Ok i have read all the stuff from fish and wildlife and now i want to hear what you would do if you were thinking about a lion hunt this year. Book it? do something else? does everyone think if you went this summer your lion would be stuck like polar bears? What is going to happen with sales of lion hunts in dsc and sci?

I'd go. Especially if fear drove the price down into the right range.

Worst case, you will not have a mount of your lion. Big deal, yes. End of the world, no.

Go for it!

Go, and have your hunt professionally video taped.

+1

If you can afford to go, then go. I would say it's better to go and have done it (and maybe possibly not get a mount), then to not go and spend the rest of your life thinking that you should have. You may get lucky and this lion thing will get pushed another year, or you may not even find a lion to shoot and wont have to worry anyway. The outlook is definitely not going to be better next year.


On a side note, maybe you could bring the animal home with you much like people do with Marco Polo sheep.

Tom,

I agree. Go now and worry about the importation later. This US,F&W review might end up being a non-issue but the lion hunt is just so much more than just having one in your trophy room! Do it!

Mark

Tom

I would go, however i would make sure if i were able to score on a nice lion to have the lion exported ASAP.

Do not have the taxidermy done in Africa as that will delay your getting your trophy exported to the USA.

You always end up regretting the things you don't do.

Dean

you don't want to lie on your death bed years from now and think "i wish i had done a lion hunt when it was still legal". far better to do what you want NOW, than to to regret later not doing it!

I would take the opportunity USF&W notwithstanding and consider going the extra mile to properly film the event. If you get your lion and can get it home you will have 2 birds with one stone.
If things go south you can still invite a friend or two over to watch the clip while sipping a bourbon over a nice cigar.

If I could afford to go in 2013 I would most definitely be going. Hell, I'd go on 2 or 3 lion hunts next year if I could afford it, just to have done it again while still possible.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
you don't want to lie on your death bed years from now and think "i wish i had done a lion hunt when it was still legal". far better to do what you want NOW, than to to regret later not doing it!

Good observation. I for one am in that position with the tiger from India. Howver, I would have missed some fine Africa hunts from "'way back when". You can't redo history, but a lot of people are trying.

I don't know. What this is at this point is a big gamble of whether or not you can import it. If money is not an object, I would buy the hunt.

The prices have not been too affected yet. There is some uncertainty what USF&W will do, so if you can get a deal, go for it, but I am not sure if its full price and you are like most of us in that price is a consideration.

I really doubt that Lion hunting will be illegal per se for a while. The US importation is the question. If the Lion becomes unimportable, expect prices to fall.

Having said that, I would not trade the experiences I had Lion hunting for much of anything. If you have the money, and are interested in getting a Lion for a trophy, it may be a last shot- but acknowledge its a gamble. If you want the experience, it might not hurt that much to wait- if the USF&W uplists, the price will fall. If they don't, you may pay somewhat more a year or two down the road, but you will have a better idea where you stand with regards to the trophy.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I don't know. What this is at this point is a big gamble of whether or not you can import it. If money is not an object, I would buy the hunt.

The prices have not been too affected yet. There is some uncertainty what USF&W will do, so if you can get a deal, go for it, but I am not sure if its full price and you are like most of us in that price is a consideration.

I really doubt that Lion hunting will be illegal per se for a while. The US importation is the question. If the Lion becomes unimportable, expect prices to fall.

Having said that, I would not trade the experiences I had Lion hunting for much of anything. If you have the money, and are interested in getting a Lion for a trophy, it may be a last shot- but acknowledge its a gamble. If you want the experience, it might not hurt that much to wait- if the USF&W uplists, the price will fall. If they don't, you may pay somewhat more a year or two down the road, but you will have a better idea where you stand with regards to the trophy.

Makes plenty of sense.

Three real optons....

1) Hunt lions now and they stay importable long enough to get it home.

2) Hunt lions now and they become unimportable and you are out of luck.

3) Hunt lions later after they are unimportable.

In either of the first two cases you have paid top dollar and are rolling the dice on importation. In the last case you are paying a reduced price but with certain unimportability. The up side is lion hunting will still be legal and it will probably only be the US that has a problem with importability.

Given this, if I had the money, I would choose option #3. Put your lion money into a small Canadian house with acreage that will become your northern trophy room for everything the US won't allow in....Cheetah, Lion, Polar Bear, Walrus etc. Then next year or the year after go hunt lion at reduced rates to offset the cost of the house. Of course, if you have unlimited funds and can do both right now, go for it..

JMHO

It's possible that the FWS is just appeasing the antis for now, and won't do anything until the COP of CITES finishes next year. If the COP decides to uplist the lion, then an import ban would be a strong possibility. If there is no uplist, then FWS has cover to deny the antis request for a ban. That is what I was told by a well-known import broker. Regardless of what happens, GO! No way in hell you will regret it!
Tim

Obviously, not getting your lion imported would be a major disappointment. However, the experience of successfully taking a wild, free ranging lion is hard to exceed in the hunting pursuits.

Make sure to take plenty of pictures and if possible, video your hunt. But my recommendation would be to go on the hunt and enjoy the experience.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_new...ed-species-list?lite


Based upon the article stating 64% of lion trophies are imported into the U.S.A., will the cost of lion hunts collapse if the ban takes effect?


African lions could end up on US endangered species list



By Miguel Llanos, NBC News

If wildlife activists have their way, U.S. hunters trekking to Africa soon won't be able to bring back any lion skins or skulls as trophies.



Acting on a petition by those activists, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday said it will study whether the species warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Born Free USA, one of the petition groups, called the review "the necessary first step toward ensuring a chance at survival for this beleaguered species."

African lion populations have seen "a substantial decline" over the past two decades and are estimated to be around 32,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which monitors species numbers globally.



The threats include not only trophy hunters, but loss of habitat, humans eating lion meat, and commercial sale of their body parts, said Adam Roberts, executive vice president of Born Free USA.

As humans move into lion habitat, he added, that increases "retaliatory killings, including by gruesome poisoning," of lions that go after livestock.

The Fish and Wildlife Service began a 60-day period to receive public and expert comment on whether to list the species. The Asian lion was listed as endangered in 1970.

.
In their petition, the activists cited U.S. trade figures showing that more than 5,600 wild Africa lions were hunted and then exported as trophies between 1999 and 2008, with 64 percent of those trophies being imported into the U.S.

Trophy hunters counter that while their hobby is regulated, licensed and recorded, the slaughter of lions by locals protecting livestock is rampant and largely uncontrolled.

Many African nations with lion populations they consider healthy allow trophy hunting as a way to bring in revenue for locals as well as to help fund wildlife programs.

The U.S. has listed non-native animals before since the act is meant to ensure the U.S. citizens "do not contribute to the further decline of that species in its native habitat," the Fish and Wildlife Service said in its announcement.

tom,

I don't think we can look forward to plummeting lion prices for '13-'14 just because of this US,F&W review. The review might amount to nothing.

Think about this in connection to booking now or later for a lion. If Heaven forbid the review ends up causing the lion to have an endanger status and lion hunting comes almost to an end how long do you think it will take the locals to start the wholesale killing of lions? I think if someone waits around too long for that special price there might be very few lions left to hunt.

Mark

64% is that included white lions etc ? If this only affects US imports I will think that prices will go down 20% and the show will go on. Just look at all the animals like polar bear/moz ivory/cheetah/black impala etc the prices are a bit lower and it seems to go just fine. I dont think it will be the end of Africa hunting JMO

Sad indeed for the Americans.

Mark:

quote:

....the review ends up causing the lion to have an endanger status and lion hunting comes almost to an end how long do you think it will take the locals to start the wholesale killing of lions?....

Quite frankly I don't think any decision made by USF&W is going to impact on what the locals are going to do - they are already doing it and any increase will be determined by the demand from the Chinese buyers.

Chinese? what Chinese? oh, that's right- the ones who are buying Africa 1 country at a time