.
And I've understood they're not only large but plentiful in Africa.

quote:

Funny as hell now. Sleepless nights then.

Funny as a f**ing heart-attack.

jeff h

That was one funny ass story about the ear hair. Being that I just turned 60 I've found hair growing where I didn't know I had any 10 years ago.

Yeah! I just can't see having a round in the chamber. There is just too much chance of an AD. What if your dreaming about bandits and the AM "KNOCK KNOCK" scares the Hell out of you? You might put a round through tent flap. Yikes!

Mark

I've spent approximately 60 nights sleeping in tents out in the bush in Zim and Botswana. I've never had a problem, though we did have a pride of lions come into camp in Charara once. They ransacked the kitchen and then headed up the hill to the butchery, where we had a fresh buffalo hanging. It was quite an 'interesting' night, but hey, we were lion hunting so the next morning we only had to walk right out of camp on their tracks...

Seriously, I think that having wildlife come into and around camp is wonderful when camping. We've had lions, leopards, brown hyenas, a few elephants and assorted other animals wander through or around camp at night. I love it. The only thing I truly and absolutely hate to encounter are BFSs! (Big F*cking Snakes ) SFSs too!

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Originally posted by CAelknuts:
The only thing I truly and absolutely hate to encounter a BFS's! (Big F*cking Snakes )

Boy ain't that the truth!

And the local nonchalance about it!

Rattlers and Moccasins I'm used to--but DRT BFS's--still don't hack that well at all.

After six safaris, I can say that there was never a guard in camp to protect from roaming animals. They will crawl in bed with you at night and eat you! (the animals, not the guards). Funny story-----I remember a camp in the Zambezi Valley, the cook had a cat in the kitchen, in the morning when we were eating breakfast before going out on the hunt, that cat was always in the top of the tallest tree in camp, having gone up there to spend the night away from all the nasties that cruised throught the camp during the night. Seriously, if your hut or tent is anywhere near the skinning shed, the smell of the blood and meat from skinning will bring in all kinds of animals; hyenas, jackels, leopards, genets, and even lions.

was in the selous last summer. the friend who took me had never been camping before or killed anything bigger than a rabbit before flying into the selous.

we stayed in tents. no cars. the porters slept under the stars. in the morning i could see tracks, big tracks that the ph said were hyena and lion. so tired for walking during the day i never heard anything at night.

my buddy was taking a shower off a hot canvas can one evening and ran like heck toward the camp for hearing something in the bush. i was an the thunder box with the 458 lott at the time. i never heard anything, but it was funny to more or less see him running through the grass with soap in his eyes yelling "get it, get it." we slept with rifles loaded, chambered and saftey on. good luck.

I like the turn this thread has taken - from a pretty odd start.

On my first safari in DG country, I kept a loaded .458 Lott next to the bed. All night long.

Elephant came knocking one night and I never lifted an eyelid.

Now I figure if it's my time, it's my time.

Sometimes in a man's life, sleep can be more important than seeing the morning.

Although if anything ever did manage to wake me up anymore, I might just have to shoot it out of spite.

I have had several incidences of animals in camp. Leopards, buffalo, elephants, hyena and a lot of small stuff. Never a lion though. I will relay the most entertaining.

In 1996, my brother and I went to the Moyowasi and hunted with Wengert-Windrose. We landed on the dirt strip and were promptly picked up. On the drive to camp, they warned us about "Brutus." I inquired as to who Brutus was. The response was that the question should not be who Brutus was, rather WHAT Brutus was. I was puzzled and asked them to enlighten me. They informed us that Brutus was a solitary old buffalo bull that came into camp every night to escape the lions. Interesting.

Honestly, I thought they were yanking our chain. Nevertheless, my brother was terrified. He had never been to Africa before and I had made sure he read all the Capstick books. I thought it was BS and I went to bed worried about the jet lag only.

My brother and I were in the same tent. It was pretty late and I was wide awake. I heard footsteps. I looked through the window on my brothers side of the tent. Lo and behold there was a massive old dagga boy walking our way! I told my brother that the buffalo was there. He was just about to hyperventilate. He wanted a gun. I told him to lay there, shut up and not move. I also let him know that I was not kidding at all.

Well, I laid there and watched the bull walk between our tent and the next. I could hear him behind the tent. I turned over so I could see out my window. This bull walks straight to the window and sticks his nose right on the window. Let's put it this way. The bull was so close that I could have reached up and touched his nose! I am not going to lie, I was nervous. I knew to be still.

I could not imagine being that close to a buff and not getting hammered. Yet, there was a strange calm about this buffalo. The buffalo stood there for several seconds and laid down right next to the tent. He laid there all night chewing grass. he only moved when the staff started moving around in the morning.

One other interesting thing did happen. They had a 3 sided restroom made of reeds. There was a separate privacy partition in front of the toilet. One night the buff walked between the partition and the toilet. We could see the tracks. I can't imagine sitting on that toilet and having that buffalo walk right by.

Larry,

sounds like a wonder cure for constipation. Worried about the commode holding together though!

Believe me, we discussed that. Laughed about it as well.

It would have been unimaginable for the bull to walk through while on the toilet.

Larry, that's a great story. If the bull had managed to wake me, I don't believe that I would have slept very well for the rest of that night!

Trust me, there was virtually no sleep that night.

I've had Lions in camp several times, mostly during the nights but occasionally in the day as well.

One that springs to mind was a few years ago in the Selous, when one night I was sitting in the mess talking to my buddy Pierre Van Tonder (who was in the next block) on the sat phone and a Lion walked in one door, through the mess and out the other door.

Judge G was in Pierre's camp at the time and swears he heard my voice go up an octave as I told them the reason I had to go.

I told the story here: http://www.shakariconnection.c...s-problem-lions.html

I will tell another one that is kind of funny.

In 06, I was in the Lukwati area of Tanzania on a 21 day hunt. We had animals every night because there was a small stream running through camp.

The first few nights, I slept with the flaps on the tent open. The temperature dropped and I started closing the flaps to stay a little warmer.

One night I woke up to a strange noise. I wasn't sure what it was. I heard it again. I slipped off the bed with my 500 NE and turned a flashlight on the area where the noise was coming from. I could see the tent moving. I threw a shoe at it and yelled a large quantity of curse words. The noise stopped.

The next morning, I could see leopard tracks right next to the tent. Apparently, a leopard had been scratching himself on the tent!

The staff got a good laugh out of that one. They said the bwanna could curse quite loudly. They had heard me from their tents.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
A good trick is to sleep in the middle.
A bit like running the fastest.

Or better still, get hopelessly drunk and you wont care (note the box of empty's).

Not strictly true.

The lions of Tsavo, who ate many of the Indian workers working on the Kenya-Uganda railways, have been picked from the middle of their groups.

So if you smell nice and tasty, the lion would just cross over others to enjoy your bits mate

In looking at the picture, I see the dog as an appetizer, followed by the middleman as he is close by and wrapped up in that cute yellow blanket(and he does not have his arms up with all of that BO exposed). And then, it's a toss-up as to the other two, but most likely the one at the top of the picture being next on the menu, as he has his boots and socks there as a bait and an attractant! Finally, the lions could then look through the boxes for something to drink it all down with and have a smoke from those left by the unlucky one at the bottom all wrapped in baby blue!

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
jeff h

That was one funny ass story about the ear hair. Being that I just turned 60 I've found hair growing where I didn't know I had any 10 years ago.



Mark

Sucks having hair grow on your ear rather than your head.

I stayed in a camp in '06 in K4/Selous. The tents were set on raised platforms with a thatch ovrhead and a veranda around the tent on three sides. Very nice.

The guy who had hunted a couple of weeks prior to my arrival woke up early one morning to hear loud purring or something of the sort right beside his bunk, just outside the tent. Apparently a lioness liked the accomodations as well as he did. He grabbed his rifle and yelled very loudly and the lady left, hopping over the railing. That would have been one hell of a wake-up call.

I've had Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Hippo and even a Rhino outside my tent -- most of these several times and I've had several varieties of plainsgame - fleeing from the predators, I'd guess -- brushing by in the night.

As far as I'm concerned - it MAKES the trip!

I'm a handgun hunter and always have a handgun at the ready, while awake or asleep -- but I've never seen nor heard (1st hand) of dangerous game actually hurting anyone in a base camp, (spike camps can be a little dicier) although I have seen Elephant cause lots of damage and the results of both Leopard and Lion breaking into the skinning areas.

I don't worry about it -- I think of all the noise as nature's way of singing me to sleep.