If I am ever going to Africa I'm going to
hunt a DG beast first and foremost. So with
all the experience here I'd like to get a con-
sensus on what will be the smallest expense.

Question:
Which will be least costly to experience, and in
which country, and region within the selected
nation?

Choices:
Cape Buffalo Bull
Elephant Non Exportable (or What ever)
Hippo ON LAND
Other - You Name the Beast

 

I would contact Martin peters about a late season Cape buffalo hunt in the omay. He usually offers 7 day hunts for a good price. I'm in the same boat as you and I'll be saving up to do this hunt someday.

D R Hunter

A late season non-trophy bull buffalo hunt is going to be hard to beat at $7500 to incl daily fees and trophy fee or a cow ele at $10,000. If you have some flexibilty on vacation time and have a nest eggs at the ready you can jump on one of the late season specilas that always show up. The trick is being able to go on short notice which is a problem for many.

Mark

I would be careful about the recommendation of Brian. Friend of mine hunted there in late August on a 7 day hunt...they drove 21/2 hours to and from the hunting area each day, sub-standard camp and very young PH, saw VERY few Buff, had a glance at a soft 36" mid-hunt...and NOTHING ELSE!! Area seemed hunted out and the drive wasted tremendous hunting time!
This hunt was later offered on the Outfitters Discounted and Cancellation hunts....I did not comment at that time as I was hoping the outfitter would make things right with him....NOPE!!
Depending on how really tight your budget is, perhaps one of the Group hunts with Fairgame where Buff is available.
Otherwise, I would be very particular of the area you pick and outfitter, probably hunt Buff and do it 2x1 on a minimum of 10 days in an excellent Buff area.
If you are only going to do it once,...do it right and have a great hunt.
There are some really great offerings from CMS on tuskless and cow elephant combined with Buff...this would be a great adventure and often talked about very positively here on AR. That would be my choice but I also have a honey hole I am going to check out next year for tuskless and cows on the Botswana border.....
GOOD LUCK!!
Cheers,

My schedule allows for last minute excursions. So
now I ask where best to see them advertised in
additon to the AR-Discounted Hunts forum?

***SEEMS WE ALL FORGOT LIONESS!!!
http://forums.accuratereloadin...2100588/m/4991086191

This is exactly what I am doing!

I see the other post challenging this BUT I have done a lot of research on AR about Martin Pieters and some others. I have been corresponding with Martin for the last year & I find him up front and very easy to communicate with. Straight answers and consistent - That is the key for me.

Another note - My research tells me that July / August is probably the worst time for buffalo & that could explain the problem these people had. Martin has Ume & Chefutzie camps up North & the hunt area depends on the season. Mid September onwards is the best time from my understanding.

Buz Charlton also offers similar deals in the Save.

One other point - when 3 or more reputed outfitters can happily recommend each other, you know you have the right options.

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Clark:
I would contact Martin peters about a late season Cape buffalo hunt in the omay. He usually offers 7 day hunts for a good price. I'm in the same boat as you and I'll be saving up to do this hunt someday.

The lioness is not "true fair game"

I think you should look at the Burkina Faso buffalo hunting package offered by Arjun Reddy

Going there in Feb - will have a first hand report then

The lioness hunt is on 19 square miles unless I misunderstand?
I will look into the Buff by Arjun as you suggested!
Thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by D R Hunter:
The lioness hunt is on 19 square miles unless I misunderstand?
I will look into the Buff by Arjun as you suggested!
Thank you.

That is 12,160 acres, or 19 sections. I doubt you will cover 12,160 acres in a seven day hunt no matter where you hunt, and a Lioness might be hard to find in 20 acres of bush if hunting on foot. Still it wouldn't be like a lion hunt over bait in a truly wild area! It might be harder!

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

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
The lioness is not "true fair game"

I think you should look at the Burkina Faso buffalo hunting package offered by Arjun Reddy

Going there in Feb - will have a first hand report then

Sure seems to be a fair chase hunt-why do you say its not?

I may be wrong but there are few true free range wild lion hunts in South Africa and they cost Tanzania prices.

The only place I have seen cheap wild lioness hunts are in Bubye and its a this year only event as they are basically culling some lionesses.

By fair chase I assume wild lions in a self breeding/feeding/surviving environment.

I may be wrong and these could be wild lionesses and it would be the greatest bargain in DG hunting.

Maybe some resident lion aging experts can verify if these are wild lions or not or the booking agent can informs us.

I am just going by pricing and South Africa with its limited wild lion quota to assume this is not a wild lioness hunt.

I am also assuming fair chase DG hunting means wild lions if lions are the Dangerous Game.

Mike

Also please note in the ad the PH has shot 500 lions. That puts all the old time big game hunters to shame.

I have nothing against shooting released lions. May help the breeding stock, fund a lot of taxidermist business, provide bones to the asian market, employ people in South Africa, provide a exit strategy for walk with lions green tourism operations and provide meat for lions burgers.

But I don't think you are a getting a wild lioness hunt for $5K all in. Again when someone says fair chase I assume wild game.

470EDDY, if you are talking about Steve Mack, your statement is incorrect. I have an email from him re his hunt and he was put onto a 'hard bossed bull on day 3 and he turned it down wanting something bigger. This is alright in itself, but to state he saw nothing is a lie.
Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
Also please note in the ad the PH has shot 500 lions. That puts all the old time big game hunters to shame.

I have nothing against shooting released lions. May help the breeding stock, fund a lot of taxidermist business, provide bones to the asian market, employ people in South Africa, provide a exit strategy for walk with lions green tourism operations and provide meat for lions burgers.

But I don't think you are a getting a wild lioness hunt for $5K all in. Again when someone says fair chase I assume wild game.

amen to that. a "wild" lioness hunt for $5k??? only in RSA on a fenced ranch. and how would any PH have shot 500 wild lions in a career? even assuming a 25 year career, he would have to be averaging 20/year- impossible in a free range hunting area. i have nothing against shooting lions on a game ranch but it is a far cry from hunting a truly free range animal…

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Clark:
I would contact Martin peters about a late season Cape buffalo hunt in the omay. He usually offers 7 day hunts for a good price. I'm in the same boat as you and I'll be saving up to do this hunt someday.

This is what I have just returned from. Highly recommend Martin. My PH was Lindon Stanton, very good to work with. Knows his Buff.This was the cheapest true free range hunt I could find. I also took a tuskless cow ele.

I can get you a west african buffalo hunt for around $7500 including trophy fee.
You might have a look at the double buffalo hunt in Benin I posted here
http://forums.accuratereloadin...2100588/m/1371006291

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:


Buz Charlton also offers similar deals in the Save

[/QUOTE]

Better check your facts. CMS is not hunting the Save.

I also would recommend an end of the year "excess quota" hunt. There are great deals to be had if you can travel on 3-6 weeks notice. I booked a last minute hunt through Martin Pieters and hunted with Phillip Smythe of Ivory Trails Safaris for bull buff and tuskless elephant in Zimbabwe. It was truly the adventure of a lifetime at a price greatly reduced from normal rates. Good luck!

The offer Mark Young is talking about is hard to beat. I believe you actually don't have to wait until the end of the season for that offer. Mokore Safaris is a fine outfit and Sengwa Research is a wonderful place, with an abundance of elephant, buffalo and arguably the best plainsgame of all GVT Concessions in Zim. (My Opinion)

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
I may be wrong but there are few true free range wild lion hunts in South Africa and they cost Tanzania prices.

The only place I have seen cheap wild lioness hunts are in Bubye and its a this year only event as they are basically culling some lionesses.

By fair chase I assume wild lions in a self breeding/feeding/surviving environment.

I may be wrong and these could be wild lionesses and it would be the greatest bargain in DG hunting.

Maybe some resident lion aging experts can verify if these are wild lions or not or the booking agent can informs us.

I am just going by pricing and South Africa with its limited wild lion quota to assume this is not a wild lioness hunt.

I am also assuming fair chase DG hunting means wild lions if lions are the Dangerous Game.

Mike

You're not wrong at all..... there are virtually none.

The closest to true free range wild lion hunts in South Africa are the ones in the areas adjacent to the parks such as the KNP which although wild, are habituated to man & vehicles. That doesn't necessarily make them less dangerous & it could be argued it makes them more dangerous but either way, it does change their behaviour.

Pretty much all others, esp the ones you see in limited areas are captive bred & newly released....... The reason they're newly released is that a landowner can't afford to have lions about the place for long because they eat so many valuable animals.

Even assuming one animal worth $100 per day per lion for just 3 months it adds up to a very significant loss to the landowner. (often considerably more than the cost of some packages being offered!)

Also bear in mind that a lion doesn't know the difference between an impala, a sable or an nyala etc so that $100 can easily increase to thousands of dollars on some days.

Do your sums & you realise how unlikely it is that these animals have been in the area for anything like the time so often claimed.

I personally DO have a massive problem with these shoots (not hunts) but the worst aspect of them is that so many people are unaware of the situation & believe they're actually taking part in a proper lion hunt whereas the truth is a very long way from that.

More generally: My advice would be to pick the most expensive DG hunt you can afford rather than the cheapest you can find. You get what you pay for & a DG hunt isn't a good thing to try to go cheap on.

It's like buying a Ferrari without brakes because a Ferrari with brakes costs a bit more!

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
This is exactly what I am doing!

I see the other post challenging this BUT I have done a lot of research on AR about Martin Pieters and some others. I have been corresponding with Martin for the last year & I find him up front and very easy to communicate with. Straight answers and consistent - That is the key for me.

Another note - My research tells me that July / August is probably the worst time for buffalo & that could explain the problem these people had. Martin has Ume & Chefutzie camps up North & the hunt area depends on the season. Mid September onwards is the best time from my understanding.

Buz Charlton also offers similar deals in the Save.

One other point - when 3 or more reputed outfitters can happily recommend each other, you know you have the right options.

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Clark:
I would contact Martin peters about a late season Cape buffalo hunt in the omay. He usually offers 7 day hunts for a good price. I'm in the same boat as you and I'll be saving up to do this hunt someday.

Hello Nakihunter, you state that July/August is probably the worst time hunting buffalo. Why is that ?

If you want a true fair chase DG hunt for the least cost I think I can offer you that.
I offer self guided but fully outfitted hunts for 2 kinds of buffalo and elephant in Cameroun. Plenty of posts on AR with hunters who have done this.
Elephant and 2 species of buffalo, as well as giant eland, and other plains game for $9,000. (Not all on the same hunt but all available.)
Feel free to PM me.
Cam Greig

Norwegian

I am no expert - just planning my first safari.

My comment is based on all the info I researched on AR and other websites.

If you read 20 buffalo hunt reports from different parts of the season, you will see that the Sept Oct hunts are in more open country, less water & quite hot. Buffalo tend to concentrate near the water sources - which are scarcer.

On the other hand, July / Aug hunts tend to be cooler, more leaves in the bush, thicker cover, less visibility etc. I think early season is also thick cover hunting.

Correspondingly, July Aug is best for leopard - bait lasts in the cool weather. Pray animals are not new born young etc.

If I have got this wrong, please correct me.

quote:

Originally posted by Thierry Labat:
The offer Mark Young is talking about is hard to beat. I believe you actually don't have to wait until the end of the season for that offer. Mokore Safaris is a fine outfit and Sengwa Research is a wonderful place, with an abundance of elephant, buffalo and arguably the best plainsgame of all GVT Concessions in Zim. (My Opinion)

What I was going to say, but knuckle beat me to it.

Chop.

By Shakari:

quote:

More generally: My advice would be to pick the most expensive DG hunt you can afford
rather than the cheapest you can find. You get what you pay for & a DG hunt isn't a good
thing to try to go cheap on.

It's like buying a Ferrari without brakes because a Ferrari with brakes costs a bit more!

Steve "Shakari" Robinson
www.shakariconnection.com

I don't know much, but the above jumps out at me
as sounding like sage advise...
I am grateful for all the posts being entered!

quote:

Originally posted by Nakihunter:
Norwegian

I am no expert - just planning my first safari.

My comment is based on all the info I researched on AR and other websites.

If you read 20 buffalo hunt reports from different parts of the season, you will see that the Sept Oct hunts are in more open country, less water & quite hot. Buffalo tend to concentrate near the water sources - which are scarcer.

On the other hand, July / Aug hunts tend to be cooler, more leaves in the bush, thicker cover, less visibility etc. I think early season is also thick cover hunting.

Correspondingly, July Aug is best for leopard - bait lasts in the cool weather. Pray animals are not new born young etc.

If I have got this wrong, please correct me.

I hunted buffalo with Martin Pieters in June of 2011. I probably saw 300 Buffalo and took my bull on the first day.

D R Hunter

AR is an excellent resource for your quest, even then you should also be sceptical of any single successfull or bad hunt report of any outfitter or area.

Any African hunt is a huge investment and one should find a balance between containing costs on the one hand and a good chance of success on the other. The most expensive hunt is a failed hunt where you return without a trophy. Especially if the failure was because of getting stuck in a poor area or with an unscrupulous operator to minmize cost instead of an unfavourable outcome decided on because of the unpredictable fortunes of hunting.

The less money one has for a hunt the more you should focus on the quality of the area for the species sought and the quality of the outfitter rather than the actual $ cost of the hunt.

I would book at least 10 days for a buffalo, if success is early one could spend the remaining time on hunting animals like impala, warthog and baboon. They are cheap and is some of the most enjoyable hunting in Africa.

Enjoy your quest!

buffalo is your best bet ..
the very best thing you can do is spend a few weeks researching through this site , through PMs to members and then contacting a few outfitters and checking their references ..

then go to the DSC show - see the outfitters for yourself , meet in person some of the references you have communicated with, most outfitters have a few veteran clients at the shows that can help answer questions ...

in a nutshell a 10 day Zimbabwe buffalo hunt is what you are after i believe...take some time , enjoy a few campfires and before you even get on the plane home you will be planning a return safari

Thanks one and all!
Ivan, I just voted for you and TAA!

Best regards,

What about buff in Mozambique? I understand many areas are swampy but prices seem reasonable. Genuinely curious what people think.

quote:

Originally posted by rxgremlin:
What about buff in Mozambique? I understand many areas are swampy but prices seem reasonable. Genuinely curious what people think.

The hunting can be reasonably priced, it's all the ADD ON costs that can ADD on.

Charters , rifle imports etc but I'm sure that special offers do crop up.

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
buffalo is your best bet ..
the very best thing you can do is spend a few weeks researching through this site , through PMs to members and then contacting a few outfitters and checking their references ..

then go to the DSC show - see the outfitters for yourself , meet in person some of the references you have communicated with, most outfitters have a few veteran clients at the shows that can help answer questions ...

in a nutshell a 10 day Zimbabwe buffalo hunt is what you are after i believe...take some time , enjoy a few campfires and before you even get on the plane home you will be planning a return safari

Take this advice.

And forget hippo on land.

In my book, it cannot even be remotely described as a dangerous game hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by rxgremlin:
What about buff in Mozambique? I understand many areas are swampy but prices seem reasonable. Genuinely curious what people think.

How about two Buff in Moz

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:


Take this advice.

And forget hippo on land.

In my book, it cannot even be remotely described as a dangerous game hunt.

..what if one make them charge??....

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
buffalo is your best bet ..
the very best thing you can do is spend a few weeks researching through this site , through PMs to members and then contacting a few outfitters and checking their references ..

then go to the DSC show - see the outfitters for yourself , meet in person some of the references you have communicated with, most outfitters have a few veteran clients at the shows that can help answer questions ...

in a nutshell a 10 day Zimbabwe buffalo hunt is what you are after i believe...take some time , enjoy a few campfires and before you even get on the plane home you will be planning a return safari

Take this advice.

And forget hippo on land.

In my book, it cannot even be remotely described as a dangerous game hunt.

What about Hippo in water. Well the recovery of the body would be dangerous if crocs and the Hippos family are about, especialy without a decent boat.

The advice to go with the more expensive hunts is fine if you can afford to. With me it was now or quite possibly never- certainly not in the next 4 years-. If like you me you have a Champagne mans taste and a beer mans budget the cheap hunts may be the only chance you get. My own view-and I was prepard for this to happen- is that if you want a true free range hunt then you have to accept that you could come home empty handed.

Rule 303,

Yes, If it is real hunting, a safari might
result in the primary game animal not being
Shot/killed or even seen. A client must spend
Enough though, to have his hunt on land with
A strong record for the primary game sought.

quote:

Originally posted by D R Hunter:
Rule 303,

Yes, If it is real hunting, a safari might
result in the primary game animal not being
Shot/killed or even seen. A client must spend
Enough though, to have his hunt on land with
A strong record for the primary game sought.

In essence, yes. However I feel that you can reduce the cost with research and if you are content to go for a late season or cancelled hunts.

Not saying find the cheapest hunt and go with it. DR as you say you still need to go with a an outfit that has a good track record.

If you want dangerous then book with Nixon in Zim.

Go for buff and expect unexpected especially the dangerous kind.
Practice shooting a lot and don't take anything for granted, ask PH for back up shot and enjoy. Take the chance, it's nothing like it.
And thanks fairgame, yes to Nixon. Great area and mean and cantankerous buffs.

quote:

Originally posted by jens poulsen:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:


Take this advice.

And forget hippo on land.

In my book, it cannot even be remotely described as a dangerous game hunt.

..what if one make them charge??....

Take away her credit card--