Too late to book at DSC?

So I have finally saved my pennies and am ready to book my first trip to Africa. I have an idea of who I would like to book with but want to meet and talk in person before doing so. I will go to DSC again this year and book at the show, but I wonder is Jan too late to book a trip for the 18 season in Namibia?

Absolutely not too late. There will still be room with a number of outfitters, just maybe not your preferred date(s)

What is the best dates?

I meant the best dates that work into your schedule (time off, airfare costs, etc.) As far as best dates for hunt... you will get a number of responses here. It depends on country and what your after. Typically if your talking about Namibia your probably looking at April-Oct

Travis2282 said:

So I have finally saved my pennies and am ready to book my first trip to Africa. I have an idea of who I would like to book with but want to meet and talk in person before doing so. I will go to DSC again this year and book at the show, but I wonder is Jan too late to book a trip for the 18 season in Namibia?

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If you are tight on your available dates go ahead and e-mail your prospective outfitter and ask them if those are open and let them know you can confirm/book at DSC. No harm in giving them a heads up before the show.

I'm pretty open on dates. I guess May would be a pretty good month for me but really doesn't matter.

I bet you can connect.
Lots of good outfitters on here.... really just depends on what your looking for & where. Holler if you need help!

Good luck!

Thanks for the info! Can't wait to experience Africa!

May and June are great for anywhere in southern Africa. Bring a warm jacket as the mornings and evenings are surprisingly cold. Bring sunblock and a wide brim hat as the days are usually crystal clear and beautiful sunshine.

I looked at your profile and it doesn't say where you live. Not all outfitters go to all of the shows. If you pick certain outfitters before the show season, contact them to see what shows they attend. There are some that attend shows in the northeast, but not DSC or SCI also. And some will attend DSC and not SCI and vice versa. Unless you have lots of time off and lots of cash to spend, you can't hit all of the shows. So if meeting your potential outfitter face to face is important, plan accordingly. Also, many or most of the outfitters that advertise on AH will post which shows they will attend and what booth number a month or two before the shows start! Good luck and enjoy the extended Christmas season for many AH members!

Travis2282 said:

Thanks for the info! Can't wait to experience Africa!

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And the seeds for addiction are planted! Good luck booking your preferred outfitter......just be flexible and it will work out.

I will suggest to consider booking with a couple of other things in mind. Usually you will see more animals during the dark of the moon. Pull up a moon phase calender and book accordingly. This applies more to some animals than others. Bushbuck more so than Wilderbeast.
If Kudu is one of your priority animals then it doesn't hurt to hunt the rut. Talk to your outfitter about best dates in that aspect. In RSA that is usually May. Any animal is more active during the rut and usually easier to find.
Finally rain can slow you and the animals down. Check with your outfitter about times when they rarely see rain. Most of So. Africa is relatively dry May-Oct making that some of the better times. Good luck. Bruce

Thanks for the advise. I plan to hunt kudu, gemsbok,impala, red hartebeast ,zebra, and a warthog or 2. Not sure how many days are recommended for this?

The simple reply is to hunt as long as you can..... First 2 times I went to africa I hunted for 7 days. Kinda felt like that was too short. Adequate, but for the $$ on airfare I wondered if I should be staying longer. 3rd trip we went to Vic Falls for 3 days and then met up with our PH and went hunting for 10 days. That worked out well. We hunted for a big Kudu for 3 full days before pulling the trigger. I killed nothing till last light on the 3rd day....My Reedbuck was in the last 5 min of light on my last day. Needed the 10 days to fill my list of animals....
My last trip last fall I hunted with 3 different outfitters in 2 countries for a total of like 14 hunting days. Now that was nice. I see some "specials" offered for 4 or 5 days of hunting. Unless I'm booking with someone else to see some different areas for 5 days then that isn't enough time for me to feel like I got my travel dollars worth.
So it depends on several factors. How long can you be gone from home? With time changes and flight times plan on 3-4 travel days. Can you afford more than 6-7 hunting days? Sometimes money is the limiting factor. I am always on a budget. Would love to spend more time on my trips, but I don't always have the disposable $$ available
Many places in RSA and Namibia they plan to take an animal/day of hunting. On some properties it can be a lot more than that. On others, especially if you want top notch trophies and not representative animals, you might need 2-3 days/animal. You might run your list of animals past your Outfitter and see how many days he would like you to hunt. My blunt answer is 9-10 days is nice if you can do it. If not 7 should get your list of animals. Less than that I don't recommend......
Bruce

In the military we plan for one day of jet lag (reduced individual performance) for every two-hours of time change. Typically, it takes three days to get the internal clocks functioning on African time. The longer you stay, the more time you will spend enjoying the hunt rather than fighting the late morning drowsies and late night wide-awakes. I won't do less than 10 regardless of any "list", and much prefer 14. And don't get hung up on a list. That is a practice empowered by game farms. Pick out two animals that you really want and fill the rest of your budget with what Africa offers. I am going to be in Moz for two-weeks in October. My "list" consists of a buffalo bull and a sable. The rest will be what we find.

You better just go ahead and book 18 and 19 - don't want to be behind the game for your 2nd trip

It will not be to late but book earlier and you will maybe have your pick of dates. If your rifle hunting the moon is not as important as when you are bow hunting.

I would tell you no less then 10 days plus travel days to have time to enjoy yourself. Do as long as you can and you will not regret it that is for sure. The longer you have the more you can pass over looking for better then avg animals.

I myself like having a list but stay opened to changing my mind depending on what I see and can afford. There will be some animals you think you won't like now but when you see them in the bush you may just change your mind. Just know your budget and what your willing to not take because you have taken something else not on your list.

Enjoy the planning and keep asking question as they come up.

Is there any options in traveling to Cape Town or Victoria falls after the hunt. What can you do with guns while traveling?

traveling back to sa or zim with guns takes paperwork and not sure I would do that on my first trip. Plenty of places in Namibia for sight seeing also so no need to travel really unless they are must see places for you.

Not much paper work needed for Namibia? Is it easiest to go through rifle permits and let them help?