quote:

Originally posted by Safari-Hunt:
Ok yes, I have been very inactive these last couple of months reason being is that I'm been working my butt off to sustain my family and myself.

Urdubob and Gatogordo firstly my sincere apologies for the F$%^-up I made as a booking agent with not enough experience and backup. Unfortunately I trusted Herman Pretorius the suppose to be great outfitter who's grandfather was suppose to own land in the Klaserie where the hunt would have been conducted.

There was my first mistake, not taking the time and actually check if there was property owned in their family and his grandfathers name.
Alf who also post plenty on AR made a comment that should have made me weary saing that there isn't any such big piece of property in the Klaserie owned privately by one person. On telling this to Herman I was told that there was several investors owning each a piece ???

Like Urdubod said on the week they had to arrive for the hunt I get a phone call from Herman saying that the hunt cannot be conducted as his grandfather is seriously ill in a coma and all is assests his being frozen. So Herman put together this plainsgame package that sounded good but turned up to be bad. This again my fault for not making sure of the outfitter and his credentials. The first night of the hunt we spent next to the ocean hunting for eland we were almost succesfull but had to leave for the next concession which took 5 hours by car. The next place Timbila was more properly setup for foreign clients and I'm sure that if we would have stayed there for the duration of the rest of the hunt as they had the rest of the species needed everything would have been fine . After that we were off to Beaufort West where we were to hunt blesbuck, springbuck and black wildebeest. This is were the shit hit the fan we stayed in an old farmhouse that was good enough quality to stay for local hunters but not foreign clients we had no laundry service, no cleaning people no cook as it was self catered. It was May and very cold and I slept cold and I'm sure Urdubob did to.

To many promises were made from my behalf because I trusted Herman. Herman being some ex special forces went to Iraq this year in January and that is when is time ended were they were overpowered and he was gunned down. He was the 11th South African to die in Iraq.

When I'm not working at the restaurant I help CChunter out on the hunting videos. I basically don't book hunts anymore and that is why my website hasn't been updated in a long while. People that do come to me for hunting info I pass directly to reputed outfitters. I haven't booked a hunt in two years time the last one was in conjunction with Aspen Hill.

What I've learned from this is that anybody can become a booking agent but not everybody as the required backup Financialy to fix things when they go wrong. I was one of those and learned the hard way not to trust anybody just because a friend introduced you to someone. I should have sniffed dirt when all the small things didn't add up but was to exited to actually been going on a buffalo hunt for the experience. (as an observer) Booking for big game should only be done by the big dogs.

Again Urdubob and Gatogordo I'm very sorry for what has happened. Basically I ended up being part of a fly by night outfit because of my own stupidity. And I ended up losing a very good friend and face.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
It looks like a sad situation for Herman Pretorious' family:
News Story

But it looks like the Recces are not claiming him as one of their own. His name is listed here:
Wall of Shame

quote:

There is very little doubt in my mind that they are the same person.