What makes or breaks your decision to book a hunt

[Ridge Runner]

I don't think anyone mentioned not paying the daily rates if one decides to leave early. Heck, if I were to take my main trophy on day ONE I wouldn't care about the daily rates for the rest of the time. It is a ten day hunt after all. Also, my contract (you guys sign contracts I hope) has an overall number for commitment in regards to daily rates. The only way the hunt total would go up or down is based on the trophy fees.

One other thing, every contract I have ever signed has asked for daily rates to be paid prior to arrival. No refunds unless the hunt is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances (Covid shutdown etc.) on the outfitter's side.

Now, there was one Tanzanian outfitter I had a conversation with a while ago. His policy was no refunds period. I brought up the country being shutdown and not even him being able to go there and hunt. His response was that is what travel insurance is for. I did not book with him.

CMS allowed me and others to move our hunts. Refunds were an option as well but no one took them up on it I think. I had booked a Scottish driven pheasant hunt in 2020, Scotland shutdown and outfitter refunded everyone's deposit (50% of the cost).

It is pretty important to look at cancellation policies.

Very Good Point!!

If an outfitter I am looking to hire doesn't offer a full refund or is willing to change/reschedule my hunt dates because of a last minute situation prior to or during the hunt they are immediately removed from my consideration list.

Or a reasonable partial refund if prior to the hunt the client just says screw it cancel the hunt with no valid reason or has no intention of trying to reschedule the hunt.

 

[Jaegger]

@Jaegger
Send me a PM my son.

Hi Bob … PM sent, thx!

 

[LWPhunt]

amazingly good info here, all that was written before me, try to pick a few things and use it.

My first hunt, an auction item at a RMEF banquet, 10 days, best time of my life with my wife and my best hunting partner and his wife. It was nothing short of great, good value, the PH and his staff and family, were the best. accommodations, super, food awesome, etc. The learning curve is about quality of animals, and how to judge and size of concessions. That is a personal thing so you will need to qualify in your head how you deal with that. I didn't shoot monsters, but it was for me, experience, what I thought was a once in a lifetime, (now addicted to hunting africa) and I have budget limits. for me, I am a super fit human being so there is no physical effort that I wasn't afraid of, but we didn't always spot and stalk, I had to learn about that, but I had one water hole enjoyment shooting jackals and other worthless critters.

Went a second time, with a hunting machine outfitter, they knew how to hunt, wanted to shoot good trophies, but the experience for my wife was not as nice. Accommodations were nice but time of year, it was cold, that can be a bummer if all around is cold too. And in the goal to kill things, over hunt the same concession chasing a trophy, that gets very boring. And the staff was not as friendly to my wife, that was a bit of a bummer. but great hunting and I'd go back for different reasons and with out Mama. This was also found at a SCI convention, I nice value, but not a bucket dirt one,

As mentioned here, be prepared to pay, people have to earn a living, some animals for some outfitters are too high against the market, don't go there for that animal.

go once, your hooked. I feel so privileged that my wife and I have made it a priority to experience SA, and we eventually will try one of the surrounding countries. But we will be coming in to retirement, so, chances to go will reduce due to income. All the mounts, are way better than all my whitetail mounts.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

This is a questions I think we as outfitters would like to know the answer to, What makes you the client decide on which and whom to book a hunt with?

View attachment 469410

I'm work at a great insurance company. We've been in business for 41 years. Many agents love working with us and we don't have a problem recruiting or selling because we have a great REPUTATION for paying agents and paying claims. That's what insurance companies are suppose to do, pay agents and claims.

1. Length of time and reputation matter. People don't last in business a very long time by doing clients and others wrong. Word will spread fast if you're a bullshitter. I look for reputation how long you've been around and what references have to say about hidden fees, scams attitude and the actual game available.

2. Location of the country in Africa and if the area is safe for myself especially my wife

3. Location of the particular type animal I'm after. For example I'm told over and over the finest leopards and biggest crocs are plentiful in Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania

4. Facilities and accommodations. I've hunted Africa 3 times each time I made a good choice but my 3rd trip I don't think I can ever do a tent camp hunt again. I had a poisonous snake, an 8 inch centipede inside my tent and 4 young male lions roaring outside my tent 4 nights in a row. It was a 14 day hunt I know I didn't sleep like 8 or 9 nights.

5. Your website and you tube hunts are you really helping clients put animals in the salt.

5. Price and fees

 

[Rubberhead]

Oh, and, I almost forgot, I'd make sure my PH has African accent. I'd hate to spend a lot of money just to spend time in the African bush with a guy that sounds like me...

The only exception would be if I could afford Mark Sullivan...

 

[R.M.C.]

Somehow I must have missed this post, I had a few things I wanted. Mostly pick up and drop off from joberg airport (just to make my first trip to South Africa simple) and I didn't want to go to a place that could handle eight or ten hunters at a time. I wanted something more private. I figured a place that has 20,000 acres to hunt would get small quick with a bunch of hunters and PHs driving and walking through. And the ph definitely has to have an accent, that would be a deal breaker for me lol

 

[Charles de Ribeau]

Call a reliable booking agent like...

That sounds like the subject for another thread "How to pick a booking agent."

xn

 

[StickFlicker AZ]

Items I Consider When Booking African Safaris

Great topic, and the fact that you care enough to post it speaks volumes for you! Sorry, I’m a little late to respond, but I wanted to give it some thought and give a thorough response. I’ll apologize in advance for the length of it! I’ve hunted Africa five times and will go several more times. I take at least one “Africa Virgin” with me every time I go. Many people have always wanted to go, but their friends either aren’t interested or can’t afford the money and/or time, so the whole idea of going it alone intimidates them. That’s where I come in. I always find a friend or friends of friends that have always wanted to go but thought it was inaccessible to them. We are all bowhunters, so that eliminates many of the concessions from consideration.

• Prices are number one for me, and they need to be ON THE WEBSITE, or I usually just move on. If a company is so ashamed of their prices that they don’t put them on their website, I’m not interested. Daily rates, species pricing, and any available packages should all be shown on the website. And if you hope to have us shoot animals outside the packages, don’t try to make up double the entire package discount on each and every animal priced outside the package! Some places are just crazy with their individual species prices and additional days. Having an incredible package price, then gouging on every additional animal and additional day is a deal-breaker.
• They must have a website. A Facebook page is not a website, and those that only have social media never have the information I need readily available: pricing, photos of the facilities, hides, game taken, etc. The location of the concession should be shown, preferably on a map showing nearby cities.
• Other costs, such as airport transfers, etc. are very important as well. Even if you have decent prices, throw in a large airport transfer fee, charge extra for hard liquor, etc., and I’m looking elsewhere. If they are nickel and diming on items like that, they are going to do so in other places that aren’t as easy to see.
• I DON’T want sliding prices based on horn size. I’ve even seen this now on warthog tusks, ridiculous!! I accept that there are species in Africa that I cannot afford. But I don’t want to see a herd of some animals and have to shoot the 5th largest one because the biggest are too expensive. I’ll give up regularly seeing giant top-end specimens just for a chance at a very nice one that I can afford to shoot if I see it.
• ANSWER YOUR EMAILS PROMPTLY! I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to have to wait weeks each time I ask a question. This year I was trying to find a hunt, all-the-while airfare was going up 10% per week. I couldn’t get responses from those I was trying to reach, but thanks to africahunting.com I was able to book with one of the sponsors here (who called me the same day I reached out to him!).
• I want them to be in the bowhunting business and not just host an occasional bowhunter. Things like the lack of photos in their gallery that contain bowhunters, all packages are for 3-7 days, tell me they are really a rifle hunting concession. Also, if you are in the bowhunting business post photos (and #) of your hides on your website. Almost nobody does this, and it’s very important to bowhunters.
• I really prefer to see a lodge and its surroundings that look and feel like Africa. That normally includes thatched roofs, a few mounts, and other African touches. This goes a long way. This is especially true if I’m taking another hunter with me on their first trip to Africa (which so far has been every time I’ve gone). I don’t need or want to feel like I’m in Scottsdale (an upscale city in the U.S.). I need and want to feel like I’m in Africa. It’s about the entire experience for me, not just killing animals as efficiently as possible. While I’m not looking for (or willing to pay) for luxury lodging, I do want everything from the lodge to the hides to have an African feel, not just be simple and efficient square boxes made for their purpose.
• I love to take wildlife photos and videos. Things that aren't necessarily a deal breaker, but I don’t like to see at the hides: permanent feeders, big bales of hay, obviously man-made water troughs, and any other manmade things obstructing the view from the hides. Things I really like: hides with a bit of character (look like boulders, ant hills, etc.) rather than square boxes, dirt tanks where we can enjoy watching birds bathe, warthogs wallow, wildebeest and buffalo rolling in the wet sand, and a large variety of colorful bird-life to enjoy. These things are greatly minimized with water troughs.
• The vast majority of the animals should have grown up on the property (if not born, then introduced when they were young and grew up on property). Ear tags suck! I get that “the animal is wild and may have grown up on the farm”, but when I show my video to people in the U.S. the ear tags say “murdering pen-raised animals” and it gives them negative opinions of Africa (something NONE of us needs in this day and age where non-hunters are easily converted to anti-hunters that are trying to close down our ability to import trophies back to the U.S.).

 

[Rickmt]

Large , over 15,000 acre properties . Not a lot of time spent going between properties. Game that was born on the property. Animals that I am looking for. An outfitter who is prompt and answers all questions to my satisfaction. Small number of people in camp. I don’t care for heavy drinkers carrying on. High quality trophies.
My prior two trips have helped me formulate what I like. I think that all of the above adds up to more expensive higher quality outfits.
Lastly price is important but you must consider it along with other criteria.
I think you do yourself a favor if you consider the sponsors here at Africa hunting.

 

[Speedster]

Communication. If you want my booking, contact me when you say you will. My next hunt was down to 2 outfits. One outfit, I gave every opportunity to communicate with me but more than once the owner failed to follow through. The outfit I finally went with was completely different. The rep replied promptly every time I had a question.

 

[Charles de Ribeau]

For my own curiosity, how much stock do you guys put in references?

It's like checking references of someone applying for a job. You have to go through the exercise, but as I like to say, only a fool will give the names of people who will be bad references (although I have seen it happen).

 

[Hunt anything]

When I ask for references I stipulate that I want people that killed every animal on their list, people that killed most on their list and on down the line. I’ve actually gotten honest responses from many outfitters and those that don’t bother responding go straight to the deleted file.

 

[Charles de Ribeau]

I would rather skip a year to save up than hunt every year in so-so areas or in cheap, small, high fenced areas.

I agree completely. With Covid and other health issues, I that I am past due for 3 hunts.