My first hunt is almost finalized. I will be hunting Buff in Tanzania this September. I am looking to understand the folowing:

Do I really need an ammo holder that holds 10-12 (or more) cartridges?

Will I need to have a flashlight or knife with me in the bush?

Don't believe you "need" either a knife or a flashlight in the bush, but you do need an ammo holder for at least 10 rounds, especially if hunting buff.

What I "want" to have with me is fairly elaborate. I tend to look a bit like a telephone lineman when out in the bush: my gunbelt has 10 rounds of ammo, a good-sized hunting knife, a small GPS and the folding rapid rod on it. I'll add a surefire flashlight if there's any chance of being out past sunset. My pockets will have a small tube of sunscreen and some tissue as well as a rolled up rifle sling. 10x40 binoculars under my right arm (I'm a lefty). Soft, floppy hat on head and this year I'm going to try some Dublin riding chaps when in the Namibian thorn.

Regards, Tim

Yes, I recommend carrying at least 10 rounds.

You probably won't need it, but if you do ... you will need it real bad!

I suggest you carry a mini mag flashlight or similar. I have come back to the vehicle in the dark many times and when the lights go out in Africa, they really do go out!!

And, yes, carry 10 rounds of ammo. A Leatherman can also come in handy.

John

George

The traditionalist have fits but I use one of those ammo carriers that go on the buttstock with about 6-8 extra rounds in it. What I like about this is you always have your ammo and rifle together. No extra ammo belt.

A small folding knife and a multi tool might be handy along with a small Mag-Lite or something of that nature. Actually a Swiss Army Knife, binoculars, rifle and ammo will take care of everything 99% of the time. You'll of course want to consider a small digital camera as part of your personal gear.

Mark

10 rounds plus the gun full...

Mike

George,

The amount of stuff including ammo I actually carry decreases proportionally to the number of days of the hunt.

IMHO, for buffalo, top off the rifle before heading off on a stalk (for a bolt action obviously) plus 5 on a belt holder like the Murray's is fine as the PH will have ammo too, and if you need more then 9 rounds you have bigger problems. Especially if using say just X bullets (versus soft's and solids where it can be argued that you should dedicate one holder to each).

And/or, if you feel better with lots of ammo, then empower one of the trackers to take an extra case with him and typically they do a very good job when given this important responsibility. Their pockets can hold a surprising amount of stuff. If they wear a backpack as I like to see for extra water, then this is simple.

If using a big gun and a tracker is carrying the light gun, make sure they have some spare ammo too.

If the hunt is not being videotaped, consider having a compact camera with you too. I don't carry one, as it is hard to take pictures AND hunt, but there are a lot of neat things that happen in the bush that would not impact the tracking/stalking that I don't capture.

Knife, Bino's...start out with them and see how you fee day 3 and beyond...

Assuming you are not after leopard/hyena, a compact Petzl headlamp is nice to carry in the truck bag (where you keep all your other stuff, extra camera batteries, Avon SSS, suntan lotion, extra ammo for each rifle, meds, Power Bars, candy for guys, whatever), and throw in a pocket if you head off on tracks close to dark. It gets initially very dark when the sun goes down, but once the moon rises and especially when a fuller moon, there is adequate light to follow the guy in front of you.

And no, chance are very good that won't be packing meat after dark.

JMHO's based on my experiences. This stuff is the source of endless debates...everybody is different, and reaching these conclusions on your own is part of the fun!

quote:

Originally posted by GDOG:
Do I really need an ammo holder that holds 10-12 (or more) cartridges?

No. You could just have a tracker carry the extra ammo. But I would prefer to have the ammo on my person.

quote:

Will I need to have a flashlight or knife with me in the bush?

Not at all. Extra gear will just slow you down. You could bring a day pack, fill it with your camera, flashlight, extra ammo, sunscreen, snacks, etc., and have a tracker carry it.

Thank you all for the advice.

Don't any of you have jobs ?????

quote:

Originally posted by GDOG: Thank you all for the advice. Don't any of you have jobs ?????

Yea, good ones!

Bill,
You have PM

quote:

Originally posted by GDOG:
My first hunt is almost finalized. I will be hunting Buff in Tanzania this September. I am looking to understand the folowing:

Do I really need an ammo holder that holds 10-12 (or more) cartridges?

Will I need to have a flashlight or knife with me in the bush?

IMHO, For most Clients, a large fixed blade knife is simply not needed and extra weight to be carried. A good quality lock knife, a swiss army, or a Leatherman are all thats needed.

As for the torch, I can't imagine going in the bush without one...After looking at the various alternatives, I went with a 1 watt single LED Cyba-lite..



Its not much bigger than a Mini maglite, but the light out put is far better in that it is brighter, whiter and very even...

Although not as bright as a Surefire, it has a battery life of several hours compared to about 45minutes to an hour that is typical of the Surefires...

As the Cyberlite uses an ultra bright 1 Watt LED, theres no worry's about the bulb going at an inopportune moment...

On my last trip to RSA I used this torch many times and its given me good service since i got back too..I'm actually going to buy a spare in case they are discontinued when I need another..

Regards,

Pete

Gdog, sometimes you get a Buffalo that just will not go down, even with very large bullet holes right in the right places. When that happens, and it will if you hunt Cape Buffalo long, you'll forget the heavy ammo you were carrying in that ammo belt. Addtionally you have not seen dark till the lights go out in Africa, and depending where, and when you hunt Africa, it is real nice to see the ground in front of your feet, even when you see well with a full moon. There are some real snakes in certain parts of this very large continent!

quote:

Originally posted by GDOG:
Thank you all for the advice.

Don't any of you have jobs ?????

Speaking only for myself! "NO" I don't have a job, but I had one constantly for 41 years, and have been retired since Feb 1996.

thanks Mac.