2020 Trophy Hunting Prices

AES said:

Not sure why you wouldn't see prices moving much. Airline prices are absolutely down. The dollar is worth 30%+ more v. the Rand than it was in late January. In RSA, anyways, prices will have to be conveyed in Rand, purely, or reduced in dollars to make sense. We are already seeing it on this forum from some of the great sponsors. At this point, I can go to RSA and shoot 5 plains trophies over 5 days for the same price that I could shoot an Aoudad here in TX . . . just insane.

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You are right there are great deals on AH! The real question is an aoudad worth $6500....for me it worth between $2500 and $3500 in TX and nothing more. Especially when I see kudu hunts mixed with other plains game animals for the $3500 amount.

We will be making our way this year to support our good friend, John Henry. I have no doubt prices will significantly drop due to multiple factors. Airline prices have dropped close to 2k this summer. What is the latest on traveling to SA from the US?

dt

Delta is allowing me to book roundtrip from Houston to Johannesburg for $1137 in August, but Lufthansa isn't accepting any bookings between now and August, at least.

hey all

so from an outfitters point of view
i would say you will get some great deals on cull animals late season 2020, if all settles and we can all travel accross the pond again
not so sure about trophy animals prices. i think because a lot of hunters could not hunt in 2020 season the demand in 2021 should be higher then normal. so i would assume the prices for trophy hunts may be stable

when the exchange rate fluctuates like it has for us in SA, all our goods tend to get more expensive, so camps become more expensive to run, diesel price go's up, food, ammo etc all go's up, vehicle prices up etc etc. so this doesnt always translate to better pricing on trophies etc

i would think the places like zim where they work on strict quota system would have recourse with government for the unused quota?? but i am not sure of this.

looking forward

regards

Two things will equal reduced pricing to me, first the $ is up approx. 30% versus the SARand . The second thing is the stock market is down and oil prices are driving it lower. There is uncertainty about the value of most commodities, even real estate. Among all that uncertainty it is going to take some real bargains to lure hunters to make the trip. I feel sorry for outfitters and want them to survive but must take care of myself first.

postoak said:

Delta is allowing me to book roundtrip from Houston to Johannesburg for $1137 in August, but Lufthansa isn't accepting any bookings between now and August, at least.

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Booked my flight with Delta too. Will also be using Global Rescue this time as well.

Tally-Ho Hunting Safaris said:

hey all

so from an outfitters point of view
i would say you will get some great deals on cull animals late season 2020, if all settles and we can all travel accross the pond again
not so sure about trophy animals prices. i think because a lot of hunters could not hunt in 2020 season the demand in 2021 should be higher then normal. so i would assume the prices for trophy hunts may be stable

when the exchange rate fluctuates like it has for us in SA, all our goods tend to get more expensive, so camps become more expensive to run, diesel price go's up, food, ammo etc all go's up, vehicle prices up etc etc. so this doesnt always translate to better pricing on trophies etc

i would think the places like zim where they work on strict quota system would have recourse with government for the unused quota?? but i am not sure of this.

looking forward

regards

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Praying for all my fitness and outfitters and I hope things return to normal soon. However, I believe the economic impact, uncertainty, and oil prices driving down will have a significant impact on 2020/21.

Prayers to all affected directly and indirectly.

dt

https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...yment-in-countrys-history-20200421?isapp=true

When will hunting in RSA be possible again? Good question...

I will say the previous 2 years Delta was really expensive and in my mind at least way overpriced. Maybe now they come back down to reality!

I don't see much traveling for the rest of 2020. This lockdown and falling economy will put a damper on that. People unemployed won't have the means. They will be holding on to all they have trying to survive. And then there are the two bit bureaucrats trying their best to scare everyone with their doomsday blathering.

Hopefully, by the end of the year, this will settle down and the world will get back in orbit. If it does it will still take a good part of next year to reorganize and carry on. The world as we know it today is forever changed. The future will be quite different, for better or worse. However, the overriding fact of the matter is THIS IS AMERICA. WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED. We may be bent, twisted and inconvenienced but we shall recover stronger than ever. Stand by, world.

Bushpig4Ever said:

https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...yment-in-countrys-history-20200421?isapp=true

When will hunting in RSA be possible again? Good question...

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its crazy the cost to economy, for +-3500 people infected so far, +-55 dead, its a joke actually
such a cost for so few. they could rather spend money testing and tracing and medical care etc

the whole situ is a big #%@&up

Getting to Africa may be easier than getting home. If there's a flareup in the country where you are at, are you prepared to spend another week, month or longer in country?

I am afraid the knock on effects of the Virus is going to be much longer lasting than many Outfitters will be able to endure financially. Countless of businesses have closed down even here in Sweden where we have had no lock down, the social distancing was enough. A few Airlines have gone down too and although it may not seem so right now, there is going to be many many other companies and industries that will take a long time to recover. People don't spend money on hunting Africa if there is hardly money to go around at home. The other question is of course do you want to be caught in another lockdown in a African country?
The face of the South African hunting industry is going to change, there are not many Outfitters with their own properties that can afford a two season break in business or a 70% reduction in clients. Those that have paid deposits and rescheduled for 2021 better hope the Outfitter is still around by then, because the deposits won't be, people need to live. I can also see that here most people have decided that 2020 won't be a travel year and that they will be spending their money locally, which if the same trend continues in SA will mean that the Outfitters will focus more on the local market even if the price is entirely different. If anything I think the local SA hunter is the one going to benefit the greatest from this when it comes to deals on plains game. Buff, Sable etc the prices where already dropping before the Virus, I doubt there will be huge price drops on them although the put and take Outfitters will make a killing, literally.

I believe prices will have to come down. We will NEVER see the same economy that we had prior to Covid-19. So, to get things going again, does the outfitter then maintain his old prices, Jack them up even higher (targeting the elite hunters) or reduce them to attract all of us currently doing the rounds??
My money is on the 3rd scenario... Just as it would be when I re-open my gunshop... Will have to reduce prices and have major specials going to get any form of business going. The customers have all been in lock down, all lost salaries etc and need to take care of their families first before buying guns and Ammo etc... If I don't implement this price war, nobody will visit my shop for sure... Same thing for the hunting safari business. It needs to stabilize and get to realistic prices to survive.

enysse said:

With good rain this last winter many areas are going to see a surge in animal numbers. I will expect some great deals on plains game animals. There might be some deals on dangerous game but those hunts are always in demand! I would not expect prices to change much. Hopefully airline prices don’t get crazy in price because right now all the airlines are hurting now. Some airlines might fold, less competition means fewer options. Depends on how long this quarantine lasts.

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Who knows if there will be a 2020 season but, in my opinion, the real stickler is whether many hunters are willing to be cooped up in airplanes for the time it takes to fly from their home towns to, let's say, Johannesburg. My last couple of flights picked up and dropped off passengers in Senegal. Many of these people were coughing and sneezing. This was well before the Coronavirus pandemic but I was entirely aware of the possibilities of cross infection even then.

I believe, even now, that the danger of getting infected with covid 19 is quite small, once you get to your destination. I doubt the risk of infection in South Africa, for example, is much different than Canada, the U.S. or Germany. Once covid subsides in the majority of nations, I think plenty of people will still be unwilling to fly, especially if the air flight takes many hours. It will be interesting to see if hunters are willing to fly from Texas to Alaska, in that this is a fairly long flight. I wonder how many hunters will be willing to take the relatively short flight from Kansas to Colorado for elk and mule deer.

In terms of prices, the pressure will be on lower prices but they can't go too low or professional hunters and outfitters won't make it.

Supply and demand chaps . Economics 101. When the cites export able elephant quotas were auctioned off in Botswana a few months ago the pricing went through the roof mainly due to pent up demand from almost 10 years of no hunting . The long time operators with long client lists outbid all the local and newer operators. However once the first round of auctions had past prices started to drop. For plains game I see the supply increasing as Southern Africa has had Better rain fall albeit late. I can definitely put this down to a positive spin off of China shutting down its industry for a few months. Also local hunting during covid is not happening due to travel restrictions furthermore the exotic game bubble burst spectacularly and a lot of people got burned investing in over prices stock so they need the money. In my humble opinion I would say prices will be the same or lower.Just ask Russia and Saudi Arabia about the effects of low demand on oil ....