For Those Who Were Not Planning Safari In The 1980's, Like I Was

[sestoppelman]

Magazine clipping from July, 1983 when cheap buffalo hunts were all the rage. It was short lived.

 

[Anbessa Gedai]

The 'Good Old Days' . . . .

 

[BRICKBURN]

Any Outfitters want to do a throw back Thursday?

 

[Aaron N]

How about $8250 for a Buffalo and lion!!

 

[JimP]

In today's dollars that would be $25272 and some odd cents

 

[deewayne2003]

Any Outfitters want to do a throw back Thursday?

You baby boomers had it made!

I’d love to see a photo thread of the houses and hunts some of you guys had back in the day and what you paid for them.

Also consider in 1983 …. You could still manufacture and import machine guns into the USA for an additional 3 years.

 

[Traveler1]

Man that was a heck of a package. Found this going through some old Africa documents. CAR hunt in 1989 with Alain Lefol. You can see my father's notes on it. We hunted there that July.

 

[Dinsdale]

You baby boomers had it made!

I’d love to see a photo thread of the houses and hunts some of you guys had back in the day and what you paid for them.

Also consider in 1983 …. You could still manufacture and import machine guns into the USA for an additional 3 years.

1983 I graduated from high school. I had a decent summer job and made about $3,000 or a bit more for the summer, basically the cost of the hunt in the OP. Enough so I bought a brand new Ford pickup in cash from my own money from summers in high school. In 1989 after college I bought my house for $40K again all cash; I have never had a mortgage. House is around $400K now, maybe a bit more (But I have a couple thousand sq ft shop now too)

I didnt start hunting until 1992 or 93(?); I had never fired a gun before that, and no one hunts in my family. Had I known then how cool hunting was I would have said screw the truck and went to Zambia and did the lion combo. But it took til 2003 before I did an international hunt and 2005 before I went to Africa the first time. Damn I should have started sooner. LOL

 

[sestoppelman]

I almost booked one of these hunts, but the booking agent I was working with at the time told me things werent going well and not to go.

Shortly after this Zambia closed to all hunting for a time.

 

[Green Chile]

I would happily book all of those trips! That was the golden age with President Reagan and good music…but American cars sucked!

 

[CoElkHunter]

In today's dollars that would be $25272 and some odd cents

And $7,643 today for the advertised buffalo hunt at the 1983 price of $2495 and INCLUDED airfare. I'll take that hunt package today! LOL

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Man that was a heck of a package. Found this going through some old Africa documents. CAR hunt in 1989 with Alain Lefol. You can see my father's notes on it. We hunted there that July.

View attachment 550329

Very special, you must frame that.

 

[JES Adventures]

I booked my first Safari in 1986 to Zimbabwe. The basic 10
Day package was Sable, Kudu, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Impala and Reedbuck for $3995. I added six days to hunt Leopard and Buffalo, that pushed it to just under $7000. Observer rate those days were $30!

 

[Traveler1]

I almost booked one of these hunts, but the booking agent I was working with at the time told me things werent going well and not to go.

Shortly after this Zambia closed to all hunting for a time.

Did you end up hunting in Africa in 1983? Oddly enough July 1983, was our (my father and I) first trip to Africa. We hunted in Matetsi with Piers Taylor of Trophy Hunters Africa.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

I wonder if anyone has a taxidermy price list from that time?

 

[DLSJR]

My first African hunt was in Zimbabwe during May, 1983. The Matetsi Research office needed a computer system, so they put together a hunt package for whoever would buy them the equipment they needed. Peter Johnstone, owner of Rosslyn Safaris, donated everything except the animals that the Matetsi office included, with Roy Vincent as my PH.

We hunted 21-days on the Deka Safari Area, which hadn’t had a safari in 12-years. It was a wildlife paradise then, with a broad variety of game, including all of the Big Five. I had everything on license except a lion, which I could have if I extended to 28 days. I passed and have regretted it ever since, as had I exercised that option the very first animal I’d have shot on my very first African hunt would have been a fantastic heavy maned lion that we bumped into the first hour of my hunt. As it was I took a good elephant bull, leopard, 2 Buffalo (both over 41”) and a large bag of plains game highlighted by a 45” sable that we initially passed up to seek a larger bull. It remains the most wonderful hunt I’ve enjoyed in my lifetime. One of the highlights was seeing every member of the Big Five up close, highlighted by a large Black Rhino bull. It was an incredible time for a 24-year old kid on his first safari. That hunt’s all-in cost, excluding airfare, was $27,000.

Roy Vincent had his entire family in camp including his wife, Rene, and their small children, Diana who was 6 at the time and her 10 year old brother, Alan. Alan was a bare footed kid who was fascinated by all the animals.

That hunt was 40 years ago and that 10 year old kid has now been a PH for 32 years himself. In 10 days my son and I leave to hunt with Alan in the Selous. We’ve truly come full circle.

 

[Flewis]

My first trip was buffalo and 5 pg animals in Zambia for 4300.

 

[sestoppelman]

Did you end up hunting in Africa in 1983? Oddly enough July 1983, was our (my father and I) first trip to Africa. We hunted in Matetsi with Piers Taylor of Trophy Hunters Africa.

No, not until late 1985 in Tanzania. A 7 day buffalo and plains game, with air from NY for about $4500.
It was every bit as good a deal.

 

[steve white]

I shot a single buffalo in Dande South twenty years ago for 6,000 flat plus tips.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I shot a single buffalo in Dande South twenty years ago for 6,000 flat plus tips.

Hope that included your airfare? LOL