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Africa, 2022

If your in the market for flights and travel arrangements I would also recommend Patrick with TWG. They are also great to work with and have taken great care of us on several of our out of the country trips. If you do book with them they can get your rifle permits taken care of as part of there services, help with your SAP forms and make sure that you are ready before you leave the country. They are very well versed in travelling to Africa. Here is his e-mail address.

Patrick Wright <[email protected]>

Great thank you.
 
African Hunting is an experience that will never fade. Although it has been a few decades since my African hunts, every detail is as vivid as if it happened yesterday! Have a great hunt!
Two of my several African game animal taken..
E0C3771C-458E-4261-BD00-5EB92E99B56C.jpegDB67732A-E7D1-485B-BE35-53DA6309FF3A.jpeg
 
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Gracy Travel and Travel Express are two agencies that will literally grease the skids in all things Africa. In six trips, never once did I have to give any one "lunch money" and that includes in country flights. As to your question, you have more than enough gun and bullet for those animals.
 
All good advice. Been to South Africa (RSA) twice and traveled to Zimbabwe and Botswana. Going to Botswana in 2021. To summarize:
1. Make sure you have the correct US Customs forms filled out for the return for rifles, scopes, and binos. Try to do it within 6 months from when your return date is or they will try and seize your stuff in Atlanta.
2. Fly delta non stop to Joberg. Definitely avoid Europe. SAA is ok but the refuel stop in Dakar is a bit suspect.
3. Make sure your RSA firearms permit is perfect. Especially the serial numbers. Double check them and make extra copies. They will look at serial numbers but not ammo brass.
4. If possible have an expediter meet you at the Joberg airport. Your PH should be able to assist. If not use Africa Sky which is 15 minutes from the airport. This will assist in getting your guns through the airport police at a quicker pace.
5. All quality bullets will work (hammer, partitions, accubonds, etc.)
6. Take a roll of $5 bills as you will be amazed how fast that moves you up in line. Especially checking your guns for the return trip. $10 got me through the police checkpoint at the airport AND tipping the Delta firearms agent had my guns as the first pieces of luggage on the plane and with oversight/TLC. Plus you will want to tip the maids, cooks, trackers etc. The PH will give you advice here.
7. Definitely have a separate locked case for ammo. And think about donating your ammo to the PH. I have done that twice and told them we shot it all for target practice. Never had a problem. I witnessed them hassling a guy about his ammo count when he was trying to exit the country.
8. Definitely take the extra time and go to Kruger or a take a few extra days and fly to Victoria Falls (leave your guns with the expediter in Joberg).
 
When to RSA twice

Professional hunter met us at Johannesburg airport the first trip. Flew out of Atlanta. But make sure your layover is long enough to cover any delays you experience from the airport from which you depart.

Used http://hunterspermitsafrica.co.za/ to expedite rifles and for Meet and Greet at the airport the second trip.

Took SA rand the second trip as we were traveling more without the PH. It seems to me that everyone has their hand out. But we did tip porters and maids on our way to camp. American Express Travelers checks were accepted in 2013.

South African Airlines had a direct flight (in 2013) from Dulles to Johannesburg, with 20 minute refuling stop in Dubai, when we went the second time. Flew first class which was just wonderful... Make sure you pick up your rifles from SAA before you go to customs. Delta Airline delivered our rifles to customs so pay attention.

Don't know about the headstamps. Took a .30-06 for plains game on the first trip. Took the .30-06 again for plains game and a .375 H&H for Lion and Cape Buffalo on the second trip.

Good Luck

Jerry
 
When we went with Trophy Game Safaris they took care of the scheduling of everything we needed. We were met at the airport in Johannesburg by a driver that took us through the process of checking in our rifles and ammo. They did not even look at our ammo. He took us from there to the motel that we stayed that night and then picked up by TGS the next morning for the drive to where we hunted. Everything form travel plans to coming home was seamless.

We have another Team Hammer Safari planned for the beginning of Aug. We have 3 spots left. If any of you guys reading this thread have a desire to go, the package is a fantastic deal. 6 animals all in with travel and taxidermy can be done for about $10k. You can't get an elk hunt in the states for that price. Let me know if you want to join us. It is getting close to crunch time to get all the arrangements done.
 
When we went with Trophy Game Safaris they took care of the scheduling of everything we needed. We were met at the airport in Johannesburg by a driver that took us through the process of checking in our rifles and ammo. They did not even look at our ammo. He took us from there to the motel that we stayed that night and then picked up by TGS the next morning for the drive to where we hunted. Everything form travel plans to coming home was seamless.

We have another Team Hammer Safari planned for the beginning of Aug. We have 3 spots left. If any of you guys reading this thread have a desire to go, the package is a fantastic deal. 6 animals all in with travel and taxidermy can be done for about $10k. You can't get an elk hunt in the states for that price. Let me know if you want to join us. It is getting close to crunch time to get all the arrangements done.

Thanks Steve- that last order of 181's is for this hunt. 👍
 
This post has some Great advice for international travel. Prior to retirement I traveled internationally for humanitarian purposes and in most cases it took coffee/lunch cash to get through inspections and at times to get boarding passes. Having someone at the destination walking you through the process is worth every cent.
Having visited Africa three times I can attest it will be the adventure of a lifetime. The people and authorities were very cordial but yes carry the roll of 5's mentioned earlier.
I never had the opportunity to hunt there and yes "I'm jealous" LOL, though I did get to go on photo Safari.
 
This post has some Great advice for international travel. Prior to retirement I traveled internationally for humanitarian purposes and in most cases it took coffee/lunch cash to get through inspections and at times to get boarding passes. Having someone at the destination walking you through the process is worth every cent.
Having visited Africa three times I can attest it will be the adventure of a lifetime. The people and authorities were very cordial but yes carry the roll of 5's mentioned earlier.
I never had the opportunity to hunt there and yes "I'm jealous" LOL, though I did get to go on photo Safari.
Well, if you're still verticle you can still go hunting. Right now there is no better value in hunting than Africa, and it's still a wonderful adventure, I'm going again in August for Plains game in the RSA. Taking the wife for her first hunt. It's gonna be a hoot.
 
What country are you hunting? That makes a difference. A little advice , if you'll take it. Go over to africahunting.com and join. Then do a bit of reading. It will do a lot to help you prepare for that hunt. I've been 5 times. It is rather addicting....
Bruce
I'll second this. I took my son and brother this year. Was our first trip to Africa, I spent more time on africahunting website than anywhere. Time well spent. Henry rifle permits is a must. Used Lori at Travel Express for booking our flights. She's been over there multiple times hunting herself, got great prices and wonderful service. We used hammer bullets for our 3 guns and we did our part and the bullets did their parts was a great match.
 
When in africa a once of prevention goes a very long way, I've been several times to both Zimbabwe and South africa, I spent a summer and then some preping to be a PH for plains game in 97, eventually deciding i did not have what it takes to deal with the many different personalities on a African safari, finding some clients could not decide if they were having a good hunt until the telling of the tape, not every animal is going to make gold medal. My mentor ran camps in both South Africa and Zimbabwe, I got to deal with and observe both border crossing officials and those at the airports, bulawayo, and Harare, kimberly, cape town, and Johannesburg, never leave anything to chance or assume nothing will go wrong because you have followed all the rules, it really boils down to the one you are dealing with behind the counter plain and simple, you have to hope he or she is having a good day, arguing won't help applying common sense is pointless, and bribbing/tipping may work but it might land you in jail, if it should come to that let your PH handle that he may know someone who knows someone, I've witnessed a client loose his ballistic tip ammo but not his partitions, the ballistic tip was fairly new at the time and we guessed the guard never having seen them thought they were worth something or perhaps thought they may be military and the guy was up to no good, we had a client loose his rifles at customs but not his handgun, a S&W model 29, we had a client with a 416 Taylor with cases made from 416 Remington, they took all his ammo because it didn't match the rifle perfectly, it kinda did and it kinda didn't, this had not been his first safari with that rifle, another day and another guard it may not have mattered, bottom line if you can come up with matching ammo it would be money well spent to avoid any problems, good luck and enjoy.
 
also don't forget a second set of locks for your gun case as TSA might cut your locks off even though they are not supposed to open your case without you standing there, also African Hunting Forum is a wealth of info
 
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