Numzaan Safari hunting in March 2018....worried about extra charges

So I am booked to hunt with Numzaan Safari in March 2018 with a friend. Airline ticket is booked and pair for (luckily family was amazing and helped) and now im trying to budget/save as much as possible to pay of the trip. In emailing the outfitter, I did get a little surprised when they discussed extra fees. I am wanting to know from those of you who have been over there to see if this is normal or if there is anything I need to discuss further with them.

Please note, I am on a strict budget due to my ex wife filing for divorce in November 2016 and going from 2 incomes to 1....I work full time and am saving everything I can to pay for this once in a lifetime trip and borrowing money from family to help.

Extra fees I think are a little odd:
* $180+tax to be picked up from airport and driven to hunting camp
* $180+tax to be driven from hunting camp back to airport
* Have to hunt a minimum of 2 animals or required to pay the non-hunter rate of $260 a day
* Trying to require us to use their dip and pack agent, who is charging $180 an animal...which seems high compared to the other quotes I have gotten from companies there in South Africa. Shipping cost is not included in this $180, those are discussed 4 months later they are saying.

I was planning to shoot an Impala ($550) but now if I have to shoot 2 animals or pay way more in fees...trying to decide between Springbok($625), Blesbuck ($680), Duiker ($470), Steenbok ($570) or just shoot another Impala for $550. They offer Warthog and others, but hearing how difficult to give a warthog skull back into USA is im leaning away from it. Those are the cheapest trophies they offer...so if I have to get a 2nd I wanted to see what everyone thought would be the best bang for the buck in terms of 2nd trophy on limited budget. Was planning to have Impala skull mounted on wooden Zulu style shield when I got home (have done European mounts before) so it would likely be the 2nd skull mounted on same large shield for 1 big trophy. I can also do skull plates instead of entire skull if it will save me $$$ on shipping.

Am I crazy or is this the normal way to nickel and dime hunting customers who already dropped $1200+ in airfare just to get there? Kind of caught off guard with what I was expecting/budgeting/saving.

I am guessing you are going on a hunt won at an auction. I see some things I would not be happy with by your post if I was you.

There are going to be extra charges, regardless of who you hunt with. They are providing services outside of the actual hunt which actually cost money. You are making a once in a lifetime trip to Africa. It is a hell of an trip to take and only shoot one animal. It takes a couple of days to get there and a couple to get home. My advice would be to borrow as much as I could from family and shoot all of those plains game. Maybe shoot one or two trophies and see if they have any culls you can shoot at a reduced price. Going to Africa is an expensive and lengthy trip, make the most of it.

From what I have seen in Namibia, it is fairly common to charge for airport pickup and return. Not always the case but certainly common. If I were you I would add the springbok, as they are big in Namibia

I agree with what JMM said.
Borrow the money, and pay back later.
It is too much investment, effort and involvement to get only with one head of game.

If you go with one animal, all logistics and travel costs included will be 80-90% of hunt.
The point is to reduce the ratio to actual hunting expenses.

As of your list, I would add springbok.
The reason? Check for possibility of another color variant springbok.
And also, add jackal and baboon on the list.

@Dave Zimmerman, were you planning a hunt solely for Impala?

Just kind of caught off guard by amount of extra fees and things they don't disclose when we booked/agreed to this. Had I not already bought my airline ticket I would be likely to back out of this entire thing just based off the fact that they seem to be trying to nickel and dime beforehand...makes me worry once I get there it will be worse when stuck in country with extra hidden fees. Having hunted with other outfitters in US, never had this much extra fees they don't clearly put in writing ahead of time.

Total cost as of right now (not including travel or other purchase in transit)
Impala and Springbok(southern)-$2049.02
Impala and Steenbok-$1994.02
Impala and Duiker(common)-$1894.02
Impala and 2nd impala-$1974.02

These costs include the rifle rental, individual rifle shots, dip and pack, trophy fees, airport pickup and return, conservation fee....Nowhere does this include shipping costs which I know will be expensive

I don't like add-on fees either...But as long as they are up front about the fees, then they are not really an "add on". It's the fees that they don't tell you about that really suck. The VAT tax comes to mind...Just make sure you are communicating with the outfitter and thee are really no hidden costs.
The reason they will not quote shipping is because prices will likely change between now and when your trophy's actually ship.
The transport costs from the airport are not that unusual, even though I personally prefer they are included in the daily rate, at least they are upfront about it. I believe Numzaan is several hours from JNB airport which is why they charge the extra transfer costs.
Do not forget tips.... I figure 20% of total daily and expected trophy fees, to cover PH , trackers, skinners, etc....
Have fun and take what Africa gives! And don't forget the AH hunt report when you get back with lots of pictures!

I can also do a Blesbuck for $680...so a little more than Springbok but similar in terms of finished mount. Would anyone swap this for a Springbok? Since im thinking final mount together, looking for best combo with the impala

@Dave Zimmerman,

The reason I ask is that you have to kind of understand the South African safari business model. Generally speaking, the daily rates tend to be on the low side and as such the outfitter makes his money on trophy fees. If you're planning on only taking one or two trophies which can be done in one or two days of hunting, it can make it difficult for the outfitter to not charge for some of these other what may seem like frivolous items.

For example, if you were planning on being picked up in Johannesburg and it's 5-6 hours from their ranch, this means 10-13 hours round trip travel for someone to come get you. And then another 10-13 hours to take you back. Plus all the fuel involved which sells for much more than what we pay in the U.S. If this is done for someone with a larger list of animals and more days of hunting, it's a lot easier for the outfitter to perhaps drop this charge. At the other end of the spectrum, it's difficult for them to not charge for this very real cost.

I don't mean to criticize you and/or defend Numzaan, or vice versa, but only to try an explain where some of these charges may be coming from.

Dave Zimmerman said:

I can also do a Blesbuck for $680...so a little more than Springbok but similar in terms of finished mount. Would anyone swap this for a Springbok? Since im thinking final mount together, looking for best combo with the impala

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Either will be cool, just depends on your personal preference.
Talk to the outfitter about cull hunting and also bird hunting. Some times there is fun opportunities that arise that won't break the bank.

Was told no cull hunting opportunities with this outfitter, as it was my first question to try and save some $ and still get some decent hunting. From their email it has to be trophies and not bird hunting, so that knocks that out completely. Basically its either shoot 2 animals or pay a non-hunting daily fee on top of other fees.

@Dave Zimmerman,

Regardless of whether this hunt was purchased from an auction/donation or not, there is never a valid excuse for undisclosed fees on the part of the outfitter.

In your post you do not specify as to how you booked this hunt. Neither do you mention if this information on these"extra fees & conditions" where disclosed by the outfitter prior to you making your commitment to the hunt. As Billc mentioned, these extra charges and conditions are unfortunately common with some outfits who donate hunts and then add fees and conditions in an attempt to break even or profit from the donation. I'm not suggesting that is the case with this particular outfit, but it does occur with some outfitters donating hunts for reasons outside of the true spirit of a donation which is to help raise money for said organization.

This is why I preach to all prospective clients do do their due diligence, ask questions, and thoroughly research these prices and packages presented to them. More often than not, you are comparing apples to oranges when there are vast price differences among outfitters. Some of these extra fees and conditions for taking a minimum amount of animals to get a certain price are not common among reputable outfitters in my experiences. However, they are perfectly within the outfitter's prerogative to charge whatever they like provided they make these costs and conditions known upfront before any money changes hands.

I disagree with the notion that going to Africa has to be "expensive" regardless.... What is deemed expensive can be very subjective depending on many factors. For many, I agree that Africa will be a once in a lifetime trip, but that doesn't mean there is not value to be found, and the mindset of spending whatever it takes is a foregone conclusion. Overall, I regard an outfitted African plainsgame safari to be the best value anywhere in the world in terms of what you can get for your money. With that in mind, you as the client and consumer have the right to know all expected costs, terms, & conditions up front. If those were provided to you, the outfitter did their part.... If they were mentioned after you made your commitment, that is not a respectable way to conduct business in my opinion.

I am not understanding the cost of your safari, is day rate included in the price and if so how many days?

Here is the story to clarify:

My best friend won the hunting trip at an auction at an event in Alaska. It is for 4 of us to go. We arrive on 3/20 and drive to camp, hunt 21st-25th, then they take us back to airport on 26th. So total hunting days is 5 days. The daily hunting rates were included with the auction rates at 2 hunters to 1 PH.

The costs they are telling me im personally responsible for is: trophy fees or anything I shoot or wound (standard), airport to and from shuttle, conservation fee, dip and pack through their organization (actually its a different company they use). They do have a minimum of 2 animals hunted or charged a $260 non-hunter daily rate. So if you shoot 2 or more, your daily rate is covered by auction...if you only shoot one you are charged non-hunter daily rate which isn't included in auction. TIPS are not included either and I am aware these will be extra charge for me to come up with.

So just the airport shuttle, conservation fee, and rifle rental is $452.58 then have to add cost of the trophy animals taken and their dip and pack as well as buying the ammo from outfitter at $5.52 a shot.

So by that logic, total cost to hunt an impala and Springbok would be $2049.02 with 2 rounds of ammo. Impala and Blesbuck is $2104.02....

As you can see, this adds up and not what I expected before booking or agreeing to this.

Dave for a basic 7 day safari that's pretty cheap including two animals.

I don't think anyone can honestly comment on the prices, without seeing the auction package put on auction. Often the fine print isn't read.

But I would strongly recommend at least trying to take 4 to 5 animals. Long way to travel for 2 pretty common animals.

Enjoy your safari.

Dave Zimmerman said:

Here is the story to clarify:

My best friend won the hunting trip at an auction at an event in Alaska. It is for 4 of us to go. We arrive on 3/20 and drive to camp, hunt 21st-25th, then they take us back to airport on 26th. So total hunting days is 5 days. The daily hunting rates were included with the auction rates at 2 hunters to 1 PH.

The costs they are telling me im personally responsible for is: trophy fees or anything I shoot or wound (standard), airport to and from shuttle, conservation fee, dip and pack through their organization (actually its a different company they use). They do have a minimum of 2 animals hunted or charged a $260 non-hunter daily rate. So if you shoot 2 or more, your daily rate is covered by auction...if you only shoot one you are charged non-hunter daily rate which isn't included in auction. TIPS are not included either and I am aware these will be extra charge for me to come up with.

So just the airport shuttle, conservation fee, and rifle rental is $452.58 then have to add cost of the trophy animals taken and their dip and pack as well as buying the ammo from outfitter at $5.52 a shot.

So by that logic, total cost to hunt an impala and Springbok would be $2049.02 with 2 rounds of ammo. Impala and Blesbuck is $2104.02....

As you can see, this adds up and not what I expected before booking or agreeing to this.

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So based on you summary above if I understand correctly, I just did the math figuring 6 nights (because that's how many nights your room will be cleaned) with lodging, meals, laundry, hunting 2x1, and including the Impala and Blesbuck trophy fees, rifle rental w/ammo, and airport transfers, it works out to $350.00 a day.
In my opinion for what it's worth, that is really not out of line pricing unless I am missing something. There are many outfitters in the same area you will be hunting that have daily fees higher than 350 and you will still pay trophy fees above that. Good luck getting anything in the States even close to that price.
I think your biggest problem is going to be trying to figure out what to do with the remainder of the days after you take two animals.

Dave,

This is a story we do see often around here. the auction dinners and events paint a very appealing offer until your look at the fine print or more often, speak to the US agent of outfitter. Your situation certainly isn't a unique one.

On this outfitters website they do mention specifically their 2 animal requirement. If you were not present at the auction to look this up ahead of time, your friend should have mentioned it to you.

At the end of the day, you are getting a chance to hunt Africa at a reasonable price with trophy fees that aren't the cheapest, but still reasonable especially with no daily fees. I would suggest as others have said, save and borrow as much as possible and try to add a third animal. You may argue with this right now, but once you're there, on the ground, in Africa...you'll wish you had the chance to hunt one or two more species...

@Dave Zimmerman, I would recommend reading over the fine print in the hunt offer from the auction to clarify what was and was not included in the package. If there are discrepancies then the next step would be to handle that with the organization that conducted the auction and the outfitter.

Dave Zimmerman said:

I can also do a Blesbuck for $680...so a little more than Springbok but similar in terms of finished mount. Would anyone swap this for a Springbok? Since im thinking final mount together, looking for best combo with the impala

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I would say do the springbuck over a blesbuck. If at all possible and you can get the extra money I would say do a blue wildebeest over them both.