Real Safari cost question? thanks for any opinions

[USN]

Another vote for going on Nickbowkerhunting.com.
He has broken down everything so you will get no surprises. My first hunt was there and you can see my hunt report here. Going back early May for another. Be warned, there are several links and you can spend a good amount of time on the website but you will learn a great deal and end up with no surprises. Well maybe shipping will have some but as far as cost was in line, just hassle every stop. YouTube Nick Bowker also and most importantly DO IT. Time is a dreadful thing and every moment you don’t do it is an opportunity lost. Enjoy your trip. You have been warned it will not be your only trip.

 

[USN]

A lot of good info on Nick Bowker's website, including taxidermy costs. Shipping varies with distance shipped, weight and size of box. Taxidermy here or there opens up a whole can of worms. I'll get the popcorn. Someone else can get the beer.

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nickbowkerhunting.com

Here is the link that hog patrol was so nice to include, notice he is a regular here and I remember seeing one of his posts and following his wise advice and can say it was even better than the reviews. going back after about 6-7 months from first time. I will bring castle lite get the popcorn going

 

[Jonathan Gurley]

For a turnkey hunt and taxidermy with all pricing on one website go to www.frontiersafaris.com. Taxidermy is far cheaper and faster in Africa. If you are not looking for competition quality taxidermy then look at it as an option.
I suggest you make a spreadsheet and create multiple scenarios.
You are way off on your travel expenses and I suggest penciling in $3000.
I recommend a plains game package hunt like Frontier Safaris and others offers for your first safari. You are skipping a step in my mind going for a Buffalo the first time. Be cautions with Buffalo hunts. Find out the true story before booking a RSA buff hunt. Some are very good some are very bad.
Check out my safari planning videos in the safari planning section and on my YouTube channel
Have fun planning!

Care to elaborate on the Buff hunts in RSA. or pm me in private would be great appreciated. I know someone on here mentioned be aware of Buff hunts that the buff comes from a farm operation or something.????? Would someone care to elaborate on these things, and feel free to reccomend me people who have good buff hunts or pm me those that do not etc. I would GREATLY appreciate it.

 

[IdaRam]

Regarding Buff hunts in RSA, they range from fantastic traditional tracking hunts in massive areas, to just wait at the feeder for your habituated, pre-selected bull to show up. There has been much discussion on the topic and it sometimes gets a bit heated.
One of the wonderful things about South Africa is there is something for everyone to be had. It just takes some due diligence and finding parity between what you want out of your hunt and the right operator to provide it. There are folks that may not be able to walk all day for 10 days straight to get their buff, but long for the experience of shooting a cape buffalo and seeing the mount on their wall. For them they may need a low impact hunt from a blind or something similar.
I think where things go awry is when a hunter shows up expecting one thing and gets something entirely different.
One thing to understand is the properties hunted in SA can range from a small farm without enough habitat to support a self sustaining, naturally producing population to incredibly large tracts of land you would be hard pressed to see all of in a couple weeks of hunting.
There are land owners who bring in animals periodically to stock their properties with huntable species, ie put and take operations. And there are properties where it is totally natural production. And in some cases animals may be introduced to broaden genetic diversity or introduce and establish a new species which will eventually be self sustaining.
You will likely pay more for a buffalo bull on a large, self sustaining tract of land than a small put and take operation. Operators who provide a high quality experience know what that is worth.
I would look closely at size of property, number of animals present, is it a mixed herd of bulls and cows or is it primarily bulls on the property. How many animals to they take off the property per year? Do they shoot both bulls and cows? What’s the mix?
Also talk to people who have hunted with the outfitter and ask them detailed questions about their hunt. Did they track buffalo or hunt over feed or water? Did they see buff every day? Did they primarily diesel stalk them (drive around in the truck) or did they look for tracks early in the morning at a water hole and them track the buff from there? How large is the property and is it divided internally by fences into smaller sections? Is the property mountainous or flat? What type of vegetation? Thick cover pr fairly open?
All of these factors will shape the texture of your hunt. Try to match realistic expectation with your desires for the hunt, physical fitness level, age and budget.
So much more to be discussed and considered and I’m sure a bunch of our experienced members will chime in with a bunch more food advice for you.
Good luck and enjoy the research and planning as well as your hunt!

 

[Ridge Runner]

Well damn! Looks like IdaRam did a good explanation on RSA hunting, while I was hunting and pecking an answer to Johnathan Gurley's question.

 

[wesheltonj]

One additional fact about RSA, if you are looking for a bull that will make Rowland Ward, you might want to look the special rules for RSA buffalo. Some will not qualify.

 

[DLSJR]

Over analyzing every cost is the worst thing you can do. Outfitters hate these types of threads for a reason! Lol.

Just go with the hard costs of the safari daily rates, trophy fees and tips. Otherwise, you will never go because, frankly, it doesn’t make sense. Lol.

Do long term research and then book your safaris a couple years in advance to get the best dates, prices and areas and then pay for it over time. You should book your airfare several months in advance. Your taxidermy, shipping and dip/pack fees will be incurred several months after the safari. Spread the costs out to fool yourself that it’s not that expensive!

THIS! This is great advice. It’s what I do.

 

[Mekaniks]

@IdaRam pretty much covered it all. Matching expectations with reality is what it's all about

 

[channelkat]

Safe plan is to double the cost of the hunt to be all in.

Now you tell me!