This is my first post on the forum, but I have been reading for quite some time. I am booking my first African hunt soon and the information here has been tremendously helpful. I have settled on Vaughan fulton for a plains game hunt for May 2008. I am sure I will have many questions concerning travel and equipment between now and then. to say I am excited would be an understatement of the highest order.

Don

Welcome to the forum. You should be thrilled
and scared. Once you have been to Africa, oh well. Have read great things about Vaughan. If
not for illness, would have been with him last summer.

Great choice and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

We have hunted with Vaughan three times and taken buffalo, leopard and just about all of the plains game he offers. Going back in 2008.

Let me know if there is anything I can help with.

DC, you've done well....

My wife and I went in 2004 and my partner and I are going back this Sept. You have made a good choice what are you hunting?

I'll be hunting Kudu, Mountain Zebra, Gemsbok and Springbok.

DC,

Add my welcome to the Board.

Namibia is a great place to hunt and sightsee. Suggest you build a few days into your trip to see the country.

Regards, Tim

I'm booking for buffalo in Sept. 08. He has a good rep. You may want to rethink May though. I've not hunted Namibia but the grass in other areas of Africa can be quite thick in May/June. Maybe some of the other guys that have hunted w/ Vaughan can give you a better idea.

I hunted for PG with Vaughan's PH Gert in June '05. Had a blast. I'm going back after Mr. Spots on June 1, 2008. Please shoot me a good bait. If I can be of any further service PM me and I will help you all I can.

May is no problem with PG as that is when we hunted. It also is the Kudu rut so that is the reason we went then plus it has the added bonus of moderate temperatures PM me or phone for more info.

Don,
I hunted with Vaughan and Gert in early May 2005. No problem with grass and temperatures were just right for hard hunting. Hunted both ranches and his concession. Took a hartebeest, sprinbok, zebra, kudu and gemsbok. It was my first safari and I had a ball. Vaughan and his staff are first rate! Good hunting and say hi to Vaughan.
John Hill

You'll have a great time. My dad and I hunted with Vaughan in June 2004 and loved it. Good luck; I'm sure you'll have questions, and we'll happily answer them.

Congratulations Don, you're going to have a great time!

Got some dates now, May 17-23, 2008. It is starting to feel a little more real!

Think I'm going to take my .300 RUM and shoot A-Frames. I generally shoot Noslers or Scirocco's and this gun has been absolutely deadly on elk and deer, so I am thinking it should do the job.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

Don't worry about what you are shooting near as much as how you are shooting. Lots of practise off shooting sticks at 100-250 yards and you will knock em dead! Have a great hunt!

I agree with samwise, go with what you shoot well and with what shoots well in your rifle. I used 180 grain woodleighs in a 308 norma and everything was handled fine. Did use 350 grain woodleighs in a 404 Jeffery for my Gemsbuck but that was just because I figured the rifle should be used for something!

Make sure the bullets hold together well, Gemsbuck are fairly tough animals. Moreso then the Zebra and Kudu in my opinion.

Practice off sticks. Our shots were between 35 and 200 yards with the exception of my last evening Kudu at 400. The practicing we did beforehand was well worth it.

Then just relax and have a GREAT time!

I have never shot off sticks so I will definately spend some time on this. I am very comfortable with the .300 and really confident in my ability to hit where I'm aiming out to 300 yards, which is as far as I will shoot. I've taken 12 animals with it, and 11 have been 1 shot kills and the other a bear that just wouldn't die.

Don,

I'm glad to hear that you went ahead and booked with Vaughan.You will have an excellent hunt. As for that gun, it should do the job well provided you use the proper bullet. I took all my animals last year with a single shot each from my 300 WM using TBBC's. As suggested already, practice shooting off sticks. All of my shots were either off sticks or off a Mopane branch out to 175 yards (although a 300+ yard shot was nearly necessary for my kudu).

George

I want to make a set of shooting sticks for practicing. Do they generally have two legs or three?

The only ones I've seen are three leg sets.

We made some by getting 6' bamboo poles from the Garden Dept at Home Depot. Good thick rubber bands about 6-8" from the top and you are in business.

They will probably not be as good as the set Gert will have in camp but the way we figured it, if you're good with a lesser set then going to a good set only improves things.

MossyOak makes a pretty good set as well.

When I made mine I cut 3 hickory sticks, about as big around as my thumb, about 6 and 1/2 foot long and taped them together. It aint pretty but they work...

quote:

Originally posted by DC Roxby:
I want to make a set of shooting sticks for practicing. Do they generally have two legs or three?

I took a set of Stoney Point Pole Cats with me and practiced off them for months before hand. I would suggest going ahead and buying a set and plan on taking them with you. Be sure to practice off them using just two legs extended. This makes it easier to compesate for elevation easier. In fact, in one trip to Africa and two trips to Colorado, I have only used the third leg once.

Another vote for Stoney Points. I took a pair of the Expedition Bipods. Nice thing about them is that they collaspe as it would be impossible to get sticks that are 5-6 feet long into any luggage or you gun case. Be sure to practice alot. I kept hitting low and to the left because I was putting too much pressure on the sticks with the rifle. Just use it to balance the rifle. With that corrected I shot well in Namibia. Good luck!
John Hill

www.long-grass.com/shootsticks.htm

These were the ones Gert and Vaughan were using this year.

I made a set that is simular out of six pieces of 5/8" dowel rod and a scrap of EMT conduit for the ferrules. A round vacuum sweeper belt tie them together at the top.

Lots of ways to get there, the main thing is to practice with them and get where you can get an accurate shot off quickly.