Going it alone.....

[Andrew62]

Most of my trips have been by myself and I enjoyed being alone. As I get older I can see where having someone along to have dinner with and share a campfire with could be pretty nice.

 

[mark-hunter]

How many of you go hunting in Africa by yourself? Seems that most folks are going with family/friends.

Serious hunter goes alone.
So, my first hunt I went alone for a plains game safari. It was great.
I fell in love with Africa.

Next hunt I went with a friend. And I brought my son with me.

The idea was I wanted to share the African experience with my son. The rest was irrelavant, but my friend wanted to join with his son, so we went together. Two of us with our sons.

Next hunt I went with a group (i did not know any of them), etc... I dropped in a group because their schedule was convenient for me.

Safari with the group:
We are talking about usual hunting of plains game hunt, and usual hunt package on a farm. On those type of hunt, people go in a group.

Now, lets step up to next level.
How many hunters go for mountain nyala?
How many hunters go for bongo and lord derby eland?
Generally those are single man, dedicated man hunts.

People like travelling in a group to unknown places, family, friends, etc... But when you have a mission or goal, leopard, bongo, damara dik dik, zebra duiker, you go for that goal, group travel is irrelevant. You travel alone. When you are on that level, you travel alone.

I wanted to hunt in Africa. That was my goal for first safari.
I asked few friends to go with me, nobody wanted to go. (either they had no money, or no will to go), and my mission was to hunt in Africa.

So I went to hunt, alone.
The problem later was... I wanted to return again....
Bottom line.
Travelling with a group is fine and great, but for me not important.

Now, after my last buffalo hunt, I am thinking about hunting some non exportable elephant.
Thats next goal.
You know what?
In all my conversations about elephant, and early planning and search about ele....I am not even thinking "with what group I will go" and "who will go with me", and "do we need to adjust our holydays" and all that....
That is all Irrelevant.
Perspective is elephant, not sharing good time with friends. A vision, and goal to achieve, new horizon to reach.

 

[Doubleplay]

I never went to Africa alone.
I'm lucky to have a wife who likes spending time in the bush as much as I do.
Sharing experiences with your loved ones are always great.

 

[crackerman]

MY first trip coming in April is alone, I have had this dream for longer than I've had kids or a wife so she understands what it means to me. We have traveled to many countries together for fun and she is good with incorporating a few days here and there on future travels to Europe but she has no desire to go to Africa for anything. I would love to take my son but while he enjoys hunting with me his true passion in fishing(which i enjoy too) so for the cost of a safari he would be okay with, we can go fish central America or Europe and have his dream trip.

I traveled and more or less lived in Asia for 3 years solo (while married with a kid) and have been on more business trips than I can count (85 flights a year travel) so I am okay being alone and frankly my trip being a bachelor is going to be fun when I have a great wife and kid to come home to.

I do think my future will be hosted hunts though, a chance to hang with like minded people and make new friends while being on my own sounds perfect.

 

[CBH Australia]

My only overseas travel and safari was a management hunt in South Africa with my wife as an observer.
We went to a couple of touristy things.

 

[Jay Kelley]

I'm planning to go in 4 years. I will be 65 and using a cash-in of some life insurance. I'm still working on getting others to go. I'm going regardless

 

[WAB]

I probably travelled to Africa alone a dozen times before I travelled there to hunt. My first hunt was alone. On my second hunt my wife joined me. Now there’s no way I’m going on safari without her. She loves it as much as I do, and can walk me into the ground on a proper tracking hunt.

 

[uplander01]

Prefer to avoid group hunts, and if possible I book the camps exclusive. Traveled with friends before—-too many personalities for me. If I travel with anyone it will be my wife, she understands mission oriented trips, she hunts with a camera.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Next hunt I went with a friend. And I brought my son with me.

Perspective is elephant, not sharing good time with friends. A vision, and goal to achieve, new horizon to reach.

I understand your perspective; you have a mission and in this case it is elephant. It would be a huge added bonus if your son was able to join you on the hunt. Such memories you two could make!

 

[Tanks]

All my adult trips to Africa have been solo. As a teen I went with my dad, unfortunately my grandfather had quit hunting Africa when I was a teen so could not go with him.

 

[cajunchefray]

Prefer to avoid group hunts, and if possible I book the camps exclusive. Traveled with friends before—-too many personalities for me. If I travel with anyone it will be my wife, she understands mission oriented trips, she hunts with a camera.

That’s my ideal. My wife is adventurous, likes photography, and has been overseas with me on business trips a few times.
She understands the travel, but has some physical limitations and we always work it out.
My dream is she will come with me and experience my dream buffalo hunt.

 

[Rafiki]

How many of you go hunting in Africa by yourself? Seems that most folks are going with family/friends.

in 2022 I went alone to Tanzania for 10-days after buffalo. This was late season but the camp had 2 other client groups, both were husbands & wife. Two PH's with clients made for a lively and enjoyable table. Midway into my hunt the others left having gotten their buffalo. Although I was the loan client in camp I was hardly alone and it was most enjoyable. I got to know the people on a personal level, an experience that I will always treasure.

From 2022 'til now I have been in frequent communication with several of the people that I have gotten to know. Much of this is of family, politics, hand-loading, firearms in addition to planning another hunt. I am heading back in mid-October and will be hunting with the same team in a different area and looking forward to seeing these friends once again.

 

[Troubleshooter]

I travel solo; got tired of last minute excuses by friends backing out.

The only con I have is not being able to share alike memories around a campfire.

Life is to short to wait on others.

I've experienced the same situation with people who were "interested" and "want to go" but then for various reasons do not. Some for legitimate reasons, others because they are more invested in the idea of a hunting adventure than the reality of it. And let's be honest, many of the types of hunts discussed on this site involve some measure of "adventure" whether real or perceived. Oftentimes it is just too far out of their personal comfort zone, and although they might never admit to it, fear of the unknown is the real concern.

The "I'd like to go but..." crowd are less frustrating than those who back out after actual plans have been made. But both solo hunts or buddy/group hunts have their advantages and disadvantages. Much depends on the personalities of those involved.

I remember a fly-in hunting/fishing trip up north, where my friend backed-out a week or so before departure date. In fairness, he was going though a particularly ugly divorce and custody battle where his estranged wife had just sprung some fresh surprises on him. I opted to walk in the forests while he proceeded to crawl into a bottle. Because no one else was there, the memories made on that hunt are solely my own. In retrospect, things might not have been so pleasant in that remote spot given his state of mind at the time.

Several hunts with friends resulted in memorable experiences that are still the topic of conversation whenever we get together. One involved an old friend who I'd not seen in years; we had hunted together as schoolboys. The hunt was successful despite some ups and downs, but the biggest takeaway was the realization that we've spent the last fifty years working to reach a place in life that allowed us to do the things that we'd enjoyed doing as teenagers.

A planned a hunt for Red Stag in the Carpathian Mountains with my nephew. A last-minute change in his work schedule caused him to miss the first several days, precluding him from being present during the successful hunt. I greatly regret him not being present for that experience, but the memories we made during the following week of playing tourist are the stuff of family legend. Several years later, that same nephew joined me on a South African safari. Not only did we have a great time, but the photos one of us took while the other one was engaged in some activity (searching for game, lining up the shot, etc.) provided perspective that would not have been possible had I gone solo.

A friend who saw the photos of my first African hunt insisted that he would join me on the next safari. I negotiated arrangements and he couldn't afford it, then he could, then he couldn't fit it into his work schedule and so we didn't book the safari. A month later, an opening became available with the same outfitter and I booked the hunt. Went solo and had the entire place to myself.

The preceding discussion may be the long way around the barn, but ... Over the course of many years, I've adopted the philosophy that I will be go traveling here and engaging in this activity. If you care to join me I would greatly value your company, but if you cannot or will not go, I am going anyway.

As the Indians say, "Only the rocks live forever."

 

[DieJager]

Mostly alone. Almost none on my friends hunt and even does who do never hunted Africa or seem to have the desire (yet).

 

[Throwback]

I wouldnt worry about it, just go. If I waited on my buddies to make it happen I would have never gone.

I have hunted multiple times alone in Europe and enjoyed every one. I have also hunted there with my son (a hunter) and wife along and enjoyed those too. I did Argentina solo but there were two other hunters in camp and we all hunted together which worked out just fine.

I hunted Africa with my son and also separately with a buddy. I personally prefer to hunt with someone mainly to share in the hunting experience. It is a joy for me to see my son or buddy make a good stalk and a great shot on an animal. I will definitely hunt alone though if that is my only option as I like it that much.

Traveling alone is fine with me. I have done it my entire career all over the world, including to Africa. Some people may not feel comfortable negotiating all the logistics by themselves which is understandable.

Even if you go in a group and you are one that does not like to hunt with others you can usually hunt alone. Just pay the 1x1 rate and they should have a PH/guide for you alone. Again, just go if you like hunting as half as much as most of us. Cheers

 

[Troubleshooter]

Prefer to avoid group hunts, and if possible I book the camps exclusive. Traveled with friends before—-too many personalities for me. If I travel with anyone it will be my wife, she understands mission oriented trips, she hunts with a camera.

Hunting with groups (either your own or others sharing the same camp) can be either a blessing or a curse. I've met people and learned many things that might not have happened if restricted to my own group. On the other hand, there's always the potential for another member of the camp to be of the disruptive type or engage in otherwise boorish behavior.

One camp in particular comes to mind, they were a great bunch, but there was the time we were joined by several clients who seemed more interested in a drunken holiday away from their wives than in the hunt itself. On the other hand, I filled my tag while they were still sleeping off the previous night's revelry.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I have really enjoyed this thread, so much honest feeling. All of my trips, both fishing and hunting have been with one other person or a group. I really enjoy being with the right people, sharing the moment, cameraderie, but if someone irks you it is a spoiler. For me what irks is a loud person who never shuts up, or someone with hangups. Putting a trip together where someone is a miser (not hard up, that is OK), but financially able but tight is very annoying.
Reading all your posts I can see a solo hunting safari in my future.

 

[bakerb]

First trip to Africa was with my wife. 4 other international hunts by myself. Something like 15 DIY western US big game hunts. Half of those solo. Longest was 15 days by myself in the backcountry of Nevada.

Bull below was killed on a solo hunt last year. 4 hours to clean him on the mountain. 4 hours to pack him to truck. Another hour to cape him out at camp. It was a LONG day. I was wishing for company just for the help

 

[Troubleshooter]

I really enjoy being with the right people, sharing the moment, cameraderie,

"With the right people" -- that is the key right there. Good luck with your hunts.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I’ve done it both ways on North American and International Hunts. Always seems like I have friends who want to go but can’t afford to, friends that can afford to go but don’t want to, and friends that could stretch to make it work & want to go but are married or have dad duties. I’ve done a lot more of my hunting trips alone than with others.

First African Hunt was an auction hunt for 2 Hunters/2 Observers that I split with one of my best friends. We both took our dads with us for Father’s Day (also their first time). My friend couldn’t extend his trip but I tacked a last minute opportunity onto the backend of that hunt which my dad also joined me on. I’ve had mostly solo trips since but did have another group PG hunt in there with a few buddies for their first Africa experience. My 2025 Zambian hunt will be with a friend and his wife. They’re actually the one’s most responsible for making me realize I could afford Africa and shouldn’t put it off. Will be our first time hunting together aside from Upland and Waterfowl here in the states.

First Elk Hunt was in college with a fraternity brother. There have been a mix of solo, family, and friend hunts after for Elk and other NA Species. I can be somewhat flexible with my work schedule at times and have taken advantage of multiple last minute opportunities/cancellations which can be a challenge for others. If i put together something in Africa for later this year, there’s a good chance I take my girlfriend for her first trip. Also a good chance my dad takes my mom for her first trip now that she’s retired.