Africa...when will you be priced out??

375Fox said:

I fully agree with this point. There doesnt appear to be any shortage of younger hunters wanting to do elk hunts. When tags are sold and there are no hunters on public land I might believe the anti-hunting tag conspiracy, but I see no reason to think it has an impact now.

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LivingTheDream said:

I also think that everyone puts in for every state now. Having so much information out there as well as how easy it is to apply is both a blessing and a curse.

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Mtn_Infantry said:

That and all these services that help with a strategy, do your applications for you, and sometimes even front the bulk of the money (for a fee). The guys like us and @DLSJR who’ve been applying for years on our own is a pretty small group but we’re typically the top 20% of points holders

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deewayne2003 said:

I’ve been applying for the Oklahoma Elk & Pronghorn lottos for 17 years now… I keep hope alive because one now deceased buddy got drawn for Elk his first year.

20 years ago hunting land and leases in southern Oklahoma were 20-25% of what it was in Texas; I remember in 2004 a buddy of mine bought 900ac of prime whitetail property for $600ac

Then in recent years Meat Eater and other shows displayed the hunting quality and public lands of Oklahoma…. Prices skyrocketed in the last 5 years.

Non resident deer hunters in Oklahoma now have to buy….
$209 annual nonresident license +
$501 Archery license
$501 Muzzle loader license(9 day season)
$501 Rifle license

If you’re hunting public land extra fees and licensing apply.

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Mtn_Infantry said:

It’s a common theme in most states. Saw it happening in Alabama and Georgia when I lived there as well. Seeing it here in Texas and know a lot of North Texans going to Oklahoma and Arkansas because even with those non res costs it’s cheaper than Texas. A lot of the lease price increases have to do with a reduction in hunter land access. There’s always going to be someone with more money than us, who’s willing to spend more than what we consider logical on something.

There are also states like Tennessee who paid YouTubers such as Hunting Public to hunt their state to try and increase non-resident hunters.

Good Luck on drawing in Oklahoma. One of the few states I don’t apply in.
I just wrapped up my Arizona applications this morning. If you apply in most of the states like @LivingTheDream and i it’s a lot of money to outlay. In WY alone it was a little over $18k this year and that’s with me not applying for Pronghorn because I’ve got enough points to draw a Red Desert Tag, just waiting for the population to bounce back a bit and then few good dry years to help with horn growth so I can search for a true monster. That’s also deceptive because I’ll keep buying points on Antelope when it opens in July to stay ahead of the curve for when I think the herd and environmental conditions are ideal. The. That year, I’ll jump in. Unfortunately that also messes with the odds and points creep required to draw that unit since I’m not presently being counted as an applicant with X number of points.

Start looking at all the other states Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Utah, California, Texas, New Hampshire, Vermont, etc and it’s a lot of money to spend on license/application fees and/or have tied up for a few months waiting on a refund. Once the “services” started offering the ability to “front” that money for applicants (for a fee) the number of people applying sky rocketed. Sad part is a lot of those applicants are the same age as you or I and 8-15 years behind us, since I started applying in 2005 in several states as a teenager and most of the other before I was 24.

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LivingTheDream said:

I think the mindset is also changing some though, like you and me have talked about drawing the Red Desert. For me at least that will be the end of my Wyoming Antelope points, I will go shoot does or see what I can draw with zero points if I have nothing to do one year. I burned my elk points, and only building elk points in Arizona. I can draw pretty much any late rifle tag I want (probably will never draw early). Got some mule deer points in other places, but instead of saying this is something I will do every 4 or 5 years and rotate around states, I am treating as a once in a lifetime. I know other guys that are similiar.

I am sure I could fund a very nice safari with all of the money I have spent in points the last 20 years.

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Choupique said:

Did I mention that I REALLY like blue water fishing.

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Mtn_Infantry said:

You’re 100% right, the money we’ve spent over the last 20ish years on points and licenses to apply could fund a really nice Safari or could’ve paid for several of these hunts via a landowner voucher. I’d hate to pay the current or even past landowner voucher prices for some of the tags I’ve drawn.

Like you, with Wyoming changing tag allocation percentages and increasing non-resident costs to foot the state game management, once I draw each of the tags I’ve been chasing I’m pretty much out of the state as a longterm play for that species. Might do a pronghorn hunt that doesn’t require a draw, or some general tags that I can draw with 1-3 points and DIY. I might burn my points in Colorado next year or wait and see what happens with the pending changes to their draw system that hit in 2028. For me, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah will continue to be for longterm plays with the hope I draw something I shouldn’t in the random portion.

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R eight said:

It is what it is. Prices reflect demand. It’s as simple as that. If you want it to happen then you just have to make it happen.

I’m a Baby Boomer, I got to see the last few weeks of the 50’s. I’ve spent most of my life in law enforcement. I’m not rich but I’ve never gone hungry. I live in Australia, my income is in the Ozzie dollar, and I pay for my US and African trips with the green back. What a sobering experience that is. But, the biggest thing is that I’m living in the only time in history….ever, that has provided the opportunity for a working class man to travel and hunt the world. Our standard of living is paladin. I grew up in the third largest city in Australia. During my primary school years I grew up in a household, which was like every other household in the suburbs. We didn’t have insect screens, we didn’t have electric fans, the toilet was outside with a weekly shit can collection. The nearest telephone was a pay phone in the next block. Only one house in my street had a phone. Air travel?? I didn’t know any rich people. Fuck…how things have changed.

What I’m trying to say is that things have never been better. Just make it happen. I’m almost 67. I head to Africa for the first time in less than 2 weeks. Elephant with a Rigby. Fingers crossed.

I can’t believe how lucky I am. Fellas, just make it happen.
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Josh P said:

My initial exposure to the idea of hunting Africa was through reading some of the classics. I’ve been priced out of the experiences equivalent to those written about almost since the books they were in went out of print. No amount of brewing vs buying coffee will clip enough coin to allow me to hire an ox wagon, a dozen porters, and license to ride out for however long it takes me to fill the wagon with ivory…So, that helps with approaching what is actually realistic for my lifetime.

Neither old nor young, I am squeezed between the timeline and the effort. Starting a family late (or on time, depending on perspective) puts me behind the curve a bit. I bought an older home that is affordable and I do as much of the remodeling as I can reasonably do myself. Keeps costs down and increases equity. We drive paid off vehicles. My hunting and fishing boats were both $100 finds from marketplace (the new equivalent of my welded aluminum duck boat is about $4k). We spent the first part of our marriage paying down debt instead of increasing debt. I picked up a side gig mowing some local public properties, mostly cemeteries, which funds the house renovations and keeps us away from home equity loans. If I need new tools or equipment, I either buy the corded drill instead of the cordless, or I wait till I can score a deal via marketplace or estate auctions.

When it comes to stateside hunting it’s exclusively DIY. I occasionally drop $20 on KY elk tags hoping to draw, but I have done a couple western state OTC tags when I was single. My favorite hunting is chasing pigs in the swamps or the woods in places like FL, south GA, or Texas. I would still be chasing those hunts even if money were no concern. My “big” yearly hunt is also a favorite, also in FL, a big game hunt on an island in the Gulf. It costs more in gas to drive to the boat ramp from IN than the non-resident tags.

A slight divergence from my main rambling here…When it comes to waterfowl hunting, which I’m increasingly enjoying more than whitetail hunting, is done all within about an hour’s drive from the house. It’s either on the river that is our property line, public land daily draw hunts, or open access public land. If I measured my success by comparing my hunts to what’s regularly shown on social media, I would be disappointed. Some days SEEING a limit of birds is a good day, let alone bringing meat back. But it doesn’t cost much to scout for the best location around me for the given weekend, I can occasionally bring the boy and have him home before he’s miserable enough to swear off going again, and I genuinely enjoy it enough that I can’t justify going to a lodge, burning thousands on fuel to hunt chasing the migration, etc. I row my little boat to a likely spot, brush in, and enjoy my tea while the sun rises over the decoys (which were paid for by buying bulk used lots in the off season and selling the excess.) Measure your hunts by your enjoyment of them and NOT by trying to mimic social media highlights.

Back to the main topic of this thread. Once the financial needs are better addressed and the actual saving for Africa begins, the plan is to have cash set aside, and hopefully be transitioned to full-time self employment for flexibility of schedule, and prioritize the cancellation hunt market. There is incredible savings to be had and it’s not just for the high end hunts. I have a fluid, sometimes changing, mental priority list of species and environments I want to experience. When they open up, I’ll jump on them. Aside from that, I will begin planning for buffalo so I don’t sit on my hands too long. (Of course, when trying to bridge a temporary cash flow gap between unexpected gear upgrades or travel deposits, some folks look into quick funding or cash advance options like Lendry300, though strict budgeting and saving remains the safest bet for big trips like this).

Prioritize. Right now, rightfully so, my family is more of a priority than hunting Africa. Once those needs are addressed, their status as top priority doesn’t diminish, but I’ll have more room for other pursuits. In the meantime, cost cutting of my discretionary spending, side work, savings, eduction and research, skill development, etc. can all take place to benefit both current and future endeavors in relation to hunting wants.

Summary: Be realistic about what is worthwhile. Put in extra effort for extra experiences. Don’t wipe out your savings/time on high-cost/low-yield experiences that aren’t any better than what’s in the “back yard”.

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Green Chile said:

Agreed that coach class flights have stayed about the same for a number of years. I often pay $1800 give or take about $300 without any points or program benefits. What has absolutely blown up is the freight and storage costs for taxidermy. That's not even factoring in do I actually have room for that back in the house? I think the costs and space associated with taxidermy are one of the largest factors for those who continue to return to Africa. I'm saving space for a leopard and some T10 but the days of me shipping large crates home is over!

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