The orthopedic Surgeons out there must love these for their job security that they provide! Grumpy
Category: You have to be kidding, right!?!
It all starts in Africa …
I guess I was first exposed to large wooden crates from watching Looney Tunes Road Runner cartoons. Poor nemesis cartoon character Wile E. Coyote would order some hair-brained contraption from Acme, Inc. by letter, and a large crate would magically appear in minutes. Talk about great service!
My next exposure to large freight was “A Christmas Story” when the father wins a contest and a large crate appears. The father sees the stenciled Fragile, painted on the crate and famously mispronounces it, “Fragilly.”
It’s a classic line for the fishnet stockinged leg lamp he unveils to his boy’s bewilderment and his wife’s dismay. Anyway, I never thought I’d receive a large, wooden freighted crate. Roughly 40 years later, a trip to Africa presented itself in 2019, to be exact. I was invited to hunt in Botswana. It was closed to hunting for years and was just reopened because of a new government regime change.
It was my first international trip. John Sheehan, a fellow writer for GUNS Magazine, was a part-time professional hunter for an outfit in Botswana and invited me on a two-week safari. Since it was my first trip abroad, he suggested using camp guns rather than dealing with bringing my own. It was a wise move for a first-time trip, making the experience easier and more relaxing.
Heads, horns and hides are prepared for the Taxidermist.
After the taxidermist, the heads/horns are crated for shipping.
Kalahari Safari
I’ll never forget my first trip. From the flight to the drive to camp, and enjoying my first starlit sky over a cold beverage. There’s a saying that if you wish to return to Africa, you must see the Southern Cross constellation. Believe me, I was asking John to point it out for me, as Africa is a special, magical place for many. I think you either love it, or don’t care for Africa. There’s no in- between. I think if you ever wondered what the world was like when it was created, Africa would be a good place to go, as much of it is still untouched.
I went to Botswana the last week in August through the first week in September. This is springtime in the Southern Hemisphere and a beautiful time to be in Africa. The hunt was an unadulterated success. Then COVID hit. We all got sick in camp, but we recovered, figuring it was just the flu. Within months, the border between Botswana and South Africa (SA) closed for 2 years. My hides and skins were in the salt room, awaiting transit to South Africa. Other circumstances occurred, further delaying transport of my trophies.
There’s a saying in Africa called TIA. It stands for THIS IS AFRICA! It means whatever happens, happens; just go with the flow, and it will eventually work out. My trophies eventually make it from South Africa to a taxidermist, and the regular two-year wait starts. This includes completing the taxidermy work and then crating the heads for shipment.
This is where the first debate starts. Are you better off having the taxidermy work done in Africa or the States? Shipping will be cheaper since your crate will be smaller, but taxidermy is cheaper in Africa than in the States.
It’s basically a wash and up to you, price-wise. I chose to have the taxidermy completed in Africa. Unfortunately, the long delay caused hair slippage on all my hides, meaning I needed replacements.
I ended up mounting only half my heads to save costs on replacement hides. Something to consider when choosing where to get your work done. Replacement hides are cheaper in Africa than in the States.
The crate top is opened and memories come flooding out as you admire your trophies.
Bon Voyage
My trophies were crated and shipped in a large shipping container. The container must be full to ship; otherwise, it’s delayed until it is loaded on the vessel.
From South Africa, it heads to Houston, Texas, where NFG inspects and stamps the heads for clearance. My heads were then flown to a local airport and then freighted to my house. Ironically, it was a total surprise when they arrived (TIA), and I was leaving for Africa the following day for another hunt. Anyway, six years later, my Botswana trophies found their way home.
Hanging the heads can take a lot of work.
Uncrating
It’s the big moment! The crates are assembled with plywood and screws. A cordless drill comes in quite handy for this task. Let me tell you, when you finally pop the lid, it’s all worth it! The long wait and the expense of taxidermy and shipping fade as memories flood out of your crate. These are your animals, and they’ve made the long journey to their new home, where you’ll admire and love them. Many will think you’re Looney Tunes for doing so, but that doesn’t matter.
These heads represent a long trip and how far you’re willing to go to do something you love. Some won’t understand, other than another hunter, why your memories mean so much hanging on your wall. That’s fine. To each their own. Let me tell you, it’s a pure pleasure and honor to admire these beautiful critters.
Once hung, you’ll be able to admire them daily.
Hung Up
Most have hung whitetail deer in their homes. Hanging African heads is a different animal, har har! The shoulder mounts are huge. We built an addition on our house over 20 years ago, tying into the roofline of the second-story house. This provided an 18-foot ceiling, sloping down to 8 feet on the far end, 20 feet away.
Luckily, a contractor friend helped me hang the heads using scaffolding. It’s the safest way to hang the large heads. Horns are slipped off larger species to make shipping more efficient, then slipped back on during hanging.
Then another crate appears.
Recycle Projects
The plywood crates/screws are great for making shelves, further reminding you of your African Safari. The stenciled paint of the taxidermist, your name, and the African address add mystery and coolness to any project you choose to make. I’ve made a few shelves for the garage from my first shipment, and will make larger, heavier ones with this shipment. Crate goodies are the gift that keeps on giving.
More memories arrive.
It never gets old.
A beer before departing for another trip to Africa.
The Do Over
Would I do it again? You betcha! I have no regrets and am enjoying my African animals immensely. Admittedly, it’s not for everyone, but for those who understand, it’s pretty darn cool!
Gee whiz, so what part of sex starved Sailors & Marines does one not understand?
What with our young, fit kids, who having had no shore leave for past 9 months. While also operating in a very high stress job during a period of WAR TIME !
So maybe it could be that they might want to let their hair down and have some well earned fun?
Nah, lets start up a Bible study group or a spelling bee instead. I bet they would just love that!
Now I am willing to bet that Towns that have Fleet Week say like NYC, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles etc. Are not surprised at all by what is going on there.
That and the only folks I really feel sorry for are the medical folks. Who will have to deal with a huge spike in V.D. / S.T.D.S. and hepatitis from all the tattoos gotten. When the troops come back aboard in a while.
That and the Commanding officers who will have to spend a very long time doing Mast. (I.E. Hand out punishments)
Also I pity the Admiral who will have to placate the pissed off natives. But that is why they draw the big bucks. Grumpy
Randy Brooks, creator of the famous Barnes X Bullet and the 2016 NRA Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award winner, passed away peacefully on the morning of Aug. 27, 2026. The Brooks family believes Randy may have suffered a stroke. He had suffered mini-strokes in the past, and was recently diagnosed with vascular dementia. He was 77.
Randy grew up hunting and shooting in his native Utah, and in the 1970s began custom-loading ammunition to help support his young family. At the urging of friend Fred Barnes, founder of the namesake component bullet company, Randy and his wife, Coni, acquired what remained of the firm after new owners had allowed it to languish.
Soon they moved the business from Colorado to American Fork, Utah. The family’s basement became the company workshop, where Randy, Coni and their daughters, Chandra and Jessica, seated bullet cores in jackets. In 1985, while hunting brown bears in Alaska, the idea of a solid copper bullet took hold in him, so he returned home and went to work. Three years later, after much trial and error perfecting a manufacturing process with hand tools and machine tools, the X Bullet was born.
In 1989, the Barnes X immediately became the leader in epic knockdowns. Randy’s development of the new dangerous-game solid caught the attention of gunwriters, including NRA Publications Senior Field Editor Charles Askins, who wrote, “[L]et me assure you, these slugs really get the job done!”
Over the next two decades, Randy continued to improve the design. Today’s Barnes TSX and related variants are among the world’s most highly regarded and oft-imitated hunting bullets.
The Brooks sold the company to Remington Outdoor Company in 2010. Thereafter, Randy continued to develop new products, including the well-received Barnes VOR-TX loaded ammunition and new projectiles intended for military use. Today, Barnes Bullets is owned by Sierra Bullets of Sedalia, Mo., but X products, notably the Triple Shock X (TSX), are still made in Utah.
I met Randy Brooks at my first SHOT Show, in 1999. I saw the Barnes booth and the brown bear Randy took in Alaska that launched the solid copper revolution. I saw Randy standing next to that big bear in the Barnes booth and I just had to go in there and meet him.
I introduced myself, and Randy, ever-gracious, greeted me with a firm handshake, a smile and welcoming conversation. He was among the first pioneers of the shooting industry I ever met. I learned then and there to expect a smile every time I saw him.
Years later, I hunted deer and elk in Utah with him and Coni and others. We used the then-new Barnes MRX (to my mind the best hunting bullet ever made). It was Randy and Coni’s camp, but neither of them stood much on ceremony; they just wanted every hunter to go forth and prosper. The camp exuded graciousness, in large part because of Randy. He sidestepped some credit for creating the X Bullet when he told me, “You know, Fred Barnes had thought of the X. I found drawings he’d made among his stuff when we purchased the company—and when I did, I knew Fred was on to something. I just had to tinker a while till I got it right.” That word—“tinker”—explains Randy Brooks to a “T,” pardon the pun.
It was Randy Brooks’ tinkering that launched a legacy today every hunter knows as “unleaded, unfailing, unbeatable.”
Randy was married to Coni for 56 years and seven months. “He was my best friend, the love of my life, my business partner and partner in crime and fun,” she said. “He was a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, great-grandfather, friend, hunter, team roper and innovator. He loved animals especially his horses. He had a giving nature that is unsurpassed and wasn’t happy letting someone go without. He has given to family and friends and especially wildlife conservation. We have great wildlife in Utah in part due to his participation and willingness to give when needed.”
Randy Brooks was an accomplished big-game hunter, and he was particularly experienced with dangerous game in Alaska and Africa. He was a staunch supporter of the NRA and the freedoms protected by the Second Amendment. Though much of his success was attributed to lead-free bullets, he steadfastly refused to cooperate with anti-gun and media forces that repeatedly sought his validation for banning lead projectiles.
Randy Brooks’ X Bullet changed forever the expectations of big-game hunters regarding bullet terminal performance. As an Army veteran, he was proud that Barnes bullets served American troops and security officers worldwide. Today, Barnes products are highly trusted and respected among hunters and shooters worldwide.
