She Who Must Be Obeyed and I have finally paid off our daughter’s wedding and we have a solid plan to fund our son’s college education. Now it’s time to make that first trip to Africa a reality. The missus told me to stop talking about it…and just GO TO AFRICA. I have lots of questions and I’m interested in your inputs. I have two options, perhaps three, I’m considering and would prefer to make arrangements via a US-based agent, if possible.

A father-son plains game hunt is the most likely the option for us. My son will be 17-years-old next summer, a new high school graduate, and he’s always been a low-maintenance well-behaved young man. If we do a plains game hunt, I’m leaning toward Namibia, though South Africa’s not out of the question. Large properties are a must and I don’t expect to see animals behind every tree or bush. I figure a 10-day hunt with three animals apiece would be about right for us. A couple of larger antelope (kudu/gemsbok/wildebeest), a couple of smaller ones (impala, springbok, etc…), a zebra for me, and a warthog for my son. Tented or ranch accommodations work equally well for us. I would bring my .458 Win Mag so I could introduce her to Africa and put some miles on her before I come back for DG later. My son would either take my .338 Win Mag or my father’s 7mm Mag.
I can’t read enough about hunting dangerous game and would love to hunt cape buffalo or elephant. Absent a financial miracle, however, like the missus allowing me to raid the retirement account, elephant is out of the near-term picture so let’s talk about cape buffalo. If I go alone, Zimbabwe seems like the best bet, but I’m not sure how comfortable I’d feel taking my son there and, even if I am convinced it’s safe enough for him, the missus holds veto power. A friend of mine is querying his PH in Tanzania to see what sort of options might be available there. I see cape buff as the primary species, with an opportunity for a zebra for me and an impala or warthog for my son on an 8-10 day hunt. The weaponry wouldn’t change from above.
Of course, if a last-minute non-trophy, but exportable, elephant hunt were to pop up in my price range that would change everything.

Top priority is what I’d term an authentic African hunting experience. To me that means a drink around the campfire at the end of the day with a pleasant PH who’s genuinely excited about his job and still eager to share his little slice of the world with others, native trackers/skinners, and eating some game meat. Long days driving and walking for game in country I’ve only read about in books is what I see. An afternoon of bird shooting would be a nice plus.
My job offers more than enough pressure and occasional unpleasantness – I don’t need either when I’m hunting. I fully expect to lose a day to vehicle problems and expect something to go wrong in camp, as long as it’s not loss of the coffee. A camera’s going to fall in the river…there’ll be a leak in the tent…and a trophy’s going to have a defect we missed…but we can laugh about that around the campfire…as long as we have coffee for breakfast the next morning. Did I mention we’ll need coffee in camp? I like my Scotch, but I need my coffee.
I realize money is made off trophy fees, but I’ve never been a “whack ‘em and stack ‘em” hunter. I’d prefer a few memorable animals to memorialize via quality taxidermy and save my money for a second trip. Pressuring me to shoot additional animals or encouraging marginal shots is unhelpful. I won’t take shots I’m uncomfortable with and I have a fair idea of what I’m capable of doing with my rifle.

I won’t book anything until I know what my schedule looks like for summer 2011. We’re moving from Florida to California this summer where I’ll start my new job. It’s unlikely I’ll have a solid hold on my summer 2011 schedule before the beginning of that year, so I figured I’d look around at Reno and either commit at/after Reno or keep my eyes peeled for cancellation hunts after the Convention. I realize that will take some of the better outfits off my list of possibilities. My job never allows me to plan more than a few months out, but is flexible enough in the short-term to allow me to leave with a week or two’s notice.

I’ll use the forum’s search tool to help research reputable PH’s and safari companies, but am open to correspondence from PHs and companies who believe they can meet my needs. I also appreciate follow-up posts as well as PMs with good advice on avoiding pitfalls.

Just how much of this hunt can be MasterCard’ed so as to irresponsibly mortgage my future? I figure airline tickets and trip/medical insurance. How about trophy dip/pack/shipping/clearing?

Thanks.

There are some pretty good deals out there on buff.

Zim is safe, I wouldn't worry about going there, Tanz can be expensive, and there are good deals to be had in Zambia.

PG will be much more economical and you can do a lot more shooting. Keep in mind that most good DG areas will most likely not be super PG areas. If it were me doing a father son hunt I would lean towards a PG hunt in RSA or Namibia. No expensive charters, plenty of different species, and you and your son could really have a great time for a reasonable cost.

As far as paying with plastic I have paid for virtually everything with American Express in the past. Most booking agents take plastic and you can charge the entire thing if you like although they may upcharge you 3-5% for the fees to the card company. I have also paid brokerage fees with Coppersmith's using my AMEX and, of course, you have already mentioned airfare. Good luck, it will create memories that you and your son cherish forever.

My advice would be to not go if you only plan on shooting 3 animals each, it's a bunch of money, including airfare, trophy shipping ect.. the best part about africa is the high volume of trophy's that are affordable in one trip. just my 2 cents...if you're thinking about 2nd-3rd trips already, all the logistical cost show back up, so going back to get a gemsbok, means more airfair shipping/clearing trophies...take a big safari the first time, and then think about future, who knows if you'll ever make it back? I've got friends who took safaris 10 yrs ago, and said, I'm going back for this and this, and have yet to make a 2nd trip.


10 days, unless you're hunting on some really crappy place, 6 animals shouldn't be hard to come by... a .458 for plainsgame is way overkill...you should bring a .300 win/wsm for flat long range shooting.

You should prolly just do a buff hunt, that way you don't have to "wack and stack"...you spend a ton of time walking, looking, and seeing the bush which might be your thing.

If you want to blood your 458, then go to a "bushveld" area .. the better watered areas of Namibia (near Okahandja for example) or the Limpopo river drainage or Kwazulu Natal in RSA. Avoid the drier parts of Namibia and the OFS, E. Cape etc, those areas call for some long shots that you won't be able to make with a 458. I am assuming this rifle has irons on it, so you will be limited to 100 yard shots max.

I would also suggest that you do your PG hunt with a PH who can offer you a DG hunt down the road. You will get to know him and you will thus not be rolling the dice on your more expensive DG hunt next time. This rules out most of the ranch-hunting PHs in RSA and Namibia. And since you are not made of money, you will be hunting your DG in Zimbabwe, so you may as well do your PG hunt there are as well. There are a few good areas left in Zim for PG hunts, where you don't have to pay DG daily rates and you will see good numbers of game. These are the few remaining "conservancies". Forget the concessions, you could come away with a partial bag on a PG hunt in a concession, due to low game counts.

Zim is safer, by far, than the RSA.

Now regarding species/bags. You should put aside your shopping list and shoot what's plentiful/cheap in the area you choose. Be sure to get the species that are hard to find elsewhere (eg Nyala is a must if you go to KZN, Oryx and Hartebeest if you go to Namibia etc). You don't want to have to go back to the same area because you "forgot" something. And don't shoot the stuff that's scarce in your chosen area as you can get it next time for half the price (for example, warthog and impala are expensive in Namibia).

Now regarding buff/ele. The way to book these is to wait for a late season "special", at least until the economy picks up. Leftovers are discounted 25-40% around Sept each year. You can get a buff hunt for $8K without trying too hard. Same with Tuskless or non-exportable elephant.

You have everything to look forward to! I envy first timers .. Africa is a life-transforming experience! Drop me a line if this is making sense to you.

Of your three options, you don't have a bad one. pick the one that floats your boat. Were I to offer a suggestion I would pick a father/son hunt as you will create memories that you and you son will treasure forever. At least that has been the case with me and my sons. I would go in a different direction, however. I would book a 2X1 hunt at Clive Eaton's ranch in Botswana, preceded by 2-3 days in a photo camp in the Okavango delta. The delta is spectacular and, while it is largely closed for hunting, it is well worth seeing. Clive's ranch is in the Kalahari and is sufficiently large that you won't find your hunt impeded by fences. I have hunted there and plan to go back in 2011. His prices are competitive with RSA and Namibia and his camp is first rate. I believe Wendell Reich books for Clive so he could give you more info, or, do a search on hunt reports for tholo safaris or Clive Eaton. Good luck with whatever option you choose.

I refer you to another poster's hunt report of his first safari (booked by Mark Young no less). This, to me, is about a perfect introduction to safari hunting.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/9161098911

Badger Matt,

Will is quite right. The Save Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe might be the just what your looking for. Regardless of whether your looking for a plains game hunt or multi species dangereous game hunt the Save can provide a great and wild safari experience.

Feel free to contact me anytime for furhter details.

Mark

Do a two-part hunt! I went on the advice of Wendell Reich when he booked my hunt for me, and spent 10 days hunting plains game at Clive Eaton's Tholo Safaris, followed by a week with Vaughan Fulton's Classic Safaris in the Caprivi, hunting buffalo. This was a fantastic option that worked out perfectly. I got two totally different hunts in one trip. Both were fantastic, and the contrast was amazing. By getting this type of variety in one trip, I think that you would be much better equipped to decide what your next trip will focus on.