Lochi Lochner from Affordable African Hunting has once again donated a fantastic varmint hunt. Like last year, this auction will start shortly after the PM hunt. The bidding for this auction will start on Wednesday, Jan 11th and will run until Wednesday, Jan18th. Winner of the auction will need to pay Predator Masters for the auction no later than Jan 31, 2005. Below this paragraph is Lochi's description of what the hunt entails. If you have any questions regarding the hunt, you can post questions here or e-mail Lochi directly. Good Luck with the auction!!

The successful bidder gets a safari of 8 days in South Africa (Saturday to following Sunday) between March and Oct 2006 as a non-paying client of a licensed hunting outfitter, guided by a qualified professional hunter in compliance with the local legal requirements. If not taken by Oct 2006, it will be forfeited.

• Included in hunt: all local transport, accommodation, food and beverages, varmint hunting every day, field preparation of trophies, if any.
• By "varmint" is meant typical daytime varmint like baboons, monkeys, ground squirrels, hares, rock hyrax, pigeons, doves, crows, cormorants and some species of game bird. Typically night time varmint includes jackal, fox, caracal, African wildcat, genet, mongoose, porcupine, and bush pig. The availability of these varies with areas, and of course results are not guaranteed. See this link on my site for pictures and descriptions of these critters
http://www.affordableafricanhunting.co.za/Children%20of%20Econo%20Game/Narratives/econo_game.htm
(If we are lucky with the timing, perhaps warthog and female antelope culling may co-inside with the visit.) Fresh water fishing and wing shooting if you like that, time permitting.
• Excluded from the hunt are international airfares (typically $1200 round trip Joburg / Atlanta), souvenirs, medical costs and personal items, taxidermy fees for dip-and-ship, packing and mounts.
• Excluded from hunt is game hunted on hunting concessions. This will be treated as extras, to be paid for. The client will pay for accommodation for himself and one guide (typically $40 to $80 pppd) and game hunted. These are typically about $80 to $140 for the smaller common game like springbok, blesbok, impala and warthog. Bigger game like gemsbok, kudu, black and blue wildebeest, zebra etc. are typically around $600 to $1200 on most entry-level ranches. Special trips to and from hunting ranches will be for the client’s account too.
• Also excluded from the hunt are visits to game parks and other tourist attractions (travel and admission fees). The client will pay the entrance fee for himself and the guide. Local tourist attractions in and around Johannesburg can take weeks to see it all, but typically some of the following are of interest to foreign visitors:
Vaal River cruise, Gold Reef City mining museum town, Sterkfontein Caves, "Cradle of Humankind", Museum Africa, African Cultural Villages, Botanic Gardens, De Wild Cheetah / wild dog / brown hyena research station, Joburg Art Gallery, Rocky Street, Soweto and Nelson Mandela's house, Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve and farm museum, Hartebeespoort Dam, Crocodile River Crafts, Rhino and Lion Park, Bruma Flea Market, Apartheid Museum, etc. See this link for more
http://www.joburg.org.za/whatson/index_sights.stm
• “The guide” is likely to be Lochi Lochner, but in the event of something preventing that, an experienced and certified PH hired by Lochi. Lochi stays accountable for the execution of safari.
• Wherever we go, accommodated will not be luxurious, though safe, comfortable, clean and out of the elements. Food is not “exquisite cuisine”, but wholesome tasty, hygienically prepared and unlimited. Provision is made for alcoholic beverages in reasonable quantities.
• The successful bidder will be required to sign a contract with African Varmint Safaris (Lochi) and comply with all firearms and other legal requirement in South Africa.
• The successful bidder may choose to invite additional fellow hunters or non-hunting observers to join him. These additional hunters or observers will be charged $100 a day plus entrance fees to venues and accommodation on hunting ranches.

In essence, the successful bidder is entitled to an action-packed 8-day varmint-hunting holiday. However, experience has shown that once in Africa, he would most likely want to hunt at least a few of the affordable game species by choice. If he exercises this option, related costs will be for his own account.

Those who want to find out more about Lochi can go to his 2 web sites:
www.affordableafricanhunting.co.za to get to know the common African animals and also Lochi as a person.
www.affordableafricanhunting.com to find out how Lochi’s safaris operate.

These are the basic and minimum offerings to the PM prizewinner. Related info will be communicated in more detail as it becomes relevant. Ask any questions.
The winner also gets a small web site done of his safari. This free site gets updated with digital pictures during the safari period, so that family, friends and PM Board members can follow the events blow by blow. See these links as examples
www.affordableafricanhunting.com/rachow
www.affordableafricanhunting.com/crimi
www.affordableafricanhunting.com/johnf
www.affordableafricanhunting.com/roth


I shall agree contractually in writing with the successful bidder on dates, the details of scope of supply and ensure up-front that all legalities are in place.

Thank you.

Lochi Lochner.
18 Nov 05
[Email]llochner@howden.co.za my[/Email] work e-mail address is best.

Dang, I've bid on this one for the past couple of years.

I'll have to check the check book!!

I knew that would catch your eye Randy!

I want me a Baboon

Theres a joke there but I cant quite put my finger on it.

Hey red fox, go for it! Third time lucky!

Lochi, When would be a good time to include warthog?

Heck, I could get excited just about the bird shooting and bass fishing! Varmints are icing on the cake.

Oh, never mind. I just saw the other post saying the hunt was sold. Dan will have a wonderful time, I assure you all.

DesertRam, this is a new hunt for this year. Not sold yet. Get your bidding fingers ready!

The winner will have an absolutely fabulous time.

If the winner wants to go bass fishing, fly fishing and wing shooting he must just confirm it with Lochi, I am sure we can make a plan. Maybe try for a McNab.

For those that do not know what a McNab is:
Golden McNab: From sun up till sun down; Hunt a antelope, shoot a game bird with a shot gun and catch a trout or yellow fish on the fly.

We could do a Predator/Varmint McNab.
From sun up till after dark. Shoot a jackal. Shoot a pigeon with a shotgun, they are locally renowned as varmints and catch a fish. Trout or carp or catfish. All this with in one day.

You could be one of very few people in the world to have done it.

Ask Desertram it could be done.

Good luck for the auction and see the winner next year.

Gerhard

Here's the PM hunt report from my stay in South Africa.

I'm not sure what's up with PhotoBucket right now. The pictures aren't working for me, so I'll check back in later and see what I can do.

This DesertRam is such a humble gentleman. Firstly I was too important to guide him personally, and blamed it on the SA Airways strike and innocent dates on the calendar. Then I fobbed him off on some junkie hunting buddies of mine – real bad people. (They made him eat jackal teeth – imagine). Then he gives them dumb Africans the demo of the decade on how to shoot straight.
Thanx Troy.

P.s. I think I should keep Gerhard away from the winner of this bid. At least you have experienced African brutality before on your previous trips, so you have some built-in resilience, but the winner of this bid may be a fragile, gullible, innocent little American that might not be geared to face up to the treatment you got. Agree?

I will happely assist Lochi again with any of the guys comming over as long as no jackal teeth comes close to me. Desert ram made some of the best shots I have seen during hunting when things happen fast.
NMLEON
Warthog is gettable any time of the year but August/September are the best time. For jackal it is also very productive from August to February.
NASA
The best time for bass fishing is September/October you can also try for some indigenous fish species , it is however getting late for bird shooting .

.... and I further pledge to endeavour to keep Wimpie also away from my valued client

Lochi, Gerhard, and Wimpie all in the same trip? Man that would be a hoot! Makes me want to sell the house and start bidding! If only I could convince the wife to live in a tent

Really fellas, these are a great bunch of folks. Whoever makes the winning bid will have a grand time. Beware of this though: once you go to Africa you'll spend the rest of your free time and money trying to get back. I'm already trying to think of a way.

Well, I'll be out of the bidding this year. I've got every spare dime being saved up for my wife and I to go hunt mooses with Redfrog.

All I need to do is live long enough and I'll end up in Africa yet.

Randy

OK, I'll open the bidding at $500.

Thanks Tom. Lets get the party started!!!

OK,
I'll go $600

Mivarmint
Harold

FYI: My services as a sherpa and carry your gear on this hunt. My fee is only airfare and room and board. I have been known to have accidental discharges while carring rifles. The rifle is always carried in a safe directions and the animal tends to fall over dead when this happens. If I can be of service please contact me.


Now, Back to the bidding! We have $600 form Harold .

$2000 and how much extra for the wife? I gave up that traveling alone thing many years ago.

Jack

WOW!!! Now that is what I am talking about. Thanks Jack.

gulp ....

hope I can perform at that level

Lochi,

Don't stress we will be working/call our fingers to the bone for the winner of the Auction.

Gerhard

Hey Tom I'll go with you!!!

Jason, we'd have to pool our resources to out bid Jack. Looks like he's determined to own this hunt.

Lets do it Tom, I am not sure they will let us tag-team??

Hmmmmmm, if nothing else we would be getting him to dig deeper into his coin purse.

Heck Tom we would have to go $1,500.00 ea to take it from Jack, then he would go higher? I am still not sure we can do this?? Is it okay Randy

And if we can't I can always save some of that money and go see RedFrog and hunt with him up in the North lands

To beat Jack, you would have to bid over $2000.00. The way I understand it, the hunt for for one person. Please feel free to contact Lochi about more people. The top bid stands at $2000.00. The auction ends tommorrow at midnight!!!!

Let me put some perspective on this.
Yes, officially it is for one person only. If you bring your buddy or your wife that would have to be paid for as an extra. However, let’s be logical about it: this is a donation, not a money-making ploy, so I shall be very reasonable on extras.
For example, travel costs are not affected whether we are 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 people, because we use my truck and not public transport. Transport is one of the main cost drivers on any South African visit. (Our vehicles and gas are substantially more expensive than in the USA). And how much can one person now really eat in a day if we mostly go self-catering way? What would typically have to be paid for as substantial extras, of course, would be accommodation on plains game hunting concessions, if the bid winner elects to do that – here it costs per person. Or access to game parks and tourist destinations – any expenses that goes by number of individuals.

So, as far as my basic offer of varmint hunting is concerned, your extra costs will be dominated by your air ticket to South Africa.

Looking forward to be the host of a PM member!
Lochi.

Nice going Jack - you'll love the treatment you get over there. The hunting's pretty good too!

Thanks Randy, & Lochi, for the needed info. I guess Tom, that Jack and his wife are going to see Lochi in Africa... We always have next year

Well, Jason? If you got the money honey, I'll find the time. We can pool our bid to win the hunt. As a "team". Like Lochi said, we'll work out the differences (for 2 people) when we get there. We can pool $1250.00 apiece and raise the ante to $2500.00 right now, if you are game?
What's in your wallet?

Well I am out of this one Tom....

Come on Jason, you know you wanna go!!! You and Tom would have a blast!! Looks like you were ready to $1500.00 earlier? Theres always the magic plastic! Just a few more hours left!

C'mon, ju con do eet! What were you saving that ten grand for anyway? Retirement?
You'll be too old to have any fun with it by then, anyway. Probably just blow it all on groceries and medicine.

Soooooo, who won?

We can't wait to hear - is it Jack or did he get beaten?
I'll be back at this pc on Monday.
good hunting,
Lochi.

Congradulations to Jack Roberts!! Looks like he's going to Africa!! Jack has the winning bid of $2000.00!

Hey Jack – you are de man! – congrats and welcome to the jackal infested Dark Continent.
Thanx for your generous contribution to PM, and your faith in me. I shall pull all stops not to disappoint you.
Bringing your wife along is an excellent idea. So far I have not had one client’s wife regretting having come along. There is a lot for them to do and see here – and my own wife loves playing hostess. For sure I shall not abuse you on costs for extras.
You and I will now make direct contact to talk about dates and other things.

Looking forward,
Lochi.
Ps. Of course we’ll keep the board up to speed with all our evil plans. Speaking of evil: I’ll try my best not to expose you to the local evil elements – not mentioning any names, just follow my eyes (ask DesertRam for personal advice about avoiding the plagues of Africa – jackal teeth and ….. – eisch!)
Footnote: “eisch!” is a local expression for anticipation of severe discomfort.
Huh??

Lochi what are you talking about?

There is already a special batch of Jackal Teeth made for Jack.

We have to initiate him the proper way.

Gerhard

Amarula Cream Liqueur? Got to try that. Will pick up a bottle tonite. Does 21 bucks sound like the right price?

That's the stuff. Sounds like a decent price to me - I'm assuming that's for a 750mL. I bought 2 liters in Johannesburg for about $17 each on the way out last August. Where did you find Amarula? If it's a chain store, I'll have to check here. It's awesome over ice...

Check this out. http://www.redwhiteandrose.com/Events/Shops/Hawaii/Archive/Hawaii_2004-7-1_2.html

(edit) Oh, yum! Elephant tree fruit juice. And 17%, too.