For God's sake how do you do it? I mean, how do you get thru the last three months before you depart on your first safari? I leave May 20 for Zim.

I don't know if I can take much more. I live for Friday nights and a fix of Safari Hunter's Journal, and set my alarm for 5 AM Saturday morning to catch Under Wild Skies Africa. My work suffers, and other than rifle practice, I almost seem to put life on hold until I leave.

Someone help!

jhrod,

I can't imagine the last three months. Sometime I feel the way you do and I am a few years out!

Best of Luck on your hunt!

Regards,
Dave

I've been there many many times in the last 100 years

I still just exist between Safaris...so I can't help you there...I keep telling myself, this is my last Safari, but it ain't happening, Saeed is my nemesis I fear, but he is a joy to hunt with...

Easy. Work Out, work, read, hit this website several times a day. Watch hunting videos, go to the range and shot some. Load ammo, go to the range and shoot some more. Pack your bags, unpack your bags, check items again, pack your bags again. Chew off all your fingernails and most of all, DRIVE EVERYONE ELSE CRAZY!!!!!!

Mac

P.S. I leave in nine days.

Hmmm,

How do you handle it? That is a good question. The last few months before my first trip to Africa were full of excitement and anticipation. I spent a lot of time developing loads that I thought would work, and shooting them from every possible position and range.

Another very good thing to do is to start a fitness program if you haven't been already. Most African hunting isn't too strenuous, especially when compared with most sheep, elk, or deer hunts, but it wouldn't be a bad idea anyways, and will certainly make you feel better while you are there. I would recommend something like this:

jogging or cycling 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes
lifting weights 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes
Stretching 2-3 times a week
Maybe on the weekends, go for a longer hike with a back pack

If you are interested in more details of the exercise program I recommend, give me an email, and I'll get you lined up. email: joel@slatesafaris.com

Enjoy it..!!

For my first safari I guess that I just lived in a state of disbelief until we finally touched down in Harare. "Damn! We did it. We're actually in Africa!" Before that it just seemed like a particularly vivid daydream. The second time we spent an unlikely amount of time living through the AWA syndrome (Africa Wins Again-Capstick) until we finally arrived in camp. Pain and suffering I don't intend to repeat! I love Mozambique but if you were to pick the whole country up and shake off a goodly number of the inhabitants, it would be a major improvement. Still, courage brother! The second time you will be an old hand (and only marginally better at dealing with the excitement!)

Oh wait until it is three weeks.

Fortunately in the last weeks leading up to my first safari I was working 12-14 hour days and 6 days a week. Spent 1/2 of most Sundays on the range not because I needed to but because I wanted to. I was so busy/tired I was organizing equipment, doing laundry, cleaning guns the night before we left and didn't pack until the morning of the day we were leaving!

It was so much easier the second time around.

You gotta do something useful. Download T. Carr's African check list and go over it. Make sure that all your travel documents are up to date. Have you got your US Customs form for your rifles and cameras and optics in order to get them back into the states? Make certain that you've got at least one extra scope that can be substituted for the one(s) you are taking. Make certain that you've got repair parts or a spare rifle with loads for the one you are taking. Etc! Worry a lot. Bring your problems, like this one, to this forum, where you will get lots of good advice and sympathy. Have you got your "spare" time organized in Cape Town or Jo-burg? A list of restaurants in these cities to visit? You clearly are not nearly as ready as you thought you were.

Believe me, based upon prior experience, it is about now that your scope will break; your rifle that has been shooting .5 MOA groups will go beserk; or you'll find that you've just shot up the last of your (fill in the blank: primers, bullets, powder) and cannot find the same lot or type. Have you thought about your video camera, digital camera, or 35mm camera? Are you sure you are ready?

Good luck. Weidmansheil. Ku-dude