So say you are doing a buffalo hippo hunt for 7 days and you finish in two. What happens, do you just hang out, can you track some elephants and rhino for fun?

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Originally posted by steel:
So say you are doing a buffalo hippo hunt for 7 days and you finish in two. What happens, do you just hang out, can you track some elephants and rhino for fun?

Depending on where you are, you could possible leave early but most people fish, sight see, and bum around the concession seeing all the things you normally have little time for while you are still hunting..also it's likely you'd still have some PG to take if you're interested.

Also shooting pests is often something to pass the time..baboons and the like.

I leave early more often than not .

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Originally posted by steel:
So say you are doing a buffalo hippo hunt for 7 days and you finish in two. What happens, do you just hang out, can you track some elephants and rhino for fun?

When I hunted in the Omay, I got my buffalo on the first day so we went to the river camp and went fishing and hunted for bushbuck.

Last month in South Africa, we got done with a couple of days left so we went looking for baboons and jackals.

Hunt more animals. Usually there is other game on quota. I would never leave Africa early. Love it too much. I can understand Larry leaving as it is usually work related.

See what kind of dent you can put in the outfitter's scotch cache.

Depends, if only a day or 2 I will usually stay. If more than that I am busy trying to get a flight home early.

I plan for it all year, travel half way across the world for it, and I enjoy every minute of it.

Unless there is a drastic emergency, there is no wa I would leave a safari early.

Far too many things to do enjoy there in addition to just hunting.

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Originally posted by Saeed:
I plan for it all year, travel half way across the world for it, and I enjoy every minute of it.

Unless there is a drastic emergency, there is no wa I would leave a safari early.

Far too many things to do enjoy there in addition to just hunting.

+1

I agree with Mike and Saeed, but keep an open mind. In 2012 I hunted Masailand and shot out early. I was offered an opportunity to stay for a few days at a very unique place where if you walked out the front door you were looking at Mount Meru and if you had a drink on the back patio, you could see Kilimanjaro. We climbed a good way up Meru, past the crater there, toured Arusha National Park, spent a day at Ngorongoro, and spent some time around Arusha. Met a lot of great folks and saw a lot of interesting things.

It is the only time I've ever left a hunting camp early. I was very hesitant to do so, but I'm glad I did.

I would add that we were pushing it into the rains and had had serious rain and hail storms in camp, with some damage to tents, and getting out was going to be increasingly difficult. That helped tip the balance for me to take the gamble.

Too much fun to be had. And I agree wth Mike regarding the scotch supply.

I finished 3 full days early.

A truck load of Rock Rabbits probably wish I didn't.

One day was spent sight seeing and shopping in East London for trinkets another day was spent with a role reversal for me....
I spent that one as the observer watching my wife hunt and loved that.

I didn't drink much during the hunt but on the Friday evening after finishing off my list we had a grand celebration and capped it off with a trip to a local pub!!! Awsome!!!

A trip that will never be outdone even if I were to go back 100 times

Whatever you do, you have booked and paid for a certain number of days. They are yours. I've had PHs try to encourage me to leave early--probably to cut their costs. No! Stay, track, photograph, eat and drink well, sight see, go back early by one day to shop, etc. If you're asked or hinted at to go, negotiate a refund of the daily rate and also tip for the days used, not the entire hunt. With that, your PH will keep you the entire time.
Cal

I also have never left early, and will not of my own volition.

There is always something to do.

Hunt, fish, heck even phototouristy stuff. My hunt in Zambia last year I did a bit of negotiation and got to see another area.

Once had a chap shoot his Lion on day one of a thirty day safari. He then decided he would like to try for Sitatunga which we shot on day two. He left early and I got the chance to spend a couple of weeks with my family.

Quite often those with big business concerns will leave early.

Generally there is lots to do and as Zambia has a large variety of species there is normally something to hunt and the fishing here is fantastic.

Why go home earlier than planned? For me it would be totally out of the question to leave earlier than expected.

When I'm in Africa, I am enjoying every second, and there is plenty to do if the hunt is finished early. Fishing, taking pictures, watching wildlife, safari......

I have and will leave early from a hunt in the states but would not think about leaving from a hunt in Africa. I would find something else to hunt. On a 16 day buffalo and leopard hunt I shot buffalo on day 2 and leopard on day 3. Stayed and hunted plains game and hyena. It was the best safari that I have been on. Came home with great warthog and serval along with other plains game. Did not stop hunting until dark on day 16.

Do some wingshooting.

I look forward to my Africa trips all year, I don't understand the thinking of leaving early.

If the only goal of an African hunt is to get a particular animal on a list and go home, your missing out, sad really.

Fish, photograph, pick up some quota animals, shoot birds, video, sit around the fire, visit, lend a hand around camp, write in your journal, make memories.

Why would you go home early, its Africa!

I guess I am in the minority. I leave early almost every time. I leave because I have everything I came for.

To me, I leave early when I have everything I came for due to several reasons. These include:

1- It is hard to provide services to my clients over a satellite phone. The fees clients pay are what allows me to continue hunting. Clients must be taken care of.

2- I make my living by charging clients a fee per hour. Those revenues stop when I am away hunting. My costs, however, do not.

3- I have now been 23 times. What else am I going to see?

4- I do a lot of hunting worldwide. Going back early, if I have every thing, frees up some time for other hunts.

5- I have a wife, 2 kids, and a grandson that I want to see.

6- I travel a hell of a lot for work. I value what little tine I have at home.

Talk to your outfitter about things to do. He may have some ideas about side trips, Vic Falls, parks etc., things to see and do. On my last hunt, Stephen agreed if we shot the elephant early in the hunt we would continue to track eles for the rest of the time just to see the ivory. NEVER come home early, you go over there for the total experience. Don't short change yourself.

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Originally posted by cal pappas:
Whatever you do, you have booked and paid for a certain number of days. They are yours. I've had PHs try to encourage me to leave early--probably to cut their costs. No! Stay, track, photograph, eat and drink well, sight see, go back early by one day to shop, etc. If you're asked or hinted at to go, negotiate a refund of the daily rate and also tip for the days used, not the entire hunt. With that, your PH will keep you the entire time.
Cal

Exactly. I have never left early as my choice. It was "recommended" I leave early after a Safari was finished early. It was actually my wife's first hunting Safari. I had my entire family in tow. It cost me 2800.00 in ticket changes to get home early.

Couldn't imagine staying after it being recommended we could go home.

I concur with Andrew, Zambia has so many "Zambia only" species and incredible places to see, I can't see leaving there prior scheduled departure.

If you worked hard up to your hunt and waited a long time for it you will most likely be very tired and very much in need of a vacation.That makes for the best hunts,IMO and I would not want to return home before the days are all gone.As far as what to do should you have filled your bag-there are all sorts of things like visiting the nearby attractions-whatever they may be.

I hunted with the Inuits a couple of months ago. I was the only client they had that had stayed for 3 weeks! EVER Usually hunt a bear and make a call and charter out after 5-6days I took my time with photos and got to know the locals..even flew in booze so we could have a hell of party( It lasted 4 days for some).

I think you could miss out on a lot of fun and if you go home early.

Last year in Pakistan I was almost on travelling foot for a month! Would have loved to stayed another month

If I were to tag out early on my next trip to Namibia I'd do my best to wipe out the resident baboon population as well as deplete Namibia's supply of Tafel Lager. I'd also throw in a return trip to Etosha and visit a Himba village. Last but not least I'd do some cull/ration hunting if my PH lets me.

Larry yea I do think you are in the minority on AR, but not unique elsewhere. I understand where you are coming from, and frankly you have the luxury of knowing that there is always a next trip. Good for you!!!!

Leaving early (or getting left in camp) certainly is the norm in many (most?) North American hunts, from my experience. On my sheep hunt to NWT, every hunter in my week left early, except a hard-core backpacker who stayed on the mtn, and me who hiked drainage's and enjoyed the country. On my elk hunt in NM, I spent a few days driving and seeing NM and Arizona. This is one of the reasons why I am reluctant to book NA hunts, and why for me Africa is an unparalleled value.

My experience is the more expensive and "exclusive" the hunt, the greater the expectations are by the PH that you will phone-home early. Again, probably as they have come to expect this (I'd bet the "SCI Collectors" don't hang around). I had only one PH (Zambia) "come down with malaria" towards the end of a hunt, I wished him well and said I'll be fine just give me the keys to the Cruiser...he was 100% the next morning. There is SO much to do and savor, especially after the target quarry is down. Talk to your PH prior to see what the area allows for, and in this way, get the message across that you are not leaving early. And as was said, there is cool stuff to do outside the hunting area, and if the PH misses home, perhaps an appy would be happy to accommodate.

If you read thru my Reports below, much of the cool stuff was either after the primary animal was down, or worked into the safari by allowing enough time on the ground. Maybe I have been lucky to hunt with great outfits and PH's.

I personally can't imagine coming home early from a vacation (like a hunting trip), unless special circumstances dictated. In fact, I am soon to depart for a non-hunting trip to Namibia with the girls, lots of activities planned and some time left for discovery....I can't wait.

I fully agree with Saeed. As to Larry Shores' comments, I fully understand where you're coming from, as I am in the same boat from a professional standpoint. However, my time planned for Africa has been very carefully planned well ahead of time, and my clients are fully aware that I am going to be away, and provision has been made with my partners for me being gone. I only contact my office if I have been messaged about an actual emergency, and it must be just that-not a routine discussion about a client's issue or something that can actually wait until I return. Over the years, I've seen too many professionals take their work with them to Africa and ruin their hunt. As to Steve Ahrenberg's comments, I would be pissed to no end about the 'recommendation' and would have told the individual making the 'recommendation' that if he wanted me and my family to leave early, I would only do so upon his willing agreement to pay for all of the ticket change charges, as well as a full refund, on the spot, for those unused days that I had paid him for my hunt. And, I would never book with that outfit ever again. And this would be followed by a discussion regarding his tip. Outfitters should definitely have a game plan for their clients finishing early, and recommending that they leave for home should never be one of them.

On a brown bear hunt in Alaska a couple of us got our brown bears on the second or so day ... I was then fishing for salmon, picking blue berries .. having a great time .. the other chap was persuaded one day to go salmon fishing (said that it was better than sex so I assumed that the women in his town must have really been second rate ... ) ... and then he got a report that a hurricane was heading for his house !!!

Aiiieee !

He had to go home !!! I told him to stay and relax... He was a bachelor, had no family there, someone was looking after his house .. so what could he do ??? (Easy for me to say, of course)

He got a plane to come in early and get him out .. then spent four or five days stranded in Anchorage as planes do not fly into hurricanes .. About a thousand dollars damage to his house ..

A month or two later he was in Newfoundland hunting moose and got clobbered by yet another hurricane .. he told me that God kept him safe ..

I told him that it looked like God was out to get him ..

He is a very nice chap ..

Personally I will stay in camp ...

Steel,

The folks I work with understand that you've paid for X amount of days and they are obligate to try and entertain you for that period of time. As others have said if you are open to about anything there will be lots to do. I have never left early nor barring an emergency would there be any reason to. I just like being there.

Mark

If a PH ran me off because I filled my list early he would reflect on this situation after receiving his tip....or lack there of

As they say in Zimbabwe, "make a plan".

My preference when this happens is to fish. Trout fishing in the Eastern highlands of Zimbabwe is great - a 5 wt rod with a sinking line, 5x tippets and Hamill's killers will do the job nicely. If you are in the Zambezi Valley, go for tigerfish. If neither of those are available, try bream and bass in the ponds. Where I hunt in the Save, largemouth bass over 12 pounds have been taken out of the dam.

If you don't like to fish, try sleeping during the day and going out at night (if legal in your area) for some of the little nocturnal guys like caracal, servals, civets, genets etc. If you really want to have some fun, bring a cooler full of beer with you to drink while you spotlight spring hares for the trackers - watch them go after those little guys with a bat or stick, and you will pee your pants laughing. It is really hilarious.

But never, ever go home early!

Yeah I definitely would not leave early. My dad and I would like to take a hippo each on land if possible and a buffalo each. How long does that take on average? And if time allows I think tracking some elephants would be awesome, or maybe take some plains games.

I'm glad to see such variety in the responses - it reinforces my vision of what a diverse group we are!

I'm having difficulty understand other's motivations - but I'm pretty sure it's just because my situation isn't the same.

I can't imagine spending the time and preparations to take a much-anticipated trip, then cut it short because I achieved the primary objective. To me it's like saying "yup, I had sex, check that off the bucket list, don't have to do that again..." Knowing that the party doesn't have to end, but you have had "enough" fun is a strange concept to me.

I also don't understand the idea that "I have hunted Africa 863 times (so I obviously value the experience), but staying another week isn't as good as doing something else." It must be something enjoyable - otherwise why would anyone go to the trouble to go?

I guess it's the difference between goal-oriented folks and experience-oriented folks. Vive la difference!

I guess my point of view is colored by my financial situation. If I have scrimped and saved and planned and prepared - I'm going to try to wring every ounce of enjoyment out of my time there - doing whatever unique activities are available that I can't do at home. Who knows if I'll ever be back to see a lilac breasted roller again?

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
I fully agree with Saeed. As to Larry Shores' comments, I fully understand where you're coming from, as I am in the same boat from a professional standpoint. However, my time planned for Africa has been very carefully planned well ahead of time, and my clients are fully aware that I am going to be away, and provision has been made with my partners for me being gone. I only contact my office if I have been messaged about an actual emergency, and it must be just that-not a routine discussion about a client's issue or something that can actually wait until I return. Over the years, I've seen too many professionals take their work with them to Africa and ruin their hunt. As to Steve Ahrenberg's comments, I would be pissed to no end about the 'recommendation' and would have told the individual making the 'recommendation' that if he wanted me and my family to leave early, I would only do so upon his willing agreement to pay for all of the ticket change charges, as well as a full refund, on the spot, for those unused days that I had paid him for my hunt. And, I would never book with that outfit ever again. And this would be followed by a discussion regarding his tip. Outfitters should definitely have a game plan for their clients finishing early, and recommending that they leave for home should never be one of them.

Hi Vaughn.

I was pissed to no end. It was actually the trip I saw you in the airport in Atlanta boarding area. We had our handicapped son along and travelling with him is a bit "interesting" at times. We actually had to ask people to change seats with us on both flights home, since we couldn't even get seats all together.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice...

That experience and others that were similar gave me cause to pen that article "The Client."

It really woke me up and made me look at these things, eyes wide open and objectively. I truly see things the way they are now and my expectations have changed commensurately.

A friendly business relationship, and nothing more.

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A friendly business relationship, and nothing more.

Some more friendly than others and it is not unusual for client and PH to become good life long friends but the norm would be as you have quoted.

Steve: I vividly recall our meeting in Atlanta and meeting your family, along with your handicapped son. My first thought on reading your post was that it might have been your trip to Zambia that year. Now that you have confirmed it, and knowing the gargantuan efforts that you had undertaken to ensure that your family's safari would be enjoyable, this revelation makes me that much angrier against the outfitter and their reprehensible actions.

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Originally posted by fairgame:

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A friendly business relationship, and nothing more.

Some more friendly than others and it is not unusual for client and PH to become good life long friends but the norm would be as you have quoted.

I must be in some sort of minority.

It will be 34 years since I hunted with the same family.

Roy has retired, and he still comes along on our safari.

Alan is our PH now, and I think this all adds to the fun one has.

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If you're asked or hinted at to go, negotiate a refund of the daily rate and also tip for the days used, not the entire hunt. With that, your PH will keep you the entire time.
Cal

For sure

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I plan for it all year, travel half way across the world for it, and I enjoy every minute of it.Unless there is a drastic emergency, there is no wa I would leave a safari early.Far too many things to do enjoy there in addition to just hunting.

Me too Saeed! No matter how many days I'm in Africa, it's never enough. I'm there to hunt, be it game or picking up prehistoric tools from early man...I'm hunting. Waterfowl/gamebirds and Varmints are a great way to spend extra days if your not chasing tracks.

For me, the kill isn't the hunt, the hunt is the hunt. When I took my Buff onthe second day I was offered a variety of options including plains game, bird hunting, and fishing. Did all three: shot a brute of an eland, shot sand grouse Ruark wrote about, and caught some excellent eating tilapia from a large dam in the bush. And then there was the photography of plants and trees that were fascinating.

Leave early? Not a chance in hell.