Don’t stick to a safari checklist when hunting in Africa. You probably won’t be carrying everything on your checklist anyway, however you will likely carry some extras.
IGNORE YOUR PROFESSIONAL HUNTER (PH)
Trust your PH to know your area and your game better than you. Take their advice, follow their instructions, trust their experience. You hired him!
NOT ENOUGH PRACTICE OF “STICKS”
Get yourself a set of three-legged African shooting sticks and practice, practice, practice. They are used in almost all African hunts and the more comfortable you are with them, the better.
UNCERTAIN SHOT
An uncertain hit with dangerous play puts your entire party in danger.
RIFLES
Bring to Africa your “trusty old” hunting rifle that you are most familiar with, as it will best represent most of the animals of the African plains. For dangerous hunting, bigger is better – again, your comfort is paramount and shooting with a weapon that intimidates you is not wise.
UNDERESTIMATE THE WEATHER
The safari season is during the winter months in southern Africa. The days are warm and pleasant; however, the mornings and afternoons are cold.
UNDERESTIMATE THE TERRAIN
Although your PH will always put you in a comfortable position to shoot, you may have to walk and stalk for a long time before reaching that point. Make sure your hunting boots are comfortable and on. And when stalking, you don’t always walk, sometimes you crawl over hard, rocky terrain. Consider bringing knee / elbow pads!
BULLETS
Performance and penetration are much more important than precision in an African fighter. The choice of bullets is critical. Ask your provider for advice. The bullet must be strong enough to ensure penetration into the fighter you want to shoot.
EXCEED RANGE
Do your best to mark the animals on your list, but make time to absorb your experience in Africa as well.
