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Greetings Blacks, and here's hoping that your trip to Africa is only the first of many.

It took me three times to Africa before I got it right, but rather than just tell you my opinions, I'll start by sharing some facts about my trips, starting with the first two to South Africa. I won't name any names, but I will swear that everything here is absolutely true.

1) On my first hunt for Buffalo, the "concession" turned out to be a high fenced farm with one resident herd of about 50 animals. The property was in the process of being subdivided to build homes, it was relatively small, and a second group of hunters arrived after three days, apparently because it had been planned that we would be gone by then. When I protested about the proximety of two groups of hunters and safety issues, the solution (which did not come easily) was that we would relocate, essentially to the property next door, where I was told that anything over 38 inches would now cost me an extra 1,000.00 an inch in trophy fee.

2) While hunting plains game, I have waited on at least three occasions while the best hours of the early morning are wasted while we sign and settle indemnity agreements with the landowners. (don't worry, you still pay full price for those days)

3) I have been locked out of properties (don't be fooled when they say "concession") and wasted the morning waiting for a key to arrive.

4) I have been locked in a property at the end of the day and unable to get out, sitting for some two hours while waiting for a key to arrive.

5) I have sat on the side of the road because the outfitters truck ran out of fuel.

6) I bought an auction for my second trip, and the paperwork said it included three animals. When we arrived in RSA the outfitter said that it was a mistake and the animals were not included.

7) On the same auction we were supposed to stay in the 5 star rated (Un-named) lodge, but when we arrived we stayed in a tent.

8) The african night sounds included the PH's drinking and carousing at the camp bar, and we had a drunk (accidentally) come into our tent one night.

9) we shot a wildebeest one afternoon high on a hill, and we cut it all the way to the throat because we wanted to make it as light as possible to carry it out and I wanted a flat skin rug. I helped unload it in the skinning shed that evening, and watched the tracker tag it with instructions. The next morning, it had been sliced in half for a shoulder mount. The outfitter refused to let me shoot another one, offering the solution to simply provide another skin at some future date.

10) On a neighboring property, I watched a truckload of Nyala that had been unloaded react as another truck full of alfalfa hay arrived. These animals were obviously so conditioned as to be nearly tame, and I have often wondered how many hunters sit at home admiring their South African trophies while blissfully ignorant of the fact the animal may have been pen-raised.

There's actually more, but I think I may have made my point.

Now, as for Zimbabwe,

1) In my opinion the duration of the journey adds to the trip. We flew to Joburg, stayed at Afton, then to Vic Falls, then chartered to one camp, then by boat another 10 miles up the lake. It's tiring and time consuming, but it's part of what makes it real.

2) The hunting concession, (and by definition this really was a hunting concession), was the Chete safari area. I can't tell you how big it is, but that it is measured in miles (orkilometers) and has no fence and is bordered by communal lands which have no fences. The lake and the rivers are infested with crocs and hippos. We saw leopards and elephants and buffalo and plains game and all of these animals were without a doubt truly wild.

3) The generator was shut off at ten, and the night sounds included a hippo that would come into camp. (search for hippo in camp on you-tube and you can see it yourself).

4) I shot my buffalo bull after 6 days. We helped pack it out to where we had helped cut the road in. We ate the liver for breakfast, had the fillets for dinner, and the rest went to camp staff and locals. We used the spleen and other parts as bait for Vundu fishing.

5) Every morning we were out before dawn, every night we were in after dark. We ate and drank well, hunted hard, slept like dead people, and I believe connected with what it really means to hunt, whether it's in Africa or anywhere else.

So I hope you go, and I hope you have a great time. I like my friends in South Africa, and I love the land and the parks and the wine and the scenery and the history, but I'll never spend a dime hunting there again. Be careful planning around limitations on time and budget (and we all have them). Also wherever you go, be very, VERY, specific with the outfitter, get everything in writing, and other than a reasonable deposit do not pay in advance.

And post pictures here for all of us to see.

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