Syracuse.com - Lakeport woman enjoys African hunting safari (first of two-part series)

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"I was about 300 yards away when I shot the hartebeest. I was dead on with my 7mm-08 Marlin rifle," Menninger said. "It was a lot bigger than anything I’ve ever harvested before."

South African safari tales

Today: Lin Menninger, a retired teacher’s assistant who lives in Lakeport, talks about her hunting safari with her husband, Burt, at the Amanzi Private Game Reserve. For more see the reserve's Web site.

Sunday: Linda Tepper Cohen, a media specialist who lives in Fayetteville, talks about her photography safari at Sabi Sabi, a private animal reserve near Kruger National Park. For more, see the reserve's Web site.

Submitted photoLin Menninger and her husband, Burt, are shown with a greater kudu that Burt shot during a 10-day hunting safari in central South Africa. Lin Menninger remembers one particular moment during her African hunting safari last summer when she really knew she was far from home.

“I was standing out on the back patio of the lodge and hearing lions roar, knowing they were roaming free,” the 59-year-old Lakeport resident said. “There’s a videotape that caught the expression on my face and me saying, ‘Wow!’”

Menninger, and her husband, Burt, met Leo Cecil, of Middletown, at a Safari Club International Club Banquet a few years ago. They decided to accompany him this past August on a 10-day hunting safari to the Amanzi Private Game Reserve in central South Africa.

The following are excepts from an interview with Menninger about the trip:

The daily routine: We got up at the crack of dawn, ate a piece of fruit and drank a glass of juice — we didn’t want to waste any time — and hunted till about 11 a.m. each day. We came back to the lodge, had brunch, regrouped and then went out and hunted until dark.

We drove in and out of the bush in Toyota trucks. A guide with binoculars looked for animals. Once we spotted a herd, we stopped and stalked on foot. Sometimes they’d move. We often had to go a great distance, moving little by little, before getting in position to take a shot.

Whenever we took an animal, there were trained staff who took photos and videos. Another truck with trained skinners took the carcass back to process it. Supper was served at 7 p.m. By the time dinner was over each day, everyone was usually beat.

The accommodations: We stayed at a plush chalet out in the middle of nowhere on the reserve. It was very rustic, though. You walked in on the first floor and you had a living room, two baths, a kitchen with a microwave, stove and fridge, and four or five more beds upstairs. We ate all our meals at the main chalet where we had gourmet cooking.

We actually got to eat everything that we harvested. What we didn’t eat was donated to the natives in the area, or to a restaurant. My favorite main course was springbuck wrapped in bacon. My favorite dessert was this pumpkin roll topped with hot, saucy pudding. I must have gained about 8 to 10 pounds.

Submitted photoMenninger poses with Jaco van den Berg, a professional hunter with Amanzi Safaris, and the hartebeest she shot

Some highlights: I must have taken 3,000 pictures. I had a grand, old time looking at the animals, vegetation, the rocks, smelling the dirt. I had such a great time, and frankly, I never laughed so hard in all my life. The hunting was great, but to me the highlight was the beauty of the country and its people.

Hunting-wise, I harvested three animals, and my husband had six. I shot a warthog, a common blesbuck, which is a little bigger than a deer, and a red hartebeest, which is as big as a horse. I was about 300 yards away when I shot the hartebeest. I was dead on with my 7mm-08 Marlin rifle.

It was a lot bigger than anything I’ve ever harvested before. When I saw it up close my eyes filled with tears. I just kept petting its face as everyone was congratulating me. I thanked the animal for the experience, for allowing me to harvest its meat. It just blew me away. It was a real spiritual experience.

Submitted photoMenninger pauses for a photo before sighting in her gun.

Sitting around the dinner table each night, we were all like little kids. I cried three days before we left because I was having so much fun. I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving. Two of the people we met have since gotten married, and we’ve been going back and forth on Facebook with the wedding pictures.

Scariest moment: It wasn’t scary, but it was exhilarating. One night we went out walking with flashlights scouting for jackals. We had guns, but you didn’t know what was behind you. We did see some eyes, but they were far away.

Submitted photoMenninger poses with Jaco van den Berg, a professional hunter with Amanzi Safaris, and the common blesbuck she harvested.

Equipment: I brought one firearm, my 7mm-08 Marlin rifle. I also packed a camera and way too many clothes. If you left any clothes out, whether they were clean or not, they got washed. I really didn’t take enough warm clothing.

Cost: Airfare was about $2,500 for both of us, plus $11,300 for the accommodations and costs for shooting each of the animals (there were individual prices). We’re having mounts made of all the animals. It cost $5,500 to get the capes on each mount “dipped (to eliminate any bugs or harmful bacteria) and shipped,” and $8,900 for the taxidermist.

Where will the trophies go? We have a large bedroom with a 14-foot-high ceiling. I’ll just change our Adirondack-style bedroom into a safari bedroom.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog