Does anyone have experience, or know anything about KMG Hunting Safaris and/or PH Marius Goosen, near Grahamstown, East Cape? I find no reviews and he is not a member of the PHASA. I asked for references and haven't gotten but one from 4 years ago.

Any info, tid bits, or whatever, would be sincerely appreciated!

Scott

Scott, never heard of them. They may be a great/new outfit. However, I'd make a suggestion. If they aren't a member of PHASA, and this is your 1st trip to Africa, I'd keep looking. There are a lot of reputable outfitter, in RSA. Ask them for some references, and check each of them out!!!

Here is who we hunted with in 2008, and they are great.


www.cruisersafaris.com/


maddog

what maddog said......

Thanks fellas! I wanted to clarify that I asked him for references and the only one he has provided so far is a guy from a hunt 4 yrs ago. I am not about to commit to anything anytine soon.

Scott

These guys are good enough for me to hunt with 7 times:

http://www.johnxsafaris.com/

Also contact Campfires own JJHack

+ 1 on Jim Hackewicz. I will book a hunt with him as soon as I have the money to do so (post huge alimony payments)

as I am someone in the industry, a single reference from four years ago spells major issues. mewmbership in PHASA is a lot like membership in SCI-- some swear by it, some swear at it.

However, if the folks can't give you references from the last two years thgat , to me, would be an indicator of trouble, or at least potential trouble, Those folks may be salt of the earth, but of they only have one reference for you, the hunting is more than likely a sidelight, not a profession.,

Scott, if that is all he can come up with for a new potential client.....run, don't walk, and get very far away. Trust me on this one.


maddog

Hi Guys,
I hope I am allowed to defend myself. I have been viewing these threads and thought I would leave it at first, but changed my mind. To answer all your questions. With regards to the references , I actaully have a couple available. I got Scott's email on my way to the airport to Cape Town and had a reference's details on hand so just gave him the info as I left. KMG Hunting Safaris has been up and running for about a year now since I split from another outfitter due to ethical issues. So yes my outfit is still young, but my experience not.I use exactly the same concessions as before , but simply under my own name.
As DanD mentioned, thats exactly the reason I am not a member of PHASA. Without bad mouthing them, there is no advantage whatsoever in paying them a huge amount of money, just to hide behind their logo. PHASA is not compulsury and far too many chancers out there, use them as a shield to hide behind simply to increase their business.
I DONT have to join PHASA to come across as ethical. Ethics is one of the corner stone's that KMG is built on, not for a marketing tool, but because that is what I apply and that is what I believe in. Maybe in the future , I will join them, but I have no doubt that my honesty and passion for this wonderful God-given blessing in hunting will persevere.
So please post your questions , then I can answer them accordingly.( Before you run, (not walk) away...)

Marius,

You sound like a good lad and look forward to a report on your operation. I know you have posted details of your website but maybe best to tell the members a little about you and your outfit?

Note there are many PH's in Zambia that are not members of our association but it does carry some credibility and my advise is to join PHASA for what it is worth.

Cheers

Andrew

All -

I would like to add that I have been communicating with Marius a great deal the last couple weeks since posting my query and feel very comfortable with him and KMG Safaris. I'm looking forward to hunting with him next year and hopefully I will return with a glowing report!

Scott

Scott, thats great! Need lotsa pics, with the report...


maddog

I totally agree with Marius and Andrew regarding memberships. I am a member with PHASA and SCI. It sure does not make me a more ethical hunter, no, I love the Lord and his creation for that reason I hunt ethical and respect nature.

There is a lot of very good outfits and PH's out there that are more ethical than some members. I have to say though that PHASA was the very first guys that ended Dawie Groenewalds membership regarding unethical hunting in early 2000.

I am a new member to this forum, I am member to few other forums, I never seen so many dirty laundry been washed on a hunting forum. We all believe in the same things, to enjoy God's creation and to manage it. Lets keep it that way.

Hunting is my passion! It is my way of living! Hunting feeds my family, pay school fees and let me live my dream. So "LIVE YOUR DREAM" and hunt Africa!

I know this is a old thread, but I just noticed it. In case somebody looks at it, I can verify that Marius of KMG is one of the most respected operators in the East Cape, if not all of RSA.

I have hunted with him twice, taking 10 animals including Cape Buffalo and can tell you he is not only great at his job but is a man of the utmost integrity both hunting wise and business wise.

I will be taking a group of 3-4 hunters back with KMG in July of 2024 for my third trip with him. I would not bring my friends all the way to RSA to hunt with him if I did not have 100% faith in Marius.

As far as as membership in organizations...I am a licensed charter captain in Michigan and I never chose to join the Michigan Charter Boat Association because I got nothing from it except the opportunity to forfeit some of my money and the right to say I am a member. So I get why people don't join associations. That said, Marius is a respected member of DSC and SCI, which to me is way more important.

During COVID, Marius had several hunts cancelled. One I know of was for elephant. When the COVID restrictions were lifted, the elephant prermits were still cancelled where he was contracted to hunt with a hunter. The only way he could complete his contracted hunt was to move the hunt to Zimbabwe, where the permit cost him $Thousands more than it was going to cost him when the contract was made and where the fees to use the hunting camp were significantly higher than where he would have hunted originally. Marius ate the additional costs and conducted the hunt for the fee's he had contracted even though he lost money on the hunt. That should tell you all you need to know about Marius at KMG.

I highly recommend that anybody looking to hunt in RSA consider KMG seriously. You would not be disappointed.


I have no business relationship with KMG other than that of a highly satisfied, repeat customer of KMG and I am happy to take PMs from anybody and/or talk on the phone about my hunts with Marius.

I hunted with Marius a few years ago and cannot recommend him highly enough, First class operation and a real hunter!!!

Check out Africa hunting.com

Please feel free to use me as a reference.

Unless I'm mistaken I often see Marius post on Accurate Reloading Forums. Can't say I've seen anything negative about his operations.

Marius seems like a nice guy. You don't hear anything bad about him. I've messaged with him a couple of times.

Now this is going to anger some people. Marius does not own a lodge. He owns no property. Therefore, he has little overhead compared to an outfitter who owns property and game.

KMG contracts a lodge in the area they will be hunting in. They lease property to hunt and buy the game animals. This allows them to make a profit while undercutting outfitters who must maintain their property and manage their game.

Like a locust, these outfits move into an area, denude the leased properties of mature animals over 1-3 years and then move on to the next property.

Its a business model I cannot support. Its not as bad as places like HuntersHill which is a put and take hunting operation, but KMG has no skin in the game. JMHO

Sounds like overhead to me? No other PH leases land? If he is raping the land, why are landowners leasing to him?

Thank you for your comments, but you could not be more wrong sir.

Over the 13 years as an outfitter, I've only ever operated from two areas. First, I was in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. I operated out of there from 2010 until mid 2019. I was also a 50% owner there with a beautiful lodge built on the property. Around 2018, I sold my 50% share. I still use this lodge, especially for Tiny 10 since there are species that occur in this area not found from our base camp.

I felt that I wanted to move away from the "Commercial" model that South Africa is known for, and be able to offer hunters more wild experience and a chance to hunt free range areas in South Africa. I've been in this area since 2019.

Are you not perhaps thinking of someone else?

While your description of his operational model is accurate (Leases property and uses lodge open to the public), your description of how the relationship between landowners and PH's works and the ethics of this PH specifically is completely off base and for the most part nonsensical.

Any landowner with a brain will limit the harvest of animals on his property, because if they did not they would soon be unable to lease their property. They are not stupid. I know for a FACT that Marius specifically works with the landowners to set harvest quotas that allow for the take of some of each species per property but only enough to allow the animals to maintain high numbers of animals and to maintain good trophy quality.

A land owner would have to be a moron to allow what you described (over harvest of animals) because they would soon be out of business and a PH that did not maintain a good population of quality animals on the land he leases would have a lot of unhappy hunters...which is most certainly not the case with KMG.

Marius is filled every year with repeat customers, like me. I am going back for my 3rd hunt wiht KMG in 2024. Repeat hunters like me are the norm not the exception.

I found your comments humorous and obviously not coming from real knowledge of the situation.

sako and ab.....not directed towards kmg......the idea that leasing ... not owning ...land or a lodge is undercutting or cheaper doesnt make sense .

who do you think pays for the cost?...he gets a deal out of the goodness of the land owners heart?

I dont know Marius but I hear good things about him....business 101.....bob

The beauty of the KMG business model is that he can go where ever he needs to in order to get me what I want. He isn't locked into one ranch or property.

During my last hunt with KMG last July, we traveled and overnighted at two different properties/lodges in addition to the main lodge in order to get the animals I wanted.

Every animal I killed was so old, their teeth were worn down to the gums. Every one was probably in their last year of life, which made them the perfect animals to harvest conservation wise. They were all past prime breeding age.

So much for killing off all the good trophy animals LOL

No outfitter is locked to one ranch/farm, if they don't want to be. However, some own a property which comes with an overhead that a lessor does not, to the same level.

Marius, I stand corrected in your case. Please accept my sincere apology.

If you are in the Eastern Cape this April and our paths cross, I'll buy you a coffee or a beer, your choice. I'll be bouncing around a lot as I have taken most of the species in the Cathcart/Queenstown area.