Two weeks and counting before leaving for Zimbabwe on September 15th.

.......and the advantage of not sleeping between now and then is you'll sleep on the plane??

Chance of a lifetime from everything I've read....and you're to be congratulated on doing so.

Dan

You shooting a lot or doing anything different than what you do for hunting here?

I'm practicing a lot shooting off of shooting sticks. Other than the additional practice, I'm not really doing anything differently.

Just got back from a 10 day solo pack-in sheep hunt, so my physical condition is about as good as I can prepare for. Can't prepare for 90 degree temps during the fall here in Alaska.

Rifle practice and reviewing "The Perfect Shot" on African game is about all I know to do. Have a good travel folder made up, and copies made of all important documents, etc... Just biding my time.

We'll be antsy with you and more so until you get back with fabulous pix's and stories!

That thread not long ago about taking a varmit caller you can leave with the PH sounds intriguing - suppose you could call in a varmit or two? Would want my PH to be back-to-back with me in case something higher on the food chain came in to investigate! :p

I will take one with me, provided it is okay with the PH. See if we can't set up around dark one evening just to see what happens. There are 4 of the Big 5 in the immediate vicinity, including Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard. Hyenas, Wild Dogs, and Jackels are also there. There are some of the smaller cats along with Lion and Leopard, I think civet, serval, caracal, and wildcat.

Yikes Dave,

Varmint calls on the Dark Continent as dusk? Sounds like some serious pucker-up time, or a great opportunity to show your guide what a portable tree stand is all about :D

Sounds like great fun!

I enjoy night calling here in the Idaho Panhandle... don't do it alone anymore due to calling in really stealthy cougars more than once, back to back is a great plan, or for me.... the treestand has found it's niche!

God bless,

Came across this quotation, regarding buffaloes.
Its part of a Yoruba hunting poem:

"The buffalo is the death
that makes a child climb a thorn tree...
When the hunter meets the buffalo
He promises never to hunt again."

In the same article the writer, Steve Edwards , who, in the 1980s, was in charge of an "eradication" unit, culling buffalo in Zimbabwe in desegnated areas in Matabeleland, describes following buffalo in heavy cover as follows:

" Behave as though you are following an armed man. Take the same sort of precautions. Do not suddenly walk into a clearing, or step on top of a ridge. Do not avoid crawling over sharp stones, or walking through spider webs, or forcing a way among thorn bushes, if that is the safest method or route to use. Make no abrupt movements. If you wipe sweat from from your forhead or brush at a tsetse fly, do it in slow motion. Practice patience and precaution as if your life depends on it - which it may."

Good hunting!

Just finished up getting all those nasty shots. This trip had better be good because I hate getting shots!

alyeska,
What rifles are you taking, and what's on the menu (I realize it's the 15th, so you're probably at 35,000 ft by now)? I'm looking forward to your stories when you return.

Yep - Alyeska bid us board moderators "G'bye" early this morning and is probably trying to massage some feelings back into dead buns about now!

He promises to take lots of pix's and to regale us with his stories once he's safely back in the beautiful state of Alaska.

Yep - Alyeska bid us board moderators "G'bye" early this morning and is probably trying to massage some feelings back into dead buns about now!

He promises to take lots of pix's and to regale us with his stories once he's safely back in the beautiful state of Alaska.

I would welcome the dead buns for what he's going to do!

sounds fun..... Please think of me when you take out that Zebra or Elephant or Impala. Wish i could be there right now *.*