If those of you who have been struggling to decide upon a safari company or a PH have ever wondered if the PH or Safari company folks have ever experienced the same dilemma then let me assure you that at least a few have.

I have an absolute addiction to inshore fishing in the Florida Keys and along the gulf coast. It’s a sickness bordering on obsession in my case. So for those that have expressed this “Post Africa Syndrome†I can relate 100% because I too have “Post Keys Syndrome†at last one time per year.

When you book a hunt with an outfitter or PH the one really big question prior to the hunt in most folks minds is I hope the guy I hunt with is not a jackass, I hope he works hard and knows his game, and most of all I hope the trip is not about him and his life and skills but about me and my limited time there. You might be asking how would a guy on the other side of the fence understand this situation? Well I know this because I’m in the same position when I head down to fish the keys. I travel a whole lot and with short notice I cannot always get the fishing guide I want if he has been booked for the date I need. With this I have to settle at times for a smaller selection of who is available. Over the many years of this obsession and the many thousands of dollars I have pumped into the fishing community there I have experienced the best of fishing guides and some not so good.

I know the same can be said for many of the hunters going to Africa. My questions when trying to decide on a fishing guide are much the same as the questions hunters going to Africa are going to have. Some things come to mind that are myths as far as what should be a base line for who will be good. For example how long a guy has been in the business (within reason) has little to do with how well your trip will be. Certainly a guy in the business a year that is in his early 20’s is likely more risk then a guy who is in his 40’s with 20 plus years. But not always, it’s your dice to roll on that decision! Whether or not he was born in the exact area you will be hunting or fishing, What his educational background is, How old he is. What gender they are is also somewhat a myth in my opinion.

Just as an example I fished a few years ago with a 60plus year old woman guide that had skills and local knowledge that far exceeded every single male fishing guide I have ever met. Turns out she worked and retired from Florida Fish and wildlife in the everglades after 25 years. You would not know that unless she was boastful and the trip was all about her while you were out fishing. That detail was shared with me by a different guide that knows her!

I fished with a guy born and raised in New England and lived in the Keys only about 12 years starting his own guide business becoming very successful. He is without a doubt the most successful guide I have ever been with. The fishing with this guy is absolutely incredible and my #1 first choice every time I go there. However he is not at all chatty and rarely speaks unless spoken to. It makes long fishing days awkward at times because he just does not chat much. But man what a great guide to get you hooked up!

I fished with another guy whom I have become great friends with. He is an excellent and knowledgeable fisherman with great conversation and lots of laughs. My cheeks have hurt from laughing with his fantastic views on life and his great personality. He is from the Keys and has been a guide there 35 years now. A top choice and a guaranteed fun time. He often smells of a long night of drinking but has never even one time been limited by it. Nor has it ever caused a problem.

This last trip I was able to get a fella that does a lot of ESPN and Addictive fishing programs for TV. He has taken presidents, movie stars and the elite of the world. The fishing trip was all about him. The fishing was a secondary issue. The priority was hearing his past history and his life’s adventures with all these people. It’s nice to listen to an adventurous story or event but not every one can be right out of a Capstick adventure novel and remain believable! What a huge disappointment it was.

I fished with another fella that was 26 years old, nearly young enough to be my own kid! Our interests in other then fishing were not at all the same. He smoked like a chiminy and was at times a little goofy. However his fishing and boating skills were outstanding and his enthusiasm was contagious as well as his long days fishing leaving before first light and staying to well after dark rather then the more rigid schedule of exactly 8 hours including travel most guides live by. He did not have the best equipment which was the turning point for me to begin bringing all my own gear on every future trip I made after that. I learned that I need his local knowledge and boat, but I trusted my own gear more then the lower priced older equipment he was using. In time with better income he will be an excellent choice for guys using his gear.

The point is, not every personality is a perfect match. Not every guide has equal skill in each area. I doubt anyone will find that perfect match of a guy who can become your friend and also a frequent client. I also know that not every Guide or PH is skilled in every possible area. It’s very tough to have it all. I have made this match now about ½ dozen times with guys around the country and the world. I have not yet found a way to determine compatibility and guaranteed fun on my trips when having to pick a new fishing guide. So I don’t have the answers for folks choosing a guide in Africa. I do know I have had a good time with them all at least for some periods. However there are some that are much more compatible with me then others are. The most skilled guy I have ever fished with is not the most fun guy to be with all day. The most fun guy I have ever fished with is not the ultimate knowledgeable fisherman. What I have learned over this long period of using guides for fishing is that I have to adjust my own style to meet the needs of my hunters not ever make the hunters meet my style. That seems obvious or at least it should.

I think that it is very important to speak with a few hunters who have hunted with the PH’s or Outfitters your going to choose from. These third party folks are the most likely to have good personal insight. One thing to also add into the mix is that not all the references you check with will have had the same desire or personality traits that made them compatible with the PH they chose. Some base line questions might be something like this:

Was he neat clean and well organized?
Did he curse and complain frequently among the hunters or their spouses/ kids?
Was his equipment in good shape and dependable?
Did he ever seem drunk or to tired to make a serious effort?
Was he able to have a conversation outside of hunting issues? ( if that’s important to you) Sometimes learning about local politics and culture is nice to hear about.
Was his focus mainly on talking of his own achievements?
Did he spend time with you after the hunting day was over visiting and talking about the next days events?
Did he vanish after the hunting day and only show up the next morning?
Was he on time ready to leave each morning?

Then some more skilled questions:
Did he properly judge the game you took?
Did he properly estimate distance?
Did he or his staff properly care for the trophies
Were his photographic skill at a level that made your permanent memories worth sharing?
Was he ever lost or confused about where he was?
Did he offer every bit of flexibility for you to take charge of decisions to shoot or not, to stalk, or sit, to change your mind without undue pressure regarding any aspect of the trip. Did he let you hunt or did he let you just shoot?

These are just a few off the top of my head, but you probably get the idea. I know when I hire PH’s to work for me I ask many of these same questions myself about them. I try to put myself in the position of them being my PH and ask if I would be happy with them. Humans are a funny sort, I have friends that I like equally well yet they don’t care for each other. There is a lot going on in the mind of a human being that makes this a risky business for my choice of fishing guides, or your choice of PH. Believe me even though I’m a PH I still have these issues to deal with when I’m fishing away from home and looking for a guide!

Wow this post is excellent.

I had a similar problem with my PH.

Didn't talk unless we were drinking, only spoke Afrikaans with the other PH and family at dinner. And everyone of them spoke perfect textbook Oxford English.

Awkward, pushy about tips, complained about cost of everything every day. Wasn't interested in hunting for bigger trophies after I had taken a modest one.

I figure it's my safari, and unless I ask for something really wierd it should be doable.

If I want to sleep in or hunt early it shouldn't be an issue.

If I want to shoot something 2 or 3 or 6 times to make sure it goes down, it shouldn't be an issue. I am the one that has to pay for the trophy fee at the end of the safari.

If I want to eat dinner at 8 PM instead of 11PM and I am the only client, it should be an easy switch.

I am a flexable person, and no one is going to shit on my safari experience enough to ruin it for me. But tips will be small and repeat service won't exist if I have a bunch of attitude problems.

Compatibility between PH or western US guides and myself has never been an issue. I guess I can get along with most anyone up to a point.

However there was a hunting partner, who I had not met before the hunt, on a 2 x 1 hunt who's behavior was trying everyone's patients to the breaking point. On the second day of a Wyoming hunt I saw the guide slip a Beretta 9mm under his jacket before we left the truck. He said that he had a bad feeling about the guy. The other hunter had him spooked. He got my radar going on the first day of the hunt. I made up my mind not to let this guy get behind me with a loaded rifle. He appeared to be slightly psychotic. It turned out ok when the other guy unexpectedly cut the hunt short and left town.

Made me wonder at what point does a guide or PH decide to give someone their money back and tell them to leave?

D99:

I went to Africa only once and back in 1993. My PH was Chris Ferreira. He was the exact opposite of what you described in what must have been a nightmare experience. I got my buff. He contributed enormously to an experience I have never forgotten. A PH is not a "guide". He's a bodyguard. More "clients" should understand that - no matter how much hunting they ever did on other continents with "guides". I was supremely lucky in that my "bodyguard" also was a man who could answer any question ("What's that bush?" "What kind of bird is that?") and who I personally saw track the path of a wounded zebra (when the native trackers were off in another direction) Too bad if you had a bad experience. It reminded me of how this Irishman's dumb luck held up to run into Chris Ferreira (who kept telling me jokes about the English and the Irish -always in favor of the English -and I laughed - which should give you a pretty good idea of how well an Irishman and an English PH got on in the bush - and I had a rifle and still didn't think of shooting him!

guide/PH doesn't matter to me as I'm paying the bill an smart enough to know if he posses enough knowledge to runm the show properly. Doesn't take anyone very long to figure out if the hunt is going smoothly or not.
I don't expect anyone to hold my hand or wipe my ass but I do expect good service and guides that can find their way back to the truck without a GPS when I'm dropping several K on a trip.
I don't expect to listen how I should've been here the week before or how a wannabe superhero caught a black mamba with his bare hands or even how many ladies he's bedded.
I'm there to hunt hard have fun and expect the same from them.

It wasn't hell but it really pissed me off.

Hey Geri,
What ever happened to Chris? I met him about 10 years ago at a sports show, and I could not locate him when I was ready last year for my hunt.

Wolfgar:

My apologies for not responding sooner to you. (I check in sometimes only sporadically with AR) We corresponded for some years and I guess because I'm a lousy correspondent lost track of each other. I do know that until as recently as a few years ago he was listed in the "SCI measurers" listing in the SCI magazine. That's the best info I can give you. If you do get in touch, tell him that Gerry McMorrow says he wants to come to Africa again to hunt zebra -and wants him as his PH! (I think he will remember me then!) (he tracked down a zebra for over 8 hours that I had wounded. I quit after about 3 hours and he went on alone. I think he will remember the time!)