What do you do when you fill your package early?

[DieJager]

Last hunt, very recently in Namibia, the PH, a local guy, after a successful hunt shared a few drinks with me. Well after those drinks we came up with the bright idea to go into the town for some more. At that time I fulfilled my wishlist of animals so the last day was still up to debate what we would do.

The owner was very accommodating, gave a a few bucks to spend in town and we went all out.
We went to a few bars and came back very late at night. It was a wild night.

No debate what I would do the last day, rest and enjoying the memories of a crazy night. I know for certain that I will be remembered

So when you have completed your hunt. You can always immerse yourself in the local nightlife and sleep some the day afterwards. It is for me a hunting trip but also a holiday. As I said earlier just enjoy every second.

Edit: my last days I hunted a different area, where our base camp was the owners place from where we drove to the hunting area. So I slept my last days in the town of Gobabis. My story is of course only possible if you are near a town or city

 

[uplander01]

keep hunting or get out the camera and hunt for incredible pictures

 

[Elkeater]

Hmm. We just kept on hunting! Of course we had budgeted extra $$$ so it was an easy choice. On our last day we went all out too. Started the day with an excellent Gemsbok for my brother, then my daughter shot a super nice Blesbok about lunchtime. Went back to the lodge had lunch. My brother missed a monkey during our lunch break and then we spent the afternoon hunting Zebra but gave up on those when our spotted a great looking Nyala in the brush which I shot. The back to lodge to soak in one last campfire and some scotch.

 

[Marcus bock]

I was hunting with a buddy. Each with our own PH's. I filled my list early. My PH said, let's try for a bushbok....May take a few days. 30 minutes !!! 15 inch. Let my PH go home with a nice tip. Walked with my buddy for a couple days. Every one happy.

 

[HerbJohnson]

Thank you all for your input. Leaving next year for a 10 day hunt for Cape Buffalo and 2 warthogs. Extra time is a real possibility and now my options are limitless! Cheers!

 

[Marcus bock]

Can I come?

 

[Hunt anything]

Talk to the outfitter, on my last 2 hunts while not pkg hunts I finished my lists fairly quickly. One outfitter and cut me a great deal on a waterbuck and my last one told me if I wanted to shoot a gemsbok bull for half price he would throw in an impala or blesbok for free. He actually approached me about this one. I was able to get both on my last day.
Many are willing to make these deals. They can always say no and no harm no foul.

 

[Hunt anything]

Thank you all for your input. Leaving next year for a 10 day hunt for Cape Buffalo and 2 warthogs. Extra time is a real possibility and now my options are limitless! Cheers!

If you’re in an area with big warthogs you could shoot a good pig when you see him and spend your remaining time hunting a monster!!

If you’re hunting the areas that have been in the extreme drought finding big warthog may be difficult. They are pretty susceptible to drought and many of the big boars are the first to go.

 

[HerbJohnson]

Hunting close to a major river so water always available. Thanks for the tips H!

 

[BryceM]

Maybe don’t do what I did……

I booked a 10-day Caprivi Buffalo hunt. I had no intention of adding anything more than maybe some PG that were still on quota. With the Buffalo in the salt on day 3, I eagerly accepted an unexpected offer to “add on” an exportable elephant at a reasonable price. It made for a truly epic experience but busted the budget wide, wide open.

On other hunts, it’s never been a problem. Everything in Africa is interesting to me. Jackal hunts can be a blast. On one slightly frustrating Kalahari hunt, we had no luck locating waterbuck. We made a decision to give up and start “hunting hippo”. Mind you, there was no open water for a hundred miles in any direction. Well, wouldn’t you know it, on our first low-key “hippo hunt” we wandered into a nice waterbuck bull…..

 

[Tra3]

Some if the best hunting is when you have no specific goal. You get to enjoy being out without overthinking anything.

I always choose to keep hunting.

Ask about what small game may be available. Birds, night hunting, jackals, etc. all of that is super fun and usually low cost.

 

[Puddle]

Had a unique situation where the handful of us in camp all wrapped up our planned bags, so the safari operator made some phone calls, rustled up some shotguns and cases of ammo, and the next morning we drove to a humongous sunflower farm.

With us spread out in line in the field, waves of doves would fly over, back and forth, with us slinging lead all day. What a kick! Literally. I boarded the return flight the next day a happy camper and sporting a right proper bruised shoulder.

Too dang much fun.

 

[fourfive8]

Relax and enjoy rest of your safari! It happens often. I’ve gone bird hunting several times. Same for fishing- from bass to tilapia to rainbow trout to catfish to tigers… etc. Sometimes I’ve concentrated on game tracking and scouting, bird watching, photography, watching rhinos, lions, eles, hippos, crocs, etc. I’ve helped work around the property and run errands, always something to fix. Even been in on some anti-poaching work. It also gives you a chance to visit with locals and the camp staff. I really enjoy just hanging around the staff areas of camp chatting with them. Always something to do

 

[BRICKBURN]

Had a unique situation where the handful of us in camp all wrapped up our planned bags, so the safari operator made some phone calls, rustled up some shotguns and cases of ammo, and the next morning we drove to a humongous sunflower farm.

With us spread out in line in the field, waves of doves would fly over, back and forth, with us slinging lead all day. What a kick! Literally. I boarded the return flight the next day a happy camper and sporting a right proper bruised shoulder.

Too dang much fun.

That sounds like a blast.

 

[skydiver386]

Almost anywhere you can hunt, you can fish.

 

[DLSJR]

I will likely face this situation in 2025.
I’ve got a Sitatunga hunt booked in Zambia with Johnny DuPlooy on Tondwa during the dark of the moon in October. It’s absolutely the prime time to hunt for a big bull. Tondwa has fantastic Sitatunga but not a lot else on a 10-day hunt. So, it’s kinda like an elk hunt here in the USA, essentially a hunt for one animal. Even though I’ll be looking for something special, I will likely finish early. We’ve discussed what to do if we finish early and I’ve made it known I’m open to whatever fun presents itself. Maybe we’ll wander over to the Luangwa Valley if there’s an opportunity to hunt buffalo or bushbuck, maybe Bangweulu if a Black Lechwe permit can be had or most likely we will spend our days fishing for Tigerfish and Nile Perch.

I’ll also likely have this happen in May in Zimbabwe. It looks like we are going to hunt buffalo on Hammond with Alan Vincent. I’ll be hunting with an 81 year old friend on what’ll most likely be his last African hunt. 2 on 1 for 10-days with 3 buffalo for us to hunt, and perhaps a couple kudu and for him, an eland. If we’re done early, Gonarezhou is nearby and we can take the girls there for a few days. It’s as much a vacation as a hunt as I’ll be taking my wife to Vic Falls on our arrival to Zim, then visit a couple of projects the Mzuri Wildlife Foundation has funded (I’m a director of Mzuri, so want to see first hand how our money is being used), also visit Peter Johnstone on his Cawston Block property. Peter (he holds Zimbabwe PH license #1) and I are old friends and he’s 90 now, so it’s important for me to see him one more time while I still can. My wife will love touring Cawston. After all that, we’ll go hunt buffalo on Hammond.

Bottom line, there’s always plenty to do when you’re done shooting stuff.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

If you're lucky enough to fill your package early what do you do with your extra days? Do you feel obligation to the outfitter to keep hunting? Sitting at camp is no fun. Many times you cant find an alternative.You committed to the days and do you feel the PH has a commitment to at that point "babysit" you. That situation can become akward for both parties.

I've never run out of things to do on an Africa trip. Even if you aren't looking to.shoot anything else (you might) there are animals to.look at, pictures to take, maybe fishing, the list goes on.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Every trip to Africa has resulted in me shooting something not on my package or intended "list". I paid for the days to hunt, I'm going to hunt.

I've had hunts where I didn't take everything on my list (ex. leopard), but took several animals not on the list during that hunt. My advice is just go hunting if you have extra time. If you see something you really like go after it. If you're not interested pass. You can also go fishing or ask about some sort of shopping/excursion depending where you are.

I know money is a real concern for a lot of people, myself included. I look at it like this, taking an extra couple animals on the present hunt is going to be cheaper than a return trip. You've already paid the daily rates, you've already paid for your flights and gun permits. Another couple of animals to your Dip & Pack doesn't cost much, and you're already paying import/broker fees so those amortize out across more animals making the cost per animal less, so you're really just paying trophy fees. As long as it's not a big ticket animal (like an importable Lion or Elephant) you can always find a way to pay for it or make a little extra money when you're home.

 

[1dirthawker]

i live in alaska,

so getting to africa takes 2 1/2 days, and 2 1/2 days to get home. i like to be in country at least 2 weeks and 3 is better.

if i tag out early, there is almost unlimited opportunities to hunt other species, birds, tourist stuff, fishing, etc. at the worst.... i am drinking beer in africa. at best, i am having another epic hunt. also, if other members in camp are ok with it, i will go along with them and glass for them and get to watch their hunt as it unfolds.

velo dog was gracious enough to let me come along and watch him (a dear friend) take a eland and a sable. it was a great time just to be there and share the moment with him.

if you just open up to doing what africa gives you, you will be fine. good luck on your trip.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

On the three occasions that I had the pleasure of hunting Africa I completed my list of animals that I had chosen to hunt earlier than the allotted duration.
Namibia, greater kudu, gemsbok, impala and warthog booked, came home with those 3 plus blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, another kudu and another warthog. Plus time to engage with the owner and his family during a trip to Windhoek, visiting the taxidermist shop, going to a fine restaurant in the city, taking in a cattle bull sale and spending time in the Windhoek gun shops trying to figure out what calibre of rifle I should purchase in case I could sometime in the future return to the Dark Continent, thinking ahead and hoping it would eventually happen. The following two weeks we spent touring through Namibia, down to the skeleton coast, Damaraland, Etosha park, through the Caprivi (where I watched the first true Dugga Boy, which really hooked me on wanting to return for one), into Botswana, the Chobe Park and onto Victoria Falls before returning home.

Second trip five years later was dedicated to a cape buffalo. On the fourth day it was completed successfully. The PH offered me a giraffe, not on my list but unexpectedly affordable and a Royal Sable, again affordable. So why not so I did. I then joined my son on his first plains game hunt, kudu, zebra, impala and gemsbok. So we went for one cape buffalo, one kudu, one zebra and one impala and came home with a giraffe and sable extra. Plus we had booked travel to Cape Town, toured and enjoyed the wine country and took in a day watching great white sharks while in a protective cage, thankfully strong enough because I must have appeared to them as a big fat slow seal in my wetsuit as the came right up to the cage itself.

Third trip was only a year later. Booked for a blesbok, nyala, impala, blue wildebeest and warthog. With a bit of horse trading I came home with a golden wildebeest, a black wildebeest, a blesbok, nyala and Impala. Hunt was followed by a week long tour thru the Garden Route to cape Town before returning home.

So book your hunt and enjoy it. Budget for more animals. Enjoy Africa because it has so much more to see and do, culturally and historically over and above the hunt. As my wife said "Take the other animals, who knows if or when we can get back". No truer words have been spoken.

Enjoy your hunt, enjoy Africa.