Hunting Package Includes:

Gemsbok, Kudu, Hartmann's Zebra
Airport Pickup and Return
Lodging
Food and Drinks

Excludes - Tips Trophy Dip and Pack

So I want to get the entire cost of the "excludes"

Airfare $2200

Dip and Pack:

Gemsbok Skull/Cape: $90
Kudu Skull/Cape: $90
Zebra Skin: $50
Total: $230

Shipping Back to the US
Import Fees: $500
Shipping Cost to Central US: $900
Total: $1400

Taxidermy in the US: TBD

Do those prices seem "about right" or am I too low? Am I missing anything else?

I think you are low on dip and pack. I think you need to be about $115 on the low end.

Not sure when you are shipping in the US so that is open ended.

You will shoot more on the safari than just what the package shows unless you have great restraint. I went on an 8 package deal and shot 23. Went on another less than 10 package and shot 16.

Is there a transfer fee?

Candy, hats, trinkets, for the camp staff and souvenirs for your return.

You omitted tips.

I have no idea of the pack, dip & ship for the trophies. I have never shot those exact animals. I just got a shipment of 4 elephant tusks from Botswana. It cost appx $4,000 from the Botswana side including pack, dip & ship. It cost another $850 to get the items cleared and sent to my taxidermist.

It seems to me that airfares have skyrocketed. I would question whether you can fly for that price especially if you have to fly to Windhoek from Johannesburg. I would check. I just booked my next trips tickets. Slight changes in times/dates made a massive difference in price.

Will you have to spend the night in Johannesburg? If so, there is the cost of clearing the guns and overnight stay as well as meals.

There is always hidden cost. Like shipping crate from broker to taxidermist,costs at joburg airport.You are pretty close but you will be spending a little more. Airlines love to mess with you,one way you get 2 bags,coming home you get one free bag-stuff like that..Have a great trip...

Let me know what you are hearing. I am headed to Namibia in July and I have a spreadsheet trying to figure costs....similar animals. dip and pack is all that I don't know right now.

$50 here and $50 there might seem important but it is nickels and dimes compared to the real costs that you can avoid! The trick to all this is, in my mind, to ABSOLUTELY minimize taxidermy costs. It will cost you less in taxidermy work but much more in shipping if you do the taxidermy work abroad and will cost you much less to ship if you plan to get the work done statewide. The saving is, of course, overwhelmed by the cost difference of getting the taxidermy done here. Therefore, I am a really big fan of skull mounts and rugs these days! I don't enjoy my rugs and skulls any less than a mount. Even shooting a lion or leopard, I would avoid full mounts. A bunch of shoulder mounts and full mounts can very quickly exceed the cost of the hunt itself. As an aside, no matter what you do, I would tan and rug the zebra there and NOT in the US. The cost difference there is surprisingly large!

The dipping and packing are low. On my last trip I paid $95 per animal for dipping and then an additional 25% of dipping bill for packing.

the airfare is about right; i have the option of paying about 1900 thru JNB or flying thru Europe for about 2200. As Larry points out, going thru JNB requires an overnight on the way over.

I would really discourage you from going all the way there to shoot only three animals, esp if it is your first safari.

Airfare: varies, do you live in Anchorag or Atlanta? Probably somewhere in between. Big difference in price.
Tips $500-$700
Dip and pack $500-$700 (depends on who they use)
Shipping: $1000 +/- $250
Clearing Agent fees,USF&W fees other fees: $600

Additional animals: your call, you will shoot more. Dont spend all this money to go shoot 3 animals. You should shoot more, my only regrets are the animals I didn't shoot!

These packages are designed to get people over there. Then they shoot more. If your budget is too tight at the moment to shoot additional animals, save up and go the following year, or after that.

All the fixed costs and some of the variable costs of doing a safari will only vary slightly if you shoot more. Shipping does not double if you shoot 6 animals opposed to 3. It will increase by 10%-15% maybe, because you are paying by volume, not weight (just an example, I am sure there are exceptions.)

Clearing fees will still be $600ish. Airfare doesn't care what you shoot. Dip and pack will go up, obviously.

Be realistic about what you want. Then make a plan and go shoot it. You don't have to go hog wild, but realize that you will regret not making accommodations to shoot what you really want.

Even with all this planning, you will see an animal there that you didn't realize you wanted, and you will probably blow your budget. I am speaking from personal experience here.

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
...my only regrets are the animals I didn't shoot!

Amen to that! I still dream of the 30+" Nyala I didn't shoot because I didn't know any better and thought the $1500 t-fee was "over my budget"

I would suggest having taxidermy done there as my costs were 1/3 of US prices and quality was excellent.
Kudu shoulder mount projects 36" and is over 5' tall. I wish I would have done English instead. Dip , pack and delivery to taxidermist $300? Crate and ship for me was over $1,000, $200 for crate. $200+ for inspection and repack, $250? Flora & Fauna. Shipped NY to Pa. was stupid money ($600?). Total cost was close to my airfare. I'm guessing you're low on getting trophies home.
I wish I would have gone all english and shot more.
Scott

bhtkevin,

I totally agree with Wendell. If your budget is so tight right now that you can only afford 3 animals wait a year and save up some more money. You will see quite a variety of gasme on your typical PG hunt and you don't want your budget to hold you back if you see something you'd really like to have. Likewise 10 days makes a heck of alot nicer hunt than 7 days and I recommend it as a minimum time in the field. Africa is a total "experience" and you need to allow yourself time to catch your breath, relax and absorb it.

Mark

I'm one of of a minority of hunters (3rd Africa trip is this summer) who feels that 7 days is plenty; after I shoot a few animals I usually end up pretty much " game watching ". For me 10 or more days would be too long, but like I said I'm WAY in the minority on this one!

Re; taxidermy, if you have it done "over there" be sure to check out your guy's work- - plenty of horror stories, and unlike in US, you're stuck w/it, refunds are about impossible. There are, however, some really reputable taxidermists throughout Africa. Just beware. Having your zebra rug made in Namibia will save lot$ and its hard to mess that up, plus they do 1,000's/year over there.

Have a great trip!

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
...my only regrets are the animals I didn't shoot!

Amen to that! I still dream of the 30+" Nyala I didn't shoot because I didn't know any better and thought the $1500 t-fee was "over my budget"

$6000 exportable Elephant
$2000 Non-Exportable Elephant
$1500 Hippo

My answer to all was, "Nah, I'll just shoot one next time."

Turns out, "next time" doesn't exist any more.

quote:

Do those prices seem "about right" or am I too low? Am I missing anything else?

If you're hunting in Namibia, you MUST factor in dinner and drinks at Joe's Beer House in Windhoek. Prices for food are reasonable, and Taffel beer is only $15 Namibian (less than $2 US) per bottle.

I always have my priority list of the animals I want.
I also set a budget that allows for more than just their trophy fees to cover that exceptonal animal that was not on my list, like a 30 in. nyala.LOL
I have gone slightly over budget on all 3 safaris, but not enough to break the bank.
I have also learned that taking lots of photos of not having so much taxidermy work done will save a LOT of money.
3 trips, spending 8-11 grand on taxidermy each time is just plain stupid!
It's too far to travel for just 3 plains game animals. Save up for another year if you must & then wear your barrel out having fun.

Thanks all for the great information. I should have probably pointed out that I plan to shoot more animals, I am just looking for a base price.

Those are my main 3 target animals and it will all be low-fenced spot-n-stalk style hunting. First 3 will be with a rifle, the rest spot-n-stalk with a compound or recurve. I am also an avid photographer so I leave plenty of time on the table there.

If I could take a longer vacation I would, but work will be very busy this year and I just can't justify it. I am trying to decide between this hunt and an Azerbaijan Dagestan tur hunt as the price seems to be a wash. Its not always what you can afford or how many animals you can shoot. I would be happier with a single animal, a unique story and a lot of fun than shooting 20 animals over a water hole.

quote:

I would be happier with a single animal, a unique story and a lot of fun than shooting 20 animals over a water hole.

Great attitude & I agree totally.
The exception is, in Africa, you are in a target rich enviroment with many species available. Not so in other places.
I have 21 African trophies & only 3 were killed close to water holes & I am just as proud of them as the others.
But it's your money & your vacation, do it your way as best you can & make lotsa memories!

quote:

Originally posted by Wendell Reich:
$6000 exportable Elephant
$2000 Non-Exportable Elephant
$1500 Hippo

My answer to all was, "Nah, I'll just shoot one next time."

Ouch....you win.

I just bought a ticket today PHX -Windhoek for $2283 including the agency fee of $150.

All I can say is when I go to Africa, I never plan on saving money. I am also into photography. If you can, consider a trip to Etosha.

Cheers, PG

AAW - I'm about to book a flight to Windhoek too, and that is a good price. What travel agent did you use?

This is only a slight hijack, and no weapons were used in the commission of this crime.

I am no expert but when asked, I always advise to budget a little on the high side to avoid surprises. I would bump your dip and pack fees to $150 per animal and your shipping (air to US, brokerage fees and US truck ship included) to closer to $2000 total, perhaps even a couple hundred more to be safe.

Everyone is different buy more days is better than more animals in my opinion. I would much rather have three animals as the goal and have plenty of time to hunt them, pass on some, see a lot of beautiful country etc..than to whack two or three animals a day every day. Having a few days of shooting nothing makes the days when you do that much sweeter. But each to their own. Budgeting for a few extra animals is never a bad idea if you can swing it.

I always budget about $1000 for extras like gun permits, an overnight stay at a guest lodge, meals at the airport, tips other than hunt tips, a few curios etc..

I have heard some say to take the package price and double it and I think that usually comes out pretty close minus the taxidermy. You can always have the skins tanned and do the taxidermy over time, even years later as the budget allows.

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:
AAW - I'm about to book a flight to Windhoek too, and that is a good price. What travel agent did you use?

This is only a slight hijack, and no weapons were used in the commission of this crime.

Steve Turner at Travel with Guns. Never used an agent before, but it is worth the $150, esp if your guns don't make it to JNB.

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:
$50 here and $50 there might seem important but it is nickels and dimes compared to the real costs that you can avoid! The trick to all this is, in my mind, to ABSOLUTELY minimize taxidermy costs. It will cost you less in taxidermy work but much more in shipping if you do the taxidermy work abroad and will cost you much less to ship if you plan to get the work done statewide. The saving is, of course, overwhelmed by the cost difference of getting the taxidermy done here. Therefore, I am a really big fan of skull mounts and rugs these days! I don't enjoy my rugs and skulls any less than a mount. Even shooting a lion or leopard, I would avoid full mounts. A bunch of shoulder mounts and full mounts can very quickly exceed the cost of the hunt itself. As an aside, no matter what you do, I would tan and rug the zebra there and NOT in the US. The cost difference there is surprisingly large!

I couldn't agree more with tendrams.

Mounted heads are difficult to find a place to display, and are generally not terribly welcomed by the lady of the house. I find the European skull mounts fully as rewarding, much easier to display, and they never age the way taxidermy does. There was zero charge by our outfitter for drying and preparing the skulls and horns (other than the measly 10 Euros per animal he charged and paid directly to the skinners/butchers for their work.) And the tannery he delivered the zebra, springbok, and hartebeest hides to did nicer job than any I've seen in the U.S., and for an incredibly small price. Shipping dried skulls, horns, and tanned hides is much less expensive than either green hides or finished shoulder mounts.

Save the big bucks you would spend on taxidermy and shoot a few more trophies.

Second AZ on Steve Turner. Worked with them last year and working with them now on a trip later this year.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Second AZ on Steve Turner. Worked with them last year and working with them now on a trip later this year.

Agreed! I booked my ticket with Steve who despite being at the shows had the bandwidth to reserve our flight and get us good seats, and am working with Susan right now to get the Joburg overnight stay and SAPS paperwork facilitated (AfricanSky Guest House). I really appreciate great service, and this couldn't be any easier!

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Second AZ on Steve Turner. Worked with them last year and working with them now on a trip later this year.

I'll also give him a thumbs-up. Used him last June for my first African hunt (Namibia) and he took good care of me throughout the process, patiently answering all of my stupid first-timer questions and making me feel completely prepared for the experience.