quote:

In a more basic camp, hunting in a massive true wilderness area where the hunt is as much of an adventure as it is a hunt?

Yes, this would be about perfect, especially if the camp was near to a river.

I wonder if someplace not hunted for years, like, say Angola....or Uganda, can offer this.

I have been lucky enought to hunt with some of the best outfitters in Africa. Tile floors in the tents.
Never saw that one before. I bought these hunts at last min. discount. I could have never paid full price. I have also hunted in camps that had mice in the tents, thached huts that I could have build better, I must admit I loved the nice camps and great food with ice every night,
without the mice.
I want nice camps in the wildest area

For a $30000 African hunt, I would be happy with a bucket shower, a tent, basic laundry service( no ironing necessary), basic meals, a cold drink at the end of the day and some interesting conversation. I would expect to hunt some nice animals though including buffalo. Lots of em. As long as the animals are there I dont need luxuries. Id be hunting after all!

I like all three options.

I have a done mostly option 3 - rough basic hunts in India and New Zealand where we walk a lot in rough country. 3 to 5 days hunts with no shower - just wash and dry. Use the bush for toilet etc. Basic food and sometimes 12 hours without food. NZ terrain is very tough and I trip, stumble & fall at least twice on most hunts! Lucky to not have been hurt so far.

I have also hunted from remote farm houses in India and NZ as well as Frazer River area in BC - where we hunted true wilderness but drove around a fair bit.

If I hunt Africa alone, I would love to do option 3. If I am doing a once in a lifetime hunt with my childhood buddy I would choose option 2 so that we enjoy our time in camp as much as the hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by Palmer:
I like all three options.

I like two of them. Skip the high fence!

I apologize in advance if I have offended anyone!

The way you describe it, I have done both of the last two. I really enjoy the wilderness aspect of the hunting, having a camp that you can relax in is really nice, and reduces frayed nerves quite well.

I have not done the fenced in hunting in South Africa or Namibia. Not because I disapprove of it, but rather because I enjoy what I have been doing so much that I see no reason to change it. I suspect if my "collection" goals grow to the point that I need some of the South African species, I will hunt there some day.

The ambiance of the true wilderness is something special, and I hope we never loose this as an opportunity to hunt in.

As to the physical end of things, I'm not in what I would term as "sheep shape" but I have been able to manage (albeit with a few more rest stops than the really in shape guys..) including a day long over 120 degree follow up on a wounded buffalo. I will say, I prefer the weather in Africa over what we have here for hunting in (below zero snowstorms are not uncommon during deer season, and I have broken through over inch thick ice to shoot ducks). Each place has its own challenges, and I enjoy both. As a old sergeant major told me way back when, you don't need to train to be uncomfortable, that comes naturally.

I would state that if I am paying $30,000 or more for a hunt, I do expect the camp to be nicer than a DIY deer hunting trip, but the location does need to be taken into account.

I will say if things are as expected, you won't hear me complaining about it- but if you tell me it will be a 5-star camp, and I'm sleeping on the ground eating canned pork and beans, well, then I will probably let you know I'm not pleased.

At home, I usually hunt out of a spartan camp and it's often on my back all day...like a bivy under a tarp, single person tent, hennessey hammock, etc. Luxury is a wall tent with a cot and a wood stove.

In Africa I've done the 5-star lodging in RSA and really nice tented camps in Tanzania. I'd be lying if I said I didn't REALLY enjoy the comforts of all of those camps and still dream about doing it again. If I had to pick between the unfenced tented camp hunts and high fence lodge hunts, I'd certainly pick the former.

Someday I thinkk it would be fun to try hunting Africa the way I hunt at home. A "camp on your back" foot-safari. Something like "mountain buffalo" hunting would be pretty cool. Hunting Argali out of a yurt at 17,000 ft would be neat too.

MY idea of spending the 30k is to maximise my true hunting for whatever species and not spending it on ultra accommodation comforts.

Yep I love my beer on ice too but if it comes to hunting without it thats alright as after all I am there for the hunting not the bloody ice!

I would hunt 5-10 miles per day in true wilderness with porters and tents if I could both afford and find such a hunt.

No vehicles for 10-14 days except the first and last days.

I'll never have that budget. Half, in my wildest dreams.

But some of my most memorable camping has been by the Zambezi in dome tents. (Including on an island in the Zambezi).

The best one was near park HQ in Mana Pools. One party had a chilly bin/cool box stolen by a hyena, we had one stuff its muzzle through the tent flap. And buff/hippo feeding right through the camp a night, snuffling past the tent. I didn't look to see what they were, I had the blankets over my head!

The facilities were BASIC, and the showers full of enormous mozzies, and I have blanked out the toilets from my memory.

If I mangage somewhere like that again before I kick the bucket I'll be a happy man.

Thanks for the interesting responses guys and please do keep 'em coming.

When I gave you a budget of US$30K I meant it to include your trophy fees and your airfare. (FWIW)

So if that affects your decision, I'd be interested to hear that also.

I`m not the most experience hunter on here, only been to Africa 12/14 times, been to very very nice camps and hunted the Zambezi Valley alot on foot, with few vehicle trips,hunted farms in RSA, was friends place,very nice but didn`t enjoy that as much as I would if I hadn`t seen a fence.
Have to say here in N.Z is some of the hardest hunting I have ever come across,very different from the U.K
I`m not the fittest bloke in the world, but all the African P.H`s I have met have always hunted at my pace, mainly because I asked them to, and I like to take in everything around me and enjoy the whole time I`m there,and I`m never after the biggest or best,I prefer actually, watching the animals and taking the sick the lame or the lazy even if it takes a while to do.
Steve,I presume your question would apply to someone like myself, who likes to get on with people and enjoy the whole thing and is not the slightest worried about showers, comfy bed etc, I can sleep anywhere if I`m tired enough and I carry all I need to hunt, 30=06 or 458, a good pair of binos,knife and a drink and I don`t hunt with a rifle and tape measure.
If so, and I had the 30k, the check would be on its way to you

I agree with BigB's post, way back at the beginning of this topic

quote:

Mine is a comfortable camp in a wilderness area hunting plains and dangerous game. By comfortable I mean tent, shower and a toilet.

Being only two weeks until I fly back to the states from Iraq, and having lived in the worst camps in Iraq, I think I've changed a bit.
Whereas I've hunted without the shower and toilets here in Colorado, Texas, and elsewhere, I now would prefer both. Another item is a very good cot with mattress, or a bed. I'm over 60 and that bed means a lot to getting a good night's sleep.
Fences? Don't want them. Hunted last June in Namibia and the fences seemed to be a turnoff.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
I love camping out on wilderness hunts but certainly don't mind comfortable camps also.

X2. All things the same, I'll take the more comfortable camp. From what I have seen, that only means hunting with a higher end outfitter, not sacrificing the hunting.

But I sure don't mind a fly camp when nessecary to stay close to where you need to be.

JPK

This is as rustic as I've seen in Africa. This was at a fly camp on the Rifigi(sp) river in the Selous. The inverted elephant jawbone and a hole was the latrine. Give me the wilder side of Africa any day. As stated by others, any camp I've experienced in Africa is positively plush compared to DIY elk camp in the Rockies.

I've done all three, enjoyed all three, and I'd do all three again. However, my personal preference for future hunts is type two and three with choice number one as a distant third. With my wife along, choice two actually ends up being the primary selecion for me.

Maybe this is along the same line as what Steve was trying to get at. If I thought the hunt would be considerably cheaper I could get by with a pretty spartan camp by African standards. I also think I could sell it to others if the hunting was good. I get people all the time telling me that they don't need luxury.

To me the following would be necessary:

Two man pop up tents with mattresses and bedding.

Laundry perhaps every other day.

Cool drinks (cool boxes in the Land Cruiser could handle that)

A bucket shower above an enclosure.

A few camp chairs

Perhaps a tarp for a little shade.

Good camp food. Doesn't have to be elaborate but camp cooks can do wonders on a wood fire.

If I knew going in that this was what the camp would be but I 'd be saving a crap load of money I'd be all over it.

A toilet seat over a hole in the ground with another enclosure would be fine also.

I don't know anybody offering anything quite like that unless its just a fly camp.

Mark

Mark - Totally agree, I would be all over it! Plus, I think alot of guys would buy that sort of hunt, and its still more comfortable and accommodating than many of the N.A. hunts.

Aaron,

Absolutely! Far more comfy than a great deal of NA hunts. It also would be easily mobile too and very private for one or two clients. I've actually done what I outlined but it was a fly camp. I don't see why it could not be a main camp though for small safaris or single species hunts.

Mark

A normal deer hunting camp cut into a patch of bush on a creek flat, its a haul your own water from the mountain creek(no parasites) and take a shovel for a long drop toilet type camp.

Bucket shower hung from a tree is used a 'few times'.

It rained for a few days on this hunt trip during a 10 day stay but its dry and comfortable under the tarp,most food is cooked over the coals but a gas stove can be utilised under the tarp during big rain.

We take several sheets of corrugated roof iron to prop over the fire for obvious reasons which allows warmth to flow into the under tarp area even in super rain falls.



Heres a typical snack of a piece of marinated pork belly crisping up over the coals...nice tucker with a beer after the deer is down!

Camp oven in the coals is for roasting venison cuts too.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Aaron,

Absolutely! Far more comfy than a great deal of NA hunts. It also would be easily mobile too and very private for one or two clients. I've actually done what I outlined but it was a fly camp. I don't see why it could not be a main camp though for small safaris or single species hunts.

Mark

Even in the fly camp that I described above we had daily laundry service. We had a skinner, too. All in all, it was the best four days I have ever had in Africa. I could have lived that way the whole 21 days.

For me...its all about the adventure. Wilderness, wild-game, and fair-chase hunting, preferably tracking/stalking. All the rest is a luxuray.

When I have booked a hunt in Africa I have never paid much attention to what the accomodations are. If they are first class so be it and I will enjoy it. If they are primitive so be it and I will enjoy it. I am more about where I am hunting what and who the PH is. But put me in the no high fence camp that would be a deal breaker for me.

465H&H

Basic camp in a wide open area...! It is how I have hunted for the last 54 years.

As my budgets are limited, I prefer to forgo the more costly "catered" hunts and would rather have my $$ used to get me out more often.

Option #2 IMHO

I'm the kind of hunter that would love to be able to afford a $30k, true wilderness DG hunt.

I think the wild area is the most important...where dangerous game is there and fairly plentiful, and you feel remote and "real Africa". Admittedly, I have only been on 4 safaris, and only one felt like this. I will do another this July.

I want a shower, and don't care which kind. besides that, I can take or leave about anything.

Just read Mark and Aaron's posts and agree 100%. That would be great, especially if it saved a lot of money.

Perfect for me is a wild area, decent camp, decent food, cold drinks and good company. Nothing better than sweating your butt off walking and hunting hard all day, coming back to camnp to a cold beer and sitting around talking with good friends. That is just about a sgood as it gets.

Option three. The one thing that I dislike about African hunting are permanent camps. I find them to be too civilized and for me they detract from the experience.

I have done them all. What I prefer depends on the facts and circumstances. For example, I took my ex wife and both kids one time. My youngest son was 5. My oldest was 12. That was in a very nice permanent camp. We had a great time. They, however, would not have been happy roughing it more than we were.

Fast forward a few years. I took my oldest son to Tanzania for his graduation present from college. He was 24. We stayed in a pretty rough camp in a new area and had a great time. There were few roads and fewer facilities. We had a great time and I am sure that will be one of his everlasting memories of me.

I was happy with both extremes. However, there is no way in hell I could have done the latter when my kids were 5&12.

For 30kUSD I would do some PAC with my friends and then head down to Watamu for a week's fishing.

I have pretty much run the gambit and enjoy it all at times. I would take a lot less comfort for a lot more hunting. As much as I love Africa I just dont get the same feeling as a backpack hunt on my own here. I dont think it is as much about the comfort as it is the reward that comes from the feeling of self achievement. Am I making sense to you guys? Sometimes I dont think my choice of words adequately expresses what I am trying to say especially online.

Opt 3 first,
opt 2 second,
hunting farm with game fences only third.

I spent 20 days in Namibia last year, having a tour of about, and probably more, 3000 km. I tested absolutely open areas, more or less organized camping areas, tented resorts, guest houses.......... the best time I had was spent when we put the camp in the Hoanib dry river bed, two days. Far from everyone and everything, with free roaming little elephants herds, giraffes, orixes herds, baboon and lions too, with a good fire in the African nigth.

as long as I don't have to sleep in the mud I'm Happy. BUT THERE DAM SURE BETTER BE MARMITE in camp

well after reading fair games troll chit i think i'll go with him. we'll wear loincloths and chase everything by swinging through the trees and using a knife it will have to be in a true wilderness area cause i doubt that anyone will want to see me in a loin cloth except maybe jane and cheetah and of course the pricetag will have to raise exponentially

DAM thats an ugly picture I hope I can get out of my head fast

quote:

BUT THERE DAM SURE BETTER BE MARMITE in camp

Why...in case you get a hemorrhoid???

Nothin' wrong with marmite!

It surely beats the heck out of that Aussie vegemite stuff!

"In a more basic camp, hunting in a massive true wilderness area where the hunt is as much of an adventure as it is a hunt? (for plains and dangerous game) The camp would have toilets and showers but few roads so a degree of bush bashing would be called for and probably lack a few nicities such as perimiter fences so an occasional visit from lions etc might not be out of the question. Some fly camping might also be expected. Food would be plentiful but fairly basic."

Yep, this is for me. Tent or hut, a shower and a toilet are sure nice. I'm not much on the long drop. Cold beer, warm campfire, hot chow, and clear skies.