PH loyalty

[Trailgunner]

I am new to this forum, and have only been on one safari to South Africa. We were treated exceptionally well, great hunts and trophies, and the PH's were outstanding. I now consider them my friends. My question is this; Do hunters stay loyal to one or two PH's or do they "shop-around"?
The reason I ask is that I would love to hunt with the same PH's as before, but have been having a hell of a time saving for my next trip. Being a neophyte on the first one I was not prepared for some of the shipping and taxidermy fees. My fault of course but live and learn. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

 

[Calhoun]

...Trailgunner one can stay pretty loyal to a PH but it doesn't hurt to shop around!! I hunted 2 times in Africa both times with the same outfit & I wouldn't bat a lash to go back with him .. But I've been looking at others also... WHY!!!
>>>IT's not that he did anything wrong but I'm looking at animals he doesn't have. His prices are high for these animals so Why pay him & do all the traveling - Wastes my hunting time! There are great PH's & outfitters all over Africa. I'm also considering a trip to the cape next trip so that is another reason. Having gone to SCI auctions & hunt expo's for years I have become friends with several other outfits & wouldn't mind seeing other places & parts of Africa!
... It's a difficult choice.. After hearing some peoples bad experiences It makes you think maybe I should just stay with a guy I know & had a great time with & pay the higher prices & spend more travel time & just do it!! But I'm 99% sure I will hunt with someone else on my next SAFARI!

 

[enysse]

Trailgunner, my question to you is what are looking to hunt? What kind of trophies are you looking for-representative or a very nice one? And can the PH you last hunted with...offer what you are looking for?

I like Namibia for the springbok, red hartebeest, Mtn. zebra, gemsbok, Kudu, eland, and steenbok.

The East Cape for there variety...bontebok, all the springbok, blesbuck, they have everything. Nyala, Waterbuck, Red Lechwe, Eland

Limpopo and Gauteng for warthogs, kudu, waterbuck, blue wildebeest,nyala, bushbuck and Eland. And the Kudu on some ranches are just monsters.

But these are very general observations. There are ranches in every area that have good animals...it's a matter of knowing who?

I would put a list of what I was looking for and ask where to hunt next.

Good Luck.

 

[billrquimby]

Africa is a huge continent. Why limit yourself to one outfitter/PH, one province, one country, or even one region?

Bill Quimby

 

[Shallom]

PH point of view... there are many paths that materialize when hunter and PH first get together. In some cases, there is a connection which builds a lifelong friendship and in some cases it is a one-time companionship - both are sacred to the PH as neither him nor the guest know how things will develop until later on in the safari.

At the end of the day, the client is not limited by anything in todays hunting industry except the factors that enable him (finance/time/desire). On the other hand, the PH is limited by factors such as concessions/game variety/license restrictions etc.

So sticking to a PH, will limit you to what the PH has access to. But having established a strong friendship with a PH, then as a friend, you can count on the best advise from that PH, rather than risking a marketing opinion from someone you don't know too well. A good PH will not lie to you and a good friend should not deceive you.

Many partnerships develop between guests and PH and it is the ethical duty for the PH to give you best advise. Even if it means taking you to a different location to get what you desire, or tell you that he/she cannot cater to what you have requested. If a PH feels that a client has a lesser chance of his priority species or the kind of hunt he/she desires, then the PH should express his/her concerns. High success records are not achieved through deceptive tactics.

Some hunting partnerships are strong enough that they travel far and often together despite the logistics and cost - it is all at the dicretion of the hunter. Finding your best comfort zone and hunt ethic and satisfaction is what counts most. Sometimes you are lucky and get this on every outing, sometimes it takes years of hunting numerous areas and with many PH's before you find it. It is essentially a partnership and you hold the key. You can develop one that you want to keep or dvelop many that work for you.

 

[Skyline]

Ryan.........that sums it up perfectly.

 

[Trailgunner]

I want to thank everyone who supplied an answer to me as it gives me good info to ponder as I plan my next trip. It was also nice to see some names I recognize from the safari world in these answers. Thanks again. Trailgunner

 

[TerryR]

Good question tailgunner. the real issue here is do you essentially book the same hunt again next time, perhaps with different trophies, or book somewhere new. There really is no right answer. I've been to Africa 4 times and, for at least part of each hunt I've been in the same camp; tsum tsum camp in NG20 in the Okavango Delta. The first three times I had the same PH; Glen Munger. I obviously booked with the same outfitter; Mark Kyriacou's Big Game and Bird Safaris. Why did I continue to rebook? Simply because the location was spectacular, the game plentiful and Glen was a good PH. I was, and am, more interested in the experience than in the numbers, either size or variety. I was happy to shoot an impala or tsessebe for instance, on each trip as opposed to wanting different, new species every hunt. Although my trophy list was different each time. For me the pleasure was in the surroundings and the stalk. Consequently I continued to book where I knew I would get the experience that I wanted. On the last two hunts I added a few days on ranches in the Kalahari and enjoyed that variety, but wouldn't have traded them for the time in the Delta. Going to the same place, with the same people worked for me. If you want a new experience, or new trophies, than you should try something new, there are a lot of good outfitters and PH's out there. It's your trip, your dollar, do what works for you. The fact that you had a good hunt with a specific PH and outfitter doesn't obligate you to rebook with them.
My quandry is that I have to book somewhere new as Botswana is closing the Delta to hunting after this year. Where to go next?