What to do when a Safari goes wrong?

I had the same problem with a donated hunt in Namibia. Might be the same outfitter so you might name names when you are ready.
Philip

Yes please do so we can be aware!

So Philip who was the one you had?? Inquiring minds want to know??

Not to pick on Namibia, but I also had issues with a PH. A lot of smoking and either on the phone or looking at it. This was a full paid leopard/plainsgame hunt. Once I voiced my concerns with the outfitter and he also had the same concerns, the outfitter was my PH the remainder of the hunt.

RogerHeintzman said:

.............. Once I voiced my concerns with the outfitter and he also had the same concerns, the outfitter was my PH the remainder of the hunt.

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That's how to get it done.

Why would an outfitter employ such a ph,

Smoking, consider your clients as it is your right to smoke and his not too (simple courtesy and two way street)

Phones are there for emergencies.

I did get immediate feedback from the safari company. The feed back was both from the booking person and another separate response from the owner of the company indicating that this was unnaceptable and were very apologetic. They indicated that thy would have the PH send a letter of apology to my wife and I. In my feedback letter I gave some very specific examples of the poor behavior of the PH. They specifically indicated that I would receive a letter of appoligy from the PH.

It has been a month and never received the letter from the PH. I have written it off as over and lesson learned. I do believe that the safari company was sincere in there apology.

Thanks for all the input guys!

Jaco Strauss said:

Smoking, consider your clients as it is your right to smoke and his not too (simple courtesy and two way street)

Phones are there for emergencies.

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I don't smoke. I've hunted with PH's who do - there are a lot more smokers in Africa than in North America! It's never bothered me though - you want to smoke on the back of an open vehicle, even if I'm sitting next to you? Feel free, just don't blow the smoke directly in my face.

Don't want to hijack this thread (move me if you want!) but this got me to wondering - outside of a closed cab, do people object to others smoking on a safari? Do you object to trackers smoking when they are walking in front of you?

Hank2211 said:

I don't smoke. I've hunted with PH's who do - there are a lot more smokers in Africa than in North America! It's never bothered me though - you want to smoke on the back of an open vehicle, even if I'm sitting next to you? Feel free, just don't blow the smoke directly in my face.

Don't want to hijack this thread (move me if you want!) but this got me to wondering - outside of a closed cab, do people object to others smoking on a safari? Do you object to trackers smoking when they are walking in front of you?

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Feel free to smoke, but i do not want to smell it or inhale it. I want to smell the bush.

You have to admit it's a good way to check the wind . . .

No smoking around me please. It closes up my sinus's and the smell is not good out in the bush. I do not want to sleep in a room where a smoker has been for the same reasons.
Also no drinking(beer/booze) while we are hunting or handling firearms.

Hank2211 said:

You have to admit it's a good way to check the wind . . .

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It is...

Divernhunter said:

No smoking around me please. It closes up my sinus's and the smell is not good out in the bush. I do not want to sleep in a room where a smoker has been for the same reasons.
Also no drinking(beer/booze) while we are hunting or handling firearms.

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definately no drinking of the good stuff prior to , or during a hunt , but that first beer in the ute on the way out of the bush, sure does taste just perfect ...........

and cancer causing chemicals ,well if your in a moving vehicle or open spaces , it nothing to wind down a window or walk of a few (hundred ) metres .

but now I do know one positive use for the stinking crap .......windicaator , well done hank ......

No coughing next to me it spreads germs, no bush farts, no sniffing (tissues are cheap).

No non khaki or olive green colors as other shades can kick in or cause my epilepsy to come on...... No sun glasses as 85% of people can't shoot with them on and it wastes my time to try and locate an animal again after a client has failed to see it...

No chewing with an open mouth it offends me and grosses me out, also please use your fork in your left hand.... (Simply because it's good manners)

Now that everyone is aware of my rules please feel free to contact myself directly for any bookings.....

Seriously though Tom I am glad that you received some response and once again I hope that your next trip will be as memorable as the previous 2...

My best always

Jaco Strauss said:

No coughing next to me it spreads germs, no bush farts, no sniffing (tissues are cheap).

No non khaki or olive green colors as other shades can kick in or cause my epilepsy to come on...... No sun glasses as 85% of people can't shoot with them on and it wastes my time to try and locate an animal again after a client has failed to see it...

No chewing with an open mouth it offends me and grosses me out, also please use your fork in your left hand.... (Simply because it's good manners)

Now that everyone is aware of my rules please feel free to contact myself directly for any bookings.....

Seriously though Tom I am glad that you received some response and once again I hope that your next trip will be as memorable as the previous 2...

My best always

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I love threads like this! I can tell my wife I'm easygoing with a straight face! Keep it coming Jaco!

Jaco, I agree with your point about sunglasses, I know you said it tongue in cheek, but when we start walking, bye bye sunglasses. Remember the video of Randy with the lion charge, client had perfect shot, wasted time with not being able to see with glasses. He was lucky to get away with a light tap on the neck from the lion.

Erny said:

I am currently in route back from a Safari in Namibia. I grass I have to vent more that anything, so here goes....
I purchased a safari at auction last year with a large and reputable company in Namibia. Two weeks ago we started the safari. Everything went great except for our PH. hewas incredibly rude, condeinsening and constantly sarcastic. Not just to us to other hunters in camp, camp staff and especially to the other PHs. He would constant tell us how bored he was because he does this all the time and lives in Africa. Anytime we had cell reception he would pull the cruiser over and talk "business". I understand enough africaan that he was not talking business just girls, drinking etc.

My wife and I discussed it and we just decided to call our safafri short a couple of days just to get away from this PH. Everything else on the safari was fanatic and really enjoyed everyone's company except this one individual. Unfortunate this is te person I had to spend all my time with.

I did not complain since the hunt was a very generous donation from the safari company. I guess my question is should I have complained or just kept my mouth shut and just ended the safari?

We did give him a ridiculy low tip in our opinion, but the tracker Got a very large one, just to prove a point.

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I've been in the hunting business since the late eighties and your experience is exactly why I just do all of my own guiding.

I've hired guides in the past and had mostly good experiences with my clients generally being pleased but of course with humans involved there's a guarantee that occasionally there are going to be some problems.

Like others in this thread my first reaction as a client would be to politely take the PH off to the side and explain to him that I didn't pay to be treated poorly and that if things didn't change immediately I'd be on the phone to his boss.

Secondly, even if the rest of the hunt went well I'd be on the phone to his boss.

Sometimes you have clients that cannot be pleased no matter what and who want to treat the guide/PH like low wage hired help which most professionals will take instant offense to but you don't sound like the kind of fellow who would treat them in such a way.

Even if you had treated him poorly though, there's no excuse for him being rude. Since you say he treated everyone the same, it sounds like you just drew up bad and got a very unprofessional "professional".

As an employer of guides over the years I can promise you I'd want to know immediately if one of my clients felt they were being treated poorly by the PH/Guide.

When the outfitter hands you off to someone he has hired that person becomes the face of the company and directly the representative of the outfitter as a person so trust me, they'd want to know and know immediately.

I can understand your hesitancy in speaking up immediately and directly but if you ever have another similar experience trust me, you want to speak to the boss as soon as possible, we realize that it only takes one bad experience to sour someone on the whole notion of hiring an outfitter in the future.

I applaud you for keeping names out of your original post and I must say, if this is your idea of a rant you are much more of a gentleman than I.

Like the others have said, please don't let this one bad experience keep you from trying again, there are some great people in the business all across Africa and from my short time on this forum I can assure you that some of the best of them can be found right here as I've known some of the names you see here every day by reputation for years.

Best wishes on a better trip next time.

This is a little off topic but I view donated hunts as a two-way street between the donor and purchaser. I normally avoid purchasing a donated hunt, but I have done so a few times over the years. On the occasions when I did purchase a donated hunt I always beefed it up by increasing the number of hunt days and by adding a few animals from the available trophy list.

There's obviously a significant expense incurred with making a hunt donation and I therefore feel obligated to reciprocate by adding to it. I don't know if its had anything to do with it, but on the occasions when I have purchased a donated hunt I've been treated well.

There have been too many times over the years when I've heard people talking about how they won't purchase a donated auction hunt unless they can 'steal it' with a lowball bid. I guess that's the reason I avoid purchasing donated hunts. I don't want the outfitter/professional hunter to view me as someone trying to beat them out of something.

Just my two cents.

Hank2211 said:

I don't smoke. I've hunted with PH's who do - there are a lot more smokers in Africa than in North America! It's never bothered me though - you want to smoke on the back of an open vehicle, even if I'm sitting next to you? Feel free, just don't blow the smoke directly in my face.

Don't want to hijack this thread (move me if you want!) but this got me to wondering - outside of a closed cab, do people object to others smoking on a safari? Do you object to trackers smoking when they are walking in front of you?

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I dont want to hijack the thread, but is there a brand or type of cigarettes (like unfiltered for example) that are prefered or unliked in Africa? Would cigarettes make a good gift for trackers? Would a high-end cigar be a better gift, maybe for the PH?

I used to pick up Marlboro's at duty free, until someone told me they aren't that popular, at least not with the trackers/skinners. In Zimbabwe and Namibia the local cigarettes are very cheap and seem to be very popular. A bit more expensive in South Africa, but local brands are far cheaper even than duty free American brands and I think are preferred.

And never seen anyone smoke (real) unfiltered cigarettes. The trackers roll their own so they have no filter, but they seem very happy to get the filtered kind.