Support your AH Outfitters - with reasons

As there has been a lot of talk lately about internet marketing of hunts, economic issue with hunt prices, and questionable (morally and legally) hunt offers; something has really struck me....why wouldn't everyone looking at this website book with one of the many great outfitters who post here?

I have reasons for this:

1. The hunt will be guaranteed to be ethical and promises will be delivered upon.

"Hey Tom, how can you guarantee that"? Easy...the outfitters here will have to be transparent in all of their dealings as the results of the hunt (satisfactory or not) will most likely be broadcast on the internet for all to see. If the hunter has a great time (which i bet they do!), the results and pictures are posted. If they have a bad time, they are posted as well. See my point here, the outfitter MUST do the things he says because if he doesn't his entire reputation is on the line every single hunt with AH members.

2. It serves the outfitter to make sure the AH forum member has a great hunt. He gets someone on the forum who has hunted with him...instant credibility. People like to go places and purchase things that others say is "good" or have some experience with.

3. No name outfitters have nothing to lose by offering a crappy hunt. Think about it. XYZ safaris places an ad in the back of a hunting magazine or even has a booth at a show. Client decides to hunt with XYZ. Has a rough experience. Game quality and quantity is not up to promises or expectations. Accommodation and food are low budget. Attention to detail is non-existent. At the end of the hunt Client may be upset, but XYZ safaris knows that there isn't a damn thing the Client can do about it!

Now, if Client hunts with a named and active outfitter on AH and has any of these issues, the outfitter will do everything they can to resolve the situation in order to maintain their good name and reputation.

Simple.

The only question is...why would you hunt with anyone but a supporting or active member of AH??

I agree with you Tom. There are a lot of great outfitters out there. And it would benefit a outfitter greatly to get some publicity by having a forum member hunt with them. There are a lot of great deals out there. And I wish every one you going hunting in 2011, the best of luck. I have meet a least half of the outfitters in person listed in the South Africa Outfitter section of this website. They are all are unique. Africa is definitely the promised land!

I have never been to Dallas Safari Club or SCI National shows...but I go to all the regional ones in my area of US. And yes I have met quite a few Namibia outfitters too.

Originally Posted by TOM

why would you hunt with anyone but a supporting or active member of AH??

Perhaps the outfitter doesn't have time to be on this forum or just chooses not to be here.

There's quite a few criteria that I look at when choosing an outfitter but forum membership isn't one of them.

Originally Posted by johnfox

Perhaps the outfitter doesn't have time to be on this forum or just chooses not to be here.

There's quite a few criteria that I look at when choosing an outfitter but forum membership isn't one of them.

John,

Calm it down a notch or two. Don't take stuff so seriously. The post half fun and half serious. Obviously, feel free to hunt with whomever you want!


My point still stands though; why not hunt with some of the multiple outfitters from multiple countries represented on this forum? I represent several outfitters not on this forum and would suggest people hunt with them in a heartbeat....but at the same time, it is nice to give business to people who support and are active in the things you like.

Tom, I'm sorry if it came across that way, it certainly wasn't intended.

A couple of the outfitters who are active on this forum are on my short list for my next trip to Africa, but there's a couple of non forumites on there as well.

Good post Tom,

Building a name takes a lot of work and years and it can be lost in a splitsecond.

John, I'm lucky to have good internet access when I'm not hunting at home but not all outfitters do so your point is very valid.
Off season like now while Charl is marketing overseas I try and see how much I can do from home over here on the internet.

But when we start hunting I'll be very limited to my time online on forums although I try and check my emails via my phone as much as possible.

Excellent post Tom,
..and I agree with what Fredrik said. Reputation will play a huge role. I just sometime wonder about some of the posts on here, asking about some XYZ Safaris and if anyone has ever heard of them. There are some excellent outfits right here on AH, that pretty much cover the entire Africa, but these forum users still choose not to use a single of the Outfitters on this site? It is their entire right to choose whoever they want to hunt with, but does this mean they do not see a single one of the operations on here, good enough to accommodate them?

But , excellent topic and I look forward to the responses to come.

Best Regards
Marius Goosen
KMG Hunting Safaris

Thank you for this great post TOM. A lot of people do not understand how expensive it is for us to market in the US. Hartzview still goes all the way and try and get to all the bigger shows so we can meet people that is intrested in hunting with us in person. I believe this is neccesary as the hunt is not just for money but also building a relationship with your clients that cannot be broken.

You cannot expect somebody to travel half way around the world to a foreign country and feel 100% comfortable with someone they have met on a forum or in the internet. Also reputation plays a big role and I do refer anybody I meet at shows to join AH.com so we can get our hunting reports on the site.

Best regards,

Originally Posted by Hartzview Hunting Safaris

You cannot expect somebody to travel half way around the world to a foreign country and feel 100% comfortable with someone they have met on a forum or in the internet. Also reputation plays a big role and I do refer anybody I meet at shows to join AH.com so we can get our hunting reports on the site.
Best regards,

Jacques, the internet has been an absolutely vital tool for me in selecting an outfitter. Australia only has two hunting show a year and while one of those is within easy reach for me, the other which is the largest, is a nine hour drive each way. I won't go into the costs but it would amount to around a third to a half of the cost of a ticket to Africa for me to attend that show.
Not much of a choice for me really, I'll keep the money and put it towards the ticket...
So I, and other hunters from Oz, depend on the internet and references to make our choices and forums like this and the interaction of outfitters are pretty valuable to me.

RSA is well represented with outfitters here, but I'd like to see some Namibian operators taking part as well.

Cheers..

That I understand completely and dont get me wrong there is great outfitters on this forum and on the internet that does not do these shows and will never let their clients down.

What I ment was that I think clients appreciate it and feel 100 percent comfortable with someone they have met and spended some time with even if it was just for dinner or a drink at the hotel. I personally like it to meet clients before the hunt and I am very fortunate do be able to do so.

Best regards,

Ok South African outfitters lets go for it , i did join AH on 08/05/2009 did post some hunting deals, i did book four hunts directly because of this forum from then until now. I just return from the US and Mexico and had a very good time. Give us some feedback on when did you join and how many hunts did you book because of AH, without lying as i have met many SA outfitters and they are always fully booked only to phone me three months later asking for free lance work. Give us the real deal. I just hope Jerome is not going to ask about his commission .

Well based on forum comments and deals I've seen over the years. I like owenowen, spiral horn safari, koedoeberg, Ibexhunter, KMG Hunting safari Karl Stumpfe, theov, Global Safari Azebaijan, Hartzview Hunting Safari, Savanna Hunting Safari, PaulT, Martin Pieters, Angel, lio, wagnerwwh, Leeukop safaris, Shallom, CT Safaris, Bushwack, Ozondjahe, Christophe Morio,....probably missing a few people....sorry early in the morning.

The crew above has again and again impressed me. I have not been able to get back to Africa last year or this year..but I will consider any offers from the outfitters above here...and new people too.

Going to hunting conventions and participating in forums is building a relationship towards future hunting trips. Even if I can go hunting...I'll refer someone who can!

Morning Tom,
Totally agree with you, times have changed and the web has proven to be both an asset to us all , as well as an opportunity for those who like to cut corners and cheat. That is where the AH community can be of great value.
Keep up the good work, that's to all of ya