Spot on, but like Ele, I’d like to wish you good luck. We receive 1 lion a season in a park where all research is in place (NDF on lion aged 6 years and older) (MOZ) and we are not able to get them imported…..
Not sure of the stats, but I'm aware of several getting approved. The hunters are just not real noisy about it
What is a CBL?
Confined Bred Lion... the lion hunts being sold at such low cost in the Republic of South Africa are these, bred and fed in relatively small confinement areas then turned loose on a hunting property, usually but not always in the Kalahari where they can be tracked in that sand. The quality of those hunts can vary widely. The good operators make it a great experience. The bad ones have destroyed it for everyone. They dart the lions to move them. Preferably the lions are out roaming the area at least a couple weeks before being "hunted". There is a video of the PH excitedly telling his client to shoot. The lion is laying under a bush where it was obviously placed. It is still drugged and barely moving. The client shoots into the sand about 3 feet in front of the cat and it barely reacts. The PH tells the client he got it but to calm down and very carefully put one more into him just for insurance. A real shit show on par with the crocodile torture and botched execution in the film Trophy.
There are some really good operators who will tell you the truth if you ask questions.
On your profile it looks like you're hunted South Africa. Do you want to stay with South Africa or are you open to other countries? What type of hunting do you want to do? It doesn't get bigger than elephant and tracking elephant in Zimbabwe was one of my favorite hunts. Be prepared to walk 10 miles or more per day for the best chances. Of course you can get lucky
Elephant permits are being processed and granted for Zimbabwe on a case by case basis. The hunt must be deemed positive for the overall conservation of elephant. So pick an outfitter with the right circumstances in place and preferably one who has gotten permits granted by USFWS. Book at least 10 days, 12 or 14 woukd be better. Zimbabwe has been and seems to continue to be the place to get the best deal. And with case by case, it does not seem to be a given to get a permit in Namibia like it used to be. Of course Botswana is an option but seems to be very costly. to me this is what you should consider if you haven't done it and want a real exciting dangerous game hunt. You can find a good hunt in any country or area they exist in good numbers (there were none in the part of Mozambique I got my leopard). No drama importing, striking simple shoulder mount that can fit into a normal home without high ceilings or a lot of extra floor space. Economical to hunt. If you are going to go after a wild lion or in many cases even leopard.... you are going to need bait and Buffalo produce a lot of good bait. So combine them. In fact Hunting Buffalo whenever available is a great plan
Thanks for all the info. I have looked into an elephant cull hunt as there photos would suffice. Also, buff hunt is still on the top of my list as you can probably tell from my tag.On your profile it looks like you're hunted South Africa. Do you want to stay with South Africa or are you open to other countries? What type of hunting do you want to do? It doesn't get bigger than elephant and tracking elephant in Zimbabwe was one of my favorite hunts. Be prepared to walk 10 miles or more per day for the best chances. Of course you can get lucky
Next biggest would be rhino, when taken in the correct context, white rhino in RSA is a good deal right now and again must have all the i's dotted and t's crossed, but has been very straigt forward. A kill hunt is very doable as is dart. On a dart hunt, you can get measurements and have a replica mount made. This is a straight forward hunt but can be enough of a challenge if you book the right area with the right people. Book 5 days for the hunt done in a large area. 3 is probably plenty in a smaller area but more of a shoot.
Hippo, same as croc, I personally don't want to do these in RSA as my impression is that they are canned deals, like a hippo in a farm pond. I'd hunt these two together as they should be in the same habitat. Mozambique would be my first choice and Zimbabwe second. As long as export permits are in order, the import permits should be attainable without much trouble.
Buffalo, the Devil's red eyed cattle
Lion has been covered. Leopard you can hunt in many places. They are almost everywhere in Africa. My hound hunt in Mozambique was very exciting. Hunting them over bait is a unique experience as well and my experience with that was great as we sat a very short time before the cat was in the tree. But leopard can give people fitscand add up to the most expensive hunt in Africa if you go back multiple times before getting one
I would think an elephant cull hunt could be as good an experience as any. Especially if it's a cull bull. Like one broken tusk. @Royal27 and myself had discussed this with @Mbalabala Safaris. I didn't get that far into it, but if you could get replica tusks made they are not expensive and just fiberglass so easy to ship home. Have them put on some nice hand carved wood bases and they look great. TCI in Bulawayo does a great job.
Could you name a couple outfits that put on high quality CBL and rhino hunts?Confined Bred Lion... the lion hunts being sold at such low cost in the Republic of South Africa are these, bred and fed in relatively small confinement areas then turned loose on a hunting property, usually but not always in the Kalahari where they can be tracked in that sand. The quality of those hunts can vary widely. The good operators make it a great experience. The bad ones have destroyed it for everyone. They dart the lions to move them. Preferably the lions are out roaming the area at least a couple weeks before being "hunted". There is a video of the PH excitedly telling his client to shoot. The lion is laying under a bush where it was obviously placed. It is still drugged and barely moving. The client shoots into the sand about 3 feet in front of the cat and it barely reacts. The PH tells the client he got it but to calm down and very carefully put one more into him just for insurance. A real shit show on par with the crocodile torture and botched execution in the film Trophy.
I was told by a prominent Outfitter on here that some of his competitors can be a bit "careless with the truth"..... That understatement became very clearly true.
When booking a Dangerous Game hunt in RSA, be very careful that you are sold what you think you are buying
I cannot personally vouch for CBL. @PHOENIX PHIL has represented such hunts. I can say I would not book a lion hunt in RSA over near Kruger.
Sightly of topic: is the picture from the replicas?
Yes
From Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, and the very few classified as "wild managed" lions in RSA are importable on a case by case basis by USFWS. There have been some court cases won and they are supposed to be issuing permits. As we have seen from a recent elephant import post on AH it can still be a lot of trouble.
