Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Recommend outfitter for 1st time to Africa

Been watching the conversations a bit and want to toss a little more general planning info.

Keep in mind the actual cost of the hunt is generally broken down in several traunches of payments. The first one is generally paying the deposit to lock-in, hold and confirm your dates. Second, are the airline tickets. Third is settling the bill after the hunt. Fourth, taxidermy work and Fifth, shipping. Fourth and fifth are are interchangeable depending on if you do the taxidermy work in Africa or in the US. All these can payments are spread out over 12-18 months or more. This can help with the cashflow.

Spending $$$ on new rifle(s), optics, clothing and other kit is not always necessary and you shouldn't have to feel obligated to do so provided: a: you already have a rifle of sufficient caliber to be legal for hunting in the country you're going and/or the game you're after. Most, not all, countries have a minimum caliber or muzzle energy limit. GENERALLY, this starts at 7mm for common PG, 375 H&H Mag and up for DG. So, my point being, if you are only after PG and you already have a rifle of 7mm or larger you like and you shoot it well, you'll be fine. I've mentioned before that a 308Win with 150gr TSX loaded to 2900fps will be complete passthroughs' on broadside, thru the shoulders zebra out to 200m. Same goes for optics on the rifle and around your neck. Unless you're going to be hunting in the wide open hills of the Karroo and more than likely in the more "bushweld" areas, the bulk of your shots can be well under 200m. Leave all the fancy twisty turrets, high magnification stuff at home as they area very likely to end up costing you game. Set your point of bullet impact an inch or inch and a half high at 100m and most rifles will be dead on at 150 and two inches or so low at 200m. Just put the crosshairs on the vitals and squeeze. No or very little guess work on hold over/under required. Same with laser range finders. At the common ranges your shooting at, do your really need to lase every shot? It's more important that you spend the time practicing off standing shooting sticks. More animals are lost because clients don't take this seriously and bugger the shots.

Clothing/kit - no need to buy a bunch of new hunting clothes. If you're happy in blue jeans, wear them. If you want to buy some clothes', just buy a couple of pairs of Dickey's khaki pants and shirts. No need to buy into all the various latest cammo marketing hype or scent blockers etc. Took a guy over one time that insisted on spraying himself down from head to toe with some scent blocker nonsense. PH asked him what he was doing, client told him. I thought the PH and trackers would bust a gut laughing at him. First, you're always stalking from down wind. Second, the trackers usually seem to all smoke and tend bath somewhat...umm... infrequently etc. My general point being, a LOT of the stuff you see being pushed on the "hunting shows" is purely marketing and how they get their hunts paid for. Don't have to buy into yourself. Only thing I will say to spend money on is a GOOD pair of all leather boots or hiking boots with the least aggressive soles you can find and make sure they are well broken in.

As always....just my opinion and anyone can feel free to use or toss in the trash.

Thanks M3taco. Good info. I plan on using rented firearm for hunt. Save on fees for bringing in rifle and worry of lost/stolen or damaged gun.

As always M3Taco has lots of great advice.

I have hunted with both Hotfire and Kowas (coovas I think is the correct pronunciation) and would heartily recommend either operation.

Find out what hunting show your short list of outfits are attending and go chat with them. You’ll be spending a lot of time with them and you want it to be with someone you can get on with.

Unless you are heart set upon lots of taxidermy I would suggest European mounts, hides tanned hair on, hides tanned into leather for projects back home and lots of pictures. Use the money you save on extensive taxidermy for more trophy fees or for touring.


As always my opinion and $5 buys you a cup of coffee.

Swiftshot, with all due respect, you’re not well informed about Zimbabwean Plains Game or the areas where Zimbabwean hunts take place. It’s been a long time, but I’ve hunted in Matetsi, Deka and Charara and none of those areas have fences. Matetsi and Deka are great PG and general bag area, no fences. The Zambezi Valley is unfenced, as are most areas including Chete, Chirisa, and all other government concessions. Gwaii and Kazuma are unfenced, and I believe Malapati, Tsholotso (sp) and Chibwedziva are the same. Save, Bubye and Nuanetsi all fenced but massive unfenced acreage, hundreds of thousands of acres, inside each of them.

Lots of photos, plan on bringing back horns, and most hides? Possibly taxidermy 1 specie but unsure.

"it's been a long time" that could the issue.The reason why I've not heard of Gwaii and a couple of other areas you mentioned is because there is little interested for anyone to hunt there and the reason being they are void of game.In 2018,I've hunted in the concession adjacent to Charara,hunted Dande in 2015,and Chirisa and can state without a doubt you will be lucky to shoot an impala,baboon or a kudu in a week's hunting...Chirisa-you'll be wanking it there.

One thing I noticed when checking out the areas/results is if hyenas are taken and the size of them.If there are no hyenas in the trophy pics of outfitters you can bet there are not many plains game.If there are and they're huge then the area is full.Unless someone is shooting them because they eat the animals...but what do I know-lol?

Interesting thought, but doesn't really hold up in the majority of areas. SA for instance is 80% farm hunting. Game farmers are not real wild about predators eating their profits so they tend to eliminate them with deadly efficiency. In Zim, Bots, Zam, Moz, and Nam, some areas simply do not have a lot of predators as farmers in the area thin out predators.

I've hunted Africa since 1992 and I see more predators in Namibia which has one of the lowest carrying capacities in all of Africa. So lots of predators with a low animal density. But that has nothing to do with predation and everything to do with habitat.

As far as shooting them for trophy and/or pictures, not sure many go to Africa for Hyenas and Jackal. So using them as a ruler is difficult.

Huntersgame Safaris near Kimberley, RSA. Been three times with professional hunter Nisan Engelbrecht. His services and game are exemplary. MTG

Thanks all!

I would suggest contacting Pieter Kriel (https://huntinginafricasafaris.com/). We have hunted with him a few times and we were very pleased. You can probably still find my hunting reports on this site.

Sengwa Research for one. Well managed, huge eland and waterbuck. Great plains game and dangerous game. I have hunted the area, so it is not second hand info to me. Save is another area. It was fenced around the perimeter (over 1000 square miles) with no interior fences, last I heard the some of the perimeter fence is still down from when I was there. I have hunted a couple of concessions on the Save, saw black rhino there also.

There are others in Zim that I have not hunted so I will not comment on them.

To answer the first question South Africa is the easy button.

My first hunt was in Tanzania, never regretted it.

My suggestion would be Coutada Nine in Mozambique with Mokore Safaris. I have hunted there. Absolute paradise for hunting. No fences. East Africa feel. Reasonable rates, great experience, absolutely worth the extra money as compared to a ranch hunt. My 2 cents.

Thanks guys!

Another strong recommendation for Kowas. If you have time to go to Vegas for SCI before deciding they usually attend and you can meet them.

I have heard lots of good about Kowas Safari's in Namibia and have spoken with them several times, really good people. I am sure there are plenty of good operater's in Nambia and Botswana that are low fence free range. I have hunted 2 out three Mokore Safari's area's, C9 in Moz and Mokore Ranch in Zim, both have ton's of plains game and a huge diversity of animal's. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to either and probably will. Sengwa Research is on the short list and I will definately try and get there shortly if they get the lease back. Good luck in your search

https://agarobsafaris.com/

This is a nice family operation with 100% free range game
Reasonable pricing

Huge kudo
Free range - fair chase

If I were going first time again I would be interested in.This would be for dangerous game and plains game my style.

1-Safaris de Mozambique
2-Mashambazou Safaris with Grant Taylor
3-Mbalabala Safaris with Lindon stanton

I first went with Limcroma. Shot a few with bow and a few with rifle. All high fence. Always an argument with the PH to not shoot out of the vehicle. I thought, "been there; done that; it was fun; never going back."

I had a couple of friends talk me into to going to Namibia with Kowas and for that matter, may of discussed it with Biebs (can't remember). I've since been back multiple times with them and bringing various friends and family members each trip. Kowas hunts hundreds of thousands of acres of primarily low-fence. Spot and stalk, sporting and a lot of fun.

I haven't traveled internationally since COVID but am getting the itch to brave the New World (pun intended) and go back.

I would 100% recommend Kowas for a good experience and for those who enjoy a great hunt involving spot and stalk as opposed to just shooting stuff.

Matetse. I passed on eland and hyena.









There's buffalo too...