Does any Safari leading company offer senior citizen rates?

[Mark A Ouellette]

@Tanks is always on the mark!

His post reminded me of my fiscally constrained "cull hunts"

SOUTH AFRICA: Cull Hunt With Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS - October 2022

Cull Hunt at @Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS – October 2022 I had arrived in SA on Sunday evening. We traveled to the Kalahari on Monday, hunted lionesses on Tuesday thru Thursday morning, and drove to Limpopo the remainder of Thursday. (See the thread Kalahari Lionesses with Tally Ho Safaris) The...

www.africahunting.com

Is you examine safari operators' business plan/model they are much like most other businesses. Most don't get rich off their trade. Not having unlimited capital, they will from time to time offer discounted hunts. Be flexible. End off season cull hunts hunts for operations that own their wildlife, as Tanks stated, unfilled quotas, and where I have seen some great deals, the original client cancelled hunt! Those are normally have to be in Africa hunting within a month or so. Have a current 4457, passport, shots, guns sighted in, ammo loaded and so on. Then get comfortable next to your laptop and keep watching for that trophy (hunt)!

 

[Dinsdale]

Rather than a senior discount I would keep an eye out for late season offers on quotas not used.

Along those lines, I have always worked some kind of special to take advantage of a discount and not "full rate".

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

You can make a small fortune out of safari trophy hunting,,,, but you need to start with a big one!
my best
Jaco!

 

[Ngonyama]

You can make a small fortune out of safari trophy hunting,,,, but you need to start with a big one!
my best
Jaco!

Along the lines of,I’ll show how to make a million,give me six million

 

[VertigoBE]

Along the lines of,I’ll show how to make a million,give me six million

After many years of hard work and effort on her part, a wife can make you a millionaire. But only if when you got married you were a billionaire

 

[Red Leg]

OMG, you make it sound like AH is an Old Age Home

I am pretty sure if someone ran a poll, the average age of contributors here would resemble the daily bingo game at Sun City.

Though I would certainly qualify as one short step from the grave, I tend to think of senior discounts being aimed at those trying to make the monthly numbers work on a fixed income and social security. Probably doesn't describe the typical aged hunter headed off to Johannesburg and beyond.

 

[ActionBob]

I think I no the answer but on the off chance there is…

Lots of fun answers but if we are to get real for a moment.... this is not like Dennys vs. Perkins. Or Walmart vs. Target. There is no standard pricing I have ever found. Each Outfitter offers something unique. Especially in South Africa where the Outfitter owns the critters or is buying them. There may be a bit more standardization in places like Tanzania where government quota must be paid. But even there different cost and profit requirements for each Outfit.

To pick on South Africa a little more; The Outfitter offering a $4500 kudu trophy fee will likely gladly offer you a big senior discount. Or you could book with an outfitter offering a $1500 to $2500 kudu trophy fee. The higher priced Outfitter may have a real 5 Star lodge and offer the best experiences. Or it may be a real shit hole and the one with a $1500 kudu might have the nicer place with better service. This is strictly buyer beware.

So you can lie to yourself and most certainly find an Outfitter who will lie to you, especially if you ask them to. Or you can watch the forum for the right deal for you, check references, read reports. Do some research and then communicate openly to find what works for you and your chosen Outfitter. And beware of the deal that is too good to be true because it probably isn't.

You should do well with Outfitters on here who have client hunt reports. There are some very reputable businesses represented who offer great deals regularly.

Most or all of us are more than happy to privately discuss our experiences.

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

We normally make price exceptions for a wife or girlfriend who is accompanying the hunter. I do think of one hunter who asked if he could bring his girlfriend he said "she does not eat much", that was very true. He did not mention her taste for fine imported wine. I must say both of them will be welcome back, everyone had a great time.

Lon

 

[JimP]

I still have a letter from my County Accessors office declaring that I'm old from when I applied for my old age tax break on my property.

Will that work for a discount?

 

[RTG]

I thought that maybe some company would respect my contribution during my working years and would honor that by a rate reduction.

You must be a great man to deserve respect in Africa for your years of work in California.

Safari price 10,000
Quoted Safari price when customer asks about senior discount 13,000
Senior discount 2,500
Senior price 10,500

The extra 500 is for the time it took to do the math and manipulate the senior. Nothing in life is free. You’ll get exactly what you pay for.

 

[Cam300]

You must be a great man to deserve respect in Africa for your years of work in California.

Ha! And everyone says millennials are the ones with the entitlement problems…

 

[Vintageguy]

I remember seeing somewhere that the average age for first timers on Safari was 62. That tells me most have to get beyond the years of children at home and work obligations and also the years where typically mortgages are gone and savings are higher. This also indicates that apparently most clients are working class stiffs like myself. I’ve always thought how great it would’ve been to have lived during the time of the golden age of safari but I also realize if I had I probably would’ve never been able to get there. Travel time and expense would’ve prevented it. So this modern era is the golden age of safari for the working class.

 

[crs]

"I would have to say though, probably 60% of all safari goers are senior citizens"

Whatever the exact percentage, I agree with the concept.

 

[Trophyhunter01]

Do some research and discuss options with a few outfitters. Look at cull hunts. The signal words of “leading” and “honor” are quite funny as I read this a few times. If you have a list of desired animals shop it around, time of year may prove to help cost being early or late season. Timing effects airfare pricing as well. Review the deals section on this forum, I purchased a great hunt with an outstanding company off AH. Good luck on your search.

 

[ActionBob]

You must be a great man to deserve respect in Africa for your years of work in California.

Safari price 10,000
Quoted Safari price when customer asks about senior discount 13,000
Senior discount 2,500
Senior price 10,500

The extra 500 is for the time it took to do the math and manipulate the senior. Nothing in life is free. You’ll get exactly what you pay for.

Ok that says it all and explains it much better than the long version I wrote

 

[Damonk1384]

Thanks to all for the thoughtful suggestions and succinct calculations for cost to hire a safari company. After careful consideration I think I will look into going “Mano y Tall Grass”. Anyone with experience going solo?

 

[IvW]

No harm in asking....the OP may not be in a position to pay full price but has dreamt all his life about an African safari....who knows....
Most outfitters are looking to close out some availible dates....no harm in having the courage to ask....may just work out for both..

 

[BourbonTrail]

Thanks to all for the thoughtful suggestions and succinct calculations for cost to hire a safari company. After careful consideration I think I will look into going “Mano y Tall Grass”. Anyone with experience going solo?

Are you talking about hunting without a guide, etc? That’s only allowed in a few countries, most of which are poor in game numbers and advisable for only the most experienced. Look up chasse libre. Traditionally that’s found in West African areas previously under French influence.

 

[Fixfire]

I’m from the thought that a discount in price = a discount in quality. I pay asking with the expectation of no shortcuts.

 

[VertigoBE]

Thanks to all for the thoughtful suggestions and succinct calculations for cost to hire a safari company. After careful consideration I think I will look into going “Mano y Tall Grass”. Anyone with experience going solo?

@Damonk1384 : perhaps post here what you'd like to do/hunt/accomplish and what your budget might be. Perhaps both do not lie so extremely apart that an outfitter somewhere might make you an offer.

"A discount for being old" I do not think that will have much chance of success, nor will it necessarily get you what you wanted.

Succinctly stating what you are after, and what your budget is, might give surprises. As you said, a "no" you have, a "yes" you could get.

EDIT:
Things that outfitters might make you a deal on:
- going early or late in the season, do not set the dates yourself, you adapt to their calendar
- being able to go on very short notice, for a hole in their calendar that they couldn't get to plug with another booking, or that got last-minute cancelled.
- electing to hunt non-trophy (excess animals of poor genetics) as likely the outfitter would otherwise need to go shoot them themselves, or some other less remunerating option. Same principal as cull hunt (although those can sometimes be more "work" than "hunting")
- coming with multiple people, hunters or non-hunters (price per person will drop)
- bringing loads of gear with you for the outfitter, that he cannot get his hands on easily (no Amazon in many African countries)
- etc. I'm sure there can be some other reasons