Does any one regret the money that they spent hunting in Africa. Years later or right away did you think " I wish I had saved that money" or "spent it on something more practical" ?

Nope, just the opposite. Regret spending money on cars, motorcycles, and ex wife when I was younger. Didn't go to Africa until I was 48 and now it's all I can thnk about.

Absolutely no regrets. Both times I have been with my son, and wish I had enough money to go more often. went my 1st time when I was 57 and last month when I was 60. Wish I could have gone much earlier in life.


Mad Dog

quote:

Originally posted by els:
Does any one regret the money that they spent hunting in Africa. Years later or right away did you think " I wish I had saved that money" or "spent it on something more practical" ?

You gotta be kidding!

No, but is I had a do- over I would spend it differntly, different hunts, PHs etc. But I guess that is all part of the experience

I probably would have spent less on mounts, more on hunts.

I have buried quite a few people in my life, due to early years in the ministry......sat by many near the end of life. NEVER have I heard a single person ever say......I wish I would have just saved a little more money.....I wish I would have spent a few more days in the office or a little more time at work. But I have heard plenty say.....I just wish I would have taken that "trip", or "spent a little more time with loved ones". Personally I plan to spend ever single cent I can rake together on adventures in Africa with my family in tow.
IT DOES NOT MATTER IF YOU ARE A BILLIONAIRE....If you live long enough to make it to the nursing home. Poor or rich - a nursing home is a nursing home......and I KNOW my children and grandchildren - they would rather have the experiences of life rather than the $$$$$$$ when I am gone.

I remember wondering that myself as I was thinking of if I should take a single safari to Africa. "Just one" I thought - BUT - like ther man told me: "You WILL go back" I did, twice more and have another booked. I cannot say in words how much I enjoyed these hunts ( which to me really are more - adventures in every way ! ) I do not regret spending one red cent and that is about all I can say except that I wish I would have started safari hunting earlier in my life because I WOULD have found some way to pay for it. Go - do it - you will NOT regret it for one moment.

quote:

Does any one regret the money that they spent hunting in Africa. Years later or right away did you think " I wish I had saved that money" or "spent it on something more practical" ?

I would not take twice the money in exchange for the memories.

Thanks for the replies. Life really is uncertain and as I sneak up on 60 I'm not so sure how much longer I will be willing to make that long plane flights, time changes etc.

I think I'll just have to make one more late season hunt

quote:

Originally posted by bcolyer:
NEVER have I heard a single person ever say......I wish I would have just saved a little more money.....

But I have heard plenty say.....I just wish I would have taken that "trip"

I notice that everyone who has posted on this thread seems to be of the same mind. I would also guess that you guys are all "older". I don't mean that you have one foot in the grave(well maybe Will....), but that you are closer to 70 than 20.

I am a bit younger than most of the guys here. I began hunting in Africa before I was 25 and I did most of my African hunting before I was thirty. Due to family and finances I have done very little African hunting in the past five years(but I have traveled there a ton).

In hunting Africa I blew all the money I saved as a bachelor. Now I am currently pretty broke and raising my daughter on my own, and saving money for expensive safaris in not in the books for the near future.

I guess that is a long winded way of saying: yes I do sometimes regret spending so much to hunt buffalo/elephant and lion.

Even though I loved every minute of my hunting I have had to pass-up several business opportunities due to lack of capital. The regret has been pretty painful at times.....

But I don't believe there are many "more practical" ways to spend your money than an African safari. Many would say that expensive houses or vehicles are more practical than an African safari, but they are dead wrong(those are liabilities).

If I had to list the things that I believe are more "practical" ways to spend money than an African safari I would put a college education for your kids and solid investments at the top of my list.

quote:

Originally posted by Marty:
I probably would have spent less on mounts, more on hunts.

Ditto that.

NOPE!!!!!!!


Mike

Jason,
Thank you for your heart felt reply.

I think that is a real voice of reason and a real balance counter balance response. Raising a child as a single parent is down right TUFF. Jeees it has been hard with a wonderful supportive wife. I am very very lucky in that after many years of deferring gratification and working insane hours I think I have all the bases covered as far as college funds etc.

One thing I do wonder about is the stability of our entire financial system. I wouldn't want to be in Greece /Spain/Italy right now and our debt ratio's aren't to far behind theirs. If our system blows up like theirs is in the process of doing I'm not sure if there is going to be a lot of benefit to have delayed gratification. I have a feeling that the time of hunting in Africa by anybody but the very very wealthy may be closing. I hope I get to do a little more while it is still possible.

Again thanks for everyone's voice of reason.

I am torn between trying to save for retirement, and fearing that my investments won't be there for me when the time comes due to economic catastrophe. I'm certainly spending more now than I would, almost as a hedge against the value not being there later. Hunting now instead of saving for later.
Also, will my body be there for me years down the road? Will I still be able to walk all day and shoot a rifle when I'm 65 or 70? If I'm lucky. Economic catastrophe isn't the only thing to hedge against.

quote:

I would not take twice the money in exchange for the memories.

SHHHHH! Quiet, they will raise the rates!

Obviously, there can be a different answer for every person who posts a comment here. In my case, it started with a doctor walking into the room and uttering the three scariest words in the English language, "you have cancer".

After treatment, a lot of time and pain, my wonderful wife brought up the subject. It went something like, "you know, you're not going to live forever ( she has a gift for understatement ). Why don't you call Allan and see if he still wants to hunt in Africa ". After he picked himself off the floor, we booked a buffalo hunt in 2010. We're going back in 2012 to hunt plains game. The trip gave both of us a chance to see each other in a whole new light.

Do I regret spending the money ? Not a bit. Because of that trip, not only do I have a son, I have a best friend and wonderful memories that I will take to the end. We both fell in love with Africa and the adventure of the safari. For now, my cancer is in check. I'm glad I didn't wait.

els,

The only thing that gives me pause is that I wish I had known what I do now when I acquired this African affliction. I think I would have spent my money a litte more wisely and made it go a little further. To quote 404 "but I guess it is all part of the experience.

An honest regret? Not for a minute.

Mark

I can always earn more money.....

No regrets here. I balance the spending however. After taking care of the family, home, cars, education, I pretty much spend what is left over on Africa and guns for Africa. Retirement? I'm probably just like my father. He just won't retire. He tried it for about 3 years and jumped right back in. He's 87 now and still working. Not that he needs the money. He doesn't. He's not rich but is comfortable. But working keeps his mind sharp and active. On his days off, he works in the field with his tractor!

I have a serious back problem that gets worse and worse each year. Had 3 surgeries but still have nerve issues in both legs. How long will I be able to chase animals around all day; day in and day out for 2 weeks at a time. There are already some hunts that I can no longer do. Some that I wanted to do, but probably can't now and I'm only 49.

It's not all doom and gloom however. Just that at this early age, I've already lost some of my abilities. Fortunately, I'm in a work situation that I can do well past normal retirement age. And I would rather work longer than loose out on anything else now! I've had the opportunity to take my wife and both sons (the older one has gone twice) to Africa. Those were great times and I plan to keep going back for more for as long as I can.

Sure, if I had all the money back that I've spent on Africa, or other hunts for that matter, I could set back and look at that large bank account and say to myself, "I've got enough money to do whatever I want", to some extent. But what I'd want is to go to Africa tomorrow! So why would I regret spending the money that I've already spent?

To me, time and memories are the most valuable commodity. One way or another, more money can always be earned. If I spend, blow, or waste a dollar today, I can earn another tomorrow to replace it. If I blow or waste the day today, I cannot earn another one to tack onto the end, no matter how hard I try.

I regret not going earlier in life. In my case it was getting the kids through college and paying for weddings my house etc. My wife died of cancer at age 48, which was right after my youngest graduated from college. Talk about something to make you realize that there may never be a "tomorrow" to take that trip.

My wife always wanted to go on some expensive vacations and Hawaii was on the top of her list. Mine was Africa. The plans were to get the kids through college then start enjoying life and taking those deferred trips. Well that never happened for her.

I took my first trip to Africa two years after she passed and I've made a total of eight trips across the pond. I hope to have many more in my future.

When I jokingly tell my daughters that I'm spending their inheritance they always tell me to spend it all because life is to short.

I have never regretted spending any money on any trip, whether it was hunting, fishing, or non outdoors trips, like when we took my daughter to Paris for a long weekend when she was in high school. Never did take her to Disney World...

On the other hand, I am a big proponent of financial planning. One guy looked at my lion in my trophy room and asked how much that hunt cost. I told him it is costing me about $800/month for the rest of my life. He looked at me funny - I told him that is the income I am giving up due to the capital I allocated for that trip. In other words, I could have bought another rental house for the amount I spent on that trip and collected $800/month in rent.

I am a fanatic about financial planning; I track our net worth very carefully. I have a hunting plan that I plug into this financial model and it tracks everything. I never spend more than a certain percentage of our net worth or income on a hunt. Or to put it differently, our net worth has never dropped in a 12 month period due to my hunts. Not every month or year turns out as intended, but I save different versions of this plan and compare it years later. The original name for it was called "Hunt" and was not intended to track my retirement plan as much as my hunting plans. But as I got older, the need for retirement planning has become more and more important. That plan says that I can retire today if I wanted to, but since I am only 52 I will keep going. If your net worth keeps going up every year, why not devote a bit of that to more hunting?

Staying in shape is just as important as having money. I run four miles every two to three days, and I can count on one hand the number of guys older than me I see running. If you like to hunt, get into the habit of running. Sure, waking is better than nothing, but you can be pretty out of shape (even obese) and still be able to walk a few miles.

Jason, I think your comments are spot on. I have said it before; I started my software company because I wanted to make more money to hunt. If I had spent every nickel I had on hunting (or flat screen TVs, etc), I would not have been able to do that. I certainly have no regrets about not hunting Africa sooner. I had a goal when I was young to hunt Alaska before I was 30, to hunt Africa before I was 40, and hunt the big four before I was 50. I did them all.

We all have personal choices. I like lots of mounts, and I like a dedicated trophy room. I work out of my trophy room most days. I do not regret a dollar I spent on taxidermy either. My house is worth about $700K less than I paid to build it. Do I regret doing that? I don’t regret the house, I just regret the timing. But I don’t dwell on it. Instead of crying over spilled milk, I am buying real estate here in Phoenix as fast as I can and renting it out for huge returns. My real estate portfolio alone pays for all the hunting I care to do. Now, if real estate had continued its upward momentum, my house would be worth a lot more, but I can guarantee you I wouldn’t have a bunch of rentals. Could I have gone on a lot more hunts the past few years instead of investing in real estate? Sure. But as it was, I still had some good ones, and the value I get out of having that passive income stream that I can devote to hunting if I need to is worth a lot to me.

As for retirement, all I can say is getting old is hell. It must be really bad, however, if your lifestyle falls inversely with your age. I have no desire to do that. And unless you are self employed, why do you think you will be able to dictate how long you work? I have several friends and family members who have been laid off. Trust me, if that happens when you are fifty, good luck in finding a job. I know several people over 50 who have been unemployed for over two years.

Els, this is interesting topic. Sometime ago someone posted a question asking how much money we all made. I thought that was rather crass, but your question is good one. As someone else said, “What is the purpose of earning money in the first place if you never go on your dream hunts?”

No regrets. Great experiences and you certainly learn to spend differently the more often you go.

As intimated by most posters, you can't buy a 1st class ticket to heaven. Spend it now

No. As a Tax Man I am privy to the personal financial position of my clients. It has always amazed me the amount of wealth some people accumulate and yet are never able to let go of it. No travels, no fancy toys, no giving to charity, just lots of assets sitting around earning more and more and more. I have never seen the point of dying with lots of money. I have my own financial plan of course and it will provide for my wife, my kids education, and a modest income for me when I am too old to work or go to Africa anymore.

AAWriter has it closer than most. I think many in here are prime examples of the "me" generation. Sure, you can't take it with you but you can certainly spend or not spend it in a way that leaves plenty and then some for you and your wife to be comfortable in retirement for both of you and for her when you, as is likely, pre-decease her, and hopefully when all is said and done your kids will have enough for at least a decent start. I'm sure many in here have done that and many others have enough financial reserves that they don't have to worry about it, but some don't. As AAW pointed out, they should consider the big picture when they budget or don't, their hunts. I don't have any regrets on my hunting expenditures but I am fortunate in that I have always made sure I had enough left over to handle all of the above scenarios BEFORE I committed to a hunt. If someone doesn't, then they shouldn't go IMO. To each his own, but I sure as hell wouldn't want my wife waiting each month for the social security check to be deposited to try to use it to handle expenses because I decided I had to kill ex-number of elephants or whatever in prior years. There is an old axiom which goes "It is much easier to make money than to keep it." I see it every day.

My only regret is not spending MORE time ..... and money, in Africa. I've made 8 trips there in the past 7 years - not enough. I've never had a bad trip there. All 3 of my hunting trips - fantastic. All 5 of my non-hunting trips - fantastic. I'd like to make more than 100 trips there before I die. I guess I'd better pick up the pace. And I DO go other places too - Europe, South America, etc.

My original goal was to live on some acreage, hopefully on or near a river. At this stage of my life, it's probably not going to happen. But that's ok. Now, rather than trying to acquire land, and then trying my best to be a good steward of that land, I'm spending my time and money collecting memories.

Taxidermy - I don't regret any of it. I haven't gone overboard on it yet. I will say that the shipping and taxidermy from my last safari cost more than the safari plus airfare did, which seems a little out-of-whack. But still no regrets.

you only go around once, and you cant take it with you. life is not a dress rehearsal. NEVER had a regret.

As the great Piaf used to sing: Non, je ne regrette rien.

A lot of well thought out and appreciated responses.

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:

quote:

Does any one regret the money that they spent hunting in Africa. Years later or right away did you think " I wish I had saved that money" or "spent it on something more practical" ?

I would not take twice the money in exchange for the memories.

Well put. Neither would I.

As long as my family and business are well taken care of first, Africa is money well spent. When I'm to old too do anything but stay home and eat soft food, and I pray, listen to my wife still tell me what to do, I will be have treasures of pictures, video, horns, tusks and hide to remind me of some of finest people I have met, and outside of time with my wife and boys, I will look at every day in Africa as the best times of my life.

I only regret not being able to save money fast enough to go back and hunt more & more & more times

this is a trick question right?? only regret I do not have more money to spend to go to africa hunting

Mine, only that I was born too late for early 20th C and missed the Lado, the Sudan, East Africa in their hey-day.
Ah well. Got an order to fill next Saturday, four warthogs for a spit-roast. I suppose someone has to do it.

bite me, Scriptus, your just bragging

Too many years have gone by since I hunted the long grass with Claude!

If the DOW would just bottom out at 3000 (I pulled out on July 7th), I could put all my money back in the market and go every year!

My biggest regret is that my Brother and I didn't get to go together! We hunted together since we were kids and he just wouldn't take the time to go. Finally he said we would go the next year. Two months later he was diagnosed with cancer and was gone in 6 months. I decided right then to do the things that I wanted to do while I still could. I have since had colon cancer and as soon as I could walk I was back in Africa to take a Nyala. I am headed to Kyrgyzstan next month for Ibex and plan to hunt China as soon as they open again. I tell the boys that I won't miss any trips to save for their future but the ranch is theirs when i'm gone. I still work enough to pay for the trips that I take so no money comes out of my accounts. Do the tough hunts while you still can because time slips up on you.

Hawkeye

Well, my first safari included Cape Buffalo and Hippo along with four other animals I had always wanted to hunt. That safari cost $12,000 usd, including airfare, daily fees, shipping of trophies, taxidermy of everything except the hippo, and tips, all in! The one of two regrets are #1 that I can’t go on safari today for that price, and #2 to be able to back up on AGE, and Health so I could hunt the way I did on my first one. If I could do that I would spend 60 days per year in Africa hunting.

My biggest regret is #3 is that my Africa safaris are at an end, but the money I spent on them all is not even a thought in my mind! The memories are worth every penny!

The last line in my journal of my first safari that I didn't even remember writing till I re-read that journal years later, says it all about the way I feel about AFRICA, not money!

If I die today, I’ve had a life well spent, for I have been to see the elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!

African hunting is one of those things that make life worth living.

Money is just green and white paper.

Trading a little of the latter for the former seems a no-brainer from here.