So, what is the latest you ever booked a hunt?

[BRICKBURN]

I am typically a maniacal researcher and that goes along well with planning things well in advance.

Some times life throws things at you, some times it S^&* and other times its roses.

(Half full or half empty!?)

So, to that end with 58 days to go before departure I am still doing some planning. This is not by any means settled yet, so the final decision day will be a lot closer to wheels up than I have ever done before.

I am now researching my butt off to get up to speed.


So, what is least number of days you have ever booked a hunt? (Last minute)

 

[bluey]

a few years ago , my wife decided she wanted to do a red deer hunt ,but she wanted to hunt one in hard velvet . about middle of janurary , mad month on a long hot summer......
she started doing her own research ,and came up on a big farm hunt with reds and fallow deer moving about between some big cow and sheep farms , with accssess to only one out fitter .
she booked it on janurary 20 and we went did the hunt on janurary 24 th .
after two scorcher days ,driving around the open properties glassing and glassing , with a bit of down hill stalking in the choked up gullies , she ended up with her first ever red deer ,
a 13 pointer ,a big and scraggly looking bush head , just starting to strip out .......she got into around 160 metres on him just as the sun was clearing the hills , it was already around 32 c by the time he was caped out , and giving 40 a nudge 2 hours later when we got him in the cool room . one happy camper ,l don't mind telling ya.......

ironically the next week end was the big wild deer expo , one of the biggest hunting shows in our parts ........
and she filled a form out and won a bloody free trip to new Zealand to hunt goats , sheep ,pigs and another bloody red deer stag,
her and our daughter did this hunt in august the same year ........

 

[BRICKBURN]

4 days.
Damn, that's amazing!

 

[bluey]

a mate got a red hot deal ,2 years ago ,on the Tuesday and was in new Zealand on Thursday, borrowed a gun ,was back at work Wednesday , with a red deer and a 194 sika in the salt ........

 

[billc]

I have booked an elk guide about a week before my trip. just chatted on the phone with him but that was about 20 years ago. All went well and was vey happy with the hunt.

I have a list of African outfitters I would hunt with no problem if I needed to last minute. Now I don't do near the research as some and really on my own gut feeling. I will try the new kid in town with no worries at all. Sometimes taking the chance is worth the risk rather then checking dozen of references who just maybe happy with something your not. Plus places change from year to year so unless the guy hunted the same year as I am going it means nothing to me.

Hell I know guys who went back to the same place and came back disappointed after there second trip. Hard to have a better reference then yourself. Even had place go out of business before guys could get back. All checked out well but still was not perfect in the end.

 

[thi9elsp]

I did a white tail deer hunt in Illinois a few years back with just 30 days notice - discount. Great references, solid agent, etc. Totally disappointed with how the operation was run. First day there the guy that owned the leases on the farms was showing off the big deer he shot a few weeks earlier. Hmmm, charging the rest of us to hunt on the farms he hunts. Didn't sit well with me. Some other issues too.

I tell you, if I had had the vacation last fall, I would have booked one or two of the hunts the outfitters on this site offered as last minute. Just couldn't swing the time off work.

 

[jduckhunter]

Years ago I was sitting in a local booking agents office with a friend of mine. We were finalizing some details for a mountain goat hunt the following year, when the phone rang. It was the agents partner who had flown to Alaska to check out a sheep hunting operation that was up for sale. He was very excited after spending several days there and seeing more sheep then he could count. Turned out that the area hadn't been hunted for several years due to some health issues the guide was having. They decided that they should buy the area and try to book some hunts on it quickly and asked us kind of matter of factly if we would be interested in being their first clients. My friend and I discussed it on the drive home, he thought that it sounded too good to be true so he wasn't going to go. It was June and the hunt would be for the end of August. I wanted a Dall sheep badly and the deal was pretty sweet, half price for the hunt, they picked up the cost of the air transportation out of Fairbanks to and from camp and I agreed to work the local sports shows with them as a reference. Long story short, I did some hustling, came up with the cash, shot a full curl ram on day one and my friend is still kicking himself in the butt for not going along. It all happened in less then 60 days but turned out to be one of the best trips that I ever went on.

 

[bluey]

4 days.
Damn, that's amazing!

four days from when she said yes , but it was more like 8 days,maybe 9 from when she first decided to start looking .

 

[bassasdaindia]

I am not sure if my buff hunt last year was 2 or 4 days but either way that's my shortest .

they most often work out the best when they are on short notice.

 

[enysse]

First trip to Africa was in less than 60 days and I had no passport ready either. Oh boy, was I trusting back then and naïve too. It was exciting though and quite the adventure.

I do it again, there are plenty of people I trust on AH. The one thing is CITES and TOPS animals might be a problem...and at this stage of the game, I'm all about getting the little antelope and cats.

 

[Nevada Wapati]

40 hours. A few years ago I came across a great deal on a end of season leopard hunt in Namibia on a Friday. I sent an e-mail that day and called the outfitter on Saturday and booked the hunt. I was on a plane the next morning at 6am on my way to Namibia. It didn't hit me until we were pulling away from the gate that I was on my way. Then a deep breath and a smile.

I was a little nervous about the deal but would only be out plane fare as there had been no time for a deposit. In any case I need not of worried as I got a beautiful Tom.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Not me but rather a client/friend by now of mine from Kuwait.

From first contact via email, to touching down at the airport......

6 Days

And going by all the replies above..... @BRICKBURN my friend it has become very apparent that you are an over planner....and IMO one should never be an over planner never.

My best always

 

[ActionBob]

Brickburn when I saw the headline, I wanted to be a smart ass and say midnight! But my elephant hunt was booked 2 months before the hunt took place. Had to scramble on rifle permits but Lori came through with plane tickets.

 

[bluey]

40 hours. A few years ago I came across a great deal on a end of season leopard hunt in Namibia on a Friday. I sent an e-mail that day and called the outfitter on Saturday and booked the hunt. I was on a plane the next morning at 6am on my way to Namibia. It didn't hit me until we were pulling away from the gate that I was on my way. Then a deep breath and a smile.

I was a little nervous about the deal but would only be out plane fare as there had been no time for a deposit. In any case I need not of worried as I got a beautiful Tom.

your winning NW.
that's a hell of a gamble to throw your hat into ........
glad it worked out , great .

 

[BRICKBURN]

So, some folks do take advantage of those last minute deals. Some with a little less prep than I like obviously.

I am not sure if my buff hunt last year was 2 or 4 days but either way that's my shortest .

they most often work out the best when they are on short notice.

Glad it worked out. How well did you know the Outfitter before you signed up?

 

[bassasdaindia]

So, some folks do take advantage of those last minute deals. Some with a little less prep than I like obviously.



Glad it worked out. How well did you know the Outfitter before you signed up?

that does help , the hunt was with a PH friend of mine and although he guides all over Africa we are both South African.

 

[adgunner]

Last year I received a call from an outfitter I had hunted with previously the same spring for black bear in Kapuskasing, ON. He called me on wed night and told me of some large bears they had seen on stand. A quick chat with the better half and by Friday morning we were making the long 11 hour drive back up to Kapuskasing.
http://www.africahunting.com/threads/discounted-ontario-spring-bear-hunt-sold.14263/page-2
An easier decision overall as I already knew what to expect, but still the shortest amount of time for me to book a hunt.

 

[Diamondhitch]

I was on a wait list for when an outfitter had a last minute opening, got the call Thursday afternoon and was hunting on Monday.

 

[johnnyblues]

2 DAYS...Yep! Called a buddy of mine in Texas many years ago and decided to see what he had on some of his leases...Long story short left home as a taxi was blowing it's horn for me to come down for the drive to JFK, my "THEN" wife said what's the taxi blowing it's horn like that for?? As I came down the stairs with gun and duffle in hand and said that's for me......I m going hunting in Texas cya in 5 days.....And that was on New Years day... And two wives ago....

 

[jeff]

adgunner, that is a stunner of a bushbuck, tell us a little about it, sorry for the hijack, just couldn't resist that picture in his avatar. I suffer from bushbuck itis, need a cure!!