The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Zimbabwe in October's heatGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Zimbabwe in October's heat | Login/Join |
| Administrator |
I have hunted Zimbabwe for many years in October! I suppose where there is no sense, there is no feelings!  | |||
|
One of Us |
You are from the UAE Saeed and I from Texas. We are both accustomed to the heat. Cal is inquiring coming from Alaska. Where you and I are fine with the oven's effects, he is going to struggle during that time frame. | |||
|
| Administrator |
Very true. And human brains operate at around 30 degrees C. Once the temperature goes below zero the brain stops working! Very obvious in this case! | |||
|
One of Us |
Years back one of the Alaskan Native Corporations acquired the company where I worked in south Louisiana. One of the shareholders from Barrow worked with us for about a year. He often said south Louisiana was as close to hell as a boy from Barrow would ever want to be. He really suffered down here. I like October in Zimbabwe, even in the valley. I also have hunted in November and did a photo safari in December. All enjoyable, but I am use to being pretty close to hell down here. | |||
|
| one of us |
SAeed, That was Walter at the other end of camp, not me! and please not Ashley Judd, how about the wicked witchbitch of the East, much better choice.. I was raised in 120 degree heat of the Texas Big Bend Park , 60 miles from Presidio the hottest place in the state..We didn't drank water, didn't have any, we sucked cactus juice and the cows broke rocks and ate the kernals... Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
|
| One of Us |
The best way to endure the October heat is to go in August!  USMC Retired DSC Life Member SCI Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
|
| one of us |
Steve- How do the electrolytes you referenced differ from the "high end" brands like Mountain Ops and Wilderness Athlete? I have wondered for years about what is really in the Gatorade labeled coolers on the sidelines. Probably not Gatorade. | |||
|
| Administrator |
Each company have their own recipes, and I don’t think it makes that much of a difference. Check the content of each, and decide if there is anything in there you don’t want to have. The deal breaker for me is SUGAR FREE! I will not touch anything that has other additives to replace sugar. I just don’t like any of the so called “healthy” stuff they are selling. Sugar free Salt free. Fat free. I won’t touch any of it. | |||
|
| One of Us |
For me, electrolyte powder during/after a particularly tough day in heat is a big help. I'm used to heat & pretty fit, so I just use 'as needed.' Hunted the Selous when it was pretty sticky. Only complaint was that it never really cooled off until about 2am, so sleeping was not great. Mozambique in Nov, it was up to 116F... busted my butt the first day following buffalo through a swamp. Electrolytes were way helpful for recovery. On the Moz trip, had to sleep outside as it never cooled off. Kept my loaded rifle right next to me as there was a lion bait about 1/2mi away, but hell I couldn't sleep inside. Matetsi in Oct, got lucky and it was a little rainy & really not unpleasant. Humidity must have been low. | |||
|
| One of Us |
One of the things that helps me when I'm cutting brush and working on my deer property in North Carolina during our hot, humid summers is one of those cooling towels around my neck. You soak it in water, wring it out, and put it around your neck. The evaporation helps to cool you. You also get a cool towel to wipe the sweat off your face which feels good. You can even find them in camo. I know they go by a variety of names. Companies like Frogg Toggs make them as do others. You should be able to find it in most sporting goods stores as well as the usual online sellers. | |||
|
One of Us |
I've not tried those. I have experimented with most of the cyclist/Triathlon type mixes. As I stated before, just electrolytes don't keep you in the game. Keeping your energy levels up require Carbs, period. Doesn't matter what folks tell you or try to tell you. Your body looks for energy sources from muscle glycogen first. The one I like best is Skratch. It is Dextrose which is derived from Corn, Rice or potatoes and is very easily converted to energy in the form of glucose. SIS "Go electrolyte" is Malodextrin, also very easily converted. Once people understand it isn't just electrolytes you need, you can start to enjoy those long hot and difficult pursuits. There is a product I just started using from SIS (Science in Sport) which is a gel. It is metabolized even faster. I can feel the hit in 5-8 minutes. 22gr of Carbs per package. I consume 80-120 carbs an hour during intense workouts. Do yourself a favor and watch this. it will answer many questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH4aaiGa9TQ Formerly "Nganga" | |||
|
| One of Us |
by -49c i have no more brain for sure ... | |||
|
| One of Us |
Steve, it is long time ago but i trained for mountains and one of the guy was coming from marathon side and pasta helped so carbs for sure. | |||
|
| one of us |
I am from Louisiana and spend a tremendous amount of time outdoors in La. and Texas. I have been on numerous warm hunts in Africa, 3 rain forest, northern Cameroon in March, NW Namibia in late October and have not had the slightest problem. I believe that the people from the southern and sw U.S. can handle it easy however, a friend of mine from Fort McMurray, Alberta nearly died in CAR hunting Derby. | |||
|
| one of us |
Steve- Excellent video. Thanks. Much explained there. | |||
|
| One of Us |
As to the LDE tracking hunt. I did mine in 2012. It was in CAR and Mike Fell was the PH. We tracked the same group for 5 days straight. While it was hot and the days were long, how hard is it to walk on flat ground? I've been fortunate to be a competitive cyclist for many years and have learned the ways of looking after my body while demands are high. There are no cheap & easy fixes. If you implement a broad range of preventative measures and have a moderate level of fitness, you should be able to complete all but the most extreme of hunting conditions. Getting behind on; Hydration OR nutrition will ruin the fun and you'll be in survival mode. Formerly "Nganga" | |||
|
| one of us |
Steve, we are the exception in today's society. I have spent a lifetime eating correctly and working out, my girlfriend says I am crazy. Walking on flat ground should be easy for any hunter going on any type of tracking hunt. What comes into the picture is hydration, during my first safari in Namibia the low humidity was making me incredibly thirsty. Living in Louisiana with high humidity the Namibian weather dried me out so my Professional Hunter said I needed to hydrate heavily during the night. That hydration during the night quickly solved the problem, I now drink water during the night whether I am thirsty or not if I am in a low humidity, and or high heat situation. | |||
|
| One of Us |
A cycling moniker to live by, "Drink, when you're thirsty, when you're not...and in-between." Formerly "Nganga" | |||
|
| One of Us |
I'll share a funny Cal Pappas story about the heat. My family and I were on vacation in Alaska in ~2015. We visited Cal at his home for lunch one day. We had rented a cabin in Talkeetna and asked him over for Pizza one evening. We had the cabin nice and toasty inside. Cal was sitting there politely eating his pizza, sweat just POURING off of him. I asked him why, he stated is was so hot in there, how did we take it? As an aside, Cal meet my special son Brian on that visit. EVERY YEAR since, Cal has sent a birthday gift to Brian, without missing it, not even once. Coincidentally, today is Brian's birthday. Cal is one of the finest gentlemen I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. "A man can be judged solely on how he treats the disabled" Formerly "Nganga" | |||
|
| One of Us |
Steve, Years back our company doctor advised us not to mix gatorade in the water for our employees. He always said that cold water was the best thing for them. His reasoning was they were different than athletes in the amount of calories they were burning. May have been bad advice?? Do you feel the needs for an athlete racing a bike for a 100 miles is different than a hunter walking a flat or at worse hilly 10-15 miles with frequent stops? Or a better question maybe is there any downside to these hi carb energy mixes for people that may not need them due to the level of exertion? | |||
|
| One of Us |
I see absolutely no disadvantages or health issues for the electrolytes portion. To answer the carb. question, PLEASE watch this, it will MORE than answer your question about carbs. Yes, my needs are higher, BUT, you JUST CANNOT OVERDO CARBS. the video explains that declarative statement. Even at 120 carbs an hours, I am a ticking time bomb. They deplete far faster than you can replenish them. At some point of carb intake and intensity, you suffer what is called stomach distress and you evacuate from either or both ends. Your body will tell you you've had enough. For me to get even 100grams of carbs per hour, that is 5 gels or one every 12 minutes. They just isn't sustainable. I simply cannot take that many on the bike. I tend to eat every 30 minutes. But like I said, I am depleting much faster than replacing. That's called "Bonking". Another thing I carry are Glucose tablets. the very same ones diabetics use to rescue them from low blood sugar events. They work but are a short term fix. Typically only 4-5 gr. per tablet. Our bodies will exceed our own perceived ability to perform and "stay on track" as it were, if we take care of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH4aaiGa9TQ Formerly "Nganga" | |||
|
| one of us |
Happy Birthday Brian! Several years ago my company brought in a consultant to our office in New Orleans. He was from Minnesota and had not traveled outside the confines of Minnesota very often. It just so happens his visit was in August and after the meeting we took him walking in the French Quarter around 3 in the afternoon. Man I have never in my life seen someone suffer from the heat like him, I must admit I would have been helpless in the middle of a Minnesota winter! | |||
|
| One of Us |
Steve, Tell Brian Happy Birthday plus one!! I watched the video, the science behind fueling your body to win a race is amazing. While I do feel the level of fitness/fuel for your competitive biking versus old guys walking flat land is a little apple to orange comparison, there are some good takeaways for what we do while hunting. I looked back at my notes from the Congo trip. Two weeks, on the equator in June, no fans, no ac, limited water during the day, limited food supply, no vehicles. I drank a quart of water in the morning, around a gallon during the day, a quart at night. I used a cheap energy drink mix. Most days I consumed less than 3000 calories, probably less than 2500. When I went in I was a little heavy on purpose and loss 15 pounds (probably more because I ate quite a bit on the way home). We walked at least 225-250 miles and never felt bad. When I left the rainforest I felt strong. Next trip I will keep carbs in mind during the day. I just hope it does not interfere with my early afternoon nap in the bush. As always, thanks for the information. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I hunted Zimbabwe in late September and it was very hot. We hunted Kudu one day and it was 114* Each morning Thierry Labat would walk in and watch my wife and I drink a full bottle of water before leaving our tent. He did a remarkable job of keeping us hydrated. The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
|
One of Us |
True words. I don't know if it's mentioned in the video, but IIRC, GOAT Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps used to consume 12,000 or more calories per day when at peak condition and training for competition. Most of that was carbs. Needless to say, he did not get fat! Mike Wilderness is my cathedral, and hunting is my prayer. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Hi Mike, Hope you've been well. Yes, you're absolutely correct. What I'm talking about is definitely overkill for walking around on flat ground. However, the principles still apply. When you feel "out of it" or tired when on a long hot track, its most likely a combination of electrolytes and low energy due to muscle glycogen. For a guy walking on flat ground after a buffalo, I would reckon 40-60 carbs per hour would keep you from going into deficit. Steve Formerly "Nganga" | |||
|
One of Us |
I can tell you , I can go couple of days without food completely in the hills and feel OK ( on purpose ) My point is, I like it and keeps me slim But then I could eat a horse I do it often enough and I’m used to it " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
|
| Administrator |
I am 70 years old. I do not do any sport. But I hardly ever sit still. I average about 10k a day, all year! This morning we went to have breakfast in the desert with friends. I am the oldest. Some of the individuals with us do the iron man regularly. Some swim regularly, doing several kilometers a week. They run and cycle, 80-100 km at a time. Running up and down the dunes playing soccer. After a while everyone is out of breath, including me. The difference is they all sit down complaining! About me not being as affected as them!! Some said “he has an Asbestos lined stomach, and lungs powered by Eveready!” Got home from the desert, took my iPad with my lunch, and went to our pool. In the shade the temperature is 39 degrees C. I had my lunch, and reading a book about the Donner Party. The things those people had to endure.... | |||
|
One of Us |
Yep. I watched a documentary on the Donner Party a few weeks back. Here's a map of the area today. If you're ever in Reno, you should drive up and visit the area. https://www.google.com/url?sa=...vO8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI Poor planning, bad decisions and early snowfall combined to create the tragedy. | |||
|
| Administrator |
You know, reading a book on the iPad is great. I actually have Google earth open and check places. At one point they were dragging their wagons up, using several animals for each. Two men had an argument, one used the end of whip to whack the other on the head. That one got his knife out and stabbed him in the heart. The guy died in a few minutes, and the other one was kicked out of the caravan! Not much different to current American politics! | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata | Page 1 2 3 |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Zimbabwe in October's heat
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia