I was reading some of the recent less-than-favorable experiences described on "...Hunting Reports" in RSA and couldn't help but share a few thoughts.

Maybe I'm just a bit more direct than some other hunters, but if I am on safari, or any hunt, and things start going downhill for any reason, the time to act is then and there...not wait until you are back home working yourself into a frenzy over lost opportunities/money.

I leave in less than a week on my second 7-day PG hunt, my son's first. The first hunt was a great experience and I learned a lot about the country, people, wildlife, culture and safari company...I booked this second trip with the same co. based on my first experience. If it is working, don't fix it...

BUT, if for any reason I sense things aren't going well, DURING the hunt, I will not hesitate to discuss the matter in great detail with first, my PH, and if need be, the head PH and Co. owner, immediately. Clients do have some options, some more drastic than others. After great effort, if matters don't improve and the hunt turns out to be a bust through little or no fault of my own, and well documented,THEN, you can begin the process of taking any legal or corrective action. Not a whole lot different from protecting any major investment from fraud or theft. EVEN after all efforts, any restitution may NOT happen, quickly or at all. If so, write it off to experience and get on with life!

Whining about it after the fact, without having taken appropriate action at the time, is a waste of time and resources, including your own reputation and sanity.

There, I have had my say...

I agree wholeheartedly RHS, I had a bad experience with a PH, and should have taken immediate action. I decided not to at the time and now I wish I had of done something about his behavior on the spot. We all must remember that WE are the ones writing the checks and they are working for US.

And also, you get a chance to change things before they get worse so it is more of an annoyance rather than a disaster.

Most of the bigger booking agencies in Europe have in their Terms & Conditions that you should report any problems to the PH/Outfitter or representative, at the latest at the end of the hunt (while still on site), and they urge you to take up any concern with the outfitter immediately. They go as far as to state that anything not brought up during the hunt and not written down in the "hunt-close-out" form, will not be accepted as a legitimate complaint.

And they have a point...if you don't speak your mind, how can the outfitter know you are dissatisfied, and how can he try to correct it...

What's worth more to you...a good hunt while you are there, or having a good reason for a claim after you come back.

Frans