The Romans named him “Hippopotamus” or Water Horse.

They used that word in recognition of its fantastic speed underwater and ON LAND! But the name falls woefully short of a more accurate description. What they should have called him is writing academic essays Death Horse! What appears to be a calm pond, or a peacefully meandering African river, may in fact be a deadly water crossing. Surely, the first thing that comes to your mind is Crocodile!

The Crocodile is without a doubt a fearsome prehistoric eating machine. He has rightfully earned that reputation as he almost always attempts to extract his “toll” from anything or anyone on or near his waters. Read the rest of this entry »

As you begin to stir, your eyes quickly tell you that it is still very dark. You suddenly realize that what has truly broken your restless sleep is a deep, but distant, chest rattling ROAR! It is Simba, Lord of the jungle, leader of his clan, and fearsome protector of his pride. He has chosen this predawn time to announce his presence and to alert every animal that this is his domain! Read the rest of this entry »

On June 11, 2002, 13 months after I had begun my first safari and had taken a fantastic Cape Buffalo, and 7 months after my second safari, when I managed to take a huge male Leopard and break my ankle, I found myself getting off an S.A.A.

airplane at Johannesburg Airport, were I was once again greeted by my good friend and veteran Professional Hunter Danie Clifford sr.

Over the previous seven months, Donny and I had worked out a plan that would allow me to complete my quest for the African Dangerous Game Big Six over a 4 week Safari. During those fabulous 4 weeks I would have to take an Elephant, a Rhinoceros, a Hippopotamus, and a Lion.

None of this would be easy and we knew going into it that it was problematic that we would finish our objective. Each of these 4 fantastic animals is different in temperament, location, size, aggressiveness, behavior, and most of all, what I will call find ability! As before, I would be using my 45-70-lever action Marlin rifle loaded with 540gr Garrett Cartridge Hammerheads for the Elephant, Rhino, and Hippo, and 420gr Hammerheads for the Lion.ÿ Ambitious to say the least! But I had every confidence in the folks at Mahlapholane Safaris and in particular my Professional Hunters, the Clifford’s, Danie senior and junior.ÿ Donny sr. had divided the 4-week safari into 4 separate segments each built around one of the four main animals that we were to hunt. Along the way, they would guide me through the taking of some pretty special plains game trophies, including; 2 Zebra, a large Blue and a huge Black Wildebeest, 2 trophy Oryx one bigger then the other, a large male Baboon, a Common and a White Blesbuck, 2 Warthogs, 3 Springbucks 2 Common and one Black, and the most fantastic trophy bull Nyala that I have ever seen. Read the rest of this entry »

What hunter looking down the barrel of his or her rifle, hasn’t at one point or another, envisioned the prey to be an African Lion, or maybe a cialis price sleek Leopard.

Yes, a dream to be on an African Safari!  In my case that dream became a reality in May of 2001. It was then that I left to go on a genuine African Safari.

Even the words “African Safari” flood the mind with visions of tall grass, big-tusked bull Elephants and a pride of roaring Lions with its huge majestic black mane leader standing as the king that he is!  Little did I know at that time, that my dream was the beginning of a 13 month quest to complete the challenge of taking the African dangerous game Big Six, Elephant, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Cape Buffalo, Lion and Leopard, and was going to lead me through tall swaying brown grass, hundreds of ripping thorn bushes, over rock strewn hills and vertical mountains, into surgery and a 6 day hospital stay to repair a broken ankle and the taking of approximately 35 fantastic African trophies! Read the rest of this entry »