Continued Contact with Professional Hunter

[BRICKBURN]

GPS coordinates and all.

You been talking to Simon?

 

[Royal27]

You been talking to Simon.

Among others

 

[siml]

Free world, free market, but a PH should never try and solicit business from an outfitters client while on safari. A PH has inside information on an outfitters business, prices etc and easy to under cut. Outfitter has gone to the cost of getting the client.

Yes, I have heard the point, if I treated the client right, he will keep coming back, but often it's to do with the price and people will book where they can save money.

I have never stopped one of my ph's staying in contact with a client.

Going back to the OP original post, maybe the outfitter was just tired of hearing the PH was trying to "steal" clients, who knows.

 

[gizmo]

It would be a huge turn off to me if someone told me I couldn’t contact my ph that I just spent a week or better with. Some of my best friends in the world are people that have have hunted with as a client or were my clients.
Seems to me if a particular ph was such a problem that this “rule” needed to be imposed that the ph needs to kick rocks and find another one. I think it’s horrible business practice to tell a client they can’t further communicate with someone they have just become friends with and shared the bond of hunting with.

 

[buck wild]

I'm not saying it's right or wrong as an Outfitter as I do think it's a big problem with PHs attempting to lure clients over to something else the PH has access to. Of the 3 times I have been over, on two occasions a PH contacted me later to solicit me to hunt with them on their own properties. I haven't taken them up but agree with TMS that often clients leave to go with the cheaper price regardless of how well the original Outfitter treated them.

 

[Hank2211]

From the outfitter's perspective, he has spent perhaps a great of money to develop a client, so would be unhappy of a contract PH were to try to steal the client. I get that - understandable and fair enough. But the solution is not to try to control who the client can communicate with. It's to let the outfitter community in the relevant country know that this is a PH who tries to steal clients. That would likely be a career limiting move for any contract PH.

I have developed long term relationships with two of the PHs I have hunted with, and they book my hunts where they know I will get the type of hunting I want. It works better for me than to try to guess which outfitter will be best and then deal with a new PH.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I would think that if a free lance ph developed a reputation for stealing or trying to steal clients, at some point in his working career, he'd be looking for another line of work.
As far as trying to prevent a hunter from communicating with a PH, considering facebook, whatsap, linkedin, email, blogs, and other forms of contact, I'd classify that outfitter as terminally stupid.

 

[Nyati]

An outfitter preventing communication with a PH ? In todays world, this guy must be joking,.

I have the phone numbers of those PH´s I want to be in contact with.

And yes, on the other hand, trying to steal clients from your employer is not very ethical.

 

[siml]

@spike.t, would like to hear your opinion.

 

[spike.t]

@spike.t, would like to hear your opinion.

Well we like our PH to have full interaction with our client.....as @patsyzambia and @bluey can confirm...... .....

 

[BRICKBURN]

Well we like our PH to have full interaction with our client.....as @patsyzambia and @bluey can confirm...... .....

Maybe you will start a new trend in the industry.

 

[Odinsraven]

Have had an outfitter ranch ... try to pinch my clients ......that was funny I booked them with a different lodge the next year he was on the email to them .....

But on the whole I stay in touch with everyone ..... and never had an issue actually emailed a lodge to get a Ph's email to wish him a happy Christmas .........have hunted with a young PH when he got his own consession spoke to the lodge and said do you mind if I hunt with him ....there was not a problem

 

[IdaRam]

Well we like our PH to have full interaction with our client.....as @patsyzambia and @bluey can confirm...... .....

Well that certainly takes "staying in contact" with your PH to a whole new level...

 

[Mekaniks]

I have only been to SA once so I am far from an expert on this subject but here is my 2c anyway...

In the world of freelance PH's, where a PH may only sign on for only one hunt or maybe one season, and the reality of the Outfitter business needs to have repeat clientele to survive, I can see where there would be potential for some real heartburn if PH's poach their previous Employers clients behind that Outfitters back.

In today's world of instant communication there is realistically no way for anyone to prevent two people who want to communicate from doing so. And I think foolish to even attempt, potentially leaving a bad taste for everyone involved.

At the end of the day the PH and the Outfitter are all in the same same business and we as hunters are their customers. And as
long as there is open, honest, communication between everyone involved it will work.
But, if the Outfitter attempts to somehow restrict that communication, or a PH attempts to poach customers, or even a hunter attempts to poach a PH, it has all the potential for a least hard feelings and probebly the end of business relationships.

With all of that said, if I was planning to go back on another hunt with a PH that I hunted with before, separate from the Outfitter I used before, I would be in contact with that Outfitter well in advance to let him know what we are up too. I may even want to stop by and have a beer with him if possible.....Heck it's really just sport hunting and supposed to be fun for everyone involved. I still may want to hunt with that Outfitter again someday and have a good time. As the paying customer there is no sense in building bridges just to burn them behind me, I may want to use them again....

 

[Kowas Adventure Safaris]

This is indeed a great thread. Thank you to all taking the time to share and air your views. It is many times unknown how others conduct their business and what their policy's are - surely interesting.
There is no replacement for ethics, professionalism and good services. Open communication is essential to allow the right hand know what the left hand is doing. You are together in it as a team with the main aim of reaching a mutual goal and to deliver a service. At the end of the day, it is the choice of the client with whom he/she wants to keep contact and where he/she want to hunt.
With the technology today, it is almost impossible not to "trace" someone.