Plains game hunt costs

[ActionBob]

@truenorth1 Caution! Don't even start... It will cost a million dollars by the time you're done! During the first hunt, there will be extra animals... Then there are some special mounts that add more cost. After you get home and write up a nice report on AH.. You get on this web site and find out there are all these deals that pop up, especially late season. Then you'll make some off handed comment about the hunt and end up with a whole group of buddies egging you on! So then you book a last minute hunt you never planned to do... More flights, extra critters, taxidermy.. Then all the fees to get them home. Now the expence really starts as you need to build more space for the trophies, and then the new house to hold up the damned trophy room. And of course you will have to take your first buffalo, which leads to elephant... And, and, and...

Well ok, I'm just kidding.... NOT!

Seriously, right now is a great time to go, the exchange rate and other factors are creating some great deals! So better just give in and book a great trip!

 

[BRICKBURN]

That about says it all.

 

[thi9elsp]

Or, my first buffalo, kudu, bushbuck and impala in 2011. Stag and Tahr in New Zealand last year. And, now going to Mozambique for buff, sable and plains game this year. But, what a blast! You can't take it with you.

 

[Royal27]

Then you'll make some off handed comment about the hunt and end up with a whole group of buddies egging you on!

I resemble that remark!

 

[Rob404]

A Phone call to Lori Spears from Travel Express should be on your To Do List

 

[huntermn15]

First things first, Enjoy The Process! I had a blast planning my trip to Africa. But a word of caution, it can spiral out of control! I researched, contacted references, planned, and made arrangements for over two years before departure and I had a fantastic time with no problems encountered.

When I first realized that this might actually happen, it was a plan for a 7 day package hunt in the Limpopo province. A few months later, I figured that it might be the only time I have this opportunity so I changed to a 10 day 6 animal package thinking that would be the way to go.

Just before booking my safari, I decided to add two additional days to my 10 day package, so now I would be hunting a full 12 days + my arrival and departure days. To my package, I decided to add 2 more animals. So Kudu, Gemsbok, Blue Wildebeest, Impala, Warthog, Blesbok, Zebra, and bushbuck would be hunted.

About a month later, I decided to add a photo safari to the trip. I opted to have the photo safari before I began hunting. This gave me an opportunity to see African animals up close before I had a gun in my hands, plus it allowed my eyes/brain to get used to seeing different game in a different environment.

So now, the photo safari was booked, the hunting safari was booked, and I had my plane ticket 11 months out.

About seven months out, after reading a few great reports here on hunting lioness and after a few encouraging PM’s by some great AH members, I decided to book a five day lioness safari (I still owe a hunt report) in the Kalahari. This was added to my trip after the plains game safari. But Now I had to change my flight. This turned out to be a painless process thanks to Lori and Jenn at Travel Express.

In the end, I spent 26 days in Africa, took 13 animals of 11 Species, met great people, made some friends for life, and truly had one of the best times of my life.

Right now I’m planning a 14 day safari in the Eastern Cape for 2017.

My photo safari and plains game safari report can be found here.


http://www.africahunting.com/threads/south-africa-heading-off-on-my-first-safari.23804/


If you have any questions or would just like to chat about the process don't hesitate to PM me.

Regards,

Mike

 

[watman]

John gave a great accounting. I did an auction donation hunt with Kuvhima Safaris... was a good deal and let me add some animals. All said and done $25,000 was my approximate cost as well. So for 2 hunters from leaving the US to Animals on your wall I'd say thats a fair estimate. Then work up or down from that dollar amount.

I also used www.riflepermits.com, if you are bringing your own firearms to RSA this is the way to go.

I cannot say enough how much this website and the outfitter themselves helped me plan and account for all the possibilities and variations.

 

[truenorth1]

Thanks to all of you for the great information.... I will continue planning when my head stops spinning haha

 

[JGRaider]

I've been fortunate to have gone three times now, once to SA, twice to Namibia. When planning my first trip, I didn't know what I didn't know.....ya know? I did learn that outfitters use the term "free range" very loosely, and does not mean "no high fences". Found this out the hard way. Also you must be very leary of the fact that the vast majority of SA outfitters are "put and take" operations, meaning they buy animals at auctions to stock their farms with before hunters arrive. Found this out the hard way as well because neither are my thing. I can hunt like that here in Texas. Nothing illegal about any of it, just make sure you know what you're getting into beforehand.

 

[truenorth1]

This is awesome advice, I definitely didn't know that. I would like to avoid that if at all possible. How do you avoid this?

 

[billc]

First off dont believe everything you read. The vast majority are not put and take and if you do your home work you can stay away from them. If you look at the game market were they sell animals you would see it is not cheap to buy animals now a days. Not to sure to many guys would pay 5000 for a kudu to then sell it to a hunter for 2500.

Yes game ranches in SA have been stocked and may get animals added sometimes but they try to make it that the animals breed and self sustain there ranches. A put and take place you will tend to see all mature animals and not as many females.They will buy animals ready to hunt size wise because in africa hunters are not the only that can kill there animals.

Every place I hunted in SA which is with 4 outfitters but over a dozen ranches had from year old animals to animals well past there prime.Maybe a dozen females to each male that is on that ranch. This is your normal plains game like kudu.impala,zebra,wildebeest and so on.

Some animals like sable maybe stocked more often but those even over the years have grow in numbers on some ranches. Buff also as now it pays to have cows and not just bulls on a ranch.

Free range it what ever a person thinks that is to him. In namibia you may have places that are 100,000's with just low fence animals move freely. You will also find high fence there for certain animals.

In SA you will have places that are high fenced but no other fence inside with animals free to roam as they may but the size may be 4500 to 15,000 acres.There is some bigger but SA places tend to be smaller then namibia.

The reason why this is the landowner owns the animal in SA and took years to build the numbers up and may have stocked it years ago to build the area up. Sa has way more people then namibia so poaching of unfenced areas is way higher.

So do your homework ask the right question no matter were you go and believe about half of what you read.

 

[James.Grage]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the site and have never been to africa, there seems to be a ton of information on here. I was looking into a simple plains game hunt. I would like to get some advice on these 4 species hunts that seem to be a dime a dozen on the net. They all seem to have a kudu, blue wildebeest, impala, and a warthog or a jackal. They range in price from 3500-7000 with those trophy fees included. I'm not sure what each includes but I'd like to get a good idea of what a hunt like this would cost? What are some hidden fees and costs that arise? What dipping and shipping would cost? Airfare? Taxidermy? If anyone could point me on to a reputable outfitter/area it would be appreciated....thanks in advance

True North
Welcome to AH.

I would suggest that you look at the deal section and see what fits your budget. Contact a few to see what the plusses and negatives would be for you.

Try to stay on track budget wise as you will see more game that are considered good representative that you have money for.

A note to consider. Have your animals dip and packed and shipped to the united states. As your taxidermist for advise and have some animals completed over a period of time as money allows.

Something to remember, look at what you take and do the very best trophy first and consider doing some European mounts with some of the average trophy's taken.

Remember, you will be returning and doing this again.

Have fun and ask questions or do a search to see if the topic was covered.

 

[JGRaider]

Yeah, well good luck getting a SA operator to tell you it's put and take. We'll just agree to disagree on how many there are. It doesn't take a genius to figure out though that you can't take 15 kudu per year, every year, off of a 3000 acre farm without "help." Farms that size are abundant in SA.

truenorth, to answer your question specifically, I did all the homework I knew to do, but it wasn't until half way through my SA hunt that I realized things were not as represented. I have since learned that Namibia suits my taste much better. I like meeting potential outfitters face to face at the various US hunting shows like DSC, SCI, or the Harrisburg, PA show. Using a hunting consultant/broker may help sift through the BS as well. Planning your trip is lots of fun, so enjoy every minute of it.

 

[thi9elsp]

^^^I agree 100% on meeting outfitters. That's what I've done on my last two hunts - met them at the DSC show. There is something about looking someone in the face, eye-to-eye and having a conversation.

 

[billc]

You will find many outfitters in SA will have many farms they hunt. So there farms maybe only 4ooo to 10000 acres but they will have 5 or 6 of them leased or more with in say 1 hour of each other. So taking 15 kudu off of say 50,000 acres or more is very doable.

So ask how big there area is in total.Find out the female numbers on the ranches by asking them.Ask for pictures of different age classes you may see on there places. If your after kudu find out how many they take off there place a year.The main thing is ask anything you want and get the answers to those questions.

Do your home work dont plan on others doing for you. If you want to pay more use a agent but it is just one more person you need to trust. It is not as hard to find good places to go as some make it out to be.

 

[jeff]

Remember the booking agent is working for the outfitter ! He's the one paying him not the client, that doesn't give me peace of mind.

 

[JGRaider]

Remember the booking agent is working for the outfitter ! He's the one paying him not the client, that doesn't give me peace of mind.

That's a valid point, but I wasn't referring to what I'd call a USA representative of only one outfitter. Those are everywhere nowadays, and I'd never use one. I am referring to booking agents who have multiple African outfitters to choose from. Big difference.

 

[billc]

very big difference a booking agent makes 10 to 15% of you. I will get some breaks on my own hunt never taking a penny from the people I help. Plus we are not all alike when it comes to booking people. If the place were I go does not work for people who are looking to go to africa I will help them anyway. I have sent more then one guy to namibia or the east cape because of what they wanted to hunt.

Must of us so called reps are here to to help answer question about the outfit we help. why because we like to hunt and we found a place we like with people we like.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Representatives and agents can be a tremendous and sometimes an invaluable asset to a hunting outfitters. Usually it is the outfitters who seeks out that support system overseas. Many outfitters will not have the time during the busy periods of the hunting season to be marketing or be active on AH so representatives and agents can play a major role in that regard. I'm not going to go into details but there are many other advantages for outfitters to have someone overseas as part of their team.

 

[wesheltonj]

avoid the warthog, not "worth" the extra paper work, money and hassle to bring that home.