Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa cheap Safari?

Thanks, that's kind of what I figured ... Guess I'm going to break down and buy the 300 Weatherby Southgate (FN action) for $800 that I've been looking at and plan for a plains game hunt first. I can probably afford to book that later this spring for the following year.

Chuck

Well, I actually contacted an individual that a friend used once and he was pretty cool. His name was Rick (I forget his last name) but I contacted him about shooting a buff and the pricing was not too bad. With that said he sent me all the information, that I do not still have, and pricing through email. I apparently stayed on his list because i got at least one a week with hunts that were really cheap because the people that booked the couldnt go. Most of these hunts were plains game and i really wanted to hunt cape buffalo. With all the jabberin' im doing i mean to say that he actually moved not too far from me and is my friend on facebook. If you want i can contact him and, if its not against the rules here, give you his contact info

Colorado,

JJ is certainly more experienced and knowledgable than I am on hunting Africa and his points are good ones. However, if you're like me and your true desire is just to hunt Buffalo, then don't let what he has said deter you. Yes, you will have to pay a higher daily rate to hunt "dangerous game" as buffalo is classified and the trophy fee on a buff is certainly high in most places. But, there are places, like Zimbabwe, where you can hunt buff as your primary animal and still have plenty of opportunity to hunt plains game as well, some of it top quality too. And the plains game trophy fees are not usually that high. So, if you shoot your buff the first day, you can spend all the rest of your time chasing Kudu, Impala, Eleand, Warthog, Sable, etc., so its not just a one and done deal. Now Zim does have it's problems, issues, etc., political and otherwise, but relatively speaking you can do a pretty inexpensive buff/plains game hunt there without too many issues. I do know that if you're wanting to hunt buff in RSA, the trophy fees seem to be really high as compared to other areas. I'm not sure how the daily rates to hunt buff in RSA and other countries compare.
Test

Thanks Test, I hadn't narrowed down anything yet, but I do really want a good buff hunt. I guess that's why I going to the SCI convention in Reno, meet some people, get a real feel for cost and quality. I'm on the AR forum too and a bunch are going to SCI.

Thanks again Test,

Chuck

Sure thanks deerhunter. I'm sure you can PM me and that should be within the rules..

Chuck

The hunt in Zim and anyplace else is not drastically different. Add up every part of the trip and you will see that in RSA a buffalo will be around 10-12K but it's all inclusive for everything. From the moment you walk off the plane til you get back on.

Everyplace else will be daily fee, trophy fee, additional hotel and flights, and permits and on and on. I've not met many folks who have done this for much under 10K in any country when they added up all the little stuff. Yet when they hear 10-12K in RSA they freak out. The point is if it were so much cheaper in other locations RSA would not have many buffalo hunters. To the contrary it's often hard to find an available hunt in RSA for buffalo.

JJ,
Yes, I agree that each hunt is going to cost you about the same, no matter the country and there is a lot to be said for the relative safety of RSA hunting as opposed to hunting in Zim. My biggest point was simply that if you really want to hunt buff, there are other places to look than just one country.

Colorado, the SCI convention is a great place to really get the details on any hunt you're considering. You'll have an opportunity to ask all your questions and hopefully actually talk to a PH that you might actually hunt with. That way, you'll know ahead of time if he is the type of guy you'd want to spend a few weeks with or not. If you've got any experienced friends that have hunted a lot in Africa and keep up with things, they can also be very valuable in steering you either towards or away from outfits that have certain reputations. Meeting these types of people at SCI or at your local SCI meetings can be a tremendous help. And...asking questions here or on AR is very helpful. There are people here like JJ that are a wealth of experience and knowledge that are very helpful.
Test

Thanks Test,

Chuck

Guys,

I hope no-one minds me clearing up a few misconceptions here.

Prices for Buff hunts do vary enormously, not only from area to area but also from country to country.

The other thing that changes dramatically is the type of hunting expperience you get and that also changes from area to area and country to country and that's why you need to do your research before you go along to a convention. If you wait until you get there to do your research, you won't be anywhere near knowing everything you need to know.

I'll give you an example:

If you book a Buff hunt in SA, you'll either be hunting a fenced area or an area adjacent to a park and although there may not be a fence between the hunting area and the park, there almost certainly will be a fence at the other end of the hunting area. In either case, the animals will be considerably more habituated to humans and vehicles than game in a true wilderness area such as Mozambique or Tanzania etc.

If you book a hunt in Mozambique, it'll be a tough hunt due to temperature, terrain and the fact that (perhaps excluding a very few areas such as the Zambezi Delta etc) the Buff are incredibly skittish and once they rumble you, will literally run for miles whereas in some areas such as the Selous Reserve in Tanzania, they'll be more inclined to run a couple of hundred yards.

If you book a hunt in Zim, camps will probably be more comfortable and convenient and despite the political problems etc, general infrastructure is still reasonably established. However, here especially, you need to make very sure you hunt with the right people. Hunt with a srong 'un or on the wrong area and not only will you have a bad hunt and possibly not get your trophies, you may well find yourself tied up with Lacey Act problems at a later date.

If you hunt in Tanzania which incidentally according to the Franfurt Zoological Society has more Buff than ALL the other southern and east African countries combined, you'll probably see more Buff in a day than you'd see in a week in many other places. Weather here is more tolerable than many other places, but even here, areas can vary dramatically. For example a concession in the Selous Reserve is almost always (note the word almost) gonna be better than a buffer zone.

If you hunt the newly issued true wilderness areas in Uganda, you'll probably get the best trophy quality of all the aforementioned hunts, and entry into the country etc is the easiest of them all. Areas are huge and haven't been hunted in 30 years. This hunt will probably be the wildest of all the hunts and not for the faint hearted. So again, a very different hunt to the others...... but a tremendous adventure!

Regarding prices, you can pay anything from less that US$10K to something in the region of US$50K for a Buff hunt. Sure, they're all Buff hunts but they're all very different hunting experiences and all very different prices.

The key is to do your research properly, extensively and slowly and that's the only way you'll get the best package for your own individual needs, tastes and finances. If you wait till you get to the conventions to do your research, it'll be way too late!

I'll also say that most people who hunt Africa are usually fairly experienced hunters in their own right and their own country and consequently a plains game only hunt is to a large extent, just a repeat of their previous hunting experiences with animals that have got different horns etc.

Bearing in mind how expensive flights are nowadays and that time is such a valuable commodity nowadays, it's far better to book a combined dangerous and plains game hunt so you make the most of your time here and the most of your money spent getting here.

Hope that helps and don't hesitate to contact me by email or PM if you need further advice.

Just found some pics that will illustrate how camps and obviously prices can vary. Other factors that can affect price are things like some of these have the nearest shops & fuel etc an hours drive away and others a days drive away.

All are good camps & areas but as is obvious, some will cost considerably more than others.

Thanks, Steve. I think your advice is spot on and is definitely helpful. I suppose my advice and statements were a little short sighted in the fact that I was thinking of only comparisons between RSA and Zim and not really thinking of all the other choices when I said prices would be similar. Obviously, to anyone who has looked, buff hunting in Tanzania is much more costly than in these other countries. I do think after the pricing was analyzed, that most hunts in RSA, Zim, and perhaps Moz might be very similar, although I'm sure you could find some below and above the average in all countries. I also agree that SCI isn't the place to start doing your research. However, I think Colorado has obviously started looking at things already so would have a good start and would know the right questions to ask. I certainly wouldn't recommend booking a hunt at SCI unless you have already done all your research and are certain about who you want to hunt with.

I hadn't previously heard hunting in Moz described like you do, but seeing what the countryside looks like in pictures, I can certainly believe it. Uganda is definitely intriguing, but is still a little unknown as to what kind of hunt you might end up with. If I had a ton of money lying around, I'd definitely give that a try since it sounds like a fun hunt. I also fully agree with you about combining plains game with DG to maximize time and money, especially for the experienced hunter.

Thanks again for taking the time.
Test

Test,

The true wilderness areas in Uganda are only going commercial in 2010 and I'd bet a pound to a pinch of the brown stuff that by 2015, it'll be challenging Tanzania as the jewel in the crown of African hunting....... The areas haven't been hunted for over 30 years and the trophy quality, esp the Buff is simply breathtaking!