I reply to both Gryph and Cooch.....

Gryph i can take you as a stirrer, and the line was to bait me like a leopard, which is the way the big cats are usually hunted (you would not hunt this way?) Hippo i believe are like any animal on the planet, you find the right habitat and then you find them, exactly like hog deer? You know how i hunt and have hunted, it must upset you that there is no grey in my past? (I'm returning the fishing trip - like hippo meat tied to an overhanging tree......)

Cooch I understand your frustration of explanation, on a small part one of the reasons i wish to hunt the hippo is to be part of the "the are the most dangerous......." and see for myself. There will always be non-believers.

My reply:

Hippo – Purely TROPHY hunt reasons:

1. Most dangerous mammal if not most dangerous vertebrae animal,

2. THRILL - Capstick said never stand between a hippo and his swamp which is sort what I’ll try to do without the hippo knowing it, ohh a stalk with my life on the line

3. Huge tusk and teeth show off value, open mouth skull mount maybe? (if i get one)

4. Can eat em app. one of the nicest

5. Second largest and a member of the big 6 most believe should have been a member of the big 5 replacing rhino (now)

6. The challenge of hitting a tennis ball shaped target at a 45km p/h charge is life or death, if i F#@k the stalk up.......

Blue Duiker – Pure Challenge

1. Lives in ridiculous habitat pretty much all thorns, like hunting a miniscule version of a Sambar.

2. Small target, no bigger than a hare

3. Trophy is in the taking of an animal it might take the entire 7 days, not the size of the horns

4. Can eat a whole one whilst I’m there

5. I’d like to carry a few scars, snake bites, etc. I put on/gave myself saying “I went in after a blue duiker” (proving how silly I am) rather than “this animal went after/charged me……..”

6. One of the smallest "legally" hunted "game" mammal in the world

Reply to Nitro:

Thanks nitro, i am just as economically challenged as the rest of us, more so now we got the 8 week old....

You are right thou the prices of hunting Zambia have gone throu the roof, being a safe country with very restrictive hunting controls (once again from reading) has left a very good pop of animals to hunt, if you are after LION (World Record), leopard, sable, roan or lechwe (biggest horn to body mass antelope) seems like Zambia should be a target, hahahaha. Have you heard of this reserve? The bank manager is gunna love the interest

Your understanding of wanting to hunt hippo is appreciated!!! Yes stalk between the hippo and the water, stalk is the challenge i guess, hoping for it not to charge......blue duiker - well i am crazy (most of you know that

) does anyone now the Aust CITES listing on blue duiker (i think it is classified as a forest)?

Also i'd like a Chobe bushbuck because of their beautiful chocolate coats with both white strips and spots, not over done like a zebra, more like a chital?

It is a way off but dreams are what keep us out hunting....Thanks again all you guys,

SSGA