SOUTH AFRICA: The Adventure Begins!

[375Fox]

So someone let down Jaco and consequently you Doug and Jeff. A 65% cut is huge, either this is emotional greenie turf or the game management has been slack and they were caught with their pants down. Having seen a little of this place and the good game density it smells of the former.
To continue to feed these owners hunting revenue when they pull a stunt like this is wrong. Let them see how cameras pay the bills.

I’d hate to see it returned to a photo tourism operation. Hopefully kwalata can use this to make stronger contract terms specifying minimum quotas to accommodate booked hunters in future. It might take a few years for owners to realize the benefits of hunting. In the meantime though, I hope all clients booked here this year were notified directly before this report came out once things became clear.

 

[buck wild]

Just getting caught up. Jacko has given his explanation and taken responsibility for making the decision to not notify booked clients once he was aware the quota had been cut. I personally think that was a bad decision, but he was his decision to make.

Enjoyed the report. Seems you made the best decision you could once you arrived, which was to make lemonade from lemons. I personally would leverage Jacko for a hell of a return trip to somewhere

 

[Dinsdale]

Thanks for posting the report including the issues.

Think bush pig are a unique trophy so thats something to be happy about.

 

[JPetroni]

Situations can always arise while on a safari and some are truly out of the hands of the operator. I would find it interesting to know how many clients or members would have cancelled, or even if the OP would have, if they were told of the situation up front before arriving and as soon as the operator became aware of the quota/area problem that seemed to be out of his control.
Giving the client the choice to hunt on other properties that were available instead of what was marketed, agreed upon and deposit paid for, should in my opinion be up to the client.

It does seem from the discussion that the outfitter is trying to make things right which is honorable and commendable, though it is still after the fact and all the while it seems knew of the issues beforehand and would have to deal with it once the OP arrived.

I suppose that what is most bothersome is the mindset, that as soon as the outfitter found out he would no longer be able to provide the expected quota/area and by not telling the clients he removed the financial decisions from the OP and all of the clients that may have been booked after him, as to whether or not they would complete a safari under the new arrangement or just get back what they can and move on. Either way at least, the choice would be up to the paying clients while they still have some control of the situation, instead of hitting the ground and spending even more resources while having to make the best of it. Heck, once you’re there you kind of have too. Again, I realize that situations can arise on a safari and I am sure none of us has been immune from problems at one time or another, it’s part of hunting anywhere one ventures, It’s about being able to make the financial decisions that are best and accept the outcome.

JP

 

[SikaMDhunter]

Situations can always arise while on a safari and some are truly out of the hands of the operator. I would find it interesting to know how many clients or members would have cancelled, or even if the OP would have, if they were told of the situation up front before arriving and as soon as the operator became aware of the quota/area problem that seemed to be out of his control.
Giving the client the choice to hunt on other properties that were available instead of what was marketed, agreed upon and deposit paid for, should in my opinion be up to the client.

It does seem from the discussion that the outfitter is trying to make things right which is honorable and commendable, though it is still after the fact and all the while it seems knew of the issues beforehand and would have to deal with it once the OP arrived.

I suppose that what is most bothersome is the mindset, that as soon as the outfitter found out he would no longer be able to provide the expected quota/area and by not telling the clients he removed the financial decisions from the OP and all of the clients that may have been booked after him, as to whether or not they would complete a safari under the new arrangement or just get back what they can and move on. Either way at least, the choice would be up to the paying clients while they still have some control of the situation, instead of hitting the ground and spending even more resources while having to make the best of it. Heck, once you’re there you kind of have too. Again, I realize that situations can arise on a safari and I am sure none of us has been immune from problems at one time or another, it’s part of hunting anywhere one ventures, It’s about being able to make the financial decisions that are best and accept the outcome.

JP

Agreed. Seems kinda wild to me you tell the client about all this once they are there. What would have happened if they said no thanks?

 

[PARA45]

I do think that Kwalata owed it to us to tell us when we booked (if the quotas were known then) or at least before we arrived. Had they, we would likely postponed or asked for our deposits to be refunded.

From Post #79.

 

[fourfive8]

It is the responsibility of whomever deals directly with the hunters to let them know about any change immediately- no matter who made the decision about the change or triggered the change- period. Aw shucks good ole boy passes go nowhere in what amounts to a mutually understood and agreed to monetary contract for services, written or not. Doing business any other way will cost much much more in the long run and no doubt will in this case.

 

[Rare Breed]

Next up for me was an Eland. We hunted another property about an hour and a half from Kwalata’s Reserve. It was exceptionally beautiful in the heart of the Waterberg’s. AJ spotted a lone bull about 1/4 mile away standing skylined on a hill. We staled to about 180 yards and I placed a good shot on the point of the shoulder. I was using my Winchester Model 70 in good ol’ 375 H&H. He staggered over the other side of the hill where we found him.

View attachment 541622

The 300 grain Barnes Triple Shock was just under the offside hide. It literally dropped into AJs hand as he was caping it out. You say it looks like every other recovered TSX you’ve seen? Why yes it does.

View attachment 541626

My absolute favorite eating African animal without peer. Delicious…I could eat it all week!

 

[CBH Australia]

Thanks for posting the report including the issues.

Think bush pig are a unique trophy so thats something to be happy about.

But, they are Butt Ugly creatures. A trophy no doubt but I do like the Warthogs, I guess that's cause we have ugly pigs in Australia so Pumbah was something unique.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Evening Gentlemen going forward I will over the next couple of days, create a new thread removing any perceived ambiguity, and/information that might not have been carried over correctly.

While it might seem to late for some I would encourage you to contact me so that I can rectify the problem or issues you experienced.
I have always been an honest man, and will always do my utmost to correct any mistakes made.

We are in a service industry at the end of the day and hence my request for your personal input. My email is on the site and a list of any issues will be welcomed, questions answered and actions taken.

My best always.
Jaco.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

@Jeff505 and I are at Lambert International Airport awaiting our flight to Joburg via Newark. The journey has begun! We’ll be hunting @KWALATA SAFARIS new Waterberg area. I’ll be posting as we go. Cheers!

View attachment 537108

Airport booze? There goes the buffalo trophy fee budget!

 

[USN]

Hi Phil. I can address some of your points directly.

First, @hunterchad was not with me on my hunt with Kwalata. I also noticed that he joined very recently and agree that it’s odd that his first post was about my situation.

Personally, I agree with the core of his post. I think Kwalata owed it to me to let me know about the reduction in quota as soon as they knew. It was a significant change in the terms of our deal. I’m nowhere near as critical of Jaco and Kwalata, but I still think I got a bad deal.

However, I don’t think my posts were “bashing” the outfitter. Perhaps I’m reading more into that word than you intended. I made my disappointment clear to AJ the PH the minute I learned about the reduction in quota and having to hunt off property. I would have also told Jaco, if he hadn’t been in MOZ rebuilding his camp. As an aside, Jaco was to have been our PH, and I would have probably been more vehement to him man-to-man, but he tapped AJ to replace him just a week or so before we arrived. This change he did tell us about beforehand. It was no use blaming AJ. He did his best to make it right, and we had a good hunt.

I really struggled over whether to post what happened or not. It was water under the bridge. I’m not after a refund or a discount on a future hunt. A discount will not be required in any case. I’m also not trying to hurt Jaco’s business. I spoke with a member of the forum I trust before I posted, just to make sure I wasn’t being a whiner. He confirmed my thoughts. One of the big reasons we participate in this forum is to provide a source of information for others planning their safaris. I tried to be balanced in my hunt report. Notice that I posted all of the good first, along with pictures.

It‘s an unfortunate situation all around. I’ve already moved on. Hope this helps.

You handled it very well Sir. I wonder if how I would have reacted in same situation. Excellent animals

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Hi Phil. I can address some of your points directly.

First, @hunterchad was not with me on my hunt with Kwalata. I also noticed that he joined very recently and agree that it’s odd that his first post was about my situation.

Personally, I agree with the core of his post. I think Kwalata owed it to me to let me know about the reduction in quota as soon as they knew. It was a significant change in the terms of our deal. I’m nowhere near as critical of Jaco and Kwalata, but I still think I got a bad deal.

However, I don’t think my posts were “bashing” the outfitter. Perhaps I’m reading more into that word than you intended. I made my disappointment clear to AJ the PH the minute I learned about the reduction in quota and having to hunt off property. I would have also told Jaco, if he hadn’t been in MOZ rebuilding his camp. As an aside, Jaco was to have been our PH, and I would have probably been more vehement to him man-to-man, but he tapped AJ to replace him just a week or so before we arrived. This change he did tell us about beforehand. It was no use blaming AJ. He did his best to make it right, and we had a good hunt.

I really struggled over whether to post what happened or not. It was water under the bridge. I’m not after a refund or a discount on a future hunt. A discount will not be required in any case. I’m also not trying to hurt Jaco’s business. I spoke with a member of the forum I trust before I posted, just to make sure I wasn’t being a whiner. He confirmed my thoughts. One of the big reasons we participate in this forum is to provide a source of information for others planning their safaris. I tried to be balanced in my hunt report. Notice that I posted all of the good first, along with pictures.

It‘s an unfortunate situation all around. I’ve already moved on. Hope this helps.

A fair and reasonable post. I didn’t think you were bashing Jaco or Kwalata in the least. The bashing part was referring only to huntingchad’s posts.