CHEAP HUNTS-ARE THEY REALLY BAD?

[peras]

In an ongoing thread quite a few members are attacking "cheap" hunts. Most of these members I have great respect for. I sell what you could call "cheap" hunts. My question is ,are all these hunts "bad"? What should a potential client look for to ensure such a hunt turns out good? I am sure some of these hunts are just plain good value for money.

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

I don't think all cheap hunts are bad, as there are some really good deals out there. I think if you come across a cheap hunt or good deal as with all potential hunting one must check into things before booking. Making sure the PH is licensed, checking that the outfitter is license also asking question as to do they own the property you will be hunting or is it a lease. How big is the property to be hunted. What quality are the animals to be hunted. Also a must for me is how long have they been in business and what is there reputation like. I like to hunt with guys in it for the long hall not the short term. If they have been around for a few years with a good reputation and everything check out good. By all means I would go on a cheap hunt. I know some guy discount to fill open spots or May have excess quota they discount to keep a healthy population.

 

[Bobpuckett]

I Think for myself there is a difference between "cheap" hunts and "good value" hunts and in some cases neither are bad. as for all clients new and old if you have never hunted with them before then check them out I would first start PHASA then talk and email references to help you decide which it is and then even after all that check hunting reports as well as asking forum members if they have ever hunted with that outfit before. if you've done that and you still don't have a warm fuzzie feeling then I would search else where. Just my 2 cents Bob

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Pieter,
You deserve a Bells my man! Thank you for starting this thread. I too sell "Good Value" hunts. Does this make you and I shady operators? Just because I have negotiated a good deal on some species in areas around our place and own the lodge we stay at, why is does something have to be wrong with this hunt?

I Think for myself there is a difference between "cheap" hunts and "good value" hunts and in some cases neither are bad. as for all clients new and old if you have never hunted with them before then check them out I would first start PHASA then talk and email references to help you decide which it is and then even after all that check hunting reports as well as asking forum members if they have ever hunted with that outfit before. if you've done that and you still don't have a warm fuzzie feeling then I would search else where. Just my 2 cents Bob

Bob, you could not have spoken truer words. Look forward to seeing you in April.

 

[bluey]

I Think for myself there is a difference between "cheap" hunts and "good value" hunts and in some cases neither are bad. as for all clients new and old if you have never hunted with them before then check them out I would first start PHASA then talk and email references to help you decide which it is and then even after all that check hunting reports as well as asking forum members if they have ever hunted with that outfit before. if you've done that and you still don't have a warm fuzzie feeling then I would search else where. Just my 2 cents Bob

nicely said , bobby

 

[Uintaelkhunter]

I think you Marius and Pieter are the good side of what a cheap or better worded great value hunt is. You have been around awhile have a solid reputation of good hunts and choose to pass the saving on to your customer. I know we have chatted a bit Marius and will continue to do so for a upcoming possible hunt.

I believe if your a upfront outfitter or PH that has nothing to hide it will show in ones research for finding good deals or great values.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

Cheap doesn't equal bad in my opinion.
I know people that have been on cheap hunts and came home extremely happy. The same goes for people I know that have been on expensive hunts.
And people have also returned home very disappointed and even very mad from both cheap and expensive hunts.

What I think is important is as Bobpuckett said, value for money. That goes both for cheap and expensive hunts.
Some hunters want lots of luxury, with a ton of staff to attend to their needs all the time and huge trophies behind every bush.
Others are happy with a comfy bed, a shower, some decent food and some fun hunting without the need for big trophies.

I belong to the last group.
I don't need luxury at all and big trophies are nothing I am willing to pay extra for.
I would even be willing to cook my own food every day

I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see good(low) daily rates and trophy fees and great packages offered by serious outfitters
I very much wish I had much more time and money to hunt than I have..

It is when outfitters offer hunts that looks way to good to be true, people really need to do some proper searching before they pay the deposit.
Sometimes the offer is legit, other times, not.

I think this forum is a great resource when it comes to deciding about booking a hunt or not.
Both to find great hunts, but also to learn about outfitters and to check what experiences other hunters had with them.
Personally I will only book African hunts from outfitters that are members of this forum.

 

[billc]

As a dad of a hunter and paying for the two of us with both of us liking to hunt more then 2 or 3 animals each I must look for deals.I will take the chance on a new outfit with out any worries.But also expect a new place to give a better deal for my business.There is as many bad clients as bad outfitters so you can get great references and then still have someone else complain about the same place.Some guys go to hunt others go to get there hand held and ass kissed.The SA outfitters cater to all but go over board in my eyes on how they take care of hunters.If I get a discounted rate I am not looking for wine at dinner or things I should not be looking for at the price I am paying.The bad cheap hunt ends up being some guy who pays a big discounted rate but wants all the services that the guy who payed twice as much would get.I do expect good trucks ,good food and good animals no matter the price.That means a 3 star lodge instead of 5star a good cook not a fancy chef.A truck that runs well and taken care of not some new truck because the ph just want a new truck.I give the people an idea on what I am looking for and want a honest answer back if that can be done for the price.If I get answered back that would cost more for that then I decide if the extra money is worth the extra wanted.Cheap is a word that has a different meaning to all.Some may think a 3000 kudu is still cheap i think that is high.I try to get the most for my money and try to be fair on what I will get for that money.I dont feel I ever ask for more then I payed for.Thats my long winded answer to that subject.

 

[Royal27]

Thanks Pieter!!!

I noticed all of the "cheap" comments in the other thread and really wanted to say something, but didn't think it was the place.

For me, the potential client, it really irks me when someone says that something is "cheap" or "you get what you pay for" based solely on price. It isn't coincidence that when those words are used that the person saying them charges more.

As others have said, there is "cheap" and then there is "value." I don't do cheap anything, I do however; enjoy getting extra value for my money. The trick to me is to know WHY something is "cheap." And that is up to me alone to decide and determine. Is it cheap because it is a fly by night operation? I'm not interested. Is it cheap because someone else got a good deal, or is trying to build a business by offering a stand out deal as "advertising." Talk to me!!!!

Paying less doesn't have to mean you are getting less, anymore than paying more means you are getting more. "Deals" are good for me, the client, and are part of free enterprise ensuring costs are what the market will bear, and no more. nobody, in any business, has a "right" to a certain profit margin and I believe that business man forget that at times, at least until they are reminded of it by someone under cutting their price.

It is up to the buyer to do their homework on ANY deal and the thought that becuase a deal costs less it isn't equal is just plain silly. As is the thought that I got what I deserved because I took a better price. Now if I got burned because I didn't do my HOMEWORK then, and only then, did I deserve it.

 

[Royal27]

Pieter,
You deserve a Bells my man! Thank you for starting this thread. I too sell "Good Value" hunts. Does this make you and I shady operators? Just because I have negotiated a good deal on some species in areas around our place and own the lodge we stay at, why is does something have to be wrong with this hunt?




Bob, you could not have spoken truer words. Look forward to seeing you in April.

Well said Marius! This is the point that I try and make in my reply as well. My funds are limited. I've got to get value where I can. The people who help me to do that, while still making a decent profit for themselves, are the outfitters I will remember, book with, and recommend.

Royal

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

A truck that runs well and taken care of not some new truck because the ph just want a new truck.

I want a new truck!:cryingcry:

 

[peras]

I want a new truck!:cryingcry:

I just bought a new truck!:rockon:

 

[TOM]

I sell less expensive hunts as well. The whole key in selecting a great product or service is the same in hunting as in anything else...due diligence. Put in a little bit of time researching and studying your options and investigating your choice.

 

[billc]

you two are so funny.haha dont worry marius his truck want be new after aug when he lets me take it for a spin.That eland of dakotas is getting put on the hood of that truck for the ride back to camp.Plus I might find some pink decals for it to jazz it up some.Might be time to beat on him for a cheaper kudu to.LOL

 

[enysse]

Everyone offers different price levels. Sometimes I might overstep my boundaries questioning prices, I guess it's in my DNA. I grew up dirt poor and had to work my way up. I don't look at any hunt as cheap. Some are better values than others. I like others realize how much work I have to do to pay for a hunt. I make sacrifices everyday of my life. I have learned to live without a lot of daily luxuries other people need or want. AH is grocery store for hunts, you work with a budget and you find a hunt that will make you happy. Don't worry about what others are doing and worry about how you can't go on that hunt...it serves no purpose. Be happy with what you have and work towards your dream hunt.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Not all bad no,,,!,,,,! but guys different products sell at different prices, that's just it.... a $450 daily rate in limpopo and a $300 in .EC are different hunts so is a $300 and a $425 in limpopo which is in the same province.

One needs to compare apples with apples, could a $450 daily rate in limpopo be deemed as affordable and excellent value for money?

Yes it can that's just it.

Bad or rather dubious outfitters and business men are in every industry on the planet...some of them even travel to Africa on safari!

Golden rule..... there is affordable which is market related towards the lower spectrum in a specific region.......... and there is cheap which is WTF was the bottom line?!?!?!?:rant::rant:

Those are the ones you need to watch out for!!

Just my thoughts....... bring on the Jamesons James!,

My best always

 

[peras]

you two are so funny.haha dont worry marius his truck want be new after aug when he lets me take it for a spin.That eland of dakotas is getting put on the hood of that truck for the ride back to camp.Plus I might find some pink decals for it to jazz it up some.Might be time to beat on him for a cheaper kudu to.LOL

Well I met your demand for a good truck, now the kudu depends on how bad you "pimp my ride" lol

 

[Royal27]

Well I met your demand for a good truck, now the kudu depends on how bad you "pimp my ride" lol

Pieter,

Bill has already been clear as to how he will modify your truck. So go ahead and let us know what kind of Kudu he will get in return for an eland hood ornament!

 

[James.Grage]

There are A lot of tire kickers with a few buyers thrown in for African safari packages. All everyone has to do is just look at the car industry not every model is a good fit for every customer. People purchase what they can or think they can afford. What one will call cheap another will call affordable. One size does not fit all. (ThankGod for that) Just as in the Safari business one safari package will not fit all and therefore, we have expanded variety and the purchaser can select the safari package that will fit his or her circumstances.

The small business on AH, trying to market a safari package to potential hunters, do not have the finances to hire a large marketing firm to put together a sale campaign, nor should they have to. Therefore we have honest outfitters and PHï½´s adding another cap in their business model to make it profitable and errors in wording have and will happen from time to time.

We have quality AH members trying to market their open safaris lots to fill up their hunting schedule. Now to add to this safari packageoffering plight we have potential safari clients that are: Penny-pinching ~miserly ~ tight fisted with their money, to just name a few. Plus, On the border potential client - hunters are looking to get the very best package that their finances will allow them to purchase.

Labeling safari packages as cheap is a misnomer and a different word should have been used. Anyone of the following words should have been inserted: Inexpensive ~ Economy~ low-price ~ Discounted ~ Economical ~ low-cost ~ cut-rate ~ Reduced ~ Bargain~ on-sale ~ Going for a song and a dance ~ not or in expensive, again to name a few.

On the other hand a less than desirable safari packages couldor should be labeled as:
Shoddy ~Inferior ~ Second-rate ~ substandard ~ Common ~ Poorquality & Tawdry

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Not all bad no,,,!,,,,! but guys different products sell at different prices, that's just it.... a $450 daily rate in limpopo and a $300 in .EC are different hunts so is a $300 and a $425 in limpopo which is in the same province.

One needs to compare apples with apples, could a $450 daily rate in limpopo be deemed as affordable and excellent value for money?

Yes it can that's just it.

Bad or rather dubious outfitters and business men are in every industry on the planet...some of them even travel to Africa on safari!

Golden rule..... there is affordable which is market related towards the lower spectrum in a specific region.......... and there is cheap which is WTF was the bottom line?!?!?!?:rant::rant:

Those are the ones you need to watch out for!!

Just my thoughts....... bring on the Jamesons James!,

My best always

Many guys on here traveling various continents to market their safari's, in certain cases the word cheap is deserved, especially when bottom lines are simply not in line with the broad market....

Cheap means exactly what it refers to a product of lesser quality.

Not to be used as a synonym for affordable quality product.

For one i would never announce that i sell cheap safari's as the connectation could be negative and attached to my product which would be unfair, or not the truth.

There are many guys offering lower spectrum market related packages and good ones at that,.

Each to his own everyone can pick they're demographic IMO a good balance brings about diversity and equals success.

My best always



For all the rest i am with you James

My best always