I have dreamed of an African hunt for years. Hope to go in the next 2-3 years.

Let me give you the details. I'm in my mid 60's, retired, maybe can afford a 7 day or less plains game hunt. I have successfully hunted Deer, Antelope and Bear in the States. I have the firearms I would need (30-06 and .300 wby Mark 5). I have been looking at Namibia and South Africa, but I am open to any other countries in Southern Africa.

Are there any 'economical' hunts in these countries? Airfare would not be a problem. I can't afford an "A-1, deluxe, all the bells and whistles" 1 x 1 Ph, etc. I am looking for a basic hunt that includes room and board, trophy skinning, transportation in the field and to and from the airport, maybe hunt 3 to 5 plains game (Gemsbok, Hartebeest, Kudu, Springbok, or Zebra). Also, I understand the daily rate and the trophy fees, but what, on average, do the other fees run (trophy prep., dipping, tips, shipping fees to the states, etc.)? This information would help me put a plan and budget together.

Any assistance you may give me in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Mauser K98

Call Wendell at Hunters Quest International, he has a website also. He is the guy I used and will use again. Namibia is the place to go, the best bang for the buck. I went for the first time last summer, and now I'm hooked harder than a crack addict. Keep in mind you need to book 1-2 years in advance to get the dates you want.

A lot of the posters here have hunted with Vaughan Fulton's Classic Safaris. I work with Vaughan.

He has a plainsgame package for Gemsbuck, Zebra and Springbuck that is quite attractive. You can hunt Kudu and other aniamsl as well.

If you will send me your e-mail address, I will send you the price breakdown of the hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by Brain1:
... now I'm hooked harder than a crack addict.

You are on to my devious little plan!! I let 'em have it cheap the first time, then git 'em when they come back for more!

By the way, did you see that huge Leopard that Gert and McCray just got? It is in the African Hunt Reports section.

I hunted with Vaughan Fulton earlier this year; click on the link below to see the report:

Hunting Report

Mauser,

Shipping of Trophies will depend on what you shoot and how you have it prepared, but for the actual taxidermy if you look at wwww.safaritaxidermy.co.za then you will get an idea of what they will charge you for each type of animal.

When I was in RSA last year I was concious of what I was shooting and it is important that you feel yyou can comfortably turn down an animal without feeling pressured.

What I did was made a list of the animals I fancied taking (as you have ) but also said that if an opportunity at warthogs came up then I would take it. For the price of a Kudu that we hunted hard for and didn't manage to get on one I wanted, I took 6 warthoggs and had a ball. coupled with Impala Eland and Bushbuck I had done some hunting and ended up with a sensible bill. In fact I would go back just to spend a week hunting warthogs!!

Drop me a PM if you would like to ask anything else or I'll give you the contact details for the PH I used who will give you some local advice even if you don't book with him.

Tips wise is a funny subject on this forum. Personally for the week we gave a couple of hundred dollars for a job well done each to thePH & took some ammo for the ranch owner that was so well appreciated we got a half price eland and some good prices on some cull animals that my mate took. He also threw in a kudu hide and a really nice Blue wildebeste hide that were the result of his wifes driving and a hunters wounding the week before. I know they cost nothing but it was a nice touch. In fact he had 3 eland bulls he wanted shot and said that if we could get the two youngest ones then they would be free!! The old fella was the one that we came up against even though I had a young one in the scope at one point though but he didn't stop long enough.

The other alternative that someone may be able to offer you here is the 7 day Tanz hunt but from what I gather they are usually organised around buff, so it depends on your budget.

Either way you will get a lot of options and ideas here. I've probably gone off on a tangent but I hope it helps.

Rgds,
FB

Compared to what you will be charged for a Texas Whitetail hunt, most of the hunts in S. Africa are "economical." In my case, getting the trophies back to the USA and having them mounted will probably cost double to triple what the trophies themselves cost.

My 2½ weeks in S. Africa was cheap though; if my memory serves me correctly, about $5,000 for 2 Warthogs, Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest, Blesbok, Impala, Springbok and Mountain Reedbuck.

As far as not needing luxury accomodations; you'll probably get them whether or not you want them. It's not like going to the far reaches of Canada and sleeping in a tiny hut. You will have meals, snacks, people to do your laundry, etc. I couldn't call it roughing it at all.

If you go on a management hunt, you just shoot your "trophies," get your photo taken and leave them there; thus no shipping fees back to the U.S.A. and no taxidermy fees.

I'm planning a return to Africa (not sure exactly where yet) in 2008. I'll probably spend part of the time doing Buffalo or Leopard and part in a cull hunt. I'm addicted as well.

Just to give you some numbers for budget purposes. Last year I took nyala, lioness, impala, warthog, duiker, klipspringer, waterbuck and blue wildwbeest in RSA and the dipping and packing was $816 and the shipping to my taxidermist here in GA was about $1,200. But it all depends on how many animals you take and the overall weight as to what the costs will be.

As far as taxidermy goes the same applies on what you take and how you have it mounted. But I did a price comparison between my taxidermst and Highveld in RSA and the prices were pretty much the same. I do not know if shipping would be more or less on finished mounts since I prefer to use my taxidermst here as I feel it gives more control over the mounting process.

Hope this helps.

K98, There is some good advice here. I met and spoke with Wendell a few years ago and if I had known that he was booking for Vaughn I probably would have booked a hunt with him in Namibia. Good person to deal with. I think for what you are asking, Namibia would be my number 1 and RAS # 2. My only advice would be to really consider more than 7 days of hunting. Depending on where you live it will be two (in my case 3) days each way, so a seven day hunt will be very quick turn-a-round especially with any jet lag we older hunters might experience. I would consider 10 days at a minimum. And be prepared to go back. My wife and I leave in Sept. for 14 days of hunting and another week of sight seeing in Namibia. Best of luck on what ever you decide but do consider the 10 day option.

Mauser
Just wanted to give you some info. You mentioned your age. I took my father(67 yrs old) to Namibia and we are going again in June 2007. The ranch we hunt at is second to none. And the game is plentiful and econmical. They provide everything you listed. You can send me an email and i will send you a list of price breakdowns. Also, if you want we do have an extra spot in our party of 6. It will be a 2X1 hunt but you will know ahead of time who you are hunting with. Hope that helps. I am off to the Selous on Aug 27 for Cape Buffalo.

I had a great first Safari by booking through Steve's Outdoor Adventures and hunting with Shingani Safaris.

I think what I will mention though is that regardless of who you book through, it seems best to start with a 'package' (discount for 5 to 7 days, 4 or 5 animals) and then if you have extra money to spend, choose other specific animals you want for the trophy fees. Most outfitters have good package deals to get you started.

If I recall correctly Terry Blauwkamp got some really great pricing last year. Not sure who he went with but it was South Africa.

Mauser, my son and I hunted in Namibia last year. I bought the hunt at an SCI auction. We extended the hunt and added animals.
The PH/Owner is excellent. He didn't have an Agent/Outfitter at that time. He was born and raised in Namibia.
His prices were very reasonable. (These are 2005 prices, may be slightly higher this year.)
1x1 $280
2x1 $200
Trophy fees.
Kudu $750
Oryx $420
Hartebeest $480
Springbok $310
Duiker $200
Steenbok $200
Baboons and jackals Free.
Skin/skull prep and delivery to Windhoek taxidermist Free.
We shot 15 animals, 4 of them made Rowland-Ward.
We gave the tracker and driver $100 tip each at the PHs advice. He refused a tip.
My total bill to the PH for 11 days was $4720.
Accommodations were in a ranch house Bed and Breakfast. Not 5 star but good food and rooms.
We also tented out for 4 days. Hot showers and toilet. Camp fire and good food.
I don't think he has a website yet. His name is Van Heerden Safaries in Windhoek.
I'm going back next year if my health allows.
As you can see from all the post, Namibia has lots of good outfits. Take your pick!

You're in for about $8-9000 in Namibia with those animals, including everthing but dip/pack/ship/taxidermy. If you want to get your animals all mounted, it will add about $4000 with shipping, regardless of where you have the work done.

For a plains game only hunt, Namibia is the best all around choice, taking into account cost, hassles (including firearms permitting, convenient air travel, etc.), and the quality of the game and the experience. Some may disagree, but that is my firm opinion.

Namibia used to be a well-kept secret, but the secret's been out for so long now that the lead time for booking there can be as long as for Tanzania. But happily, unlike Tanz, Namibia is still economical.

Also, and to me this is no small matter, Namibia offers true wilderness hunting on communal conservancies, which are vast, open areas, something you can't find in the RSA.

Vaughan Fulton has somewhere just shy of 900,000 unfenced acres in two conservancies located just west of Etosha in northern Namibia. I have hunted with Vaughan, and his operation is top notch.

With Vaughan, you can hunt from a tented camp, right in the midst of still wild Africa, rather than on a ranch from a lodge. That makes a big difference to some people, including me.

Ranch hunting can also be good, if the ranch is a big one, but in my experience, it can't compare with a wilderness hunt for free ranging animals from a tented camp.

Just a few thoughts to bear in mind.

John La Sala at African Hunting Adventures has many different options and he is a stand up guy.

Mauser

If your looking for one of the best deals in Africa Give Dirk a email at www.huntingnamibia.de I and several AR members have hunted with him in the last year and have filed hunting reports (see Hunting Report Africa. Robert Johnson, Atticus, Reddy375, Ahmed Niazi, Muletrain, Acer. Acer just filed a nice detailed report form his recent hunt. His report real shows what the ranch has to offer. Dirk really has one of the best deal in Africa Huge remote ranch, World class animals, Great food and truly Affordable

Robert, please check your PM's.

Take a look at Brooklands Safaris.
I hunted with them this March and i am going back this Oct. Their SAVE area is privately owned by them.
I could not beleive how much plains game they have there.
Their plains game hunt are very reasonable.

Also there are a lot of elephant, and buff there.
You also might get to see a leopard, cheeta and a rino.

By now you've been getting private messages, lots of suggestions. But then, you've given yourself a lot of time to look.

If you're looking for plains game in South Africa, you won't need to book a huge time in advance. Its a little tougher for buffalo, but even then, its not hard. Prices are coming down.

Prices for Omni Safaris ( http://www.omnihuntingsafaris.com/Default.asp ) are reasonable and typical (if you do price comparisons, some species are more some less than other areas, partly depending on which animals have been imported from other regions), and the folks there are a true delight. They have easy access to a wide range of common plains game. If you are interested in animals that are good at using the terrain and cover, behave more like deer, etc, I'd recommend kudu, mountain reedbuck, and bushbuck -- which can be had through Omni. *I* had a really good time with them.

In any case, you'll see lots of people trying to get your attention. Lots of people are very happy with the outfits they worked with. Most of them are dying for a chance to go back. I know I am. Anyone who wants to go back very likely had a wonderful time!

Dan

The consensus here is for Namibia and it's right on. The combination of cost and variety of plains game and hospitality is unbeatable. And, you can add some sightseeing in remarkable country or even surf-casting in the South Atlantic at Henties Bay. Members have given you names of good game farm owners. My suggestion is to go for a BIG farm(s) so you have varied terrain and water points so widely located that the game is not forced to congregate at just a few places to drink.
Regards, Tim

Check out www.christroskiesafaris.com and give Chris a call. I hunted with him earlier this year and had a great time. His prices are very reasonable and he runs a well organized outfit. I've already booked my hunt with him for next year.

If you hunt in the Hoedspruit area or around Kruger National Park in South Africa you should also consider Life Form Taxidermy. They did an excellent job on my trophies and are certainly among the world's best on cats. Here's a link:

http://www.lifeform.co.za/

There are many, many good outfitters and PHs in South Africa offering hunts in the $3,500 to $4,500 range for 7 or 8 days all included, including trophy fees for two large antelope and 3 small antelope. These hunts are a great value. I'll put in a plug for two PH's I have hunted with in South Africa, Jan Dumon and Jaco Human. Here's a link for Jan Dumon:
http://home.mweb.co.za/mw/mwshumba/index.htm

Jaco posts here on AR so you can PM him directly. Both will work with you to arrange a first time hunt, sometimes for less than the prices they show on their web sites.

TJ,which Van Heerden was the PH on your hunt? thanks

Hentie van Heerden.