That was the rumor when we were there in June/July of this year. Not much to be done. Too bad a united PH group couldn't have some say in how things are playing out...



I have been over there twice in the last year and the prices have gone up over 15% for trophy fees and 25% for daily rates. Too many other places to hunt.



Chances are this will weed out the smaller operators and give the game populations in some areas a chance to explode, especially around Pongola Lake.



Time will tell...

The prices are going up and the gun regulations are getting worse. I think the heyday of cheap safari hunting in RSA is nearing an end. You can still hunt cheap in the Eastern cape if you call that hunting! If you want to hunt real natural game where they actually live the price is going up for many of the Northern province/Limpopo province companies. The Strong Rand is driving the price up for everyone I know there.

I have spoken to countless hunters who are stunned at the new prices and worried about the new gun regulations. Most of them said they were planning to go every year but finally decided 2005 would be the time. Then the cold slap in the face with price increases and new stress over gun regulations.

All is not lost, there are a few locations where good hunting can be had at a fair price. However those places will not likely have the elaborite accomadations you were expecting. Many will be less expensive to maintain and operate at the lower prices. All RSA camps must meet minimum Nature Conservation standards so they will be clean and nice.

It was once possible to pick a safari camp blindly and all were very good. Today and for the near future they will be dropping off like dead bugs when the hunters stop coming and the money to operate the lodges starts drying up. RSA is going to struggle in the Safari business with the strong rand and the silly new gun regulations all at the same time! Not to mention the high risk of land ownership with all the new land taxes put in last year. I spoke to SCI yesterday and the fella said that they estimate 3000-3500 fewer hunters in RSA for 2005 because of the gun regs alone. Add in the higher prices and you have a really bad outlook for the Safari industry in RSA.

I don't care where you hunt in RSA or with whom you book the hunt. Just do it now before it gets worse. RSA has a few decent years remaining, but at the rate they are going now it will likely change for the worse (much worse) by 2006-2007 unless the rand falls and the government changes the gun regs.

JJ,

Thanks for the info... A sad state of affairs. But unless I'm oversimplifying things I'd guess that the loss of the safari industry would play hell on their economy - is it not a significant chunk of their economy in the RSA? Can they afford to do that? In other words a couple of dead safari seasons and they may reconsider the foolishness of their decision.

I liken this to when the morons in the US Congress passed that "Luxury Tax" on yachts, etc. thinking they'd be raking in some cash off the rich. All they did was totally demolish the yacht building industry in the USA and drive it offshore. Revenues plummeted rather than go up if I'm not mistaken. Maybe I'm way off base here, but I'd guess the loss of the safari industry would play hell on them.

It is just my imagination, or is it not true that a plunging dollar seems to force price increases, but a rising dollar never seems to force prices lower?

If you are going to raise prices when the dollar is weak, then you should lower them when the dollar is rising. Never seems to work that way, but perhaps I am wrong.

The SAPS are still moving the goalposts on a daily basis, and their latest gross stupidity is that if a hunter is overnighting (with firearms) in RSA, but not hunting, then he is expected to queue up at the firearms office (anything up to 4-6 hours!) and then after being fingerprinted and having his serial numbers checked etc he has to leave the rifles there, pass through customs and go to the Police Station in front of the terminal where he then has to pay the princely sum of R140 and get the receipt. Then he has to go back into the customs hall and join the queue at the firearms office, hand in the receipt and ONLY then can he take his firearms away with him.............all that BS, just to overnight in RSA before going onto hunt in another country ...... oh boy, just watch all those hunters change their tickets so that they don't have to go near RSA. It will cost SAA a fortune!

Still, as a good friend of mine says: T.A.B......
That's
Africa
Bwana

JJ, I hope your outfit can survive and thrive. I have not heard about the new gun regulations. What has changed? Rufous.

Perhaps higher prices in RSA are a good thing so that the country can cut out the canned hunts and the hunts on fenced 40 acre paddocks and concentrate on quality, unfenced hunting.

For that to happen, there will need to a consolidation of land ownership, or establishment of nature conservancies of at least several hundred thousand acres each, and the removal of many fences.

Sadly, South Africa's large population makes it unlikely that these things will occur, so in all likelihood the safari industry in RSA will simply shrink.

The wise consumer will consider hunting plains game in Namibia, Zim or Botswana as all of them are looking more reasonable compared to current RSA pricing.

I'm headed to RSA in September for a hunt, and I'm glad I'm going. I do think that it's a good idea to hunt this country ASAP. In fact, I think it's a good idea to hunt Africa -- as a whole -- as much as you can and as soon as you can, and sooner rather than later. Take all the money you can possibly spare for trophy fees for any safari you book, and book as many days as you can possibly hunt.

Airfare costs the same no matter if you go for seven days or fifteen (or 21), and the paperwork hassle will amount to pretty-much the same hassle no matter how many days you're hunting as well.

AD

I�m all for the idea of booking hunts now! Doing it feels good and is the food of dreams!

Is JJ�s horror scenario likely? Well he knows more about these things than I do but my point is that we tend to see ghosts that don�t materialize -things usually work out even in Africa.

Kenya and Zim are prime examples of what doesn�t work.

Fifty years ago most RSA game was shot out and more than one species were almost extinct. Things DID work out though.

Point: Prices rise and fall but the hunts will be there as they need our dollars and euros.

As for things always working out, I recomend you read a copy of "March of Folly" by Barbara Tuchman. Things do work out, but often over a period of decades or centuries. Businesses tend to respond to market forces (or go bankrupt), but governments often ignore market forces until it is beyond too late. Your average mid level bureaucrat can't spell "market" and is only concerned with the "force" that he puts into banging his red inked stamp onto your "papers".
JCN

Steve,

I am looking at alternate routes, first out of the box is the Air Namibia connection. At SCI they were marketing a USA/Frankfurt/Windhoek trip using Singapore Air.

With SAA now flying cattle-car configured, 100-knot slower (than the 747) Airbus machines something needs to change.

As far as the hunting properties goes I was watching the PHASA data on farm numbers which hit over 5,000 most recently (that up from 3,600 the year before). I was thinking the industry was its own worst enemy, but I guess the government is going to give them a run for our money.

Speaking money when I went to AFrica in '95 it was $1 to Rand 3.385. Over the years the Rand traded up to about 13 IIRC, and now it is back down to something like 6 to 7. If the prices worked at about 4, why don't they work at 6 now?

At least the wife and I got in two South African hunts in the good old days.


jim

AAZ, you are so right. Three or four years ago all you heard was the moaning about the weakness of the rand (I said then that was BS) and prices went up. Now the rand is very strong and again the prices are going up. I understand about price increases, but when you tie your rates to the USD and the dollar does not (now) have inflationary tendencies you have to live with it, that is if you (outfitter) want respect from your potential hunter. Hey so far this illness has not hit Namabia. I will be in Nam in six weeks. I will only return to RSA as a tourist or to hunt Vaal Rehbok in the Eastern Cape and IT IS hunting there for them, eh.

When the rand weakened, the prices either stayed the same or even went up.

Now the rand has strengthened, prices are also going up.

Can anyone else spot the trend NOT related to market forces of exchange rates.

When I studied economics I would have called this profiteering from 'excess' profits and the attempt to maintain those perhaps not sustainable margins. Any business that has a capital payback period of less than five years from profits is doing pretty well.

In addition there is reported to be ever increasing numbers of small new game farms. Perhaps trying to spread the 'rich creamy butter over too much toast'. If rationalisation occurs perhaps its not a bad thing.

Plus SAf does not operate in an isolated market. Just how much would one be willing to pay extra for a "game farm" hunt compared to a real free range safari in somewhat more expensive locations before deciding on the real thing.

In the Eastern cape where game is bought and sold as a comodity it might be competitive as they can't feed and care for overpopulated animals. They will eventually be over stocked without hunters. These guys will likely just shoot for meat and biltong when the numbers are to high. This may end up being more profitable then running a lodge and dealing with foreign hunters. Locals can hunt without all the regulations that outfitters must provide for foreign hunters. That makes the hassle much less and profits nearly the same.

In the northern Provinces and Natal where game lives natural and the "put and take" aspect is not used. The game will not come down in price anytime soon because the carrying capacity of the land is far greater and they thrive naturally.

Plus most guys wanting a hunt for indiginous wild game understand it will cost more to do that then to hunt on a farm with rasied game that has been stocked for hunters to shoot.

In anycase the hunting we once knew there is on the verge of disaster if things don't turn around soon! Do yourselves a huge favor and make those hunting plans for 2005 before it gets worse!

Game is captured and sold across RSA. However there are huge production game farms that raise only a few species in the EC. These animals are raised almost as livestock. I have been to one in particular where Zebra and Gemsbok were living in open rolling hills where the farmer with a "buyer" would drive a tractor out through the field with a load of lucerne and the animals would run to the machine eating the handfuls of food thrown to them. The Buyer picked the animals he wanted and the vet darted them. These were loaded onto large trailers and transported to other EC hunting lodges.

This same operation is done with many species there. I have a good friend in Natal who sells lots of Nyala. (Russ G also knows him well) His are going to any farmer landowner or game rancher that wants them. They are not in Natal except in an extreme odd case. These Nyala are shipped to other hunting or in some cases sight seeing locations.

We trap and ship lots of Blue wildebeast, Sable, Roan, impala, and Rhino from our property to other hunting operations. We are not stocking for hunting exclusively and we only have indigenous species just as most of the Northern/Limpopo provinces and KZN offer.

Consider that the EC has only about 6 or so typical indigenous big game species,.... but you can hunt 30 different animals (much like Texas) the Northern Provinces have 28 or so species all natural and indigenous. Speaking only for myself and on our property we have kudu taken we have never seen before. Each year during the rut we see plenty of big bulls we have no Idea where they came from! That�s natural breeding and wild living. In the EC the habitat is so much different that you will very likely know all the big animal you have because you can see them throughout the year. Same with Nyala and Sable. We often now see a big Nyala bull here and there and wonder where they came from. I shot a 16" plus bushbuck this year and it's only the second bush buck I have ever seen on this property. They are there but the habitat is so thick and the game is not stocked. Finding some of the species is a challenge. Very much different then the EC!

Not everything you see and experience in RSA especially with the EC is what you think! I have worked there 13 seasons now and the first few were on the EC properties. Some of what I experienced there was so sad and unsporting I was fed up with "Africa" then I met some people who were hunters and sportsman rather then "game sellers and business men" It is what likely saved my interest there. Much of what goes on is the reason for the reputations and debates of hunting a high fence operation in RSA. If the stocked game so typical of the EC was out of business then other High Fence operations more typical of the Northern Province would not have had the same critics.

What this all comes down to is American Pride. Anyone can hunt the EC and see it's not what they expected. However when they come home they can tell any story they like to friends and family, most Americans have so little knowledge of indigenous game or Africa geography in general that they believe whatever they hear.

Certainly there are huge well laid out hunting operations in the EC many have game that has been stocked and even breeds there now, much like Texas. It's much like a hunter from RSA coming to America to shoot a Dall sheep in Florida or a Muskox in Indiana. Then when he gets back to RSA he can tell his friends and family any story he likes about his fantastic hunt.

Look at the price structure between an EC hunt and a northern/Limpopo Province hunt. The EC hunts are cheap! Why? Game can be stocked with deposit money much cheaper then game which requires the time investment to grow naturally. Also, you can take as many hunters as you like because you restock the shelves with more game when you run out. It's a much more complicated business then most foreign hunters realize.

Some EC locations have wonderful lodges and massive properties with great hunting, much like Texas offers. Others are target shooting for farm raised game. Don't confuse the experience of hunting game in the EC and think that it would be the same in the north where these animals naturally live. It's nothing at all alike! Get a wildlife book that shows the shaded areas where game lives natural. You will see very quickly where the majority of indigenous big game habitat is!

Regarding a five year payback: forget it, the only way to make any kind of return is to stock exotic species (like Sable) and then it's five years before they are huntable.

When you consider the price of land, the carrying capacity, the yield of trophy and non-trophy animals, and the maintenance costs, game farming in RSA and other countries is a good way to turn a large fortune into a smaller fortune.

The mistake most visiting hunters make is looking at what they pay vs. what it must cost to supply their hunts. What they don't take into account is you can only book so many foreign hunters per year as the season is basically four months long, and that is further limited by the yield of trophies. A 15,000 acre property, which could cost $2 million plus, only yields about ten real trophy kudu per year. The rest don't make it to old age, or are sold as meat animals to local hunters.

From the visiting hunter's perspective, the game is free (like in the USA), the lodging cost should work out around $100 per night max, and the PH/vehicle/tracker are another $200 per day, so how come I am paying thousands of dollars?

The answer is you are paying for the exclusive use of thousands of acres of land that has been fenced, boreholed, lodged, and stocked all for real money. Not just for the time you are there, but also for the time you are not there while the animals are getting big (that's a slow process) so you can be sure of getting a good trophy. All that time the place has to be managed, supervised, and labored.

It's similar to the price of lift tickets at a resort. You pay $50 and it doesn't cost them a cent more if you are on the mountain. So is that gouging? No, you have to pay a portion of the cost of the off season to enjoy the high season.

The reason so many game farms have sprung up is yes, it is possible to make a living as a PH/game farmer if you do everything right; it's a romantic pastime; and it's often one of the few avenues available to white males that have been turfed out of the police, military, and corporations in the name of empowerment of the majority.

Some early pioneers made good money especially if they inherited their land. And the price of land in SA has gone up, so many have realized a capital gain if not an operating profit. But, as happened in Japan and also on the Nasdaq, eventually the price of an asset reflects its real earnings potential.

I guess I should come right out and say that it bothers me when people resent paying say $5000 for a plains game hunt. It seems like really good value to me, in comparison with what $5000 will buy in Alaska, New Mexico, Tanzania or especially in a kitchen remodel.

But I suppose there will always be cynics in this world. Someone once said a cynic is a person who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. Appropriately, in this context.

I have read this post with interest. I do not fully agree with the logic in most cases.

First - the cost to hunt in RSA is a function of supply and demand. If demand goes down, so do prices. I fully understand the issues with currency valuations and understand the the dollar and euro drive the RSA industry. Much of the money does not get into the RSA and stays in banks in other countries. I have booked for 2005 and seen no increase in price. Further, the gun importation issue is always in flux and will always change. Try bringing a gun into the US as a non-US citizen.

Second - Relationships built on repeat business also impacts price. If you return to the same place year after year, you will get preferential price treatment.

Third - I fully value "hunt brokers". They are wealth of information, as a group are 99% honest (more than I can say for other professions), of value in helping you get something set up. However, they collect a fee from the outfitter. It is a viable and good system. However, if you are repeat business and can book direct with the outfitter - you save him money part of which offsets the de-valuation of the dollar. You can get "eye ball to eye ball" with these guys are the various hunting shows to get a feel for what they do and what they do not do. A strong word of caution - if you chose to by-pass the broker, then be prepared to spend money and time doing you're own research. I have done this both ways - used a broker and gone direct to the outfitter. I am comfortable doing each but favor the broker as he is "on the hook" to perform and to commit to performance. It is a lot like selling your home by owner or via a real estate agent.

In summary - if the "dollar" affects your decision, then go somewhere the dollar is strong (US, Canada, Latin America, Russia, Zimbabwe) or pay up. I like California wine, but only want to afford Chilean or Aussie wine. I can buy Napa Valley products, but prefer not to spend the extra money.
Same goes for hunting.

Mr. Hack--I believe that you paint with an overly large brush. While much of what you say regarding the East Cape region is true, it is not always so. I have previously hunted Zimbabwe twice and spent time hunting in northern RSA, near the Limpopo. I recently hunted the East Cape area. The company I hunted with is purely family, and operates on two huge ranches (100's of thousands of acres) that have been in the family for several generations. Cattle production is part of their livelihood on these ranches. Granted, all of the game animals on these ranches are not indiginous, but, they have not introduced animals in many years. They do sell some excess animals. All of the animals are naturally reproducing, and damn sure wild. These ranches are indeed surounded by game fence, but as you know, this is government imposed. I personnaly saw, observed, that the fences do not contain the animals, as I saw some come and go. We saw grand Kudu bulls and Eland bulls (neither of which I was hunting) that the owners had not seen before, and I was told, honestly I believe, that they have lots of animals seen every year that they did not know were present. Indeed, we saw a Blesbuck bull (again, not an animal I was hunting) that simply blew the PH's (owner) mind, said it was the biggest one he'd ever seen and he'd never seen it before. The hunting for the animals I wanted to hunt was hunting, no two ways about it. It was on foot on the ground and the animals were as naturally wild as they could be. Also, it was not smooth flat country that one could see for miles in. It was rough, much of it steep. Indeed, it was much more true, pure hunting than my experiences in the north of RSA have produced. My point is, all EC hunting is not a pen shoot, far from it. I also know from my time in the area and the non-hunting traveling that we did with the PH that there is much like you refer to, but certainly it is not all like that.

Russ,

For what it's worth, I agree. I've had two PG hunts in different areas of RSA and feel it $$ well spent. The outfitter I used both times had use of six DeBeer's concessions and it made for a meaningful hard stalking series of hunts for good to great animals. All at a cost of $5000 + airfare per person, average of 5 animal taken. Can't do that in the US, from what I understand.

I know some would turn up their noses at such, but for me and mine it was a great way to break into hunting Africa. And yes, I am ready to move on to the next level of DG in one of the other countries. Within 2 or 3 years I hope to be walking in the tall grass, big bore rifle in hand after one of those black ill-tempered bovine beasties that everyone talks about, hopefully an old warrior with a lot of fight left. And it will be $$ well spent no matter what happens...yeah, I'm addicted to it all, gotta problem with that??

JJHACK

Let me see if I understand what you're saying: It's OK for you to capture and sell your excess game to EC game farms but it's not OK for us to hunt these same animals there because they are not indigenous?

Seems like I was prompted to pipe in the last time you went on a rant like this! There have got to be some (many?) EC game ranches that offer up mature, locally bred game animals, in a fair chase environment, and provide a challenging, rewarding experience for many hunters. If nothing else they provide an opportunity for some hunters that could do it no other way, and in other cases provide an introduction to the possibilities for those of us who will be back again and again to the EC and elsewhere!

The price increases seem to be a fact of life, that we'll have to deal with in the decision making process. Without knowing any operational factors - these appear to be merely attempts to replicate the same windfall profit margins that were enjoyed after the Rand/Dollar ratio went to 12+/1 on prices that were set at 6+/1 . Only time will show whether this attempt is successful or self defeating. It would seem that the increase in new outfitters and the decline in hunters to RSA [for whatever of several reasons] should make that supply and demand equation operate to level things out.

Meanwhile, I'll hunt Zim or Tanz or Moz for Buffalo, Hippo and Croc next and then return to the EC for a few animals that I missed. And I'll continue to tell all my friends to hunt in RSA as it still seems to be one of the best deals going, specially the EC!

Les

After hunting Blue Duiker, Bushbuck, Cape Grysbok, Mt Reedbuck (not hunted yet Vaal Rehbok) in the Cape I find it hard to beleive these animals are on a put and take basis. If one is to hunt only indiginous game there is a lot in the north that have been transplanted or re-introduced. I have hunted near Ellisras and have seen many small high fenced farms that were hunted. Put the stones down.

JJ, why are there game catchers in Natal then? It seems to be big business. Are you saying all caught game in the north is sold to the EC?

The problem is the weak dollar and that affects all overseas vacations to most all destinations (except perhaps Zimbabwe!). The Namibian $ is tied to the Rand, so as goes RSA, so goes Namibia.

I don't think it's going to be such a big deal. The prices in $ haven't gone up in many years, so a hike next year is probably overdue.

Of course, the combination of a ten page form (seems to scare the daylights out of a lot of "dangerous game" hunters), higher airfares (oil at $40 plus the cost of all that security BS), and the weak dollar might tip the scales for some hunters.

Of course, in the short term, supply is not going to shrink so there will be some deals. Animals breed and they have to be culled. Only when the marginal operators have closed down and the land reverts to cattle farming, will the prices go up significantly.

By then, the $/rand rate might be quite different so the shakeout might not happen at all.

And don't forget the local hunters. They actually generate more revenue for the game farmers than foreign clients, at least in SA.

There is also the trend to consider. For every hunter that has actually gone to Africa, there are five more who are thinking of going. One or two will give it a go...and as we all know, once bitten there's no cure. So rather than a decline in hunting, there might just be a slower growth rate or worst case a flattening of the curve for a while.

The fact that a species is not native to the area may be important to some folks, but it does not mean that the hunt isn't "fair chase".

But I do agree, NOW is the time to hunt RSA (or anywhere else)! Always better to go sooner than later.

MR. Gearhead, your spot on. I'm not saying that it will not be "fair chase" as it can be a challange on some properties. If you read the post I actally wrote that many places offer good hunting. However the same animals shot in Texas can be a challange too, and offer far fewer hurdles to get there and hunt. The facts are really simple here folks, most big game hunted in the EC is transplanted to be rasied/farmed/sold and shot, just as it is in Texas. Regardless if it was raised there in the wild it still is not natural and hunted as it would be in its original habitat.

I don't really see the confusion over this. If you raise and grow huge dall sheep in Florida and put them on 10,000 acres of land it's gonna take a while to find them and many will consider that a fair chase. However it's nothing at all like hunting them in the Mountains of Alaska.

It makes no difference to me if this is what people like to do and find the less expensive hunts attractive. I do think its fair that they are aware of the situation they are buying into though. I think its unethical and unfair for a man to save his whole life and finally make it to an African safari only to realize when he arives that the hunt took place in an area where the animals he shot were not native.

Born on the land does not make the game automatically indiginous! I think that most of the hunting operations in Texas and the EC have a place in the hunting world. I don't equate the experience as being the same as hunting where the animals live naturally though! Anyone who does is only fooling themselves.

As far as the bleak outlook in RSA, I'm a business owner there and I know what is cookin right now and it's not pretty. I see a couple more years of avg to good hunting with a decline in outfitters and more strict gun laws. As this business continues to evolve we will see if fewer outfitters have a price war over the available hunters or if they continue to raise the prices to pay all the new fees involved. My guess is that the fewer outfitters will get more of the available hunters as the outfitter choices are reduced. That will not make the hunts cheaper.

Many of you are not aware of all the new costs to stay in business now with a farm. The Property taxes have been enacted and they are hella expensive for a big chunk of hunting land. There is now a bore hole tax on every water source on that property. These bore holes could be 100 years old and now you will pay tax on them. The Minimum wage and overtime laws have changed to add pay to every employee and now health care is in the works too. Add to this the strong rand and fewer dollars and there is a major struggle to remain in business for many outfitters.

Part of the cost problems come from hunts being booked or arranged in July through Oct and the hunts actually taking place in May through July. Nobody knows what the exchange rate will be 6-8 months in advance. This past year I had 4 hunters who cost me money because of there price structure when booked and their horrible shooting. I could not get them to hit anything which cost me money in trophy fees.

It's why I'm no longer offering a packaged hunt. I only offer daily fee and trophy fees with a discount on the daily fee after 3500.00 in trophy fees are reached.

There is much more involved then meets the eye here. These properties in the north must be managed and maintained 12 months a year for only approx 2 months of total hunting time. Yeah,..... I know the EC hunts can go year round. We don't hunt when the babies are born, they are our future because we don't stock game.

My partner has suggested to me many times that we can make just as much money selling game and trapping game for others then we can with foreign hunters. When we have hunters we need the whole operation staffed and lots of attention to details to keep eveyone happy and the place running smooth. With local hunters you don't have the same regulations to worry about and no lodge is needed. Trapping and selling our game makes about as much money and no hunters to deal with. No missed shots, wounded game, skinning, pack and dip worries, no follow-ups or following blood trails in the dark etc etc.

I guess I'm the odd man out in this thought process as I love the hunting part of the business and it's the only part I'm interested in. Sure we have an odd client now and then but so what it's just human nature. I live through it and move on. I want the hunting so I'm in this until they pull the plug. If my partner decides otherwise it's his decision to move on. I'll be here for the foeseeable future. I did not go to school in RSA and learn the languages to give up anytime soon!


I do have access to some really low cost hunting with minimal accomadations for hunts. No fancy lodge or elaborite meals. Just a decent place to sleep and shower with good food and good hunting. I think we can save money and make good hunts for those who want to hunt and not stay in a fancy expensive lodge. I cannot help with the gun laws and regulations but I can cut some of the costs out of the hunt where they are not needed, by using a low cost lodge off site to stay at and hunting several local locations without a lodge or any accomadations on the hunting property. This is all in the north and on some properties that have only seen one or two local hunters a year for the last 50 years! Because the landowners have no ability to arrange hunts and no outfitter or PH license they cannot allow foreign hunters to access the property for hunting.

We can offer hunting on these private properties for less cost then on a managed game farm with a fancy expensive lodge. The PH/outfitter I'm doing these hunts with found a set of 61" kudu horns last week while scouting the property. The owner said that was a nice one but he has seen some bigger by the dam.

Its time to look outside the box and find some new ideas to keep this business going. It's not likley going to be getting better so we need to be a bit more inventive to get through this tough period. Who knows maybe a tent camp and a little more rustic adventure will make people enjoy the trip more?

Who knows maybe a tent camp and a little more rustic adventure will make people enjoy the trip more?

JJ - Last year I looked for a "fly camp hunt" in SA, and nobody seemed to offer one. You may have a niche here. Good luck.

JJHACK

I think you are right about hunting now or in the next few years. If the typical black African experience is anything, they will only progressively f*** up the country over time.