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Why Africa???

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01 August 2012, 02:52
LittleJoe
Why Africa???
People ask me all the time why I am so mesmerized by Africa. I don't know that I have a simple answer. It is the people, the place, the species, the land, the experience. I just cannot narrow it down to one thing. It is just so much different than hunting in CA and the US and I consider British Columbia the most beautiful place on Earth.

Not knowing what is over the next hill or around the next corner is just such a different feel in Africa than here at home in the states for me. You just never know what you might find.

I had a good friend tell me that he would give anything to have his first day in Africa all over again. It is just something that cannot be recreated. I have to agree the first day is unlike any other. Truly special.

I will be the first to admit; I dream of Africa. I frequent this forum often to follow the adventures of others to feel part of the scene and learn for the future.

I don't know what Sheep fever is like; some of my friends have it but I would guess I have Africa fever and it is about the same thing. It becomes a goal, a passion, a reason to get up in the morning to do what we do to go back to that most magnificent place.

One of my best friends has zero desire to go to the dark continent and my dad is the same way and cannot understand why I have said that I will go back to Africa 100 times before I go to Alaska or Canada again. There is just something about it that I cannot quite put my finger on. I guess I am addicted.

What makes each of you so passionate about the dark continent?
01 August 2012, 03:01
bwana cecil
When I'm home, I'm dreaming of Africa.
When I'm in Africa, I'm living the dream!
It's just that simple to me & don't care if anybody else understands it or not.


LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show.
Not all who wander are lost.
NEVER TRUST A FART!!!
Cecil Leonard
01 August 2012, 03:28
Frostbit
I'm having a tough time getting rid of the afterglow this time around.


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01 August 2012, 03:29
Blacktailer
Anywhere else you are typically hunting 1 or 2 species. To me the allure is that Africa offers a whole catalog of game around the next bend or over the next hill.
That and for some reason when I am in Africa, I feel that I am home. I have never experienced this anywhere else that I have been but when I see those stars and smell the woodsmoke, I am at peace.


Have gun- Will travel
The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark
01 August 2012, 03:39
joester
For me its not only the numbers and variety of game, but the non-game critters as well...As stated, you never know what you'll see, especially in unfenced Africa. Also getting to eat all those delicious game varieties!
01 August 2012, 04:27
geoff
I equate Africa to having a beautiful mistress. If you don't visit her regularly, she'll start calling you daily. The first visit was too much and the tenth is not enough.

Geoff


Shooter
01 August 2012, 04:40
Navaluk
I equate Africa with being home. Even when I am not hunting, feels the same, home.
01 August 2012, 04:41
RAC
It is the sheer diversity of wildlife. I suppose I would be just as enamored of North American hunting if I could go back 15,000 years. Unfortunately I do not have a time machine.


I hunt, not to kill, but in order not to have played golf....

DRSS
01 August 2012, 04:57
Brian Clark
quote:
Originally posted by Frostbit:
I'm having a tough time getting rid of the afterglow this time around.


After That Safari I don't blame you!!!!


Thanks!

Brian Clark

Blue Skies Hunting Adventures
www.blueskieshunting.com
Email at: info@blueskieshunting.com

African Cape Trophy Safaris
www.africancapesafaris.com
Email at: brian@africancapesafaris.com

1-402-689-2024
01 August 2012, 05:28
JBoutfishn
quote:
Originally posted by SG Olds:
I equate Africa with being home. Even when I am not hunting, feels the same, home.
\

I understand your feelings. Not a day goes by that I do not think about the time I have spent in Africa where I have always felt comfortable. I always feel most comfortable when home.


Jim "Bwana Umfundi"
NRA



01 August 2012, 06:04
SBT
The wildlife is the big draw to your first African hunt. It is unique, sexy, dangerous and new. There is little to compare to the smell of a mopane campfire and the relaxation of a couple of sundowners. But, once there, you learn about the culture and the people. It is amazing to see those with so little being so happy and really enjoying life. I have never met anyone other than an African who has such joy with humor. And the trackers, there is no where in the world that you can watch such dedication and skill. I believe they are one of the biggest parts of my enjoyment of Africa.


"There are worse memorials to a life well-lived than a pair of elephant tusks." Robert Ruark
01 August 2012, 06:25
riverman
Only those that travel to the Dark Continent will truly understand why we Dream of Africa. There is no other place quite the same. I have traveled extensively and Africa is always calling. Counting down the days....
01 August 2012, 06:29
MTGunner
To the person that has no desire to hunt Africa I offer no encouragement to do so. To those that have hunted Africa I do not have to encourage them to return. I have been fortunate to hunt RSA twice. I plan to return soon, hopefully. I so desire to take my only grandchild with us. He will be 11 years of age this coming January. Those that have hunted "The Dark Continent" know that she is a mysterious seductress. "I dream of Africa"! MTG
01 August 2012, 06:33
Grafton
I aree with everything said here except the part about the sexy wildlife Big Grin

The light is different. The doves calling in the distance, new plants and animals that you have never seen before. There is a rawness to the landscape, and people. You are excited about getting out of bed. All your senses come alive. Food tastes better. Beer tastes better. Smoke smells better. Red sand between your toes, meat in your belly, horns and skins in the salt. Forgetting what day it is. A long day, a cold drink, A hot shower, fresh, crisp, pressed clothing before a meal and a fire. Tired legs. All that stuff and more.....


SAFARI ARTS TAXIDERMY
http://www.safariarts.net/
01 August 2012, 07:02
clayman216
Whwn I was told that if I went I would go back I only half believed it as then it was a dream that I hoped to do one time in my life. Of course I have been back twice more & leave again soon and have another trip booked. I dont think that any of my hunting friends have any type of appreciation for what I have done, seen there and felt. Most others are clueless. I have since stopped trying to explain its greatness & beauty and the hold it can take on a person. I now mostly pity those who will not
try to see Africa, it is a real loss they will
never experience. I am thankfull for every day there!
01 August 2012, 07:14
Todd Williams
I don't know if there is an answer that fully covers the question. So many little things that make up the experience. The smell of the smoke, doves calling, Franklin squawking, the simple comedic entertainment of watching monkeys and baboons, the crispness of the air with perhaps a tinge of smoke making the sunset come alive, the wildlife variety, and of course the people. Probably more than anything else, its the promise of the unknown that the new day offers.

Like I said, I can't cover then all but I do know that it is an obsession like none that I've ever experienced. It is constantly on my mind. Not way back on the back burner, but right up front, affecting my everyday actions to the point that my wife and kids sometimes would rather not engage me in discussion as they know, I'll find a way to turn the conversation to Africa within a few sentences.

It really is a moot point to try and explain Africa to the guy who hasn't gone yet. Nothing close to the experience can be conveyed verbally. I feel sorry for the man who has no interest in visiting her as he knows not the experience he is sacrificing. Conversely, I find this old saying to be perfectly on point and I think maybe it was Ruark who said it: "I've known many men above my station in life including movie stars, millionaires, and even members of the Royal Family. But I've never envied any man, except the man about to undertake his first Safari in Africa, for he is truly blessed beyond that which he can comprehend"!
01 August 2012, 07:43
Antlers
Because I read several Africa books when I was a small boy and never quit hoping.


Antlers
Double Rifle Shooters Society
Heym 450/400 3"
01 August 2012, 07:45
tygersman
I stopped trying to explain my trips to others who ask and don't hunt or aren't drawn to Africa. I borrow an old quote from Gordon MacQuarrie:

"Some people ask why men go hunting. They must be the kind of men who seldom get far from the highways. What do they know of the tryst a hunting man keeps with the wind and the trees and the sky."
01 August 2012, 08:51
pagosawingnut
There's nothing left for me to add. Ya'll have covered it pretty well. Makes me feel that I was born in the wrong place on the wrong continent. I know where home is. Home is where the heart is.
01 August 2012, 08:53
timg953
The people, the history, the food, the variety of game, braai smoke, that beautiful night sky full stars, the sound of a land rover's fuel pump going out, brandy by the pool, double guns, Mausers, stark and monkey gland sauce, boerewors, bilitong.....I could go on but I will say this: my first trip was to see all the sites I had read about: rorke's drift, islhandwana, blood river, talana hill, the Voortrekker monument etc. After I saw all of that, a friend told me, " you will be back, the red dirt is in your blood now.". It took a while but I went back and hunted with friends and reminded myself how i love africa. I will continue to go back as often as I can.
01 August 2012, 08:54
timg953
The people, the history, the food, the variety of game, braai smoke, that beautiful night sky full stars, the sound of a land rover's fuel pump going out, brandy by the pool, double guns, Mausers, steak and monkey gland sauce, boerewors, biltong.....I could go on but I will say this: my first trip was to see all the sites I had read about: rorke's drift, islhandwana, blood river, talana hill, the Voortrekker monument etc. After I saw all of that, a friend told me, " you will be back, the red dirt is in your blood now.". It took a while but I went back and hunted with friends and reminded myself how i love africa. I will continue to go back as often as I can.
01 August 2012, 09:10
wtnut
I dreamt of Africa since I was a kid from reading Corbett and Capstick and finally went last year as this was the first time I could afford the time and the cost. I went on a free range (for me this is what is has to be) lion, leopard, buffalo hunt. I killed a fantastic lion, a very good leopard and buffalo and half dozen other quality animals. Three decades after having the dream I fulfilled it. I will be back next year and many more to come. A lot of people wonder how you can justify the cost? I smile and say you can't unless you been there. A friend just got back from a free range plains game hunt in Namibia (his first safari as well) and his first words back were " how can you go only once? ". Africa is a lady that once she gets her claws in you: you dream of her, you think of her every day, you can't wait to see her again. It is a privelege and honour to have met her and it will be a joy when we meet again.
01 August 2012, 09:37
cal pappas
Little Joe:
Why Africa?
So I don't have to play golf.

Two elephants see a naked man in the bush. One says to the other, "How does he eat with that thing?"

Cheers,
Cal


_______________________________

Cal Pappas, Willow, Alaska
www.CalPappas.com
www.CalPappas.blogspot.com
1994 Zimbabwe
1997 Zimbabwe
1998 Zimbabwe
1999 Zimbabwe
1999 Namibia, Botswana, Zambia--vacation
2000 Australia
2002 South Africa
2003 South Africa
2003 Zimbabwe
2005 South Africa
2005 Zimbabwe
2006 Tanzania
2006 Zimbabwe--vacation
2007 Zimbabwe--vacation
2008 Zimbabwe
2012 Australia
2013 South Africa
2013 Zimbabwe
2013 Australia
2016 Zimbabwe
2017 Zimbabwe
2018 South Africa
2018 Zimbabwe--vacation
2019 South Africa
2019 Botswana
2019 Zimbabwe vacation
2021 South Africa
2021 South Africa (2nd hunt a month later)
______________________________
01 August 2012, 10:05
DCS Member
I was hunting Texas exotics last weekend. Before anyone says something about that, it was challenging and I came home empty after failed stalks on axis.

However, a taxidermist was hunting with us. Over dinner, Africa came up. He is 37 or so and has never been to Africa. He has hunted all over NA. His father has hunted Africa, but wished he had waited for Africa so that he could've done sheep, etc. in better shape/earlier in life. His father had only hunted SA, as I have only hunted SA in Africa. I have, however, hunted in as many foreign countries as I have US states.

I see the point about mountain hunting, but my next Africa hunt is tops on my list. I might do another Argentina dove hunt before I book my buffalo hunt, but African buffalo will be my next big money hunt. As others have said, it gets in your blood and draws you back. Although my two SA hunts were not like most of what you all see as "true" Africa; it worked.


I meant to be DSC Member...bad typing skills.

Marcus Cady

DRSS
01 August 2012, 11:09
Andrew McLaren
quote:
Originally posted by Blacktailer:
.....................
That and for some reason when I am in Africa, I feel that I am home. I have never experienced this anywhere else that I have been but when I see those stars and smell the woodsmoke, I am at peace.


All men should feel at home in Africa: The Cradle of mankind is in the Muldersdrif area in Gauteng! Big Grin


Andrew McLaren
Professional Hunter and Hunting Outfitter since 1974.

http://www.mclarensafaris.com The home page to go to for custom planning of ethical and affordable hunting of plains game in South Africa!
Enquire about any South African hunting directly from andrew@mclarensafaris.com


After a few years of participation on forums, I have learned that:

One can cure:

Lack of knowledge – by instruction. Lack of skills – by practice. Lack of experience – by time doing it.


One cannot cure:

Stupidity – nothing helps! Anti hunting sentiments – nothing helps! Put-‘n-Take Outfitters – money rules!


My very long ago ancestors needed and loved to eat meat. Today I still hunt!



01 August 2012, 15:30
Ej
Africa is a bug , drug , virus etc. Once you get it, there is no cure except to return and go into remission until she calls again.
Thankfully I will get my fix in 2 mos, the wait has been hellish long.


Africa Bug " Embrace the bite , live for adventure "
EJ Carter 2011
01 August 2012, 17:02
Bill73
While I was growing up,I read a lot of ficton,two of the authors that I read were,Edgar Rice Burroughs and Wilbur Smith,I enjoyed their works immensely,little did I know that one day I would be playing with double rifles and hunting Africa,I just feel at home while I am there,I have now hunted Africa five times,PG thrice,DG twice,there is just nothing that comes close to the African experience for me!


DRSS
01 August 2012, 17:54
BNagel
quote:
Why Africa???


Because it (was) home. Now it takes money to be "home".


_______________________


01 August 2012, 19:02
MARK H. YOUNG
Africa and safari are just so much more than shooting an animal. You go to Africa for the "EXPERIENCE". Safari is a 24 hour a day assault of sights, sounds and smells that cannot be matched or fully explain to the uninitiated.

Mark


MARK H. YOUNG
MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES
7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110
Office 702-848-1693
Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED
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01 August 2012, 19:48
Gayne C. Young
For me, part of the allure is the history of all the greats that trailed and explored before me. In a way Africa is still very much like the land those early hunters experienced. I guess I feel I can connect to them in some small was by going there.

Cheesy answer? Yes, but true.




Visit my homepage
www.gaynecyoung.com
01 August 2012, 20:03
venda axe
The French have a term for it. It is something like "Clinique du Afrique" The Illness of Africa. I'm afraid you have it bad, Me To!

I find Amarula helps, but the only remedy is to go back.
01 August 2012, 20:39
James Scott
As to the all of the posts, the WHY'S have IT !!!
01 August 2012, 21:18
LittleJoe
I have to agree with all that is being said. I think I take 100 to 1 more pictures in Africa than anywhere else. Going back through all the pics and watching the video I had done brings back the sites, smells, flowers, prickly bushes and makes the blood churn to get back there even sooner. It is such an amazing place. Hard not to have a good time there. Such a different culture and time table than in the states. I have a friend going with me to Botswana that has never been and to have that feeling of the first morning again and the unknown cannot be replaced.
01 August 2012, 21:20
LittleJoe
Riverman, I am excited that you will be coming along as well to film this latest adventure. The video just gives those at home a little peek at what we see and go through.

People say they cannot go to Africa due to price. Obviously they have not researched it very close. Sadly I can go a couple of times for the cost of a sheep hunt.

The call has come and I am headed back again much sooner than I had planned and I cannot wait to go.
01 August 2012, 22:04
bwana cecil
50.5 wks. till I return.
Not that I'm counting down or anything.
We'll see how things work out in the Save as to just where I will hunt.


LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show.
Not all who wander are lost.
NEVER TRUST A FART!!!
Cecil Leonard
01 August 2012, 22:29
EB
The original poster asked the question of why Africa and then said some others had sheep fever and asked if they were the same. Having been infected by both, I will give my own feeble answer.

Sheep hunting for me is being in God's house, his cathedral, surrounded by the sheer beauty of the mountains, the vastness of the wilderness and the intense silence of it all. It is for me a physcially challenging, but intensely spirtual quest. I am constantly in awe of the surroundings and intensely aware of the beauty and dangers inherent in the landscape and elements.

In Africa I feel like I'm walking with God among and as one of his creatures in the crucible of life. Surrounded by life and death from the bugs on the hood of the Landcruiser to the Elephants and everything in between. Can there be any time when you feel more alive than when you walk into the long grass with buffalo bellowing in front of you and lions softly grunting just behind you? I don't think so.

From both places I return to "normal" life a softer and more gentle person, thankful and more appreciative for the short time we have to enjoy it all.
01 August 2012, 22:50
matt u
EB....Nicely put.
02 August 2012, 01:56
Ratwhiskers
I started reading this thread when a bull began to bellow two fields away, and I closed my eyes and tried to kid myself it was a lion.....

Damn, I need to go back real bad!!
02 August 2012, 02:02
JCS271
quote:
Originally posted by wtnut:
A lot of people wonder how you can justify the cost? I smile and say you can't unless you been there.


I will use that one! Big Grin


"The difference between adventure and disaster is preparation."
"The problem with quoting info from the internet is that you can never be sure it is accurate" Abraham Lincoln
02 August 2012, 02:02
gerryb
Some good answers. I really don't have one. I went on my first trip of a lifetime in the 70's and 31 trips later I am still excited as a little kid, if that stops I will hang it up.