April 2026

Addressing Problems After the Hunt

For decades our industry has faced, and continues to face, headwinds.

Social media, the ‘Antis’, CITES and USFW regulations, industry infighting, controversies about captive-bred lions – the list is long. Yet, despite all this, Africa and all she has to offer is where big-game hunters still dream of coming. But for how long? Everything about the experience and memories for an international big-game trophy hunter centers around – yes, you guessed it, the trophy itself.

While some come to Africa for just the hunting experience, the majority want their trophy back to be admired, bringing back all those fond memories from abroad. For me and my mission to promote hunting in Africa, that trophy on the wall is African hunting’s silent marketing agent for years to come, as the hunter’s friends and onlookers say, “What’s that?” for years to come.

A danger affecting trophy hunting that needs attention is the ‘after-hunt costs’ which, for many hunters, are simply unknown.

Shipping is a grudge purchase, and when combined with taxidermy, often costs more than the hunt itself.

The fact is that the ‘after-hunt’ experience, as we call it, is evolving.

Some outfitters do their own dip-and-pack, some even have their own taxidermy business. Some have shares in a dip-and-pack or taxidermy operation. Some highly recommend one or another, and in extreme cases, some outfitters give you no choice!



In 2017, I started AHG Shipping - a shipping-only operation to address this grudge purchase and offer hunters a chance to compare pricing before they send their trophies home.

What do hunters want?

Ideally, one point of contact after their hunt, from beginning to end.

Less admin, fewer hassles, good quality of work (either with their trusted existing taxidermist or potentially a new one) and wherever possible, to save money. 

This led to the introduction of TTS - a taxidermy and trophy shipping solution. 

Our service collects your trophies from the safari outfitter after it is salted and ready for transport, imports it from around Africa if need be, takes it to one of our contracted-in taxidermists, pays the taxidermist their deposit to start work and, when ready, we arrange options to get the crate home.

Updates along the way, one point of contact, and simply delivering the facts, helping you.

Whether you want to:

1)    Compare shipping prices before your crate leaves Africa, when done by your taxidermist,

2)    Have your trophies dipped & packed and sent home,

3)    Have your trophies tanned & shipped, ready to mount back home, or

4)    Go for the most reasonable option and have your trophies fully processed and mounted, and shipped home complete…

You have choices, and TTS will help.

Our mission is to save you money so you can hunt more.

Regards,

Richard Lendrum (to enquire) 

We all love reading about your African hunting adventures. Let’s spread the word.

Submit your story, and we’ll clean and edit it to be published on Africanhuntinggazette.com

Book Review

Death in the Long Shadows

By Ken Bailey

In Death in the Long Shadows, Francis Flavin takes avid readers of African hunting literature both where they want to go, on a dangerous game safari in Namibia’s renowned Caprivi Strip, and where many would rather not go, on a voyage of deep personal reflection focussed on fear, morality and mortality. 

In novella format, an all too often ignored literary style (think Steinbeck’s The Pearl or Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea), Death in the Long Shadows is the tale of Colorado hunter Paul Thayer and his quest for a Cape buffalo under the tutelage of his PH, Johan.

Double Trouble With Buffalo Bwana

By Ricardo Leone



I am sure you do not want to read yet another story about a buffalo hunt. Please, stay with me – this is an account of shooting a brace of buffalo – not once, but three times with the same PH at three different concessions in three different countries. My PH is Peter Chipman. We call each other Bwana. AHG’s Editor, Richard Lendrum, wrote about Peter and his storied career. Without rehashing Peter’s history, he is a modern-day Buffalo Bill Cody. Buffalo Bill killed thousands of American Bison back in the day.

A Namibian Safari

By Larry Collins



My Namibian safari was the best vacation/hunting trip my wife Pat and I have ever taken.

We left Atlanta, with the usual long flight via Joburg to Windhoek where, after collecting luggage, we met my PH, Dirk de Bod, at the Firearm Check-Out office. He collected our firearms and luggage, and we were soon in his SUV on our way to his hunting area.

Wildlife Artist: Zoltan Boros



Zoltan Boros was born in Szabadka, Hungary in 1976. Nature and animals fascinated him since his early childhood. Zoltan began drawing at a young age, developing his talent by drawing the local wildlife. Later, he began to paint with oils and watercolors and continued to draw using graphite pencils and chalk. After grammar school, Zoltan attended the Agricultural University of Gödöllő. There, he received a degree as a Certificated Agricultural Engineer of Environmental Management with a major in Wildlife Management.

The Group of Ten

By Terry Wieland



The modern standard of accuracy is the three-shot group at 100 yards. Fifty years ago, it was the five-shot group, and a century before that, ten shots. Are we now getting a better picture of a rifle’s capabilities, or is this merely grade inflation, making rifles and ammunition look better than they really are?

This three-shot business generally applies to hunting rifles, and it’s rationalized on the grounds that you rarely fire more than three shots at a big-game animal. Well, maybe so. But the odd time that you do — and believe me, I know — you’ll be grateful for every bit of accuracy you can get.

In fairness, we have also become much more severe in our definition of accuracy. Fifty years ago, a group of 1.5 inches was good, then one inch. Now, the benchmark seems to be a half-inch, or one half-minute of angle.

What Makes a Trophy Buffalo

By Ken Moody

The subject of what constitutes a trophy Cape Buffalo is one that causes me great irritation. There is a contingent of hunters who firmly believe that for a buffalo to be considered a ‘trophy,’ it must be at least 15 years old, a day away from death, and sport a scrumcap on top of its head. These are the keyboard warriors who chastise, belittle, and criticize every photo posted that doesn’t depict a buff up to their nonsensical standards. These are also the very same hypocrites that will shoot a mature whitetail buck or elk in the rut, even though the animal is still of breeding age.

From the Archives: Why Hunters Miss

By Wayne van Zwoll

It likely isn’t the rifle, ammo or scope, the wind or the rotation of the earth. Guess who’s left? Honesty and diplomacy both fail when your pal is already crestfallen. But, “You made a bad shot” is more helpful, in the long run, than the dodge, “Maybe something’s wrong with your rifle.”

Old-Time Wisdom

By Terry Wieland

In his book, African Rifles and Cartridges, John “Pondoro” Taylor often mentioned “cheap Continental magazine rifles,” and his comments were usually disparaging. Taylor set great store by reliability, not only of the rifles he used, but the cartridges and bullets they employed. 

Chapter 14

The Family (part 1)

By Wayne Grant

In our years of running safaris in four different countries we have worked with many natives, and it is not my intention to bore everyone to death by giving the life story of each one of them. We have seen so many amazing, funny, good, and often bad, incidents over the years with our staff and other peoples’ staff, that I could fill another book recounting them. I cannot resist briefly mentioning just a few.

Peter Sebele

Early in 1981, Don Price instructed me to find a suitable site and erect a hunting camp on a huge ranch called Seafield Estates on which he had acquired the hunting rights.

Who are the African Dawn Outfitters?

The African Dawn Outfitter Program is about working with an exclusive group, to offer one critical thing, and that is peace of mind for you, the hunter.

With over 1000 outfitters to choose from, despite the majority being good and offering a great safari, it is a minefield out there when trying to decide with whom to hunt across the continent. And when it comes to your hunt, why risk anything? This group can deliver the goods.

Book directly with them, go to our website and sign up to receive the weekly posts, Fresh from the Veld. If you’re an agent looking for outfitters to represent or sell; you’ll be safe contacting any one of these Dawn Members.

www.africandawnoutfitters.com

Richard Lendrum - Publisher African Hunting Gazette

richard@africanhuntinggazette.com

2026 African Dawn Members