Siewho,
My (second) wife has known that I was a hunter since day one and she vowed never to say I couldn't go (although at times she gets a little testy). She absolutely refused to go as she thought that she would be bored to tears and I am sure that she would have been after the first day or so waiting all day just "hanging out". As it worked out, I have to honestly say that it was probably a better trip for me because I had absolutely nothing to worry about or feel guilty about other than the pure selfindulgence of eating, sleeping, hunting and meeting new people. I did feel that the country was safe enough and interesting enough that at some time in the future I would like to tour the more scenic areas with her and not for hunting.
I have never been a video guy , but I do love in my very amateurish manner to try to get nice still photos. The reality is that shooting from blinds immediately gives you that artificial angle and makes the picture "unnatural". In addtion, how many pictures of the same types of animals can you take before it gets a little ridiculous. I guess that you could just keep snapping away until you get the "perfect picture" given that digital photos don't cost anything more than the electricity to charge the battery.
Funny, I had forgotten all about the takedown issue. Actually the story is like this: I have takedown recurves and they were always more convenient to travel with. Before the current insanity, I can remember even carrying one onto a plane with me as hand luggage with no problem at all. Now I shoot longbows, and except for a single one that I got used and never take apart, they are all single piece bows. I have a long case which has traveled to the western US, Canada, and even Africa in 2002 without the slightest problem besides getting a little more beaten up each trip. Because of that, I never really had any incentive to buy a takedown for its "convenience". Last year however, I went up to Canada to hunt bear along with some friends from Arizona, and we ended up in this "camp" with 3 other guys. It worked out great (another story) but one had a new Wes Wallace takedown that he had put in his suitcase to travel with. He was crazy about the bow, so when I got the hots to have another bow made for the special occasion of this trip I of course thought about a Wallace takedown which I would then put in my suitcase and then not have to worry if one of my bags didn't show up: the perenial worry of all hunters doing to Africa. However, after finding out the measurements of the parts of the bow after it is taken apart, I recognized that it would not fit in my 30" bag. It might have fit in a 32" bag, but not only did that mean a new suitcase, but that technically excedes the airline current restrictions AND if my "other" bow was going to be a one piece and require a full size tube to travel in it just didn't seem to make any sense and how much extra luggage fees can one pay before it gets ridiculous. My other bow was going to have to travel in the long tube anyway so I just went with a single piece bow which of course is a little lighter, a little less expensive, and one thing less to break.
Fortunately, my bags all arrived without any problem. My host led me to believe that it is unusual for bags to not arrive, unlike flying to Johannesburg.
Oh well, a long answer to a short question.
Thank you again for reading my saga and encouraging me to believe that others might have read it too. I wanted to share the excitement of the country, the place, and remind people that it is not all just dead animals and hero pictures that make the memories.
Steve
Topic: Agagia Bowhunt - Namibia (Read 4480 times)
