I agree with Mark, be careful of outfitters that discount behind the agents back. The only way I know that I get lower priced hunts is if I have hunted and spent major bucks with the same outfitter and he may make you a better than regular deal. If you want to try and do all the things that make a great hunt yourself you should go for it but a good, honest agent can really help you and that holds true even if you have been a lot of times. I have used my credit card miles before and it worked unless there was more than two people going then it seems imposssible, it might not be but seems that way. also look at consolidater fares, I have flown to africa bussiness class for half price several times and all it cost me was a small fee to the agent.taxidery varies so much in price and quality you really only know when you see their work or get yours back and it is better than expected. I just got a mount back of a giant eland lifesize and six other life size animals on the same piece and while it cost me when i look at it i have great memories worth the price. good hunting

I think the best corner cutting to get to Africa is done at home in daily life to save up the money to go. Cutting corners on the trip itself can lead to trouble.

I have found Alaska Air pretty useless getting to Africa. You are better off with United (through Chase) or Delta (Amex) mileage programs. Capital One Venture card is not a bad way to go, 2 miles per dollar and you can pick ANY FLIGHT ANY AIRLINE, and further, you get miles for the reward flight (from the airline that you fly on, not from Capital One).

Note all of these now require 120,000 to 180,000 miles for a coach ticket, and the sooner you can book the better chance you have of finding a seat on your travel dates.

Geoff, I see you are into elephant. You can do a TL or a mgmt bull in Zim for not much more than a PG package in RSA. If you can round up a couple of buddies who want to do this hunt, I can get you a discount on the rack rate, and you guys will share the charter flight 3 or 4 ways. Ditto for a buff hunt. Especially if you are OK hunting into Sept or Oct.

If you can flex your dates, you can fly in on the same day the prior clients are flying out ... that will cut the charter in half. Ditto on the back end. Charters actually save you money ... eliminates one hotel night on the back end, and you get to hunt on the first day instead of sitting in a truck dodging buses all day.

Hunting as a group is always a good way to save money, not only on transfer costs but on hotels going in/out and most importantly on daily rates. Almost every outfitter I deal with will give you a good break if there are four hunters in the party.

Another way to "save money" is to fish where the fish are. Don't spend extra time trying to hunt PG on a buffalo hunt at $1000 per day. When you are paying DG rate, hunt DG! Don't shoot Oryx in the E. Cape ... you can get them for $550 in Namibia.

And finally, don't pay a PH to chauffeur you around the sights ... rent your own car and drive yourself. Esp in Namibia and RSA ... these are no different than Mexico from a self-drive perspective.

Others on this site have far more experience than me, but after six safaris my advice would be to skip the taxidermy. If I had it all to do over again, I would do very little taxidermy and if I did I would do European mounts. You can drop a small fortune on shipping and taxidermy and I think the money would be better spent applied to the hunt or, better yet, for the next hunt. That is the beauty of hunting elephant, there are tusks, there is leather and there are a handful of elephant hair bracelets and that's it.

Agree with Russ. Get a buddy to share the cost and most outfitters will offer or be prepared to negotiate a good deal for a hunting couple.

I thinkt he savings at home must be after the kids are a bit older. I have a great job (IMO) and my wife does too. I guess without the 285 a week in childcare I could get to Africa way sooner.

I'm offsetting it with conditioning, teaching my girls that they want badly to take care of me when I'm older. as they get into careers and such I'll teach them that they want to see me go to Africa every two or three years.

Red

I agree with Mark and a couple of the other posters.Cutting corners can cost you money and hurt in the long run.

1/ An outfitter will very rarely give a 15% discount to a client . Be wary of those that do. Booking through an agent should not cost you a cent extra, but you will get additional services from the agent.

2/ Dip and Pack costs are a small part of the total hunt cost. Cut corners here and you could end up with a real mess.


6/ Most PHs encourage clients to tip staff directly. There are those who take the tips and distribute them as well. Trust your PH. If you dont trust him, you shouldnt be hunting with him.

8/ Camp Guns or PH spare rifles are commonly used by clients, BUT I would recomend finding out what the weapon is, what condition it is in and what the charges will be for renting the weapon. Very few people will "lend" good quality rifles out.

10/ December and unsold permits . Make no mistake this can save money. However be aware that you are likely to face heat, rain, Mosquito's and a myriad of other creepy crawlies in the rain. Digging cruisers out of the Mud is part of the daily rate tho!!

12/ Shop around. The best advice on the whole post. Prices will and certainly do vary. Be wary of exceptionally cheap deals, or at least establish fully why they are so cheap. (ie Non trophy hunts.) a Buff hunt at $7200 may be genuine, but as Mark said, it wont compare to one at $15k.

I have a friend who saw this thread, called and told me about one of his friends.

This man went to Africa twice.

Once to Zimbabwe, and once to Tanzania.

The Zimbabwe trip was 12 years ago.

And the Tanzania trip was last year.

This man is not short of money, but likes to tell himself that he is getting a "bargain".

Apparently, both hunts were little short of disasters.

There are only three ways to save on safari in my view:

1. Stay home if you can't afford to do it right. Air fare and daily costs are much lower.

2. Carefully study Saeed's videos and photography exhibits. Following Saeed's and Walter's experiences, getting to know the professional hunters, trackers, friends, staff, etc was almost as much fun as going yourself. Hugely entertaining.

3. Hunt your local states bear and elk. You are the sovereign and have the king's rights there. Of course setting up camp, cooking meals, finding game and skinning animals and taking it apart for transmission to butcher is something you have to do yourself. Huge benefit to have the assistance of the PH and his staff, something the do it yourselfer here in local hunting doesn't have.

I have to admit after experiencing the above I would dearly love to visit Africa, although I also love to travel until I get to the Airport. Something I probably share with Walter.

Eastern Washington State high desert with national emblem sitting in middle of Blacktail Deer area.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Lane,

Several credit cards offer miles for each dollar you spend. I personally use a Bank of America card that gives me mileage on Alaska Air and its partners. I put 99% of what I spend on everything on the card. I pay an anuual fee of $75.00 and completley pay off my balance most every month. I find that Sadie and I can go to Africa almost free business class about every other year. I call that a heck of a deal.

Some airlines make it quite difficult to almost impossible to redeem your miles but I've had excellent luck with Alaska Air and their partner British Air.

I have not been able to use mileage on every trip because things some time come up too quickly but I think we've done 9 business class trips on our mileage. If you figure what a businees class ticket costs we have saved a pile of money that could go toward trophy fees.

Mark

Mark, I love the way you think!

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
I think Saeed is almost totally correct.

One place that I think you can cut corners and still have a great hunt is to book with an outfit that caters to European hunters.

As an example, many farms in Namibia take out mostly German hunters. They often spend little on advertising(shows and printed material) and get most of their business through word-of-mouth. Their prices are often far cheaper than outfits that utilize the American market

And if they take out mostly Germans they don't expect much in the way of tips. At least that is what I was told while in Africa.

its is true the difference is that those hunters doesn't give a dam about inches they will hunt for the experience and a well hunted impala of 17" means more than a put and take 26"they will take animals with skew,1 horned and abnormal horns.

the more demands a client has the more expensive will the trip be itsall horses for courses

i have a taxidermist that is a one man show and he is extremely well priced with very good quality work that is how i could offer this package
http://forums.accuratereloadin...2100588/m/7401072241

If it is your first or first several safaris,,, pay the money and do it right. That means, do your research, pick the area that is known for the animals high on your wish list, pick a great camp and Ph with a great reputation. Run it all up the flag pole here for advise before you book it and listen to the long timers here. Do the taxidermy,,, do as many of the trophies as you can afford,, if you do a dip and pack and have it shipped to the states,, you can mount the stuff over time and not all at one time like you will have to do if they do it in Africa,, After a few trips, unless you have a huge house,, the walls will fill up and on the next trips,, photos on the wall or european mounts work just great for me. I went for the "basic" plains game animals my first trips,, they are inexpensive compared to Roan, Sable,Nyala, etc. Once you go the first time you will become addicted like the rest of us and you may target more expensive animals, including the dangerous stuff in the future, or continue with the basic stuff, less taxidermy and more economical trips.... Cut out the "starbucks" and BS stuff we waste on everyday, put 10-15 bucks in the cigar box everyday that we squander, pack your own lunch instead of eating out and soon you got a trip paid for.

Save your money. If you have to cut corners, you may cut out something important. Wait to go when you can afford it and do it right. You won't be disapointed.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Gould:
I have found Alaska Air pretty useless getting to Africa.

Guess I got lucking booking Alaska Air & British 1st class with miles in September last year. I booked it myself. The British leg 356 ahead and the Alaska leg 330 days ahead. Not a hitch!!

Russ,

I think you need to do a little more research. Alaska Air and its partner BA do offer an excellent mileage program that is very easy to use. You can set it up yourself as Frostbit did or you can have a travel agent handle it. They will accept bookings way out ahead and you don't have to wait for the return seats to open before book the round trip. I have no expereince with other programs but this one absolutley works and has saved me and my clients 10's of thousands of dollars.

Mark

1) Absolutely quit buying stupid things and cut up the credit cards! Trade that pricey pickup for a decent Toyota compact! Start socializing at home, stop going to restaurants, start paying for EVERYTHING in cash! Make a vow to put $20 a day that you would normally spend on useless crap in a decent sized jar. Stash that cash and think of every ten or twelve $20 bills as an impala. DO NOT TOUCH IT!

2) Go on a late season/cancellation hunt. I have done this in Africa and North America with great results. Saves an average of about 30-40% over three separate hunts.

3) After accomplishing #2...and assuming you find a good outfitter, stick with them! In the long run, their honesty will save you LOTS of money relative to dealing with crooks that occasionally pop up

4) Skull mounts and hides tanned only! Lots of pics!

5) Frequent flier or CC based miles

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Lane,

Several credit cards offer miles for each dollar you spend. I personally use a Bank of America card that gives me mileage on Alaska Air and its partners. I put 99% of what I spend on everything on the card. I pay an anuual fee of $75.00 and completley pay off my balance most every month. I find that Sadie and I can go to Africa almost free business class about every other year. I call that a heck of a deal.

Some airlines make it quite difficult to almost impossible to redeem your miles but I've had excellent luck with Alaska Air and their partner British Air. I have not been able to use mileage on every trip because things some time come up too quickly but I think we've done 9 business class trips on our mileage. If you figure what a businees class ticket costs we have saved a pile of money that could go toward trophy fees.

Mark

Mark,
Thank you sir for your tip. I assume from above...that you fly British Air to Africa???

I have heard in the past that fire-arms travel to Africa with BA is a problem...esp. to Zimbabwe.

Any comments here???

This is a useful post and I was afraid a 7K hunt can easily turn into a 20K hunt. Some good ideas ways to reduce expenses. I am more interested in the hunting part, not the trophy and I was wondering how to go about it. A guy that goes for the hunt and brings back minimal or only rarely a trophy, and can fly for cheap can do alot more hunting. Video and pics and avoid the other hassles. (including having to buy a bigger house!)

Tendrams,

If you cut up the credit cards, you will have trouble buying an airplane ticket. Just manage them better.

Seriously? Was it unclear that I was obviously speaking figuratively to some degree about debt and obviously didn't mean cut up ALL of them? Most people have several credit cards which is moronic in my opinion. Paying them off and cutting up the vast majority of them is a sure fire way to reduce the amount of worthless crap one buys because plastic is so easy to swipe and also definitely reduces the amount of interest paid that is better spent on trophy fees!

Tendrams,

Sorry I was just reading what you said, "cut up the credit cards". I guess it was unclear to me. You are quite correct, most people have to many cards that are not managed correctly.

Lane,

If you book a flight to JNB and on to Zim through a travel agent such as Gracy Travel, Kathi Klimes or Steve Turner you'll have no problem.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Lane,

If you book a flight to JNB and on to Zim through a travel agent such as Gracy Travel, Kathi Klimes or Steve Turner you'll have no problem.

Mark

Again...thank you sir. I'll give this avenue a travel and see where I get.

quote:

Originally posted by impala#03:
Save your money. If you have to cut corners, you may cut out something important. Wait to go when you can afford it and do it right. You won't be disapointed.

Sorry, but I disagree. Nothing in guaranteed and hunting in Africa is getting more expensive and less available each year. No one knows what the future will bring. Putting off a hunt for two years so that you can "save to do it right" may mean that the trip never happens.

Go now while you are able.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

quote:

Originally posted by impala#03:
Save your money. If you have to cut corners, you may cut out something important. Wait to go when you can afford it and do it right. You won't be disapointed.

Sorry, but I disagree. Nothing in guaranteed and hunting in Africa is getting more expensive and less available each year. No one knows what the future will bring. Putting off a hunt for two years so that you can "save to do it right" may mean that the trip never happens.

Go now while you are able.

Jason,

I have been hearing this since I started hunting. You know what has happened since then? Moz opened back up. Sudan is opening. Some countries like Zim are still open but a lot different.

The other thing I totally disagree with is this attitude that "you can borrow money but you can't borrow time." Geez, borrowing money to go on a hunt is about the dumbest reason to acquire debt that I have heard of. Ding! If you have to borrow money, maybe you can't afford it.

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:
1) Absolutely quit buying stupid things and cut up the credit cards! Trade that pricey pickup for a decent Toyota compact! Start socializing at home, stop going to restaurants, start paying for EVERYTHING in cash! Make a vow to put $20 a day that you would normally spend on useless crap in a decent sized jar. Stash that cash and think of every ten or twelve $20 bills as an impala. DO NOT TOUCH IT!

2) Go on a late season/cancellation hunt. I have done this in Africa and North America with great results. Saves an average of about 30-40% over three separate hunts.

3) After accomplishing #2...and assuming you find a good outfitter, stick with them! In the long run, their honesty will save you LOTS of money relative to dealing with crooks that occasionally pop up

4) Skull mounts and hides tanned only! Lots of pics!

5) Frequent flier or CC based miles

Yeah I can see that unfolding.

"Honey why are we eating saltines at home again" -wife

"So that I can go on a super expensive hunt in Africa naturally" -me

"So let me get this straight, you expect me to live like a pauper so you can take a vacation by yourself for two weeks and spend $20K?" -wife

"Yes that is it exactly, I'm saving for the hunt by taking money away from the family. Don't forget I make more money then you and I deserve it" -me

"Ring ring, is this the divorce attny......." -wife

quote:

6/ Most PHs encourage clients to tip staff directly. There are those who take the tips and distribute them as well. Trust your PH. If you dont trust him, you shouldnt be hunting with him.

I would like to add here, that its not all a matter of trust. Back in the day starting out as a young PH, I found that the staff, trackers and so on, appreciate it more coming from the client. Thus I refused to collect the tips, and advised my clients to hand it over themselves

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Jason,

I have been hearing this since I started hunting. You know what has happened since then? Moz opened back up. Sudan is opening. Some countries like Zim are still open but a lot different.

The other thing I totally disagree with is this attitude that "you can borrow money but you can't borrow time." Geez, borrowing money to go on a hunt is about the dumbest reason to acquire debt that I have heard of. Ding! If you have to borrow money, maybe you can't afford it.

I should have been more clear. I do think things are getting more expensive, but I don't really think African hunting is going to suddenly stop. What I was thinking when I said "nothing is guaranteed" is that health tends to go suddenly and just as importantly the economy can take a down turn in the blink of an eye.

A lot of guys were saving to make the big trip before the economy crashed. How many of them have made that trip?

Regardless, I would not recommend borrowing money to hunt in Africa.

Well, one of the above mentioned "money savings tips" is to not tip at all. Bad idea. Tipping is out of control, but most operators have a recommended tipping schedule; I know Samaras does and I like that idea.

If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to go. And that applies to all hunts, not just Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Well, one of the above mentioned "money savings tips" is to not tip at all. Bad idea. Tipping is out of control, but most operators have a recommended tipping schedule; I know Samaras does and I like that idea.

If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to go. And that applies to all hunts, not just Africa.

Maybe publish Luke's tipping schedule.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Well, one of the above mentioned "money savings tips" is to not tip at all. Bad idea. Tipping is out of control, but most operators have a recommended tipping schedule; I know Samaras does and I like that idea.

If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to go. And that applies to all hunts, not just Africa.

Didnt you tip like 10K on your last trip if I remember correct ? I agree with you that tipping is out of hand but I wonder why ?

I have tipped between 0-2100US to my PH, do your job good and I tip.

For me to save money is to go late season it has worked out very good for me. I will never book a Africa trip 2 years in advance actually I will never book any trip 2 years in advance - alot of things can happen in 2 years.

quote:

Originally posted by GeoffM24:

"Ring ring, is this the divorce attny......." -wife

Hey, don't blame me because some wives have their husbands' nuts in a jar. And frankly, if a husband and wife have such vastly different interests and savings priorites, that call to the divorce attorney just might be better off coming sooner rather than later when the husband realizes that he has wasted 30 or 40 years of his life with some annoying old bag who never let go of the purse-strings. I love my wife and she appreciates my interests. If she didn't and tried the crap you describe, I wouldn't just watch her call the lawyer, I'd help her! And yes...I appreciate her interests too and happily they very often intersect. She caught her first fish ever in the Zambezi Valley a couple years back and was thrilled to death about that 9 pound Tigerfish! Perhaps this is the #1 way to get to Africa quicker....CHOOSE THE RIGHT WIFE !

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:

quote:

Originally posted by GeoffM24:

"Ring ring, is this the divorce attny......." -wife

Hey, don't blame me because some wives have their husbands' nuts in a jar. And frankly, if a husband and wife have such vastly different interests and savings priorites, that call to the divorce attorney just might be better off coming sooner rather than later when the husband realizes that he has wasted 30 or 40 years of his life with some annoying old bag who never let go of the purse-strings. I love my wife and she appreciates my interests. If she didn't and tried the crap you describe, I wouldn't just watch her call the lawyer, I'd help her! And yes...I appreciate her interests too and happily they very often intersect. She caught her first fish ever in the Zambezi Valley a couple years back and was thrilled to death about that 9 pound Tigerfish! Perhaps this is the #1 way to get to Africa quicker....CHOOSE THE RIGHT WIFE !

Ah you missed the point my good man. There is a big difference between CAN YOU and SHOULD YOU.

Asking everyone else to make extreme sacrifices so that you can be the sole beneficiary of said savings is selfish whether or not your family speaks up. My wife supports my hobbies and my hunting but I do have a conscience.

Agreed

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:

quote:

Originally posted by GeoffM24:

"Ring ring, is this the divorce attny......." -wife

Hey, don't blame me because some wives have their husbands' nuts in a jar. And frankly, if a husband and wife have such vastly different interests and savings priorites, that call to the divorce attorney just might be better off coming sooner rather than later when the husband realizes that he has wasted 30 or 40 years of his life with some annoying old bag who never let go of the purse-strings. I love my wife and she appreciates my interests. If she didn't and tried the crap you describe, I wouldn't just watch her call the lawyer, I'd help her! And yes...I appreciate her interests too and happily they very often intersect. She caught her first fish ever in the Zambezi Valley a couple years back and was thrilled to death about that 9 pound Tigerfish! Perhaps this is the #1 way to get to Africa quicker....CHOOSE THE RIGHT WIFE !

quote:

Originally posted by GeoffM24:
so that you can be the sole beneficiary of said savings is selfish whether or not your family speaks up.

No, you missed the point. How about choosing the right wife precisely so you WILL NOT be the sole beneficiary of saving. This does not have to be an either/proposition as it is clearly a matter of reciprocity and capitalizing on situations where a husbands interests coincide with those of his spouse. To all the bachelors out there...CHOOSE WISELY!

quote:

To all the bachelors out there...CHOOSE WISELY!

Like this

Or this :

My adivice is to never ever total up the true and complete cost of hunting or sex...... It will decrease your enjoyment of both....

quote:

Originally posted by A.Dahlgren:

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Well, one of the above mentioned "money savings tips" is to not tip at all. Bad idea. Tipping is out of control, but most operators have a recommended tipping schedule; I know Samaras does and I like that idea.

If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to go. And that applies to all hunts, not just Africa.

Didnt you tip like 10K on your last trip if I remember correct ? I agree with you that tipping is out of hand but I wonder why ?

I have tipped between 0-2100US to my PH, do your job good and I tip.

For me to save money is to go late season it has worked out very good for me. I will never book a Africa trip 2 years in advance actually I will never book any trip 2 years in advance - alot of things can happen in 2 years.

Wow, good memory. I don't remember the context of why I said that. That trip was tremendously successful; I took a nice lion, elephant, leopard, two buff, a good eland, a hippo, in short, a full bag. My tip was not excessive given that.

Unlike others, I tip well if I get good trophies. Not to say I don't tip for the effort, but let's put it this way: my customers don't pay me based on our effort. They pay for results.

But on that same hunt I saved a ton of money by being able to go at the last minute. Having the cash in the bank and the ability to take a month off with no notice allowed me to take that hunt.

I can't imagine not tipping my PH anything.

But trust me, I do look for the most economical deals. This year my moose hunt base price was $5000, a 50% reduction from the normal price. My outfitter charged a kill fee much like Africa, which I liked. Once in BC I booked a combo moose and goat hunt. Instead of paying the higher cost for the two animals, I asked for the standard moose hunt with an option of going after goats for a kill fee of $4k. He took it.

As for family sacrifices, that is a family issue. Ms AZwriter makes enough cash to do whatever she wants; she asked me last week if i wanted to go to South Africa for some kind of endurance run or something. I told her I can't go to Africa and not hunt. I reminded her of my upcoming trip to Tanz in Dec 2011 and suggested she come. She thought that was a great idea. In 2001 she met me in Moshe after a safari and we climbed Kilimanjaro together. In 2002 she wanted to climb the four highest peaks of England; I said I would go if I could line up a hunt, so we went. I killed four red stag, we rented a car and toured some churches and castles, then we met some friends from Manchester and hiked the Lakes District. It was a fantastic trip. In 2003 she went with me to New Zealand. We hunted then went backpacking. It was a blast.

This past August she wanted to go trekking in Ladakh, in the Himilayas. I didn't hunt anything, but I did enjoy taking pics of blue sheep. We both like mountain climbing. Three weeks later i went moose hunting by myself.

I am not Dr. Phil but one thing i have learned is that if one person calls all the shots in a relationship, it won't be much fun for anyone. Especially your kids.

And THAT'S how it should be done. Multiple animals on the same trip to save fixed costs and excessive daily rates. Simultaneously, going someplace the wife wants to go where there also happens to be stuff to shoot at!

I don't know how long AnotherAZwriter's trip was but think about what one saves by taking 4/5 of the big five in single a one month trip instead of booking four separate 14 day trips. Granted, it takes serious cash to do that but it is also a way to save big money. That five figure tip was probably minor compared to the money saved by having a good PH help you score all those animals in one go.

Same principle with the travel. If the wife wants to go to England or Switzerland, it is a lot easier and cheaper to hunt while you are going to be there anyway than going after you decide two years later that you really want to shoot a Red Stag or Chamois!