I see most Safaris go between April and July but I have heard that it is cooler in July and less chance of all the wonderful snakes of Africa to scare the bejesus out of my wife!!(me too)....but is the hunting any better earlier???Do the animals get a little more wary or scarce as the season wears on???
Waht do you guys think as the best time to go???

It's going to depend on where you're going and what you're chasing. You'll get a better answer if you give some details for your interest.

Kyler

Go early for most plains game due to the rut. Go later for buff late August or later, after the grass has been burned and is regrowing. Starting in Oct. expect to see lots of varmints, snakes and lizards etc.(also many more bugs) I've been on 8 trips the last in Oct. 06 and We saw more snakes than in all the others combined. Sept. is my pick for buff.

in most countries the "season" goes from april to october , in some countries this is not a legal requirement but dictated by the rainy season. Some areas and countries (like zambia and tanzania) have shorter seasons governed by impassable roads and heavy rains.

others like namibia where the terrain and climate is semi arid are huntable all year , and yet others like Botswana have legal season , in Bots its from the beginning of april till the end of sept ..

so a lot depends, as kyler says , on what you want to hunt and of course where you want to go ...

I would go as soon as I had the time and money.

What is Africa without the heat?

What is Africa without the snakes?

Namibiahunter

Thanks guys....I am going for plains game either Namibia or Zimbabwe!

namibia is excellent , year round hunting ...most of it high fence. zimbabwe is also a great choice , the two best areas would be the save conservancy or lemco .. both close to a million acres fenced.

different variety of species in each place so depends what lights you up !!! no gemsbok , springbok or red hartebeeste in Zimbabwe.

Thanks Ivan....I have my Tivo set to auto record all the African Safari shows on TV...your episodes are quite good!

I very much enjoy the photography section of your website...I just picked up a Nikon D-80 this year and I am planning to add a either a f4 300mm or a f2.8 70-200mm VR before my Plains Game Safari. Do you think I'd be better served with the longer lense or the fast zoom?

Ivan,

I hope you won't mind me correcting you about the Botswana hunting season. You're right for most of the country, but Tuli block for example can hunt most species year round. - Leopard is one exception.........

ivan, sorry, another correction. Namibia is closed December and January for trophy hunting. Also, there are some unfenced areas to hunt PG in, I have 3 areas totalling over 2million acres unfenced for pg, elephant, lion/leopard on PAC

I'll add that the season in Tanzania runs from July 1st to 31st December. Effectively, the season in the Selous ends around the end of November due to the rains but in the North, (Masailand etc) the rains come later and you can usually hunt to the end of December or close to it.

Mozambique hunting season is from June to November as determined by government.

Snakes should be the very last matter you are concerned about when planning a safari. Snakes, however potentially dangerous, are not a big deal. The chances of being bitten by one is very remote. If you are bitten, you will probably not die anyway. But then I have been wrong before ...

I like the heat but from my limited experience, if you are looking to hunt northern Namibia it can get very hot by Sept-October. July or August would be better. I think the Kudu rut peaks in July?

quote:

Originally posted by Grafton:
I think the Kudu rut peaks in July?

I was in Namibia late May-early June a couple of years ago and the kudu rut was going strong.

Chris,

I think given all your considerations a June/July(winter in Zim) booking would be best. Moderate temps at that time of year make the days pleasant and the nights cool for sleeping. Because of these cooler temps snakes are less active and I would expect you might not even see one during your hunt. I never saw a snake at all until my 4th safari.

Mark

Hey don't forget, I live right across the creek. If you want to get together just let me know.

Keith

I will definitely give you a call to stop by and chat! Thanks!

I've hunted RSA in March, June, July, and September. I've hunted Zambia in October and July. I've hunted Tanzania in September, and Cameroon in January and April.

All have pro's and cons. September and October can get warm during the day, but as in all things, location and elevation make a difference. I've seen snow in RSA in July, and burned up there in March.

Later in the season, the grass is burned, and animals are more concentrated around water. The prime mover for me has always been when I could get time away and when the outfitter had openings. I've never had a bad African Safari. They have all been wonderful. Go when ever you can.

I have always found the best times climate wise are from end May to end Sept.
Generally if there has been a fair summer rain then the bush is still pretty thick to start off, and gets thinner as the season progresses.