Fleeting/Random/Thoughts

[Yurtles]

Was thinking about a trip to Kenya at the end of the year/start of next. Enquired at my GP about shots I'd need. $600-800 and 2 months lead time. Jesus.

[Mugsy]

Don't forget the malaria tablets either.

You planning on safari too whilst there?

[Yurtles]

I dunno. Probably. It's early days, I was just starting to enquire, budget and plan. All up in the air at the moment.

[Mugsy]

True. Takes a while to put that stuff together. When I did my trip to Tanzania, it was through a youth group but still had a lot of planning and tasks to action before the trip.

If you do plan on safari and, assuming you want advice on camera gear, let me know. All too happy to provide advice to suit any budget.

[Mugsy]

Set up the direct debits on the new credit card. Time to rack up $1500 over the next 3 months for my bonus points.!

[CherryRed]

This came up in FB memories today, from my 10 year anniversary in mining... I don't miss the politics, but I do miss the diversity of my years working on site. There was rarely a dull moment and so many different faces every day. Fun times, if you take away the bullshit I had to tolerate with leadership when I transitioned to the assay laboratory.

I made lots of friends during those years. I'm making lots of friends now too, but most of them are old enough to be my Mum, so it's different.

[Yurtles]

If you do plan on safari and, assuming you want advice on camera gear, let me know. All too happy to provide advice to suit any budget.

You know, I'm not sure I'm going to go that route. I was thinking about just asking other people if they'd share their pictures. They always seem to be a group thing and we'd all be taking pictures of the same stuff. I reckon there's a good chance I could score pictures of everything I want without any of the hassle of doing it myself. My phone'll probably do for everything else.

[Disco]

What rifle are you going to take? Or are you just going to use one when you're over there?

Got to admit I'd love to do it with a .375 H&H Magnum double rifle.

[Otto-matic Reiffel]

You don't need to shoot something to go on Safari

[Yurtles]

My brother has a .44 magnum rifle he uses for pigging. Not the best range, but a big hunk of lead and pretty great stopping power. I'll just take that on the plane with me. Saving money left and right!

[Disco]

You don't need to shoot something to go on Safari

This is true.. but that's what I'd be doing lol

[Mugsy]

If you do plan on safari and, assuming you want advice on camera gear, let me know. All too happy to provide advice to suit any budget.

You know, I'm not sure I'm going to go that route. I was thinking about just asking other people if they'd share their pictures. They always seem to be a group thing and we'd all be taking pictures of the same stuff. I reckon there's a good chance I could score pictures of everything I want without any of the hassle of doing it myself. My phone'll probably do for everything else.

That's definitely an option though I would still recommend a $50 pair of binos as many of the creatures will be quite far away. Else you may have a boring few days of safari if you can't see jack.

Don't forget the portable charger for the phone though.

Edit: Just read the comments on the rifles. I got no advice then.

[Mugsy]

You don't need to shoot something to go on Safari

I have to say, the most bored people I've seen on safari were those who weren't shooting anything.... Whether rifle or camera.

[Disco]

Buy a decent set of 8x Binoculars, when it comes to optics you get what you pay for especially at dawn and dusk..

Not going to lie Mugsy, I'd prefer the rifle lol, no photo I can take of any animal is better than someone else has taken

[Nekosan]

True. Takes a while to put that stuff together. When I did my trip to Tanzania, it was through a youth group but still had a lot of planning and tasks to action before the trip.

If you do plan on safari and, assuming you want advice on camera gear, let me know. All too happy to provide advice to suit any budget.

So how long have you worked for the CIA?

What rifle are you going to take? Or are you just going to use one when you're over there?

Got to admit I'd love to do it with a .375 H&H Magnum double rifle.

Honestly, Holland & Holland in a stopping-gun caliber and 2 barrels or you might as well just stay home... and who the hell needs optics? I want to feel its breath before it dies.

[Otto-matic Reiffel]

Can anyone actually explain to me what the point of trophy hunting is? Seems the only purpose is to confirm that yes, shooting something does indeed tend to kill it. At least pest and food hunting serve some purpose.

[Yurtles]

Buy a decent set of 8x Binoculars, when it comes to optics you get what you pay for especially at dawn and dusk..

Not going to lie Mugsy, I'd prefer the rifle lol, no photo I can take of any animal is better than someone else has taken

I did a bit of work with some ecologists a while back. Thought they had some pretty nice binoculars that they let me borrow for a bit. So I just googled it out to see what they were. Yeah... $2589 is the cheapest I could find for a pair of them. Super glad nobody told me that when they let me use them. I guess that stuff matters when observing animals is your living though.

One of them had a spotting scope made by the same people (Swarovski Optik). She called it her baby. I thought she was joking. But now I can only imagine how much that thing cost her.

[Mugsy]

Can anyone actually explain to me what the point of trophy hunting is? Seems the only purpose is to confirm that yes, shooting something does indeed tend to kill it. At least pest and food hunting serve some purpose.

I got nothing for ya... I was raised to not do things I wouldn't want done to myself. And that's why anal sex is off the agenda.

[DarkMellie]

Buy a decent set of 8x Binoculars, when it comes to optics you get what you pay for especially at dawn and dusk..

Not going to lie Mugsy, I'd prefer the rifle lol, no photo I can take of any animal is better than someone else has taken

But multiple people could take photos of the same animal... that's the thing. If you shoot it, it's dead. Dead for you. You among billions.

[Nekosan]

At least pest and food hunting serve some purpose.

You know modern trophy hunting in Africa is usually pest animal that go to feed the locals right? They (usually) don't just rock in and pay 20k then shoot a young male lion, they remove old ones that can no longer breed but are experienced enough to keep the young males from doing so. if you pay to shoot a giraffe its not like they just leave it to rot.

[Disco]

Can anyone actually explain to me what the point of trophy hunting is? Seems the only purpose is to confirm that yes, shooting something does indeed tend to kill it. At least pest and food hunting serve some purpose.

It's definitely something that polarises people, either you appreciate it or you don't - in my case, it's pretty easy to justify most hunting in Australia because although I enjoy it, it's mostly pest control or as you say, hunting for meet (sometimes one in the same).

I have no issues with trophy hunting either, provided it's done correctly - someone lobs up and pays $250,000USD to shoot an old Lion that's not going to contribute to his species anymore, that money then goes on to fund conservation and the local people as well.

But it needs to be sustainable and managed, I have no time for poachers and the like, and when done correctly..

[Sathias]

^ Yep the Louis Theroux doco on it made me realise it's not a simple as is made out. I would also say that the meat needs to be used by the local community rather than just going to waste once trophies are taken. And wild, endangered animals... no way.

However I did find it interesting that one of the farmers had raised giraffes to hunt but went push came to shove, he couldn't let people do it.

[CherryRed]

Oh jesus, I may have walked into this thread at the wrong time... a topic like this usually gets pretty heated.

I'll just add that the comment of the day is:

... I was raised to not do things I wouldn't want done to myself. And that's why anal sex is off the agenda.

[Disco]

^ Yep the Louis Theroux doco on it made me realise it's not a simple as is made out. I would also say that the meat needs to be used by the local community rather than just going to waste once trophies are taken. And wild, endangered animals... no way.

However I did find it interesting that one of the farmers had raised giraffes to hunt but went push came to shove, he couldn't let people do it.

Most of the time the trophies people are after (and paying for), aren't the parts you eat anyway so it works out well, it's also really expensive to have taxidermy done and then imported to Australia out of Africa, hell even just getting hides done costs a mint.

I know a guy who goes over every other year and his trip pretty much pays for itself by the time he gets the taxidermy imported and sells it.

[Mugsy]

Oh jesus, I may have walked into this thread at the wrong time... a topic like this usually gets pretty heated.

I know right? But it's pretty tame atm.

I'll just add that the comment of the day is:

... I was raised to not do things I wouldn't want done to myself. And that's why anal sex is off the agenda.

Glad someone got a good chuckle! I might just leave it there. Anything else I say on the topic will be TMI.