Planning An African Safari

Some outfitters will sell their safaris based on the luxury of their camp. When an outfitter sits down with you and spends more time talking about the camp instead of the hunting experience, you have to beware and start asking questions. Even the nicest camp can turn into a nightmare if you are in a camp with people you don’t want to be in camp with. If the area is big enough and the camp is big enough you could possibly have another hunter or party in camp with out any friction. Just make sure you are aware of this up front. The outfitter will have an idea of the personalities of the people he has put together in both parties. He may not know for sure that you will get along but he has an idea. If possible I would still try to get the camp to myself even if it meant switching my safari dates by a week of so. If the outfitter contacts you two months before the safari date and says I have a hunter that had to cancel and wants to make up his date. Do you mind if he hunts in your camp with another P.H.? Talk to your outfitter about your feelings on the subject on how it will affect your hunt. If you say no there‘s not much he can do about it. Remember as much as it’s your experience try to understand that the P.H. is just trying to make a living and that hunting is his lively hood. What are trophy fees? The price that you pay to shoot the animal is your trophy fee. Each animal has it’s own price and some will vary according to it’s trophy status or level. As I stated before the area and the number and size of trophy animals available will have a bearing on the fee that’s charged. If the trophy fee is high for a particular animal it may be because the animals are usually prolific and they are very good. If you find a very low trophy fee you should be aware of some things. What is the numbers of animals in the area? You don’t want to arrive in an area to get your primary specie and find out yes we have them but not very many. You need to know what the chances are of getting your animal. It’s one thing if the wind was wrong or you couldn’t get in position for the shot. Hunting is hunting but you still need a fair crack the animal. For example some outfitters charge let’s say $1,800 for a kudu bull less than 54 inches. A bull measuring over that length may have a trophy fee of $2,200 on him. This is information that you will want to weigh in on your spreadsheet to help you make an educated decision on where you will hunt and who with. Personally I prefer a pricing system with one set price per animal regardless of it size. What about package hunts? Package hunts are usually very appealing at first glance. They will have the daily rate rolled in with the trophy fees for the animals in the package. It will appear to be a sweet deal. But you should take a hard look at the animals being offered. A lot of the time there will be 4-5 animals in the deal. They will probably include the smaller species like steenbok or duiker with maybe an impala or warthog thrown in. These are the get you there animals. Sometimes there might even be a blue or black wildebeest as the main attraction. When you get to Africa for the first time you will likely have never seen the animals in the package in real life. The animals that he puts you on during your hunt will most likely not be the best of the bunch. That’s why the outfitter can offer you such a great deal on the package. You’re not going through all the trouble of your safari just to get a couple of small animals. Most outfitters are expecting you to buy some of the more expensive more desirable species once you get there. Taking something extra is not a problem but substituting animals in the package is usually not allowed. Understand that for most outfitters you will pay the entire package price whether you get the opportunity to shoot them all or not. This is why I would not recommend a package hunt. But if you find a package you like, be sure you understand the payment agreement.