Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Cost wise Africa vs. American Elk ?

Wait, you are leaving something out.

Elk hunt at $12k and is one trip.

Africa if $14k for ten animals and etc. on the FIRST trip only. Then there is the next trip for Cape buffalo, then the next one for sable and more Cape buffalo, then CAR for Lord Derby eland, and then the one to "just to see Cape Town and Victoria Falls" that includes 5 days to hunt kudu, nyala and bushbuck. The fever gets you.

Shhhhhhhh�..dont tell him that!


I could use some company in the poor house�...

Elk doesn't have to be that expensive. If you are a decent hunter you can go unguided anywhere in the west except a wyoming wilderness hunt. Even guided the going rate is about $5000 + the cost of a tag so figure $5750. Domestic airfare is cheap and driving is about the same but you can take your own gear and camp.

I know lots of out of state hunters that do an elk hunt for less than $2500 with everything included. Yes, you only get one animal but there are no malaria or other infectious disease concerns and the list could go on.

You can buy OTC tags at a lot of indian reservations for less than a grand if you want too. Most of those are not for trophy bulls but some are. Do your research.

One of the problems with elk is that unless you draw a tag for a decent trophy area, hunting public land is a crap-shoot, especially if you're looking for "just a decent 6-point bull," as many first-time hunters put it, since they know they probably won't kill a B&C the first time out.

Probably because of the Internet and hunting magazines, they think any area offers a chance at a good bull if they just work hard. But they apparently don't look at overall success rates, especially on public land, where it can be great elk country but if the weather fails to cooperate it can also suck.

Yeah, there are ways to have a good chance "a decent 6-point bull," but the surest way is to pay closer to $10,000 than $5000 for a guided hunt on private land. And right there you're talking an African safari. The second-surest way is to draw a tag for a good trophy area, but even that doesn't always work out.

There are no guarantees in most African hunting either, but the numbers of animals over there have always been a LOT higher than elk density on typical National Forests in the Rockies.

The only thing I've never understood is how MORE equals better for so many.

As so many have already pointed out --there is no comparison.

It doesn't matter how "cheap" Africa may be, If you want an elk you hunt over here and you can even take the meat home !

Most of the cheaper African hunts being talked about here are on game farms, no? And to compare a game farm hunt to a vermejo ranch elk hunt is a bit like comparing apples oranges.

Compare the Vermejo rates to a moderate safari cost. I could do two hunts in Africa for the cost of a Vermejo hunt.

As to Scott's question, more means a vast variety of animals, all different in character. Some like this; others are happy with one. I worked just as hard for my kudu as I have for any of my elk, except for the climbing. A bushbuck will give a hunter fits and is no pushover. And, things don't end at the first BANG in Africa.

I DO love to eat elk, however!

Well, as JJHack pointed out, you can't always bring elk meat home--even if you hunt in Canada! Though I have never had any problem bringing game meat home across either the Canadian or Mexican borders. Have brought whitetail, mule deer, caribou, elk and moose meat from Canada many times, and deer from Mexico. Have even brought gamebirds back from South America.

You can bring meat back from Africa if it's been cured and sealed, which essentially means commercially packaged biltong (jerky) or canned meat, and not much of either. Though I did smuggle some homemade, unsealed buffalo biltong back inside my hunting boots many years ago, though that was before the general use of "biltong beagles" (or other breeds) in U.S. airports.

If you want to bring home meat from African animals, the place to go is Texas. In fact I do believe Texas was invented to make exotic meat-hunting possible. Yeah, most of the game will be fenced, but not all.

If you mostly want elk meat, there are many ways to go on an relatively inexpensive hunt. But most non-residents want "a decent 6-point" or even bigger, and many don't care about the meat. A very few are mostly interested in the meat on their first hunt, but for others it takes a while to reach that point, usually when there's no more room for elk antlers in their home--which may only take one shoulder-mount.

I don't have much interest in 6-point antlers anymore, and two years ago went hunting for the first legal bull in range. It turned out to be a pretty good 6-point, but I was lucky enough to be hunting on a ranch....

The dollar amounts I posted was an attempt to try and compare as accurate as possible apple to apple

Fully outfitted with all meals and lodging plus all transportation. Just bring your rifle and clothes.

Yes you can hunt elk inexpensively and I still do. The diy hunts out of a tent are the most rewarding withoutout a doubt IMO but that being said I have also wrote a big check for the easy route......
I hunted Vermijo in 2008 and the T-O a year later

As a hunting experience there is no comparison.....African or US because they truly are different but each is great in their own ways

The one true fact that can't be disputed......hunting out of state or out of country will cost you money

I have hunted elk about 10 times, mostly archery. Some have been public land and some private ranch where there were good opportunities at 300+ inch bulls. I have not hunted the real high end $12,000 plus types of hunts for elk.

And I am headed to Africa this Monday, for my third safari. All in, this safari will cost in the high teens because I am after buffalo. That buffalo essentially doubles the cost of this hunt This is an eight day hunt and I hope to arrow 5-6 animals.
Elk hunting is fun, but for me, the economic and experience value of a safari completely out weighs an elk hunt of any type.
Each to his own.

That's been a longtime conundrum for me as well.

For sure, MORE doesn't necessarily mean better, but it also doesn't mean worse.

I've gone on many multi-species big game hunts in North America, in fact usually do so every year within a half-hour of my house here in Montana, where encountering a whitetail or mule deer, elk or black bear is a distinct possibility, and there's also a chance of running into a wolf or mountain lion, all of which are legal game. But have also had tags for two or more species in my pocket during more than one hunt in Alaska and Canada--or even in other western states, whether deer and elk or deer and pronghorn. Have even hunted both whitetails and mule deer on the same hunt in Alberta. It ain't exactly painful.

Well, maybe because that's what the OP's thread title suggested.

I agree with you John.

I'm not sure why some on this thread are acting so dense. Its a simple concept:

1) In North America, multi-species hunts are becoming more rare and more costly. There is no guarantee that you even see a legal animal, let alone have an opportunity on a legal animal that you have licences for. I had a friend that went with a reputable outfitter for caribou in the Northwest Territories. Licenced for 2, didn't see one that they could harvest. The herd changed their route and the outfitter didn't move to the new route. I saw a recent ad in the Safari Club newsletter that advertised a 3 day hunt for whitetails in Saskatchewan for $6500. The hunter that goes on that may never see a whitetail, let alone get a chance at a buck that Saskatchewan is famous for.

2) In Africa, at least on private land, you will find a nice trophy and be able to harvest it. The animal may not be what you set out to harvest, but the opportunity presented itself and you were allowed to take it. That is a nice feature of an ala carte hunt. Opportunity is only limited by the landowner restrictions and your pocketbook.

For a price comparison, compare the above whitetail hunt with my recent safari in South Africa. My trophy fees for 11 animals was about $6500. My total hunt cost (including taxes and trophy fees) for my wife and I was just over $10,000 for 10 days.

Before you bleat about the cost of airfare check this out. If I wanted to fly from Calgary to Saskatoon for the above noted whitetail hunt, the cost is $650. I flew from Calgary to East London South Africa for $1770. Doesn't make sense does it? Given the distance travelled, the airfare to SA is a bargain.

Some of you are going on about "its game fenced". So what? I hunt every year in Alberta on private land. It is almost all fenced. It is not game fenced, but the fences DO restrict travel for some species (pronghorn) and young of the year. In South Africa "game proof" fences do not mean that all animals are restricted to that property. Hotfire had eland. The eland decided they wanted to be somewhere else, so they left. Sometimes they come back, but mostly they are gone. On the farms I was on, I found several locations where animals crawled under or through "game proof fences". Also, these fences NEVER impacted the hunting of the critters. If they are hunted, they are wild and use the terrain and cover just like a whitetail here. If you think getting close enough to a springbok, black wildebeest on the plains is easy, think again. I was belly crawling though 10" high grass getting with in range. Ditto kudu etc. You may find them and see them, doesn't mean you are getting a shot at them. Blesbok on Hotfire act more like bighorn sheep. Good luck if they are positioned on that slope and the wind isn't cooperative. Maybe some shooters could make that 800yd shot, but I doubt it in those common high winds at that altitude.

I will make one point about opportunity. In Alberta, I last held a buck antelope tag in 2008. I'll be lucky to get a tag by 2018. It took me 5 years to get a mule deer buck tag. It will take my second daughter 6 or more years to get a MD buck tag. (Alberta now has nearly 4 million people and we have had some rough winters lately) Hey, I'll go to Silver Sage Outfitters and buy one of they hunts/tags. Nope, can't do that, I'm an Alberta resident. I'm not allowed to do that. Then cost. 3 day rifle antelope - $4200. Pretty pricey.

So is African hunting better? Yes and no. Even though it is a relative bargain, it is still pricey. I can't afford to do it every year, course I never thought I could do it until I started pricing it out. Everything JB says about elk hunting is correct. I've always done it myself, usually in areas where I am restricted as to where I can hunt them. They sure do learn the sunrise/sunset tables and where they are safe. I've spent a lot of dawns watching elk that jumped the fence onto no hunting property just before legal light or watched as they waited to leave the sanctuary until after legal light.

But I am primarily a deer and antelope hunter. It chokes me that because of more big game hunters in Alberta, I seldom have a MD buck tag or ANY antelope tag anymore.

So, I came back from South Africa on May 30th. Would I go back? I'm already plotting when we can afford to go. My non-hunting wife is the same. WE can't wait to go again. Our hosts are like our new best friends. They'll be here in January for the Africa Show and I can't wait. I was going to "hunter host" him for mule deer, but we are no longer able to enter a non resident alien in the draws. If he wants a MD, he'll have to use a guide.

To me, the better value is hunting in Africa. However, I recognize that if you haven't shot an elk etc., that may be your priority and all the power to you.

If you can swing it, hunt Africa while you can.

The terms, 'Cost', and 'Value', often get attached to hunts and their comparisons. It's not an apples to apples comparison, it's not even apples to oranges- it's apples to airplanes.
By that I mean- within broad limits, a hunt, whether it's for elk in the Rockies, or plains game in Africa, or anything else anywhere else in the world, is a very subjective experience. It's not even about how much it cost, or how many trophies end up on the wall, but it is often measured in terms of the experience.
Now- if your measure of success, given that you have shelled out a fair amount of money for your hunt, is absolutely a head or ten on the wall, then you have valued the success of the experience in those terms. If, however, you enjoyed the hunt, the trip, the side excursions to sightsee, or take in the local culture, or share the experience with a spouse or family, then the hunt or trip takes on a different meaning, and the memories and shared experience become of prime importance.
I've had my share of guided, unsuccessful hunts, mostly for elk. They were unsuccessful because I chose not to shoot small bulls, not because of lack of opportunity. If I were to value those hunts in terms of dollars spent vs. meat in the freezer, or horns on the wall, those elk became some very high-priced game, cost-wise.
Some years ago, I went on an Alaskan Brown Bear hunt, in the Aleutian Island chain of SW Alaska. After 9 days, we found a 10+ foot brownie, which I was fortunate enough to take. Upon arriving home, one of my friends, upon seeing the pictures and finally the mounted bear, decided he had to have one for himself. Over the next few years, he went on two long, and unsuccessful, bear hunts, both with reputable outfitters. Completely disillusioned with the experience, he basically gave up on hunting altogether. Obviously, his cost-per-inch of bear hide was infinite!

Bighorn,

Very eloquently stated. I concur.

Agree. A hunt is a complete experience. I can say that an African plains game hunt and a DIY elk hunt in the Rockies are two completely different experiences. They are both fantastic! But they are great for very different reasons. Africa, to me, is about experiencing something I had only read about, about seeing massive numbers of game and countless variety. It's about bourbon around a fire at night, riding around in the bakke with the PH, stalking in a land where you are certainly not the top of the food chain, learning a craft from the PH, judging animals and simply seeing a different part of the world. DIY Elk in the Rockies is brutally hard, the altitude, the dry air, the steepness, the distances, living in a tent and eating minimal meals, fatigue, and then if you shoot something it gets real hard. A successful elk hunt is a tremendous reward.

I really think they each have their place. I can tell you that as I get older there is going to come a day when sleeping in a bed and having trackers and skinners doing the hard work will have great appeal.

Yeah I got there about 10 years ago. My horse wranglin', Rocky trekkin' days are over. Give me a cocktail and warm bed at the end of the day!

Me too! Been checking out places lately that leave a mint on the pillow each night!


And I don't feel guilty about it! Ive climbed enough mountains, and packed enough game off of them...