Reading some of the recent reports it would seem that the luxury of accommodation and cordon-bleu cuisine is quite important. Agreed some of these have been family safaris.

I offer neither and my concept is quality of hunting at an affordable price. Is it not the heat, tsetse flies, malaria, dank swamps and grim beasts part of the safari, part of the experience?

Dunno? What is it that attracts you to Africa and really what are your expectations?

I expect to have a great time with great people. No matter where I go; the quality and quantity of the game is at the top of the list. If it is a 5 star that is just an added bonus.

I will say that I did enjoy the tent camp in the middle of the desert more than the very nice lodge in another area.

When I take my youngster I will probably want to go more for accomodations but for myself, bring on the quality game.

Justin

I've always felt that if the food was somewhat tasty, and I usually like to eat wild game while I'm there, there is a salad and plenty of ice for the beer or scotch, the sleeping accomodations are clean, secure and comfortable, then I got what I paid for. I personally don't need a 4 or a 5 star lodge to impress me. I'm going to hunt, not spend time in the lodge.

I've only been to Zim twice, both times the camps had simple thatched roof huts and the food was always fantastic. I'm not looking for luxury at all; anyway it seems the average African accommodations beat the hell out of Canadian or the western USA hunting camps.

What attracts about Africa is the wildness of the place, the history, the exotic animals, and that (usually small) element of danger. It's so great to leave camp in the morning not knowing what you are going to have the opportunity to chase. All that nostalgic stuff about walking where Bell and Selous and Taylor did.

My expectation for my hunt in 2015 is a hard-bossed buffalo (don't care about the spread) and my hope is for an elephant in the 40s. And my real hope my son takes a few good animals as well, like a nice kudu and zebra.

But I'm not taking my daughter or wife so The Boy and I can rough it. Compared with bear camp in British Columbia just about anything will be warmer, dryer, and more comfortable. And compared with a day in a deer stand anything would be more interesting.

Can't say I enjoyed the tsetse flies too much, although thank the Lord they are there, because without those little bastards we wouldn't have much hunting territory.

Andrew, I haven't seen anything in any of the pictures from your camp or the animals seen there that I wouldn't enjoy!

I've hunted for sixty years eating beans out of a can sitting on rock in the rain, from the Hill country of Texas to the tundra of Alaska, and enjoyed the hunts from a back pack tent in the western mountains of the US, and Canada to a great thatch roofed camp on the Luangwa!

I look at it like this, if it is good enough for the PH it is good enough for me! My concern is the HUNTING.

.......................................................................... ........

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
Andrew, I haven't seen anything in any of the pictures from your camp or the animals seen there that I wouldn't enjoy!

I've hunted for sixty years eating beans out of a can sitting on rock in the rain, from the Hill country of Texas to the tundra of Alaska, and enjoyed the hunts from a back pack tent in the western mountains of the US, and Canada to a great thatch roofed camp on the Luangwa!

I look at it like this, if it is good enough for the PH it is good enough for me! My concern is the HUNTING.

.......................................................................... ........

Mac,

Now you are fixed you really need to do another trip into the wild. I will buy the beans and supply the rock.

Royal kafue offers a nice camp, a great bar, cold drinks, good food and plenty of game in a wild environment. What else can you expect?

Give you a good example. One of you is hunting with me shortly and we have some good buff around camp but there is this distant place that is very wild and I would rather hunt this place for a lesser buff just because we can.

On the ground. Mosquito net and a tin of beans. Cannot sleep because of Lions.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Give you a good example. One of you is hunting with me shortly and we have some good buff around camp but there is this distant place that is and very wild and I would rather hunt this place for a lesser buff just because we can.

Mosquito net and a tin of beans.

Andrew, you know I would always prefer the wild stuff even if this means I leave empty handed.

Like most others, luxury accomocations is not necessary for me. First and foremost is the quality of the hunting. As long as I have a half decent bed to sleep in and decent food I'm happy as long as the hunting is good. The quality and quantity of game is what brings me to Africa.

Of course, it's the only place to go if you want to hunt Elephant.

quote:

Originally posted by Caracal:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Give you a good example. One of you is hunting with me shortly and we have some good buff around camp but there is this distant place that is and very wild and I would rather hunt this place for a lesser buff just because we can.

Mosquito net and a tin of beans.

Andrew, you know I would always prefer the wild stuff even if this means I leave empty handed.

We are similar.

My countdown for 2014 began today, one year from today I will be going back to the dark continent. What is important to me is basically the fact that I will be with friends, my 4th hunt with this Ph so i consider him a friend as well. The accommodations are clean, safe, comfortable but definitely not luxurious. The food is always wonderful. I love eating the different varieties of game that we kill, the blood red sunsets, the smell of mapane wood, the howl of the jackel and other night sounds of hyena and cats breaking the silence. The complete lack of the white noise of the cities of the US!The absolute tremendous varieties of game that are encountered and you never know what Africa will put in your lap. Hunting deer and pigs all my life,,,, every animal just seems so much bigger over there, instead of "ground shrinkage" the animals are so much larger. Of course exceptions like duiker and such... But that adds to the thrill as well. And what many really don't expect is the beautiful birds and fowl that one can see. What I don't like is what I usually never see but worry about is their snakes...

Andrew,

Your camp and cuisine were fine with the exception of the Ah..."Yellow dust" which I'm sure you've handled. I would say your camp etc is square in the middle of the 25 plus camps I've been in. You have all the basics covered and that is all that's necessary.

If you have good hunting plus a clean camp with hot showers, comfortable beds and decent food both Sadie and I are happy. Not everybody can provide that.

Mark

A wild area that makes us feel like going back in time to younger years when there were natural things unspoiled.A wild and unpredicatble area that truly harbours wild and magnificent trophy game.An area were we see quality game of all kinds.An area where we might not get the quality of game we paid for on our first or second day but after we worked very hard for it we do get a good chance to take it before the duration of the hunt.
Also,an outfitter that we like and a ph who puts the client first and who ENJOYS the hunt.
Good food and beer.
Good trophy handling services etc...
Not an area that has been hunt to the ground and we are glad to shoot hyenas and impalas.

Fillet of Sitatunga with peanut butter and piri piri sauce. And a cold beer.

No table or cloth and we ate with our knives.

And a Lion.

I second Mr Young's notion of a good camp. My wife & I just returned from a great hunt in Zim & Moz w/ Mokore Safaris- - Plenty of game in a wild and natural state, and hot showers, great food, and soft beds at night. Simply excellent.

Another Lion that apparently does not make the grade?

Andrew, I like your style, mate! Seems pretty similar to our buffalo camps.

quote:

Originally posted by joester:
I second Mr Young's notion of a good camp. My wife & I just returned from a great hunt in Zim & Moz w/ Mokore Safaris- - Plenty of game in a wild and natural state, and hot showers, great food, and soft beds at night. Simply excellent.

Does your wife influence your choice of safari?

Not that that matters but does it somewhat dictate the hunt?

quote:

Originally posted by BenKK:
Andrew, I like your style, mate! Seems pretty similar to our buffalo camps.

To be honest I like the smell of dust, sweat and diesel.

If the area is not good everything means nothing.

To answer the question, and Andrew's point above, it depends on whom I'm going on a hunt with.

I love hunting with my wife, and am a lucky SOB, as she hunts too. But, that does influence the level of camp & food for those trips. She's done the tents and poor accommodations, but prefers not to any more. I respect that, and plan / book accordingly. Luckily, there are quite a few very nice camps that also have great animals to experience / hunt.

When bird hunting, I am admit to being really picky on the accommodations and food - the dinners and drinks are definitely part of the trip for me. Anyone who's been fortunate enough to hunt Spanish partridges at Mamel's knows what I'm talking about!

But, when its my, and maybe a brother or friend, then that's when the tougher hunts become all the better - a boys trip! Mountain hunts or backpacking, no issue.

One of the amazing things about being a hunter is the variety of experiences we get to have, whether just here in the US (from Doves in Texas to the mountains of the West), to the countries around the world that offer amazing experiences of a lifetime.

Damn... why am I at the office and not out in the field! Thanks Andrew...

quote:

One of the amazing things about being a hunter is the variety of experiences we get to have, whether just here in the US (from Doves in Texas to the mountains of the West), to the countries around the world that offer amazing experiences of a lifetime.

Good quote

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by joester:
I second Mr Young's notion of a good camp. My wife & I just returned from a great hunt in Zim & Moz w/ Mokore Safaris- - Plenty of game in a wild and natural state, and hot showers, great food, and soft beds at night. Simply excellent.

Does your wife influence your choice of safari?

Not that that matters but does it somewhat dictate the hunt?

Wife absolutely influences my safari decisions. I'm glad she wants to go and enjoys going. Granted, that means we will often stay in more permanent, luxury-type camps, which is fine as long as the hunting is good and we're surrounded by good people.

I remember hunting a member of the Royal family and he actively sought the wild. He did not want luxury nor had ant trophy expectations.

He shat in the bush and washed from a bucket.

He also paid through the nose for the privilege?

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by joester:
I second Mr Young's notion of a good camp. My wife & I just returned from a great hunt in Zim & Moz w/ Mokore Safaris- - Plenty of game in a wild and natural state, and hot showers, great food, and soft beds at night. Simply excellent.

Does your wife influence your choice of safari?

Not that that matters but does it somewhat dictate the hunt?

Wife absolutely influences my safari decisions. I'm glad she wants to go and enjoys going. Granted, that means we will often stay in more permanent, luxury-type camps, which is fine as long as the hunting is good and we're surrounded by good people.

Absolutely. When I take my wife to the bush she is treated like a queen.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
I remember hunting a member of the Royal family and he actively sought the wild. He did not want luxury nor had ant trophy expectations.

He shat in the bush and washed from a bucket.

He also paid through the nose for the privilege?

It does not matter if one is from a Royal family.There are stupid people in all walks of life.To seek the wild is one thing and to seek the wild you can still hunt quality game is another.

I just returned from Zim hunting with Mike Payne (SAVE" safaris).
It is difficult to sum up the experience but over the coarse of 10 days (+14 hours a day) there was NEVER A DULL MOMENT.
I would describe our camp as a 5 star tent camp; hardly a tent.. The bed was cleaned and made daily, carpeted concrete floors. Even the truck we rode around in was washed prior to getting in it every morning.
My wife was in tow and she was never a real hunter however she can not tell enough stories to her friends and family. The hunt was great, the food wonderful (the game we took except Zebra), the campfires relaxing, the clean air and stars incredible.
A truely wonderful experience with a great PH & team. We wanted for nothing. I would say the organization, effort and execution of the event was extremely professional.
PS; The plane ride sucked! I need some Star Trek mojo on my next trip. Beam me over there Scotty!


EZ

I will add one thing though, since the thread title does have "Expectations" in it - I do expect outfitters and companies to be forthright and clear about what to "expect"

I have unfortunately been on one or two hunts, where I was told one thing, and arrived to find something entirely different, both in terms of accommodation / food, and game variety. One time I was told there was a "lodge", which turned out to be bunks in the skinning shed , and another was sold on a driven wolf hunt in Romania, and was paired with a local National Parks guy on the first day, who looked at me very curiously when I started asking about wolves, replying that in his 18 year in that area, he had never even seen one... needless to say, nobody saw a wolf, and they tried to sell us bears for the entire trip. Not cool.

The good news is while the world of hunting has its crooks, cons artists and even a criminals or two - we have AR, and trusted hunting friends to point us in the right direction.

Happy hunting all

I can go spend a week in Cuba for as little as 600 dollars and this includes,airfare,all the food and alcohol I want,the best beaches in the world,hotel and extras.My point is there has to be more than a little nature plus food and drink to dish out the big bucks needed to go to Africa.Some may feel otherwise-to each his own.

In three trip to Africa I've experienced lodges, tents and open chalets. I would rather sleep where I can hear and smell the countryside, eat what has been shot and yes a cold beer at the end of the day is a perfect. My 16 year old son and I have antelope, elk and mule deer hunts going this year and all will be in wall tents situated in the middle of the hunting area. We wouldn't have it any other way given a choice.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
And a Lion.

Andrew - I remember this lion well, an excellent cat IMO.

I have never been on luxury hunting trip. All my hunting has been basic - even the few guided ones. The bear hunt in British Columbia was from an abandoned homestead that had been done up into a basic 2 bed room house with 3 double bunks in each room! That was the best accommodation I have ever had on a hunting trip. This of course excludes staying with friends in town and driving to the hunting area.

I wish I could hunt Africa from a fly camp for 30 days!

Older I get the more comforts I desire
Ice love it
Clean safe lodging
Fun PH lots of laughing
Heat not so much
Andrew from what I have seen and heard I would hunt with u in a min.

An honest outfitter and PH, delivering what was promised whether it's a rough camp in the wilderness or a plush room on an estancia. I don't want "surprises" that those in the know, knew about before hand and deliberately withheld to insure my business. If the camp is nice enough to take my wife to, great. If it's too rough, let me know so she can stay at home or go with me to another location. If the game is tough to get to, scarce, or requires a lot of walking, that's alright. What I don't want is false promises, misinformation, or outright lies.

In any hunting situation or most of life's adventures, there's going to be unanticipated "issues." I don't have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with is false expectations that are provided by someone that won't give me with same honesty I extend to him. Fortunately, these unpleasant situations have arisen only on very rare occasions. Successful or not on the hunt, I want to enjoy the experience with someone I respect and to know I'm treated with the same respect.

I'm a year away from my 3rd trip to Africa and the 1st for my non-hunting wife. We are both anxiously anticipating the hunt and the Africa experience. In my opinion, getting into an area where quality wildlife is abundant, staff is proficient and professional, equipment is well maintained, accommodations are clean and well maintained, food is good and the bar is always open, and the PH is professional, attentive, and a pleasure to be around, has to be the optimum experience. It sounds like Frostbit & wife, Bait Babe, definitely had that experience. Oh, I forgot to mention, our hunt will be at Royal Kafue. Looking forward to it, Andrew!

Lodges and such are fine, but after 8 trips I have it boiled down to the basics. I expect a reasonable chance at representative heads of the game I am after, a safe camp with a clean kitchen, adequate abolution facilities and a safe water supply.

Wingshooting in South America is different. Upscale lodges and dining are all part of the experience for me.

I'm good with anything. In Africa, I was treated well. South America is another thing. There's nothing quite like coming back to the lodge after shooting a few thousand shells and getting a massage from a nice looking Argentine gal. Don't read too much into that, fellas.

My primary concern is the game. But, a concern is also "don't lie to me." If we're roughing it, fine. But don't tell me when I sign that the camp is sumptuous. If the food is basic, fine. But, don't tell me its going to be cooked by a cordon bleu chef when it is not.
Honesty is a big concern.