The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting How important is a traditional kit to your enjoyment of the safari?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Alf, They are so "de rigueur" though for the well turned out safari hunter. 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 E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Marty: When I find myself preparing for an African adventure, I too am unadulterated Walter Mitty - giddy with purpose as I painstakingly select the perfect battle dress and safari kit. But once in country, donning khaki gaiters and canvas shorts, I'm transformed into an amalgamation of Ian Nyschens and Ernie Hemingway. With my next trip just a tad over the far horizon (next September I meet up with Buzz Charlton in Dande where we'll chase elephant), my Walter Mitty gland is already secreting big time. Yahoo! Kim Merkel Double .470 NE Whitworth Express .375 H&H Griffin & Howe .275 Rigby Winchester M70 (pre-64) .30-06 & .270 "Cogito ergo venor" René Descartes on African Safari | |||
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I must say that when I go over there, I want my firearms to be pretty much "classic", but most everything else is fairly newfangled. My ammo is mostly newfangled premium bullet stuff. I think the cotton clothing is more comfortable than any of the newer synthetics, but that probably has more to do with skin sensitivity than anything else. I brought a pair of Courtneys over in Zim, and they were fairly inexpensive, I think they look good, but they are not very comfortable if I'm on my feet for any length of time. I will say that guys looking like billboards for their choice of companies, or people with my physique going without shirts or wearing shorts is a bit tasteless though. | |||
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Yes, a good example of this is the high quality "Gander" gear. Now if only they would reduce the size of their logos.   | |||
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I got custom boots (Russells) because I have some issues with the one foot (dropped metatarsil and others), got a Tilley hat in that they offered one that fits my fat head. Got the shirts and pants from Sportsman's Guide (1/2 the price of Cabelas, etc.) Needed, I felt, shirts and pants with suffcient pocket room. The shirts/pants I had on hand would certainly have been comfortable enough. Did it strictly for comfort and what I thought necessary. | |||
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I guess I'm of both minds. On my first PG hunt,(Namibia) I tried to be as comfortable as possible. No baseball cap, cotton hunting shirts, wide brim hat, Danner boots, bush hunting pants, 7mm Rem. Savage with Boyd's laminate stock. All worked will. Decided to take a Cape Buff on next Safari. Thinking this may be the only time I will be able to do this, I wanted to do it right, (traditional). Russel boots, .470 NE DR, leather cartridge holder, proper cotton shirts, New safari hat, Marble knife. All worked well and it was the experience of a lifetime. Glad I did it properly at least once. Now I hunt DG with a .458 custom savage, still use both the Danner and Russell boots and leather cartridge holder. Most likely a baseball cap and cotton shirts and jeans and a folding buck. Planes game is not the same as DG, doesn't have quite as much tradition, JMHO.......Tom SCI lifer NRA Patron DRSS DSC | |||
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Absolutely NO difference. I take the equipment that I think will make my safari more enjoyable, regardless of how traditional it is or not. | |||
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THanks KPete, you saved me the effort of finding words to describe similar sentiments. For me Africa is about the entire experience, and this demands tradition to ensure the experience is right for me. But, I fully accept to each their own. | |||
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Interesting topic.. A few years back i read a hunting report about a group of "older" Americans on their first hunting trip to RSA. These guys were into "historic" firearms and shooting mostly traditional pistols although a few had taken over some period lever guns as well... From the pictures in the article, it looked like they hadn't made any attempt to enter into the spirit of things and were dressed in "everday" clothes as might be appropriate on a Texas cattle ranch...Head gear was a variety of logo'd ball caps and coyboy hats, and the rest of their clothes consisting of plaid shirts and jeans.. Given they were hunting a large ranch in RSA, they could have just as easily been hunting an exotics ranch in Texas. There attitude and expectations were very American too, including their preference for American style food and coffee ect.. All in all, it was almost as if they had taken a "bubble of America" and wrapped themselves in it while they were in RSA. From the hunt report, they had a miserable time; the PH and outfitter had obviously tried their best, but nothing was quite up to standard or how they were used to. No major problems, but lots of gripping and not much fun.. I really think they would have been happier hunting on a Texas exotics ranch which had more the feel of "home" about it.. How does this relate to this thread? Well I think some people like the traditional approach as it helps them enter into the spirit of an African safari so to speak.. They may not be able to afford the real thing for the Big Five in Tanz or Zim, but it brings them that extra enjoyment while shooting plains game on a ranch in RSA or Nambia. | |||
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I’m not a traditionalist, but I don’t think I’m anti-tradition either. I personally find it all very amusing. There is something refreshing about the older gentleman with the safari vest and hat, sitting in the airport terminal with his wife, preparing to embark on their first exploration of the Dark Continent. Or the obnoxiously loud group telling all in a 50 foot radius about all the animals they are going to shoot (the same gang will be found dragging no less then two Out of Africa bags each thru the airport on their way home). Like instant coffee slurry and 4am risings, for me, watching others do their thing is all part of “my” safari tradition. And one more thing, if you want to get significant time on a PH’s TV show or DVD, you better look the part!  | |||
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Interesting topic; but just have to laugh. I few years back a few buddies went on a jack rabbit safari in eastern Oregon. One of the guys was known for being sort of a 'Walter Mitty'. He would read about one of his hunting hero's, and then become that person. So I guess he had just finished something by Peter Capstick, and showed up in camp wearing a pair of Courtneys, white safari shorts, a safari hat,and a safari style shirt with all the pockets and snaps; and smoking a pipe. We all made some comment about his attire and the fact that he was gunna wear shorts thru the sharp pucker brush, but he said it was proper. . . . . After half the morning of running thru the brush, he came limping back to camp with his legs completely covered in blood from all the cuts and scrapes. We all figured he was trying to bait the rabbits with the smell of blood! He cleaned himself up; put on a pair of Levi's, changed into a T-shirt and a ball cap for the rest of the weekend! Cheers! | |||
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There are such wide ranging views here it is almost comical sometimes... The same guy who will say the 375 HH mag is not enough and you are risking the trophy of a lifetime by using a marginal dangerous game caliber...will wear shorts and sandals and risk getting his feet and legs cut and scratched up and getting an infection. Just comical when the chance of getting thorns and infection in his legs and feet is 10x higher than the 375hh failing him. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I lean more toward the traditional side, but I will use what I like and what works first. I like safari shirts, pants,etc. and I have a pair of Courtneys and Russells that I take. I refuse to hunt in jeans, just me. I cannot imagine spending the amount of money it takes and travelling as far as it is, to take an animal that I have dreamt about for most of my life to have my photo taken while wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Its kind of interesting that most of the guys on this forum seem to appreciate the older cartridges and rifles but newer gear. Just my $0.02. | |||
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Tradition is important to me; all part of the experience. I like hunting with a double rifle and a Mauser action bolt gun. I like hunting with cartridges that have names that include the words "H&H", "Nitro Express", "Rigby", "Jeffery" and so on. I like Courteney boots and Russell boots. I think I have a Cabela's canvas ammo belt. I do have a nice Randall knife although I use a Benchmade more, and when I cut off my elephant's tail I used a cheapo NRA knife since that was all I had with me at the time. Would have liked to use the Randall. I think the whole African safari experience is improved with old equipment and the classic books. Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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Just a point of curiosity. I thought from what I had read that the penultimate footwear for classical safari were Clarke's Desert Boots. Surprised to not see them mentioned even in passing. Tom ************************************************** DRSS NRA Life "Learn to ride hard, shoot straight, dance well and so live that you can - if necessary - look any man in the eye and tell him to go to hell!" US Cavalry Manual 1923 | |||
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If it's your safari, it's your dime, make it what you want it to be. Wear what you like, hunt what you like, carry the firearm of your choice and do whatever blows your skirt up. I always enjoy the people, the cultures, and the adventures. Remembering to be thankful for the opportunity. Adrian | |||
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Mike, Those are not feet, they are flippers. EEEEE yipes! | |||
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I'm old and just got back from Zim. where I hunted with John Sharpe. Everything as traditonal as possible. I can't afford a dbl. rifle but would rather hunt with a bolt anyway. Do what makes you feel good. I wear C. boots and shorts. I am still doing construction work in shorts so my legs are pretty tough. Sure lots quieter than blue jeans. We hunted on foot after finding tracks. Just seams more correct to me. | |||
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Sgt. Brown, I wore Clarks Desert Hunting Boots on my first safari in Zim. I had bought them about ten years earlier and dreamed of the day I would put them to use. I cursed them the day I stuck a thorn all the way thru them into where my big toe meets my foot. I retired them then and wore a pair of Rockport hiking boots for the rest of my safari while my toe healed. I will save them for Namibia or walking around a convention. I bought a pair of Courneys in Bulawayo at the end of that safari. I imagine others knew what I did not. There are thorns everywhere in Zim. | |||
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I don't get it either. Most PHs I have met have sneakers that are practically falling apart. I have said it before, but I will say it again: if you think African hunting is hard, you are out of shape. | |||
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Any type or cordura boot is worthless in thorn country. When quail hunting in Texas, I have never seen a seasoned hunter wear anything but full leather boots. As far as tradition goes, my son is one of the very best fly fisherman I have ever seen. Most guides we have hired say is the among the best casters they have ever witnessed. Anglers all the time ask him for tips. He catches fish while others are watching. They ask him for advice. The first thing he tells them is shed all the Orvis garb they just spent $1000's of dollars on. Spend the money on fishing and guides to give you lessons. He calls them fly fishing Dandy's. I would hunt in what is comfortable, suitable for the climate, allows freedom of movement and a color that your guides recommend. EZ | |||
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I'll wear what keeps me coolest and most comfortable. Have well worn boots that are like an old friend. My .375 was given to me to be "the proper gun for my first African Safari" ironically never making the trip with it's previous owner who has been there 9 times. Some on here have said they wouldn't take the rifle because of how nice it is. It will be with me because it has proven itself on the range and we have bonded. Don't care if it finds a scratch. Don't care that it's a 1938 M70 action. Don't care what it's worth. It works just fine!! Nuff said.  ______________________ DRSS ______________________ Hunt Reports 2015 His & Her Leopards with Derek Littleton of Luwire Safaris - http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/2971090112 2015 Trophy Bull Elephant with CMS http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/1651069012 DIY Brooks Range Sheep Hunt 2013 - http://forums.accuratereloadin...901038191#9901038191 Zambia June/July 2012 with Andrew Baldry - Royal Kafue http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7971064771 Zambia Sept 2010- Muchinga Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4211096141 Namibia Sept 2010 - ARUB Safaris http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6781076141 | |||
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Not necessarily true. One of my previous hobbies was to climb mountains but I must confess hunting my Lion in the heat hammered me as bad as any mountain.  | |||
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OZ: Me too. I climbed Kilimanjaro after one hunt. But Kili isn't terribly tough. African hunting doesn't compare to sheep hunting, tahr or chamois in NZ, or even elk hunting in North America. I tore up a pair of boots sheep hunting in two days. I have never had any problems with footwear in Africa. I have not been Lord Derby hunting, but walking over flat ground with others available to carry your gear just isn't that hard. That mountain climbing wasn't limited to Ayers Rock, was it? Just kidding. | |||
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Boots: I usually wear a pair of now old Ecco Receptors. My feet like them, although they don't seem to make the fashion parade list. Rifle: I still use my Winchester Model 70 in .375 H&H. Yeah, its got a wood stock and it isn't stainless, but I wanted a rifle with iron sights as an option straight from the factory and it has been enough for my hunts. Clothes: I don't have an "African Safari" wardrobe. I can use usually find some rugged cotton BDU style pants in olive drab from a variety of sources, mostly inexpensive. I'm not sure where I could have saved any money by doing it any different. And just how much savings does one think one can make that will make a difference in the overall cost of an African Safari? _________________________________ AR, where the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history become the nattering nabobs of negativisim. | |||
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I've read all the comments here and thought about this subject the whole time, as it applies to me. I guess I'm a tweener. I do carry a double 470 NE and a 375 H&H on just about every trip, but my 375 is a Mod 70 SS, plus Mark Brown has just finished my new 375 H&H which is all stainless and composit. My boots are comfortable, not leather in that heat, but my cartridge holders are leather. My hat is a Tilly and my clothes are cotton. All my memories of African hunting are about the experiences and these I relive through pictures and trophies that are mounted. I have a full mount lion and a pedistal shoulder mount buffalo in my office in Fairbanks. I have a hippo skull in my office in Anchorage. These bring take me back every day but my favorite picture is a "Teddy" pose; wide brim hat, shorts, sleeves cut off my sweat soaked shirt, big double in hand with my foot on top of a cape buffalo. I just love this picture, it really does look "traditional". Bottom line it's about the feelings evoked from the experience, starting with the booking, the preperation, the hunting and the thoughts afterwards. For all of us its, "Whatever floats your boat". | |||
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Heck, without a good big bore double (or my 500 Jeff bolt) and some good 'ol Cabelas safari shirts and shorts, might as well be huntin' whitetails! Of course, I am still looking for a Capstick beret to round out the attire.  Gary DRSS NRA Lifer SCI DSC | |||
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why not hunt Africa in bib overalls? Why hunt in Africa at all? Silly questions, perhaps, but Africa is...special. By time you have read a hundred books on hunting, mostly Dangerous Game; and saved the $$$ over several years to make that Safari; it needs to be more than just shooting something. If I may digress, the guys who ride Harley-Davidsons know the answer. HD's are over a hundred years of "Made in America" and more than a motorcycle. Not the most modern, or the most efficient, or the best anything. Except a Harley, it is the best HD out there. They're the best selling brand of motorcycle in American, again! They're like Double Rifles in a way. They're important to you or not. Hunting Africa, in the proper kit adds tremendously to the ambience. That is why people pay way too much and put up with ten times the garbage they would anywhere else hunting. It's Africa done the old way. And a world apart from where you are now. Rich | |||
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I hadn't thought of it that way until I read your post and a light went off. I do dress a bit differently when hunting in Africa than I do hunting at home. Part of it is just practical. Deer season ended here a few hours ago and there is 3 inches of new snow on the ground. However, some of the stuff I wear in Africa wouldn't be out of place at home, but I never use it here. I guess a different uniform in a different environment helps me get into the spirit. Dean ...I say that hunters go into Paradise when they die, and live in this world more joyfully than any other men. -Edward, Duke of York | |||
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Well. I would, but blaze orange just wouldn't photograph well in the valley... | |||
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Who's kidding who....if tradition wasn't so important to us, guys wouldn't be spending the cost of a good safari on a double rifle! | |||
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I guess when you put it in that context I think of a bunch of fat out of shape guys trying to look cool. That is what I think of when I think of a Harley Davidson rider. Not important to me at all I guess. | |||
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AZW, they look about the same as most of the clients who post photos of their Safari, eh? Those young skinny, disgustingly fit young guys...hah! They don't have their student loans paid off, let alone enough money to buy a new Harley, or a Double Rifle, or go hunt Dangerous Game in Africa. Africa is the last Great Escape, the last real link to Selous, and his ilk. If you graduated from a university and attend their football/basketball games; don't you wear their colors? Same thing. Besides, how cool can you look at the range; shooting a big bore wearing a Mopar T-shirt in shorts and wing tips? Especially woofing about how close that Cape Buffalo or Elephant, or Lion was when you pulled the trigger. Rich You either have Panache, or you don't. | |||
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"Traditional African Kit"? Depends. The history of hunting in Africa is a history of European colonialism. So, the term "Traditional Kit" has context. Are we talking about the Brits, Germans, French (God forbid), Italians, Portuguese, Spanards, Dutch? Americans came very, very late to the dance. So. If you go "traditional", who, exactly, are you emulating? Wear what works. Boots, schmoots. Grantie is the same in Africa as it is in North America, just a little older. Wear what works. I have a pair of Courteney, or Courteneay, or whatever, only because I think they look cool and they are comfortable as casual wear. My hunting boots are entirely different. I have a picture in a book somewhere around here that shows Boddington in an absolutely stupid looking zebra banded felt hat. Ridiculous. Bet he wishes he had that picture back. I also have books with pictures of O'Connor and Keith, in levis and bibs, respectively, that look completely natural. Oh, yea. Then there are the wives, who simply must wear, well........ 114-R10David | |||
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Reminds me of an old joke. Q: What's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley? A: The location of the dirt bag. Some tradition is a good thing. One must conserve that which is worthy of conserving, and jettison that which is not. Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
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Come on Idaho, you have to shake things up every once in a while. Like others said, "Whatever floats your boat." My neighbor spends a ton of money on cars. He even has lifts in his garage to store more cars than he should. I don't get it, but to each his own. | |||
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If you really want to hunt in a traditional way: How about NOT using the cruiser and the lunchbox? | |||
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Excellent I love it.  Seems to me a lot of this Traditional stuff is more about how you look in your pictures than anything. Usually traditional is whatever the individual thinks is tradtional in his own mind. A good example of this would be Pith Helmets, They were very traditional for decades in Africa, now the modern Traditionalists wouldn't be caught dead in one. Wally Johnson is wearing one on the front of Capsticks book, and there are more pictures of him in the book wearing knee high socks folded over at the top. Most guys wouldn't be seen in such apparal today without being laughed at. There's never been a standard in Africa of any kind, it is forever changing. Jerry Huffaker State, National and World Champion Taxidermist | |||
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laugh at HD if you will, but check their profitability status with Forbes sometime. In the top thirty every year for Pre and Post Tax profits and PE ratio. It's why Robbs has all those articles on the rich folks riding Hondas...NOT!! AZ, I know what you mean about cars; the Panamera is sitting outside right now. Rich | |||
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Doesn't look too traditional to me... Actually on the contrary. To preach one thing and do another, well, that's just....... http://forums.accuratereloadin.../6321043/m/136109299 | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting How important is a traditional kit to your enjoyment of the safari?
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