I am curious to know how people pick the outfitters they choose to hunt with in Africa?

I don't think that there can be much argument against the fact that it is a significant investment and requires alot of planning and likely personal sacrifice to make the trip a reality.

That being the case.....there are a ton of factors to consider in this sort of decision and likely all of the following play a part to one degree or another but, what untimately makes you write the check and commit?

Just a very few I can think of off the top of my head.....

1.) Reputation of the owner/organization? I was thinking of very well known long term operations ie... Robin Hurt Safaris etc.
2.) Outfitter has species on quota that you really want to hunt. No brainer however, if exotic animals or a great diversity of game is present in one location it could play a role.
3.) There is a PH in the organization who is considered top notch in getting his client game. Perhaps you really want a 45"+ buff and know of a PH that just loves buff hunting and has been able to produce good results for his clients in the past. For instance I have heard that Gerard Miller of Danny McCallum Safaris Tanzania is great on big buff and just loves to hunt them.
4.) The area in question produces great trophy quality. Similar in idea to #3 above but, does anyone review the statistics (is that even possible?) of game taken by outfitters in various regions? For example I have looked into 'The Huntin Fool' as a resource to hunting in the Western US. Huntin Fool Does research like this factor into your plans?
5.) You have always wanted to hunt the area that the Outfitter has rights to. Caprivi Strip, Selous, Okavango etc.
6.) References. Either from personal friends who have hunted with them or cold calling.
7.) Price. We all have a budget!
8.) Stability of the country?

The list could go on and on... I realize I will get a lot of "they are all important" when I book a hunt type answers. However, I feel that all other things being equal each of us has out 'key points' when decision making and I would like to hear what those are when it comes time to actually transfer funds....

So, how do you choose?

Best Regards,
Dave

I decide what species I want to hunt and secondly consider what countries/areas those species are available. I then talk to many outfitters or brokers and try to settle on 2 or 3 potential. Then, the most important for me is to start calling references. Ask the outfitter or broker for names of hunters who either weren't successful or had unforseen ciecumstances occur during the hunt. Those people can be an invaluable resource.

David,
This is covered in detail in the "Africa - Reference and Information" forum.

You can get a lot of help there.

Word of mouth recommendations from someone you know and trust are extremely valuable.

Good reason to make more friends

1. Personal reference from a trusted acquaintance. And some research. jorge

I shopped the Internet, then called and talked to a few in the U. S. Important to me was finding an outfitter that waas interested in tailoring a hunt to my requirements. Many just have a standard package, take it or leave it. (Cabela's fell in that catagory.) I left it.

I found someone on the Internet that wanted to put together a hunt to my specifications. We exchanged a number of e-mails. I checked with his references. He worked to keep my costs down, and we made the deal. He turned out to be a great guy and I had the perfect hunt. He was the Outfitter and the PH, which I prefer.

I've got my first scheduled and took the recommendation of a buddy and his father who hunted with the PH last year. I wanted an ala carte hunt instead of a package deal and came highly recommended. I'm not a picky guy so I didn't need to tailor the hunt to exactly down to a lot of little details. All I want out of it is to have a ton of fun and to wear out a pair of boots doing it.

I spoke to several PH's at shows and ended up booking with one I never met prior to my hunt. He was the only one who made the effort of calling me from SA and answering my questions + he could set me up for all the animals I was after including croc and giraffe.

One that I contacted and had arrangements to meet with in Chicago wasn't at his booth when I got there in the morning after driving for 2hr + from my hometown. He only arrived later that day smelling of booze with some excuse about having a party the night before... Coincidentally the guy I ended up booking with called me that same day which made up my mind for me...

Ended up taking 9 animals in 6 days - all of which scored high in SCI and I had a great hunt. The PH's name was Chris Troskie who also posts here and I highly recommend him.

Fro me it was my first trip to Africa and I picked a PH that I had a connection to here in Canada, my Doctor's brother. Other factors for me were price and the stability of the country. I won't go to Zim first on principal and second out of fear somewhat. I was taking my son and I just didn't need the worry. I also spoke to many of Nihan's former clients inlcuding one that had a mixed trip(he gave me there names). I emailed back and forth for about a year, I talked to my Doc several times about it and how things worked over there.

In the end I would absolutely recomend my PH/outfitter Nihan Engelbrecht of www.huntersgame.co.za everything exceeded our expectations, we got all the animals we wanted, he was a great guy, the accomodations were excellent, the people working for him were great and the price was good.

I would love to go back for some of the species we didn't take and I would go with Nihan again in a second.

I just geather a group of names put them on the wll and the first one I hit with a dart is the lucky one.

AR is a great forum for getting first hand experience from those who have been there. I echo the advice that corresponding with someone who has already hunted with the outfitter is probably the best method to make a selection, at least in terms of eliminating the so-called "bad" ones. And outfitters will usually provide some references to allow you to contact former clients. On the other hand, there are probably many good outfitters and PH's that haven't necessarily had AR members as clients. This doesn't mean they aren't good of course.

David,

You've gotten some good advise but I might caution that a friends evaluation might not be of as much value as some would think. It would depend on the friends level of experience. Most first time safari hunters usually love the experience and are very happy with their safari operator. That does not mean the operator can provide the expereince you are looking for.

I would recommend doing your research,decide what experience you really want, do your research narrowing it down to 2-3 operators, go to a show and talk personally with these people if possible and finally make a decision after the show excitement has calmed down.

Mark

I echo what mark says , heres what I recommend for choosing an agent ...many of the same points will apply to choosing an good PH ...references are crucial ...if he can only give you one or two , dig deeper ...all the good guys have lots of people who are happy to be used as references ...

Have you been to Africa on a hunt like I am proposing to book?
An agent that has will be well able to answer your questions with a lot more detail than one who hasn’t. you will be able to ask him details about the outfitter and experience that he would not know from hearsay.

Do you have clients who have been on a hunt like I am proposing to book, if so could I please have their details so I can contact them as references?
He should have a list of people he has booked , except in extreme cases or very different hunts , you don’t want to be the first he has ever sent.

Is there a choice of operators that you use in the area and if so what are the differences?
They may not know of other operators and there may be better operators that they simply don’t know about …also they may only work with operators that give the best commissions, not necessarily the best hunting.

What factors have you used when choosing the operators, is it service, cost, trophy quality?
again make sure that they have chosen the place with the best experience , not just the place that gives them the best commissions.

Can I see photos of my key animals taken in the area that you are about to send me , also please include the hunters name and date.
The outfitter should have a bunch of these , some will be likely to send the best of the last five years , make sure that there are some medium to low quality trophies in the mix!!

How many of this particular animal are taken in the area each year where I will be going?
The importance of this varies with the species , on buffalo , an area that can support removal of 50 bulls , may only be able to support removal of two lions.

Is the area fenced or free range?
Very important...a ranch adjacent to a great game reserve means nothing if its totally fenced.

If its fenced, how large is the property we will be hunting, are there internal fences and is the camp inside the area we will be hunting?
Some outfitters will tell you that they hunt 100 000 acres and this may be true , but on 10 properties which is less than ideal and you can find yourself doing more travel time than hunting.

Will I be the only hunter in camp?
Key issues only in smaller areas , most top notch outfitters this is the case , some areas of over 1 million acres its not a big issue , but comes down to personal preference.

Will I be the only hunter in the area?
Again importance is relative to the size of the area, and also to species being shot. A leopard hunter will in no way effect an elephant hunter.

Some year ago I was in contact with Tony Da Costa. When I decided to hunt in Africa, I choosed to start with a Namibian hunt and choosed one of his outfitters.

A super choice, near to cheap, with very good trophies. I get back there with the same outfitter, and all the sensation and feelings were confirmed.