Hey all, last week i was surprised by a phone call from my cousin informing me that he bought us a safari. super cool experience and a huge kind gesture, any of you that have been what are some things you would do different that you may have missed on your first trip? i have started researching and talking to the outfitter about renting a gun so i dont have to take my own, clothing, shots, things like that. thanks for all in advance. I will be in South Africa and Zululand to be exact, im hunting with Harloo Safaris, anything else i may have missed, last please feel free to post pictures from your own adventures!
Going on an unexpected safari
- Thread starter Bsnyder
- Start date
FLAK
WKR
Dang, wish I had cousins like that. Congrats.
Thanks! it still fells surreal, but i am looking forward to the opportunity, the wife is not happy she cant go but im taking her dad with me instead as he will be retired in April and it has been on his bucket list for a while now and my aunt is going as well should be an awesome time.
mooseman100
FNG
Awesome! You will have a blast. So gear is easy, you need minimal. Light hikers, I rarely take full camo. I typically wear duluth tradimg pamts in browns or greens,,cotton button short sleeves shirts. Take a ligjt jcalet and light gloves/ hat. Binos, did i say binos! Moat important is attitude. You will likely ne hunting completely different. Dont fo there expecting to hunt like you do here. Go with the flow. You will be hunting out of a vehicle mote than you prefer do here. You will likely be hu ting on a high fenced farm. Some folks get bent about that stuff. Again, go with the flow and enjoy the experience.
It would be beneficial to practice shooting from shooting sticks, tall bipod or tripod. Likely you will shoot from a tripod made of sticks. Practice that a good bit. It is different than we do here in states.
have fun
It would be beneficial to practice shooting from shooting sticks, tall bipod or tripod. Likely you will shoot from a tripod made of sticks. Practice that a good bit. It is different than we do here in states.
have fun
mooseman100
FNG
Oh yeah, take money. It is safari show season so I am thinking your cousin bought an auction hunt. If so these have a few animals included, but you can shoot more for trophy fee price. Get that info from the PH and save some cash for it. You will shoot more than you think
mooseman100
FNG
I have been well over a dozen times and will definitely go again.
mooseman100
FNG
Africa hunts typically consist of daily rates, this is your cost to be there and hunt. Trophy fees are the cost for shooting each animal. Dip and pack is cost of preparing each animal for shipping. Transportation cost from airport to hu ting area and back. Often for the auction hunts or show season specials a PH will put together a package that is all inclusive. You will be able to add animals on to a package. it is kinda like when a grocery store puts coffee on sale. They are expecting you will buy creamer and suger as well. So the hunt he bought was likely discounted amd the PH is counting on you shooting other animals to help make up his discount.
The hidden cost will be the shipping home of your trophies. This is normally several months later, but can cost a couple grand depending on how many you shoot and where you live.
The hidden cost will be the shipping home of your trophies. This is normally several months later, but can cost a couple grand depending on how many you shoot and where you live.
Practice shooting standing off of sticks. Be comfortable out to 200 yards off of them. Almost all shooting is off sticks. Noted above, but important enough to state again. You pay the fee whether you wound or kill, so make damn sure you kill.
Find out what rifles they have. Taking one is not hard if you don't like their options. Sometimes they have nice loaners, sometimes, not so much.
Depending on time of year and area, mornings can be 30 to 40F. Sitting on the back of a truck in the open air, you will get cold. By 9am, you will be in shirt sleeves. I take a windproof jacket, heavy wool sweater, gloves and beanie for the mornings. The sweater is good in the evenings as well.
Pack one change of clothes in your carry on minus pants. Wear clothes on the plane that you can hunt in including shoes. Pack your binocs and camera in the carry on. Put NOTHING of value in your checked bag.
Mooseman has covered most of the rest. Get the price list. Find out if any animals are on a sliding scale for size and how/when is price determined.
Ask if you are hunting one farm or several. Sometimes there is quite a drive to get from one to another. All animals aren't always on one farm, so you go to the ones with the animals you are after that day.
Expect to be annoyed by folks at the Joberg airport and all of them have their hand out. Don't let anyone touch you stuff, and don't be afraid to be rude about it. I hate that airport for that reason.
Jeremy
Find out what rifles they have. Taking one is not hard if you don't like their options. Sometimes they have nice loaners, sometimes, not so much.
Depending on time of year and area, mornings can be 30 to 40F. Sitting on the back of a truck in the open air, you will get cold. By 9am, you will be in shirt sleeves. I take a windproof jacket, heavy wool sweater, gloves and beanie for the mornings. The sweater is good in the evenings as well.
Pack one change of clothes in your carry on minus pants. Wear clothes on the plane that you can hunt in including shoes. Pack your binocs and camera in the carry on. Put NOTHING of value in your checked bag.
Mooseman has covered most of the rest. Get the price list. Find out if any animals are on a sliding scale for size and how/when is price determined.
Ask if you are hunting one farm or several. Sometimes there is quite a drive to get from one to another. All animals aren't always on one farm, so you go to the ones with the animals you are after that day.
Expect to be annoyed by folks at the Joberg airport and all of them have their hand out. Don't let anyone touch you stuff, and don't be afraid to be rude about it. I hate that airport for that reason.
Jeremy
Do not overpack, no one cares you are wearing the same clothes every day/other day. Take some Diaresq along with the heavier meds for any stomach issues, take heavier meds only as last resort. Avoid cipro - use Z-pak if antibiotics are recommended. Gloves for the morning a great idea. I used them while walking too to extricate the damn wait-a-bit thorns (not sure if that will apply). Have fun.
Heheheheheh…...you will want to shoot more. It's not like any hunting you have done here. The variety and abundance of game is much different whether it is a farm or free range.
Jeremy
mooseman100
FNG
Great advice given above.
If you have nyala on ticket for sure do it, they are not so common and are a thing of beauty. Sable is too but figure a large chunk of change. Eland are awesome as well. I would look to add a gemsbok. If you can post up the trophy fee list from the PH
If you have nyala on ticket for sure do it, they are not so common and are a thing of beauty. Sable is too but figure a large chunk of change. Eland are awesome as well. I would look to add a gemsbok. If you can post up the trophy fee list from the PH
here is the link because im an not very savy when it comes to posting things or pictures nor no i know how to screen shot on the computer. https://www.harloosafaris.com/safaris/game-species
also this list is really long i dont believe i can get it all on a picture.
also this list is really long i dont believe i can get it all on a picture.
*zap*
Savage
Awesome, I hope it goes very well.
Went on my first trip last year - it is such a blast, already scheduled to go back in 2021.
Good advice above, also:
Don't get hung up on the fences, it's all pretty much high fence in SA. The properties I hunted were large enough where I didn't feel it was an issue. It will feel "artificially" populated with the amount of game you'll see.
I'll repeat = practice off the sticks. at first it will feel wobbly, but it's actually quite deadly when you get the hang of it.
Bring extra cash, you will shoot more animals than you think....
You'll be trying to find a way to get back before the end of your safari.... I started cutting back on my low odds out of state applications, and just save the money for Africa - there is no better value
Good advice above, also:
Don't get hung up on the fences, it's all pretty much high fence in SA. The properties I hunted were large enough where I didn't feel it was an issue. It will feel "artificially" populated with the amount of game you'll see.
I'll repeat = practice off the sticks. at first it will feel wobbly, but it's actually quite deadly when you get the hang of it.
Bring extra cash, you will shoot more animals than you think....
You'll be trying to find a way to get back before the end of your safari.... I started cutting back on my low odds out of state applications, and just save the money for Africa - there is no better value
Last edited:
Lionhound1975
WKR
Bsnyder,
I agree with the above advice from the other posters. I lived in Swaziland for 3 years (now called Eswatini) that is just a few miles north of where you will be hunting. I have driven through the Pongola game reserve just east of where you will be hunting and I hunted a lot in the tribal lands of the Lebombo Mountains that run along the Swazi-Mozambique border. There is good nyala hunting in that area as well as some nice kudu. Both of those animals are native to that area so even though the ranches in SA are high fence you are still hunting a native species and not an introduced species that only occurs naturally in some other part of southern Africa.
That area has a lot of thorny brush country if you are hunting native vegetation. But it is still the warm rainy season so things should be fairly green. I would bring clothing for warm, humid days but it cools down some at night. lightweight gloves are a great thing to bring if you will be hunting on the ground. Be prepared for mosquitos, you will be in malaria country right now due to the low elevation and time of year. i always wore long sleeves and pants with a brimmed hat while hunting. Camo is allowed in SA but most PHs wear drab green and browns and that works just as well for rifle hunting in that brush country. Bring good binos as there is a lot to see, be sure to bring all of your valuable stuff in the carry on.
If you are overnighting in Johannesburg/Pretoria there is a nice hunting store called Safari Outdoor that has everything a visiting hunter might need if they lose anything in flight (at a price too). But if you have some free time their Joburg store is only 5-10 minutes south of the airport and has lots of African mounts as well as high end brand equipment like Filson, Helle, Fallkniven, Hansfor Bruks, etc.. The store in Pretoria has an outdoor balcony next to their optics department and you can eat snacks and drink coffee while you test out their Swaro, Leica, Zeiss, etc. binos and scopes. Or look at their gun vault with all the double rifles.
The local workers on the ranch will be either Swazi or Zulu although there might be some Shangaan who are closely related and have the reputation of being incredible trackers. Not all Shangaans know how to track but i met and learned a lot from some incredible Shangaan trackers while living there. Sometimes watching a local tracker follow a spoor trail of a leopard or hyena was more interesting that seeing the animal itself.
There are some big crocs in that area so be careful near water. Every year crocs would take several women and kids that were down near the rivers in the Pongola reserve area. I'm sure your PH will keep you clear of situations like that but i wanted to mention it. There is also some great tigerfish fishing if you are interested in that.
Have a great time there and good hunting.
I agree with the above advice from the other posters. I lived in Swaziland for 3 years (now called Eswatini) that is just a few miles north of where you will be hunting. I have driven through the Pongola game reserve just east of where you will be hunting and I hunted a lot in the tribal lands of the Lebombo Mountains that run along the Swazi-Mozambique border. There is good nyala hunting in that area as well as some nice kudu. Both of those animals are native to that area so even though the ranches in SA are high fence you are still hunting a native species and not an introduced species that only occurs naturally in some other part of southern Africa.
That area has a lot of thorny brush country if you are hunting native vegetation. But it is still the warm rainy season so things should be fairly green. I would bring clothing for warm, humid days but it cools down some at night. lightweight gloves are a great thing to bring if you will be hunting on the ground. Be prepared for mosquitos, you will be in malaria country right now due to the low elevation and time of year. i always wore long sleeves and pants with a brimmed hat while hunting. Camo is allowed in SA but most PHs wear drab green and browns and that works just as well for rifle hunting in that brush country. Bring good binos as there is a lot to see, be sure to bring all of your valuable stuff in the carry on.
If you are overnighting in Johannesburg/Pretoria there is a nice hunting store called Safari Outdoor that has everything a visiting hunter might need if they lose anything in flight (at a price too). But if you have some free time their Joburg store is only 5-10 minutes south of the airport and has lots of African mounts as well as high end brand equipment like Filson, Helle, Fallkniven, Hansfor Bruks, etc.. The store in Pretoria has an outdoor balcony next to their optics department and you can eat snacks and drink coffee while you test out their Swaro, Leica, Zeiss, etc. binos and scopes. Or look at their gun vault with all the double rifles.
The local workers on the ranch will be either Swazi or Zulu although there might be some Shangaan who are closely related and have the reputation of being incredible trackers. Not all Shangaans know how to track but i met and learned a lot from some incredible Shangaan trackers while living there. Sometimes watching a local tracker follow a spoor trail of a leopard or hyena was more interesting that seeing the animal itself.
There are some big crocs in that area so be careful near water. Every year crocs would take several women and kids that were down near the rivers in the Pongola reserve area. I'm sure your PH will keep you clear of situations like that but i wanted to mention it. There is also some great tigerfish fishing if you are interested in that.
Have a great time there and good hunting.
Last edited:
Similar threads
Featured Video
Latest Articles
- West-wide Snowpack & Precipitation Update with Josh Boyd
- Leica PRS 5-30x56i Field Review
- Backcountry Mule Deer Hunting with Braxton Hamilton & Storie Ratcliff
- The Next Level in Optics with Ryan Holm of Leica
- Teratorn Backpack Review
- Argali Serac MagnaCut Knife Review
- James Yates: Leveraging Data for Archery Excellence
- How Old Was He Really? Big Buck Hunters Talk Age vs. Score
- Banning Hunting Technology in Idaho?
- Best Gear of the year Rokslide staff edition 2025 Article