What's new

2021 hunting, fishing, trappin, killin, and grilling thread

Just now getting a chance to share some pics of our safari in South Africa from the beginning of August. We had booked this trip 2.5 years ago and finally made it happen!
What we thought was going to be a "trip of a lifetime", will happen again. If you ever get an opportunity to go, or have thought about it, I HIGHLY recommend going! It is incredibly affordable, especially considering the different amount of game available and the accommodations were the nicest I have ever had. We ended up harvesting 8 animals (not including the birds) and saw around 40 different species while we were there.
Gemsbuck.jpg

Gemsbuk2.jpg
Waterbuk.jpeg
South Africa Chris 2.jpg
South Africa Chris.jpg
South Africa Impala.jpg
South Africa birds.jpg
Hell yes! That's on the bucket list. Did you have to get vaxxed to travel there? Can you post up or PM the contact info for the PH?

Thanks
 
Hell yes! That's on the bucket list. Did you have to get vaxxed to travel there? Can you post up or PM the contact info for the PH?

Thanks
Did not have to get vaxxed to travel - just had to provide negative tests from within 72 hours of travel to/from. The outfitter took us to town to the clinic for our from tests. Pretty easy, for the most part.
We went through Infinito Safaris with PH Andre. Can't say we would go through another service after our experience with them, absolutely top notch. It went flawlessly, better than expected and again, the services and lodging were better than we could expected. We've never eaten better and got to eat a lot of what we killed or a good representation of local game and food. Infinito also has a rep in the states, happens to be in Iowa, so a lot of the communication was quicker and payment could be made to him as well. Infinito also spends their US winters traveling the US to shows, which is where we met them, at the Iowa Whitetail Classic in DSM. So, if there are any shows around you this winter, may be able to catch them. Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with - I can't recommend them enough!

 
Did not have to get vaxxed to travel - just had to provide negative tests from within 72 hours of travel to/from. The outfitter took us to town to the clinic for our from tests. Pretty easy, for the most part.
We went through Infinito Safaris with PH Andre. Can't say we would go through another service after our experience with them, absolutely top notch. It went flawlessly, better than expected and again, the services and lodging were better than we could expected. We've never eaten better and got to eat a lot of what we killed or a good representation of local game and food. Infinito also has a rep in the states, happens to be in Iowa, so a lot of the communication was quicker and payment could be made to him as well. Infinito also spends their US winters traveling the US to shows, which is where we met them, at the Iowa Whitetail Classic in DSM. So, if there are any shows around you this winter, may be able to catch them. Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with - I can't recommend them enough!

Yeah, if you could just give us all a detailed play by play of the entire trip to include pre-planning, travel, and trophy import and care that would be great. :lmao:

Shooting conditions, calibers, shot placement, daily menus, cool animals seen, cool animals shot, intercourse frequency, positions, maybe diagrams or pictures. You know "the basics".:laughing:
 
Yeah, if you could just give us all a detailed play by play of the entire trip to include pre-planning, travel, and trophy import and care that would be great. :lmao:

Shooting conditions, calibers, shot placement, daily menus, cool animals seen, cool animals shot, intercourse frequency, positions, maybe diagrams or pictures. You know "the basics".:laughing:

Yeah, totally just "the basics" that are included in every safari brochure :lmao:
 
YotaRedneckGirl

So, you ate the zebra and stuff? How was that? Get to take any home?

Yessir, they grilled zebra for us over the fire, definitely the best meat I've ever had. I'm not a horse person, but I'm now considering buying one :dustin:
We were able to eat most of everything that we killed, besides the waterbuk and gemsbuk. You are not able to take home any meat, everything stays in the community and EVERYTHING has a use.
 
Yessir, they grilled zebra for us over the fire, definitely the best meat I've ever had. I'm not a horse person, but I'm now considering buying one :dustin:
We were able to eat most of everything that we killed, besides the waterbuk and gemsbuk. You are not able to take home any meat, everything stays in the community and EVERYTHING has a use.
That's pretty neat. Cool to say you've have freshly cooked zebra over an open fire.

Lion steak would be cool.
 
That's pretty neat. Cool to say you've have freshly cooked zebra over an open fire.

Lion steak would be cool.
I originally thought I may have a hard time mentally eating a pretty, stripey horse, but seriously the best meat that I've eaten.

I believe that the average lion hunt is between $45,000-$60,000? The price ranges are all over the place, but too rich for our blood. Also, while on safari if you're in a situation where a dangerous game charges/attacks and you or the PH has to kill it, the hunter is responsible for the price of the animal. I'm very glad we were not put in that situation!
 
I originally thought I may have a hard time mentally eating a pretty, stripey horse, but seriously the best meat that I've eaten.

I believe that the average lion hunt is between $45,000-$60,000? The price ranges are all over the place, but too rich for our blood. Also, while on safari if you're in a situation where a dangerous game charges/attacks and you or the PH has to kill it, the hunter is responsible for the price of the animal. I'm very glad we were not put in that situation!
Oh shit. Yea, at first I'm like, yea just say self defense, then finished your post and changed, naw, go ahead and eat me.
 
What happened to the one on the right? I looks like it is missing half of its stomach.




YotaRedneckGirl

What was the process to take firearms to Africa? Was it expensive? Were there restrictions on calibers or gauges?
 
20211020_145603.jpg
forgot my phone at home this morning.
he has claw cuts on his back legs and hind end from a cougar.
perfect hole through the heart and lung but exited in the gutbag.. magic bullet haha he was facing down and away on his left side but my exit is also on his left side.
100 yards with a 270wsm. crazyness
 
20211020_145603.jpg
forgot my phone at home this morning.
he has claw cuts on his back legs and hind end from a cougar.
perfect hole through the heart and lung but exited in the gutbag.. magic bullet haha he was facing down and away on his left side but my exit is also on his left side.
100 yards with a 270wsm. crazyness

Why do 2x3s on the south island always have the 3rd on the passenger side? Both the ones I have euro'd are like that, every one of em that I've seen the last couple years has started to split on the right side first...I don't get it.
 
ive had 1 the other way around out of blueberry 6 years ago. way bigger bases to like 1.5 inch base. dont know what i did with the rack. might have been lost in a move or forgotten behind unfortunately. but i definitely have shot one with the rack on the other side.
 
are you kidding me? Mule season closed yesterday. Was out looking for a Whitetail this morning and this guy just stands there posing for me. looks like his left eye is either missing or scabbed over real bad.

1636660540339.png

1636660681116.png
 
Spent the past couple days out there. Spotted a buck within shooting distance, but it was moving WAY too fast and there were just too many trees. That was the only thing I saw. Looked real healthy from the glances I got between the trees.

Think this was it:
DSCF0051.JPG




This is the other one that keeps popping up:


The times are all over the place. 1am. 6pm. not much in daylight. two does that wander around.
 
That’s a nice looking buck. You have a grunt call? Bow season or rifle there?
I've got that bleat can dealio. Some estrus.

Rifle is buck only.

Bow is anything.

The tree stand is about 10yds from that buck on the left. Handful of does in the area as well.
 
Was out in the stand at 6am this morning. Nothing.

Two hours is my limit. After that, I have to move and or head back to the house. I can't just sit there. I need to build something. Work on something. Game on something. Sitting down not doing anything goes against forty years of growth and development. :laughing:

So I climbed down, and headed up the logging road which is about a 15m slow hike. Propped up against the tree looking down on the logging road. Nothing.

Headed back down the road, I hear a snap. Look into the woods, three whitetails BOMBING through. THey must have been doing 30mph. Deep, deep in the brush and trees, not making a sound outside of that first snap. Dead. Silent. And MOVING.

Just goes to show, there is no way I'd ever be able to see a deer, nevermind actually get a shot at a deer, while on the move. Sit and stay.

Oh well. Maybe I'll head back out later on this afternoon. I've got a bunch of chorin' to do today.
 
Is it peak rut in your area? Honestly, two hours isn’t a very long sit, and you may be missing deer. Especially if bucks are actively chasing does.

I’m a chronic wanderer when it comes to hunting. I prefer spot and stalk or walk and sit vs. sitting in one stand all day. I’ve seen and killed more deer this way than not. Walking on dry leaves makes it very difficult. You also really need to have the wind in your favor when doing it. With wind in my favor, I’ve been within a few feet of whitetail a bunch of times. I’ve also found that wearing a face mask and gloves helps. Does it totally conceal a human in the woods? No, but I feel like it makes it harder for deer to figure out what I am.

I’ve had mixed results with bleat cans. I’m not 100% convinced they work, but it may work enough to get a horny buck to check it out. Personally, I like the Primos hardwood grunter.
 
Was out in the stand at 6am this morning. Nothing.

Two hours is my limit. After that, I have to move and or head back to the house. I can't just sit there. I need to build something. Work on something. Game on something. Sitting down not doing anything goes against forty years of growth and development. :laughing:

So I climbed down, and headed up the logging road which is about a 15m slow hike. Propped up against the tree looking down on the logging road. Nothing.

Headed back down the road, I hear a snap. Look into the woods, three whitetails BOMBING through. THey must have been doing 30mph. Deep, deep in the brush and trees, not making a sound outside of that first snap. Dead. Silent. And MOVING.

Just goes to show, there is no way I'd ever be able to see a deer, nevermind actually get a shot at a deer, while on the move. Sit and stay.

Oh well. Maybe I'll head back out later on this afternoon. I've got a bunch of chorin' to do today.
You need to learn how to move and hunt. More than 35 years hunting WTs and half of those deer kills were while walking. First make sure your silhouette is broken up. Good camo or even a half assed ghillie suit. If you see deer STOP. Deer see movement better than shapes and shapes better than color. Once the season opens up people shapes spook deer, so break it it up.

Dont walk like a person. Slow down. Take two or three steps and stop. Switch it up, dont stick to a pattern of steps. Rustle your foot in the leaves a little bit when you stop, like your looking for shoots or acorns.

Keep your eyes up. Watch for movement. Especially little twitches, deer will stand perfectly still with just their ears moving. Look for the deer shape. Head body. Look for white.

Try and walk against the wind. Scent will spook them faster than anything. If your walking with the wind they will smell you and bolt before your within sight.

Most of all if you spook a deer stop where you are. Find some concealment, a tree, a rock, a bush whatever, on the opposite side of your concealment from the direction they ran toward, clear out a spot in the ground litter and hunker down. Deer are like rabbits very often they will circle back around to where you spooked em. Get low and wait.
 
Top Back Refresh