How did I get in touch with Pieter? Word of mouth after a lot of research and asking around.
For me, being a bow hunter, I needed a PH that he, himself, was a bow hunter and money is always an issue. I'm not rich, I just work a lot of overtime to pay for my trips.
I don't need, nor require, a five star lodge and accommodations. I go to Africa to hunt, plain and simple.
This is what I tell the PH. I need a bed at night, a hot shower in the morning, three meals a day and they do not have to be fancy. I have one rule for a meal, there has to be a dead animal on the plate. I don't drink, I don't smoke, so don't waste money stocking the bar. I can drink water all day and snack on biltong in the blind. I expect the blinds to be set up correctly for bow hunting and I'm willing to sit from sun up to sun down. I don't expect a guaranteed hunt, just a good chance at seeing the animals on my list and his assurances that he has enough of those animals on his place to hunt.
It's frustrating when a PH promises you a chance at an animal you want to take and he assures you he has those on his property, then you find out when you are over there that you are hunting on 60,000 acres and he actually only has ten of the animal you're after. Did he lie? No, he has 'em, but what are the chances that you will see one?
I put the word out that I wanted a Hartmann Zebra with my bow. I called, emailed, and spoke to people at the DSC. Many, if not all, of the PH's I spoke with told me they had Hartmann's but getting one with a bow would be a tough deal to pull off. A couple of them were honest enough to tell me that while they did have Hartmann's on their property, the chances of me getting one were slim to none. I appreciated their honesty and kept on looking. In fact, at least one of those PH's has been mentioned in this thread. Good PH's, and honest, but I wanted a Hartmann's so I kept on looking. When I came across Pieter, I called him up on WHATS APP. I gave him my list of animals and stressed to him that I wanted a Hartmann's and if that was the only animal that I shot, the trip would have been worth it. He told me straight up, we are in a drought and I don't have them on my place, but I will take you to a place that has them. I remember him telling me that it may take us three days of hunting but I would get a shot at one.
The first morning we drove five hours north, hunted that afternoon, and I almost got a shot at one that day but I spooked him when I drew my bow. The next day, right at last light, I got my shot and had my Hartmann's on the ground. He asked if I wanted another one as he had two tags. That was a no brainer so we went out the next afternoon and I shot my second Hartmann's.
Due to the drought we did not hunt his property, so after the first property, he took me to two other properties, each in totally different areas, that looked nothing alike. We saw more animals per day than I could count.
I could go on and on.
Bottom line, with Pieter, he will take you where the animals are that you are after and he won't charge you an arm and a leg.
Plan your trip on what you can afford. If money is no concern, then any PH mentioned will be a good choice.
Like I said, I go to hunt. I want to get my arrows dirty, and that means putting together a hunt that allows me to hunt for ten to twelve days and take as many animals as my wallet will allow.
And yes, Pieter goes to the shows in Europe for a couple of reasons. The waiting list for DSC is five years, at minimum, as are the other shows around the USA. He can go to Hungary or Spain and book his entire season and he's not out as much money for PR and event fees, which in turn saves you money.
I told a PH at the DSC this year that when I'm walking around the show and I'm walking past the booths for the places that I want to hunt, if I see a booth that takes up 2, 3, or 4 squares, and they have these really thick, high quality books and brochures, and they have about 5 or 6 people dressed to the nines, I don't even stop. I know I can't afford them. They are offering a package I can't afford because most of my money would be paying for all of that PR.
There is nothing wrong with that, it's just not me.
When I see the single guy, wearing worn blue jeans, his worn button up shirt, wearing his ball cap, a printed out page for his information, a small roll up banner on the booth wall, sitting in fold up lawn chairs he bought at Wal-Mart, and he may have a small TV showing a video of his hunts, that's the guy for me.
No offense to the big booth guys. I know you will have a great experience with them. I just know that my taste is more unsweet tea and hamburgers than champagne and caviar.
Perfect example, if you had asked about Zambia, then this is who'd I'd be talking about. Strange Middleton, one of the best PH's in Zambia and a world class bowhunter as well. Strange is the real deal, just like Pieter.
Strang at the DSC this year. A single roll up banner on the back wall, three fold up chairs from Wal-Mart, a fold up coffee table with a wrinkled up sheet on top, and he has information on a color, tri-fold brochure. And he's wearing the clothes he'll be wearing when he picks you up at the airport.
All of that can go in the back of his rented SUV while he's stateside making the shows. Your money with him, like with Pieter, will go further on your hunt and won't be spent on his marketing campaign.
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