Having been an avid reader for years of your adventures has kept this poor boy captivated and satiated(until funds facilitate otherwise!) through vicarious living of my dreams. I have clung to your every posts, dreaming of the day I too can head to the Dark Continent and chase everything from the Tiny Ten to the pinnacle of my ambitions, an elusive 100lber.
Again, thank you.

You are welcome. Do you have a plan on how to get to Africa? The average working guy can do it as long as he forsakes the unnecessary status symbols that we cling to here such as big macho trucks when a 4 banger subcompact would do.

justanotherhunter, my sincere hope for you is that one day you will be able to make the trip. As folks have said on AR before, you can borrow the money but you cannot borrow the time. That is easier said than done I understand in some cases but I hope nevertheless that you are able to realize that dream at some point. It is a life altering experience for some of us, myself included.

Oh, I'll get there someday somehow...but 1 month married, working, and in college.....It is still just a faraway dream for now!
one day....one day...

quote:

Originally posted by justanotherhunter:
Oh, I'll get there someday somehow...but 1 month married, working, and in college.....It is still just a faraway dream for now!
one day....one day...

Barely fifteen years ago, I was in similar circumstances - 22 years old, working, and in school, but not married. Africa seemed a million miles and a million years away. There was so much that I wanted to do, but time and money were not available to make it so.

I took that desire and studied and worked hard, really hard. Now, I get to enjoy the fruits of those labors every year. In fact, T minus 45 days to elephant, buff, and leopard.

Make getting to Africa multiple times one of your goals and put in the work, in school now and in the workforce later, so that you accomplish that goal.

Good luck.

JustAnotherHunter

If I ever win the lotto, I'll buy you a hunt in Africa, and pay for the airline tickets,trophy fees, and tips. I have been to Africa once,and going again in lest than 2 weeks, I thought I would never be able to go, but thanks to the bank, they let me borrow money to be able to go.

As it has been said before-- Africa can be affordable. Plains game is the price of a good whitetail deer hunt, or a decent guided elk hunt. Save up 6500 and get a credit card that gets airline miles-- within 2 years volia plains game city. Then oh boy the addiction starts!!!!

Ed

Talked it over for a while with the wife, convinced her it was just something I had to try, and saved the money. I went on my one and only trip to Africa in 2004, on advice of friends choosing a great PG hunt in Namibia.

Then I helped send the kids on their trip to the same place in 2005.

Then I managed to get the wife to take her anniversary trip to Namibia for leopard in 2007, for the last time. She said she had no interest in returning

But I had some time in August of 2009, and the deal with Chifuti on elephant and buffalo was pretty good - someone had to watch out for my hunting partner in Zim after all!

Next year in Namibia on the new ranches and 1 million acre conservancy is gonna be the very last time, I promise. Then the kids decided to renew their vows there with all our friends at the new lodge, and my wife said not a chance without her.

Guess it sort of grows on you!!!!!!!!!!

If you had go to Africe once, you will go again and again. Yoy simply got the Virus.
I Said to my self before my first trip, what should I do in Africa, I could hunt whatever I wanted of Reindeer Moose and Deer in the Norwegian Mountains.
Ok, I go, I have to try it, since then I go to Africa every year and often twice a year, and I will do so as long as I can walk around on my own feet. Yes it costs money, and I save every penny, I don`t go to the bank and borrow money, these money is to be payd back,
I`v hunting Plains Game so far, but the Buff and some of the big five is coming nearer and nearer.

Anyone who has their health and really "WANTS" to hunt Africa or anywhere else, can do so. Your "wanting" to do it is measured by what you are willing to give up to achieve your goal.

That being the measure, it is my experience that only a tiny percentage of the big talkers really want to hunt Africa. Sure if they found a bag of money they might do it, but if they have to give something up, it's just impossible for them. Then they proceed to blame something or someone else for their failures.
Remember that it is never your fault if you can blame someone else. That is human nature.

quote:

Originally posted by SG Olds:
Anyone who has their health and really "WANTS" to hunt Africa or anywhere else, can do so. Your "wanting" to do it is measured by what you are willing to give up to achieve your goal.

That being the measure, it is my experience that only a tiny percentage of the big talkers really want to hunt Africa. Sure if they found a bag of money they might do it, but if they have to give something up, it's just impossible for them. Then they proceed to blame something or someone else for their failures.
Remember that it is never your fault if you can blame someone else. That is human nature.

Very True

Prostitute yourself. That's what I did.

Or sign up for one of my AR group hunts? One to be advertised for September soon.

True!
It has become interesting to me that of the six guys I hunted with in the States for years, that jealousy seems to be their attitude toward my hunting Africa yet at least three of them have more money than me....oh well, they are still friends...

The first thing to do is to create a plan. "How am I going to get to Africa?" You've seen enough reports to have a good idea what a basic hunt costs. Use that as a target. Then plan how you can save that much money ($X per week/month). I doubt you'll just wake up one day and find that you "just happen to have" enough money to go. You have to MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Good luck.

I never had any extra money, but had the dream. I saved my pocket change every day for a very, very long time to go on my African trip. I figured it was like when I was in high school. If I wanted something, I had to skip lunch an save my lunch money. It won't happen overnight, but int twenty years you'll be there. It's a lot better than spending twenty years with no hope at all. As many have said, you need a plan, and then stick to it. For me my pocket change was the way. I had to raid it a few times for real emergencies, but generally it was off limits and eventually I got there. You can do the same, but keep dreaming, with a plan.
Bfly

I always planned to hunt Africa as a little boy. Did not make it till my 52nd birthday. Have been there 02, 04, 06,09, and the Selous beckons me back for another in Sept. 2012.
Dreams do come true. Keep it alive.

One of my favorites.

Thanks for the encouragement! and yes, the planning has been an ongoing adventure since I was 8....the funds however got raided a few times for fishing trips....and then again for the wedding/honeymoon....but I figure when I get out of law school in the next decade or so....then I will be able to justify the trip to the wife!
Retreever, gorgeous bull, and remind me, wasn't it you that won the hunt Saeed gave away all those years ago?

That explains your measure of how much you want AFRICA.