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Hunting >> Hunting in Africa & hunting dangerous game

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Trapper
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Reged: 29/03/07
Posts: 8
Loc: Michgan
Whom to hunt with?
      #77424 - 26/04/07 05:13 AM

I'm planing my 1st trip to Africa. One of my criteria is to hopefully get the real "African experience". I found this outfit (Classic Safaris, Vaughan Fulton)and was wondering if anyone has hunted with them http://www.fultonclassicsafaris.com/about.htm
Also this outfit: http://www.namibiahunting.net/ (Klawerberg Ranch)
Although I was hoping to stay away from S.A, DVisser Safaris came recommended by at least one SCI member I know ( http://www.dvisser-safaris.co.za/Modules_FE/Layout1/displayfull.asp?id=1 )
As well as these fellows who hunted with them before they were sold to the now owners. http://www.bushmensafaris.com/ (Bushman Safaris)

Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Regards, Trapper

--------------------
"The mass of men lead lives of quite desperation"


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EricCioe
.224 member


Reged: 16/04/07
Posts: 17
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: Trapper]
      #77426 - 26/04/07 05:37 AM

Whereabouts in Michigan are you from? If you're from West Michigan, there is a pretty big Safari Club group north of Muskegon, with a few guys that have been plains hunting in Africa. You might check with them.

--------------------
Kant, Goethe, Hamsun, Mann, & Heidegger. Ted Roosevelt & Aldo Leopold.


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Trapper
.224 member


Reged: 29/03/07
Posts: 8
Loc: Michgan
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: EricCioe]
      #77427 - 26/04/07 07:01 AM

I live in Madison Hgts. I belong to (and sit on the Board of Directors) of the Southeast Michigan Bowhunters Chapter of SCI. I'd like to get a few outside opinions, just to see what the rest of the world thinks.

--------------------
"The mass of men lead lives of quite desperation"


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mikeh416Rigby
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: Trapper]
      #77435 - 26/04/07 08:33 AM

I hunted with Vaughan Fulton two years ago, and with 7 Safaris under my belt now, feel he is the best I've hunted with. His camps are traditional tented camps complete with large beds with boxsprings and mattresses, flush toilets, hot showeres, great food, trackers, skinners, and support personell. All hunts are fair chase, with no shooting from the vehicle. I'm hunting Cape Buffalo with Vaughan next year. PM me your email, and I'll send you some photos.

Edited by mikeh416Rigby (26/04/07 08:35 AM)


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Trapper
.224 member


Reged: 29/03/07
Posts: 8
Loc: Michgan
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #77440 - 26/04/07 10:17 AM

Thanks Mike. PM sent.

--------------------
"The mass of men lead lives of quite desperation"


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CptCurlAdministrator
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #77443 - 26/04/07 10:51 AM

Heck Mike,

Why don't you post a few photos instead of PM? Something you don't want the group to see?

Curl

--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.



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mikeh416Rigby
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: CptCurl]
      #77447 - 26/04/07 12:16 PM

Quote:

Heck Mike,

Why don't you post a few photos instead of PM? Something you don't want the group to see?

Curl




Computer literacy isn't my forte'. How 'bout I email you some pics for you to post for me?


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mickey
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Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: CptCurl]
      #77448 - 26/04/07 12:23 PM

Quote:

large beds with box springs and mattresses, flush toilets




Good Grief, what will they think of next. TVs and telephones that work from satellites?

Whatever happened to cots, camp chairs and gin and tonic?

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.


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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: Trapper]
      #77454 - 26/04/07 01:06 PM

Trapper

Do you have any preference in where you wish to hunt? Namibia seems to be a preference seeing the three outfitters you have named.

Also what sort of safari are you interested in? How many days? What sort of game? Plains game, cape buffalo, elephant?

Lots of options which could change the sort of outfitter and the location.



***

In Namibia I have hunted with Karl Stumpfe of Ndumo Safaris and found his safaris on par and don't have any trouble recommending you contact him. A plus is he is also active on the NitroExpress.com forums.

***

As for the "real African experience" I imagine you are referring to tented safari camps, hunting in wilderness type areas, lots of hunting on foot, not riding around in bakkies ..... If that is what you want I think it is not hard at all to find it. Lots of areas in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Caprivi all do this.

--------------------
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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mikeh416Rigby
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Reged: 24/02/03
Posts: 6051
Loc: The beautiful Oley Valley, PA....
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: mickey]
      #77455 - 26/04/07 01:08 PM

What can I say Mick? I enjoy being pampered (no pun intended), in my old age. He does have camp chairs and gin & tonics.

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mikeh416Rigby
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Reged: 24/02/03
Posts: 6051
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: Trapper]
      #77457 - 26/04/07 01:10 PM

Trapper, and Curl, pics on the way to both of you. Curl, if you have time, please post them for all to enjoy.

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CptCurlAdministrator
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Reged: 01/05/04
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #77474 - 26/04/07 09:06 PM

Per Mike's request I am posting photos he sent me. Mike, you are an administrator, so you can edit this post to provide captions to the photos. I feel sure everybody would enjoy some commentary to this great photo array.

Best,
Curl



Vaughan's tented camp in Northern Namibia













Vaughan Fulton - P.H Extrordinaire!







Tracks in the Namibian Sands









Sheepherders mud hut

Local Himba Woman



Mountain Zebra (shot on the flats)

Old stink bull Giraffe

Vaughan Fulton posing with Mike's 42" Gemsbok Bull

An excellent Warthog for Namibia

Huge termite mound in the bush.

Customized .375 Ackley Improved atop long-grass shooting sticks. www.long-grass.com

The hunter's tools.


--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.



Edited by mikeh416Rigby (27/04/07 05:37 AM)


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wellplugger
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Reged: 03/11/06
Posts: 45
Loc: So. East Texas
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: CptCurl]
      #77480 - 27/04/07 12:52 AM

Curl:

Up to the pic's of the termite mounds, local native's and game photo's, the territory looks a lot like my deer lease in West Texas although, my camp does not have an indoor shower.........lol

We always enjoy the great pic's and the more the better............thanks......Lee


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CptCurlAdministrator
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Reged: 01/05/04
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: wellplugger]
      #77491 - 27/04/07 03:19 AM

These photos belong to mikeh416Rigby. They are not mine. I just posted them for Mike at his request.

Curl

--------------------
RoscoeStephenson.com

YOUR DOUBLE RIFLE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.



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mikeh416Rigby
.450 member


Reged: 24/02/03
Posts: 6051
Loc: The beautiful Oley Valley, PA....
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: CptCurl]
      #77500 - 27/04/07 05:38 AM

Curl, thanks for posting them for me.

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Double_Trouble
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Reged: 27/04/06
Posts: 577
Loc: Canada
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: mikeh416Rigby]
      #77502 - 27/04/07 05:48 AM

Great photos of the camp and the wonderful trophies that you bagged!

Thanks for sharing them!

DT

--------------------
Double Trouble,
Speak not of what you do not know.
Listen up when it's time to.


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Trapper
.224 member


Reged: 29/03/07
Posts: 8
Loc: Michgan
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: NitroX]
      #77521 - 27/04/07 12:15 PM

Quote:

Trapper

Do you have any preference in where you wish to hunt? Namibia seems to be a preference seeing the three outfitters you have named.

Also what sort of safari are you interested in? How many days? What sort of game? Plains game, cape buffalo, elephant?

Lots of options which could change the sort of outfitter and the location.



***

In Namibia I have hunted with Karl Stumpfe of Ndumo Safaris and found his safaris on par and don't have any trouble recommending you contact him. A plus is he is also active on the NitroExpress.com forums.

***

As for the "real African experience" I imagine you are referring to tented safari camps, hunting in wilderness type areas, lots of hunting on foot, not riding around in bakkies ..... If that is what you want I think it is not hard at all to find it. Lots of areas in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Caprivi all do this.





I'm looking at a 7 to 10 day hunt for plains game. (maybe 5-7 animals) I'm told that Namibia is one of the most overlooked areas and is one of the last unspoiled places on the continent. I'm not sure what to believe any more as I've heard so many differing opinions. My first thought was to stay away from high fence hunts. Then someone told me that the fences are there for a reason and explained that in Africa, most places that aren't fenced are poached out. He went on to explain that these huge ranches are managed just as a trophy whitetail ranch would be here in the states, except a lot larger, and assured me that I wouldn't see a fence all day.
You mentioned Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Caprivi. Are all of these areas safe? (my wife thinks everywhere in Africa is dangerous and says "why don't you just go back to Newfoundland or Alaska?")

When I say "real African experience", I don't mind a tent camp, I just don't want it to seem like a canned hunt. I recently talked to a fellow SCI member who returned from a lion hunt (actually i think it may have been a lioness hunt)On the first morning out, they drove a jeep maybe a mile or so, saw a lion under a tree, drove up and shot it. I would be terribly disappointed in a hunt like this (apparently he wasn't).

input? suggestions?

Trapper

--------------------
"The mass of men lead lives of quite desperation"


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Charles_Helm
.333 member


Reged: 09/11/05
Posts: 337
Loc: Dallas, Texas
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: Trapper]
      #77529 - 27/04/07 03:56 PM

I hunted with Classic Safaris in 2005 a short while after Mike -- my pictures are here.

Note that Vaughan has changed plainsgame concessions but I understand that he still uses a tented camp. His hunts are not canned.

If you are not comfortable placing a deposit with someone in Africa you can book with Vaughan through Wendell Reich in Dallas. I think most people who have hunted with Vaughan would be happy to give him a deposit, but for my first trip I did take some comfort in having my money in Dallas until I got home.

--------------------
Some pictures from Namibia

Some pictures from Zimbabwe

An Elephant Story


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Charles_Helm
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Reged: 09/11/05
Posts: 337
Loc: Dallas, Texas
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: Trapper]
      #77530 - 27/04/07 04:07 PM

To answer some of your other questions from my limited experience, not all fenced places are high-fenced, and some high-fenced places are quite large. One the other hand some are not so large and purportedly buy their game at auction before the hunts, so do your due diligence.

I hunted a communal concession because I did not want to hunt on a ranch. Some of the ranches in Namibia are quite large and low fenced, but I wanted a concession and a tented camp, which did limit my choices a bit.

I have not been to the other places you mentioned, but my impression is that the Caprivi Strip (part of Namibia) and Tanzania are fairly stable as Africa goes. Mozambique seems to be doing well, depsite stories about land mines left over from the civil war. Those returning from Zimbabwe this year seem to be having good hunts depsite the political unrest there. I am not sure how far ahead I would place a deposit there, but people have been concerned for many years and still are getting good hunts. I do think 2008 is an election year in Zim and that may produce more excitement.

At the end of the day it is your risk to take and your decision, so get the best information you can from those who have been to the regions recently. Things can change quickly in Africa.

--------------------
Some pictures from Namibia

Some pictures from Zimbabwe

An Elephant Story


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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39885
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Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: Trapper]
      #77536 - 27/04/07 10:05 PM

Quote:



I'm looking at a 7 to 10 day hunt for plains game. (maybe 5-7 animals)
.
.
Sounds like a reasonable proposition for the number of days and game animals sought.
.
What you want to do is define either is the area/region important and decide what animals are available there. Or decide which game animals are important and then look for the area which has most of them.
.
Many hunters like to hunt game native to the area, though many game ranches (fenced) will introduce all sorts of game not native to the area. I prefer the first ie hunting game native to the area.
.
When you are listing what animals you want, work out your preference - eg Is kudu your main goal? But you definitely also want a zebra, a warthog and an impala. If they are available a waterbuck, an eland would be nice. Then discuss this with the outfitter so he knows, as he may have to set aside quota for you. And the PH will know what mainly to target. Could mean a shift in locations as well.
.
Also discuss trophy sizes representative to the area and what you can expect. Do some checking to see what is "representative" or better for the area.
.
My advice is not to be a "tape measure" hunter, aim for nice or better representative trophies and AIM TO HAVE FUN! If you do you will be back.

.
I'm told that Namibia is one of the most overlooked areas and is one of the last unspoiled places on the continent. I'm not sure what to believe any more as I've heard so many differing opinions.
.
Namibia is both very safe, well organised and a fun and nice place to hunt.
.
It is well priced for plains game hunting.

.
.
My first thought was to stay away from high fence hunts. Then someone told me that the fences are there for a reason and explained that in Africa, most places that aren't fenced are poached out. He went on to explain that these huge ranches are managed just as a trophy whitetail ranch would be here in the states, except a lot larger, and assured me that I wouldn't see a fence all day.
.
I don't really like the comments you were told, but can't comment much as I don't know their specifics or context.
.
High fenced ranches can be quite different in their range, size, stocking of animals etc. A very large high fenced property may not be a lot different from totally free range.
.
It is not true that non-high fenced places are "totally poached out". I have hunted in at least nine locations. The only places where plains game was scarce was the big game areas of the Zambezi Valley. Hunters generally hunt there for elephant, buffalo, lion etc, and do the bulk of their plains game hunting in the high or low veld (in Zim). The free range and high fenced hunts were of a par but most hunting I did was free range. I classify cattle fences (low fenced) are free-range or "unfenced" by the way.
.
If you don't see a fence on a high fenced hunt it is because the PH is driving the vehicle so you never see it.

.
.
You mentioned Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Caprivi. Are all of these areas safe? (my wife thinks everywhere in Africa is dangerous and says "why don't you just go back to Newfoundland or Alaska?")

.
If your wife is nervous, Namibia would be excellent. South Africa also is pretty good. And if you pick a good outfitter/PH they will arrange for you to be met at the airport and you won't have much to worry about.
.
I can't comment on Caprivi in Namibia or Mozambique as I haven't been there.
.
Tanzania was a long time ago, but from others it sounds pretty good.
.
Zimbabwe is a mess. If you book well ahead, I suggest you place your deposit with a US based agent and insist it be held until close to the safari. At the moment almost everyone hunting in Zimbabwe is having no problems ie for the client. Outfitters face a tough business but the good big ones do an exemplary job. So good, you as a client wouldn't notice. Myself as a client I would have no problem going there, but would make sure the outfitter was of a high standard, legally able to operate there, and would make sure my deposit was protected if things changed in the meantime.

.
.
When I say "real African experience", I don't mind a tent camp, I just don't want it to seem like a canned hunt. I recently talked to a fellow SCI member who returned from a lion hunt (actually i think it may have been a lioness hunt)On the first morning out, they drove a jeep maybe a mile or so, saw a lion under a tree, drove up and shot it. I would be terribly disappointed in a hunt like this (apparently he wasn't).
.
Make sure if you hunt in a high fence area the area of continuous unfenced areas is nice and large.
.
Lots of places to choose and Namibia sounds like a great place to start.

.
.





--------------------
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"


Edited by NitroX (28/04/07 07:30 PM)


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Trapper
.224 member


Reged: 29/03/07
Posts: 8
Loc: Michgan
Re: Whom to hunt with? [Re: NitroX]
      #77558 - 28/04/07 04:52 AM

Thanks so much for the quick reply!
I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out on my first endeavor to Africa.

Mark...aka, Trapper

--------------------
"The mass of men lead lives of quite desperation"


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