Looking for advice toward my first Safari

[Kowas Adventure Safaris]

Welocme to AH.com @HNTNH

You will have lots of fun here and gather tons of valuable information from various outfitters and hunters that's been to Africa before. In my opinion, your in the exciting part of your safari - PLANNING. It may be overwhelming at times, but there are many members here that can steer you in the right direction.

A few things that you might want to think about:
1. Do you want to hunt in Namibia or South Africa?
2. Would you rather hunt free-range or high fence?
3. What species are you after/What species are high on your list?
4. What area/country/place will be best to get your trophies you want?
5. What non-hunter activities is your wife interested in? There are many options...
6. Maybe think about going on a small-ish tour after your hunting safari? 2-3 days? You did your time getting on the long flight, a day or two extra might not hurt? If you plan in advance, you might get some good deals.

Just my opinion...

Make sure you know what you want out of the safari, set 10 goals of what you really want and expect from the trip and eliminate and choose a short list of outfitters you like... Contact references, especially if you can talk or e-mail a husband & wife that has been to the specific outfitter.

Other than that, the most important thing is, HAVE FUN. Africa is not as scary as some people might make it. One thing will be a given; IT'S NOT GOING TO BE YOUR ONLY TRIP TO AFRICA...

My best,
Jacques

 

[johnnyv]

Welcome to AH!!

You are more than welcome to go and have a look out our website at the following link: http://wintershoeksafaris.com/

You can also send us a personal message on the forum or email us at info@wintershoeksafaris.com. We will help you plan your trip from A-Z to ensure that you have a worry-free experience, and focus on hunting, and taking in the beauty that Africa has to offer!

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

 

[Nosler guy]

Depending on where, your schedule and who you are flying with - taking your rifle may not be a big deal - but it can add some delays, unknowns and more hassles, all you need is to run into the wrong person on the wrong day, and that firearm can be a real hassle.

I've done it both ways - taken a gun and rented / borrowed. My guns are just run of the mill, working man guns - Rugers / mausers / Remingtons - pretty standard stuff, nothing special, not a big deal to use the outfittters' rig if he has good stuff.

Travelling without the firearm is much more relaxing and enjoyable, especially with your wife/partner - you're just tourists - and the extra cash you save can be turned into another critter. Personally, I would be checking with the outfitters and seeing what they have and can offer you as a rental / borrow firearm - for me it was actually a deciding factor on choosing between two outfitters when we booked our last trip - one had a nice selection of guns available at virtually no cost - the other insisted that I bring my own.

On a trip to Namibia, a borrowed rifle actually added a lot to my trip and hunt. It was a return hunt, and the outfitter and I had bonded fairly well on the first hunt - I had used his Ruger 77 - Mark II - 300 WM, a rig almost identical to what I would have brought, and was looking forward to using it again. Well the first night as we were sitting around, catching up and planning, old Jan says, he would be honoured if I would use his personal rifle, he had sold the ranch and would be retiring and probably the rifle may not hunt again. The rifle - a custom Mauser in 300 WM, 26 inch barrel, custom stock and a 2.5 - 10 vintage Schmidt & Bender scope. The old rifle had taken 100's of Kudu and was the epitome of African Hunting tradition. I graciously accepted, was honoured to hunt with that rifle, I shot it well and it added something special to that safari.

 

[kevin masters]

Welcome to AH, Take your time ask all the questions you can think of. This site is a wealth of knowledge and full of good people willing to answer any question.
If you can think it up someone on here can answer it! Taking your gun is no big deal and it meant a lot to me to have my own, on the flip side if you want to rent several
guys in our camp did that and had no problems. this will be the coolest thing you have ever done!! congratulations !!

 

[MT Griz]

I will take this opportunity to drop Travel Express's name (Jennifer and Lori) as someone you should consider when looking for your plane tickets/travel arrangements. They are very active on this site and have helped many members of this site with their travel/hunting plans. (I have used them twice myself). They also keep up to date on traveling with firearms and will help with those arrangements as needed. By all means take your own rifles.

 

[dobber]

Dont do it, just run away now before it consumes your life

But if you ignore that advice like i did, get ready for some awesome hunts and planning

 

[Badger Matt]

What outfit are you using and what are you targeting

Cruiser Safaris. Primary animal is Nyala. I wasn't planning to return, but a wounded friend asked me to accompany him so I couldn't say "no."

 

[HNTNH]

I just want to thank all of you for the advice so far! I feel like I’m getting closer to actually getting this set in stone. I’ve decided 4 of the animals I would like to take. Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, and Warthog.

I’m curious as to opinions on what other animals would make for a great hunt at an affordable price.

I also tend to get overly excited and overlook details so I must ask, what are the questions I should be asking the outfit?

 

[IdaRam]

I just want to thank all of you for the advice so far! I feel like I’m getting closer to actually getting this set in stone. I’ve decided 4 of the animals I would like to take. Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, and Warthog.

I’m curious as to opinions on what other animals would make for a great hunt at an affordable price.

I also tend to get overly excited and overlook details so I must ask, what are the questions I should be asking the outfit?

That is an excellent start on your list of animals. Very iconic of Africa as a whole and every one of them a ton of fun to hunt!
As for additional animals, that possibly depends a lot on where (specifically) you choose to hunt. You might consider asking the outfitter you choose if there are any specific animals in their area(s) that he feels are particularly high quality or endemic to the area. For example, if you choose to go to Namibia, Gemsbok and Springbok might be natural choices.
Bushbuck are one of my very favorite animals to hunt. You might also consider him for the list. Steenbok and Duiker are great options for fun hunting at an affordable price.
Also, if hunting SA you may want to think about a little night hunting. I particularly enjoy hunting some of the night critters such as Genet, Civet, Honey Badger, Porcupine. Even if you don’t have any of them on your list, you may find it enjoyable to go for a night time game drive. You will likely see a number of animals you won’t see during the day time. You can always “hunt” with a camera Many if the night animals tend to be quite affordable as well.

 

[Eric Zelanko]

One of the best parts of a hunt is planning. Figuring out where to go, what to hunt, how long to stay, and what to take along will take far more than the actual hunt. Have fun and enjoy.

 

[Aegis]

I just want to thank all of you for the advice so far! I feel like I’m getting closer to actually getting this set in stone. I’ve decided 4 of the animals I would like to take. Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, and Warthog.

I’m curious as to opinions on what other animals would make for a great hunt at an affordable price.

I also tend to get overly excited and overlook details so I must ask, what are the questions I should be asking the outfit?

Just did my first hunt with KMG last year, and I will say that it is a top notch operation...already planning my return.

I would also second those who come down in favor of taking your own rifle(s). For me, I like both the familiarity and confidence of shooting my own rifles, and it is nice to have the stories and memories which attach to the rifle after the hunt. You can use a permitting service if you like, but I did not, and had zero problems. Just do your research (you're in the right place) and have all your paperwork in order, and it really is not that hard. If I can do it...

 

[wesheltonj]

Are you planning on sightseeing on this trip before or after the hunt? If so, leave the guns at home. I traveled around Southern Africa for two weeks and it cost me $850+ for the storage. Some outfitter have excellent "camp" guns. One outfitter on this site (not sure if still a Sponsor) has Rigby guns for camp rifles. Where I hunted Kalahari Ranger uses Blaser Rifles with Leica Magnus Scopes.

Would I take my gun again? If it was just a hunting trip, maybe. A trip plus sightseeing, I would stay at home.

 

[LadyKiller]

Hi there @HNTNH,

You will certainly have lots of options for outfits to choose from for the type of safari you are looking for. I'm sure you will receive lots of opinions and recommendations on this because there are many good outfits. I agree that it would be a very good idea to reach out specifically to husbands and wives that have been on a safari as a couple. My husband and I are both hunters and we had an excellent safari with Limcroma Safaris a few years back. They are a first class outfit, and I can personally assure that they will deliver on making the wife happy. Good luck on your search.

 

[Velo Dog]

I just want to thank all of you for the advice so far! I feel like I’m getting closer to actually getting this set in stone. I’ve decided 4 of the animals I would like to take. Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, and Warthog.

I’m curious as to opinions on what other animals would make for a great hunt at an affordable price.

I also tend to get overly excited and overlook details so I must ask, what are the questions I should be asking the outfit?

Hello HNTNH,

You are wise to do much homework prior to plopping down your deposit.
There are many fantastic outfitters, safari companies and PH's here on AH from which to choose (I work for one of them lol).

Speaking of which, have a peep at the web site attached to the bottom of my post, when you get a few spare moments.
If you have questions, please do PM me and I'll be happy to clarify.

We offer fantastic hunting on a massive, not game fenced, hilly setting, in more or less, north central Namibia.
We pick you up at Windhoek (The Capitol, about the size of Boise ID).
So, there's no extra bush flight, etc.

We have year around water and it is not technically a desert up there.
It is a "mountain bushveld" so, the migrating as well as the non-migrating species flourish.
The species list is diversified but we are specifically known for huge and plentiful kudu (specific greater kudu).
We also offer bird hunting for Egyptian goose, red billed duck, guinea fowl, grouse (francoln) and dove, with retrieving dogs.
We have shotguns in camp, no need to bring one unless you just want to.

For fishing, if interested, we offer saltwater game fishing as well.

Whichever outfit you choose, you are going to flip when you see Africa.

Cheers,
Paul (Velo Dog).

 

[MT Griz]

I just want to thank all of you for the advice so far! I feel like I’m getting closer to actually getting this set in stone. I’ve decided 4 of the animals I would like to take. Wildebeest, Zebra, Impala, and Warthog.

Think long and hard about a Kudu. I know the price can be a bit more than other animals but you will not regret the time trying to connect on one.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Think long and hard about a Kudu. I know the price can be a bit more than other animals but you will not regret the time trying to connect on one.

I agree. If I had it to do over again, I would have went after a kudu the first or second hunt. As it stands now, I'm out of space and the kudu would have to replace at least two of my present wall hangers. For a first plains game hunt today I would put these on my list, kudu, zebra, gemsbok, red hartebeest, both wildebeests, springbok , warthog and then the smaller plains game. One doesn't have to kill all of them, whatever your budget allows. Oh yeah, don't forget to add in taxidermy.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Are you planning on sightseeing on this trip before or after the hunt? If so, leave the guns at home. I traveled around Southern Africa for two weeks and it cost me $850+ for the storage. Some outfitter have excellent "camp" guns. One outfitter on this site (not sure if still a Sponsor) has Rigby guns for camp rifles. Where I hunted Kalahari Ranger uses Blaser Rifles with Leica Magnus Scopes.

Would I take my gun again? If it was just a hunting trip, maybe. A trip plus sightseeing, I would stay at home.

Just for comparison. I dropped off my guns and checked bag w/ ammo for storage in Joburg at 9:00 a.m. on April 25 and retrieved them on May 2 at around 5:00 p.m. seven nights and eight days and I paid 166.40. I used Gracy Travel to set up the storage and it was seamless. Bruce was there when I arrived from Blomfontein and after my fishing trip at Richards Bay, was there with my gun case and bag when I arrived. I couldn't ask for better service. This was this year. $850 for two weeks was a hose job.

 

[MAdcox]

Think long and hard about a Kudu. I know the price can be a bit more than other animals but you will not regret the time trying to connect on one.

Kudu had always screamed Africa for me, so it was an easy choice for top of my list. Gemsbok was another animal I knew I wanted. But I like your list. I am going after Zebra for sure and I was never interested in Wildebeest. But it was part of my package and one, if not the, most enjoyable and challenging animals I took.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Just for comparison. I dropped off my guns and checked bag w/ ammo for storage in Joburg at 9:00 a.m. on April 25 and retrieved them on May 2 at around 5:00 p.m. seven nights and eight days and I paid 166.40. I used Gracy Travel to set up the storage and it was seamless. Bruce was there when I arrived from Blomfontein and after my fishing trip at Richards Bay, was there with my gun case and bag when I arrived. I couldn't ask for better service. This was this year. $850 for two weeks was a hose job.

Just to follow up. I double checked the rate with Gracy. It's $40 a day. There was a mixup on the quote for my storage. I should have paid more but they stuck to the original number. You're charged the same as lodging, by the night.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Welcome. On this forum you will find everything you need to know....

Welcome to AH.