Africa is just not for me

[Vintageguy]

This form of stereotype regarding women becomes rather insulting after a while. While it may be true with some it is definitely NOT the case with all! Those of us women not like that get lumped into the same basket because of ignorant comments like this. Ridiculous.

My wife is the exact opposite. She thinks I’m nuts for wanting to shoot an ugly old wart hog but the first thing she says before a stalk, most of the time, is “ooh, look how pretty, I want one”, LOL.

 

[Hunt anything]

My wife is the exact opposite. She thinks I’m nuts for wanting to shoot an ugly old wart hog but the first thing she says before a stalk, most of the time, is “ooh, look how pretty, I want one”, LOL.

That’s how I got my waterbuck and gemsbok! My wife has even told me she was going to choose my next trophy list. I need to show her a bunch pictures of bongo or Lord Derby eland!

 

[Just Gina]

That’s how I got my waterbuck and gemsbok! My wife has even told me she was going to choose my next trophy list. I need to show her a bunch pictures of bongo or Lord Derby eland!

I going to bet that she will like the bongo!

 

[Daveboone]

Although I read and loved African hunting /travel adventures all my life, and always "Dreamed of Kudu", I never considered it until a chance encounter with a fellow who went, and explained how affordable it was. It was easy to talk the wife into going along (1/2 trip hunting, 1/2 trip tourist thing). It took us five years to get there including two years of delay with the Big C thing. Our expectations were met and exceeded on all fronts. We have a modest home with limited ability to display trophies, so our take was very limited, just as well as I am absolutely not it the Shoot em and Stack em' group.
After coming home, we initially were of the mind that we had to come back...but then slowly moved into the mind set of knowing, we would never be able to go to Africa for the first time...again, with the same open mind and expectations.
That said, as time goes by I realized that a lot of the experiences my wife wanted to have we were unable to do where we were, partially due to travel limitations and certain other things affected by holiday timing in SA and Covid affect.
We are now at least curious to look into a trip with an outfitter more geared towards what she missed out on (first hand animal experiences, night time safari, cultural exposures, etc).
I understand folks who just arent interested. Different flavors for different folks. That simple.

 

[CEO]

I've seen it said by many people, mostly on forums that focus on western hunting, they have no interest in going. Seems many think Africa is just a bunch of high fenced game parks where you sit a waterhole and pick out animals.

Did meet a guy on a nilgai trip that went to SA on a rifle hunt. Said he shot all his animals, and had a decent time, but had no desire to go back.

 

[baxterb]

Although I read and loved African hunting /travel adventures all my life, and always "Dreamed of Kudu", I never considered it until a chance encounter with a fellow who went, and explained how affordable it was. It was easy to talk the wife into going along (1/2 trip hunting, 1/2 trip tourist thing). It took us five years to get there including two years of delay with the Big C thing. Our expectations were met and exceeded on all fronts. We have a modest home with limited ability to display trophies, so our take was very limited, just as well as I am absolutely not it the Shoot em and Stack em' group.
After coming home, we initially were of the mind that we had to come back...but then slowly moved into the mind set of knowing, we would never be able to go to Africa for the first time...again, with the same open mind and expectations.
That said, as time goes by I realized that a lot of the experiences my wife wanted to have we were unable to do where we were, partially due to travel limitations and certain other things affected by holiday timing in SA and Covid affect.
We are now at least curious to look into a trip with an outfitter more geared towards what she missed out on (first hand animal experiences, night time safari, cultural exposures, etc).
I understand folks who just arent interested. Different flavors for different folks. That simple.

Your last points are spot-on in my opinion.

I’ve not hunted Africa but have spent 30 years reading and learning and have been to Kenya on a non-hunting trip. I can’t disassociate the history (cultural and natural) from the hunting. Meaning I have no desire to ever hunt a place (even in NA) just to collect an animal. The places I choose to hunt in the states typically have a historical angle to them and are not chosen for trophy size. It’s simply irrelevant to me.

of the many, many people I know who have hunted Africa, the vast majority who burn out are those who only went to fill a tag. Some literally cutting a trip short after the animal was dead. The thought of simply enjoying the rest of what Africa had to offer was not a concern.

over the years I have had the great luck to get to know several old school PHs, some old enough to have been called white hunters instead of PHs. To a person they echoed the sentiment that their least favorite clients were the list-makers, who’s trip was ruined by 1/4” on the tape. Their favorites were those who enjoyed the entire spectrum of the trip. Those also seemed to be the ones who returned over and over as well because they got so much out of the trip beside a dead animal.


I get times have changed, everyone is on a schedule, etc., but I can’t help but think the more focus there is on just an animal, the greater potential there is for a first-timer to not return.

 

[bowjijohn]

I know this is a hunting site, but Southern Africa - it’s history, cultures and the bush - are so much more than just pitching up and whacking things on a list

 

[Rem700stw]

The only way I can imagine one not wanting to return to Africa is by not having gone in the first place.

 

[TERMINATOR]

I just got back from hunting with Marius @KMG Hunting Safaris and no friggin way am I going back.

Not this year anyway...I don't have enough vacation left!

But 2024.....it's GAME ON!!!

 

[MAdcox]

I had been dreaming and reading about Africa since I picked up Death in the Long Grass at age 10. My uncle, who I hunt all over NA with, always gave me the already mentioned here, "Why on Earth would you want to fly halfway across the world when we can hunt elk and deer right here."
He ended going after a visit to the DSC Convention in 2016 and is about to head over on his 5th or 6th trip in as many years. He even took me for my first time in 2017.

But I constantly run into the "there is nothing there that interests me." Friends that spend a lot more time and money hunting locally than I do, aren't even interested in visiting abut Africa. They will appreciate my mounts or pictures but shake their head no when I invite them to a DSC meeting.
To each there own, but I always wonder if it is really a lack of interest or timidity about foreign travel, lack of skills out of a deer box blind, etc...
I just don't really understand it.

 

[Hunt anything]

I run into people that say no way to Africa because it’s too expensive. They spend 6 or 8 thousand dollars a year on deer leases and kill a few does and maybe a decent buck and then give a lot of the meat away. I tell them I spend 10 to 15 thousand every 3 to 4 years and give all of the meat to a protein starved people and I’m money ahead as I don’t belong to a deer or waterfowl lease anymore. That’s not to say that people here don’t need the meat but in the US there are other options but in rural Africa not many other options.

 

[LadyKiller]

Me and my family are those folks who are dying to go back, but are limited financially at least for now. We are not ashamed of that fact. Africa is an excellent value as a vacation and hunting destination, but it's still expensive for a family of 5 (#LetsGoBrandon). We are certainly planning on our return and saving accordingly.

I think we all know of a few hunters (some in my own family) that have no desire to hunt more than the same few hundred acres they have been hunting their whole life. People who say they have no interest in Africa likely also have no interest in travel or adventure of any sort, and that's fine. More for us.

Along with the hunting part of our safari, we also planned for a few days in Cape Town and Kruger Park. The scenery, the history, and the culture were as much fun to explore as the hunting. Africa is absolutely the best family trip we have ever done! If you go to Africa just to fill a wish list of trophy animals, you are really missing out in my opinion.

 

[Nyati]

There are also those who do not want to go outside their "comfort zone". They are just happy to keep doing what they have done all their life and not try anything else.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I am not sure that it matters. If you want to go, or go back... just do it.

 

[buck wild]

I have one friend that had a really negative experience and hasn't been back. This guy is a big deer, duck and goose hunter in the US and strong enough financially that he could afford to go to Africa every year if he wanted to. He and a bunch of his hunting buddies booked a Namibia hunt about 10 years ago. They met a well known outfitter at DSC, had some special requests that were detailed in the contract (side trips for wives, kids, etc) and even specified some single malt scotch to be available at the lodge (which they would pay for). According to my friend, several of the contractual issues weren't met. The outfitter actually posted on FB or Twitter some comments that were unprofessional and in poor taste. The back and forth actually spilled over onto AH a few years ago. The few trophies my friend took ended up getting tied up during importing to the US. All in all, a bad experience for him. I've tried to get him to come on a hunt with me and he still isn't too excited about giving Africa a second try.

Link please

 

[375er]

My thought is, if they don't want to go: Great!!! That just leaves more for the rest of us.

 

[375er]

My thought is, if they don't want to go: Great!!! That just leaves more for the rest of us.

 

[Gemsbok45]

It is a bit of work these days to get there but after going in my mid twenties,it became a life long endeavor! I’m thinking about tracking Buffalo in the Zambezi valley right now!

 

[Daniel Cary]

I'm surrounded by avid Great White Hunters of The North .. Have No idea why'd "Anyone" would ever go there ?!?

 

[VertigoBE]

That’s how I got my waterbuck and gemsbok! My wife has even told me she was going to choose my next trophy list. I need to show her a bunch pictures of bongo or Lord Derby eland!

My wife too, after seeing a shoulder mount of an LDE on the wall in a hunt shop, she asked me when I would go hunt one…