Tourist hunters to `dig deeper` as govt ups fees
By Edwin Agola

6th February 2011


Tourist hunters will have to dig deeper into their pockets following the government’s decision to hike the hunting permit fee for its hunting blocks from $27,000 to $60,000 for category I, according to the new guideline issued yesterday.

Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Ezekiel Maige told a press conference in Dar es Salaam that the government has responded to the public outcry by increasing the number of hunting blocks from 158 to 190 and has also categorised the hunting blocks into five depending on the type and number of animals to be hunted.

He said those who are interested and are competent can submit their formal application for hunting permits after the government would have advertised the blocks in widely circulating newspapers from February 10, 2011 for the 2013-2018 term.

“Let me clear rumours doing the rounds that the Minister had allocated some hunting blocks already. I am a man of integrity and value transparency and accountability,” said Maige.

The Minister however said the wildlife conservation (Tourist Hunting) regulations 2010 have categorised hunting blocks in accordance with grade points average whereby category I has 24 blocks hunting permit fee $60,000, category II has 95 blocks and its hunting fee is $30,000.

Others include category III with 18 blocks attracting a hunting fee of $18,000, whereas in category IV with 8 hunting blocks attracts a fee of $10,000 and the last category with 8 blocks the hunters will have to pay a fee of $5,000.

According to the minister, the grade point has been done in accordance with the species and number of animals to be hunted and whether it has wildlife resources for sustainable tourist hunting and a diverse animal species and habitat.

Its accessibility in terms of terrain and infrastructure from Dar es Salaam, reliable water supply and the scope of human activities are among factors taken into consideration, according to Minister Maige.

Elaborating, Minister Maige said in establishing a hunting block the boundaries of the proposed block is clearly demarcated by Global Positioning System (GPS) according to its potential for wildlife recovery upon a given time frame and investment.

Responding to reporters’ questions, Director of Wildlife Erastus Tarimo revealed that for the hunting season that began in July 2010 to-date, the government has generated Sh52bn as direct fee.

He said applicants who are Tanzanians are required to produce a bank bond of guarantee to the tune of at least $300,000 and for a foreign owned hunting company a bank bond of $1,000,000 is required as a guarantee.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY

Ouch!

Journalist reporting at its best again!

"...hunting permit fee.." should realistically read as "Concession of Block Fee" which is the "annual rent" an outfitter pays to the Wildlife Dept. for each and every concession registered in that Company's name prior to the start of the hunting season.

A hunting permit fee (Game Hunting Permit) is the charge levied to the client based on the safari duration by the same Wildlife authorities.

Ide: Ouch! is putting it mildly.

Africa - this time Tanzania - is once again doing everything it can to kill the Golden Goose that is sport hunting. When they fail to attract enough hunters because of the excessive fees, perhaps they will get the message, but somehow I doubt it.

quote:

Originally posted by LionHunter:
Africa - this time Tanzania - is once again doing everything it can to kill the Golden Goose that is sport hunting. When they fail to attract enough hunters because of the excessive fees, perhaps they will get the message, but somehow I doubt it.

Mike - That's true, but its not going to negatively effect ALL blocks. In fact, most will stay roughly the same (currently at $27,000) and some will go down. At least according to the info.

Local News

Hunters fail to locate game in blocks

From The Daily News


By BILHAM KIMATI, 5th February 2011 @ 12:00,

PROFESSIONAL hunters initially allocated with 21 hunting blocks are reported to have informed the government about their decision to hand back their permits due to lack of animals in their blocks.

The situation has prompted corrective modalities in order to control the negative factors likely to have contributed to the situation.

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Ezekiel Maige, suspects poaching to be the underlying factor and spelt out measures to redress the situation.

''Apart from ordinary migration of animals, poaching must have contributed to the drastic decline of the number of animals in allocated hunting blocks.

The government will address the drawbacks in order to promote safe and sustainable professional hunting,'' Maige explained.

Among other measures to be taken to stop poaching includes installation of modern communication facilities to detect the movement of poachers and hire of qualified game rangers.

Clarifying on the voluntary handing back of 21 hunting blocks, the minister said professional hunters pay fees of nearly USD 1,000 for a day spent in hunting and animals should be available in the allotted area.

''It becomes a serious issue if a hunter spends days in the bush without spotting the animals intended for his or her foray. In this regard, we (government) will employ all strategies to make sure that all obstructions are removed,'' Maige said.

The minister also announced February 10 (this year) as the official date for opening of tenders for professional hunters applications for permits for the 2015 - 2020 period.

The Director of Wildlife, Mr Erasmus Tarimo, said that between last July and January this year, professional hunting earned the country 25bn/-.

The money has partly been spent on research work by the Tanzania Wildlife Corporation and to maintain the ecological balance.

Following a resolution by the parliament in 2008 on transparency in the allocation and increase in the number of hunting blocks and the subsequent higher revenue, there were 158 blocks and the number has been increased to 190.

The House also directed involvement of the local population in the sector and the ministry has allocated 18 hunting blocks for citizens for bushmeat after payment of a reasonable fee of 100,000/- for a single buffalo killed while tourists pay USD 1,700 for the same animal.

Measures taken include classification of hunting blocks basing on the density and species of wildlife, the degree of human activities in the surroundings, proximity and accessibility of hunting blocks from major towns.

In addition, advisory committees have been formed to advise the minister on the allocation of hunting blocks instead of being a single handed procedure and a similar committee has been formed to advise the Director of Wildlife on the acceptable quota for the specified period.

According to the Wildlife Conservation (Tourist, Hunting) Regulations 2010, the director shall categorize hunting blocks in five categories in accordance with the Grade Points.

Commenting on tenure of ownership of hunting blocks, the minister said a successful applicant retains the permit for five years and no limitation for those intending to renew their permits only if they meet the required qualifications.

However, renewal is not an easily done accomplishment, the minister said, because the applicant has to prove his contribution to community projects and under the new regulations the minimum is USD 5,000 annually.

An already ridiculously expensive country just got more expensive. To make matters worse, this is the 3rd time in recent years the government has changed things AFTER many have signed contracts. The government temporarily closed lion hunting in 06. They changed prices on just about everything in 07 again after many (me included) had signed contracts.

Personally, I want to go to a country that doesn't do this. I hate stressing over my vacation.

Larry, I agree. For that reason I have pretty much given up on Tanzania. Just too much to be concerned about. Besides the trophy fee hike in 2007, virtually all of mine and my friends trophies were spoiled. I blame a lot of this on a combination of Sheni and Doug Scandrol but none the less, Tanzania spoiled it.

Larry

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
Local News

"The situation has prompted corrective modalities in order to control the negative factors likely to have contributed to the situation."

Now that's a relief!

Also a mouthful of.................

Guys this is not new news and any outfitter in Tanzania who is a member of TAHOA new about this last year. If this is a surprise to people who outfit in Tanzania then they are not a member of TAHOA or not paying attention and should be members to operate there.

This is actually a good thing and I do not see it as negative at all. My prices will not be changed or adjusted at all this year for this years hunts.

Now clients will know what type of areas they are booking in and will know if they are booking in category 1 or 2 blocks that are the very best prime areas in Tanzania. The cheaper blocks will not be prime areas and outfitters who have these cheaper areas can offer cheaper hunts to those who do not mind hunting in average areas! Some want to pay for the best hunting and don't mind paying for it just with anything else in life. Some want to go as cheap as possible and this where the cheaper blocks will fit into their budgets, but they must know that with the cheaper areas success and quality may not be the same..

So, don't be alarmed as this news in not new to outfitters who actually are members of TAHOA and pay and are involved in Tanzania. Clients should only book hunts with companies who are members of TAHOA anyway.

Larry & Larry - You guys really should re-consider that decision some day. Tanzania is expensive, but no place else compares, period!

I have never had a hunt there that lived up to the hype. Now I would only call one of those a disaster. However, I think it was drought related . My last 63 days in that country didn't yield a single shootable lion on bait.

I may go again but I will have to think long and hard about it.

Larry,

Try the Luangwa Valley in Zambia. I also failed to find what was (to me) a shootable Lion in Tanzania back in 2001. That was an expensive failure. Got a big, old boy in the valley in 2005 for the same price.

I'd like to hunt Tanzania for the eastern species but the tariff is simply too high.

And so the membership of the "Exclusive Club" gets a little smaller. In some ways that makes it even MORE appealling to those to whom money is no object.

Chris what are you talking about? I have a 7-day Buff hunt in Selous or Tunduru for $12,900 plus trophy fees and charter which would put you around $20,000 for TWO Buffalo!!! How is that priced for the Elite? You will have a hard time finding a 2 Buffalo hunt anywhere else in Africa for that price in a Game Reserve! yes you might find something in Zim in a campfire area or community area to come close to that price for 2 Buffalo, but that is not matching apples to apples either.

actually you can do a 10 day buff hunt in Zim for less than $15000. 3 more days, 2 buff no ridiculous $3000-5000 charter. i have hunted the Selous(with your company as the subcontractor/hunt provider) and had a great time. i have also hunted the Omay and had a great time- for one helluva lot less money. once again Tz. hasn't just shot themselves in the foot- they have blown off their leg. if anyone thinks these increased costs won't get passed along to the hunter- well, i have some nice beach front property in Fresno for sale REALLY cheap.

I would tend to agree with Adam about the rating system being a good thing. Zambia has been doing it for a while now and it makes a heap of sense. As to the affect on price.......we'll see.

Brett

Economics will tell the final tale. Unfortunately, the subject seems to be beyond the comprehension of the black African mind.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
Larry & Larry - You guys really should re-consider that decision some day. Tanzania is expensive, but no place else compares, period!

Agree 100%

Let me explain my last 63 days in Tanzania.

Let me start by saying that these trips cost me in excess of $200,000. Not exactly bargain basement hunts.

My primary quarry was lion. The first place I went (a supposedly prime area), we never got a mature lion on bait. In fact, we only saw 4 sets of tracks. I did shoot multiple buff. I shot an average leopard. I shot a few heads of plains game. The area was largely abandoned by the game due to a drought (my opinion). I saw no legal elephants. Evidence of poaching was rampant.

The next hunts were in (supposedly) lesser quality areas. We did manage to get mature lions on bait. However, after the first hit, not a single one ever came back. I was NOT able to kill 3 buff on either of these. Not for lack of trying. I walked many many miles in extreme heat. I did manage to get very good leopards as well as some plains game. No legal elephants were seen.

All of hunts required extreme amounts of driving. At times 12-14 hours a day. There were days we would arrive back in camp after checking our most distant baits at 2 AM. One day in particular I remember, we left at 5 am and got back at 9 pm seeing a total of 4 zebras all day.

Then there is the issue of game scouts. One was a useless, no good, lazy, crooked jerk. He made an already difficult hunt miserable with his attitude and threats.

In 06 well after I had entered into a contract to hunt lions, the government decided to close lion hunting. I was sitting in FL when I found out. I had a deposit up of about $70,000. Imagine what kind of stress that put me under until they reopened it.

Then in 07, I had again entered into a contract only to learn well after I had paid that the government was changing fees. This didn't help my opinion of the TZ government at all.

At this point, I am of the opinion that the TZ government can operate without me and my money. I once said I would never go again. However I have mellowed on that a bit. I may go back but I will never pay full rates again.

I have to compare my TZ fiasco's with my last 2 hunts with Zambezi Hunters. The daily rates were about half of the TZ rates. They do not have the government add on fees. I saw more game (by far). I took a great lion ( in 8 days), a number of buff (including a 46.5), shot a ton of plains game including some massive specimens.

I have to ask myself why I would ever go back to TZ.

Larry,
Who did you hunt with? Or should I say "tour Tanzania" with?

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Let me explain my last 63 days in Tanzania.

Let me start by saying that these trips cost me in excess of $200,000. Not exactly bargain basement hunts.

My primary quarry was lion. The first place I went (a supposedly prime area), we never got a mature lion on bait. In fact, we only saw 4 sets of tracks. I did shoot multiple buff. I shot an average leopard. I shot a few heads of plains game. The area was largely abandoned by the game due to a drought (my opinion). I saw no legal elephants. Evidence of poaching was rampant.

The next hunts were in (supposedly) lesser quality areas. We did manage to get mature lions on bait. However, after the first hit, not a single one ever came back. I was NOT able to kill 3 buff on either of these. Not for lack of trying. I walked many many miles in extreme heat. I did manage to get very good leopards as well as some plains game. No legal elephants were seen.

All of hunts required extreme amounts of driving. At times 12-14 hours a day. There were days we would arrive back in camp after checking our most distant baits at 2 AM. One day in particular I remember, we left at 5 am and got back at 9 pm seeing a total of 4 zebras all day.

Then there is the issue of game scouts. One was a useless, no good, lazy, crooked jerk. He made an already difficult hunt miserable with his attitude and threats.

In 06 well after I had entered into a contract to hunt lions, the government decided to close lion hunting. I was sitting in FL when I found out. I had a deposit up of about $70,000. Imagine what kind of stress that put me under until they reopened it.

Then in 07, I had again entered into a contract only to learn well after I had paid that the government was changing fees. This didn't help my opinion of the TZ government at all.

At this point, I am of the opinion that the TZ government can operate without me and my money. I once said I would never go again. However I have mellowed on that a bit. I may go back but I will never pay full rates again.

I have to compare my TZ fiasco's with my last 2 hunts with Zambezi Hunters. The daily rates were about half of the TZ rates. They do not have the government add on fees. I saw more game (by far). I took a great lion ( in 8 days), a number of buff (including a 46.5), shot a ton of plains game including some massive specimens.

I have to ask myself why I would ever go back to TZ.

Larry:

It would be beneficial to AR members to know where and with whom you hunted so that they don't get ripped off the way you did and IMO, if you were to choose the right outfitter you would quite likely be writing a glowing hunt report instead.

I don't think I got ripped off at all. I think the 06 problems (other than the A hole game scout) were totally drought related. No one could do anything about that.

The other hunts were good in many respects. We took some good specimens. Lions were about. They just wouldn't stay on bait. While having early success on buff, they moved and became extremely spooky. Some of the attempts to hunt buff were exercises in futility. No way in hell that we were going to take one when you literally could not see 5 yards ahead of you. I declined to shoot at a black spot in the bush when I couldn't tell if it was a bull or a cow. They used an old poachers method.

These hunts simply did not rank up there with my hunts in Zim or even come close to it. Take into account the TZ governments actions and I have to ask myself why I would ever do it again?

quote:

All of hunts required extreme amounts of driving. At times 12-14 hours a day. There were days we would arrive back in camp after checking our most distant baits at 2 AM. One day in particular I remember, we left at 5 am and got back at 9 pm seeing a total of 4 zebras all day.

That is not on. Committed PH but sounds like an expensive game drive but without the game bit.

The driving was physically and mentally brutal. After the 06 hunt, I damn near quit hunting. Imagine driving say 12 hours a day every day for 3 weeks and seeing almost nothing day in day out.

I was so over it. I came home. I had an elk/mule deer in Colorado that was totally paid for. I gave it to a friend of mine. I had totally lost interest.

Luckily, I have recovered from that. I am about as hard core as I have ever been now.

quote:

Posted 07 February 2011 20:41
Imagine driving say 12 hours a day every day for 3 weeks and seeing almost nothing day in day out.

You must have been hunting in one of those areas which are going to be given a Grade 5 rating.

It is rather sad that you have chosen to generalize and basically lambaste the entire Tanzanian hunting industry because of one or two dodgy outfitters operating in areas void of game.

Maybe you should give Tanzania one last shot.

I really sympathise with Larry over a tough and unsuccessful hunt but before we bury the entire Selous, let's remember the SGR is something like 5M acres in extent with a further 2M acres or so of buffer zone. The reserve holds an awful lot of game but the sheer size of the reserve must mean you're never going to find a buffalo behind every tree. The game is free to roam and can and does follow the rains and best grazing etc. This sometimes can mean a dearth of game in some areas........ and that's a fact of hunting in any large true wilderness area.

It certainly sounds like the PH was trying his hardest & was probably as pissed off as Larry was that the hunt was unsuccessful.

ADDED

FWIW, according to the Frankfurt Zoological Society, TZ has more buffalo (for example) than all of the other southern & East African countries put together and the lion's share (pardon the pun) of those populations are in the SGR & surrounding areas...... but as I previously mentioned, that doesn't mean you're going to see one behind every tree.

As for the increases, I think you'll find they don't come into force until 2013, so let's not get too excited.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
I really sympathise with Larry over a tough and unsuccessful hunt but before we bury the entire Selous, let's remember the SGR is something like 5M acres in extent with a further 2M acres or so of buffer zone. The reserve holds an awful lot of game but the sheer size of the reserve must mean you're never going to find a buffalo behind every tree. The game is free to roam and can and does follow the rains and best grazing etc. This sometimes can mean a dearth of game in some areas........ and that's a fact of hunting in any large true wilderness area.

It certainly sounds like the PH was trying his hardest & was probably as pissed off as Larry was that the hunt was unsuccessful.

Selous Game Reserve?...even the shittiest block in the entire reserve is better than what Larry has experienced.
I cannot find any reference as to where he hunted because he has chosen not to reveal either the name of the outfitter, PH nor the area though I have a good idea on all three

Fujo,

You might very well be dead right my friend but it's not impossible there could be other contributory factors such as a particularly dry block in that drought, wild dogs having made the game skittish and several other factors that could have all come together and resulted in a bad hunt.

It doesn't often happen but it does occasionally.....

Gentlemen:

I blasted the government NOT the industry.

I never said or even implied that these were dodgy operators. I do not believe that is the case. In fact, one is a premier name in TZ. As I said, there was a severe drought that hammered that area. Other than the prick game scout, I blame 100% of the problems on the drought. I have personal friends who have gone to this same area both before and after me. They without fail had fantastic hunts. They were also not in drought years.

As you know, drought condition can and do cause animals to change their normal behavior as well as where they choose to spend their time.

I am not revealing the names because of some of the comments herein. Even after I said I was not ripped off and blamed the issues on the drought, some continued to call them dodgy. I don't want people jumping all over these companies when in fact, the companies were not the problem.

ONCE AGAIN, MY ISSUE IS WITH THE GOVERNMENT.

I was extremely disappointed with the first hunt I referenced. It was extremely expensive. I looked forward to that hunt for a long time. It turned out far different than I had hoped for. So what, that is hunting.

I was disappointed with certain aspects of the 07 hunt. Once again, no lion. Buff hunting was pretty much a joke. Extremely thick area with ultra spooky animals. Most of the time we could not even see 5 yards.

FINALLY, WHILE I WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE HUNTS, I WAS DOWN RIGHT PISSED OFF WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND THEIR ANTICS.

I have hunted the world extensively, Africa 16 times. I know if the operator is a problem. These operators WERE NOT PROBLEMS.

Too much uncertainty for my vacations for me.

FYI, I have never been to the Selous.

Larry:

"one is a premier name in TZ"
A premier name in TZ, drought or no drought will not have areas such as those you have described.
Yes, I fully agree that drought conditions are not what the doctor prescribed for a successful hunt but yours seem to have gone to the extreme which to me sounds more like an open area.

"FYI, I have never been to the Selous."
Proof of the pudding is in the tasting! Most of the Selous blocks are pretty good, hence its reputation - Vince Hazen didn't fare too badly and it was dry as a bone!
Oct/24 - Nov/20: Just prior to the onset of the short rains - dry and hotter than hell! The pics are evidence of how dry it was - the water holes were few and far between.

"Then there is the issue of game scouts. One was a useless, no good, lazy, crooked jerk. He made an already difficult hunt miserable with his attitude and threats".

When one comes up against an individual of this nature he can be rejected - it has been done before and it comes as a surprise that your PH did not haul him back to the Game dept. post for that area and have him substituted.

"I blasted the government NOT the industry".
"ONCE AGAIN, MY ISSUE IS WITH THE GOVERNMENT".
"I was extremely disappointed with the first hunt"
"I was disappointed with certain aspects of the 07 hunt".
"FINALLY, WHILE I WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE HUNTS, I WAS DOWN RIGHT PISSED OFF WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND THEIR ANTICS".

Your endless disappointment with the hunts is indicative that the area/s were not up to expectation.

Damn it - $70,000 for a blown hunt is a butt-burner - I couldn't sympathize more with you on that one!

What in particular did the Govt. do to piss you off so badly?

They closed lion hunting after I had a contract. They changed the fees after I had a contract.

In September of 2008 I hunted LU5 in the Selous with Adam Clements Safaris. It was a ten day two buffalo hunt and my first safari. Since then I have hunted Mozambique and Zim (twice) and I am headed back to Zim in April.

I found the prices reasonbable including the charter from Dar on a Caravan for the experience my wife and I shared. I would not have changed a thing.

I must be one of those wealthy priviliged types.

interesting comment about the game scout. on my Selous buff hunt, mine tried to shake me down. shot the first buff the first day and started looking for another. long story short, found a nice one and buggered the shot. myself and the PH figured i missed him but it was right at dark and we couldn't follow and look for blood. came back the next morning and everyone started looking for blood spoor. after about 10 minutes, game scout call everyone over and points to a leaf on the ground with 1 drop of blood on it. NO OTHER BLOOD WAS FOUND ANYWHERE. interesting thing was that the leaf did not match any tree in the area- but there was one of that species by the skinning shed. scout took me aside and said for $1000, he would forget about the leaf. i talked to the PH for his opinion. he said it was up to me but it certainly would set a bad precedent, was illegal and HE DEFINITELY DIDN'T WANT ME TO DO IT!!. good enough. told the game scout- thanks but i will pass! buff hunt over but it left a bad taste in my mouth about Tz. hunting. before all the defenders of Tz. jump on me about this as an isolated incident involving a single individual, remember that perception is everything and this is MY perception of Tz. hunting. yours is probably different- but i spend my money based on what happens to me- just like Larry.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
They closed lion hunting after I had a contract. They changed the fees after I had a contract.

Larry:

If I am not mistaken there is a clause in all hunting contracts that the govt may increase game fees without notice. If your outfitter did not include this in the contract he is at fault.

The Lion was indeed closed but reopened within 48 hrs. - all the game fees were later re-adjusted and by and large were accepted as being reasonable.

24 blocks out of 190 will fetch a block fee of $60K. Most companies will have 1 or max 2 such blocks with the rest being in one of the other categories where the block fee price increases by $3k or decreases by as much as $22k. So why does anyone think that outfitters need to increase their prices due to this?

Come 2013 when these prices come into effect, there may be other reasons for outfitter price increases but certainly not due to block fee. JMHO.

Also, pls note that differences between Cat I and cat II blocks (and so on) DOES NOT necessarily mean that the lower category block has far less game populations. Some blocks did not qualify for Cat I or II because they aren't bordering a National Park or are furthest from the International airports......

This is a very productive thread...

First off, thanks to Adam for making a clear case as to what is really going on.

Secondly, everybody should pay attention to Larry's remarks...ANBODY that plunks down 200K to hunt is a serious player and deserves some respect. Larry made it clear that there were factors beyond his, or anybody's control. His frustration with the entire situation is understandable - however, he has made level-headed remarks and thus has my attention.

Adam, that buffalo safari you mentioned seems like a helluva a deal! Your reputation speaks for itsself Somebody should grab that one up - I'm booked up or otherwise I'd...

W

Larry, you have certainly had a long streak of bad luck in Tanzania.

Given that streak, I don't blame you one bit for being down on hunting there.

My luck has been better, and so I continue to feel that it's well worth the extra cost involved.

There are better and worse operators, and better and worse areas, that's for sure, and adverse weather conditions can flat out ruin a hunting trip, even a 21 day safari.

Personally, I have been badly hurt by late rains and floods in the Caprivi Strip. Weather that's too wet can be as bad as weather that's too dry.

It can really screw up game movement and migration patterns.

In any case, even though Tanzania is expensive, and recently somewhat unpredictable, I wouldn't give up on it if I were you.

Feel free to contact me any time if you would like to discuss our experiences further off line.