Folks,

We have a last minute '07 lion available with John Du Plooy/Muchinga Adventures in Zambia. Laura DuPlooy told me just this AM about it. The total price for 18 days 1x1 would be $49030.00 plus trophy fees, tips, transportation to camp and hotels if necessary in Lusaka. This would be a good opportunity to hunt lion before the prices go up everywhere. The hunt starts 5 Oct. It will be hot but the hunting very good with all the game concentrated near the Luangwa river.

Sample trophy fee:

Lion..................$5,000
Hippo..................$1500
Croc...................$1500
Buffalo................$1500
Puku....................$450
Cookson's wildebeest...$1500
Kudu...................$1300
Warthog.................$450
Hyena...................$450
Impala..................$200
Grybok................. $350
Waterbuck..............$1000

There is also an opportunity to hunt Kafue lechwe, black lechwe, tseesbe(biggest in Africa) as a 3 day add-on.

As an aside when I talked with Laura this AM. She told me they had been 100% on lions for the whole 3 years that they have had 9 lions on quota between Chanjuzi and Nyaminga. Last year the lions were all aged for maturity. Eight lions were at least 6 years old meaning they had all the mane they ever would have and one lion was aged at 4 years. The fact they are shooting 9 lions even though they have 2 adajacent areas has been potrayed as unsustainable by DuPlooy's competitors. If these other operators had 9 lions do you think they would sell them all? You bet your butt they would.

Book a lion soon. Prices seem to have no plateau in sight.

Mark

I never can understand the wording....

Is that $49,030 just the daily rate of $2724 per day or is $49,030 the TOTAL of everything?

Kyle

Do they really expect a tip after charging $2800 a day?

Guys,

The $49,030 includes:

Daily fees
Concession fees
Hunting license
Compulsory bird license
Dip and pack
Shipping agaent fee
Anti poaching fee
Visa and Airport Departure tax

Basically 20% of the cost is above and beyond the daily fee. When you start actually comparing prices you'll find this is a very competitive price for an excellent hunt and they will not get any cheaper.

Will, Since you probably would shoot a very nice lion and all the rest I think a good tip might in order.

Mark

Mark, from Bill a good tip would be advice to avoid eating yellow snow.

I am sure this is a "good deal", however it seems to be market driven rather than cost driven (not saying that's bad) and way too rich for my blood!
Peter.

The $49,030 includes:

"Daily fees
Concession fees
Hunting license
Compulsory bird license
Dip and pack
Shipping agaent fee
Anti poaching fee
Visa and Airport Departure tax"

... and some spit in your crack.

Sorry but I couldn't resist.

If I paid $50,000+ trophy fees there is no way in Hell I would tip anyone.With prices like that the outfitter has collected enough to pay the staff a proper wage. I am still living in a tent or rondoval.

As an educator....even without a single trophy fee...that is more than I make in a year!!!

Cannot imagine having that kind of play money. I understand that many do have that kind of money and the hunt very well may sell.

Splurging for us is going and spending $50 on sushi.....and that is once every few months.

INCONCEIVABLE to me at least.

Kyle

Guys,

This hunt ad is not an anomnale it is just what John gets for his lions and he sells 9 every year. This hunt is by far not the most expensive lion safari available. If you do a little research you'll see many lion hunt in the $60,000-$70,000 range before trophy fees and the whole quota on these hunts is often sold 2 years in advance. I'm not trying to market this as a special discounted hunt but just as an opportunity for someone who can leave in October to hunt lion.

I can't afford to drive a Mercedes but many people can. I don't think those people get ripped off nor do I think they are foolish because they choose to spend their hard earned dollar on a luxury car. They simply want what they think is the best automobile and they can afford it. African hunting is much the same.

Mark

A friend hunted with Jeff Rann and paid $146,000 USD for a Lion Hunt. He said Jeff is sold out well in advance.

...I'm fortunate! I hunted lion (successfully) with John DuPlooy in '03. The cost then was less than half of todays dollars.

Looking back, if I had hunted with John in 2000, the cost would have been about $5000 less than '03. Oh well.

I shot a super lion with Russ Broom in 97 and paid the 3500 us trophy fee. And yes I did leave a good tip.

Maybe a (fully itemised breakdown) of all the listed/mentioned items would then save a hell of a lot of questions for the guests.

It seems that by far the major cost is for the daily hunting rate x 18 days.

What specifically is the (quoted) daily hunting rate (excluding other miscellaneous costs)

Cheers, Peter

let's see- $49000 base rate, $5000 trophy fee, before and after hotel fee of at least $250, charter fee of at least $1000, bait animals( 2 buff or hippo, etc)at least $3000, one or two " cheap" plains game trophy fees of least $1000 total=$59250 before any tip. DAMN, WHAT A BARGAIN FOR 18 DAYS OF FUN- HELL IT ONLY WORKS OUT TO ABOUT $3300/DAY( before tip, taxidermy, and shipping, of course)

That appears to be the future direction for all African hunting. And, it's becoming more of a take or leave it attitude. $146K for a lion! Man, mine was more than a bargain in 2005. I couldn't hunt one now at the current prices. Go and hunt Africa while you still can afford it. Someday you might not be able to.