How about a "How To"... from the guys who have gon

[nodak7mm]

If someone was to ask you "How To go hunt Africa", what would you say? Some of my basic questions that come to mind are:

Where does one go?

What can one expect to pay for a basic hunt, all inclusive?

Suggest reading?

Best way to research?

How long is an avg hunt?

Unexpected costs?

Rod

 

[russ808]

Rod, I am by no means an expert aka: Boddington. But this is what I learned from my travels there.
It depends on what type of animals you want to hunt. Like Nayala's are mostly found in the KwaNatal/Zulu areas. This is a greener type of area with lots of thick bushes. I believe the Waterbucks also like this type of areas. I noticed that the West side of South Africa has more Gemsbucks, I think because of the dryer climate. You can find most of the plains game in SA.

As for amount you pay, I've noticed that many of the ranch owners are putting together packages where you can hunt 5 or more trophy animals with cull animals in the 5k to 7k range. Most of the outfitters will have someone meet you at the airport. I believe that they also come with meals and washing of clothes. It cost me about 10k for a plains game hunt in the area of 7 to 10 days. This was aslo because I bought a rifle for the hunt. This should include airfare, tipping and bribes. Yes BRIBES. Our outfitter related that for a few dollars it can make your trip hard or easy.
Lets face it its just the way it is there. Example: On my way back from the hunt I was the only hunter on the DASH 8 into Joberg. Its funny that they counldn't find my rifle until a tip was given to the three officals. Then the case suddenly was found. When I arrived and left, I hired what I call a "fixer" who took care of all papaerwork in a speedy manner. (If you know what I mean)

In my opnion, get the book Perfect Shot by Kevin "Doctari" Robertson, or better yet get the DVD. Tells you about shot placement which is very important. Must remember if you shoot it and it gets away you still pay for it. Boddington's stuff is good to.

Like I said I'm no expert, this is only what I learned from my travels there. If anyone wants to get more in to it, PM me.

My hunting buddies and I did the research and if you break it down you get the MOST bang for the buck (plains game) in Africa.
Russ

 

[Desert Fox]

I guess our experienced was a bit different. My friend Frank had been mullling around African hunt for quite sometime before we finally decided to go at it this year. We were thinking Botswana and Namibia at first until one day, Frank happened to be watching a hunting show that showed Kevin Grove hunt in South Africa with Sadaka Safari Outfitter. Frank called the contact number the following day and left a message. To his surprised, his call was returned immediately by Evert Vorster, the owner and operator of Sadaka Safari Outfitter. It turned out that he was in the US doing a promotional tour, which he does at the beginning of each year for his outfitting business. He told Franks that he will get back to him and iron out the details as soon as he gets back to South Africa. Being that this was our first time, we have a lot of question about the trip, the hunt itself, the price, the rifle permits, the hunting regulations, the accomodations and food. Not only that Evert was so helpful and accomodating in all of these, he was also very patient in answering all of the questions we had, whether via email or by phone. It was also helpful that his website is loaded with all kinds of information regarding African hunt. By the time we sent the downpayment to reserved the date for our hunt, we undoubtedly know that we're dealing with a real pro here. It was no accident then that the whole experienced turned out to be smooth and trouble free, from the time Evert picked us up from the airport to the day his wife dropped us off for our flight home. As for the hunt itself, you can see it in the quality of the trophy that we've harvested. And the accomodations, it's first class all the way.

Here's my sleeping quarter. It has a private shower with hot and cold running water and a toilet, and yeah! laundry service too. I went to sleep every night looking at that monster of an eland. I think I'll shoot one if I ever come back. :?

Here's a food sampler, Kudu fillet

The bar were well stocked. I never drank so much Jack Daniels in my life, Thanks to George Mr. Bartender.

We relaxed here and had cocktail while waiting for dinner.

 

[Guy Miner]

Hey, this is a good and useful thread! Thanks!

That is one heck of a tall room, with a giraffe mounted on the wall.... :grin:

Good info. I'd like to hunt Africa someday - but it's not an easy thing financially... Would really like to drag my teenage son along, which pretty well doubles the cost of the trip. Still, I'm trying to get it figured out. Might end up over there yet. Threads like this should help me figure it out...

BTW - am not at all surprised about the need for a little bribe money... Much of the world operates that way still.

 

[Desert Fox]

Hey, this is a good and useful thread! Thanks!

That is one heck of a tall room, with a giraffe mounted on the wall.... :grin:

Good info. I'd like to hunt Africa someday - but it's not an easy thing financially... Would really like to drag my teenage son along, which pretty well doubles the cost of the trip. Still, I'm trying to get it figured out. Might end up over there yet. Threads like this should help me figure it out...

BTW - am not at all surprised about the need for a little bribe money... Much of the world operates that way still.

Guy, A good quality guided plains game hunt in Africa, depending on the destination and type of games, will cost you in upwards of 7 to 10K/persons, and that includes airfare. Namibia or Botswana is a bit cheaper than RSA but will add another 4 to 5 hours more of your travel time. You have to do your homework when you book a hunt. Unlike Russ, we didn't have to bribe anyone. There are hidden charges though that if not discussed ahead of time, will caused you some discomfort, especially if you're on a tight budget. Make sure to bring credit card with at least 10K limit. They'll come handy :grin:

 

[Guest]

A friend of mine (who is significantly more well funded than I) just returned from his second trip to Africa. He went the first time with his dad, and Mark shot, while his dad, who has never been a hunter, shot pictures. I visited with Mark a few months ago over lunch, and he mentioned going back to Africa. Apparently, he was at the SCI show (I think it was SCI, but some big show, anyway) and he went through the silent auction area close to the end of the day. There were many rare hunts with long lists of bidders and high prices, but then there were some things, more 'mundane' as Mark phrased it, which had one or two bids, and even a few things with zero bids. So Mark's standing there and the guy overseeing the thing announces that in ten minutes all bidding is closed. Mark goes and bids on two Africa hunts and a New Zealand hunt. One of the Africa hunts and the New Zealand hunt had a single bid each, and the other Africa hunt had zero bids. This guy in the room comes right behind Mark and re-bids the two hunts Mark's just outbid him on, and Mark just smiles and says, "You can have those, I'll take this one." Well, a few minutes later, Mark walks away with a 10 day trip to South Africa for two hunters, with a shared trophy fee of $5k, for $525! All he added was airfare and tips. Total cost on the trip for Mark and one of his business partners ends up being about $9k, and that's with the other guy buying his own trophy fees of $4-5k. So maybe we all ought to be attending the SCI show to get a trip to Africa?

 

[muleman]

I have a similar story. I attended a SCI banquet here in Portland and ended up bidding on and getting a plains game hunt in Namibia. The hunt includes 7 days and trophy fees for Blue Wildebeast, gemsbuck and springbok. It also came with 1k credit towards taxidermy by a very competent local taxidermist. The cost was 1500$- worth7k$. I'm adding some hunt days and many other trophy fees. I think the trip w/ airfare is going to run me about 6-7k but worth 11-12k. The real expense is in the taxidermy.If I end up taking 7 to 9 animals the taxidermy will go another 6k. I think I may have to trim the dream down a bit to fit the budget - be selective on which animals I take and watch the trophy fees. Where I'm going an impala, warthog and a zebra add up to a waterbuck. I'm also looking at european mounts for some of the animals to hold down the cost. This is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity and i want to make the most of it! Does anybody have any advice about travel and transporting firearms and ammo?

 

[nodak7mm]

Awesome info guys... Sounds like an SCI banquet is in order just to go and have fun at least...

I am like Guy, I have a few other things in the planning stage (2 teenage girls, need I say more :lol: ).. But on the other hand as soon as they are in college, I am planning to go work abroad for a couple of yrs and that may be the route to get to Africa... Hmmm..

Regardless, thanks to Russ and Desert Fox for sharing their trips with us..

Rod