I am considering a plains game hunt in either RSA or Namibia. Looking for eland, warthog, hartebeast, gemsbok, if RSA nyala and waterbuck and if Namibia, blesbok and mountain zebra.

Any compelling reason to choose one over the other. Price and trophy fees are similar as are other costs.

Looking at either Garry Kelly Safaris in RSA or Savanah Safaris - Bryan Connock in Namibia.

Comments please.

Thanks

BigB

BibB

I represent Garry Kelly and I also hunted with him for a month last August. He can cover your needs at a very reasonable price and the hunting and service will be top notch. Send me an e-mail if I can give you more details, pics, references.

Regards,

Mark

BB,
I'd hunt blesbok and mt. zebra in RSA along with nyala and eland, where they are indigenous, and not Namibia. I'd hunt kudu, gembsok, blue wildebeste, warthog and Kalahari springbok in Nambia. Rates are a little better in Namibia, but variety is a little more limited than RSA. kudude

Namibia offers, in some cases, true wilderness hunting, as opposed to ranch hunting, and that, to me, is what tips the balance. Some outfitters have hundreds of thousands of acres of communal conservancy land on which free roaming native game can be hunted.

That beats a ranch any old day. I have hunted ranches and they can be quite good and the game challenging, but for God's sake you're going to AFRICA and you want to stalk into the wild.

That's why I chose Namibia over RSA. Because I value the true wilderness experience above all else, I don't think RSA will ever be in the cards for me.

I totaly agree with Mrlexma Namibia is the place to hunt if you enjoy true wild hunting.

When I planned my first hunt people recommended the RSA for a first timer -easier to get the feel of it and not wild enough to come as a shock. I´ll be leaving for my third hunt in the RSA in Febr and so far I´ve been very satisfied. Namibia is scheduled for 2006 and will be a trip done with my family.

You can´t go wrong on these alternatives, choose the one that "feels" right ie trust your gut feeling.

And remember: African hunting is addictive and can seriously damage your wallet.

Either place is a great destination for hunting. Keep in mind some game animals you might want to hunt in Namibia WILL be behind a fence due to government regulation to protect the livestock industry.

well I hope Namibia is the place because that is where I am going in May

http://www.zingelasafaris.com/

quote:

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Originally posted by mrlexma:
Namibia offers, in some cases, true wilderness hunting, as opposed to ranch hunting, and that, to me, is what tips the balance. Some outfitters have hundreds of thousands of acres of communal conservancy land on which free roaming native game can be hunted.

That beats a ranch any old day. I have hunted ranches and they can be quite good and the game challenging, but for God's sake you're going to AFRICA and you want to stalk into the wild.

That's why I chose Namibia over RSA. Because I value the true wilderness experience above all else, I don't think RSA will ever be in the cards for me.

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My sentiments exactly. This is why my father and I chose Namibia for our first safari. We hunted almost a half million acres of true wilderness - no fences, no real roads, no powerlines, and few people. But there were plenty of animals - all free-ranging and in their native habitat. It was wonderful. We could not have asked for a better safari. Definitely consider Namibia, I don't think you'll regret it.

I am not sure you can go wrong in either country. I went to the Eastern Cape of RSA last May for my first safari and had a wonderful time. The only time I ever saw a fence on the ranches we hunted was going into the property, hunted all day and never saw another fence. I would not hesitate to go back again (and plan to go back to RSA in the near future).

After talking to many people here and else where 4 of us will be in Namibia in 2006 for our first Safari.

I felt we could hang around Namibia after the Safari alone and be much safer than I could in RSA..

John

I'll second Mark's recommendation for Garry Kelly Safaris in RSA. This is truly a top-notch outfit, and you can successfully hunt for trophy specimens of all RSA species with them. If you book with GKS, request Mike Curry as your PH; he's one of the best I've ever hunted with.

Namibia has the advantage of lower price, plus you can pretty-much stay in one general area to hunt a wide variety of plainsgame animals, unlike RSA where considerable driving is involved if you want to shoot the works, which eats up valuable time. In my opinion, the key, and I mean THE KEY to having a great safari in Namibia, besides booking with a reputable outfitter, is to hunt with an outfit that encompasses and has hunting access to a LOT of acreage. I'd avoid the mom & pop-size operations altogther.

When I hunted Namibia with Jan Oelofse in 2001, I had an incredibly productive and enjoyable safari that exceeded every expectation I had going in, and I took tremendous trophy specimens every single species of plainsgame that can be had in Namibia, except for warthog, black-faced impala, and Angolan roan. Jan's operation encompasses some 50,000 acres that he owns outright, plus he has hunting access to several ajoining ranches that offer several times that much land for additional hunting opportunities. You can't even come close to hunting it all on a two-week safari.

If you book with Jan, ask for Steve Tors as your PH. Don't just ask for him, INSIST on him.........

AD

I recommend Namibia. My son and I hunted in Namibia and RSA in 2004. We hunted on 6 large farms with no high fences. In 9 days in Namibia, we took 14 animals. 4 will make Rowland Ward, 7 will make SCI and 5 will make Namibia Gold. We were not Horn hunting, just looking for better than average animals. We hunted with Van Heerden Safaries.
We had 10 days paid for in RSA but only hunted 8 days. The RSA hunt wasn't a bad hunt, just not up to the Namibia hunt. I think it was a bit to structured for our taste.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BigB:
I am considering a plains game hunt in either RSA or Namibia. Looking for eland, warthog, hartebeast, gemsbok, if RSA nyala and waterbuck and if Namibia, blesbok and mountain zebra.

With reference to the species, why hunt RSA if there is without question a much better destination like Namibia.

All,

Thanks for the input, I agree with the comments that free range is better than fenced but not sure if the size of the properties in RSA really would feel fenced. It seems like 50,000 acres would feel like free range.

It sounds like either will be fine, and that Garry Kelly is a good choice.

OMUHUNA,

Why is Nambia so much better for the game mentioned, from some of the literature I looked at RSA looked like they offer the best Eland but then I could be wrong.

One benifit may be avoiding SAA if I take AA to Frankfurt and then Air Namibia to Windhoek.

Just hope I get to go

Thanks

BigB

BigB

If still standing, SCI and Rowland Ward number one Cape eland, 46 0/8 and 43 4/8 inches, 2001 northern Namibia.

Worldrecord Hartebeest, 29 1/2 inches, central Namibia.

SCI 2 gemsbok, southern Namibia. Number one is a 111 inch cow, Botswana 1972.

All just statistics, most important is that you get honest, ethical value for money and that you hopefully return to Africa one day, because you got adicted to her and not because you missed out on something that was there all the time.

" Fine men are remembered for their reaction after a kill "