The subject of questionable hunts comes up quite frequently and with good reason.
One of the challenges to (especially) the newer South African operators is that, as one builds up a larger client base and become better known in the industry, there seems to be a higher demand and more enquiries for DG hunts. The thing is that SA has its limitations in terms of available opportunities as far as DG is concerned and the DG that is available comes at such a high price that it makes it difficult to competitively price your DG hunts. Truth is that the prices for DG in South Africa is so high that one often ends up selling these hunts at only a marginal profit - just to book the hunt and keep the client happy.
So what are our options?
- Getting in touch with recognized and reputable operators in countries such as Zimbabwe / Mozambique and working out a deal with them to take your clients there is one. In most cases one would get a commission on Operator's standard rates and whilst still not particularly profitable - you can now offer your clients a DG hunt for a market-related price.
or
- Working with lesser known Operators in other countries who offer rates that you can add your own margin on.
Unfortunately; one of the pitfalls that many SA Operators step into is to fall for offers from those "Safari Companies" in e.g. Zimbabwe who are "legal" according to the rules of the land, but who do not have the experience or know-how to see the process of the hunt through from beginning to end.
I will use two examples to illustrate my point...
Example 1:
Some years ago I received a text message from a Zimbabwean telephone number with wording - something to the effect of:
7 day Zim buffalo hunt incl. trophy fee - $5,000. Contact XXX for details
Out of interest I contacted the individual, asked him for more information and on the face of it he seemed to have his house in order and was a indeed a licensed Zim Operator. Upon asking for references and contact details of clients who had hunted with him I received email addresses (yahoo and gmail) of three references whom I contacted via email. All three wrote back with glowing reports of their experiences in Zim but when I asked them for their telephone numbers none of them responded. I decided not to waste more time... Some years later while hunting with a reputable operator in Zim I asked about "Mr X" and based on the feedback I got my decision to discontinue talks with Mr. X was a very good one... Mr X was owing money to many people and did not have a good reputation for getting his clients' trophies out of Zimbabwe...
Very recently, a SA Operator advertised a "questionable" hunt in Zim on another forum and forum members queried the details of the hunt which sounded "too good to be true" - asking for the name of the licensed Zim Operator. For some reason the SA Operator seemed to become defensive but did eventually post the name of the Zim Operator... I was not surprised when I saw the name of "Mr X" popping up...
Example 2:
An aquaintance of mine booked a hunt through a South African Operator who was in turn working with a Zim Operator. The hunt was successful and all appeared to be in order... until my aquaintance started making enquiries about the status of his leopard tag... What followed was a series of explanations as to why the leopard tag had not been issued as yet. First he was told that Zim Parks didn't have any tags in stock, then that the Zim PH didn't have transport and could not get to Park's offices to get the tag, then another and so it carried on... Finally - almost 6 months later and after my intervention on behalf of my aquaintance - it turned out that the actual reason for the delay was some dispute between the Zim Operator and a landowner regarding outstanding fees for a bait animal that was shot during another hunt. My aquaintance had paid for his hunt ($30K+) immediately upon completion thereof, the landowner was paid what was due to him immediately after this... But the he wouldn't give his cooperation because of a bait animal costing $150 that had nothing to do with my aquaintance's hunt! Fortunately, the matter was resolved and the tag issued but it could have turned out much different...
In conclusion:
It is our responsibility as Service Providers to excercise due dilligence in "who we work with" and "where we work" before offering a hunt to any client (current or prospective). Sadly; economical reasons / prospective profits sometimes tempt us not to excercise such dilligence and this is where things can go seriously wrong. The problem is that, whilst one may may an extra buck or two by working with someone such as that described in Example 1, the damage one can do to your own reputation is irreparable and simply not worth it.