As I sat on the plane for 18 hours from Johannesburg to Washington DC I had a lot of time to reflect on this incredible journey. The first day I knew this would be a unique experience, but as the week went on, it continued to get better. There are so many things the contributed to making this an unforgettable adventure.

Most everyday I posted pictures of the sunrises and the sunsets. The sky seemed like it went on forever and provided some of the most beautiful views of the sky that I have seen (and we see some pretty amazing sunsets in Texas). The animals and the landscape were very unique and provided a frontier feeling, that all this was new and uncharted. This obviously wasn’t the case, but it was new for me and was very special.

Lieb (PH/Owner) and his staff made sure that everything was a success, I couldn’t have asked for a better host. The professional hunter that I spent most of my time was Braam Naz Vd Merwe and he could see things that I struggled to see, he is truly a professional! Whenever I hear fingers snap, I will be reminded of this trip. When the PH spotted game they would snap their fingers to stop the bucky, but I knew that I needed to be ready to see what the PH had identified. The food that we ate all week was amazing, from the game that was served to the traditional local fare, everything was outstanding. I will now look on a beer menu for Castle Lager or Castle Light, very good South African beer.

I most likely would not have been on a trip like this if it wasn’t for my good friends Ken and Roseann Mayer. When I was considering this over a year ago, they provided all the information and gave a sense of reassurance when making the decision to make the trip. They made the trip unforgettable. I also enjoyed spending time with old friends and made some new ones, it was great to share the experience with everyone that was there. The camaraderie was pretty awesome amongst the group.

I am quite certain that I will make this trip again. In the whole scheme of things I am fairly new to hunting, but experiences like this has really meant a lot to me as a sportsman and someone who enjoys the outdoors. The US offers many great things to see and experience and I am far from fulfilling everything that one can do and see stateside. However, this trip to South Africa was an eye opening experience to what the world we live in has to offer. There are amazing places to see and also amazing people to meet. Be open to these new experiences, you never know what the journey will have in store for you. I loved every minute of this trip and it is an adventure that will be with me for a lifetime. I posted this quote earlier in the week, but it is a great quote by a great American about his African experience. It does a great job explaining the effect this place can have…

“The hunter who wanders through these lands sees sights which ever afterward remain fixed in his mind…. Apart from this, yet mingled with it, is the strong attraction of the silent places, of the large tropic moons, and the splendor of the new stars; where the wanderer sees the awful glory of sunrise and sunset in the wide waste spaces of the earth, unworn of man, and changed only by the slow change of the ages through time everlasting.” – Col. Theodore Roosevelt in Khartoum, March 15, 1910

….I have known and hunted with Ken and Roseann in the Texas Panhandle for about 20 years and have never had a bad trip on all kinds of hunts including waterfowl. They now have retired in Mexico and I have been down there fishing with them twice now and have had a great time with them. My Africa trips have been the adventures of a lifetime.

On the first trip I bought the basic package of 5 species. You can take other species ala carte as well. All you are out is airfare, taxidermy, and walking around money. I can’t shoot a whitetail for that in Texas. I’m sure it is more expensive now but I am sure that it is still a bargain. All the animals the guides told me to harvest were of trophy quality. I recall hunting with the ph Leib and he told a hunter to take a shot at quite a distance but when we got to it we found that it was sick and a poor-quality trophy. Leib told the man that it wasn’t trophy quality and it would not count against him and allowed him to take another animal. That’s only fair. The worst part of the trip as you know is the flight. It’s a killer. The game was other than the ones I have already mentioned include Hartebeest, Roan Antelope, Sable, Kudu, Blesbock, Impala, Springbok, and Gemsbock.

I recommend them highly…