I have said this so many times on this website that It just made me appear as a "used car salesmen" rather then the kind of business man that I am.
The least expensive time to have gone to hunt Plains game was about 5 years ago or prior, even 3 years ago was still a good bargain.
Starting about that time, the Zimbabwe issues made ( allowed) the hunt prices in RSA increase because so few would trust the "holiday" in Zim. This made the hunting in RSA much higher demand. Zambia and Mozambique have struggles with logistics and prices making them less competitive, or maybe less trustworthy. Just as many other sub saharan countries are becoming.
Tanzania has never been inexpensive, but over the last five years, the way that country runs it's leasing to outfitters has become somewhat monopolized and it will never be an affordable destination for the middle class sportsman. Now taking Botswana out of the mix and we are getting to the few remaining places the typical middle class PG hunting can go.
This leaves us Namibia and South Africa. Namibia does not have the populations of game that RSA has, but will likely offer great hunting into the foreseeable future, although the bookings are already higher then in the past, and will grow more now without Botswana. With the greater demand, prices will adjust accordingly.
South Africa expenses and prices have already gone up by about double in the last 5-7 years for many outfitters. in 2000 Kudu were 1100-1250 bucks, in 2005 you could still find them for 1500-1700, today a trophy bull in a natural wild area will be at 2000 or more on many hunting concessions and properties. Shooting the Greater Kudu in the Eastern Cape may be lower, but they are not natural there. You decide on that for yourself.
Airfare from Seattle to Joburg in 1995-1997 was 1200-1400 bucks through Amsterdam (prior to SAA and Delta flying direct) now it's well over 2000 bucks. Where is this going with fuel costs going through the roof?
In any case there are going to be other things that will eventually creep into the mix. Primarily the quality experience with South Africa pushing heavily into Affirmative Action employees the same as they have done with SAA. Imagine the future of this with not just PH's but also outfitters and owners trying to run this kind of business and interact with foreign visiting hunters.
This is not meant to be racist, just a very obvious set of facts. When English is your third or forth language and there is a struggle to read and write, or communicate with people it's not going to be an easy transition to this type of business. There is a huge gap between what visiting hunters expect and what the native culture will provide. When the government hires your employees for you the end is near.
Then the gun issues are creeping into the mix. How much longer with you travel with firearms? Who would have thought in 1997-2000 when I could walk up to the SAP desk with my hunters and fill the gun forms out which took 2 minutes, including being issued a concealed carry permit for a semi auto handgun. To Where we are now?
The complexity now drives most folks to use a 125.00 gun permit service, and getting a handgun into the country to carry, is not realistic. Getting one to hunt with is possible but a headache unless you have help to get it done.
Please, whether or not you choose to hunt with my company or not, go to Africa now. Just get your stuff together and go. This experience is not forever, there will be 1000's of guys that find themselves looking back and wishing they prioritized things differently.
for the last 11 years I have been having this dream to hunt there with my now 11 year old son . I want him to hunt with me so he can see what his father does, and experience this together. Because of his age, and me working the whole time, he has not yet come with me to camp. I'm worried that by the time he is 14-16 years old and he can really be mature enough to get involved and really enjoy this experience it will be too late to do this with him.
Added to this is the economy of the USA. Fewer and fewer people are pulling the trigger on a 10,000 plus trip. With fewer people the business itself becomes threatened. Our Europe hunters? Yeah right,....Europe economics are swirling the bowl and are even worse then the USA.
Please really think about the priorities in your lives. I'm sure in 2020 I will be posting here again saying "I warned you folks this was coming"
When the hunting stops in
It cannot be said any better, JJ!
I decided to do just what you urge back when I had more money, and things were cheaper. Still, it has always been a real stretch for me to go and go back.
I got a new credit card with a decent limit and used it to make everything happen. I used it, and I've never been sorry for making my dreams reality.
My late father always said we're going on safari sometime, when I have time. His time ran out, but mine didn't.
