X2! congrats!

Thanks guys, each person has to decide what they are comfortable harvesting. I saw over 300 baboons and they are a major problem. They are hunted like coyotes are here. They are very destructive and there is no real efficient way of keeping them out. Just think if coyotes could climb and collaborate with each other like baboons can. As far as giraffe go, I guess why not harvest a giraffe? No different than any other animal. They are not endangered and they are very plentiful. My hunting was a little easier since I was on a truck the whole time (can't walk far due to hips) but every bit of an animal is used! Even I was surprised at what was eaten! For an appetizer one night we had Kudu oysters! The ranch has to cull giraffes every year and the bull that I took was an old "stink" bull past his breeding prime and prone to mostly do nothing but fighting the younger bulls.

Cost was reasonable (I think verse other big hunts) and price breaks down like this:

Safari - $6,000 1x1 hunt with a driver and tracker. This included up to 10 animals, food, lodging, etc.
Transport from Bulawayo to West Nicholson - $900
Tip - $1,700
Airfare - $2,300
Total - $10,900 and doesn't include fees to get hits here or taxi work.

@MulieMike - Yes, taxi work will probably run about $6k (or so).
@Mike (Landpirate) - Yes, we only saw 4 Kudu bulls and I had figured I wasn't going to get one. Then within 1 hour, my luck changed and this one came out.

Only animal I didn't take there that I saw a few of was an eland. I figured there are lots of eland in Texas and I wanted a giraffe and waterbuck instead.

Contact Arnold Payne with Impala Safaris(www.impalasafaris.com) if interested. I am planning on going in about 4 years and this time will be only with my crossbow. I watched one waterhole that had animals every time we went by and they had just put up a new bow/photo stand. Very awesome place!

No need to do any name-calling or what not, just trying to offer congrats where I was comfortable doing so.

"but every bit of an animal is used! Even I was surprised at what was eaten!" - This info makes the giraffe a bit more okay to me, though I'm still not sure I'd be okay with it myself... well, maybe.

Did not know baboons were pests, so that makes all the more sense now, too.

BTW, how the hell DO you mount a giraffe? Make a rug out of the hide, or do you have really tall ceilings? That could be a nice entry way piece...

And what is that first animal?

Good looking photos. You will have a bunch of awesome animals to display for sure.

First animal is a Klipspringer....by far my favorite species of pygmy antelope.

is that also known as the Spring Bok?

@jdk - Like I stated, each person has to decide what is their animals of choice. Giraffe was high on my list, and he is coming back in three pieces. The head and about 5 feet of the neck will be a mount on the wall. The neck will run parallel to the wall and the head will be turned at 90 degrees looking out into room. The hide is going to be turned into a rug and the four lower legs and hooves will be table legs. The Joburg airport did have a live size one, but I don't have that kind of room.

Remember, that land is not an infinite resource and these animals take up a lot of room and food. There are also no predators for an adult giraffe in this area (except man). They have to be managed or else they will be way over-populated. They are an awesome animal, and I consider myself blessed to have seen them in the wild and to have taken one.

As far as baboons go, they are a farmers worst enemy in that area. Food production is number one over there to make sure that people eat. The ranch I was on had about 5000 acres fenced off for crop growth. The baboons can easily hop the fences and they will quickly (as will bush pigs) tear a tomato crop to pieces. They won't eat the whole tomato they pic, they will take one or two bites and then thrown on the ground and pick another. Now imagine 20, 50, 100 of these things on a daily basis doing this! They will tear farms apart. I shot one and that probably scarred them off for a few hours, the natives will kill them all if given a chance.

Believe it or not, the first part claimed off the giraffe by the tracker was the giraffes nuts! He took this back to his housing and him and a couple of other trackers had it for dinner! I am serious, every part was eaten! No meat goes to waste!

Jake

Yes, a Klipspringer. No, a Springbok is in South Africa (their national animal). These Klipspringer are cool, their fur is more like quills. Difficult little buggers to hunt because you only get a few seconds for trophy judgment and a shot. This one made a mistake and stopped about 100 yards away to watch thinking he was safe.

I think you mean Steenbok. It is very similar to the Klipspringer, but it has regular hair rather than quills, and its feet are not rubbery like a klipspringer.

I don't get it. Please explain

sounds good to me

tell me more about your gun please

My gun was a Savage 30-06 in left hand version. Shooting 180 gr Nosler Partions from Federal. My scope was a 3x9-40 Nikon Buckmaster. Nothing fancy, the longest shot was on the baboon at about 250 yards. The next longest was the Klipspringer at about 100 yards. All other animals were under 100 yards with most at about 50-60 yards.

Cool pics...I'd have no remorse on baboons with gun or bow or large stick...

I need to save up. those are some awesome animals. Congrats

Congrats on what looks like a very fun safari!

Wow! And not as expensive as I would have thought.

anyone have 20k i can borrow?

nothing says africa like a giraffe. Are you going to get a shoulder mount done of it?

I am having the head and about 5 feet of the neck mounted. The bulk of the hide will be a rug and the legs will be turned into table legs.

Going back w/crossbow would be super!

That seem's cheap for all those animals, IMO. I'm wanting to go in a couple of years with my bow.
BTW, congrats, awesome animals. Should've hammered more baboons, I've never thought highly of them.

Very nice photos, good job.

That's cool lookin wart hog!