It's official. In August I am making a once-in-a-lifetime African Safari. I will be hunting plains game in Namibia. This is not my first time to the mother land, but it will be my first hunting safari. Any pertinent suggestions from anyone that has done this before would be appreciated.

 

wow thats amazing. what will you be hunting???



you using your own gun or they supply?

 

I will just be hunting plains game - just the deer type animals impala, hartebeest, kudu, etc. I don't have the funds to hunt the big stuff like lion, buffalo, hippo, etc... I will be taking my Rem 7mm mag.

 

Call up Gunsite Academy and take some professional rifle instruction before you go. Even if you have to take a couple of weekend jobs to pay for it. Take a couple of their courses. A guy I use to work with did that before his African hunt and said if he hadn't it would have been a total waste. He wouldn't have been prepared for what he encountered. Tell them where you're going and what you're going to be hunting and ask them what course they would recommend you take.

Like you said, this is a once in a lifetime hunt and you deserve to be at your best when you go there.

You can't go dragging second rate gear. Cheap scopes won't hack Africa. You don't have to have 5000 dollar rifles but you can't be topping your decent quality hunting rifle with a cheap tasco scope. You're going to need quality, proven durable gear. This is where running through a place like Gunsite comes in also. It will find any flaws in your gear before it fails in Africa 2000 miles from nowhere. You also need to be able to shoot in all different positions and offhand and do so using a sling for support. Again the stuff you can learn from a specialized rifle instructor.

Oh and I'd be spending a lot of time in the gym working my cardio like a madman. You're going to be doing a lot of walking and hiking jogging and you will have to be able to control your breathing and heartbeat to shoot accurately after doing so. You can't be too fit.

I'm envious. What a trip! Nothing like a trip to Africa!

 

the dude is a marine lol, i'm betting he's got the skills to use a rifle and the endurance to hunt in the insane heat from being in Iraq.

i guess you can never be too prepared though

 

I did see that. However, I have no idea what he was doing there. I know several marines who do not shoot for a living. Yes, they all qualify (well, one I'm not sure how he does but he evidently does) and are decent shots but they don't shoot for a living. Even if he does, clearing houses with an M4 is a totally different animal than hunting on the plains of Africa. Marksmanship is a perishable skill and one that can always be improved. Actual instruction from a professional school can do amazing things for your shooting.

 

DVX - thanks for having my back!!!!

Capt - thanks for the sound advice however; I have been in the MC Infantry for 24 plus years, so I do have faith in my shooting skills. I have found that I don't get "Buck Fever" like I used too since they don't shoot back!!! I do intend to take my rifle out a couple times. Don't think I can swing the Gun Sight classes just now, but I have heard good things about them.

Gear is another good suggestion; I have far too many times been in the field with inadequate equipment.

Physically I don't expect to be challenged too much. I know a lot of people thru the Orange County Safari Club (SCI) that have gone over to the dark continent to hunt, and not one of them is in better shape that I am. In fact, some of the guys get winded walking up a flight of stairs!! It is fairly flat where I will be going in Namibia; nothing at all like the hills of Camp Pendleton. Heat shouldn't be an issue since their seasons are the opposite of ours.

 

Africa is rough on gear from everyone I've talked to. Glass especially. It eats optics alive. Many guys have a back-up rifle and scope but if that's not possible I'd make sure I had a back-up scope. I'd also make sure my rifle had iron sights. I'd want to 'failure proof' myself in depth on a trip like that. You can't just run down to the local gun shop or wal-mart and pick up a scope or mounts if it breaks. Your gear has to be top notch and you should run some serious rounds through it before hand to be absolutely familiar with it and to wring out any problems before you go. You want to be totally confident in that weapon and know exactly where it will shoot at what ranges.

Oh and get a good travel case for your guns. I hear the airlines are rough on them. I've got a couple of Pelican cases that you could pretty much drive a truck over and are fit for airlines to play with.

 

I do business with a company that will send you a scope,and you mail him the money later. I bought a scope from him while he was on active duty in Afganistan.This guy is one of a kind,great to do business with.He has all kind of equipment,range finders,spotting scopes,etc. all are high end.....If you need his address PM me...........

 

Originally posted by CaptainQuint: Oh and get a good travel case for your guns. I hear the airlines are rough on them. I've got a couple of Pelican cases that you could pretty much drive a truck over and are fit for airlines to play with.

My gear is pretty rugged, so I think I'm GTG there. I am looking at getting a Tuff Pak for the rifle though...too many guys I know have gone thrue the airports of our socialist friends like the french and belgians and had their gun cases "accidentally" ran over. The Tuff Pak looks like a hard golf case, and would be too tall to run over.