How to choose your next Plains Game safari?

[DillonG]

Just wanting to throw a question out there for the more experienced hunters out there. How do you eventually choose where you will be hunting for your next PG safari? Do you base it off of trophy quality? If so, what resources are you using? Is it more based on your relationship with a PH or outfitter? Maybe it is based off of the overall price (hey we all have a budget to follow). Let me know. After all, choosing where and who you are hunting with next is half of the fun.

 

[PARA45]

A little back ground here. My first safari was based on a package deal that basically had some of the animals I wanted to take, and the price was a key factor as well, especially since my wife accompanied me.

Now, for my next safari, I am focusing more on the PG animals I would like to get (Eland, Black Wildebeest, Read Hartebeest, Nyala & Bush Buck) . Unfortunately the ones I want are not offered in a package deal, so I would have to shop around for reputation of outfitter, quality of trophies, of course trophy fees and daily rates. My wife most likely accompany me again. She is not a hunter, but enjoyed watching the animals and following me around the bush. So, no tents for her. Since I already hunted the Limpopo area, I would like to go somewhere else like the East Cape, or maybe another country. I hope this helps.

Oh and I am not an experienced Africa hunter by any means, I only have one safari under my belt.

 

[BeeMaa]

Research, research and more research.
Most of it you can do on the internet.
After narrowing it down, go to shows and talk to the Safari Companies.
You should get a feel for them, and them for you.

Start here.
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/better-questions-to-ask-when-looking-for-a-hunt….23825/

AH is an incredible research tool to find a Safari Company.
It took my wife and I two years to research and book a Safari.
Also gave us time to save money to hunt what we wanted.

Edit - This also gives time to acquire gear needed and practice as well.

 

[375Fox]

Are you asking to book a hunt for yourself? or just curious what factors others look into? I choose my new hunts based on where and how we will be hunting. Species and trophy quality would be my second factor. Price is a factor but not as important I’ll save up for the trip I want. I’ve taken enough plains game now, that finding a new location to hunt in or a different style of hunting is most important to me.

 

[DillonG]

Are you asking to book a hunt for yourself? or just curious what factors others look into? I choose my new hunts based on where and how we will be hunting. Species and trophy quality would be my second factor. Price is a factor but not as important I’ll save up for the trip I want. I’ve taken enough plains game now, that finding a new location to hunt in or a different style of hunting is most important to me.

I am more interested in knowing how others research for their next hunt. I am also curious what other hunters view as priorities.

 

[375Fox]

Once I decide where I’d like to hunt, I will usually have my booking agent give me some recommended options. My most recent hunt I booked myself, I used google and this site as starting points to find outfitters to contact. For outfitters my primary concern is experience in hunting the areas they offer. When I contacted references, in addition to the other questions I asked, I wanted to know how many other safaris they’ve been on as a way to judge their answers on a particular outfitter.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I like new experiences. The same PH is nice because you know how to hunt with him, but then it’s always enjoyable to meet new people as well and learn their methods.
I don’t have nearly the experience that many others here have and have only hunted the Limpopo and Northwest of RSA. But eastern Limpopo and western Limpopo are different. The Kalahari area of the Northwest and the Megalise areas are quite different. Each area requires different hunting methods. Different animals require different methods. Night hunting vs day hunting are quite different.
Of course most DG game hunting methods can be different as well.

Summary, decide what you want to hunt in the area/country you want to see. Make certain the animals you want to hunt are in the areas you want to hunt, or figure out what animals are native to that area. Another option (my favorite) is to find a place you want to hunt and take whatever Mother Africa offers!

This probably didn’t help a bit!

 

[meigsbucks]

On my first safari, buffalo was my primary quarry. After that it was kudu, bushbuck and warthog. All other PG was a bonus.
Safari number two was a strictly PG hunt in Namibia. The object was to take species I hadn’t taken on my first hunt.
Safari three will be for buffalo, but in an area that once again has species I haven’t yet taken (nyala and bushpig) and maybe a couple of species I’d like to hunt again (eland and kudu).

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

My first safari is booked for 2021.
I'll admit my choice was based 100% on price with a sponsor here. Making it affordable so I can pay the hunt cost for my son as well. He just needs to pay to get his stuff home.
Enjoying new adventures and places with my son is more important than anything else to me.

 

[Tanks]

For me plains game is an afterthought after a DG hunt. I'll look at what game they have available and then go for it. My next Leopard/Buffalo hunt is in August. According to the list they gave me they have Zebra, Kudu, Waterbuck, Eland, Sable available as well. So, I can shoot these for bait but Sable I am shooting only if they have a good one, as trophy fee for it is $5.5K. I do want a Hyena and a Zebra rug, so those I will definitely take.

 

[mark-hunter]

How do you eventually choose where you will be hunting for your next PG safari?

It is not clear is it your first safari?
Well, I suppose, it is.

The best way is, to ask your good friends who have been to safari, and have similar interests and preferences. You can trust them.
So, the word of the mouth is the best way!

If you dont have friends with safari experience, good tool is this forum.
But, from my experience, to really get idea where to go, and be sufficiently educated is at least 2 years of quality research.

Which apart from this forum will include internet search, reading books, and getting subscription on some reputable safari magazine (man magnum and Africa hunting gazette - comes to mind)

Then the books, list is big, but to get you up to speed, my advice would be for two books, to get idea what you want: Boddington, "Safari Exeperience", and Kevin Robertson "Perfect shot".

You may join DSC or SCI and attend conventions as well.

Once you have narrow down your research, start contacting outfitters of whom many are sponsors on this forum.

Due diligence will be to ask all details you are interested in, which will reduce the list, and when you get down to selected few, ask for references and contacts from other clients.
Then contact other clients, and get your impressions from their feedback.

I dont think that for first safari you will choose to go hunting mountain Nyala, which will bring down options only to one country and one or two possible outfitters, most probably you will go beaten path to most visited countries.

So for beginners it will be:

1. South Africa (mostly high fenced huting)
2. Namibia (high fence, low fence, free range, and true wilderness option in Caprivi strip)
3. Zimbabwe (primary Dangerous game country and secondary, plains game country)
then the rest.
I am not saying, other countries are less desirable, I am just saying which countries are most visited.

I selected this three countries based on highest number of foreign hunters visiting these three countries. (which is evident on hunting report section on this forum).

By my first advise, choosing the country by advice, and word of mouth from a friend, I went to Namibia first, for PG, and have chosen the outfitter in a same way.

having done 2 PG safaris in Namibia, I keep my wish list now focused on South Africa, and Zimbabwe, for the reason of specific species and pricing, sometime in the future. And I keep getting educated in the mean time (and saving money).

Timing:
From my experience I can say, the more you know, about history of safari, the culture, the great hunters of the past, the specific firearms, country specialties, animals and habitats, local ways, and having better idea of what you will be doing on the ground, your experience will be better.

So, to get educated, it takes time.

For me, from first practical idea to go to safari till actually going there, it took me two years of research, to put it in perspective.
So, take your time, spread the word of your idea among your hunting friends, look for a friend of a friend who has been on safari, and take your time.

Choose well.

 

[Royal27]

For me it's all about the experience. So I start with that. Who and what area can give me the experience I want? The experience and the primary animal will narrow it down a lot. I hate having a list, personally. One or two primary animals and other than that take what comes.

Secondly I want an animal endemic to the area and free range. I'm not going to Africa with a focus animal that's behind a fence. And I'm not opposed to hunting behind a fence, but not for the primary animal. So that narrows it down as well.

Thirdly, price is important. I want value. Not cheap, but I need to get value for my money. I work too hard not to.

The combination of those three criteria has already shrunk the options considerably. As few can offer all three things that I seek. Then and only then do I start looking at actual outfitters. For me at least that simplifies things.

After that it's time to start the interview process. Do I get along with an outfitter? What's their reputation? Do I know someone here who has hunted with them? How long have they been in business? Good reports? How did they handle an issue? Are they willing to work with any standards I set pre-hunt or do they just want an animal on the ground?

For the final few i then weigh all of the above to make a final decision. I've even hunted with "outfitter choice number two" because they were significantly cheaper than the one I really wanted to hunt with. I accepted some limitations for the money saved. I didn't regret the choice but still want to hunt with the guy I passed up with and hope to some day. Doubt I will ever hunt with the guy that I did hunt with even though it was the right choice at the time and I have zero regrets.

As far as priorities go I'm drawn to DG and the unusual. This helps my decisions as well. I've had anything from elephant to honey badger and Vaal Rhebuck be my primary animals. Not wanting to just hunt the popular animals weeds out outfiffers as well.

Hope this helps!

 

[Philip Glass]

I would say quality, variety and abundance of game are top of the list. Also reputation of the outfitter is very important. You can always check references but most all get glowing recommendations so it depends on the references experience hunting Africa whether their reference is worth anything.
It’s a deep subject for sure!

 

[Royal27]

You can always check references but most all get glowing recommendations so it depends on the references experience hunting Africa whether their reference is worth anything.

Agree completely. If isn't like the outfitter is gonna put a pissed off client on their reference list. References can help to give you a feel but you also have to be able to read between the lines and take anything said with a grain of salt.

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

Agree completely. If isn't like the outfitter is gonna put a pissed off client on their reference list. References can help to give you a feel but you also have to be able to read between the lines and take anything said with a grain of salt.

The key with references is to check multiple and ask them the same questions. Look for common themes in their responses.
My first safari was purchased off of here from a sponsor at the time and I had a great hunt. They had few reviews on here, but met my budget with significant value offered. The hunt was a great hunt and I met two fantastic hunters in doing so.
My next safari was a donated hunt to our SCI chapter auction from a sponsor on here. They have numerous good reviews here. I spoke with a few references as well, as my second hunter for the trip (now potentially the third) is a traditional archer and required significant "fleshing out" of the experience of like-style hunters to establish the outfitter's proficiency with traditional hunters.
The internet is a wealth of information, one just needs to understand how to interpret and valuate the information for their own purposes. I've used a booking agent for US and Canada hunts and found value in them and what they offer. I feel more comfortable with the amount of information on African hunting (specifically RSA) on here to book on my own for those hunts.

 

[DillonG]

The key with references is to check multiple and ask them the same questions. Look for common themes in their responses.
My first safari was purchased off of here from a sponsor at the time and I had a great hunt. They had few reviews on here, but met my budget with significant value offered. The hunt was a great hunt and I met two fantastic hunters in doing so.
My next safari was a donated hunt to our SCI chapter auction from a sponsor on here. They have numerous good reviews here. I spoke with a few references as well, as my second hunter for the trip (now potentially the third) is a traditional archer and required significant "fleshing out" of the experience of like-style hunters to establish the outfitter's proficiency with traditional hunters.
The internet is a wealth of information, one just needs to understand how to interpret and valuate the information for their own purposes. I've used a booking agent for US and Canada hunts and found value in them and what they offer. I feel more comfortable with the amount of information on African hunting (specifically RSA) on here to book on my own for those hunts.

I am really starting to focus references. How do you prioritize your hunts? Do you focus on a specific species, location, or PH?

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

In terms of african hunts, I'm still novice. I've only shot two cape buffalo and a blue wildebeest. I wanted a general plains game hunt with good variety. I'd like to focus on a good kudu and good impala. I'm really an open book for as long as my checkbook holds up after those two.
For this upcoming hunt, it all kind of fell in place. An outfitter I'd been reading a good bit about donated a hunt to our chapter and I bid on it in our live auction. I wanted an outfitter with large property, comfortable lodging, and a good established reputation. Limcroma hit all of those.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

First and most importantly you cant bring the meat back to America no matter what. It will cost you about 2k just to fly there. About 3k-4k to hunt and about another 1.5k to taxidermy the animal and that's not even including the shipping of the animal back to America. I did it once and I'll never do it again. Cost about 9k and I was their for 4 days. Their is a place called Ox ranch in Texas and it is way better then going to africa to hunt somthing you cant fucking eat. On oxranch you can hunt almost anything and it was just like the hunting in africa.

Sorry you had a disappointing hunt in Africa. But I have to say that I hunt for the experience whether it is for meat or memories. I have never been anywhere in Africa or Texas where you could think that they are the same.
BTW, there, their and they're are not the same words. Same with then and than.

 

[Scott CWO]

My first consideration in Africa or anywhere is the area. I research what species and quality of those species are available in many different areas and match that up with my desires and priorities. I prefer open areas or open concessions without any high fences. Then my second consideration is finding a good outfitter or operator. My next consideration is price. I would rather spend a bit more to be in the right area with a good operator.

Knowing the areas and what they each offer takes some research.

 

[Ed Lally]

This is a question with a 1000 correct answers. There are so many reputable, well run and ethical fair chase outfitter/PHs in Africa that it is hard to decide. I also purchased a donated hunt, this one by Sun Africa Safaris and have hunted with them for DG three years in a row. Going after Buff in Zim in May 2021 (was originally May 2020). I took my wife all years and we toured with Sun Africa for 10 days after each hunt and had a wonderful experience all around. Choose carefully and have a great time.