What was the opening line of Dicken's "The Tale of Two Cities?"

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

I got started off on the wrong foot, thanks to Delta. I had a flight out of Boise at 0935, to Salt Lake, an hour layover, then off to Atlanta. A couple hours there, then to Jo-Berg.

A couple days before heading out, Delta changes my flight. No explanation, just a bump up three hours. Now, I leave at 0640, so I can enjoy a 3 hour and 45 minute layover in SLC.

Once I spend all day getting to Atlanta, the flight leaves on time. Three rows, of three wide. I am stuck in the midst of a group of hindus; from a year old to eighty. They all have some sort of flu, and I spend the next sixteen hours being coughed on. The fat mom next to me actually folded the seat tray down and changed her child's diaper. At least, started to. I called the stewardess, and watched a real shit storm brew and break. I didn't get two minutes sleep.

Reon & Elmay meet me at Customs, and we get cleared pretty quick. Drive about halfway to Marken, stop at the Krystal Cave and have burgers and fries. By this time I am wheezing, and running a nice fever. We start out the next day with a continental-style breakfast and head out looking for the Eland. Shortly thereafter, I am hanging off the side of the truck composting breakfast. The next three days are a repeat. If I were my PH Reon, I would have just finished me off and buried me somewhere.

I hit a big Zebra stallion just a hair low on the left shoulder the first day, and he is off to the races. He is still out there, dragging the left front leg. A couple days of tracking him around, I get a steady shot at another one. That one drops, and does not go very far. Six days, Reon and I spend as much time trying to catch up to the herd of about twenty, as we do hunting.
I am embarrassed to say I could not hold either rifle as steady as I needed to. The 45-120 and 300 Win Mag bullets do lots of damage, that saved me.

During that time, we see a very nice Blesbok, and the 300 Win Mag drops him on the spot. That evening, I spot a big Jackal, and the 300 drops him. The bullet made a hole about 3" in diameter exiting the carcass.

The rancher asks for a small favor the next day. Would we shoot a cow kudu for meat for the ranch? Certainly! He offers me the hide for a nice rug. I shoot a nice cow about six inches forward of the neck shoulder junction. The 300 drops her on the spot, and another big exit wound.

We had two baboon carcasses out for Hyena/Leopard bait; never saw any signs in the four nights we sat.

A couple days after I get to the ranch, Reon's wife and year old baby return from a couple days at her parents home in Pretoria. This flu thing is all over SA. She called him about a hundred clicks from their house, sick as can be. Reon and head tracker Sammy take off to get them.

The last two days Reon is fighting this stomach flu, and still doing everything he can to hook me up with this huge Eland we saw Day One. We could never quite catch him standing still. Without the flu I would have easily put him down with the 300.

Despite the flu issues, all way around; I had an absolutely marvelous time. Reon is the best, he put me well within shooting range of several nice animals. He knows the places he has hunting rights on, and he knows his business. His #1 guy Sammy, speaks enough english to hold a conversation and is one fine tracker.

Minus the flu (me), I believe Reon would have put me on all the animals on my "Bucket List."

The bad news, in 2014 I will be back, take a couple extra days, and get that big Eland and a Leopard.

Rich

Hey Rich, Welcome home!!!! BUT

THIS THREAD IS USELESS WITHOUT PICTURES

Rich,

Sorry your trip was impacted by illness. I caught the flu from my PH on my first safari as well. Somehow, we press on and make the best of it anyway.

Hope you get your leopard and eland on the next trip.

Rich,

Welcome home. Sorry you were sick

Welcome back Rich. Sorry you were unwell. Did you not take the double rifle?

Welcome back. I think getting stuck on a long flight with a bunch of sick people is the worse. Happened to me back in 2005 and about the 4th day of my safari I was sick as a dog with the stomach flu. I had to spend 5 days in a South African hospital as I am also a diabetic and got severly dehydrated. Got out of the hospital with 1 day hunting left but little energy. PH took me to a water hole and I got a nice nyala and warthog.

I got that! I am Type II diabetic myself.

I owe the success of the hunt to Reon. He kept pushing the fluids and Gaviscon to me.

He is so tough, I think if he had appendicitis he would just pull over to the side and remove it himself with his pocketknife and carry on.

Enough cannot be said about the dedication of a good PH and crew.

I'll get pictures up shortly.

thanks,

Rich

Nakihunter,

I built one of the single shot action kits the late Tom Ondrus offered here three or four years ago. It is a 45-120, pushing a 525gr gas-checked cast bullet about 1970fps.

Rich
I know what you where going thru.
Getting sick there is the pits.
I believe it has to do with the plane air, I have been sick the last 3 trips over with a bad cough and fever.
I plan on using some type of personal mask my next flight. The air system sucks on the plane.

Larry

Ouch Rick. I feel sorry for you having to go through all that to go hunting but I'm jealous that you got to go to Africa this year.

You described my biggest Africa scare, getting sick on the way over. I don't dread snakes, ticks (now recovering from tick fever), I fear getting sick the first day and spending the majority of the hunt in bed or "composting" as you so eloquently describe it. As bad as your hunt was, that was an excellent report.

RICH: Are you sure you were surrounded by Hindus?? They could have been Sikhs, which would account for your illness. A little pun here.

Glad you're home safe & sound.
Sorry your trip was a tough one.

Africa at early evening.



We got to hunt a day at Keta. They have a small group of Elephant, including this Cow and calf. We were on a mostly dirt road, sharp curves, and came around the corner to see Mamma and baby about forty feet in front of us. We were on a dirt dam, with a ten foot drop off on the right, and thick mopane and trees on the right. I had the camera in the front seat, I am trying frantically to get it out while Mamma is putting on a very convincing mock charge. Fortunately, another Elephant made some noise off to the left and baby went to see what it was. Obligingly, Mamma followed.



This young bull was the noise maker. I don't think anything compares to seeing Elephant.



This was the Kudu cow we shot for the landowner for meat. Very few hides compare with Kudu for sheer beauty.



The silver backed jackal, in repose. The exit hole on the back shoulder is about 3" in diameter. Trophex is going to do a full mount with him walking, nose to the right.



taking a breather, rock climbing is hard on us old guys...



This is the Blesbok and my Voere Titan II 300 Winchester Magnum. The double set triggers, if you have a second or two to set them, really help my shooting accuracy.



This is the Cadillac of mule drawn rigs. I had this plan to show him my CDL and see if I could take it for a spin. Sadly, my 4-mule endorsement had expired.

Just double click on the pictures to enlarge.

Ugghh! That has to suck to be sick on safari. Glad you were still able to make lemonade out of lemons.

Pity about being so crook. At least you had some fun. I reckon that eland took one look at that great big beard and those white legs and said to himself,"I am not sitting on no damn wall and having to look at that lot!"

Sucks that you were sick but not getting your eland is a good excuse to go back.

You sure made the best out of a bad situation! Congratulations!

Best regards, D. Nelson

Occupational hazard being a PH is that your clients dose you with whatever they have picked up on the airlines!!!

Who made you wear white socks? Texas Cool!

Glad you were able to enjoy it.

I was sick my first time there too, heat and tick bites didn't help much.