However, something as simple as, “You guys have a question? Sorry, it’s a well-established rule, I’m sorry you didn’t know, but if it’s wounded, I have to take it off my books,” would have sufficed. To scream at paying clients, in front of your other clients? Unconscionable.
And we were men without options. Fully reliant on him for our safety and future, four hours from greater civilization in Johannesburg, we had no bargaining power. We were strangers in a strange land. Despite being paying customers, we were guests, one more word away from wearing out our welcome.
I choose not to give this company a positive review. File this as one of the two- or three-star reviews that gets largely. I had memories to last a lifetime. I saw things I never dreamed I would. I spent time with my wife staring at the Southern Cross and walking in fresh leopard tracks. I shot a zebra and shared it with my loved ones. I would recommend "Jack" our PH to anyone, without hesitation, and I made friends from close to home all the way around the world.
Ultimately, this safari was not about the outfitter. It wasn’t about the PHs, nor the animals, nor even me. It was about the experience, and, boy, did we get one. You can try all you like to curate a trip to be exactly what you want it to be, but there will always be some unknowns. I hope hearing honesty about a hunting trip that wasn’t all a dream can help someone manage their expectations, or even find comfort in knowing they aren’t alone in thinking it wasn’t all that great. The highs come with the lows, life’s just like that, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Would I do this again? Yes. But I’d try to learn from some of my lessons and mistakes herein. Would I do an African hunt over, say, Alaska or New Zealand, or somewhere else exotic? Who’s to say. There’s a lot of world still left to see. But for now, I’ve had enough fun to tide me over for several years while my wallet recuperates.
At least until duck season.
