While seaching trophy fees in Zim, trophy fees are sometimes higher, sometimes double.

Who sets trophy fees?

Thanks Jerry

the concession holder. Sometimes the Safari Company. This is the great conundrum in the safari business. There seems to be many ways to skin the cat. The American Hunter!

Thanks lb404,

This is most perplexing when the buffalo is $2000 (pretty steady accross the boards) and a kudu (M) is $850 to 1250. Some of these outfitters are highly recommended by the AR contingent. What to do, What to do?

Jerry,

You have to pay attention to who the landowner is to understand trophy fees. In Zim you have government concessions, tribal lands, conservancies (usually private ownership) and farms (private ownership).

The outfitter *usually* gets his recompense from the daily rates.

Some trophies are scarce (like sable), and they will command a higher fee.

jim

We also have government stipulated minimum fees that may be charged. You may charge more for either the animals or the daily rate but not less.

Dangerous game is 500 a day minimum

Elephant is 6000

Buff is 1800 etc

Ganyana,

Are these prices updated by the government every year? I've seen leopard going for $450 a day, but I've never seen a $6000 elephant or $1800 buffalo. What's the high end for this years prices?

HunterJim & Ganyana,

Could you please list the types of land in order of risk to the safari client? Are there any areas in Zim to be avoided at all cost, even traveling through?

Thanks Jerry

I could be wrong on this, however, It seems to me that there has been a lot of opportunistic manipulation of the daily rate/trophy fee by most of the companies that were booking this year. Of all the folks I spoke with about hunting in Zimbabwe theis year, most were charging around 2-2.5k for the buff trophy fee, and upwards of 12-14k for elephant. Also the daily rates for dangerous game ran between 800.00 to 1200.00 a day. That is real jacked up price over the government mandated minimums. I know the arguement on the cost of doing business. Each operator has "unique" costs that reflect the degree of difficulty in arrangeing and maintaining a camp. Doubling the daily rate and on Elephant doubling the trophy fee does not engender a great deal of confidence. They must make money on the deal but they do not have to make it all up on one sale. I have been accused of being narrow minded on this subject before. That might be true. I was wandering how many of the Zim operators left without selling a full season of safaries. Many will say that they sold all of their key animal hunts (lion, leopard, buff) but I know that they didn't sell all of the hunts as they are still trying to book hunts now. On Wednesday of the SCI event in Reno my hunting buddy and I went to visit four of the Ph's we talked to at Dallas. Each one of them told me that they were almost sold out of buff hunts. But they had some. They, to a man, told me that they had gone around to all of the Zimbabwe booking agents and all of them were sold out. BUT we found that as we went from booth to booth that there were plenty of buff left and it was a sham. We got so frustrated with the game that we gave up on Zimbabwe when we talked to Peter Chipman and Wes Hixon. Hell we bought a buffalo humt in Zambia for much less than we were quoted in Zim and there were some great trophies that we could take on top of the buff. You got to do your homework, look around, and sift through the crap but fair deals are out there. Don't buy a hunt only on low price, you must look at other factors also.

I, too, was perplexed by the different prices being quoted by outfitters in Reno. Like the above post said, most told me they were either full, or almost full for 2005 (I wanted a buff/leopard combo hunt).

Finally, on the last day, I found my hunt: $750-day, 15 days. Thophy fees: $2200 on buff, $2800 on leopard. The daily rate is cheaper than what anyone else was asking (most were $800 to $900), but for the combo hunt, the more expensive ones had a 14-day minimum duration. My outfitter made that up by requiring the extra day.

I looked at other countries seriously -- Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania -- but most wre either much more expensive, or were cheaper until you factored in an air charter of up to three grand per person.

My conclusion: Zimbabwe, while not cheap, remains the best deal in DG hunting.

Hi Minkman

Legal minimum trophy fees were set in 1997 and have not been updated. Parks have raised their own trophy fees this year - to well above the legal minimum in some cases - but have not altered what may be charged in communal areas and private land.

Bear in mind though, that in many communal (tribal) areas some of the land belongs to parks sooo Parks wants 8500 for each ele shot plus 2500 "concession fee". The tribal council wants something as well so the operator will end up paying council arround 14k. He often cannot sell an ele for that much (depending on average ivory mass for the area) so he will charge what ever trophy fee he thinks he can get out of you and make up the difference from the daily rates.

Bit complicated, but that is what muddies the water and makes for such a veriety of prices.

Legal minimum daily rate for a leopard hunt is 350 (lion, ele, buff is 500)

Most of the big operators with decent areas have sold out on buff forthis year and the only ones I have been able to find are with some of the smaller operators in areas like the Save conservancy (nothing wrong with them, just their marketing isn't the same intensity of the big boys) and some in marginal areas.

Plenty of ele left though

Safe areas? Parks estate, then communal land, then save conservancy, and lastly forestry land and private ranches. Some of the private ranches are fine, safe and have superb game populations. Some are "occupied" or taken over by the local politician. You need to be very clear as to who owns the place, and that the operator is registered with the association (zatso@mweb.co.zw) before you book a hunt on private land.

Some of the communal (tribal) lands have superb hunting. Many do not, or the type of hunting is not what many would like. ie driving up and down the parks boundry fence or ambushing a regular crossing point at dawn and dusk, or shooting at night with a spotlight.

No night hunting is allowed in parks areas but outside that you will normally shoot cats at night, and in some areas the ele also. Make sure you know what you expect of the hunt is what is going to occur.

Thanks to all for helping out.

Looks like I got some cyphering to do.

Jerry

It works like this...High trophy fees cheap daily rates, cheap daily rates, high trophy fees as a rule...

When it all comes down to the nut cutting, put a pencil to it and figure out the best deal, thats all anyone can do when purchasing a good mule or a African Safari...

Be sure that you demand all costs be established beforehand and what is encluded,,,,those little hidden cost surprises will kill you and many a naive hunter has been delt that surprising blow.....