Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Anything you would do over.

You guys that have been to africa is there any thing you wish you could do over. Like some things that i may have not thought of.

I'd take better care of my teeth in my youth. I'm just playing with you.

I would have counted on more money for trophy fees. There where magnificent animals I wish I would have harvested. I was not hunting an absolute shopping list, but the cost of the extra trophy fees kept me from taking them. I went on a set budget, and the trip was really great. There is a white blesbok and an impala ram that I stalked and dropped the hammer on an empty chamber. The PH was good about it, but it is just not the same. I had built in tips for the staff and they worked so hard that I refused to spend their tip on trophy fees for me.

Randy

I would have been borne rich and gone sooner.
I would have not shipped home all the capes and skins. Horns and skulls only, except zebra skin. That would have allowed me a few other hunting opportunities.
Really glad I took a couple extra days to go touring, not just parks and wildlife, but local history and tourist kinds of things.
Bfly

going on a tour is something i hadnt really thought about.

I would start with dangerous game, and pick up the plains game along the way.

I would have taken more pictures.

I'd do everything over again.... but apart from a wife or two, wouldn't change a thing!

I agree with the comments regarding more photos!!

Don't be in too big of a rush that you can't take some time to experience the trip. Take a half day (or more if you have it) and just enjoy the area you are hunting including the all the game animals and birds. If you enjoy bird shooting and it's available take the time to do it. Same thing for fishing!!


Phil

I will go back to south Africa to take the animals that I did not take on my first trip. I have no regrets from my first trip. It was informative to have the information regarding animals for my next trip. I will tour Kruger on my/our next trip.

Two things...

1. Do NOT put it off....GO!

2. As medicman said...take extra for more trophy fees...its a bunch easier just to spend an extra 1K while there, than it is to spend a pile of money to get back...( which, actually, you are going to do anyway...)

Ingwe

Ingwe is spot on. As usual.

My wife and I went on a tour and I highly recommend it considering the time and expense to get there. The thing I would change is that instead of just a PG hunt I would have jumped right in to buff the first time really for the same reason.

I hadn't read Ingwe's response before giving mine but basically we are saying the same thing. But as he did get back and more than once I might not and that is a real possibility so consider carefully what you might do. Think bigger if you can rather than smaller.

Ingwe is a bad, bad, influence!

John

I regret not taking an elephant bull while on my first trip to Tanzania. 6k in additional trophy fee was a budget buster at the time but it would have been cheaper to borrow the money than a return trip. As ingwe says your going to keep returning anyway.

The only thought not suggested so far is not bringing ANY of the heads, skins, etc. back, at least after the first trip, unless it is some special animal that means a lot to you.

One of the biggest expenses of any safari these days is getting all those parts back. Even if you and a partner or two share a cargo box (the cost is basically the same to ship one box, no matter what's in it), it's going to cost quite a bit of money.

On most safari anymore I just take a bunch of photos. Luckily this is real easy with today's digital cameras. Buy some big-capacity memory cards, and either a converter for African electrical outlets or several batteries. If you are really serious about photos take along a digital SLR with a good telephoto lens as well as a smaller zoom lens.

+1 on going on a tour of some sort. The only safari I've done where I didn't also go on a tour was in the Okavango Delta of Botswana, and that was because being in the Okavango was better than any tour I've done elsewhere.

As for dangerous game, only if you really want it. The only one I've ever wanted as buffalo, but oftenh leopard can be taken for a reasonable price as an addition to a plains game hunt. To be honest, I am more interested in doing some bird hunting, and it is excellent in Africa, so I often take a shotgun. (Early in my African trips I asked the PH if he had a shotgun in camp that I could use, and he said yes. It turned out to be a short-barreled riot gun for following up leopard, and was useless on guinea fowl at 45 yards.)

If you even slightly interested in bird-watching, but one of the good bird guides for southern Africa. MOst PH's are avid and knowledgeable bird-watchers, often because they act as tour guides during the off-season. They don't look at "birding" as a wimpy or even subversive activity, and southern Africa is full of spectacular birds. You might also buy a good guide to African mammals. I always take both a bird and mammal guide.

A BIG +1 on the birding...

Ingwe

I'd mount far fewer trophies. I'd mount the few really outstanding top of the book animals, and the glamour game like the bongo, sable, leopard. Representative trophies I'd skip and use the money for more hunting. That's where I am now.

Although, I wish I'd had any money to go sooner, stay longer, and see more, I got started relatively early and did some very nice hunting and met some wonderful folks. Not much I'd really change. I just want to do more of the same.

I'd show up in camp in better shape. I went about 5 months after neck surgery where my neck was broken and super-glued back together. There was no avoiding being in marginal shape for the hunt, but I did regret the necessity.

i know roughly what taxidermy cost would be on my end. About how much does it cost to dip and have your stuff shipped back to the states? I know its probably a loaded question since price varies by the area i assume but any rough estimates? Also, any of you guys ever worried about traveling with large sums of cash.