Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Cost of hunting Tanganyika in the old days

Oh yeah! At those prices I'd be in the bush for a long stretch.

to withdraw, borrow, or rob?

lol.jk.

1. Yes

2.)yes

3. If needed

The ad is interesting, but not as cheap as many would assume.

1948 prices that I looked up:
Average Cost of new house $7,700.00 Average wages per year $2,950.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 16 cents Average Cost of a new car $1,250.00 Loaf of Bread 14 cents

A fully outfitted safari in Africa was never cheap, and even today there are some good values compared to the past.

I'm glad to see this thing finally took hold. See tons of responses to what colors do you like on your mcswirly stock, but no interest in comparing hunt prices. For what it's worth the average income in 1948 was closer to $1,000 a year, (I have copies of income tax forms showing two people and $1,600 for a year) not $2,900. Minimum wage in 1948 was $.25 an hour. My parents, before dad got his good job, made $13.00 a week for the two of them. My dad had a very well paying job and made $50 a Week. House prices were closer to a $1,000 back then. A new Chevy was about $600.00, though the bread prices seems right. I could go to the store, get 4 loaves of bread, for $.64 and bring the change home. In 1960 had friends working a secretaries who made a $96.00 a MONTH, I was making $144.00 a month In 1964. When I said PH, I meant outfitters, I guess. One guy I know there charges $2,500 a DAY per hunter, with a minimum of 4 hunters and a minimum 10 day hunt. Then you have to get there, and fly in with a shuttle from Dar, which is another couple of grand per person. Then start adding up the trophy fees. multiply those by the number of animals on the full license in the add, and see where we are. I have hunted Africa, a number of times, 1st one being back In 1972, and last one two years ago. Want to try Australia or NZ before I go back to Africa again. I also am pretty cognizant of the expenses to the outfitter/ph, as have explained to a few folks, that the $12,000 it costs to hunt a Dall sheep reflects the shortness of the hunting season, the camps that have to be set up, guide fees, etc. The other hunt costs in Canada/Alaska, are in the same situation.

When I posted the old add, thought it would get a conversation started, and finally did. Could not believe with all the discussions about other things, this add wouldn't spark one. I have always wanted to hunt Tanzania, but never been able to afford to. A guy I know who was supposed to go this year, but couldn't get a party of 4 up, said it was real easy to run up a $50k bill, and that did not involve shooting a LOT of game.

Well back then there was no cheap quick jet travel so it would be mostly travel by seam ship then by truck to get were ever it is you were going! Figure a Month traveling going and then a month on the return! Going on Safari was a major undertaking in both time and money - We have it pretty good these days with good safe jet travel, you can go anywhere in the world and get there in 72 hours or less- good medical care to ward off some of the less pleasant things one could catch or step on, not to mention getting tagged by the game hunted! Different time and place! In 1960 my mom had an income of 90 per week as a single parent- we had a house, car and all the other things and were well fed and could even pay for the doctor to make a house call from time to time! Different time and mom would say that prices were out of sight and that money was not worth anything any more, when 20 dollars would buy 9 bags of groceries, I did my food shopping this morning a 20 bucks did get me much! As I said different time!

I knew people in 1960 with incomes of $97 a MONTH. $90 a week would have been good money. My dad had a "good" job and made somewhere over a $100 a week, but not much, and $.10 an hour raises were the norm.

Realize about the getting there, but I'm talking about spending some time hunting. at least a month. Just finished a book by C.J. McElroy, and he took 30-45 day hunts all the time. But the flights over and back, as opposed to a steam ship, though even in the 50s people flew, just took a few days probably, but time on the ground once there. Not many people out there these days interested in going out for that long, for some reason.

Kongoni? What is that?