Will be my first time. Have money set aside. Wife and another couple (all non-hunters) want to go. Wife was in South Africa 10 years ago at Kruger to take photos.

Is there a place where I can go out and hunt each day while the other 3 can go do something interesting on days they do not want to tag along as I hunt.

I am interested in kudu, impala, blesbok...probably 6 - 10 of the plains game would be plenty with kudu the top of my list with the others being whatever happen to encounter. Want representative, mature animals but no real focus on finding only the biggest horns. I plan on shoulder mounts, Euro mounts and a hide or two. I equally enjoy using compound and rifle.

Have been advised that May is good time to go and in the dark of the moon phase.

Also, do I book now or wait to see if bookings are soft andd get a slightly better deal?

Thanks for advice and suggestions

TW,
My Advice,
Many will follow. "Most" credible safari outfitters will have activities for the non's, I like the months of late August or early September, as the foliage is mostly down and you can actually see the dang animals and the mornings and evenings are nice. Night drives for the non-hunters might be a bit chilly in May. I think the limpopo province is a "cant go wrong" kind of place for RSA. I used for my first 2 safaris Phillip Bronkhorst Safaris. I had no issues and obviously got hooked.

Steve

May is the beginning of winter and temps are generally nice through end of August. Chilly mornings but really pleasant by 9am. Depending upon which Province your in, there are many activities for the non hunting Observers. Visits to Parks; all game, Elephant rides, white Lions, Bontebok, Addo, Kruger, Garden routes, Wine tours, shopping etc, etc. Many activties for them. Hunting can be as varied as you want, from 10 to 20+ species on a single ranch. Some are high fence, some low fence but there are plenty that offer 20,000 acres and more to hunt on. You will have to hunt if you get with a good PH and not ride around and shoot off the vehicle.
LDK

My first time was South Africa, East Cape and the Karoo, 3 couples, 3 non-hunters. We all had fun filled days with more than enough tours, plus hunting for the boys.
Several years later my wife, her sister and sisters husband followed me over a week after I arrived for a short DG hunt in Zambia. They met me in camp, we toured that area then spent the month traveling to Photo camps throughout Zambia, Zim. and Bots. They had a great trip and saw plenty of big game.
This August, my wife, daughter and wifes sister will travel with me to Tanzania, spend 5 days touring the Lake Natron area while I hunt. Then I go to Moyowosi for 16 days of all the DG while they veiw the great migration on the Serengeti then go to Zansabar. We'll meet up late in the hunt to travel back together.

You can take non-hunters along, not on every trip, but with forethough and planning you can satisfy the non-hunter and still find great hunting also.

As for when to go, the best time to go is when you can make the trip. I've hunted Africa every month except Jan. and Feb. Yes the conditions are certainly different at times; heavy vegetation, dry, hot, cold, you name it, but at least your there and get a chance to experience Africa.

Good luck and have fun planning.

Isn't May the time of both the kudu and impala ruts?

I once went to Zimbabwe in May and there was too much grass and mud. I won't hunt in May again.

In my conversations with a few PH's they seem to prefer mid July through mid September.

TreeWalker, pm sent

WARNING. Do not come to Zambia as there is nothing else to do other than hunt, unless your interests include entomology?

Note there are numerous references and hunt reports here and I would advise South Africa as a very comfortable option. You can shoot some game in the morning and watch a show in the evening, that's if you can drag you Wife away from the pool.

odie; yes, as a rule, the Kudu are rutting in April/May but I've seen them active as late as June. Impala too. A lot has to do with the country/area. May is generally fine in many parts of RSA, but then again they had record rains last year and some northern parts were thick as summertime. You can find about any type of terrain you want in South Africa. Match the time of year you want to go with the right area and you shouldn't have any problems in the future...unless you want a few species that live in the briar patch

Africa is a BIG continent and each country has it's own good and bad points and you're also going to get a fair number of offers from guys here.

All that means you need to do a lot of research to ensure you find the right country and area to suit your own particular needs, tastes and finances.

You might to visit www.shakariconnection.com which is a free African hunting information website that will give you unbiased advice, information and free downloads on every aspect of planning an African hunting safari.

The site covers 13 African countries and over 170 African species.

Incidentally, the times of the various ruts vary from country to country and to some extent area to area and depending on what you're hunting can often be an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

Treewalker,your first trip to the dark continent is normally the most important,it will cure you for life or you will be back for many more,
my suggestion is contact me directly via e-mail rentons@mweb.co.za , i will give you options and prices for your trip of a lifetime , i have so far this year alone had 28 new USA hunters ,you can ask them what it was like ,many have posted on this site about KEI RIVER HUNTING SAFARIS
i am based in the eastern cape and we make it happen'

I like Zululand, Zulu Nyala is a excellent resort to base from. You can arrange hunting for yourself (Mark DeWet PH who posts here) and many interesting things for the nonhunter. Many parks in the area and a stones throw from the Indian Ocean. You can explore the history of the Zulu wars.

Treewalker,

PM sent.

Treewalker,

I would like to recommend Huntley Ferreira Safaris. They are located in the Limpopo area west of Alldays and very close to the Botswana border. (5 mi) They have the option of taking you for a few animals in Bots. and the camp there is very scenic. They offer trips to Kruger park, Sun City, and other venues in S. Africa.

My family and quite a few friends have done essentially the same thing you described three years in a row. Huntley also guided me on two buff hunts in Zambia.

They have great kudu,gemsbok, WATERBUCK, and a bushbuck hunt along the limpopo is a truly great experience. Their impala and warthog are also very good and limited dangerous game,
(buff and leopard), can be had.

Huntley safaris@yebo.co.za is their site or call me if you like.

Regards,
Adrian

Hi Treewalker ...

I live in New Zealand myself BUT do all the booking/consulting and webpages for my brother Alan Bird the Conservancy Ranch owner/outfitter whom lives on the property.

If you are interested in a "cost effective" plains game (RANCH HUNT) we can do, if you dont want a ranch hunt, then just ignore this message.

We are (game fenced mountain region ranch) in a Malaria free region of Limpopo near Louis Trichardt and about 90 km south from Beit Bridge.

We have available all the local area plains game species and you can hunt every day as required.

You can bring any non-hunting guests as required, no problem at all, we can look after them.

If you are interested at all feel free to advise

Cheers, Peter

Peter J. Bird (booking consultant)
Balla-Balla Safaris