Just won a 10 day trip Need Advice

[Philip Glass]

You can get a Kudu, Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala and Blesbuck for $4,850 with GAME 4 AFRICA SAFARIS All included (daily fees, trophy fees, food, beverages, etc, etc).

That will cost you $8000+ on your free hunt.

Great example of what I was mentioning!

 

[jb1069]

Philp Glass,

Thanks for the upfront advice. This is exactly what I am doing now. I have went from zero to 100 and back to zero in 3 days. At first I was excited just to win until I figured out what was going on. Now I am researching everything and asking questions I hadn't even thought of. The best benefit of winning this hunt was waking me up. It has lit a fire in me not only to go to Africa but to do it right. I have already found several outfitters that offer 7 animal packages for the same money as it would cost to add 2 or 3 animals to the free hunt. When you realize there is going to be a certain amount of money spent it opens it up to be more selective.

Thanks, Jim

 

[Tbitty]

Sure. This way you can fly on several different airlines some of which may not carry guns! Very bad advice for someone on their first safari.

Not necessarily. It's pretty easy to book flights on the exact airlines you want if you have even a basic understanding of flight booking.

I will rarely, if ever, use a TA to book my flights/stays, but would certainly recommend a service for help on permitting/clearing process of traveling with guns. The last and only time I did use TA (who was a family friend and I thought might have some pull on deals I didn't know about), I felt like it was a complete waste of time and money. Maybe for a more complex trip of multiple destinations/stays it's helpful?

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

A

I am sorry to tell you that you have won basically nothing. You need to take a step back and compare to many other safari operators before you commit to this donation hunt. Get your wish list and make a spreadsheet and compare the full Safari cost of some of our sponsors like @KMG Hunting Safaris, @JKO HUNTING SAFARIS , etc. Our SCI Chapter is about to have our banquet and we do not even consider these type of hunts for our auction. Then when you are fully informed you can peruse AH in he safari planning section to have all of your questions answered.
I know you are excited and I am sorry to pour cold water on the situation. I just want you to have the best first safari you possibly can.

I appreciate the mention, Philip. Thank you sir.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Not necessarily. It's pretty easy to book flights on the exact airlines you want if you have even a basic understanding of flight booking.

I will rarely, if ever, use a TA to book my flights/stays, but would certainly recommend a service for help on permitting/clearing process of traveling with guns. The last and only time I did use TA (who was a family friend and I thought might have some pull on deals I didn't know about), I felt like it was a complete waste of time and money. Maybe for a more complex trip of multiple destinations/stays it's helpful?

Sir, I will tell you where a Travel Agent really becomes helpful. We have had hunters miss flights due to connections or delays or other reasons. We received an email from the travel agents informing us that the passengers missed flights and also informed us to which flights they were now transferred to. This allowed us make the necessary arrangements for collections. We appreciate this, as we've been on the other side of the equation with passengers not arriving, not knowing where it all went wrong.

 

[mark-hunter]

Each donated hunt when mentioned here, raises some issues.
Overall there is no cheering from forum community, when question about donated hunt is asked.
There must be a reason for this.

We also have no feedback reports on actual outcomes.
I think we deserve a separate topic to cover donated hunts, issues, and feedback reports.

 

[JimP]

Sir, I will tell you where a Travel Agent really becomes helpful. We have had hunters miss flights due to connections or delays or other reasons. We received an email from the travel agents informing us that the passengers missed flights and also informed us to which flights they were now transferred to. This allowed us make the necessary arrangements for collections. We appreciate this, as we've been on the other side of the equation with passengers not arriving, not knowing where it all went wrong.

This right here is a huge reason that I would and have used a TA.

On my first hunt a flight was changed on my return, if I was doing it myself I doubt that I would of caught it and would of been left wondering what to do in a airport.

 

[Bandera]

Flights, I book all of my flights. It is generally cheaper to book your own flights.
Traveling into JNB, Delta has a direct flight out of ATL. In my case I will fly Delta out of HSV to ATL with a 3 hour layover. The layover is a buffer in case of stuff happening.if you do not like the planning then use one of the travel agencies listed by others.
Stay at Africa Sky or Aftons. Both have a VIP service. Both have rifle permit services. Keep it in house. On my first trip over I found one of the well known permit services to be unresponsive on questions. The attitude seemed to be just fill out the paper work, we don’t have time for questions.

Plan to get in country a day early, rest and go visit some local sights.

Also verify with your Safari Company the pick up time at your hotel. Then reverify.

Down load what’s app. The rest of the world communicates using it.
I get outfitters that I have met and talked to from Spain, Scotland, Namibia and Argentina pinging me on what’s app.

Animals, Zebra can be challenging, I love chasing Warthog.
Prices, your outfitter looks a bit on the high side for some animals.
Don’t go crazy and shoot everything, you will want to go back.
Observe and take in the experience.

The outfitter has decent reviews online.

We took a few extra days and toured. Our trip in June we will tour afterwards and spend time down Stellenbosch. We fell in love with that area on last trip.

Also remember that Africa Time is a bit different, tends to be a bit more laid back.

 

[Tbitty]

Sir, I will tell you where a Travel Agent really becomes helpful. We have had hunters miss flights due to connections or delays or other reasons. We received an email from the travel agents informing us that the passengers missed flights and also informed us to which flights they were now transferred to. This allowed us make the necessary arrangements for collections. We appreciate this, as we've been on the other side of the equation with passengers not arriving, not knowing where it all went wrong.

I have no doubt they can be helpful, and those are good examples of benefits.

I've actually had similar situation occur on a trip to Argentina due to airline error, but I was able to send updates by email and WhatsApp as I traveled. My flight change was only about 30 minutes difference in arrival (and I actually happened to be on a flight with another hunter going to same outfit) so it was no issue.

Again, it's not that TAs aren't helpful, i just don't think they are required or that someone traveling without using TA is somehow doing something wrong.

 

[DonPablo]

This right here is a huge reason that I would and have used a TA.

On my first hunt a flight was changed on my return, if I was doing it myself I doubt that I would have caught it and would have been left wondering what to do in an airport.

We had a delayed flight that caused a missed connection on our return flight and had no trouble adjusting. if you need a travel agent to figure that out, by all means…

 

[ActionBob]

Philp Glass,

Thanks for the upfront advice. This is exactly what I am doing now. I have went from zero to 100 and back to zero in 3 days. At first I was excited just to win until I figured out what was going on. Now I am researching everything and asking questions I hadn't even thought of. The best benefit of winning this hunt was waking me up. It has lit a fire in me not only to go to Africa but to do it right. I have already found several outfitters that offer 7 animal packages for the same money as it would cost to add 2 or 3 animals to the free hunt. When you realize there is going to be a certain amount of money spent it opens it up to be more selective.

Thanks, Jim

So glad you are making this a net positive! And glad you haven't spent a couple thousand dollars on that "free hunt".

You should have a really great first trip when the dust settles. I would bet that any of the Sponsors on here who are following this will go extra far out of their way to help you have the best first hunt possible

 

[BRICKBURN]

3. Reviews on Hercules Safaris. Even though I have won this trip I would like to know what to expect with this company from actual clients.

Get a look at the price list before you do anything more with your "win".
Do some math and compare it with reputable known outfitters and see if you did "win" something.

Good luck with your research. It is an exciting time to be planning a safari.

 

[375Fox]

Thanks for the upfront advice. This is exactly what I am doing now. I have went from zero to 100 and back to zero in 3 days. At first I was excited just to win until I figured out what was going on. Now I am researching everything and asking questions I hadn't even thought of. The best benefit of winning this hunt was waking me up. It has lit a fire in me not only to go to Africa but to do it right. I have already found several outfitters that offer 7 animal packages for the same money as it would cost to add 2 or 3 animals to the free hunt. When you realize there is going to be a certain amount of money spent it opens it up to be more selective.

Thanks, Jim

Cost is definitely important but when you are researching outfitters some questions I’d ask is how long they’ve hunted their primary properties, the size of properties they have, how many PHs they have and how long those PHs have worked for the outfitter, and how many hunters do they take at the same time.
The requirements to be an outfitter and PH in South Africa are very easy and farms (of varying quality) are readily available for them to hunt on with clients. There are a number of outfitters that probably shouldn’t be outfitters. Make sure you choose someone that actually runs a professional operation.

 

[JimP]

We had a delayed flight that caused a missed connection on our return flight and had no trouble adjusting. if you need a travel agent to figure that out, by all means…

If using a TA it quite likely will be taken care of before you even know it.

 

[kpoynter]

Philp Glass,

Thanks for the upfront advice. This is exactly what I am doing now. I have went from zero to 100 and back to zero in 3 days. At first I was excited just to win until I figured out what was going on. Now I am researching everything and asking questions I hadn't even thought of. The best benefit of winning this hunt was waking me up. It has lit a fire in me not only to go to Africa but to do it right. I have already found several outfitters that offer 7 animal packages for the same money as it would cost to add 2 or 3 animals to the free hunt. When you realize there is going to be a certain amount of money spent it opens it up to be more selective.

Thanks, Jim

You are now on the right path! Folks here can get you back to the 100 lol.
When you imagine a hunt in you’re mind…what animals are you most excited about ?
One thing no one asks is what type of topography and flora/fauna do you imagine?
For example…Eastern Cape S.A. has beautiful huge rolling hills more like a Colorado/ Utah with very different vegetation
Some areas like the Kalahari are more like a West/central TX or Wyoming maybe..,flat… beautiful…but different
Namibia has many beautiful and varied terrains

A nice Plains Game hunt is a great introduction and a wonderful experience.

Ask questions here and you will get honest answers…you can already see these Outfitters here have been super professional and honest.

 

[Hyde Hunter]

Welcome to the forum. You'll find a lot of good advice hear. For the hunt itself, I know you won it but I'd compare the price of the additional animals from their price list to a similar package being offered here. It will help you confirm if the total outlay is a good deal or not.

For a rifle, as other have said, it's really easy to take one. You can use an agency like Henry @ riflepermits.com for like $100. It's not only more enjoyable but you'll be using the rifle you practiced with. I think that's important because it's harder than you think. Particularly animals like a Kudu. You may have 10 seconds to see him and get a shot off. They are the "grey ghost".

I always book my own travel but I've also traveled extensively for work and am used to it.

Last, look for posts about prepping for your first safari here. There's plenty to read. Then start asking questions. There a lot of activity on this forum.

Henry is now 160.00, I just paid him on Monday. also check and see if you are being charged to pick you up and drop you at the airport that could cost you 5-6oo dollars round trip

 

[kfreeze]

You have some really good advice from others here, and I don't need to repeat it. The only thing that I can add after looking at his website is that his prices seem to be double the prices that I pay in Namibia for plains game.

The travel thing is easy enough to do yourself if you aren't bringing a rifle the first time. Stuff can get messed up in transit. Jist go to the airline's service counter when you get to the place and talk to them if you miss a conecting flight. Remember that in Africa nobody is in a hurry. You will get there, bit it may take longer if there is a problem. No need to get worked up about it.

 

[rookhawk]

It’s banquet season again I see. All the regional DSC, SCI, State DNR, DU, NWTF, DW, and other banquets seem to be in the next month.

Like clockwork, the same “win” threads coming up. The “wins” typically fall into a few buckets:

1.) The actual win of something profoundly valuable. Not worth mentioning this because it’s as rare as winning the mult-state powerball. I’ve heard of someone winning a Sheep tag or a Tanzania hunt for all the big-5, but never seen nor read about those on this forum.

2.) The rope your friend into it hunt. Loads of those on the auction block this weekend. Free hunt, but you have to bring a friend. Drumroll, your friend is paying double the market rate.

3.) The free hunt that wasn’t free anyway, but it’s still free but not really at all free provided you hunt a bunch of substandard additional animals off a list (or no list provided?) for double to quadruple market rate. Maybe a bonus of being forced to use their in-house taxidermist at double market rate as well, or pay incredible sums for gun rental and ground transport.

4.) The free hunt that isn’t free, but they have a long list of nearly free to free animals, but the daily rates are so incredibly high you’re paying thousands per day to hunt springbok and the like.

I’ve read a few people’s reports on this forum that love these “Free, but not really free at all” hunts. My favorite one is the “Screw me, I’ll screw you back but harder” approach. This is where you find hunts people bought for huge sums and get them transferred to your name for a hundred bucks or so. Then they go to East Cape or Limpopo and shoot their 1 animal in a day or two, then go to the next ranch and keep doing it, potentially doing three to four different hunts for pennies by exploiting the loopholes. These clients and these operators should interbreed, creating a super-screwer through line breeding.

At any rate, to OP welcome to the forum, glad you’re doing due diligence, and I’m sure we’ll have another two dozen of these posts in the next month because ‘tis the season.

 

[Safari Dave]

"Winning" a trip only get's your foot in the door, but all of my my experiences have turned out great.


IME - First start conversations with your safari company, so that you understand EVERYTHING possible ahead of time.

(If you won a trip for 4 hunters, then you need to bring 4 hunters. If you "won" a trip for 2 hunters and 2 observers, you need to bring exactly that, or prepare to compensate the company for lost revenue)

I didn't need a travel agent for my first safari because the safari company took care of all the logistics including all documentation for my rifles and meeting us at the JNB airport and taking us to the camp. (a flight from ATL to JNB).


If anything get's weird (like having to clear customs anywhere besides the U.S.A. or South Africa), then quickly use Travel Express or Gracy Travel to handle airline booking for everything from that point on.

Before you go, you need to completely understand the expectations of the safari company.


Technically, you are not bound to anything other than the "prize" you were bidding on, but if you bid on a hunt and do not meet the minimums for the hunt, then you should shoot more animals than you intended to, in order to make up for anyone who was supposed to come who didn't. (Observer's excluded)

 

[jb1069]

New question guys. And I am only asking on this post since I started it and I don't want this question to be turned into a big debate. I am just looking for clarification so I can make a better decision.

Can someone please explain the fencing, ranches, game farms and concessions? I am not so naïve to think that it is still wide open wild Africa that I love reading about so much, but the more research you do the more you learn. Good and bad. I have no issues with the big fenced in areas but I do not want to end up on a 500 acre ranch either. I have even learned through conversations some places are are changing out stock every few years to keep better animals which to me isn't a far jump from put and take. This does not seem like Africa to me. I am not an elitist nor am I questioning what one person likes vs another's. I just don't like surprises.