For the average traveler, we suggest bringing along a simple First Aid Kit that contains at least the following. We pack a pelican box full of Pepto, Band-Aids, 1% HC cream, Benadryl, Imodium, Tylenol, NSAIDS (Motrin, Aleve etc), disposable thermometers, tape, sterile 2x2 gauze, eye drops, Sudafed, mole skin, hydrogen peroxide, triple antibiotic ointment, tweezers, sunscreen, superglue, and nail clippers. Basically just stuff you have at home anyway and since there isn’t a drugstore to stop at on the way back to camp, it’s not a bad idea to bring them.
Back to more fun stuff like caliber and bow poundage. There is more written about African calibers and broad heads than we can even read about. Discuss all this with your PH and consultant and make an informed choice! Laws will vary from country to country and within a country (just like here in the USA) so getting your gun in and out of Africa requires planning. It seems that almost a day doesn’t go by without new rules and regulations. For instance, you can no longer fly from Britain to Zimbabwe with a rifle, but you can with a bow. You can’t bring two rifles of the same caliber into Republic of South Africa (RSA). Get the gun laws from your Consultant before picking your weapon of choice and that applies to bow hunters too. There are a lot of new laws regarding hunting with a bow recently.
A majority of African Safari’s will begin with your landing in the Republic of South Africa. If you are catching a flight out of RSA to another country (without an overnight stay in RSA) than you will not have to deal with RSA gun issues. If an overnight stay in RSA is part of the process or you are hunting in RSA, then there is paperwork like you have never seen before. Fortunately there are services that will do all of what needs to be done before you get there. We use www.hunterssupport.com. They will provide you with everything that you need. You simply fill out the multi-page application and send it back along with your other particulars as they instruct. They will then get you the needed permits, meet you at the airport and walk you through the whole process till they deliver you into the open arms of your awaiting PH with your rifles. Without them, expect hours upon hours of frustration stuck in a long line waiting for someone to do something. Suffice it to say, no matter where you are going, a gun import permit will be required. You need to get these papers well in advance and make sure they are filled out correctly with all the supporting documents in hand prior to your arrival. Make copies. Any good consulting firm that you book through should have and make available all of this information, forms and applications to you soon after booking the trip.
On the subject of guns don’t forget our friends at the airlines. Do not leave your bolt in your rifle thereby making your life easy and the duration of your interaction shorter. Don't pack the key to your locking case in your other suitcase, carry one copy with you. Don't pack black powder propellants. A whole bunch of US agencies say that is a big no-no; ditto to primers and percussion caps. If you are planning to use a muzzleloader, be sure to give your outfitter the time and if need be, the funds to have what you need waiting for you when you get there.
Bringing your gun back to the USA needs to be addressed before you leave as well. Basically you need to prove that the rifle you are bringing back into the US was bought in the US. That requires either the original invoice from the purchase or a Customs Form 4457 – Certificate of Registration For Personal Effects Taken Abroad. This is easily obtained at any Customs office and costs nothing. Just bring in your firearm (unloaded, bolt out) and you are on your way in minutes. While you are there, bring in your binocs, camera and any other expensive gear you are taking with you and document your ownership prior to leaving the US (leave jewelry and expensive watches at home). This allows for you to avoid discussions of import duties as the time to your connecting flight dwindles.
CITIES permits, if they are an issue, need to be addressed. Are you hunting a species in a location that requires a CITES? Find out at booking. If you are hunting a species that requires a CITIES permit before it can be imported into the U.S. you need to apply early. It can take up to three months for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to issue it. But be careful, you don’t want to get the permit too early because it is only good for one year from the date of issue. Clarify expectations about how long trophies will take to arrive in the USA before you sign your contract. Your consultant or outfitter should provide you with the qualified Dip and Pack agency they use. Contact the Dip and Pack company as the whole process can take up to 12 months to get your trophies exported. If your permit expires before your trophies get to the U.S., they will be seized and you will have to reapply to get another permit and there is no guarantee on it being issued so plan carefully. Lastly, in regards to CITIES permits, make sure to only give one of your copies to your PH for the export permit. The original must be on hand with your Customs Broker when the trophies arrive into the U.S. A copy will not work and the Customs officer will seize your trophy shipment and store it at a high daily cost to you till you get the original to him.
