The Accurate Reloading Forums
Beware Safari North
06 February 2011, 11:28
maxartBeware Safari North
Just a heads up to anyone looking at Steve Fullerton with Safari North in the northern territory. This outfitt is belly up and has taken us for all deposits and our hunt for this year. After numerous attempts to contact him via phone and email then talking to the Lawyers at SCI in Reno we have come to conclution we have been Screwed.
Steer well clear of any deals with this guy !!
Max
06 February 2011, 11:33
gryphon1That has to be a huge piss off..perhaps Matty could come in to the rescue in a very benevolent way?
Such a deed has to be worth a poultice of credit to you Matty.
After googling they are actually based in New Zealand
Posts: 87 | Location: Victoria Australia | Registered: 07 September 2002
06 February 2011, 11:41
maxartTalked to Matt at the show about it...maybe coming with him, but my mates are pretty soured on the hole thing. Was pretty pissed of at first and wanted to break this guys legs but I really don't know what his situation is so we will just chalk it up to lesson learned. Next time we book with a reputible outfitter like Matt.
06 February 2011, 13:44
duggaboybuffIf it's any consolation I hunted with him a number of years ago and it was the worst safari I have ever been on. Put it this way- you only lost your deposit- not your time and the rest of your money for a piss poor hunting experience. Pay the extra and go with a reputable outfitter like hunt Australia or the many others that have some references. Safari nth was a joke to begin with and in the end you are better off than if he had not gone belly up.
06 February 2011, 17:14
Matt GrahamSorry to hear that mate. If I can assist in any way just let me know.
I was being a bit careful what I said at the concvention in relation to this ... but I guess you realised that!!
Actually I spent quite a bit of time helping other peoples clients with similar issues - outfitters dissappearing, trophies dissappearing. Fair bit of that going on at the moment. Last thing I want is bunches of hunters at the convention with a bad taste in their mouths about AU.
Maxart if YOU think it is warranted - you really should contact the NT PFES (police firearm and safari licencing) and let them know about your situation.... just for a small piece of mind that they may not allow him a safari licence with the information you provide.
06 February 2011, 17:17
Matt Grahamquote:
Originally posted by gryphon1:
That has to be a huge piss off..perhaps Matty could come in to the rescue in a very benevolent way?
Such a deed has to be worth a poultice of credit to you Matty.
After googling they are actually based in New Zealand
Do I need a poultice???

06 February 2011, 20:58
maxartYou know Matt, I think I will just let this one go. It gives me a headache to dwell on it. We will lick our wounds and take it up the endevor next year.
On a different note, I guess my good friend Craig Davis and his wife Sarena are hunting withh you. Craig is a great guy and a lot of fun. I spent 2 months in Africa with him a few years ago and it was one of my favorite safaris.
Anyway, you will enjoy them and he could use a good hunt after a horrible moose hunt in Alaska... lieing sack of shite booking agents.
Cheers and thanks for the help offer, we'll be in touch.....Max
07 February 2011, 02:19
Matt GrahamThat's true about Craig & Serena and they do seem like good folks... and they will have a blast!!! We've got all sorts of craziness planned for them!!

I think Craig wants to 'go feral' with the natives...
07 February 2011, 02:30
AnotherAZWriterI always say the biggest risk of sending in a deposit is having either the agent or the outfitter go bankrupt.
07 February 2011, 07:49
Matt Grahamquote:
Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I always say the biggest risk of sending in a deposit is having either the agent or the outfitter go bankrupt.
I guess a lot of people get that covered in trip cancellation insurance these days???
07 February 2011, 07:58
maxartWatch him Matt, the guy has been known to get naked and run through the bush

You know he is a cop and when we returned back from a two month African trip he had to go through a sensetivety course to get him back to what he consider's to be normal behavior.
Man... your in for fun hunt
07 February 2011, 08:45
Matt Grahamquote:
Originally posted by maxart:
Watch him Matt, the guy has been known to get naked and run through the bush

You know he is a cop and when we returned back from a two month African trip he had to go through a sensetivety course to get him back to what he consider's to be normal behavior.
Man... your in for fun hunt
Dammit that does sound like fun (not the naked bit).... but I dont think I am going to be there, got another camp to take care of.
Hey if your mates want to talk about a future hunt and are worried about the $$ they could always book with one of the good agents we deal with in the USA - Aaron Neilsen, Greg Rodriguez, etc (both of them AR members) - and they will hold deposits in escrow in the USA.
I really dont like people having bad feelings about Aust.... that pisses me off.
Anyhow - just a thought. Cheers
Matt
07 February 2011, 10:02
gryphon1quote:
I really dont like people having bad feelings about Aust.... that pisses me off.
Anyhow - just a thought. Cheers
Matt
That Safari North mob have a Kiwi Address Matt
Posts: 87 | Location: Victoria Australia | Registered: 07 September 2002
07 February 2011, 11:46
maxartThanks so much Matt, I will talk to the guys and see what they want to do, But there is no ill feelings towards Aussis or Kiwis. This shady deal has nothing to do with were he was from or were he hunts.
I am afraid you may have to give hazzard pay to the ph that is taking care of Craig

07 February 2011, 17:18
Matt Grahamquote:
Originally posted by maxart:
Thanks so much Matt, I will talk to the guys and see what they want to do, But there is no ill feelings towards Aussis or Kiwis. This shady deal has nothing to do with were he was from or were he hunts.
I am afraid you may have to give hazzard pay to the ph that is taking care of Craig
Pete has guided bunches of loony hunters... he can handle Craig just fine Im sure!!
Two other hunts he has booked this year on buffalo -
1. a guy who is shooting all of the animals of the world with a 220 Swift &
2. a guy doing a 14-day spear hunt on buffalo!! Craig will be a snack!!
We seem to get all the loony stunt-drivers.
07 February 2011, 17:22
Matt Grahamquote:
Originally posted by gryphon1:
That Safari North mob have a Kiwi Address Matt
He may well do but he is an Aussie, as far as I am aware. He worked for Hunt Australia (before my time) for a while till he had a falling out with the BBB.
14 February 2011, 04:03
larryshoresDid he go bankrupt or did he out right steal your money?
14 February 2011, 04:45
maxartNot sure Larry, we called him from the convention on a cell phone from Austrailia and he ansewred, but said he had no idea who we were talking about. He had not been able to contact previous.
Anthony
14 February 2011, 06:14
larryshoresToo bad. Sorry this happened to you.
My guess is that if this were a formal bankruptcy, all creditors would be contacted. Seems like that didn't happen. As such, it would seem a reasonable conclusion that they either took your money or there is no formal bankruptcy.
I got taken by a guy in NZ a few years back. It took a lot of work but I got him arrested and also got a civil judgment. He never paid the judgment nor the restitution that the courts ordered him to pay.
You may want to follow a similar path. It did take time and cost money. It did make it difficult for him to pull a stunt like that again.
14 February 2011, 09:25
L. David KeithPosting your warning will go a long way Max. Did he have an agent here in the States?
Regards,
David
Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris
http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333
Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com
NRA Benefactor
DSC Professional Member
SCI Member
RMEF Life Member
NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor
NAHC Life Member
Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer
Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added
http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#926103994110 days in the Stormberg Mountains
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson
Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......
"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."
14 February 2011, 21:09
larryshoresYou might find the following website useful:
www.fishnhunt.co.nzYou may be able to find out some informationor post a warning there as well.
15 February 2011, 05:44
maxartNo David, he did'nt have an agent. from what I gathered he was a pretty small operator with a very primative camp. That is what we were looking for and he killed some big bulls. he came highly recomended from a very reputable source and we checked with others and got the thumbs up. His prices were not high but definatly not low either which is sometimes sn indication of a fly by night.
I don't know what Steves situation is and we are content to just make sure no one will get screwed gaain from this guy.
Thanks for eveybody's help...Anthony
15 February 2011, 06:37
L. David KeithI don't recall ever hearing of him but that's not unusual for a large country like AU. Sounds like he got tired of it or wasn't making enough money to sustain himself. We both have seen taxidermists do likewise and just disappear. Sorry to hear you guys were on the short end of the stick. Australia has some fine outfitters and great hunting. Have you ever looked into their bird hunting and fishing? It's eye opening.
Regards,
David
Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris
http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333
Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com
NRA Benefactor
DSC Professional Member
SCI Member
RMEF Life Member
NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor
NAHC Life Member
Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer
Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added
http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#926103994110 days in the Stormberg Mountains
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson
Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......
"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."
15 February 2011, 19:25
maxartYou know David, I never really ever thought about bird hunting down under. When you think of sport there you think Buffalo or bantang, you hardly ever hear about the wing shooting. I will check it out though.
Thanks...Anthony
15 February 2011, 23:28
BakesThe NT has some great magpie goose shooting in season. I'll post some pics tonight

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A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said "How can you tell them apart?" He said "Her brother's got a moustache!"
16 February 2011, 03:44
Matt Grahamquote:
Originally posted by maxart:
You know David, I never really ever thought about bird hunting down under. When you think of sport there you think Buffalo or bantang, you hardly ever hear about the wing shooting. I will check it out though.
Thanks...Anthony
Yes there is great waterfowling in the NT... only problem is, in context of the safari industry is...
1. very tight bag limits. Thats not such a big deal if it is just an add-on to a buffalo hunt. What I mean is - it is a bit tight for people who want to come and shoot LOTS of waterfowl on a specific waterfowling hunt. (like you would in Argentina say)
2. unknown season start date - they often dont announce the season till close to the actual date. Difficult to plan!!
3. season is typically toward the end of the regular safari season. If you do you buff hunt in June/July and most of August - you wont be able to legally hunt waterfowl.
There are a few other minor issues but that is the main impediment. If you plan to come hunting in Sept/Oct and there are good numbers of waterfowl in your hunt area - you can sure have some fun... watch out for the 'snapping handbags' though!!
16 February 2011, 14:32
BakesSome pics from my collection
And the "tubes" on a old male.
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A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said "How can you tell them apart?" He said "Her brother's got a moustache!"
16 February 2011, 19:49
maxartThose are great looking geese, What do you hunt them with...375 H&H ?

17 February 2011, 02:51
Matt Grahamquote:
Originally posted by maxart:
Those are great looking geese, What do you hunt them with...375 H&H ?
Thats not enough gun for our geese. These geese are venomous too and attack from the air!!
17 February 2011, 15:18
BakesSuch a pretty bird as well...
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A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said "How can you tell them apart?" He said "Her brother's got a moustache!"