Larry,
Who was your safari company?

You mean that if the trophy fees were the previous ones, you would have shot that marginal ele and accepted to pay the fine? That would have still been a fine in excess of $10K and besides, you would NOT have had the trophies as these "should" become Gov property! Why would you want to shoot an ele that was barely 40lbs in the first place and risk paying a penalty even based on the old trophy fees?

Yesterday i spoke with an TZ Outfitter he mentioned that is nearly Impossible to change anything on the New Fees because it is a Act. of Parliament other Hunting Outfitters are more confident that changes will come soon.

Lets Hope
Seloushunter

I went with Hilary Daffi. I will file a report later.

I agree with Mich. The government is the problem not the outfitters. Why penalize the outfitters. It isn't an issue of their making.

To clarify the elephant comments I made, this as my 13th trip to Africa and my 3rd to Tanzania. I have never seen a truly big elephant in Tanzania. Not like those I have seen elsewhere.

Early on in my hunt, we came across 4 bulls. Of those 4, 3 didn't warrant further effort. However, the 4th caught my attention. My understanding was that a legal bull is either 17 kgs (37.4 pounds) or 1.7 meters in length. This 4th bull had beautifully shaped tusks. I estimated he was 40+ pounds with in excess of 4 feet sticking out of the lip. Under the generally accepted assumption that there is 2 feet of tusk inside the lip, this would have made the tusks over 6 feet in length. A good trophy in my book and well above the 1.7 meter requirement.

Frankly, the last elephant I shot in 1995. It was 65x66. To me, the tusks on the elephant in question were far more beautiful that the 65x66.

I had 2 PH's with me. One felt it was absolutely legal. The other didn't. I would have been wiling to risk that this elephant would cost $10,000 if I was wrong, I wasn't willing to risk that it would cost $30,000.

I was not aware that the government would keep the tusks.

Am I going back? At this point the answer is no! Let them charge what ever they want. I don't care. My problem is the retroactive nature of this. Changing prices after we have booked is bovine excrement. This in the heels of temporarily closing lion hunting last year. This is my vacation. Vacations should not add stress to your life. This sure has hell added stress to mine.

In the last 13 months I have dropped about $200,000 in that country. They need to be a bit more consumer friendly. Charge whatever they think is fair. No problem. We can all decide if we want to go. But don't change the rules of the game on us after we have entered into contracts and after someof the hunts have been completed.

One other thing that might or might not mean anything. On our flight to Kilimanjaro, we were the ONLY ones with guns. That was shocking to me. Whether this had anything to do with the price issues, I have no idea. It did get my attention.

quote:

In the last 13 months I have dropped about $200,000 in that country. They need to be a bit more consumer friendly. Charge whatever they think is fair. No problem. We can all decide if we want to go. But don't change the rules of the game on us after we have entered into contracts and after some of the hunts have been completed.

I feel (albeit, with substantially less money spent), exactly the same. However, it's just such a great place (if you can forget about the gov't?) and that's where my friends are... so..., biting the bullet, I'm willing to have grit in my ice cream. I'll go back, cussing under my breath, though.

Thanks for the clarification. Someone just lost a LOT of potential revenue from Larry. Ouch. That kind of money in Zim would just about buy the place.

I would not have spent so much but I took my 23 year old son for his graduation present from college.

I might also add that I spent that kind of money and I haven't shot a lion during that time.

If I go back to college will you adopt me?

Larry, you should post more about your trips. I remember seeing the really bad one about Lukwati which was very informative. It sounds like you have a lot of experiece which would have a lot of good info.

It sounds like you have been after a lion for awhile. Have you gotten one yet?

I have killed 5 lions. My next will be my last.

Yes, the Lukwati trip was bad. Based on what I have heard this year, it is likely that the drought was the culprit.

I will post a report on this last trip soon. I just got back last night. I am tired and busy. There are some VERY intereting aspects of this trip. This hunt may well be a real sleeper.

I couple of tidbits about the hunt: We shot 2 absolute monster leopards. We took a 44 inch sable. While I did not take a lion, I am sitting here looking at 8.5 inch black mane hairs I pulled off one of the baits.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

I couple of tidbits about the hunt: We shot 2 absolute monster leopards. We took a 44 inch sable. While I did not take a lion, I am sitting here looking at 8.5 inch black mane hairs I pulled off one of the baits.

quote:

Let them charge what ever they want. I don't care. My problem is the retroactive nature of this. Changing prices after we have booked is bovine excrement. This in the heels of temporarily closing lion hunting last year. This is my vacation. Vacations should not add stress to your life. This sure has hell added stress to mine.

I agree 100%

Seloushunter

larryshores

quote:

We shot 2 absolute monster leopards. We took a 44 inch sable

In which Consession you shot this Monster cats...

Seloushunter