Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Trophy fees: how are they set?

I'm curious to know how trophy fees are set. Some outfitters charge as much for a baboon as an impala. That seems out of whack to me.

Obviously supply and demand, and competitor prices are part of the equation.

Also, the cost must factor in. How much does an outfitter typically have to pay a landowner to shoot an animal on his property? Does he really need to pay a landowner the same amount to shoot baboons as impalas?

Whatever the market will bear, coz.

I think with some animals it depends upon if it is an animal of opportunity or if time is being dedicated to specifically hunt those animals.

This is absolutely correct.

Supply and demand.

Indeed! The trend now seems to be hunting for the color variants, like black Impala, for instance- Breeding stock sells in the $40-50K range for these animals, and I have no idea what the owners will charge to hunt them.

Supply and demand.

I think the question was regarding vermin, like Baboons.

Most land owners that participate in the hunting industry will watch the auction prices. Game capture and auctions are quite a big business in Southern Africa.

When you study what the auction prices are going at and then think about what your game population is, it's a combination of the going rate at auction( based on species and trophy size) and your available game from a quality population analysis.

Most Farmers that are not outfitters are not as good at this population study mechanism. Some hire out professionals to manage this. Those that do it poorly often over harvest seeing dollar( rand) signs. This process then takes a very long time to recover, especially of the genetically superior animals were all harvested.

It's a critical dimension of wildlife management to understand your total population segmented by males, females, and the safe level of harvestable trophy game. If for instance you feel that you can only shoot 5 Trophy Kudu bulls, you better have an additional property to hunt on for the remainder of the hunters coming. Smaller operations may choose to increase the trophy fee of the bulls they have, to be able to replace the genetics by buying a new bull at auction.

60" plus kudu are frequently sold at auction for 50,000 USD. These would typically be introduced to a large unrelated female population for the breeding season(s) in a sectioned off part of the property for a few years. Then either auctioned again or for the eccentric hunter that wanted this 60" plus bull it could be hunted on that property. I have known of quite a few game managers that have arranged hunts for 60" plus bulls getting paid quite a bundle of money from visiting hunters. One bull that was pushing 70" was 75,000 USD for the older fella that wanted it. That big bull was very old, some suggested 15 years old. He was thin and somewhat threadbare, probably one reason for him looking bigger then life with those massive horns! That particular bull was in a private breeding program for nearly a decade.

How this is managed is different in almost every case. It's certainly not looked upon as a true sporting hunt. However, this is the funding for the business case. Those few wealthy people that participate help drive the success of the business in a very powerful way. From saving endangered species, to funding anti poaching. We are not all born equal financially, nor are we all hunting for the same reasons. The South Africa hunting lodges are quite diverse and easily cater to the needs of all the people wanting to come hunt here.

The genetics from a couple of breedings by this huge bull with many dozen cows, would have a dramatic impact on the Kudu for this landowner for a very long time to come.

Once the property size gets beyond 10,000 acres in one piece without any cross fences the need to supplement genetics is very low. This size property can sustain it's breeding potential well beyond our lives! This is a rather common size hunting property in RSA. A property of this size would not be hunted on foot completely by many people in a life time. It is a huge land mass that is many times greater then the natural range of most species. I managed several properties this big for much of my career. We often saw blesbok on one of these properties, yet none were ever shot, and nobody has any knowledge of how they were there or introduced? It was in the same family for over 70 years as of 1990. We often saw big bulls of many species once,... and then not again for a year or more. There were 14 cow Rhino and two bulls in 1990, there are now apporox 80. This can only come from the wealthy that can provide the anti poaching and management funds needed.

If or when you hunt on properties that are in the 1000-3000 acre range, you need serious genetic game management to maintain healthy strong trophy quality game for many of the plains game species.

The Trophy fees are set by the value of the game, not only at auction price points, but at population based price points on a ranch by ranch basis.

I hunted on communal land in Zim, back in 2003. The way it worked there, the outfitter had to bid on the available quota of the different animals (for example 15 bull elephants, 30 bull buff, etc). Based upon the bidding, he might pay $5000.00 for each ellie, $800.00 for each buff, etc. After the bids, the outfitter must pay for the animals upfront. If he isn't able to successfully book enough clients, or all the tags are not filled, the animals go back to the communal tribe at the end of the season. The outfitter loses that money.

The outfitter tries to sell enough hunts to ensure all the animals are hunted/killed. He makes his money off the daily rate (perhaps minimum 14 days for an elephant), and the mark up of the trophy fee for each animal (maybe $14k for an elephant).

Hunting close to the end of the season, usually opens up for some cheap add-ons for some animals, if there are some of them still available.

With private land owners, this may not be the case, as they actually own the animals and can use them for hunts next season (of course, if there are too many of a certain species in regards to land capacity, or the owner just needs the money, discounts may be available here as well).

All this info was provided to me by a PH who became, what I consider a friend. (I actually got a chance to got to a wildlife auction in RSA - where outfitters buy trophy animals, but travel changes precluded my actual going.)

This was over a decade ago, so things may have changed.

BH63

JJHACK:

A question or two on the acreage numbers above. I'd speculate the 10,000 acre threshold is a mite bit small, as squared up that would amount to a piece of about 3.95 miles to a side. If well watered and with abundant and dependable precipitation that area could supply and hide a fair amount of game. With boom and bust climate variability, however, I'd think game, and especially the larger species, would need more room to satisfy their varied needs.

My perception is that plains game are prone to some extensive wanderings. Can genetic variability and seasonal nutritional needs actually be satisfied in such a small area without Texas style supplementation programs? If so, then there's certainly a need for intensive population, age structure, and trophy management which would seemingly demand high fence containment.

I'll certainly admit to ignorance when it comes to the typical home range size for African game, but my wanderings on western US ranch lands suggest it would not take many days for me view the entirety of a 10,000 acre property if it supported just a couple prominent viewing points.

As to fees: I'd speculate sustainability and diminishing returns would be the main drivers for astute managers. Sadly, I suspect I'm priced out of an African experience, and a 2-week hurry up jaunt is not my idea of really smelling the roses. If I'd been born as a Getty/Hearst or were to win the big lottery, then perhaps I could do a real 4 to 6-month safari.

Have a good one,

Interesting discussion. Here's a hypothetical case: I'm in South Africa hunting with an outfitter for a few species including impala, kudu, and gemsbok. I didn't plan to hunt for baboons, but we happen to run across some while looking for the others. The listed price for a baboon is $700. I don't want to pay $700 for a baboon, but I might pay $250. But the outfitter won't take $250 if he has to pay the landowner $500 for the baboon. If it doesn't cost the outfitter anything, then he might be glad to take $250.

Or would he?

He should.....


Baboons are varmints on their best days, most landowners don't lose sleep if they lose baboons.


I was in Zim years ago hunting big game and my PH asked if I'd like to shoot a hyena. The trophy fee then was $450, and I told him flatly that I wasn't going to pay to do him a favor by killing one. He liked me and immediately said " Oh...you wont have to pay...:


I was doing some predator calling in Namibia and my PH told me if a cheetah came in, to kill it. I couldn't afford the trophy fee ( then $2500) and told him so. His cryptic retort was " There will be no trophy fee..."

Bob, I guess each outfitter has his own ideas. How we operate is, that all vermin will be free of charge when taken on any chance encounter.
However, should the hunter have the animal on his "wishlist" and an effort has to be made in order to obtain the animal, then we charge the trophy fee. A simple example will be with the baboons. Any Baboon taken by chance is free, but should it be required from us to start a bait station 2 weeks before the hunter arrives, checking and restocking the bait station every day to make sure the baboons feed daily, giving our hunter an excellent chance at getting one, it becomes a different story. It is the same with a Jackal or a Caracal. On a chance encounter, free of charge. If we are required to go out after dark with the Foxpro for Jackal, or hire a hounds-man to run his pack of dogs for a Caracal, there is a trophy fee involved.

10,000 acres is around 16 square miles of land. ( 10,000/640) Not all land is created equal. The best hunting operations have year round water, or deep holes to pump out of.

Water is the biggest issue, then the feed to keep a healthy growing population of trophy quality game. I have been on some really barren ground that required tons of lucerne to feed the animals through the worst months. I have also seen properties so lush and green all year that it was nearly impossible to hunt the bush was so thick. It's a management operation to maintain the maximum quality for the carrying capacity of the bush you have available.

The thick bush is a dream to have for feed, and a very difficult and stressful way to hunt multi species plains game hunts for the typical duration of the sportsman's visit.

As an example, there will almost always be a point with impala's that they must be culled. Herds of 100 plus impalas double in size every other year. Several large antelope species do not have seasonal breeding and will have young at anytime. This too creates a nice supply of game when managed well. I have been hired to suggest changes to various properties throughout my career. One thing you see quickly is how fat the game is, how shiny the coat is, and where the browse line is in the trees. Or better yet, you cannot see it, indicating the bush is also healthy. Once over browsed a tree develops tannic acid to defend itself. The leaves become bitter and nasty to eat. They also turn a darker often brownish color theoretically showing game that it's not a good tree to choose. Remember too that the antelopes do not eat all the same things. Wildebeest, eland, hartebeest are grazers. They need grasses to survive and be healthy. Kudu, bushbuck, and Nyala are browsers that need leaves. The herbivores like the mini antelopes, and impala's utilize all forms of vegetation so they typically have a bit easier time finding food.

As far as looking over the property from various vantage points. This is a tricky idea. First there are not many properties that have bare open areas to view game. Most of the acacia will grow into an almost umbrella shape developing a canopy over the land. You will see solid green mass that shows little to nothing of what is going on under it.

Much of the land is rather flat too. This does not provide much of a vantage point. We frequently use ultra light aircraft for game population studies. Even this has it's limits as the game gets wise to aircraft and stops bolting out of the thick canopy of trees to be seen. They begin bedding down and staying put, rather then running to be counted. It's now taking a helicopter to hover and fan the bush to get them to move. The use of helicopters at least in the north of RSA is a common practice now for game counts, and capture.

I would agree that 10,000 acres in Eastern Oregon Washington and Idaho could be looked over and scouted fairly well in a couple weeks time. However the pacific coast of Washington near Forks 10,000 acres with the minimal roads available would be more then a lifetime to learn the bush! The same for the Everglades in Florida!

I know for certain that I spent more time on foot on several of the properties I managed then any of the landowners. I knew those properties very well, better then anyone alive. Yet I was frequently delayed( lost?) for Long periods trying to find my way out of the roadless sections back to the vehicle or the lodge. These were 10,000 to 13,500 acre properties.

That makes perfect sense. Thank you. What you have clarified is there is a cost associated with hunting to be considered in the price, not just the animal itself. You will pay the PH the same per hour, and pay the same for petrol whether the hunter is going after an impala or a baboon.

Sometimes you do find yourself in position to shoot something for free. I once got a chance to shoot a lion for free. The lion had slipped out of Kruger National Park and was killing some trophy animals on a private game ranch. My PH, who was an animal control officer, invited me along. Unfortunately the dog (an Irish Terrier) wouldn't go after the lion by herself, so we weren't able to get a shot. The lion was later killed over one of his kills, by one of the PH's staff. This was done at night and must have been extremely exciting! I would have loved to have been in on that.

BH63

I find it interesting how some client's will pay good money to kill almost anything. If you look at some of the tariff lists, you have to wonder why someone would pay $150.00 to shoot a vervet monkey, or $300.00 to shoot a porcupine???

I guess different strokes and all.

BH63

I once wandered into Jonas Bros Taxidermy in Denver, and saw a bunch (maybe a dozen or more) baboons that had been outfitted with clothes and were arranged sitting in school desks.

I wonder just what that had cost the shooter/owner?

BH63

Yeah, I've seen most of the different scenarios regarding baboons. From a couple sitting around a poker table playing cards, to one with an Afro.

Why should/would you GAF how someone chose to spend THEIR money?