American politics affect African safari

When planning a guided trip, most hunters take weather and peak animal activity times of the year into consideration.
 
But according to Lone Star Outdoor News Executive Editor Craig Nyhus, there is another factor that came into play for his recent Namibian safari: politics.
 
Craig bought his Namibian safari at the Dallas Safari Club Convention in January. He was supposed to go in July, but circumstances required a change in the dates. 
 
“Mark your calendar for October 2016,” Craig said. “Then, if you can wait that long, plan an African safari just weeks before the next presidential election.”
 
Although Craig said that October is quite hot in Namibia, with highs reaching 90 degrees, the nights are cool and he enjoyed a rest from the social media.
 
“It was the perfect time — no political ads, no listening to the talking heads on TV or the radio talk show hosts,” he said. “And even better was being away from Facebook for two weeks with an election looming.”
 
Craig said one of his Facebook friends put it best, with a status that said “The endless political posts are clearly an influence on my vote. Not.”
 
When Craig was at the Johannesburg airport, a woman from Zimbabwe asked him if the elections in the United States were very volatile, as elections in her country seemed to always result in violence.
 
“I told her no, they just call each other names,” he said.
 
And five trophy animals brought down on the trip didn’t hurt, either.