Africa...

Andy the Aussie said:
Yes mate, it was BRILLIANT, I can't step back from that at all !!!!!! It was tough balancing the camera and the "rifle" (by that I mean what was the priority), particularly in those first four days of buff hunting, it was HARD work and most of it spent with the rifle literally in hand. Those cats at the end (and the one that went us in the truck) really brought home that out on the ground (or the water !!) you are just part of the food chain, only the rifle and some reasoning ability changes your ranking.

Out here the only things that are a real threat are buff/bantang and crocs (all in the north). A big hog can be nasty and a bit aggressive but nothing too much in reality.

Still some more pis to follow. A few from Moz and then some live critter pics from Kruger, better pics but it was like being at a zoo after Moz.
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Thanks. I'm wondering if you can't add dingos to that lot. We had a half dozen of them circling our car .... I would not have gotten out. I felt like they were sizing us up for lunch.
 
Yes and no mate, in places where they run in larger packs (Fraser Island and parts of the NT) I would say yes, more dangerous to smaller folk though. I get wild dogs and dingo in ares where I hunt near home, as individual animals they are not prone to attacking a human of my size, a child however....

People scare me much more than ANY animal.
 
Andy on that hog did ya keep the tusks? They make a great trophy necklace sometime you need to cut them down they can be a bit sharp and thin till you get down them a bit. But man that's a nice set on that hog! Nice job!
 
lazy otter said:
Andy on that hog did ya keep the tusks? They make a great trophy necklace sometime you need to cut them down they can be a bit sharp and thin till you get down them a bit. But man that's a nice set on that hog! Nice job!
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..... getting the whole skull (tusks and all) mounted on a base.
 
Andy the Aussie said:
Sorry mate I missed the actual question, they are being pushed along by 77gns of Win760 ignited by a Federal LG Rifle Magnum Primer.
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That's lot of powder :) What a caliber!
If I remember it correctly for 200gr bullet in 308 you need only around 45gr or so of Win760
 
Doing the Croc skull in a similar manner, though my intention is to make that into a coffee table (glass top and sides on a timber frame with the skull inside as a feature).

I may start a "Go Fund Me" to send me back.... ;)
 
Have just found this thread. Brought back all the sights, smells and sounds of our time in Uganda and Kenya several years ago (although no hunting involved - much more the tourist thing).

I was charged by a lion once at our local zoo, and even with a good solid fence between us, it was still a nerve rending experience. She pulled up about fifteen feet from where I was standing and just stared at me.

Thanks for taking the time to share your incredible experiences with us.
 
I realize it was a short time hunting, but during your conversations with Boet were you able to pick his brain for knowledge on becoming a PH???

And if you need funding I would be willing to hold the ASH collection.....;):D
 
Busto said:
I realize it was a short time hunting, but during your conversations with Boet were you able to pick his brain for knowledge on becoming a PH???
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.... funnily enough there was a good deal of discussion around this. The biggest hurdle would be language, in Moz I would need at least workable Portuguese.... ;)
 
In your photo collection I did see some signage that looked like Portuguese....Well if that's the only stumbling block you only need to know a couple of phrases...."Where's my Rifle"...."When do we eat"...."Where's the Dunny"..
Problem solved....My Ex Father in law was a Guide in Alaska for 50 years and I picked his brain...Unfortunately my career was heading in another direction....I miss that old guy...:(
 
So that is pretty much it for my time in the bush in Mozambique. After the bit kittys went and sat where I could not see them and take pictures I wandered the camp a little one last time, I knew already that I was going to miss the place !!!

Hot water system again.. I am always intrigued by solutions to problems of course...



Remember that pic of the Gin Trap from earlier, here is another with some size to put it into context...



One of the other PHs got back into the main camp after a little fishing !!!

Tiger Fish... I wonder how they got that name...



Most of the camp took a siesta in the afternoon, I took the opportunity to sit and clean my rifle well and give it a good oiling, knowing it would be locked in it's case now for over a week. Sitting in the camp with no activity at all was peaceful and a little eerie at the same time. I could not help but think perhaps I was being "watched" and looking like a better and better meal opportunity ;) . Happily there were no issues at all. The last night was spent doing my final pack and such, we had an early dinner and turned in. I spent a good couple of hour laying and recalling the last ten days !!! Loved it all !! Now once asleep I started to dream about big cats and their interest in stalking around the camp at night, its one thing to hear about it as a maybe, it is another when you have seen it. At one point I woke with a bit of a start and then realised it was of course all a dream. I took the opportunity to fight my way out from under the mosquito net and take a pee, then I settled back in for another few hours sleep (it was about 3am), just as I settled in Africa once again reminded me where I was as a lion let out a lovely loooong roar just there along the river below camp.... !!!!!

The next morning we were up and away early as I had a plane to catch. A couple of the camp staff were starting days off so they caught a lift in with us. One thing had caught my eye a couple of times and then I asked... some writing on trees/signs I had seen....



.... mine clearance markers. Lets you know that the clearance teams had gone through recently. And yes, most of the roads we had been traversing were well mined during the civil war.

A few pics I snapped along the road just because...







... those long bags contain charcoal that is the stable money making venture for the people in the bush. They ship, carry, peddle it down to the city to sell for cooking.

A logging truck...



.... lots of these traversing the roads, they have NO idea of securing a load generally (this was a good one) and the sides of the road are littered with bloody big logs that have taken flight !!! It was not unusual to pass one coming the other way with a log stick straight out the side and only just hanging on !!!

OK... look close through the dust...



.... yep, a second class ride always beats a first class walk.... maybe...





...... prison ?? Nope.... Chinese trucking company compound..!

The roads are just excitement after excitement... two lanes equal at least three or four in practice !!









Roadside market..



And Beira International Airport.... right after I had managed to once again traverse the local Police and Customs/Immigration controls with both my luggage and virginity intact...



Next stop... South Africa... :)
 
I've GREATLY enjoyed this thread Andy!!! :cool: Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your adventure with us!!! :thumbup: :D
 
Thanks mate, lots of live critter pics from Kruger NP to come yet, but they are just not the same as from here (and saying that upset MANY people at Kruger when I was on the drive round tours, they didn't get my point of view, a couple did, but not many.
 
Andy, I've really enjoyed every "episode" of your fantastic adventure to Africa! The photos and the narrative have both been great! Still looking forward to seeing more of your photos.
 
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