Africa advice please

[Lateral]

Sounds like you got stitched up.
With everything due diligence is required. Plenty of research and questions need to be asked before committing any funds.

I would suggest this is the exception rather than the norm and not widely practiced.
There are hundreds of respectable and trustworthy outfitters in Africa who offer good hunting.

I hope you return one day and get the hunting experience you want.

I have no doubt there are better ! and I will have another trip there one day.

The cost of cull animals were, by all accounts reasonable, but they were always trying to do special discounts on certain animals they wanted you to shoot, which would be fine, if these animals didn't just stand around letting you get so close, it was ridiculous.

I certainly won't be going back !

 

[XYZ]

I have no doubt there are better ! and I will have another trip there one day.

The cost of cull animals were, by all accounts reasonable, but they were always trying to do special discounts on certain animals they wanted you to shoot, which would be fine, if these animals didn't just stand around letting you get so close, it was ridiculous.

I certainly won't be going back !

Who was the outfitter?
I'd like to look into them and see if I can find out more about them.

 

[Lateral]

https://www.huntinginafrica.website/

I believe they are a very big wealthy outfit, who do a lot of breeding, buy, sell. Offer whatever you want to shoot. When I was there, we could hear lions roaring from an enclosure close by.

Some of the accommodation was as shown, sadly, not enough for everyone, and the alternative was, let's say disappointing ! Food was very good.

We were asked to give $150.00 tip per person, per day for the PH, there were 2-3 people to a PH (the were 8-9 hunters), only to find out that the PH's only got a fraction of what we gave, with the rest supposedly being split between the rest of the staff, including the owners wife !

Now, I have no issue with all of the staff being tipped, they should be, but why mislead us, just be up front, and is it right for the owner to take a $600.00 tip out of it ?

Lesson learnt.

 

[zambezi]

Safari staff tipping is a difficult area for me. Some hunting sites suggest 15% of safari cost as a tip to the PH which on a comprehensive safari is almost a month's pension to me! That does not feel like a tip. More like a salary. Heavy tipping in the USA is common because the basic wages can be low [American friends have explained]. But in the time I lived in Africa, people in the service sectors were paid salaries, tips were minor bonuses.

So heavy tipping does not sit well with me. I would far prefer that the price negotiated for the safari package is the cost. In that scenario, the tip is just that: an appropriate thank you if service is outstanding. Personal rule of thumb: my wife and I bought presents for several family members. I imagine a typical present would have been circa £30, more for her parents. I doubt we spent more than £100 on each other.

 

[A Guy Out West]

Any hunt to Africa is a trophy hunt unless your able to bring the meat home. Rather doubt you can bring it back to the UK, so you will be a trophy hunter, and there is noting wrong with that as long as the meat is used by someone. In my limited experience, I would say the biggest challenge would be Baboon, Zebra, and Kudu. It also depends a lot on where exactly you are hunting, brush or open veld.

 

[finnbear270]

I wouldn't want to be involved anywhere near something with animals in containment, unless it were proven to be genuine, such as breeding for the avoidance of extinction.

 

[zambezi]

I started a separate [but related] thread regarding the UK Border Force and SA govt paperwork required to get your rifle to South Africa. I copy it here in case that post did not post in your feed.

 

[Dickie]

Any hunt to Africa is a trophy hunt unless your able to bring the meat home. Rather doubt you can bring it back to the UK, so you will be a trophy hunter, and there is noting wrong with that as long as the meat is used by someone. In my limited experience, I would say the biggest challenge would be Baboon, Zebra, and Kudu. It also depends a lot on where exactly you are hunting, brush or open veld.

Where I went nothing and I mean nothing other than the blood on the ground was not used by the staff, cooked for the client or shipped to the nearest butchers, as well as the taxidermy.

 

[sikamalc]

I have hunted Africa a number of times over the years. Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Anywhere in SA is going to be fenced, and prices will always be cheaper than other countries in Africa. Many of the places advertised are package deals that are nothing more then culling and some of the so called trophies I have seen are not even in a trophy class. It has become what I call a rack em and stack scheme. The more you shoot the bigger the bill and most taken are not even mature animals. Plus you must remember that in many instances the PH is not the owner of the ground and therefore puts a mark up on any animal taken. Plus they are also on a commission with the local taxidermist too.

It costs more I know, but ask around and look at the overall acreage you are hunting. If its 50,000 hectares its just about as wild as you can get in SA. But it if its a few thousand acres you will see the fence in the first hour and will be driving around the same areas for the next 5 days seeing the same few animals. this is all some folk can afford, and all of my hunting in Africa was done back in the 1990's into the early 2000, before most of this shoot 20 Impala and 5 Springbok for £1000 came along!

A good SA Safari now will be in the region of $800 plus a day, although I have not been for sometime, and when I did go it was only on areas that where partially fenced or only low stock fencing and you never saw the fence. Even dangerous game in SA is all put down, especially Buff, they have to be TB tested I believe. The only animal not put down as a rule would be Leopard? In Zim and Botswana there were no fences, it was on concessions, and also in Zululand at the time too.

I hope your trip has not put you off going again, but if you need any help or advice let me know.

 

[zambezi]

Anywhere in SA is going to be fenced, and prices will always be cheaper than other countries in Africa... Plus you must remember that in many instances the PH is not the owner of the ground and therefore puts a mark up on any animal taken...It costs more I know, but ask around and look at the overall acreage you are hunting. If its 50,000 hectares its just about as wild as you can get in SA. But it if its a few thousand acres you will see the fence in the first hour and will be driving around the same areas for the next 5 days seeing the same few animals...

...A good SA Safari now will be in the region of $800 plus a day

All true, but I would like to add my (limited) personal experience of SA hunting. Yes properties are fenced, yes you will see fences occasionally, you will cover the same ground in an extended stay. What I would add to that though is that you can still demand a true walk-and-stalk fair chase hunt. And even the lesser concessions are pieces of land that are many multiples the size of any land on which I stalk deer in the UK. And the quarry is twice as wary. You will need to be a good hunter. This is not shooting fish in a barrel.

The halcyon days of Africa with no fences is gone. But a hunt in SA need not be viewed as cage hunting.

 

[CarlW]

The halcyon days of Africa with no fences is gone. But a hunt in SA need not be viewed as cage hunting.

Unfenced hunting is still alive and well in the rest of Africa; just not really in SA. The problem is that it is very expensive.

 

[sikamalc]

I didn't say it was caged hunting. But when one sees tiny ranches advertising safaris, and I use that term loosely, it is in my opinion similar to shooting inside a deer park. Its not a safari in my opinion.
There are plenty of huge fenced areas in SA to hunt on, its just a matter of looking. The OP pointed out that game was driven to him I believe, that's not stalking and hunting as one would expect of a reasonable safari, its just a quick fix, and may I say a lazy PH.

There are still good deals to be had, but I would be cautious as there are some sharks out there just as there are in this country with stalking. Only difference being your air ticket to SA will cost you considerably more than a few good outings in this country.

There are still plenty of places in Africa to hunt unfenced concessions, but they are not cheap, never were really. SA has changed a great deal in the last 20 years, most if not every place is now fenced. But as I say there are fenced areas you would not know were fenced, and there are fenced areas where within an hour or less you will have driven around and seen the fence more times than you can count fingers on your hands.

 

[tusker]

I didn't say it was caged hunting. But when one sees tiny ranches advertising safaris, and I use that term loosely, it is in my opinion similar to shooting inside a deer park. Its not a safari in my opinion.
There are plenty of huge fenced areas in SA to hunt on, its just a matter of looking. The OP pointed out that game was driven to him I believe, that's not stalking and hunting as one would expect of a reasonable safari, its just a quick fix, and may I say a lazy PH.

There are still good deals to be had, but I would be cautious as there are some sharks out there just as there are in this country with stalking. Only difference being your air ticket to SA will cost you considerably more than a few good outings in this country.

There are still plenty of places in Africa to hunt unfenced concessions, but they are not cheap, never were really. SA has changed a great deal in the last 20 years, most if not every place is now fenced. But as I say there are fenced areas you would not know were fenced, and there are fenced areas where within an hour or less you will have driven around and seen the fence more times than you can count fingers on your hands.

Malc, all good valid points. That is why we will always go to Namibia. Very good prices and no fences.. Proper wild.
Tusker

 

[zambezi]

Sounds great. I look forward to the report, and pictures.

With a little over a month before my safari starts, I have been reading up, hours of YouTube research and trawling through blogs on AfricaHunting too. What I now know is that both Eland and Buffalo stalks can span tens of kilometres of walking on several days. My previous African stalks have been relatively short affairs in part due to species selection (Impala, Warthog, etc) and their population density in EC.

Perhaps folk on this thread are Iron Man entrants and remain unphased at the prospect of a 10km saunter in 27degree heat. What a couple of test runs up Devon's hills with a 10kg pack told me is I am not fit enough for an extended yomp carring rifle, binos, etc.

So the regime has started: Morning and evening 4km circuits with a simulated pack. Any additional suggestions for training?

 

[CarlW]

With a little over a month before my safari starts, I have been reading up, hours of YouTube research and trawling through blogs on AfricaHunting too. What I now know is that both Eland and Buffalo stalks can span tens of kilometres of walking on several days. My previous African stalks have been relatively short affairs in part due to species selection (Impala, Warthog, etc) and their population density in EC.

Perhaps folk on this thread are Iron Man entrants and remain unphased at the prospect of a 10km saunter in 27degree heat. What a couple of test runs up Devon's hills with a 10kg pack told me is I am not fit enough for an extended yomp carring rifle, binos, etc.

So the regime has started: Morning and evening 4km circuits with a simulated pack. Any additional suggestions for training?

That's what your gun-bearer is for...

Looking forward to the write-up (if the buff doesn't kill you first).

Good luck!

 

[zambezi]

That's what your gun-bearer is for...

Looking forward to the write-up (if the buff doesn't kill you first).

Good luck!

Well...my research also revealed a few occasions when the buffalo did defend themselves rather well! I do realise this will not be a one-sided affair and not for the faint-hearted.

 

[CarlW]

Well...my research also revealed a few occasions when the buffalo did defend themselves rather well! I do realise this will not be a one-sided affair and not for the faint-hearted.

Don't forget to practise top-loading under stress...perhaps lie on the floor at home with your rifle and have someone kick you repeatedly in the b0ll0cks while you reload...

 

[zambezi]

Don't forget to practise top-loading under stress...perhaps lie on the floor at home with your rifle and have someone kick you repeatedly in the b0ll0cks while you reload...

Funny you mention that...I did get snapcaps and have rehearsed fast reload, target acquistion and have repeated with live rounds on the range. I am pretty confident of hitting the vitals consistently from sticks at 100m and free hand at sub 50. Obviously it is hard to simulate stress apart from your proposal...

Initially I had thought the 4 round capacity of my Blaser would cover all eventualities. After reviewing some YT video footage (such as the Motsomi piece above) I have started rehearsing top load drills too!

 

[Cumbrian 1]

My Eland stalk in Namibia last year was truly epic 2 days and then only getting the shot at last knocking s.
A very large but elusive quarry and more satisfying than than a bakky full of Springbok.
Go.enjoy. Tusker

Tusker has hit the nail on the head don't be tempted by these cheap cull deals I'd rather spend my time going after 1 or 2 really good/old trophies and having a proper hunt.

 

[artschool]

Perhaps folk on this thread are Iron Man entrants and remain unphased at the prospect of a 10km saunter in 27degree heat. What a couple of test runs up Devon's hills with a 10kg pack told me is I am not fit enough for an extended yomp carring rifle, binos, etc.

So the regime has started: Morning and evening 4km circuits with a simulated pack. Any additional suggestions for training?

I am actually entered into ironman Copenhagen this summer