This is topic What would you do?? in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by Q-Wagoner (Member # 33) on February 26, 2003, 01:19 PM:
My friend from Africa has written me again and wants me to come over there and work with him in his animal damage control business. It is not a real moneymaker. Hein charges 7 or 7.50 an hour (American) plus mileage. That doesn’t sound like a lot but in the RSA it is a fortune. The current exchange rate is 8.16 Rands to our Dollar.
The problem is that I would have to buy a good used hunting vehicle “buggy” over there to get started. Room and board would be very reasonable because we would be staying at the farms that we were working on a lot.
There seams to be no trouble finding work. Hein has been swamped for months. He has been gone most of the summer (it is summertime now) hunting Jackal and Caracal all over South Africa and is leaving again in a few days to hunt for 8 weeks strait with out a break. He has been putting off work because he has been so behind. He doesn’t even advertise either. All his work comes from word of mouth!!
Hein is now hooked up with a Nature Conservation Officer in the Vryburg reign to hunt problem animals that include Jackal, caracal, brown hyena, and LEOPARD!!! I wouldn’t mind getting paid to shoot a leopard because it is well over an $8,000 hunt these days.
I am going over again this summer (their winter) to hunt brown and spotted hyena, jackal, caracal baboon and another list of antelope that I haven’t gotten yet. Hein says if he gets a leopard complaint at that time I get to be the designated hitter as well.
In reality the venture will cost me money but if I buy a $4,000 buggy and a $1,400 plain ticket I should be set. If I hunt for three months I should recover some of the investment. Even if I don’t I still have the experience of hunting all over South Africa.
At my real job (LMAO) I pour cement from about April to the first of November. From the first of November on I could hunt coyotes for two months and then I would be off to Africa for the three best jackal hunting months. As you can see I am trying to talk myself into it. I have taken jackal in 3 of the 9 provinces. If I take the job I may be the first guy on my block to shoot them in all nine. LOL
Well what would you do?
Good hunting.
Q,
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on February 26, 2003, 03:35 PM:
Q, you didn't say if you are married. Children? If I were you and had no family responsibilities, dust would be settling now in the empty space I used to occupy. What an incredible adventure that would be.
Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on February 26, 2003, 03:38 PM:
Ditto what Rich said, no familia,no problem.Id be on the next plane to Afrika.
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on February 26, 2003, 03:40 PM:
Think about it,Q! When you return after a year of varmint calling in Africa you would have enough material for a helluva book. I would buy it.
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on February 26, 2003, 03:53 PM:
Exactly what Rich said. If I wasn't married, no children, job or a reasonable facsimile would still be waiting when I got back home - I'd be gone to Africa so fast you wouldn't believe it.
- DAA
Posted by Lone Howl (Member # 29) on February 26, 2003, 04:06 PM:
Ahh the heck with it, lets all go! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on February 26, 2003, 04:14 PM:
Q, I say exactly the same as the others. No wife, no kids, whats to hold you back. This opportunity may not come around again. You don't want to look back someday and think about what might have been. Heck, If it doesn't work out you can always come home and go back to concrete and coyotes. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Put me down for a copy of the book about your adventures also. Good luck on your decision.
Posted by UTcaller (Member # 8) on February 26, 2003, 04:28 PM:
The hell with the wife and kids,send em a post card.LOL I'm with the rest of ya,pack your bags and go huntin..... GOOD HUNTING Chad.....
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 26, 2003, 05:03 PM:
Q, it just doesn't make sense; to me. The flight alone will set you back $2500 round trip. That's dollars, not Rand. Then there's the unstable political situation. Leopard? Big deal!
Does Hein have an e-mail? I'd like to invite him to join Huntmasters.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 26, 2003, 05:36 PM:
Honestly, Africa is not calling me.
I have no wife and no strong family ties, no children, and nothing really holding me here...
Except for a deep love of the place, the mountains, and all...
I would not go and have turned down similar offers to go all over the world and climb.
Krusty's #1 rule of jobs is "never do what you love for a job... it will become a job, and you may not love it anymore..."
Think long and hard about what you'd be giving up, you know it much better than you know what you'd be trading it in for...
Jeff 
Posted by Maineiac (Member # 21) on February 26, 2003, 05:43 PM:
You need to find out a lot before you go. Your trips in the past. They sound like you are there in a vacation type status. Do you have a Visa (not the credit card) to work in R.S.A.? Are you going to be able to go to a foreign country as a non-resident get a Visa, to work. Find out what the difference's between a hunting trip and working their will be. Also find out if you will be able to carry a gun on your Visa. You may have to call a R.S.A. Embassy. You should call the U.S. State Department to make sure that working in that capacity is not against U.S. law (Code of Federal Regulations, United States Code). If all goes well, make sure you register your guns with U.S. Customs on form 4457 before you go. This will make your processing back into the U.S. faster. If all the above goes well good luck.
Posted by Q-Wagoner (Member # 33) on February 26, 2003, 06:50 PM:
Well, I am not married and I don’t have any kids. My girlfriend would probably cut (or rip) my balls off if I went again with out some kind of a wedding proposal. Women!! Ya can’t live with them and ya can’t shoot em so what’s a guy to do? After all we have only been going out for 7 years now? The woman has no patients. Sheesh!! LOL
What do you mean $2500 Leonard. I don’t want to fly business class. If you paid that much I hope they sent you a complementary jug of Vaseline. LOL Didn’t I send you this picture??
How could you say no to this? I wanted it so badly it hurt.
What about this spotted hyena?
We called it in to about 40 0r 50 yards. I was drooling.
I don’t know what to do. My last two trips over their Hein threw me a “thank you for leaving party” in my honor. I wonder why?? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
LOL I will see how things go on this upcoming trip. I want to do it badly but I am still a green horn when it comes to jackal. There is no better or accomplished jackal hunter in Africa than Hein so I would have a good teacher. Lochi can attest to that. In fact I think Hein was the one who taught him how to do it.
Getting a Visa shouldn’t be much of a problem? That obviously wouldn’t be something to over look. A foreign drivers license would be needed as well. I have the 4457 for my rifle already and yes I am aware of the S.A.P.S forms too. There are very loose rules for hunting jackal in the RSA and If I am working for Hein I don’t think it would matter to them what my job was. I don’t know but I will damn sure find out before I go. Come on Maineiac, give me a little credit. LOL It is legal to hunt varmints unguided in the RSA so they are not to concerned about foreigners running around with guns. If it doesn’t work out that I could get paid to kill jackal then I would be surprised but not devastated. No big deal I would just refuse to be paid. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Good hunting.
Q,
[ February 26, 2003, 06:54 PM: Message edited by: Q-Wagoner ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 26, 2003, 07:12 PM:
Quinton, you know that my post was strictly tongue in cheek, I'm also green with envy. Hell of a good experience, and get paid to do it, makes it hard to say no.
As far as the fare, so I padded it a little, but the leg room in the cheap seats for a twenty-four hour flight leaves quite a bit to be desired. You probably know all about that?
Leopard would be at the very top of my list...truly a big deal!
I have the feeling that I'll be back; maybe next year?
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Randy Buker (Member # 134) on February 26, 2003, 07:34 PM:
Q,
Go and have a great time. Just be back in time for my visit with you in November.
Randy
Posted by Q-Wagoner (Member # 33) on February 26, 2003, 08:33 PM:
I know you were busting my chops Leonard. I was just returning the favor. And YES I know all about the legroom in the cheep seats. On the way home last time I had a nice case of Tick Byte Fever to add to the pleasure of the long flight. I am glad that they don’t allow firearms on board because I may have gone postal. I would have started with the fat piece of S@#t in front of me that insisted on having his seat reclined allllllll the way back for the entire flight because his “back was sore.”
Krusty, you are a lucky man not to hear the call of Africa. You don’t know how lucky!! It turned from a passion to a disease over night. (Wow that sounds like a bad date LOL) Anyway you will save many thousands of dollars if you are not infected so do yourself a favor and stick to your rocks.
Randy I will be ready in November. Bring your BB gun too. LOL
Good hunting.
Q,
Posted by varmit hunter (Member # 37) on February 26, 2003, 08:46 PM:
Q, Take off. I will send you my truck. Hell I cant drive but about ten miles at a time. You can't have my off road wheelchair though.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on February 26, 2003, 08:47 PM:
do yourself a favor and stick to your rocks
Ya know Q, that is exactly what I was thinkin' the whole way up the last cliff I climbed...
"C'mon feet... stick! c'mon hands... stick!"
LOL
Climbing is a disease not unlike that of the hunter!
And as far as the patience of a woman goes, my girlfriend has waited twenty-one years tell yours "her wait is 1/3 over now".
Jeff
Posted by 20t-n-t (Member # 46) on February 26, 2003, 09:52 PM:
Q, A chance to hunt and be paid to hunt for critters you can't hunt here...
Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Don't be stupid. If your girl friend realy loves ya this will be a good test,,LOL If not, you were lookin for a girlfriend when you found her. LOL
Better yet, Take her with ya,,ROFL,, LOL I better stop now, but realy, what an oppertunity.
Good Luck
Slydog
Posted by Randy Buker (Member # 134) on February 27, 2003, 07:07 AM:
Q, not a chance will I bring my BB gun down to hunt with you. It will be at least a .308 and if I can find anything bigger, I'll bring that too! I'd hate like hell to make a bad hit and have you come on here and tell everyone how worthless that BB gun really is.
Randy
PS, just kidding, I wouldn't hunt with anything other than my BB gun.
Have a great time in Africa. Take your computer so you can keep us updated.
Posted by onecoyote (Member # 129) on February 27, 2003, 08:30 AM:
Q, I'm sorry man, I can't give you any advice on this one, I've been married four times. ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
You're on your own, Good Luck.
Posted by adkguide (Member # 143) on February 27, 2003, 11:42 AM:
Q, it sounds like a fantastic opportunity to do something you enjoy. Good luck
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 27, 2003, 12:23 PM:
Welcome to the New Huntmasters, adkguide. Glad to have you on board.
Good hunting. LB
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