Hello to all!! To those of you who don't know me I am Sean Scott owner of TheSafariConnection.com and various other ventures. I have been guiding folks on hunts since I was 15 hammering ducks in the Mississippi Delta (now long ago!)and some of you may have known my father Thad Scott who at one time was one of the largest collectable gun dealers in America and for a time owner of Daniel Fraser LTD. famed for their amazing big bore single shots. Over the next 40 days I am traveling with my wife by road from Namibia through the Caprivi Strip to our concessions in Zimbabwe Sijarira and the famous and historic safari area CHETE.

I will start with an AR recommendation. The new KLM flight from the USA to Windhoek kicks butt! KLM is gun friendly, has great planes and I was able to purchase flights from Chicago to Windhoek for under $1100 bucks! We left Chicago on the 21st and arrived 7 hours later in Amsterdam, very easy compared to the nightmare 18 hour Delta Joberg flight (unfriendly to hunters!!). We had an 12 hour layover in Holland and had booked a room in the airport that didn't require entering the country at YOTELAIR, showered and took a nice long nap. Then feeling great we boarded the Windhoek flight which was 9 1/2 hours but it really didn't feel like it they stopped in Luanda Angola (biggest S hole in the world)but didn't leave the plane. Over half of the passengers disembarked so we continued on to Windhoek in comfort!

We were retrieved from the airport by the great guys at Otjiwa and were settled in our chalet by dark, one of the easiest trips I have ever made to the dark continent by far.

On our first day I dusted off my Rover 110 and started getting ready to hunt and travel. But as things go with Rovers from time to time we went downhill rather quickly. From start up (it had been stored for 2 years) the turbo was leaking so I started looking for the cause found it and a bad water pump and a huge oil leak. All probably caused from not being driven SIGH>>> So now it is off to Windhoek and I am renting a High Lux Toy so I don't end up camping beside the road in some unsavory place like Rundu o the middle of the Caprivi!! I have been nursing the old girl (not my wife the Rover) around Otjiwa and have some pics to post but my Wi-Fi is really slow this evening and I have a Eland strip ready to go on the briaa so for now I will sign off and you can count on a new post WITH pics tomorrow night maybe something dead as well!! SafariSean

Oh and please ask any question you may have glad to respond!!

Sean:

That Delta flight might be long, but I find it is far easier to avoid jet lag than going through Europe. Total time is a big plus as well.

Sean:

Have a great trip.

I knew your father well and spent a lot of time in his store in Indianola and various gun shows through the years. We lost a great benefactor to the fine gun market with his passing. Impossible to replace.

Anyhow, safe travels.

Wow, sounds like an adventure. Have fun be safe be wild.

quote:

Originally posted by Opus1:
Sean:

Have a great trip.

I knew your father well and spent a lot of time in his store in Indianola and various gun shows through the years. We lost a great benefactor to the fine gun market with his passing. Impossible to replace.

Anyhow, safe travels.

Indianola? Not many people have heard of that place.

I went to school in Cleveland, MS. I drove through there every time I went home. it was only 20 or so miles from school.

Indianola had world class dove shoots when I was growing up. Plus the duck and deer hunting around Greenville on the Mississippi was very strong. Also participated in a few pigeon shoots around Yazoo City, but we don't talk about those any more. Not PC ya know...

The duck hunting was incredible. Absolutely incredible. Seeing tens of thousands of ducks take off at the first hint of light is something I will never forget.

I went to DSU to run track and cross country. We just went back for a reunion of our cross country team. It had been 40 years.

quote:

Originally posted by Opus1:
Indianola had world class dove shoots when I was growing up. Plus the duck and deer hunting around Greenville on the Mississippi was very strong. Also participated in a few pigeon shoots around Yazoo City, but we don't talk about those any more. Not PC ya know...

Hey O1,
Ever know any of the Kinnards from Yazoo City, Mississippi? My kin folks. I still shoot a few pigeon shoots myself.

Lane - Does not ring a bell but I was doing the pigeon thing when I was 16 - 20. Most of the old folks didn't have much to say to me until I was on station, then it was mostly profanity laced...

Glad to see you back SafariSean.

There are a couple of threads on here that require an input from you if you have the time.

I assumed you were out of Internet connections for not posting on them.

My amigo Sir Phill and I went through two land rovers in Namibia a few years back. We paid $4,000 for a $500 one and fought to keep it running. It finally needed a new motor so we gave up on it.

The farmer who was our Rover supplier gave us its twin. We must have had that joy in Kamanjab two or three times a week where a poor mechanic did his best to get it running.

He never did and shortly after committed suicide. I have never had the nerve to ask if that damn machine was the final straw.

Now I just rent brand new vehicles at the airport. They always run and I have little doubt that they impress the Himba chicks ...

Thanks guys for all the kind words about Thad I miss him more when I am here hunting. In answer to the post about jet lag I never felt better than I have on arrival this time. I do understand not everyone has the extra day to burn but when combined with having to deal with the SAP540 and all that mess I highly recommend these KLM flights even if traveling on to Zim just less hassle and I have always objected to the fleecing the SA police give you at Joberg!!

So the Rover is off to the shop and then I think sadly off to the sales lot makes me sad I love the way they look and when they aren't leaking everywhere they are amazing vehicles!! Had one last drive last night then retrieved a brand new 3 liter Toyota double cab that is really impressing.



No pictures of dead critters to share but we did have a close encounter last night with a young White Rhino bull that seemed to take exception to my being about 40 yards away. At first we were all calm and happy and then I don't know if he thought the dark blue Rover was another rhino or he got our wind but he went straight to sporty and the last pic below was just a few yards away after that I was busy driving as fast a s a Rover will go in reverse making further photography problematic!!




I did pass on a decent Kudu he was maybe 52 or 53 inches but I have been in Africa over 30 times and taken many Kudu so he didn't pass muster but that being stated I will whack every 60 incher I see till death!! I don't have a lot to add this evening tired and ready for a full nights sleep before I go off to Justuce Brits (AfriHuntSafaris) place near Etosha tomorrow! Will update all tomorrow night!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Glad to see you back SafariSean.

There are a couple of threads on here that require an input from you if you have the time.

I assumed you were out of Internet connections for not posting on them.

I think I addressed any concerns but let me know if there are any questions I need to answer!!

No one here cares how well off you are. I can guarantee no matter how much money you have, somebody's got more, probably a lot more.

"....Hi Safari Sean. You are absolutely correct in stating that a dangerous game bow hunting permit does cost $1500. But FYI they haven’t been issuing permits to hunt buff, elephant and lion with a bow this yr. Guys have been getting for leopard though. Also FYI it’s illegal to hunt with a bow in a Nat Parks “Safari Area” like Chete and that’s always been the case. Perhaps you got special permission or rules have changed that I may not be aware of.

Cheers for now..."

Someone who should know Zimbababwe laws and regulations very well posted the above, which I find contradicts what you are saying.

Especially not allowing bow hunts in places like Chete.


I heard a story about Conrad Hilton, that obnoxious son of the Hiltons who owns the Hilton Hotel chain.

He has been known to be rather rude to passengers on planes, due to him having a bit of money.

One day he told a passenger that he could buy him, because he has so much money.

Another passenger walked up to him and said "may be you should stop and think that there might be other passengers on this flight who can buy you, and your whole family, with their pocket change".

Manner less little Conrad shut up and never uttered a word after that.

All I am trying to find out is the truth, and so far we are not quite there yet.

Unfortunately African hunting as well as many other high dollar hunts are the domain of the wealthy. Even in Arizona the wealthy can buy governors tags and hunt year round for the greatest trophy. Being a working man I both am envious and sometimes put off by this, especially if it includes arrogance. Been following this tale still don't quite get it but seems to be some confusion regarding game laws

There is really no confusion from our end we fully understand the game laws and ALL of hunts are done in the Immediate presence of a Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority Game Warden.

To anyone confused I errantly placed a post here concerning the other thread I had posted about donated hunts and a purchaser that was a real creep.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
"....Hi Safari Sean. You are absolutely correct in stating that a dangerous game bow hunting permit does cost $1500. But FYI they haven’t been issuing permits to hunt buff, elephant and lion with a bow this yr. Guys have been getting for leopard though. Also FYI it’s illegal to hunt with a bow in a Nat Parks “Safari Area” like Chete and that’s always been the case. Perhaps you got special permission or rules have changed that I may not be aware of.

Cheers for now..."

Someone who should know Zimbababwe laws and regulations very well posted the above, which I find contradicts what you are saying.

Especially not allowing bow hunts in places like Chete.


I heard a story about Conrad Hilton, that obnoxious son of the Hiltons who owns the Hilton Hotel chain.

He has been known to be rather rude to passengers on planes, due to him having a bit of money.

One day he told a passenger that he could buy him, because he has so much money.

Another passenger walked up to him and said "may be you should stop and think that there might be other passengers on this flight who can buy you, and your whole family, with their pocket change".

Manner less little Conrad shut up and never uttered a word after that.

All I am trying to find out is the truth, and so far we are not quite there yet.

Anyone who is really "important and wealthy" would be flying private. Might want to remind the next obnoxious guy you see of that fact.

Today was a better day!! I was on the truck with a customer and we ran into a small bachelor herd of Impala that had 2 VERY nice rams. I asked the client if he was interested and he said NO I have taken a couple of Impala in the RSA. I asked him if he would mind giving me a bout 15 minutes to see if I could get up on the better ram and he was inclined to be gracious so off I went!! The group consisted of about 10 old and really young fellows so picking out the old boy I had seen from the truck was easy. The group had moved maybe 200 yards into the bush and I covered the ground quickly using a termite mound to close the gap. I wish there was more to the hunt but when we peered from around the mound he was standing in the wide open looking in the opposite direction at maybe 125 yards. I leaned against the mound for rest and put a 165 grain Barnes through both lungs and caught enough of the heart to put him down in just a few feet!! BEST Impala I have ever seen or taken I think and he has a good deal of Black Face in him I was lucky the client was nice about his time and that the ram behaved all was done in the stated 15 minutes then we continued with the hunt!! Check him out!!

Sean, I met your Dad in his Indianola shop. I was good friends with George Barry who hunted with me a few times.
George worked for your Dad as I recall and, as a paraplegic, he was an incredible inspiration, never allowing his condition to get in the way of his hunting.
Fine gunsmith too. Maybe others know him too.
Have fun on your trip.