Scenario:

Retire at age 60 in generally good health. How do you spend a quarter million on big game safaris? Blow it real quick, just in case you get a Tim Russert heart attack? Go on a bunch of relatively low cost safaris, hoping that you can still see and walk about when you're 70? Turn the whole lump sum over to an outfitter and say, "Make my day?"

I'm curious how many differing ways there are to dispose of this amount of money purely on big game safaris. Suggestions and opinions if you please.

good question
I guess the answer is unattainable without a crystal ball-

the answer /question is:: how long will I live and will the end come quickly or more slowly from a slow death desease like cancer?

on second thought---let's not think about it and just go huntin"

That is what I am going to do.. Not that amount however, but on a 21 day safari to the Selous... Priority lion, sable, buf or two, another hippo for lion bait, and an eland if I see one...
I am retired as of June 12th and August 22nd 2009 I will fly to the Tanzania and into camp on the 24th and hunt from August 25th to Sept 15


Mike

At 54, I could, according to my financial guy, retire next year. Unfortunately, the attendant income level will not support safari hunting. It's a good thing I like doing what I do, because in a couple of years, I may be doing it to support a hunting habit. Of course, all this assumes the market quits s**tting the bed.

It's interesting how many die or get serious illness shortly after retirement .Accumulation of job stresses, unable to deal without job that was a major part of life, unable to deal with large changes in life, no hobbies or other interests.
That you have a serious interest is good. Spend time planning and do it when you retire as retreever is. It may save your life .Enjoy !

A dall sheep hunt at 60 yrs old.

21 day safaries at 61 and 62.

Use the rest to target individual animals you want - Brown bear, Australian Water buff etc.

Take your family on at least one.

I would space it out. If your in good health you can expect to live another 20-30 years. Work at keeping healthy, as many of the disabling diseases causing a protracted death can be prevented. To me it would be worse to be healthy and have blown my hunting wad at 60, and not be able to do whatever I wanted because I tried to squeeze it into the first few years of retirement. I guarantee you Tim Russert never had a thought about the safari he missed.

As my last bit of worthless advice I suggest that if you decide to take one massive safari, that you take me as your personal physician. If you drop over dead I will do chest compressions, but you're shit out of luck on the mouth to mouth.

Have you been before? What are you really interested in? How much have saved totally for your retirement (please don't answer that questions except to yourself.)

What I have found, having retired two years ago, is that my total expenditures since retirement have been off set my what I have made on my principal even in this stinking market. Therefore, what I would suggest is that you invest you hunting nest egg in a good bond fund or similar conservative investment, book a starter hunt for about $10,000 each year for a couple of years. Take plenty of pictures and don't spend a lot on taxidermy (rugs and European mounts for the best of the best), and you'd be surprised how much hunting you can do over the next couple of years.

When you have gotten your feet wet and learned about the business, book your more expensive hunts. I have had a great elephant hunt for about $35K and there are opportunities for buff and lion hunts that show up here occasionally. If you are retired and you have the money, take advantage of them.

Go slow and don't ever let an outfitter get hold of your money! Be a savy consumer. Good luck and enjoy your retirement. Use your hunting as an incentive to loose extra pounds; join a fitness center and work out two-three times per week; walk two miles every day you can; do your own yard work; and live to be 100. Don't worry about when you are going to get called home; only the Father in heaven knows that. Kudude

quote:

Originally posted by onefunzr2:
Scenario:

Retire at age 60 in generally good health. How do you spend a quarter million on big game safaris? Blow it real quick, just in case you get a Tim Russert heart attack? Go on a bunch of relatively low cost safaris, hoping that you can still see and walk about when you're 70? Turn the whole lump sum over to an outfitter and say, "Make my day?"

I'm curious how many differing ways there are to dispose of this amount of money purely on big game safaris. Suggestions and opinions if you please.

If you give me some, I`m sure I can helping you spending them

It is remarkably and depressingly easy to spend that amount on safari very quickly.

I would spend it on a couple of East African tented safaris in the classic tradition. One in the Selous and the other in Maasailand.

Dave,

A quarter million dollars sounds like a heck of a load of money to spend on any recreational pusuit but as others have said it won't go all that far in Africa. I do think if one chooses carefully you could take all the big 4 with that much money plus some major plains game. If you are thinking that airfare, trophy shipping and perhaps taxidermy are going to be inclued in the $250,000 than your trophy list needs to be throttled way back.

Mark

There ain't that much money in the world.

At 61, and not "needing" to work. I mull these questions and risks every day.

I hunt every other year, am looking at 300 to 1300 acres of huntable country in Texas / New Mexico, may switch from heavy-duty hunting to heavy-duty fishing, and just hunting my own place for deer / elk, or maybe just watching "my" own animals and leaving the hunting to those in my family that want to do it.

Right now I think I work for my family, my wife's family, travel, hunting, and because I still like being close to God and I get that feel when I'm in the field as far away from the rat race as possible.

I suspect I will put another $750,000 with that $250,000 and put my name on a piece of huntable ground.

Don't know who you are and don't know if you really have $250,000 to shoot in one wad, or just playing "what if". However, if I had $250,000 that was not earmarked for anything else, I would spend it on the big five, rhino in RSA, and probably the other four in Zim, more bangs for your bucks, and I would probably have enough to either - A: go up North and do bongo and lord derby or B: book Ethiopia for mountain nyala, but in that case, hope I live a few more years, because Ethiopia is booked WAY into the future. So, I guess it would be big five and bongo and lord derby.

I'm pondering becoming unemployed at 55 right now myself. Money really isn't an issue, other than I've become accustomed to buying guns pretty much whenever I want and going to Africa every year. I could still do those things but there wouldn't be as much "backup" disposable income flowing in (i. e. my salary.....I really jusst work for gun money and health insurance for my wife). I'm also interested in 320 acres in central/south Texas and/or 160 acres in Louisiana......

Anyway, to answer your question you could budget say $ 20,000 for an "average" buffalo hunt every year and the $ 250,000 would last 15-18 years or so....I just came back from a buffalo hunt that turned into a PAC elephant hunt, and shot a warthog, waterbuck, and elephant for under $ 20k, all in.

Like the others said, it really depends on your overall health, anticipated longevity, and what kind of hunting turns you on.

HIGH END HUNTS!!!

Marco Polo

Mountain Nyala

High Altai Argali

Other than the Marco Polo, the other two will put you on a three year plus waiting list. There goes 200K before you can blink.

OK, so my proposal is probably not the most ethical, but since this is another one of those "fantasy threads", I'm going to allow myself some latitude here.

I'd take that $250,000 and approach the Angolan Government and see if I could get a sanctioned opportunity at a Giant Sable. The hunt could be as closely monitored and supervised as the Angolan authorities and related Conservation agencies wanted it to be and I would be more than willing to donate the Trophy to a museum or university. If Angola said "NO", no problem, I'd look elsewhere, but this would be my first choice - given the scenario.

I'd drop $100K on a full bag hunt ... and take lots of pictures. I'd do that one first most likely. Would probably take advantage of one of the reduced cost cancellation hunts.

I'd allow $25k each or so for decent hunts for Brown Bear and a couple of more Buf spaced a couple of years apart ... and fill in the rest of the time with little hunts for deer, black bear and piggies.

Stay in decent condition and hunt a long time. Enjoy your life!

pinotguy

I had the same thought as you, then read "A Certain Curve of Horn". It broke my bubble. Besides putting serious doubt as to whether they are a seperate sub-species at all, it had quite a few stories of museums sending out people to shoot 60" sable. Rather than the collection of specimen it seemed more geared to people wanting to shoot big sable pretending to be doing good-deeds for museums; as in shoot one, then decide to shoot five more for the Hell of it.

I will use it all hunting kudus so after my death people would remember me as one of the greatest and more experienced kudu hunters of all times...

Maybe even I can write a couple of books about that..

L

food for thought- i am 60 also and until 6 years ago thought i was in perfect health. a diagnosis of terminal non-Hodgkins lymphoma changed all that. i now live with a remaining life expectancy of 4-5 years(currently in remission but the cancer has already come back once and i get prophylactic chemo every 6 months to try and buy more time). YOU WILL NEVER BE YOUNGER OR HEALTHIER THAN YOU ARE TODAY! whatever hunts you decide on, don't put them off and dribble them out over 8-10 years. they will not get any cheaper and you will not get any younger or more capable. i can't think of anything worse than getting to the end of your physically active life and and saying "gee i wish i had done so-and -so when i was younger. for me it would be lion, elephant, LD eland, and bongo.

Blow it all on one Botswana lion?

quote:

Originally posted by Lorenzo:
I will use it all hunting kudus so after my death people would remember me as one of the greatest and more experienced kudu hunters of all times...

Maybe even I can write a couple of books about that..

L

Now you are talking, Lorenzo

I'm glad I love Kudu and Bushbuck

Though I would love a Lord Derby Eland!

And 'roos are cheap............

Awhile back, just for grins, I figured that it would take $450,000 to keep hunting for 6 months a year. It has probably gone way up.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
Awhile back, just for grins, I figured that it would take $450,000 to keep hunting for 6 months a year. It has probably gone way up.

Well even if your figures are very conservative a person should be able to stay out for 45 days on $250000. That is what I would do.

When I got home I would go back to work and try to save enough for small safaris/hunts till I kicked off.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
food for thought- i am 60 also and until 6 years ago thought i was in perfect health. a diagnosis of terminal non-Hodgkins lymphoma changed all that. i now live with a remaining life expectancy of 4-5 years(currently in remission but the cancer has already come back once and i get prophylactic chemo every 6 months to try and buy more time). YOU WILL NEVER BE YOUNGER OR HEALTHIER THAN YOU ARE TODAY! whatever hunts you decide on, don't put them off and dribble them out over 8-10 years. they will not get any cheaper and you will not get any younger or more capable. i can't think of anything worse than getting to the end of your physically active life and and saying "gee i wish i had done so-and -so when i was younger. for me it would be lion, elephant, LD eland, and bongo.

It all ends entirely too soon, and as you age, time accelerates. Do as much as you can afford to to. I hunted Africa two years in a row so I wouldn't have any regrets if something suddenly went to hell. If I'm lucky, I'll be in shape to go back next year, but anything can happen to anyone at any time. I don't want to die with any regrets, if at all possible.

At 65, I have outlived a couple dozen friends. Just lost another one a year younger than me, an old friend and mentor at the airline I worked for. Went to bed and didn't come down for breakfast. This was a year or so ago. Dead at 63. You never know...

Kathi,

Isn't that your current plans?

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
food for thought- i am 60 also and until 6 years ago thought i was in perfect health. a diagnosis of terminal non-Hodgkins lymphoma changed all that. i now live with a remaining life expectancy of 4-5 years(currently in remission but the cancer has already come back once and i get prophylactic chemo every 6 months to try and buy more time). YOU WILL NEVER BE YOUNGER OR HEALTHIER THAN YOU ARE TODAY! whatever hunts you decide on, don't put them off and dribble them out over 8-10 years. they will not get any cheaper and you will not get any younger or more capable. i can't think of anything worse than getting to the end of your physically active life and and saying "gee i wish i had done so-and -so when i was younger. for me it would be lion, elephant, LD eland, and bongo.

It all ends entirely too soon, and as you age, time accelerates. Do as much as you can afford to to. I hunted Africa two years in a row so I wouldn't have any regrets if something suddenly went to hell. If I'm lucky, I'll be in shape to go back next year, but anything can happen to anyone at any time. I don't want to die with any regrets, if at all possible.

At 65, I have outlived a couple dozen friends. Just lost another one a year younger than me, an old friend and mentor at the airline I worked for. Went to bed and didn't come down for breakfast. This was a year or so ago. Dead at 63. You never know...

Yes, live this day as it`s your last day, tomorrow you never know.

I wish I have 250000 USD to go hunting for. All the big five is my first priority, and I also would have gone to Alaska for a Grizzlyhunt and Moose, and enjoy hunting generally

WHatever you do, take your family. Share the experience with them and make some memories.

I have committed to doing that.

I have buried both parents and grandparents. After the funerals, all of the "stuff" was auctioned, sold or given away. Everything except the memories.

Die Ou Jagter,

Yes those are the plans. Jdollar's post really hits home.

About a month ago, a close retired friend my husband worked with died at age 60 of liver cancer. A Lieutenant, age 49 still working because you have to be 50 to retire died of stomach cancer. Another retired friend of my husband died. My husband said he is not waiting to go on these hunts. Tomorrow is promised to no one.

Marco Polo this October (still waiting for CITES permit).
He asked Rich Elliott to move us up from 2011 if there is a cancellation on the Mountain Nyala.
Bob Kern immediately shot off an e-mail to the Mongolian Government reference the High Altai. The earliest permit they had available was 2011. So if Rich doesn't get us moved up 2011 will be pretty busy.

Jdollar, once again, that was an excellent post.

$250K, I'd Go for the "Ovis World Slam" a feat not accomplished by many,However, still might need a few extra duckets for taxidermy.

In all honest truth...$250k is not not a whole lot of money anymore....especially in Jackson Hole...

Remember that there is a difference between living in the moment and living for the moment.

We are given only so much time, and, unless we receive a diagnosis like jdollar, we have no idea of when we will be called home, and even then it is someone else's guess. (The doctors at Emory told my mother-in-law fifty years ago she would be lucky to live five years and she is still with us.)

The trick is to plan as though we will live to our normal life expectancy and live as though we have an 8:00am Tee Time (if you remember that joke.) Spread it out. Tell your wife how much you love her, spend time with your children, play with your dog and enjoy your friends for even if you stay, they may go. Give back to your profession, your community, your faith. Giving is better than getting.

Make plans for this year, next year and the year after. Take care of yourself: exercise, eat well, quit smoking, loose weight. Enjoy the hunt planning process, getting ready, packing, the trip, the hunt, its sounds, its smells, the sunsets, keep a diary to read when you get really old and don't remember what you did and for your children to explain what you did with their inheritance. And don't drink no cheap wine.

Make your plans, let it happen, enjoy the surprises. Kudude

Ok, I had just about talked my self into believing that I just couldn't go elk hunting this fall with family in CO (I haven't really gotten a raise in six years, we need new living room furniture, we're not putting enough aside for college for the kids, $4 a gallon for gas means a couple thousand a year that goes to Exxon instead of somewhere else, etc.)

Now I have to re-think all that. I'll be 48 in a couple weeks and am in very good health...but you never really know, do you?

Personally, I'd go on a big hunt or tow every year. Inclduing Alask a new Zeland and of course Africa. Take the family along whenever possible and invest the quarter mil conservatively so as to continue the hunting for many years. Just my two cents.

7mm. guy

quote:

Remember that there is a difference between living in the moment and living for the moment.

We are given only so much time, and, unless we receive a diagnosis like jdollar, we have no idea of when we will be called home, and even then it is someone else's guess. (The doctors at Emory told my mother-in-law fifty years ago she would be lucky to live five years and she is still with us.)

The trick is to plan as though we will live to our normal life expectancy and live as though we have an 8:00am Tee Time (if you remember that joke.) Spread it out. Tell your wife how much you love her, spend time with your children, play with your dog and enjoy your friends for even if you stay, they may go. Give back to your profession, your community, your faith. Giving is better than getting.

Make plans for this year, next year and the year after. Take care of yourself: exercise, eat well, quit smoking, loose weight. Enjoy the hunt planning process, getting ready, packing, the trip, the hunt, its sounds, its smells, the sunsets, keep a diary to read when you get really old and don't remember what you did and for your children to explain what you did with their inheritance. And don't drink no cheap wine.

Make your plans, let it happen, enjoy the surprises. Kudude

Kudude, excellent post! Regretfully I do not know the joke about the 8am Tee time, but great post nevertheless.
Peter.

Peter,
These four retired guys played golf with one another every day. Over the course of time, they began a discussion over whether there was golf in heaven. They eventually agreed that the first one to die would try and come back and tell the others.

As luck would have it, one of their number died. In about a month, the spirit of the departed golfer suddenly appeared in the front seat of the car of his old golfing buddy one morning as he drove home from his daily round of golf.

The dear departed golfer explained to the dismay of his former playing partner that they did indeed have golf in heaven, on courses that could only be described as heavenly, and they got a chance to play with all the great names, Jones, Snead, and Stewart.

His old partner exclaimed, "That's the best news I've ever heard."

His departed chum, said, "I'm glad your happy, but there is some potentially bad news."

"What's that, mate? What could be better than heavenly golf?"

"You have an 8:00am tee time with Snead in the morning, mate," explained the spirit.

Send me a check and I'll send you pictures....

quote:

Originally posted by billinthewild:
Send me a check and I'll send you pictures....