Africa...

Andy what a great story to keep on reading! Guess it will unfortunately end with some post however...
Looking at the close-up shot of the croc hide, I think that would be an awesome micarta colouration as well. Maybe we'll see croc hide micarta next to snake skin and tigerhide from Busse...
I'd love to go on a trip like yours someday!
 
Yeah... if I could get that as a grip pattern I would be sold !!!

Still more hunting and a good deal or camera fun to come... ;)
 
Congrats...Successful Lizard Hunt....Excellent Kill Shot there Mate...:thumbup:
 
Great hunt Andy:thumbup:
I've been enjoying these great photos and your commentary from the comforts of my leather recliner.
This morning I toast you with a cup of coffee, but a few scotches have been raised as well over these last few evenings.
 
Great fun Andy!!! Love those shots. Very informative. I love finding out about the "ins" of hunting in those parts. I hope that you'll keep feeding us more stories and pics. Your pics from your home turf are good enough:thumbup:.

Appreciated by all, I'm sure!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Your timing is great. I worked a 6 day week..... I'd get up in the morning and read a bit of your thread before leaving for work. Mate, you made my week!!!!
 
Great shot. Nice bull. Nice Croc. "Never get out of the boat". Fantastic pics. Better story. Very cool.

Thanks for taking the time and sharing this stuff.
 
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This is just awesome!

Thank you again for sharing your extraordinary hunt with us Andy!!!! :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Thanks all, there will be a reprieve for a few days as I am back at work with a good deal on my plate, I have to travel to a funeral tomorrow :( :( then I have job interviews Thursday... ahhhhhhhhh make this week stop.

Kudu next ... ;)
 
All this talk about a steaming hippo turd and no pics?

Shameful


Did you have any run ins with hippos attacking or did your guides keep the group well away from them?

I know several people who have been on safaris and they've actually never mentioned hippo encounters. Most the time it's cats. Evil sneaky mean African sized cats.
 
M67 said:
All this talk about a steaming hippo turd and no pics?

Shameful


Did you have any run ins with hippos attacking or did your guides keep the group well away from them?

I know several people who have been on safaris and they've actually never mentioned hippo encounters. Most the time it's cats. Evil sneaky mean African sized cats.
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..... nope no Hippo Turd pics... too busy wrestling the rifle as a priority.

No, no sign of a Hippo attack, we had a few in close but no issues at all, people and small boats are common enough here that while wary of them they are not aggressive. a mother and small calf would be a different story of course. They also hunt Hippo out of this camp so are well use to them.

Much about how close your wildlife encounters are in Africa will be associated with the style of hunt. We were out of the vehicles more than we were in all the way around. This is good and bad, some animals are more aggressive to the vehicle (not the contents) than they will be to people of foot. There is of course the issue that on foot (and a small boat in reality) you are really just another part of the food chain and get managed as such. How the guide manages the hunt is also very very dependent on their assessment of (or prior knowledge if they have hunted with you before) the hunter, their skills/weakness/interests and such. Also of their ability to shoot when it matters. The reality is that some people arrive in Africa with rifles they are unfamiliar with, that may not be suited to the task or with an attitude that precludes them taking proper heed of the advice they are given.

We had some significant cat issues just a little later in the trip. One left me understanding just what it is to be prey !!!
 
A friend of mine has been to Africa twice I believe, and he had at least 1 cat issue. I can't remember if they were actually hunting it and it was wounded, or if it was hunting what they had just shot. Anyway, the guide told my friend not to scream, that it would make the cat more aggressive. When it proceeded to attack the vehicle and chew on the fender, he said he screamed like a little girl. They eventually killed that cat after is managed to almost tear the fender off and break a tooth or two off in it

Then the stories (another hunter) had of the poor SOB who has the job to get into the tall grass and shrubs to find wounded cats. Football helmet and shoulder pads and I forget what they used for pants. That's truly a crappy job

House cats are sneaky enough and can't be trusted. You get one that's a couple hundred pounds with bigger teeth and claws and a lot more muscle and faster, no thank you. Being hunted by a cat.......don't want it.


I don't really want to go to Africa, my luck something would eat me, I'd find inbred killer monkeys from Congo, or I'd have piss poor timing and be there when a government collapses. But, always enjoy seeing pictures of the place.
 
My PH Boet is often called to other camps to deal with wounded cats as he has more experience with this than most (Leopards mostly). There are a number of lesson he has around this, when your PH says "shoot again" you listen, *you* may not think it is "needed" but he is the one with the real experience. She beats following up an angry cat in thick cover (as they never go sit in the open to lick their wounds).

I can say without reservation that the sound/roar of a lioness as she charges can give you chills !!!! There are very few sounds of anger that compare !!! Even a young bull elephant ear flapping and honking didn't get the message across like the cranky cat's "meow" !!!
 
M67 said:
A friend of mine has been to Africa twice I believe, and he had at least 1 cat issue. I can't remember if they were actually hunting it and it was wounded, or if it was hunting what they had just shot. Anyway, the guide told my friend not to scream, that it would make the cat more aggressive. When it proceeded to attack the vehicle and chew on the fender, he said he screamed like a little girl. They eventually killed that cat after is managed to almost tear the fender off and break a tooth or two off in it

Then the stories (another hunter) had of the poor SOB who has the job to get into the tall grass and shrubs to find wounded cats. Football helmet and shoulder pads and I forget what they used for pants. That's truly a crappy job

House cats are sneaky enough and can't be trusted. You get one that's a couple hundred pounds with bigger teeth and claws and a lot more muscle and faster, no thank you. Being hunted by a cat.......don't want it.


I don't really want to go to Africa, my luck something would eat me, I'd find inbred killer monkeys from Congo, or I'd have piss poor timing and be there when a government collapses. But, always enjoy seeing pictures of the place.
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This post had me laughing out loud, literally... likely because I'd have the same luck...
 
Andy the Aussie said:
Thanks all, there will be a reprieve for a few days as I am back at work with a good deal on my plate, I have to travel to a funeral tomorrow :( :( then I have job interviews Thursday... ahhhhhhhhh make this week stop.

Kudu next ... ;)
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Bummer.... 2 things that I hate.... Funerals..... And weddings. My condolences.
Luck on the interview..... Hope you're not aiming for that wounded cat fetcher job....
 
First, thank you for posting the pictures. They are great. That and programs on TV are the closest most of us will ever get to Africa.

S8wZgYR.jpg


That picture reminded me of an article in a knife magazine a very long time ago. I think it was by Ken Warner after one of his trips to Africa. He took a bunch of handmade knives with him and wanted the natives to use them to dress the game to see how they would perform in the real world. From what I remember, they didn't care much for those new fangled things. Their knives were made out of barrel bands and they could sharpen them by tossing a handful of sand on a log. They couldn't sharpen the handmade knives when they got dull.


The only other comment is have is this. Ain't Aussie dollars good enough? :D

Pi8jT0o.jpg
 
Noxious Fumes said:
Bummer.... 2 things that I hate.... Funerals..... And weddings. My condolences.
Luck on the interview..... Hope you're not aiming for that wounded cat fetcher job....
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..... yes the funeral in this case is just horrible. It is for my cousin and his wife who went together in an MVA a week ago...just horrible. The job interview(s) are lateral and at rank, but restructures and such see me needing to nail down a position.

UffDa said:
First, thank you for posting the pictures. They are great. That and programs on TV are the closest most of us will ever get to Africa.

That picture reminded me of an article in a knife magazine a very long time ago. I think it was by Ken Warner after one of his trips to Africa. He took a bunch of handmade knives with him and wanted the natives to use them to dress the game to see how they would perform in the real world. From what I remember, they didn't care much for those new fangled things. Their knives were made out of barrel bands and they could sharpen them by tossing a handful of sand on a log. They couldn't sharpen the handmade knives when they got dull.


The only other comment is have is this. Ain't Aussie dollars good enough? :D

Pi8jT0o.jpg
Click to expand...
..... I will be harsh here, I watched the locals "sharpening" their knives, as a result I am perplexed just how they managed to cut anything !!!! ;) ;) And NO Aussie $$s are not the accepted form of currency in Africa....even is South Africa I was given the option to pay in $US as opposed to Rand. For the guys in Moz I think their savings accounts are all US based as at some point they have all lost a bundle on local bank crashes....
 
So a quick trip to the local marketplace before we hit the road to hunt some Kudu...we needed some salt for my Croc skin and some boat fuel to replace what we used out on the river (I should also point out I was sporting a pretty good case of sunburn despite the block I was wearing !!!).

Village de Sena...







No licence is required for motorcycles under 50cc, 49cc Chinese made bikes are VERY popular (they are 50cc but the clever Chinese stamp them 49cc ;) )



As are pushbikes...











He got four more on before taking off !!!!!!



Fuel station !!!!!!



And Obano negotiating a price for the fuel !



Sunset back behind camp...

 
Andy the Aussie said:
..... yes the funeral in this case is just horrible. It is for my cousin and his wife who went together in an MVA a week ago...just horrible. The job interview(s) are lateral and at rank, but restructures and such see me needing to nail down a position.

..... I will be harsh here, I watched the locals "sharpening" their knives, as a result I am perplexed just how they managed to cut anything !!!! ;) ;) And NO Aussie $$s are not the accepted form of currency in Africa....even is South Africa I was given the option to pay in $US as opposed to Rand. For the guys in Moz I think their savings accounts are all US based as at some point they have all lost a bundle on local bank crashes....
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I'm sorry about the loss of your cousin.


I was kidding about the US dollars vs Aussie dollars.

Hey! It could be worse.

4nTN5Di.jpg
= about 40¢
 
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