My buddy and I have decided that we want to hunt africa. Well now that the decision has been made, neither of us are really sure how to proceed. We both are thinking plains game. Ive looked around and have seen lots of package deals but not really sure if theyre worth it or not. We both are on budget somewhat so the big five are most likey out of the question

There are pros and cons of package hunts. Many times you will be hunting for 'representative' animals that are in your package. Many operators use these as loss leaders, hoping that once you see that 'book' Kudu, Eland, etc. you will take it at full trophy price.

Here's what I would do. Book a hunt for 1x1 and hunt 2x1 part of the time if you want to share the experience with your friend. For Trophy fees either decide what you are hunting before you leave and take that amount of trophy money with you, or decide how much you want to spend on trophy fees before you leave and hunt until it is gone taking whatever comes your way and appeals to you.

The best advice I can give you is to go for at least 14 days. Everytime I go I am so happy at the seven day mark that I have another week to to.

Having said all of this, I'm not an expert on Africa and someone else will probably chime in soon and let you know that I am a dolt.

I would look into the plains game hunts in Namibia. Namibia is a bit less commercialized than South Africa and you will be able to hunt most of the "core" types of plains game, i.e., kudu, eland, gemsbok, wildebeest, etc. My first trip was to South Africa, if I were to go for plains game now I think I would go to Namibia.

Don't necessarily conclude that the Big Five is out of the question. Tuskless elephant hunts in Zim are not that pricey and you can go after the plains game too.

Does anyone have an companies the prefer to use more than the next. The last thing I want is to waste my money on an outfitter that can take me hard earned money and still not be able to fuel the trucks or feed me

Spend some time browsing the Hunt Reports section of this forum. Lots of information on outiftters, PHs, etc.

You will get a lot of responses which is good. You can hunt plainsgame for several thousand on up depending on what you choose to do and where. The typical places for plains game hunts (especially your first) will most often be in South Africa or Namibia.

You can also hunt cape buff for 7-10k depending on when, where and for how long. For that matter, you can hunt tuskless for about 10k also. Most of the better values on dangerous game will be found in Zimbabwe.

There are exceptions to all of the above, particularly at the end of the season when some nice cancellation hunts can be found. This is the time of year when many of us get upset that we have already spent our funds and vacation time.

The best thing to do is just cruise around here for a bit, use the search function often, ask a few questions and you will get almost any answer you need. I also recommend a good book such as the 2007-2008 Safari Guide compiled by Peter Flack for Safari Press. It's about $75 and will save you much more than that in grief, time and money.

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Originally posted by MJines:
I would look into the plains game hunts in Namibia. Namibia is a bit less commercialized than South Africa and you will be able to hunt most of the "core" types of plains game, i.e., kudu, eland, gemsbok, wildebeest, etc. My first trip was to South Africa, if I were to go for plains game now I think I would go to Namibia.

Don't necessarily conclude that the Big Five is out of the question. Tuskless elephant hunts in Zim are not that pricey and you can go after the plains game too.

I fully agree. the best value in purely plains game hunts right now are in Namibia when the potential extras charged for elsewhere are considered( transfers, dip/pack, etc.) Also as a first timer , I would Definitely make it a package hunt with the species I wanted included. Every outfitter/guide I hunted with on my first 3 package plains game hunts worked like hell to get me the best animals available, not just "representative " heads. When you look at the usual daily rate plus the trophy fees for the animals you want, it is easy to compare a package price to an "a la carte" price. A number of Namibian outfitters post on this site and I am sure would be happy to quote you a package deal on the animals you want. Zim would also be a good destination with similar prices if you don't mind a little political uncertainty thrown into the pot( having been there 3 years ago on a leopard/plains game hunt, I would go again in a heartbeat) In any case, I should warn you that this will only be the first of MANY trips once you get the African itch-and you will get the itch!!!!!!!

You might want to consider buff and plains game in combo. My first african hunt was in the bush, and I would never trade that experience.

Jeff

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I also recommend a good book such as the 2007-2008 Safari Guide compiled by Peter Flack for Safari Press. It's about $75 and will save you much more than that in grief, time and money.

Where can I find this book? And I really appriciate the fast replies

I will second MJines.

My first hunt was a buff hunt in the Selous. Total cost was not that bad considering I also took 5 plains game. A PAC elephant hunt can be had for some great prices.

I would check out John LaSala. He offers many different options and is a stand up guy that tells it like it is.

It's $75 from www.safaripress.com. I have many books on Africa but it has great info for all of the countries open to hunting, guidelines, regs, and lots of good info on a variety of subjects.

I also highly recommend Dr. Kevin Robertson's book called "The Perfect Shot". The vitals on African game varies from what you may be used to and varies on different animals. That knowledge will save you much grief and lots of unnecessary tracking after wounded game.

thanks found it and its on the way Ive been reading alot of capstick and now im really looking forward to laying my plans out