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Ripp
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Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019
      #333668 - 21/10/19 08:32 AM


We arrived in Moscow 9 1/2 hours after leaving Los Angeles..view out the window coming into the airport at Moscow
20191008_042259 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

We stayed overnight in Moscow and then flew out at around 12:30PM local time for Kamchatka--another 9 1/2 hours flight... once there we stopped at this grocery store for some supplies.. great view of a volcano in town.. Kamchatka has a large amount of still active volcanoes ..believe its 28 active with a total of well in excess of 100..

20191010_062406 by A Hoffart, on Flickr
-
20191010_062349 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

After getting supplies and a bit of lunch, it was off for another 7 hour auto ride to get to the village we would be based out of..
20191013_170828 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191013_170828 by A Hoffart, on Flickr


This is the village we stayed at as our base camp..there is a local downhill ski area there which surprised me..surprised me from the standpoint everyone seems to have just enough to get by.. in the US,skiing is an expensive hobby.. apparently not so there..

20191011_131306 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

This lady was our cook..she cooked amazing meals.. most if not all was grown right in her green house and garden.. she was originally from Germany.. AND, it was a dialect I could understand for the most part and converse with..made for a better experience. We also had an interpreter along... Who was studying at the local university in Kamchatka for linquistics.. she spoke obviously Russian as well as English and French.. was great to have her in camp and be able to ask a lot about the Russian culture, thoughts, experiences, etc..

20191013_110919 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191013_110721 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191013_110711 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

Local Hot Springs in the village we stayed//
20191013_091352 by A Hoffart, on Flickr


The following day we flew out to the hunting area in this Russian Helicopter... old military model..see below..
20191013_144643 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

Below are some of the pics I took heading out to the hunting area and coming back in....as well as while on the ground....

20191012_104531 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191011_113337 by A Hoffart, on Flickr


20191012_104809 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191011_101809 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191011_102106 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191015_213538 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191011_102106 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191011_075546 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

My partner scored first with a nice approx. 8ft squared griz.. beautiful fur, nice bear..not huge, but a nice bear..Guns provided by the outfitter were a Christenson Arms in .375H&H and AK-47 variant... The CA had a nice Swaro Z6 scope on it..the AK's were open sights..

20191011_130717 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

We got lucky and found this guy... again, not a huge moose but a nice moose..

20191012_134956 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191012_135444_1 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191012_134906 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

--
Breakfast at Kamchatka --compliments of Aeroflot Airlines..
Russian pancakes and caviar
20191015_113037 by A Hoffart, on Flickr
-

This was the view out the plane flying back out of Kamchatka..

20191015_132621 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

and across the mountains headed towards Moscow... NOT a whole lot out there..
20191015_143435 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

20191015_143321 by A Hoffart, on Flickr

My takeaways... are as follows.

Russian people in the areas and villages seem to have, as I stated,, enough to get by --at or near poverty levels..

In the city or airports they have no concept of space. To both my partner, myself, and many others who have been there, along with my local friends who live in Montana but were from that neck of the woods, the way they go about things is extremely rude.. Perhaps one of the reasons Moscow is rated one of the most unfriendly cities in the world..
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/new...y-10480603.html

We got off the plane and wanted to head to the hotel which was literally 10 minutes or less away.. but you had to go out the high fenced area around the airport so you could not walk.. taxi driver comes up and asks to take us there.. after I put my bag in the car, I asked how much, he wanted $60 US.. I pulled my bag back out of the car and told him it is not going to happen..he magically went to $40 but by that time it was too late..took another taxi..

There seems to be little to no pride of ownership there..for the most part. Not much is fixd up or taken care of.. no paint, fences tipped over, junk laying around, etc.. They what they do to make a living and that's it..

Talking to the young interpreter gal, she said the young people there look for any way out.. to get to another country or whatever.. as there is not much of a future there... She told me that her parents told her before the fall of USSR, the people were pretty much told that you don't have to work that hard, the government will be here for you.. She said the people of that generation still are a bit like that.. even after the breakup..She told us it was horrible when the USSR broke up..people were lost..didn't really know what to do.. hard to get clothing, etc.. which is quite obvious to this day..you will see lots of bigger buildings in the villages, etc..with all the windows out, just sitting there.. they look like they must have looked like right after WW2..She said they were told Americans were aggressive.. work too hard, etc..found that interesting in light of the circumstances of what I saw while there..

Perhaps there is much I don't understand about the Russian culture, people, etc.. I am sure there is.. Having said that, I have never been so happy to set foot back in Montana..

My thoughts were to all those in the USA and around the world that find socialism and communism so appealing, need to head on over to interior Russia and hang out for a while.. see all that mother Russia has to offer to its citizens.. stark contrast,, in Russia people are trying to find any means to get out, where as in the western nations, people are doing anything to get in.. mmmm, why would that be???

We left this hunt early for a number of reasons.. we got extremely lucky to get what we did.. in general this was NOT AT ALL the type of hunt we were told it was going to be..

There is little to no ethics hunting there in our experience.. and little to no game left from what I saw.. As you can see, for the most part there was snow on the ground. No tracks in the snow means no game.. The outfitter tried to tell us the moose has migrated to another area..that is an outright lie.. I have been in moose country most of my life..they might move around with the snow levels a bit, but they don't migrate like mule deer and other types of game.. Was also told there was snow sheep in the area..never saw even one..on ground or from the air..

BUYER BEWARE to anyone headed to this area to hunt is all I can say..

Used a booking agent out of Germany--will never use him or this guide service again... not sure who is lying but doesn't matter, just won't do business with either..

ONE very positive thing Russia has .. they seem to have higher than average percentage of good looking women..

Having said all the above--if given the chance to go back with another outfitter for an actual hunt for snow sheep, I would go..incredibly beautiful country..




Edited by Ripp (22/10/19 04:27 AM)


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93x64mm
.416 member


Reged: 07/12/11
Posts: 3954
Loc: Nth QLD Australia
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Ripp]
      #333670 - 21/10/19 08:50 AM

Great photos there Ripp!
Shame you couldn't bring along your favourite 416, but hey the rifles there got the job done.
Looks like both you & your shooting partner did more than alright, the bear & moose look plenty big enough; but hey how many people get to say they've hunted in Russia!
Lots of fond memories for sure - thanks for sharing mate!


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DarylS
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Reged: 10/08/05
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Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: 93x64mm]
      #333671 - 21/10/19 09:31 AM

Exactly - well done! Bravo! Great pictures, with most of them could have been taken in BC. lol
3 points on each brow guard - here in some areas, a mature bull moose. (yeah, screwed up laws)

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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tinker
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Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: DarylS]
      #333673 - 21/10/19 10:09 AM

Thanks for the report.

You've now hunted with an AK
How was the caviar with those pancakes?

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...


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paradox_
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Reged: 12/05/07
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Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: tinker]
      #333680 - 21/10/19 01:34 PM

Good report Ripp...thank you

--------------------
Walk softly and carry a big stick


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Rod4861
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Reged: 12/06/07
Posts: 243
Loc: Queensland, Australia
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: paradox_]
      #333681 - 21/10/19 01:50 PM

Sounds and looks like a great adventure . Thanks for taking the time to post.

Rod


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Louis
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Reged: 13/05/15
Posts: 977
Loc: France
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Rod4861]
      #333685 - 21/10/19 07:08 PM

Excellent Ripp, thank you for reporting on both hunting and cultural issues; interesting to read that there is little if not no game to be seen while most international hunting agencies fool us and advertise the contrary!
The magic of our modern world is that you were able to complete this hunting journey to the Far East in a relatively short period of time while it took six months to the Roosevelt brothers to complete theirs in 1926!
Louis

--------------------
"Everything that doesn't kill me makes me stronger"


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Ripp
.577 member


Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Louis]
      #333695 - 22/10/19 12:53 AM

Quote:

Excellent Ripp, thank you for reporting on both hunting and cultural issues; interesting to read that there is little if not no game to be seen while most international hunting agencies fool us and advertise the contrary!
The magic of our modern world is that you were able to complete this hunting journey to the Far East in a relatively short period of time while it took six months to the Roosevelt brothers to complete theirs in 1926!
Louis




Ironic you mention this as I thought the same thing as I was traveling --Kamchatka is 18 hours ahead in time vs my home ... I literally left on Wed from Kamchatka and got to NYC on Wed... after a 20 hours of travel... we live in unique times... think what it will be like in another 50 or 100 years..

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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Sarg
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Reged: 20/01/07
Posts: 1365
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Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Ripp]
      #333702 - 22/10/19 02:47 AM

Thank you for posting Ripp, looks awesome & the Moose looks fine, is one palm much better than the other, what was his spread ?

Been hoping to get enough money together one day & hunt a big Browny up there, half the price of Alaskan hunt !

Was the booking agent Caracal ?


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Ripp
.577 member


Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Sarg]
      #333708 - 22/10/19 04:18 AM

Quote:

Thank you for posting Ripp, looks awesome & the Moose looks fine, is one palm much better than the other, what was his spread ?

Been hoping to get enough money together one day & hunt a big Browny up there, half the price of Alaskan hunt !

Was the booking agent Caracal ?




The one is a little bigger --but not much..

I will PM you regarding the booking agent..

Caution you on price vs quality... based on my experience, I am sticking more so with Alaska guides..

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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Ripp
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Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: tinker]
      #333731 - 23/10/19 01:36 AM

Quote:

Thanks for the report.

You've now hunted with an AK
How was the caviar with those pancakes?




Good to try.. but next time I get offered the same, I will pass..

Guess my palate isn't sophisticated enough..

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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Waidmannsheil
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Reged: 19/04/13
Posts: 2363
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Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Ripp]
      #333769 - 23/10/19 08:12 PM

Great story and interesting photos, thanks for posting Ripp.

Matt.

--------------------
There is nothing wrong with vegetarian food, so long as there is meat with it.


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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Waidmannsheil]
      #333959 - 28/10/19 08:45 PM

Ripp was thinking his post was being too negative seeing I hadn't posted. In reality he shared some of the photos privately before posting them here and I had replied and I think I was being lazy here!

I think he is not negative enough, naming the outfitters and agent. Gives other potential clients a heads up. However I understand people not wanting to do so.

Lots of Aussies used to hunt Kamchakta in the 1990's and 2000's. Originally good reports. Later more and more negative comments. I don't remember exactly what they were, but I believe false promises, lack of professionalism and service, perhaps lack of animals. Aussies went there because it was cheaper than Alaska or Canada. I know I was keen to go there back then, never did though. Went to Africa several times instead.

Now to Ripp's hunt. It was still an adventure. But flying East around the world via Europe to Moscow, then to Eastern Siberia? A shorter trip to the West? But I guess flights might be rarer that direction?

Even though Ripp says game were scarce and they were lucky, they still did well.



I am surprised by the size of antlers on his moose. Sems much larger than 99% of European moose? Are the Siberian moose more related to the North American species than the European species?

Well done. Congratulations. Now you have to pay to get it back home!


Quote:

My partner scored first with a nice approx. 8ft squared griz.. beautiful fur, nice bear..not huge, but a nice bear..Guns provided by the outfitter were a Christenson Arms in .375H&H and AK-47 variant... The CA had a nice Swaro Z6 scope on it..the AK's were open sights..




Most Aussies went there for Brown Bear. Even though nott a huge one, a respectable one. Looks big to this Aussie.

Well done to the hunter.



I reckon growing one's own fresh food there might be a necessity.



Cool chopper.



Looks cold! Brrrr.

Funny thing, Ripp WAS in the same general area as this picture. But four months later.


--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"


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Rule303
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Reged: 05/07/09
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Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Ripp]
      #333987 - 29/10/19 08:23 AM

Ripp the country looks good and certainly remote. Well done on the Moose. Certainly has good even antlers and well dished. Your mates bear looks to be a nice light colour.

The ex pat German lady's story of how she ended up way out there might be interesting.

Shame about the integrity of the people you were dealing with. Certainly an experience you wont forget.


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Ripp
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Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
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Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: NitroX]
      #334001 - 29/10/19 04:11 PM

Quote:

Ripp was thinking his post was being too negative seeing I hadn't posted. In reality he shared some of the photos privately before posting them here and I had replied and I think I was being lazy here!

I think he is not negative enough, naming the outfitters and agent. Gives other potential clients a heads up. However I understand people not wanting to do so.

Lots of Aussies used to hunt Kamchakta in the 1990's and 2000's. Originally good reports. Later more and more negative comments. I don't remember exactly what they were, but I believe false promises, lack of professionalism and service, perhaps lack of animals. Aussies went there because it was cheaper than Alaska or Canada. I know I was keen to go there back then, never did though. Went to Africa several times instead.

Now to Ripp's hunt. It was still an adventure. But flying East around the world via Europe to Moscow, then to Eastern Siberia? A shorter trip to the West? But I guess flights might be rarer that direction?

Even though Ripp says game were scarce and they were lucky, they still did well.

I am surprised by the size of antlers on his moose. Sems much larger than 99% of European moose? Are the Siberian moose more related to the North American species than the European species?



I reckon growing one's own fresh food there might be a necessity.




Looks cold! Brrrr.




--

IF someone private messages me I will provide the booking agent and outfitter..

The moose in Kamchatka are very similar to the Alaskan/Yukon moose in Alaska and the Yukon..

It really wasn't that cold.. 0 to 5C during the day usually... cloudy, rainy, snowing..

Yes, most everyone has a garden there and more ..self sustaining..

As to flight schedule.. I was told you can fly from Anchorage to Kamchatka until the end of August.. after that you have to take the long way around.. too few of passengers ..

The guides made an error in discussing their activities in German a bit..while I am not fluent, I can understand more than they wished I had.. THAT ended the hunt ..

Booking a dall sheep hunt.. stay here and do some hunting.. at least when they try to screw me, it will be in English..

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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Sarg
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Reged: 20/01/07
Posts: 1365
Loc: Nil
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Ripp]
      #334005 - 29/10/19 05:31 PM

"
The guides made an error in discussing their activities in German a bit..while I am not fluent, I can understand more than they wished I had.. THAT ended the hunt ..

Booking a dall sheep hunt.. stay here and do some hunting.. at least when they try to screw me, it will be in English.."

Oh that is Golden, just love it, so wish I could learn a few languages or just another but alas i'm just not intelligent enough, could be the Dyslexia !


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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39063
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Sarg]
      #334008 - 29/10/19 06:32 PM

Quote:

"
The guides made an error in discussing their activities in German a bit..while I am not fluent, I can understand more than they wished I had.. THAT ended the hunt ..

Booking a dall sheep hunt.. stay here and do some hunting.. at least when they try to screw me, it will be in English.."

Oh that is Golden, just love it, so wish I could learn a few languages or just another but alas i'm just not intelligent enough, could be the Dyslexia !




My PH and his staff in the vehicle used to talk a lot in Sindebele and laugh, probably about me at times. One day we I heard them talk about a chui (or another word for it I forget). I asked "Did you see a leopard here?" And the PH looked very worried, "Do you understand what we have been saying?!" Obviously thinking to other conversations.

FFFF them, learn some of the language. Give them a scare.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"


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Ripp
.577 member


Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: NitroX]
      #334021 - 29/10/19 11:44 PM

Quote:

Quote:

"
The guides made an error in discussing their activities in German a bit..while I am not fluent, I can understand more than they wished I had.. THAT ended the hunt ..

Booking a dall sheep hunt.. stay here and do some hunting.. at least when they try to screw me, it will be in English.."

Oh that is Golden, just love it, so wish I could learn a few languages or just another but alas i'm just not intelligent enough, could be the Dyslexia !




My PH and his staff in the vehicle used to talk a lot in Sindebele and laugh, probably about me at times. One day we I heard them talk about a chui (or another word for it I forget). I asked "Did you see a leopard here?" And the PH looked very worried, "Do you understand what we have been saying?!" Obviously thinking to other conversations.

FFFF them, learn some of the language. Give them a scare.




Yes..they were shocked when I recited a few thing that had been said...no eye contact...:)

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39063
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: Ripp]
      #334022 - 30/10/19 12:53 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

"
The guides made an error in discussing their activities in German a bit..while I am not fluent, I can understand more than they wished I had.. THAT ended the hunt ..

Booking a dall sheep hunt.. stay here and do some hunting.. at least when they try to screw me, it will be in English.."

Oh that is Golden, just love it, so wish I could learn a few languages or just another but alas i'm just not intelligent enough, could be the Dyslexia !




My PH and his staff in the vehicle used to talk a lot in Sindebele and laugh, probably about me at times. One day we I heard them talk about a chui (or another word for it I forget). I asked "Did you see a leopard here?" And the PH looked very worried, "Do you understand what we have been saying?!" Obviously thinking to other conversations.

FFFF them, learn some of the language. Give them a scare.




Yes..they were shocked when I recited a few thing that had been said...no eye contact...:)




Chui is Swahili. Ingwe is Zulu/Sindebele.

PM me what they said please.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"


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Ripp
.577 member


Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
Re: Moose/griz hunt --Kamchatka, Russia--2019 [Re: NitroX]
      #334036 - 30/10/19 04:57 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

"
The guides made an error in discussing their activities in German a bit..while I am not fluent, I can understand more than they wished I had.. THAT ended the hunt ..

Booking a dall sheep hunt.. stay here and do some hunting.. at least when they try to screw me, it will be in English.."

Oh that is Golden, just love it, so wish I could learn a few languages or just another but alas i'm just not intelligent enough, could be the Dyslexia !




My PH and his staff in the vehicle used to talk a lot in Sindebele and laugh, probably about me at times. One day we I heard them talk about a chui (or another word for it I forget). I asked "Did you see a leopard here?" And the PH looked very worried, "Do you understand what we have been saying?!" Obviously thinking to other conversations.

FFFF them, learn some of the language. Give them a scare.




Yes..they were shocked when I recited a few thing that had been said...no eye contact...:)




Chui is Swahili. Ingwe is Zulu/Sindebele.

PM me what they said please.




I can say that here.. basically what they said is "The game is gone, but they are Americans.. they have plenty of money, lets just keep flying them around for a few days"...


How kind of them..

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..


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