Africa is just not for me

[grand veneur]

I wouldn't say too boring.

On this forum you are constantly informed about something that are related to hunting in Africa and are therefore kept up to date. There will always be banal topics, but they get lost in the crowd of good ones.

The thread Africa is just not for me is certainly out of place on a forum where it is primarily about hunting in Africa.

 

[freefall]

8ios.

 

[rookhawk]

This popped in my head the other day as I was mentally planning a future safari to follow up the first safari that hasn't even happened yet. I hear all the time, " you think this is a once in a lifetime trip, but you will go back." " nobody goes to Africa just once". Which all seems to correlate pretty accurately with everyone I have spoken with that has been to Africa, and not just on this forum, but people that I have met at random that have been. Everyone loves it, and everyone I have spoken with recalls it fondly and speaks of how great the trip was. Aside from the actual flight to get there. Ha ha

So, I have a question. Has anyone ever talked to someone who hunted Africa and came back and said, "nope, not for me" I went but I just did not enjoy it and I won't go back. If so was there any particular reason, other than if they just had a bad experience with a particular outfitter or PH which can happen and can sour your taste on the whole experience. Other than that though, has anyone ever met someone who went to Africa on a hunt and just said nope this is not for me, I just don't like it?

This happens all the time.

Common reasons that people hate Africa:

1.) Travel and logistics is incredibly hard and they are not world travelers nor aware that their laws in their State do not represent a sliver of the rules at the Federal or International level.

2.) They were both cheap and demanding. My fellow Wisconsinites tend to be frequently disappointed because of this double constraint. On the whole, the upper midwest culture is one of tremendous frugality from the dutch-german-polish-scandanavian ancestry in the region. So they bought the cheapest trip they could find. Couple that with the upper midwesterners are typically rifle-and-bow hunters so their pursuit of "clean sport" is often very, very high. So they go to the East Cape on the cheapest hunt they could find and are disgusted about hunting animals in pens. Yeah, that's what you bought.

3.) They go to a wilderness area with awesome trophy quality but the game density isn't crazy "petting zoo" high. They dilly-dally trying to get on sticks, they stalk noisily, and in the end their own conduct reduced the success rates of this new form of spot and stalk hunting when they were used to sitting in a blind on a November morning back home.

4.) They have an attitude/substance problem or the PH had one. Either way, personal conflict ruined the trip.

5.) Their buddy bought a scam-hunt from a charity auction and they got roped into paying insane money for a hunt while their buddy's hunt was free or cheap. They then realize their buddy "won" nothing and they are paying x2 the cost plus getting cheated on trophy prices. They assume one scam represents the totality of Africa.

6.) They are so sheltered they've never left their town nor had any food of any culture other than beef. Instead of relishing new cultures and begging for local delicacies, they are pouty and rude that they aren't being served the gruel they endure at home on a daily basis. Also insulted they can't do what they want how they want like back home in backwater hamlet of the USA.

Lots of these sorts of explanations abound for people that never want to go back to Africa. Africa is a big place and there is every type of hunting experience available to suit any taste. If someone has a heart for adventure and a willingness to listen, adapt, and enjoy, they can find exactly what they are looking for with more due diligence on their part. Once a bad experience happens, its pretty hard to unravel a bad mindset. I get that.

 

[TERMINATOR]

This happens all the time.

Common reasons that people hate Africa:

1.) Travel and logistics is incredibly hard and they are not world travelers nor aware that their laws in their State do not represent a sliver of the rules at the Federal or International level.

2.) They were both cheap and demanding. My fellow Wisconsinites tend to be frequently disappointed because of this double constraint. On the whole, the upper midwest culture is one of tremendous frugality from the dutch-german-polish-scandanavian ancestry in the region. So they bought the cheapest trip they could find. Couple that with the upper midwesterners are typically rifle-and-bow hunters so their pursuit of "clean sport" is often very, very high. So they go to the East Cape on the cheapest hunt they could find and are disgusted about hunting animals in pens. Yeah, that's what you bought.

3.) They go to a wilderness area with awesome trophy quality but the game density isn't crazy "petting zoo" high. They dilly-dally trying to get on sticks, they stalk noisily, and in the end their own conduct reduced the success rates of this new form of spot and stalk hunting when they were used to sitting in a blind on a November morning back home.

4.) They have an attitude/substance problem or the PH had one. Either way, personal conflict ruined the trip.

5.) Their buddy bought a scam-hunt from a charity auction and they got roped into paying insane money for a hunt while their buddy's hunt was free or cheap. They then realize their buddy "won" nothing and they are paying x2 the cost plus getting cheated on trophy prices. They assume one scam represents the totality of Africa.

6.) They are so sheltered they've never left their town nor had any food of any culture other than beef. Instead of relishing new cultures and begging for local delicacies, they are pouty and rude that they aren't being served the gruel they endure at home on a daily basis. Also insulted they can't do what they want how they want like back home in backwater hamlet of the USA.

Lots of these sorts of explanations abound for people that never want to go back to Africa. Africa is a big place and there is every type of hunting experience available to suit any taste. If someone has a heart for adventure and a willingness to listen, adapt, and enjoy, they can find exactly what they are looking for with more due diligence on their part. Once a bad experience happens, its pretty hard to unravel a bad mindset. I get that.

I find your stereotyping and generalization of people in the Midwest hilarious because I fit your stereotype (Dutch heritage and from Michigan) and am planning my fourth and fifth and sixth Safari as we speak. My first two were in the $10k range before airfare and taxidermy, my last one was $15k before airfare for two and taxidermy and a couple of my future Safari will be north of $20k before airfare and taxidermy. And I personally know several people from Michigan and Wisconsin who have gone on incredibly expensive Safaris that make my future Safari’s look inexpensive.

All that said and ignoring your dumb (I am being kind) stereotyping and generalizations about one region of the country, I think your examples of why some people get turned off are on point.

But unlike you, I can recognize that those reasons can be the case with people from any part of the United States of America or any other region of the world

 

[Tom Leoni]

I think anyone can find reasons to find that X is not for them.

Elk hunting in the USA? A byzantine tag lottery followed by the better part of $10k for one animal (if you're lucky).

Moose or bear hunting in the Yukon or Alaska? Expensive, remote, logistically tough and very often impossibly cold and uncomfortable.

Whitetail hunting in the Mid-Atlantic? Sitting on one's arse in the cold 20 feet from the ground for hours on end. Yawn.

Hunting raised pheasant? Pah. Never! I only do wild. Hunting wild pheasant? Wading through tall grass and razor-sharp brambles while your dog picks up all sorts of ticks, to get perhaps 3 or 4 shots in a day. Woo-hoo.

Hunting Africa? At times dangerous, too much time on a plane, plus a far cry from Ruark's days, which wouldn't have been wild enough for Blixen's, which wouldn't have been wild enough for Bell, which wouldn't have been wild enough for Cumming's, which probably wouldn't have been wild enough for the first Dutch settlers in the 1700s.

Bottom line: pick your passion and be willing to 1) sacrifice a bit in terms of time, money, and discomfort, and 2) realize that as someone living in the 2020s you can only play the chronological hand you've been dealt. Me, I love it all because I love hunting. Of all the types of hunting I've tried, I find Africa the most congenial.

 

[TERMINATOR]

I think anyone can find reasons to find that X is not for them.

Elk hunting in the USA? A byzantine tag lottery followed by the better part of $10k for one animal (if you're lucky).

Moose or bear hunting in the Yukon or Alaska? Expensive, remote, logistically tough and very often impossibly cold and uncomfortable.

Whitetail hunting in the Mid-Atlantic? Sitting on one's arse in the cold 20 feet from the ground for hours on end. Yawn.

Hunting raised pheasant? Pah. Never! I only do wild. Hunting wild pheasant? Wading through tall grass and razor-sharp brambles while your dog picks up all sorts of ticks, to get perhaps 3 or 4 shots in a day. Woo-hoo.

Hunting Africa? At times dangerous, too much time on a plane, plus a far cry from Ruark's days, which wouldn't have been wild enough for Blixen's, which wouldn't have been wild enough for Bell, which wouldn't have been wild enough for Cumming's, which probably wouldn't have been wild enough for the first Dutch settlers in the 1700s.

Bottom line: pick your passion and be willing to 1) sacrifice a bit in terms of time, money, and discomfort, and 2) realize that as someone living in the 2020s you can only play the chronological hand you've been dealt. Me, I love it all because I love hunting. Of all the types of hunting I've tried, I find Africa the most congenial.

Bravo

 

[igotit]

Even with a few mishap, I still love Africa… I’ll visit anytime I can.

 

[rookhawk]

I find your stereotyping and generalization of people in the Midwest hilarious because I fit your stereotype (Dutch heritage and from Michigan) and am planning my fourth and fifth and sixth Safari as we speak. My first two were in the $10k range before airfare and taxidermy, my last one was $15k before airfare for two and taxidermy and a couple of my future Safari will be north of $20k before airfare and taxidermy. And I personally know several people from Michigan and Wisconsin who have gone on incredibly expensive Safaris that make my future Safari’s look inexpensive.

All that said and ignoring your dumb (I am being kind) stereotyping and generalizations about one region of the country, I think your examples of why some people get turned off are on point.

But unlike you, I can recognize that those reasons can be the case with people from any part of the United States of America or any other region of the world

We can discuss it at lunch sometime, as long as we can split the check!

;-)

 

[TERMINATOR]

We can discuss it at lunch sometime, as long as we can split the check!

;-)

I lived in Sheboygan for 5 years. 2006-2011 Moved to WI from Michigan, worked for Kohler in their IT department. Moved back to Michigan becauase of aging parents needing help.

I really enjoyed the people and my time in WI. If only they were not Packer fans

 

[rookhawk]

I lived in Sheboygan for 5 years. 2006-2011 Moved to WI from Michigan, worked for Kohler in their IT department. Moved back to Michigan becauase of aging parents needing help.

I really enjoyed the people and my time in WI. If only they were not Packer fans

Born and raised. Love it like no other place on earth. Trying to sell the house and move back behind the cheddar curtain. Great people. Super kind. Good hunting. But God help you if you forget to return a mason jar…

 

[Inline6]

My biggest problem with WI, the last time I was there. I was pulled over 3 times in 5 miles. Truck was to tall, tires to wide, and they were not a fan of my exhaust.

Luckily, they cut me some slack (being with a magazine helped).

It was a completely different world up there. A low of 38° was set that night (July 28th) people from the south like myself were not prepared for that, lol.

 

[WAB]

WI is beautiful. I believe there are more road kill deer per mile than any other place I’ve visited. Very odd as we have higher deer density in the south but very few road kills.

 

[Red Leg]

I married a Mid-Westerner. I am from South Louisiana. To say that we have a foreign marriage is to grossly understate the cultural differences. My lovely bride excepted (usually) they are the most stubbornly taciturn people I have ever encountered outside of Prussia (for you engineers, that is Northern Germany).

@rookhawk 's observations seem somewhat understated.

 

[rookhawk]

I married a Mid-Westerner. I am from South Louisiana. To say that we have a foreign marriage is to grossly understate the cultural differences. My lovely bride excepted (usually) they are the most stubbornly taciturn people I have ever encountered outside of Prussia (for you engineers, that is Northern Germany).

@rookhawk 's observations seem somewhat understated.

this is a thread hijacking, but I can’t help myself. My bride is from NYC so I needed to buy her one of these:

 

[PARA45]

I said it earlier in this thread, that I believe most hunters state that Africa is not for them because they believe that hunting in Africa is for the rich, and out of reach for them. Trust me, I was one of them, until I found this forum and realized that hunting Africa was no more expensive than hunting elk in Colorado. I did my research and hunted one of the packages offered by the outfitter. Wife and I had a great time, got some wonderful trophies, but in the end, I was just a number for this outfitter.

I was also one of those who got burned by the African Taxidermy. I did my research on the outfitter, but never on the Taxidermist. I trusted the outfitter, and in the end I got royally screwed. The outfitter never backed me up or tried to help, and the Taxidermist basically washed his hands and I was left out with damaged goods and mediocre work. Did all this made me decide not to ever hunt Africa again because of this issue? Nope, there are bad people everywhere, and Africa is a big a$$ continent. I went this year, and had the time of my life, unfortunately my wife couldn't go. Planning on going back in 2024, and she is going with me.

So, for those who are on the fence about hunting Africa. Plan, save your Pennies, pack your sh*t, and go hunt. Trust me, you'll have the time of your life, and you'll be kicking your a$$ for not doing it sooner.

Shoot straight!

 

[rookhawk]

I said it earlier in this thread, that I believe most hunters state that Africa is not for them because they believe that hunting in Africa is for the rich, and out of reach for them. Trust me, I was one of them, until I found this forum and realized that hunting Africa was no more expensive than hunting elk in Colorado.

Absolutely. If you're a non-resident and honestly can do a time-value of money on all the outlays for Elk points, plus your hourly rate over years to decades to plan your draws, plus travel and lodging, maybe even trespass rights to hunt prime land, your Elk hunt that might take 8 years to plan out is in that $8000-$18,000 price range. You can short-circuit that by hunting places with private game departments like Ted Turner's place to the tune of $28,000 or more.

There are many people in America that are hunting out of State that in aggregate are actually spending "elephant or leopard hunt" money and they aren't aware. This is to say nothing for even a basic hunt. Loading up my two boys, driving to the UP of Michigan, gas, lodging, food for three, trespass rights, out of state hunting tags, ice, snacks, incidentals, tip for the landowner, we add it all up to go kill a spike buck or a couple of whitetail does and we are literally spending what it would cost for a 5 day RSA plains game 4 animal package.

Every time I explain that to dyed in the wool North American hunters they never seem to believe me, but then they go drop $15,000+ on a poorly guided hunt that is unsuccessful in the USA. I'm starting to wonder if cost/price is the straw-man objection to Africa but in fact its just an excuse and the real reasons are various.

 

[375er]

Absolutely. If you're a non-resident and honestly can do a time-value of money on all the outlays for Elk points, plus your hourly rate over years to decades to plan your draws, plus travel and lodging, maybe even trespass rights to hunt prime land, your Elk hunt that might take 8 years to plan out is in that $8000-$18,000 price range. You can short-circuit that by hunting places with private game departments like Ted Turner's place to the tune of $28,000 or more.

There are many people in America that are hunting out of State that in aggregate are actually spending "elephant or leopard hunt" money and they aren't aware. This is to say nothing for even a basic hunt. Loading up my two boys, driving to the UP of Michigan, gas, lodging, food for three, trespass rights, out of state hunting tags, ice, snacks, incidentals, tip for the landowner, we add it all up to go kill a spike buck or a couple of whitetail does and we are literally spending what it would cost for a 5 day RSA plains game 4 animal package.

Every time I explain that to dyed in the wool North American hunters they never seem to believe me, but then they go drop $15,000+ on a poorly guided hunt that is unsuccessful in the USA. I'm starting to wonder if cost/price is the straw-man objection to Africa but in fact its just an excuse and the real reasons are various.

I absolutely agree!! Meet you in Africa???

 

[rookhawk]

I absolutely agree!! Meet you in Africa???

As often as possible @375er !

 

[PARA45]

As often as possible @375er !

Amen brothers!!

 

[mdsalern]

The last person I told about my desire to hunt in Africa said, “Good luck. I’m not going where they speak, “Toot, toot, toot” and I might not come back with a kidney”.