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| One of Us |
Regardless of whether you see any of the "Big Five", your experience is going to change you forever. Though the species you target, Kudu and Gemsbok will dominate your thoughts, in retrospect, it will be all of the little ancillaries that leave you with a burning desire to return. I went over to hunt Kudu,insisted on doing so on foot, and had an unforgettable experience to remember, filled with sunburn, thorn scratches, sore feet, and multiple failures before finding success very late in the hunt. You will remember the smell of the campfires, the smell of the bush, the birds, the unexpected encounters with non targeted species, the strangeness of the land, and so many other things. Regardless of who you book with, you will want to return. Bring a camera and notebook, and use them. Best of luck to you. | |||
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It is EXTREMELY rare to see leopard in daylight, anywhere. Even if there are plenty of them around. You may HEAR one if you know what to listen for. Lion are much more visible than leopard, but almost no private properties in RSA or elsewhere have lion running around because they eat too much PG. If they offer lion in RSA, they are "captive bred" and released into special camps in a timely fashion. As for encounters with the big 5, Zim is the best choice for reasonable money. Most of it is wild govt concessions but even on the few remaining private conservancies, you will find buffalo, elephant, leopard and even lion. In RSA you can see a tame rhino or two, a herd of carefully bred buffalo, and even an elephant named Dumbo on SOME properties. In Zim you don't know what you are going to run into, except you won't see rhino as there are almost no rhinos left in the wild. Tanzania and Zambia are for the hunter desiring the most authentic hunt and willing to pay for it. Bottom line, if it's plains game on a budget, go to RSA. Easier/cheaper logistics, big variety of species, and on the better managed properties there is plenty of game. Excellent bird hunting in the agricultural areas. Eastern Cape and OFS are more open, don't have the "feel" of Africa. Lowveld yes. Cheap impala and Warthog. Kudu can be expensive. Another area often overlooked is Zululand. Thicker, more tropical. But the right place to go for Nyala and Bushbuck. No Gemsbok or Waterbuck in Zululand. While in RSA Kruger Park is the place to go to see Big 5, and Cape Town is worth a visit. Give Johannesburg a wide berth. Namibia is a little more work to get to, more arid (no mosquitoes and no malaria), farms bigger, indigenous species less variety. But Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest are much cheaper. Good Kudu hunting. It has been very dry recently so next year or two the game counts will be down. Impala generally more expensive. Warthogs absent in some areas, more expensive in the better watered areas. Nice to see Etosha while there. Botswana ditto Namibia, Kalahari proper, good place for Eland, Kudu, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest. Nice to go to the Okavango Delta while you are there. If you decide to step up to a buffalo (which will eat up a big chunk of your budget wherever you do it), RSA is by far the cheapest if not the most authentic. You can do a buff hunt for as little as $7500 if you don't care about inches. Twice that in Zim. Bottom line you should and probably will hunt all of them, so it doesn't really matter which order. Russ Gould - Whitworth Arms LLC BigfiveHQ.com, Large Calibers and African Safaris Doublegunhq.com, Fine English, American and German Double Rifles and Shotguns VH2Q.com, Varmint Rifles and Gear | |||
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I would look at Tholo safaris in Botswana. It is an excellent property and has everything you are looking for and is very large being over 200,000 acres. BUTCH C'est Tout Bon (It is all good) | |||
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Osombahe Nord in Namibia is well worth a look.Plenty of kudu and gemsbok, springbok, zebra, warthog, wildebeest etc. Good accommodation and well priced. The hunting imperative was part of every man's soul; some denied or suppressed it, others diverted it into less blatantly violent avenues of expression, wielding clubs on the golf course or racquets on the court, substituting a little white ball for the prey of flesh and blood. Wilbur Smith | |||
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From a couple of African P.H's.
Not at all? You will not see Buffalo or Rhino unless you go to a Farm that has them? Or the Zoo as I stated. People go hunting in Africa for the first time to see those animals and have NO IDEA they won't!!! That's the only reason I brought it up. | |||
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I'd go to Botswana or Namibia. Prices in South Africa are awesome right now, but the odds of being a victim of crime are much higher there. | |||
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I saw all of the Big 5 on my safari in the Kalahari (RSA) with Coenraad Vermaak Safaris. I have photographic evidence for any doubters. I don’t think you can wrong if your due diligence. Turns up a lot of positive results for a give outfitter. Good luck, you will find it a life would changing experience. "Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." Mark Twain | |||
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There is plenty of crime in South Africa, but I think one is not likely to see any if one stays away from the cities. | |||
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Keep on dreaming... | |||
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We have seen many leopards in daytime in both Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Generally, it is ones one would not wish to shoot - young, female etc. Except last year. We saw a very old, battle scarred leopard lying in the grass looking at us. It was late in the day, but my professional hunter decided we should try to shoot it. And I did, just as it was taking off. Our camp was not far, and we arrived by dark. | |||
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Any first time safari should be done with a booking agent imo. There are too many details for the first timer. Guns, flights, hunt questions, money wiring etc. It's not a big deal if you've done it before but I wouldn't chance it for the first timer. Booking agents won't risk their reputation on a place that you won't enjoy, or that won't meet your expectations. Call Mark Young at Marks Exclusive adventures. He's been there done that and it won't cost you a dime more to use his services. As you will find out, its well worth a call to talk to him. Beware. Africa is a remarkable place but it's not like booking in at the Wynn in Vegas. | |||
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I don’t know, Russ. I’ve only hunted leopards a total two days and shot 2 big leopards, both in daylight. I guess it depends where you go and who your PH is. In fairness, on the baited hunt it did take a week to get the cat on bait, but when he did feed we killed him after sitting in the blind for just a couple hours the 1st afternoon/evening of sitting. The other leopard was taken in the Kalahari after 3 or 4 hours of tracking on my first day. We’ve heard leopards ‘sawing’ at night probably a dozen different times in several camps. I’ve seen 4 other leopards in daylight when we weren’t hunting them, though 1 was in Chobe Park. Maybe I’ve just been lucky? | |||
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And not to mention all the crooks in the business who are more than willing to make you as miserable as you can dream of! Unless you actually personally know the people you are hunting with, you will do yourself a favor by using a booking agent. | |||
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My first Safari had a lot of problems, and I went through Tony D'Costa to make it happen. I am glad he is not in business anymore. | |||
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My vote would be for Namibia, although, I have not personally hunted in SA. My last trip there was with Johann Veldsman of Shona Hunting Adventures and it was fantastic. My wife and I did our honeymoon with Johann which was part hunting and part touring. There are a lot of fun things to do in Namibia in addition to the hunting. Below is a report from our trip back in 2012 which may give you an idea of some of the things available in Namibia: Honeymoon Safari "The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching". - John Wooden | |||
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And there are agents booking hunts with unlicensed idiots working illegally in South Africa too. Buyer beware! Asking questions here would make sure you do not get into trouble. | |||
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Regardless of the species hunted albeit I would include buffalo in first safari...to me it is essential to have the big 5 around and a classic PH. I would recommend the Bubye Valley Conservancy or Save Valley Conservancy as top destinations. Nigel Theisen would be my recommended PH along with many others who post here from time to time. A buff/PG hunt in the BVC with Nigel would offer you a classic hunt that gives you the best of what Africa is about...both past and present. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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THIS is Spot On!!! | |||
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When I say it's rare to see a leopard in daytime, I don't mean on a bait, or in a tree with a pack of hounds under. In the context of this thread and the "see the big 5" comment, we are talking about chance encounters. I have seen one once in the daytime on a chance encounter, and a friend ditto. In probably 20 safaris between us. Russ Gould - Whitworth Arms LLC BigfiveHQ.com, Large Calibers and African Safaris Doublegunhq.com, Fine English, American and German Double Rifles and Shotguns VH2Q.com, Varmint Rifles and Gear | |||
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That’s sounds great- until you consider a 10 day buffalo and plains game hunt in the Save or BVC will set you back about $25,000. Quite a chunk for someone going on their safari, unless money is immaterial. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP | |||
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His first post talked about kudu and gemsbok. So one of the ranch hunts in Botswana or Namibia would be the best option for bringing along the family. | |||
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3 times for me in 5 safaris. Twice in the save and once in Burkina. All depends on where you hunt. Need a GoPro running continuous on the truck to catch it on tape. Mike | |||
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Last year we saw leopards twice in the day time. One we caught feeding on a warthog he caught in a barrow. He ran off when he saw us. We put a camera there, and he returned, and we have a video of him. The other one is the one I mentioned above that we shot. | |||
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Were these PH's "African" or South African? Regardless of your answer - I would take it with a pinch (if not a large bag) of salt. Were they also the ones who informed you that the reason we don't have a quota for Leopard is because there aren't enough of them?
I'm not sure how to interpret this statement. Are you implying that hunting in South Africa is similar to hunting in a zoo? If this is the case and you are talking from your own experience it's a pity because then you chose the wrong Outfitter for your hunt. Not that I can blame you as there are thousands of us and choosing the one that is right for you can be difficult for sure. This does however not mean that great, affordable hunting experiences can't be had in South Africa. If you meant that one could EITHER see Buffalo and Rhino on farms that have them OR in zoos that would only be partly correct. Either way; I was not aware that people go hunting in Africa for the first time to see these animals. I thought they go to Africa to hunt... But the OP didn't ask where he could hunt in Africa and see the Big 5 at the same time. And he also didn't ask what zoo would be recommended for this experience. He asked for advise on where to go for a first safari for primarily Gemsbok and Kudu. He also mentioned he's looking for opportunities for something to do for his wife and daughter. One of the target species he mentioned (Gemsbok) does not naturally occur in areas where the Big 5 roam unhindered so that excludes most of the truly wild areas in Africa where hunting is allowed. This essentially leaves the OP with two choices - Namibia or RSA. (Or maybe a ranch in Texas of course). Needless to say and for obvious reasons - I am pro-RSA. (note - not anti-Namibia). Regards, Chris Troskie Tel. +27 82 859-0771 email. chris@ct-safaris.com Sabrisa Ranch Ellisras RSA www.ct-safaris.com https://youtu.be/4usXceRdkH4 | |||
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A non-trophy buff would be a cheaper way to go...available for sure in the BVC. Chances are good to take a nice old scrum-cap bull. But as mentioned...no gemsbok. Still I would highly recommend above as a first safari. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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Wow, you people really are First Class. I appreciate all the help and pm's. I realize asking this question was similar to asking where I should vacation in Europe.  Everyone has a favorite place or sight. However, you have made me do some rethinking and a lot of research and even helped me narrow down my expectations.The best part of hunting and fishing was the thinking about going and the talking about it after you got back - Robert Ruark | |||
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If you are looking for a very nice safari look at the outfitters here: http://www.magicsafarilodges.com https://issuu.com/hmsl/docs/msl2019web All nice places. I hunted RSA at Kalahari Rangers. Very reasonably priced for the level of accommodations and food. And it's was very remote in the Northern Cape, right on the Botswana border. In fact, one of the ranch fences is the border. | |||
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