Pamela Anderson
(and Viagra)
Cal

If it is going to be hot, a "glide" stick to prevent chaffing; a "Chilly Pad" by Frog Tog, which is like a chamois that you wet and wear around your neck to keep cool; and, a battery operated fan for your quarters.

If it is going to be cold, a fleece lined wool "bomber" hat with ear flaps (the trackers will love them if you bring some as gifts) like Sleeping Indian or King of the Mountain make; lined leather gloves; and, a fleece vest to wear under a wind proof jacket.

quote:

Originally posted by SquirrelNut:
Ice and first world toilet tissue.

I brought too much of everything but the camp was short of these key ingredients!

SBT, nylon running shorts under your regular shorts ends the chafing and promotes drying as well.

JPK

A digital camera. Mine was film

Nothing, it was perfect.

quote:

Anybody know If I can buy makers mark in JNB?

Yes you can! I had to substitute that for Crown......for some reason I couldn't find Crown Royale anywhere this year.


.

Hunted a fly camp without ice, and I must say, a G&T isn't the same without ice. You can live without lime, you can even live without tonic, but ice is imperative.

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:

quote:

Anybody know If I can buy makers mark in JNB?

Yes you can! I had to substitute that for Crown......for some reason I couldn't find Crown Royale anywhere this year.


.

"[H]ad to substitute" Makers Mark for Crown Royale, I would say God was watching over and protecting you.

More time, more money, a bigger heavy rifle, and real coffee. Everything else was perfect.

On the comment above about a digital camera, I used a Pentax 35mm SLR on my first safari. That's all there was back then.

The one thing I wish I'd have added to my first safari was... 4 more days. Had I done that, and made my safari 28 days instead of 24, I'd have been able to add lion to the list of animals hunted. As it was, I didn't; and the very first afternoon we bumped into a spectacular lion quite by accident and all I could shoot him with at 25 yards was a Nikon!

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Hunted a fly camp without ice, and I must say, a G&T isn't the same without ice. You can live without lime, you can even live without tonic, but ice is imperative.

Mandatory.

A rich wife.

I wish I would have shot the 3" red duiker in front of me one day, but I was saving my money for a kudu. Never shot the kudu either, but did end up with a nice nyala.

I had several items that I wish I had brought on my first safari:

1. A controlled round feed bolt action .375 H&H –– or a rubber mallet. Mine was a custom LH on a 700 action and the bolt jammed shut on a fired cartridge, allowing a buff to run off. Tracked it for 11 hours, until tracks joined those of a herd. I sent the rifle to Butch Searcy on my return, as in those days he was installing 70 extractors and ejectors. Later, Winchester introduced the LH Classic 70s, but in those days I should have simply used a RH pre-64, as my hunting partners and PH had.

2. A big bore double rifle. I had taken a Ruger No. 1 in .458 Win Mag, but never used it on advice of my PH. Later, I got my hands on Jim Bell's refreshed old 500/450 with LH butt stock, which I still have for next time.

3. More metal screen fly swatters for the tsetse flies. I took two but they were immediately grabbed by the wives of two PHs and beat to destruction within two days.

4. Crepe soles on my Russell birdshooters to make them quiet. Otherwise, they were fine. I had never heard of Courtneys in those days.

5. Knee pads or at least heavy Wranglers for crawling up on game. Not short pants.

I could go on, but one of the very best items I did take was a Barbour waxed cotton jacket which kept me warm in the chilly October mornings.

is a 3" red duiker a good one??

quote:

Originally posted by Anjin:
I had several items that I wish I had brought on my first safari:

1. A controlled round feed bolt action .375 H&H –– or a rubber mallet. Mine was a custom LH on a 700 action and the bolt jammed shut on a fired cartridge, allowing a buff to run off. Tracked it for 11 hours, until tracks joined those of a herd. I sent the rifle to Butch Searcy on my return, as in those days he was installing 70 extractors and ejectors. Later, Winchester introduced the LH Classic 70s, but in those days I should have simply used a RH pre-64, as my hunting partners and PH had.

2. A big bore double rifle. I had taken a Ruger No. 1 in .458 Win Mag, but never used it on advice of my PH. Later, I got my hands on Jim Bell's refreshed old 500/450 with LH butt stock, which I still have for next time.

3. More metal screen fly swatters for the tsetse flies. I took two but they were immediately grabbed by the wives of two PHs and beat to destruction within two days.

4. Crepe soles on my Russell birdshooters to make them quiet. Otherwise, they were fine. I had never heard of Courtneys in those days.

5. Knee pads or at least heavy Wranglers for crawling up on game. Not short pants.

I could go on, but one of the very best items I did take was a Barbour waxed cotton jacket which kept me warm in the chilly October mornings.

where in Africa is it chilly in Oct?? i have always burned up in October( suicide month).

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

where in Africa is it chilly in Oct?? i have always burned up in October( suicide month).

It was chilly in the early mornings and late nights, riding in the back of the trucks to and from the camp in the Mulobesi area of western Zambia. Granted, the days were excessively hot.

Kneepads. A stalk in the Kalahari on the first day took the skin off one of my knees surprisingly quickly and it made stalking difficult after that (I was wearing shorts and had to drag one leg like a wounded buff ...). Ditto gloves for this and other reasons.

Depending on where you are going you may want to take a shotgun and tell your outfitter to have some ammo on hand. Good sand grouse or dove shooting available many places. Francolin also worth a half day in the right area. Guineas not really huntable if you are on your own, it's a team sport. I highly recommend taking a couple of extra days up front to do some bird shooting. You will be on your game when your big game hunt starts.

Get your glasses frames tightened up if you wear them. Ditto EVERY screw on your rifle and your scope. Can't tell you how many times clients have struggled with loose scope mounts.

Don't do the baseball cap thing (note how many folks said to take sunscreen!) Get a decent brimmed hat.

Sandals to wear in camp in the evening, so your boots/sox can dry out.

Spare scope in rings presighted to your rifle.

Decaf tea/coffee if you don't do caffeine. Real coffee if you do.

A travel hammock if you are going to Zim or some other place where you take a nap in teh bush after lunch.

Here's what you DON"T need.

Hunting knife.
Backpack. (although a kidney pack or fanny pack can be useful)
Rain gear unless you are going in the rainy season
Too much clothing. They wash your stuff daily.
Your libido. Hunting and sex don't mix in third world countries.

A fake rubber snake to scare the crap out of the guys in the bakkie.

Well, since I was with Luan, Don Hooker and Org Boshoff, I will have to say a second liver would have been real handy in the evenings.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
is a 3" red duiker a good one??

If it has 5 inch bases.

If you want to go in Cal's direction, one of the "interpreters" the Russians ahead of me had might have been interesting.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
is a 3" red duiker a good one??

If it has 5 inch bases.

give me a break! it's the only one i saw standing still

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
Pamela Anderson
(and Viagra)
Cal

You can have my share of that PETA pos

quote:

quote:Originally posted by cal pappas:Pamela Anderson(and Viagra)Cal

You can have my share of that PETA pos

I don't think his interest in her has anything to do with what she thinks.

In regards to my first safari, I wish I had taken less stuff and more money. I left clothes and boots and other items to the PH and staff. I over packed, not with standing that I reviewed the "packing list." The one item that I wished I had packed was a second watch. Of course the first night my watch died. For the cost of a timex or casio, I always take two watches with my main being solar powered.

Cheers, Steve

Practice with your camera and your rifle. Run all the rounds you plan to take through the action.

What you don't need is safari specific clothes. Get some lightweight cotton shirts and pants in earth tones and go hunting. Looking like you walked out of a catalogue is not necessary.

Mark

More Moleskin, fewer changes of clothing.

My first trip (1974) I took two pair of blue jeans, underwear, work boots and an army bush jacket. Borrowed everything else there and had a blast. Wished I could have stayed longer.

1. Better binos. Had some crappy small Bushnell's. Have some Swaro 10x42 ELs and Zeiss Victory 8x20 now
2. Proper caliber. First plains game hunt I had a 300 RUM Sendero; too heavy, overpowered. Later hunts had a 375 H&H (Buff and PG), .308 Win, and 8x57
3. Done my Taxidermy in Africa the first time instead of bringing back; do it all there now.

this may sound silly but it should only cost a buck or so:

3M lens cleaning cloth. Does magic on eyeglasses, sunglasses, binos and scopes. In fact, take three or four. You will lose one, give one or two away when the PH sees it and the last one will get filthy. Get the 3M brand, it is worth it!

WIND PROOF fleece. I froze my byew-tox off in the the even truck ride!

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
What you don't need is safari specific clothes. Get some lightweight cotton shirts and pants in earth tones and go hunting. Looking like you walked out of a catalogue is not necessary.

Mark

Hey, Mark, that's no fun. Look at my hat in my avatar. Made in South Africa by Dorian, bought at the old Hunting World in NYC long before getting to Africa.

It was kind of useless among the thorn bushes, but did I ever feel the part. The PHs were polite about it.

Just came back from my first Safari. On the next one I will make sure that I take my 34oz Bubba travel mug to take coffee with me on the Landcruiser.

http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-oz...1DT2YQQQQX579WGX79JC

Money, Time, sugar momma....

the perfect threesome

Norm,

If it enhances your experience and does not cut into your hunt budget buy the whole uniform but my point was that it's not a prerequisite for a safari. Folks are always saying how expensive safari is these days and not buying the "safari" kit including a hat like yours, shirts with epaulets, pants with 14 pockets, a "bush" jacket, special underwear, Russell boots and a double rifle will save you a truck load of money to put toward your actual hunt.

Mark

Mark,

Dammit man, you forgot the gaiters !

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
the perfect threesome

quote:

Originally posted by 505ED:
Money, Time, sugar momma....

Now I know why my trip was so GD awesome