I'll try to do this in chronological error, as best as I can.

I arrived at Kathi Klimes house prior to my flight, to park my Durango (she volunteered that, nice gal that she is, to save me parking fees), and caught the ride she'd arranged to O'Hare.

I can't do metrics worth ca-ca. One-hundred fifty rounds of .416 Remington Magnum ammo with Federal 215M primers, 81.0 grains of RL15, and 370-grain North Fork bullets is NOT within the 11-pounds limit. The ammo weighed 16 pounds (and change). Bummer. So, only 100 rounds (all ammo was in 50-round boxes) could go in my luggage (NOT in my TuffPak). Then, a KLM Airlines guy says I "can" put my other 50 rounds inside my TuffPak. What the heck, if he thought he could, I figured... go for it. Well, they'd already wheeled away my TuffPak to be loaded on the plane, so I gave the guy "a" key (I had two) and he went chasing after my TuffPak to put in the other 50 rounds.

After clearing the TSA guys... and honestly, I question their qualifications/training but, whatever... I got to my gate and saw the KLM guy. I asked if he got the ammo in the TuffPak... but he said, no, he hadn't, because that wasn't allowed. (Amazing. Someone had told him the rules I already knew.)

I was in a hurry to board. He was going to dispose of my ammo... my lovingly-crafted handloads. In the 1880s, I'd have shot him for such an insult. Instead, I called a friend in Milwaukee and asked him to pick up the ammo (which he did -- end of that story). I was in a rush by this time, after screwing with the TSA guys (they just DON'T impress me... they had NO problem with me taking Shooter's Choice solvent... didn't even ask about it... but had serious concerns about my Militech-1 gun oil... good grief). Whatever. Go along and get along.

Anyway, I was freaking out to get onto the plane, and FORGOT TO GET MY KEY BACK FROM THE KLM GUY. This is an important point. This now left me with only one key, the backup... normally, no problem.

I'd bought one of Mims Reed's very-nice TuffPak "carry-on" pieces of luggage, that goes around the TuffPak. I love this thing, it's great... but I have one minor suggestion for an improvement... make a key pocket. Oh well.

So, in my nine hours to Amsterdam and 10 hours to Dar Es Salaam, I'd gotten into my carry-on bag several times, in the overhead compartment. I'd had the backup key in one of the zipper side pockets. To make a long story short... somewhere along the way, the key had slid out and is still, today, probably sliding around inside the overhead compartment of a KLM airplane. Whatever.

So, I got into Dar Es Salaam at around 2400 hours, or so, and was met by one of Pierre van Tonder's employees, "Silva."

I left home with around $130. That's all I had. By the time the O'Hare flight took off, I'd paid for tolls on I-88 and a meal. I think I got something to eat in Amsterdam. What I'm saying is, I arrived in Africa with about $90.

The lady in charge of keeping illegal firearms from entering the country wanted to see my paperwork for my rifle. No problem. I whipped out the paperwork. Then, as related to me through Silva, she wanted to compare the paperwork to the rifle -- no problem. I got the key out of my carry-on luggage. Well... I ATTEMPTED to get the key. It wasn't there. Then... in panic... I remembered the KLM guy had kept one -- he hadn't mentioned it and I forgot to ask (my Milwaukee buddy got the key when he picked up the ammo, as it turned out).

Then, I realized that the other key was sliding around in the airplane I'd just gotten off of. I had no way, due to language barriers and not knowing my way around logistically, to contact KLM and, "IF" the flight hadn't left yet, have someone check the compartment -- and for all I know, it was on the FIRST plane, from O'Hare.

So... no key. Can't get into the TuffPak. Nuts.

Okay... so Silva, in Swahili, is babbling with the Tanzanian "TSA"-type lady... and it turns out she'll let me get my rifle into the country for $50. I only had about $90, remember. Okay. I'm over a barrel; I paid the $50. Fine.

Then... those hundred rounds I arrived with? I had to pay $28 in taxes. Fine. You guys can do the math.

So... I'm out of the airport. Silva dropped me off at the hotel. A nice joint; Ollie North and Angelina Jolie have stayed there. Pictures on the walls and everything.

Next morning, I woke up, and set about figuring out how in the heck I was going to access my rifle so I could hunt.

Fortunately, I'd brought along a number of things... to include two different Gerber multi-tools, one of which having a "saw-type" (grit, really) blade. To make a long story short, I sawed into my TuffPak and cut the lock out. I now had access to my rifle and could still keep the lid on with the snap buckle on the strap of the TuffPak.

The camp. Well, everyone (mainly, the Judge) had told me this wasn't going to be a "rough it" kind of thing. Still, unless one has "been there," one doesn't "understand." I now understand; however... I'd taken my sleeping bag and an air mattress, and towels. None of which were needed. We had BEDS!!! Not cots, BEDS!!! We had showers, flushable toilets, and TOWELS!!! The camp folks did laundry daily, made the beds, and... well, it was educational. Beds. In the middle of nowhere. Real beds. With mattresses, even. It was insane. Nice, but insane. Who'd have figured?

The camp was layed out like a small village. Grass walls about knee-high bordered all the walkways. I can't remember what you call these walls, but they're all hand-made and have to be taken down (burned) and put up each year. The amount of physical labor put into building this place -- to include a grass-shack bar -- boggles the mind.

Did I mention the flushable toilets??? And the showers??? (Oh... we even had HOT WATER for the showers. Insane. Nice, but insane.)

The meals. Breakfast was always "light," so as not to give you a "stuffed" feeling prior to going out humping after critters. Lunch was in "the field," per se, during the union-mandatory, two-hour, it's-too-damn-hot-to-hunt noon-ish break. Still, the lunches were always packed for us hunters and were tasty and satisfying. Water, pop, whatever you wanted. Amazing.

Dinners were always extravagant. Three or four course meals, then dessert... and everything was fancy-schmancy, done by some native cook named Moses, who did MIRACLES considering the "kitchen" he was working from. Staggering. We humped like maniacs all day, burning a gazillion calories, then fattened back up every night. This is good, though; had the food not been so plentiful, I doubt one could have maintained a decent "pace" each day. (The nicest compliment paid to me on the whole safari was from Pierre, telling me I was "a strong walker." This, from a man who does this safari stuff for a living and is in great shape -- and I was able to hang with him the whole time. I considered him telling me I was a strong walker one of the main highlights of the trip.)

Killing critters. Okay, up front, let me get this out of the way. I have a .416 Remington Magnum built on a P-14 Enfield action with a #8 Douglas barrel and an "issue" heavy-"butt" trigger. It was built in 1991 as I specified... that is, it's accurate. Off the bags, I can do great things. Trying to pull a heavy trigger on a heavy rifle while "trying" to stabilize the whole thing off shooting sticks, was, for me, difficult. I need to practice this much, much, much more often... and I will, even if I never go back (and I probably won't). I will practice shooting off sticks once a month AT LEAST. Okay... so, I nailed a hartebeest at around 130 yards (?) by shooting through a five-inch tree I hadn't noticed in my 1.5-6x Tasco Titan. It "would" have been a shoulder shot; however, it went into the tree, "zigged" to the right at about 45 degrees, and then went through the neck of the hartebeest that was a couple of feet on the other side of the tree. The bullet kept on going and we never found it. (Mike Brady makes some MEAN bullets!) We took pictures of the holes in the tree and the dead hartebeest. That shot, I'd rested off a branch of an available tree.

Then, I shot an impala at around 110 yards. I just didn't like how I was "waving" all over the place, with the reticle, off those gol-durn sticks, but I made a killing shot. No tree this time.

After several attempts on zebras... man, those things aren't easy to stalk, and they seem to like traveling with hartebeest (which they seem to use as watchdogs)... I am able to report a dead zebra that Pierre said was a fairly nice one, about 12 or 13 years old and a good size for that species in that part of the world, he told me.

Cape buffalo... well, things didn't go so well. I'd like to let it go that no Cape buffalo will be heading to a taxidermist on my behalf. Let's let it go at that.

I was going to try for a wildebeest (they have a different species there, besides the black ones and the blue ones), but I never really got a chance when I finally made my mind up that I'd try for one. Previously, we'd seen a few.

Okay, the sprained ankle. To make a LONG story short, we were moving as expeditiously as possible to catch up with a herd from which Dale Bundy had killed a buff' just an hour or so earlier. I'm leaving out a lot of humping, here, but... the end result is, I was finally wearing out. Pierre, very nice and not at all insulting about it, asked me how much longer I felt I could press on. Being military, and an officer, I know the importance of such evaluations. Honesty is important; it often has great impact on a mission. Being unreasonable or "ambitious" often brings about failed missions. I did a quick self-eval, and told Pierre I felt I could give him another hour, but no more. I told him I'd have liked to have told him two or three more hours, but I knew that would be inaccurate. I said I could give him one more good hour, then I'd be done. This, during a five-minute break; up until then, I'd been "hanging in there." I felt bad, like I was no longer a "strong walker" in Pierre's eyes, but I'd stuck it out as long as I could and, for the first time, I finally said "okay" when one of the tracker guys asked to carry my rifle (which, to be honest, really did help). Regardless, I'd given it nearly my all (my "all" being after that next hour was finished), and only felt I had an hour of "go" time left. So, I said "let's hit it" and we took off again. About seven minutes into things, we were going down a hill, to cross a (dry) creek, then up a hill. Everyone did this just fine; then it was my turn. I went down, across, and up... but, when I went "up," my body went one way and my right foot went another. The next thing I knew, I was flat on my face eating grass... screaming in pain. Well... "swearing extreme profanity in pain" is more accurate. Anyway, that was it. Game over. Bring out the bulldozers, turn the place into a parking lot. Done. Finito. Endex, endex, endex. That was it. I was toast.

Everyone was concerned I'd broken my ankle, but I knew I hadn't. I'd broken that same ankle skydiving in 1978, and I know what a broken ankle feels like when you try to stand on it. However, I had one "mother" of a sprain, if you get my drift.

Now, I don't know if any of you safari veterans have ever noticed this before, but... there aren't any ambulances out in BFE Africa. How'd I get back to the truck? I walked. Well, "limped" actually. The tracker guys were wonderful -- they kept giving me the shooting sticks to help me climb up the hills. Flat ground, and downslopes, weren't much of a problem. I just limped carefully, and we finally made it to our extraction point.

Back at camp, my ankle -- after I got my boots off -- was the size of a very healthy softball. It was... impressive. I couldn't hardly walked. I was in pain. Maybe not "childbirth" pain, but it had to be dang close. The Judge was reading a book at a table and we chatted a bit; he suggested having one of the camp folks get some cold (cool) water to soak my foot/ankle in. Sounded good. Someone made it happen and I soaked my foot/ankle for a while. It helped, but not much. Lee Davenport had some... "Bextra" (sp?)... that, he said, was like a better version of Viox (sp?). Whatever. He gave me one and said he felt I'd be able to walk in the morning. I felt he'd been smoking something illegal, to make such a statement. I was BARELY able to put ANY weight on my right foot. However... sure enough, the next day, I was semi-mobile. It was my last "hunting" day, but I stayed in camp. I was done. "Toast," as I said. Over the next couple of days, Lee gave me three more of those "Bextra" things, and I'm sure glad he did. I got back in CONUS 8 Aug 05 and had to fly right out of O'Hare again on 9 Aug 05 for the Home/Vehicle Defense Course at Thunder Ranch in Oregon. Had I not had "Bextra" in those first few critical hours/days after my injury, I KNOW I would not have been able to go through the course at Thunder Ranch.

As I write this, my ankle is all sorts of pretty colors, still, but the swelling has gone down "some." Not a lot, mind you, but "some.' Regardless, I am alive... and I'd do it all again, sprained ankle and all. There were good moments, and less-than-good moments, but what I did, given to me by many of you people, will be remembered forever... including when I'm laying on my death bed.

I wish I could report more animals taken, or something "recordbook," or something that would impress you safari veterans... but I don't think I can. All I can tell you, and the best I can do, is that it meant a lot to ME. Ankle or not, buff' or not, I had the time of my LIFE. My "LIFE." I hope you can understand this.

We lived and ate along a river with hippos and crocs, we saw elephants, lions, heard hyenas, saw vultures the size of Volkswagens, and all sorts of animals that WERE NOT CAGED. This meant a lot to me.

As I said, I didn't wind up with much "tip" money -- but I gave Pierre my Buck Alpha Hunter fixed-blade guthook knife with the rosewood handle, thanked him, with my eyes misting up a bit, frankly; I gave "Twiga" (a really kick-keester tracker like you wouldn't believe) my Gerber tactical knife that I had with me in Iraq; I gave Moses, the cook, my air mattress -- boy, did he THANK me for that! I gave Dominic (another tracker, who carried a POS napsack from, I swear, WW I, around on his back, carrying bottled water) my Bianchi Outback backpack... and I gave "everyone" a whole bunch of hard candy and granola and such that I'd bought at Farm & Fleet before I left. I left a few medical things behind, that might help other hunters or folks in the camp -- ointments, bandaids, things like that. I did the best I could do with what I had.

Anyway, that's it. I had a good time. I think that's what you wonderful folks wanted me to have and that's what I had.

My biggest regret, however, is that I didn't get to place the spent blank, fired at Doyle Hufstedler III's funeral, at the spot where I dropped a buffalo. I carried that spent round with me everyday, hoping to say a few words and leave it in Tanzania, but it didn't work out. I'd like to apologize to Doyle Hufstedler II for my inability to do so. Doyle Hufstedler III was killed in action 31 Mar 04, about a month after I came home. He had been planning a "surprise" safari for himself and his father. It never happened.



Godspeed to all of you, and "thank you" from the bottom of my heart.

Your friend,

Russ

Russell: Sorry you didn't get your buffalo and I'm sure you have your reasons for not posting here, but if you enjoyed yourself I guess that's all that matters.

On the ammo issue, you CAN carry ammo in the same case as your rifle. It's in the TSA and KLM regs. Next time ask your agent or just go to the TSA website and print out a copy of the regs.

I guess I was gone for most of the posts during your plannng stages but I gather the trophy fees were paid in advance as well as the tips for the PH and staff? you are right though, 130 bucks for africa IS traveling light! In any case, welcome back. jorge

Thanks for the long-awaited report. We knew from advance warning that it would be bittersweet. I can only say that I am glad you got to go, that you weathered adversity in the manner would would expect, and I hope you get a chance to return in the future.

Well Done my friend!.....Welcome home!

EDITED: After reading the, in my best Paul Harvey voice, rest of the story I decided to delete my initial comments.

Everytime something went awry on our trip last year I'd look at Mike and say "it's Africa, things are supposed to go wrong". Guess you proved it aint' Disneyland.

You definitely picked us some memories that will stay with you.

btw, how was the new Thunder Ranch?

Russell,
It is great to have you back. I too am sorry that you did not get your buffalo, but you have now been to the mountain. I know that there are a lot of us who'd consider it an honor to courier that spent blank to Africa for you and for the Hufstedlers. You need but ask. Kudude

Russell, now that's what I am talking about! Thanks for a great report! I was hoping you would come through with a report of that calibre, and appreciate your sentiments.

Sorry to hear about the difficulties and that you did not connect on a cape buff. But I am really glad that you still enjoyed and appreciate the experience. I still have not seen a cape buffalo or elephant, and eagerly anticipate the day I do. I am glad that you are able to see the positives and appreciate the opportunity and experience that you had.

Thanks again for the report, and congrats on your trip and the memories you gained.

Cheers,
Canuck

Thanks for a great report. You will return.
Frank

Russell:
Thanks for your post. Thanks for your candor. I suspect you're a pretty extraordinary guy who had an everyman's experience, and I loved the $130 in your pocket thing.
Not everyone is an orthodontist from Dallas. Hell, some of us are even copy editors on smallish newspapers in Oregon ...( and just three hours from the new Thunder Ranch).
Good show, and go back again for a buff for your comrade. Take Ace bandages. Report.
Bill

Russ

From your careful exposition your trip was no failure, the memories will remain forever, even if for the wrong reasons, that is what a safari is about.

I once failed to notice the top of a dry stone wall in my scope whilst staring down a wild goat in Scotland, I now have, courtesey of my erstwhile friends, a nice trophy shield on my wall sporting a bullet grazed stone!!

Thank you for sharing your moments with all your friends the world over, I think we can all, if we are honest, tell of tales of horror and of "cock- ups" in the bush, and even getting there, stories of lost keys, missing luggae with the ammo and even rifle cases left on the airport runway all sound too familiar, I suppose they all add to the interest of the story.

Never say die, you will return to Africa, it is in your blood.

Live each day as if it were your last- for one day you will be right.

Cheers

JT

Thanks, Russ.

I have a feeling you'll be back!

quote:

Originally posted by kudude:
Russell,
It is great to have you back. I too am sorry that you did not get your buffalo, but you have now been to the mountain. I know that there are a lot of us who'd consider it an honor to courier that spent blank to Africa for you and for the Hufstedlers. You need but ask. Kudude

I'm totally up for this. I would just ask that it be someone who's been shot at while in uniform, that the person say a few words in honor of Doyle III, and that the person communicate same to Doyle II, another AR regular.

Often, this is how missions go. You get orders to take a hill, and countless guys... "fail"... in the process, before some lucky guy gets the job done. I understand this, and I'm sure Doyle III would, too. I simply see it as a matter of a remembrance that needs to be made, whether it's me or some other veteran.

If any combat vets here feel they can get the job done, drop me a line and I'll get the spent case to you.

Russ

Russ,
Got one piecd of advise and that is read the material that Kathy and I send you..and most of all dump that 14 pound, single shot, thumb hole rifle with the #8 bull barrel and get a 9 lb. rifle!!

quote:

Originally posted by Paladin:

btw, how was the new Thunder Ranch?

Extraordinary! This is the second tactical school I've been to. Therefore, I don't have many to compare it to, but I know "quality" when I see it. Clint is, hands down and without a doubt, absolutely professional and completely candid -- qualities I greatly appreciate. He cares. He is TRULY bothered when someone he's taught "goes down" in the line of fire and he finds out later.

I MUST say this: Any of you... heck, all of you... take classes from "someone" at one time or another. Maybe the instructor will, in one or two hours of blabbing away, say ONE good thing to write down as a note on your tablet. Not Clint; EVERYTHING he says is worth writing down. I kid you not. It was so bad... with him saying "good stuff" that I felt I needed to write down, that -- at the first break on the first day -- I asked, if I came back again, if I could bring a tape recorder and if he would mind being taped. He didn't care, he said. He understood that he puts out a LOT of stuff that is just nearly impossible to jot down as he goes.

We did house clearing in Terminator 3, lots and LOTS of time on the range, and spent a LOT of time getting out of cars (to engage targets) then back into them (and reholstering)... without putting holes in either the cars or ourselves.

Heidi fixed us all a home-cooked meal and had us up to "the big house" (and it IS a "big" house) on the second night. Then, we sat outside, looking at the beautiful Oregon scenery, smoking some leftover cigars from a SEALs class (SEAL Team #2), and solving all the world's problems. Clint and Heidi are such wonderful folks, and they truly care that you "get it" with regard to the training you receive. They'll both work as hard as it takes to make sure you understand something, and can do it right.

I can't say enough "good" about the school, and especially the course I took. It is SO much more applicable, for me, than the standard pop-up targets I shoot at two days a year in the Army Reserve.

Russ

Russell

Regardless of your unfortunate accident with the ankle you have had the "Safari experience" and nothing will ever compare to your first time in the bush.

Regards,

Mark

Having studied with clint many times I totaly agree. glad to hear your safari was what all safaris are unforgetable.

Russ,
What do you mean you are not going back to Africa. You have to because you have to go back after that cape buffalo.
Glad that you had a great time and enjoyed the report.

Almostacowboy has volunteered to finish the mission. I'll be sending him the spent case shortly.

Thanks for the PM, Almostacowboy, and for stepping up to the plate for a fallen brother in arms (Doyle III).

Russ

Russ,

I'm sorry for the loss of your comrade, and also sorry you didn't get a buffalo. I look forward to hearing of almostacowboy's completion of that mission.

One question of technical curiosity, how did you secure the Tuff-pak for the return flight? I like mine but worry about the keys constantly.

JF

quote:

Originally posted by John Frazer:


One question of technical curiosity, how did you secure the Tuff-pak for the return flight? I like mine but worry about the keys constantly.

John:

Thank you for asking that particular question.

Silva was supposed to get me a bike lock (cable and padlock) or a length of chain and a padlock. We discussed this before my flight into camp and he said he'd take care of it. Upon my return to Dar Es Salaam, I asked him if he'd gotten what we'd discussed so I could lock my case. He slapped his forehead and said he forgot, but said he would still take care of it before we left for the airport.

When we left for the airport, he still had not taken care of it. "At" the airport, there was no way for me to do anything about it.

The only thing "securing" my TuffPak on its journey to CONUS was the "snap buckle" on the strap that goes across the lid of the TuffPak. With the bright, shiney, chrome-looking circular lock sawed out (literally, as I explained above), there was just a dark "hole" in the lid of my BLACK TuffPak. A dark hole in a black lid doesn't stand out much, and the security folks and baggage folks at the Dar Es Salaam airport are nowhere near as steely-eyed as their American counterparts. It made it all the way to Amsterdam, then to O'Hare, with zero problems.

Again, I REALLY like the TuffPak carry-on that I got from Mims... it snaps on around the TuffPak as advertised and makes for one less thing you have to carry individually as you make your way up to the ticket counter. When you're ready to check your lugggage, you just remove the carry-on piece and you're good to go. Like I said, though, I just wish they'd sew in a "key pocket" or something. I had one key in my shirt pocket, which I left with the KLM guy, and I had the backup in the carry-on. This is no slam, in any way, of this product. I think it's a great addition to any TuffPak; you just need to figure out better places to carry both keys.

I learned from these mistakes I made and will not repeat them.

Russ

I am.... quiet.

Russell,

Damn good to hear from you! As all have said, sorry to hear of the problems.

You remind me of my youngest son ... he's in the Navy. He was injured on the O course at the Naval Academy the 8th time he ran it for time ... late April of his graduating year. Literally dragged himself through the rest of it, but missed the time by 7 seconds. They didn't allow enough time to heal so he spent three years as enlisted (and a tour in the first Gulf war) to pay his obligation. He went on the law school after completing his undergraduate degree which the Academy also denied him. After law school he decided that there was a part of his life that was not yet complete ... and he got an OCS slot into the Navy. Completed OCS first in his class. Completed Maintenance Officer school first in his class. Got a Presidential Commendation for individual performance in the Iraq war. Finished his next school first in his class.

The guy is amazing ... just he seems to have invented the "shit happens" phrase. Have seen it over and over again. Things beyond his control just don't seem to break in his favor at all ... yet through the expenditure of a huge amount of energy he gets through things in first class fashion.

Sounds to me as if you (and he) have at least the terrible luck at only "inconvenient" times. Not the worst situation. You'll go back to Africa and things will go better. And you'll have the extraordinary memories.

Hat's off to ya!

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Russ,
Got one piecd of advise and that is read the material that Kathy and I send you..and most of all dump that 14 pound, single shot, thumb hole rifle with the #8 bull barrel and get a 9 lb. rifle!!

Ray

I'm sorry Russell didn't get a Buff but I think he is happy and considers it a success.

I have to agree with you however. It is the poster child for poor planning and lack of execution. A sleeping bag for cripes sake.

Russell haven't you ever read a thread on the African Forum? Read Terry Carr's list of what to take? How can you have wanted this so badly and been so oblivious and unprepared for what was to happen?

Well I hope you get another chance. It is not hard to save enough to go back. When people ask me how I can afford to do what I want I usually point out that our priorities are different. I have guys working for me that spend a $100/wk on cigarettes and in the tavern. In two years they could go to Tanzania too if they wanted to.

Good Luck to you.

quote:

Originally posted by Russell E. Taylor:

The only thing "securing" my TuffPak on its journey to CONUS was the "snap buckle" on the strap that goes across the lid of the TuffPak.

Yikes, that would have kept me from sleeping all the way back home.

Think I'll have a couple sets of duplicates made to hang around my neck, tuck under my bootlaces, etc., etc.! The extra truck key I carry has saved my bacon in too many parking garages...

Thanks,

JF

I don't even know where to start with a response to this report.

What a bloody mess. Now I know why it took you so long to post.

Thank GOD you PREPARED for this safari. Otherwise, just think how bad things might have gone for you. You lost your KEYS? Did your dog eat your passport too? And you only had $130 when you arrived in Dar?

As for going to shooting school, forgive me for noting that you might have considered doing that before going ass over elbows on this fully subsidized safari.

I wouldn't trust you to be able to find your ass with both hands in broad daylight.

Sorry to be so blunt and brutal, but the bullshit was getting too deep around here and somebody had to say it.

Russell, I hope this trip has sparked the "nextimeitus" bug for you, and is the start of a planning session for the next time. We all have "coulda shoulda wouldas" that are based on experiences we have, don't overlook the fact that having the experience is perhaps the better part of the deal!

This sounds like a memorable trip, remember it well and often!

quote:

I'm totally up for this. I would just ask that it be someone who's been shot at while in uniform, that the person say a few words in honor of Doyle III, and that the person communicate same to Doyle II, another AR regular.

Russ, the thought about this gives tears in my eyes...

I am very sorry you did not get your buff, that sprained ankle was really maximum bad luck. I remember spraining my ankle the first evening of my first ever salmon fishing trip to Norway. I limped to the river, waded out and waded downstream by making small jumps with the sound leg, letting the current carrying me; not an option in your case (and perhaps not the wisest thing to do, but I was 20 at the time).

And thanks for sharing your experience in a well told story! I am sure you will be back one day.

Regards,
Martin

Russell ----- Glad you had that "African Experience", now you can understand why each Safari is the hunters own deal, and no one else's. Keep up the good work, and remember what Scarlett said on the steps of TARA, "Tomorrow is another day". I'll bet one of my rifles you shall return to Africa, with knowledge and experience on your side. Good shooting.

quote:

Remember what Scarlett said on the steps of Tara

Who is Scarlett?

Jarrod ----- Scarlett O'Hara, the main character from the movie "Gone with the wind". A good read if you are into the Civil War era.

quote:

Originally posted by Jarrod:

quote:

Remember what Scarlett said on the steps of Tara

Who is Scarlett?

Gone with the Wind

Gone with the wind I know exactly

quote:

Originally posted by John Frazer:


Yikes, that would have kept me from sleeping all the way back home.

My knees against the seats in front of me eand people trying to put their seats back kept me awake.

As for the rifle, before I left I'd added a $8,000 rider with USAA for every possible thing that could happen.

Russ

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
I don't even know where to start with a response to this report.

What a bloody mess. Now I know why it took you so long to post.

Thank GOD you PREPARED for this safari. Otherwise, just think how bad things might have gone for you. You lost your KEYS? Did your dog eat your passport too? And you only had $130 when you arrived in Dar?

As for going to shooting school, forgive me for noting that you might have considered doing that before going ass over elbows on this fully subsidized safari.

I wouldn't trust you to be able to find your ass with both hands in broad daylight.

Sorry to be so blunt and brutal, but the bullshit was getting too deep around here and somebody had to say it.

My dog didn't eat my passport.

The "shooting school" was only offered one time this year and it happened to be 10-12 Aug 05. I didn't set the time for either the course or the safari.

Yes, I left home with $130 on my person. Fully-subsidized? Well, the hunt was, yes. I guess I don't get any credit for the $2490 in airfare I paid back in March.

I didn't go ass over elbows, I went straight forward.

Thanks for straightening out all these misguided people with your post.

Russ

Russ,
Be carefull what you say and who you blame for your own mistakes, I have kept out of this fight but only so far...I don't think you really want me or the folks you hunted with to go there.

My advise is let well enough alone, don't blame Silva or whine about paying your own ticket, as you know thats not the whole story...

..

Imagine having to pay for your own plane ticket to go on a free hunt. What a cruel, cruel world...

And it sure is hard to practice shooting before a safari when the "shooting school" only has a class after the trip. It's not as if a guy could go to a nearby range by himself to practice beforehand...

I honostly don't think I've ever heard of anyone going to a foreign country, especially in the 3rd world, with only $130 on them. Even the "backpacker" types bumming around in Asia bring more cash than that with them!

When it comes to a grown man, a military man no less, bringing 2 keys with them for their gun case, and basically loosing both... Well, no comment is needed...

Russ, I am truly sorry that your trip didn't go well, but I think this is the point where you should rather just "lay down and take a beating", instead of defending yourself with ridiculous excusses.

I'm not trying to be mean, but try to evaluate this situation yourself with an outside point of veiw, and I'm sure you'll have to agree with the critisism you've received.

Russ,

I am sorry to hear of the catastrophies on your hunt. Not to rub it in, but since this was an AR-sponsored hunt, I wonder if you could tell us how many buffalo were missed and whether any were wounded that got away.

Also, did the Gods of bad luck, junky rifles/scopes and poor marksmanship visit their wrath only upon you, or were you in good company?

Russ, Thanks for the report, does Mosses still have the chef's knife I gave him? I mailed a couple more with a surprise for you but I guess it hasn't made it to Tanzania yet. I only had an RSA address for Pierre'.
Mosses cooking was one of the highlights of my hunt with Pierre', I was always looking forward to the appetizers on the long ride back to the lodge. Those little fried liver things he made were the best!! Glad you had a safe trip. Joe

This kinda reminds me of the individual that Saeed gave a free trip to and basically did the same lame thing.
I quess it comes down to if a man is NOT willing to save money and discipline themselfs to prepare for Africa they should do without.Instead of taking advantage of peoples generosity and craping on them.

Sean