LSON Managing Editor Conor Harrison recently returned from a trip to South Africa. He kept a journal of the trip and, for the next week, we will publish his notes from the hunt.
5-15-12
Left DFW Airport at 4 p.m. for the quick 2-hour trip to Atlanta and then a long, non-stop flight to Johannesburg. Met my dad, Jim, and stepmom, Dawn, in Atlanta. Sitting next to a pair of hunters, so plenty to talk about the first few hours of the flight before taking an Ambien and falling asleep. I am lucky to have a bulkhead window seat, which makes a huge difference on a flight like this. Customs went fine once we touched down in South Africa after 15-hour flight. It is much easier traveling with a bow as opposed to a rifle — just pick up the case and go.
Met Shaun Abraham, a professional hunter from Numzaan Safaris, at the terminal exit — a slight relief since I have been on several hunts where I was left waiting in the airport hoping a PH was on the way.
It is already dark here (we lost an entire day in the air) and Shaun is eager to get on the road for the 4-hour drive out of the city. We will be hunting the Limpopo area near the Botswana border about 50 clicks northwest of the town of Thabazimbi.
Drive to the lodge is uneventful and we are welcomed by the staff at Wild Wildabeest Lodge upon arrival. Included is Texan Travis Velasco, who is apprenticing for the summer here at the lodge.
After a well-deserved beer and hot shower, I check the bow case and everything looks to be in good order.
It is nice to be back in Africa and smell the wood fire burning. I’m sure the doves will wake me up in the morning. The plan is to take it easy, eat a good breakfast, shoot the bow and head out around 9 a.m. I hope to shoot warthog, impala, blue wildabeest, bushbuck and possibly a blesbok or steenbok if the opportunity presents itself.
Am looking forward to a great hunt.
