Africa Hunting, It Is Cheap!!!

[lt dan]

a lot of my customers in the trade that i am in are game farmers. when i visit them on their farms they often speak of the win-win situatoin between them and usa/european hunters.

the situatoin that i am talking of is of course the favorable exchance rate. they often speak of overseas hunters that visit them and these hunters are always amazed at what they get for a few bucks(in their view). on the other hand the hunters pay more than local hunters.

some of the prices are:

one night stay R300($38) hunting lodges
guides per day R150($19)

kudu R2500($320)
eland R6500($833)
springbuck R450($58)
blesbuck R750($96)
wart-hog R250-R350 sometimes for free

the thing is once an overseas hunter has tasted this, as well as the food and hospitality they remain silent about it apparently fearing a flooding of overseas hunters to their favourite corner of hunting paradise.

[davlandrum]

LT - I would love to go, but on top of everything you have listed, it would cost me about $2,000 USD just for the airfare (I just checked Portland, Oregon to Johanesburg).

Someday....

[bluedog]

That's what kills it for most....airfare is expensive....and wait till you see you shipping/clearance cost for getting trophys back to you....the African hunting is itself is very reasonable and very good....no doubt the African Pro Hunter Corp. are oustanding Folks.....but the bottom line is, it is not really cheap!

[lt dan]

that is sad, because as soon as you get here everything is cheaper and most of the times you get some game free.

[predator86]

lets see maybe 15 grand to fly to africa and come back with 8-12 trophies.....



or 25 grand to hunt dall sheep in alaska

10 grand starting for alaskan brown bear

15 grand for primo arizona elk hunt

i personally know somebody who went on 3 trips for a desert stone sheep with his bow, after adding them up with all expenses he paid over 100,000 dollars.....


africa is a deal and a half for what you get to hunt and see in one day......

[bluedog]

No arguement in that Africa is probably a 'value' relative to some other hunting opportunities (especially sheep, brown bear, etc.), but comparing African plains game to premium North Amercian game is an inappropriate comparison in my mind....what does it cost to hunt Lion vs. Brown Bear? A hunting 'value' is not the same as 'cheap' hunting!

Desert Stone Sheep?

[ro2]

My neighbor has been to africa twice, his company pays the tabfor all his hunting trips. although he very much enjoys it, he says with the amount of game on the plains its not always the most challenging. there is also a big difference between hunting plains game and dangerous game. I am still not to comfortable with all the political instability over there so for now I'll keep my huntin on this side of the pond.

[Dearhunter61]

Are you speaking from experience? Have you hunted over there?

[hogdogs]

Dearhunter, Lt Dan claims South Africa as home and in his OP he said he deals with alot of game farmers so I reckon he will say yes...


1)I don't trust my measly firearms in the care of the brutes that load planes...
2)I don't own the arms for LARGE game .30-30, 20 gauge, 12 gauge, .22lr
3)I do not care to travel to "exotic" places to do what I do here
4)I am in it to eat it for the most part
5)I try to keep the cost of the game to under the meat store.
I don't have the expendable income to entertain the idea of a hunt in a far off land... If money were no concern I would travel all over the USA hunting and fishing offshore... we have such diversity right here, it would take a long time to get bored.
Brent

[ro2]

how many people do you know that dont tag out on the plains animals? lets keep it in context when you go on a guided hunt anywhere, you are not the hunter merely a shooter.

[lt dan]

guides in africa (when not hunting dangerous animals) are optional. but because there are always the danger of dangerous animals i take a guide with. in this case tracker is a better description. they don't lead the hunt but tag along and i use them to track a wounded animal or to go and fetch the lodge owner as soon as the animal is down.

allthough plainsgame(antilope) make up most of the edible game in africa about 30% are found in thick bush. such as the rooibok(redbuck) and kudu-to name a few. the kudu was nicknamed the grey ghost by us hunters due to its cunning and elusive nature.

i agree that when you add trophy transport costs as well as airfare it is not so cheap any more. so let me put it like this : for a few dollars/euros more you can have an african hunting experience. this is not to say that this experience will be better than an american/european safari. but if you guys are anything like the us hunters i know you would like to hunt not just here but all over the world.

from what i understand us hunters like the idea/thrill of hunting in an arena where you can be the prey any moment.

i dont agree with the general statemant that an african safari is the premium hunting experience. africa has an abundance of poisonous snakes spiders insects and scorpions and after a while you get fed up with their constant presence. there is also the threat of illnesses such as malaria allthough this is limited to certain regions though this regions are usually not known for their hunting opportunities. but aparently these risks are part of the allure.

personally i would like to hunt one day in the usa alaska and certain parts of europe

[bluedog]

I have hunted in South Africa for a variety of plains game and I had a wonderful time....the Country was nice, most all the people I met were gracious but somewhat cautious and reserved....the Pro Hunter I used was a real professional....I was treated exceptionaly well....I highly recommend it to anyone that has the time and money and wanting to have a fun hunt....that's what it is....fun, and easy....they have an amazing variety of critters....most hunting is on game farms or private ranches on a 'pay for kill' basis....success, although not guaranteed, is VERY high since they usually make no money unless you kill (or wound) a critter. If you can walk only a little and can shoot straight, the SA Folks will put you within rifle shot of all kinds of stuff. I only speak to the plains game hunting as that is all I have done there....but I say that the total compiled necessary cost is not really cheap.

[M1911]

It may well be "cheap." But I still can't afford it.

[phil mcwilliam]

I hunted South Africa earlier this year for 8 days & had a brilliant time for $4,500 all up(ex-Johburg) including trophy fees(Warthog, Impala, Zebra, Eland). My guide tailored my hunt to suit me. We woke at 4.15 every morning & hunted thick bush on foot every day stalking close to many species of animals. My guide was a bow hunter, so even animals that we had no intention of shooting we stalked to observe at close distance. My guide made the distinguishing difference between myself, who wanted to hunt in thick bush & stalk game, as opposed to someone that wanted to shoot trophy animals at 400 yards on the plain. I've hunted regularly for 30 years mainly on private property where paying for a guide or trophy fees are considered absurd, but I can thoroughly recommend a once in a life time paid trip to a place like Africa that you will never forget.