First Safari - What would you do different?

My first was "won" at an auction at an Atlanta SCI fundraising dinner. (A PG hunt to Limpopo, SA)

I "lucked-out" and had a fabulous time. In fact I can say, without a doubt that it was the best trip I had ever been own at the time.

My best friend and I "won" the hunt for $750. It included trophy fees for two impala and two warthogs.

(I paid for my wife to be an "observer," but the safari company didn't even make me pay the advertised price for her to come along)


I took 2 rifles, a .300 Win Mag and a .375 H&H. I should have left the .375 at home and taken a .30/06 as a "backup."


This is the outfit:


They, apparently, have moved from where they were in 2007, but I couldn't imagine a more professionally run organization.

After I had taken 8 animals, they still entertained my wife and I by taking us on sight seeing excursions at no additional expense. The food was excellent.

Mof & his wife Minnie were VERY gracious hosts.





After that hunt, I knew I would be back to Africa for DG!

As someone who is headed over in June for my first safari experience, this thread is excellent and greatly appreciated. I have planned almost no taxidermy services beyond bleached skulls and some hides and I have been wondering if I would regret that decision. Now, seeing many of you endorse that line of thinking I am relieved and committed. I am taking my two grown sons with me and low to no taxidermy expense makes the overall cost just a little more justifiable (maybe).

We are having our hunt filmed so we will have a permanent record of things rather than tons of taxidermy. Any other advice is appreciated.

I am new to the site. Signed up a bit ago but only recently started to really pay attention to the wealth of information available here. I am trying to make notes and retain as much useful information as possible for my 2027 trip.

One thing I keep reading is that people keep saying dont get taxidermy . This I just cannot wrap my head around. I am hoping to get a few shoulder mounts, skull mounts, rug, and maybe even a full body mount if I can get a nice Nyala. I just couldnt imagine not having some trophies. More than likely I will end up saying...well I should have listened to them. But for now I must have a few African trophies.

Any suggestions on who to hire for a filmed hunt- Eastern Cape area?

absales said:

Any suggestions on who to hire for a filmed hunt- Eastern Cape area?

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I used African Safari Films, Morgan Harris. They did great work at reasonable price

absales said:

I am new to the site. Signed up a bit ago but only recently started to really pay attention to the wealth of information available here. I am trying to make notes and retain as much useful information as possible for my 2027 trip.

One thing I keep reading is that people keep saying dont get taxidermy . This I just cannot wrap my head around. I am hoping to get a few shoulder mounts, skull mounts, rug, and maybe even a full body mount if I can get a nice Nyala. I just couldnt imagine not having some trophies. More than likely I will end up saying...well I should have listened to them. But for now I must have a few African trophies.

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If it’s within budget, splurge for the taxidermy on your first trophies. They’re irreplaceable living memories of your first safari.

After that skip it. Unless it’s a leopard, or a lion, or your first buff, or a gorgeous endemic sable from Zim/Zam, or.. you know what? Never mind…

I love wildlife art and my wife demands it. You do you.

I would have went years sooner!!

I think the number one thing a person should do is book with the most reputable and trusted company within your budget. My first safari was a shit show the second was a little better but the third one with Johnnie Duplooy was what a safari should be.

absales said:

Any suggestions on who to hire for a filmed hunt- Eastern Cape area?

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Get in touch with @Firebird , his video was excellent!

absales said:

I am new to the site. Signed up a bit ago but only recently started to really pay attention to the wealth of information available here. I am trying to make notes and retain as much useful information as possible for my 2027 trip.

One thing I keep reading is that people keep saying dont get taxidermy . This I just cannot wrap my head around. I am hoping to get a few shoulder mounts, skull mounts, rug, and maybe even a full body mount if I can get a nice Nyala. I just couldnt imagine not having some trophies. More than likely I will end up saying...well I should have listened to them. But for now I must have a few African trophies.

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Just make sure you have enough space for the Taxidermy! They are a great way to remember the hunt, awesome to look at, heirloom if the kids appreciate them, and a helluva conversation piece…

I thin

Racer00 said:

I would have went years sooner!!

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I think most would agree with this.

1. Go sooner than you think you can.

2. Stay longer than you think you can.

3. Spend more money than you think you can.

4. Take what Africa gives. Have a loose plan, but be flexible and enjoy yourself.

5. Realize euro mounts are cool.

6. Staking “cheaper” animals like Impala can be just as fun and provide great memories.

7. Buy quad sticks and shoot off of them before you go. Shoot a lot.

8. Meet your PH stateside at a show of you can. Bonus points if you can drink with him ( if you drink.)

9. Go sooner than you think you can.

10. Take a journal, make copious notes, and post a hunt report on the way home.

I went to Mozambique for my first safari and I knew exactly what I wanted, buffalo, nyala, bushbuck and sable. I studied the game list and knew everything that was available but when I got there snd saw the animals in person I wish I would’ve gotten licenses for the several tiny tens and a waterbuck.
I had opportunities for a sure fire 30” waterbuck, red duiker, blue duiker, oribi and suni! It would have been a lot cheaper to shoot them when I was already there and not have to piece meal them later which I have not done and still regret it.

My first hunt (Namibia) I brought along my wife and took in her considerations about what else to do in Africa as well as her input in choosing the Safari operator. Excellent. Had all my trophies shoulder mounted except an old battle scarred kudu, went with a euro mount with him. We feel that we did a disrespect to him.

Second hunt was for a wild cape buffalo, Unbeknownst to me, the PH gave my son the video camera to video different aspects of the hunt, including the actual shooting. Priceless. Cape Buffalo, royal sable shoulder mounted and giraffe skin tanned and had the shin bones scrimshawed with Afican scenes. Again excellent choices.

Third hunt, in the Eastern Cape. Took along my wife again (learnt my lesson by not taking her with me on the Cape Buffalo hunt). As this hunt had very limited advance notice (fortunately a prize winning) and the Safari Co. and PH were unknown to me initially, it too turned into a very enjoyable hunt. Al trophies again were shoulder mounted, this time in RSA as it was include in the grand prize. I am not too concerned about what will happen to the trophies are my demise as my grandchildren have already staked their claims. They all hunt and appreciate the stories. But I would recommend having your hunt video. It does add another aspect to the hunts. And take pictures, not just the hunt but everything Africa has to offer, the people, the country and the staff.

1. Go as soon as you can. Wife was misdiagnosed with MS so we decided to start traveling a lot before the symptoms started. Went to Save Valley Conservancy in 2012 with a client/doctor friend. He hunted leopard, buffalo and plains game while I hunted plains game. Wished we had went earlier. Had a great time and have gone about every year since.

2. Don’t limit your bag of animals too much. It’s cheaper to take more animals while you’re there than to go back later. I saw a 46” buffalo on my first safari but had not reserved one so I couldn’t shoot it!

3. Rearrange your schedule if a great cancellation comes your way. After my 2013 safari in the Niassa Reserve in Mozambique for leopard, buffalo and plains game, the outfitter contacted me the next year when a client canceled very late notice on a full bag 21-day safari. The safari was fully paid except trophy fees. I could have went for free daily rates and just paid trophy fees for lion, leopard, elephant, etc… but I didn’t do it! Ugh!

absales said:

I am new to the site. Signed up a bit ago but only recently started to really pay attention to the wealth of information available here. I am trying to make notes and retain as much useful information as possible for my 2027 trip.

One thing I keep reading is that people keep saying dont get taxidermy . This I just cannot wrap my head around. I am hoping to get a few shoulder mounts, skull mounts, rug, and maybe even a full body mount if I can get a nice Nyala. I just couldnt imagine not having some trophies. More than likely I will end up saying...well I should have listened to them. But for now I must have a few African trophies.

Click to expand...

As for me I can’t fathom going and not getting some taxidermy done. Over the years as my experience has grown my game lists get smaller and smaller. The time is coming when I won’t have room for anymore mounts unless I build another trophy room. I won’t do that most likely and would probably not go back on safari. Even though the meat is utilized it just wouldn’t seem right, feels like it would be killing just to kill.

Quick word about my wife and taxidermy, last year on our safari to the NW Province and Limpopo I was planning on hunting, blue wildebeest, black wildebeest, tsessebe and red hartebeest also if I saw anything exceptional. The taxidermy plan was wall pedestal for the hartebeest and tsessebe with euro mounts of anything else. I shot an excellent common springbok and an impala and decided to shoulder mounts.
When I finally killed a blue wildebeest my PH asked how I wanted it skinned and I said euro. I watched the wife studying it and with an unusual look in her eye, she looked up and chimed in “you have to wall pedestal him, his skin is too pretty and if you kill one of those goofy black ones they will go good together” so I have to find wall space for 2 wildebeest!

1.What was your first Safari experience like?
As first safaris go, mine was unusual and epic. I was 24 years old and hunted 24 days on my first African hunt, in 1983. I had everything found in Matetsi (Deka actually) on license except lion. Took a 58 lb. Elephant bull, 2 buffalo bulls of 41-43”, a big leopard and fantastic quality plains game highlighted by a 45” sable.

2.What would you do different?
I would have made it 28 days as I’d have been able to add a lion and would have shot a fantastic lion, one of the 2 or 3 best I’ve ever seen. We encountered the lion the first afternoon, at about 25 yards, sleeping in the 2-track. Big full maned cat that Weatherby Award winner, Renee Snider killed at a later date.


3.What would you recommend for the first time safari planner?
Hunt at least 10-days and longer if you can. And if you can afford it, hunt in a wild area with no fences. Sleeping under canvas in a wild area beats any luxury place in South Africa.

Angelo_orygun said:

1. Go sooner than you think you can.

2. Stay longer than you think you can.

3. Spend more money than you think you can.

4. Take what Africa gives. Have a loose plan, but be flexible and enjoy yourself.

5. Realize euro mounts are cool.

6. Staking “cheaper” animals like Impala can be just as fun and provide great memories.

7. Buy quad sticks and shoot off of them before you go. Shoot a lot.

8. Meet your PH stateside at a show of you can. Bonus points if you can drink with him ( if you drink.)

9. Go sooner than you think you can.

10. Take a journal, make copious notes, and post a hunt report on the way home.

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Wow. Nailed a lot of those points. Well said

NIGHTHAWK said:

1.What was your first Safari experience like? 2.What would you do different?
3.What would you recommend for the first time safari planner?

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My first safari was 100% success. I completed all what I expected and all what I had listed, but overall cumulative cultural and emotional experience was more then expected.
Memories of my first safari are still alive in my head, like it was yesterday (in fact it was in 2017, almost 9 years by now)

So, what is the trick to be used?

I planned and read about safari at least two years prior the hunt, but from my present perspective, although I was thinking I knew enough then, and went to Africa well educated, I can say now - I did not know anything.

So, how did I manage if I remove the luck factor?

1. I made a list of species to hunt, plus optional few. (kudu was first priority)

2. I have chosen booking agent and experienced outfitter with more then 30 years of experience.

3. I went flexible in my mind with nothing carved in stone. Which means, I did not expect perfect conditions on the ground, and I was ready to adapt to situation. "hoping for the best, ready for the worst".

4. I trained with rifle, from hunting positions and stick, and in that department I was confident.

All 4 points I think are equally important.

But in order to execute safari project properly, two things have to be highlighted.

Point no 2, above.
Experienced outfitter and experienced booking agent, working with the same outfitter for years.
This means stable, run in business to every detail. And probably happy clients record.
This means, full circle closed to perfection: meeting with clients at airport, well known hunting area, run in shipping channels for delivery of trophies, and known ways for travelling with rifle for specific nationality.

If not using booking agent, then outfitter experienced with hunters from hunters nationality.
For example: outfitter experienced working with American clients, or European clients, German clients, French clients etc...

This removes language and cultural barriers if any, they will have skilled cook with good food, good understanding of the hunters culture, and knowledge of gun travel regulation for specific nationality of hunter.
It makes things more smooth and bonding with PH much faster, immediately creating an efficient hunting team.

Point 3. Above.
Mindset: Flexibility and adaptability
I went flexible in my mind ready to adapt as necessary. Hoping for best, ready for worst. When reading some of negative first timer reports on the forum, I noticed that in those cases outfitter did not meet their expectations. But what to expect. if you have never been there before?
Some flexibility is mandatory to be happy on the end.

Many times is splitting the hairs.
Mindset is important, because not all the time everything will be perfect, it is impossible to be perfect every time, with every outfitter, hundreds of clients, dozens of countries, but then adapt to situation on the ground, move on, focus on objective, work out the issues with PH, save the day, ignore bullshit minor things.
I like the cold beer in camp, but I can live on water for days.
Wi fi breakdown?
Mosquitos invasion?
Such items I would not consider something to complain about in the middle of sub-Saharan rural Africa, as long as Ph is doing his job, and we are doing maximum efforts to collect our animal.
100% every safari is experience.
Mindset makes the experience positive or negative in many cases.
How to digest experience is definition of predetermined mindset.
Be flexible on minor imperfections!

First time standard Pg package in South Africa and Namibia, have 99.9% chances of perfect work out. Things get more difficult on safaris on less beaten path in wild areas.
But by the time hunter gets to that level, he will get his mindset trained and developed positively and will be ready for different challenges.