Cost of Full Bag 32-Day Safari in Kenya & Tanzania, 1970

[Foxi]

Great stuff you've posted here.
Please bring more of it.
What remains of the trophies and weapons today?
Back then, only millionaires could afford these prices and trips, even if we smile about it today and long for those times.
The care with which your grandfather listed the costs and even had it bound as a book is amazing.
I try to forget the cost factor of my hunting trips as quickly as possible, because thinking about today's prices often makes me dizzy .

Thank You
Foxi

 

[Altitude sickness]

In 1970 the money for this hunt would equal a brand new top priced corvette.

I’m guessing this hunt would be closer to $150k -$200K today. And still the price of a new top priced Corvette.

A 30 day Kenyan safari has never been considered a blue colored hunt. Being butt hurt that “back when” they were so lucky things were so cheap doesn’t make sense.

I didn’t know anybody in 1970 that went to Kenya for 30 days on a hunt. It would’ve been very rare then.

it is now more common for somebody to go to Tanzania.

 

[Fixfire]

Great stuff you've posted here.
Please bring more of it.
What remains of the trophies and weapons today?
Back then, only millionaires could afford these prices and trips, even if we smile about it today and long for those times.
The care with which your grandfather listed the costs and even had it bound as a book is amazing.
I try to forget the cost factor of my hunting trips as quickly as possible, because thinking about today's prices often makes me dizzy .

Thank You
Foxi

Yes, I’m interested as well (and personally curious) as what happens - within a family, to the trophies and weapons. Unlike your family - which has multi generational tradition of hunters, none of my Daughters or husbands are sportsmen. My trophies will probably end up at a flea-market lol.

 

[Garciamarquez1918]

I'll see if I can round up some photos. There are lots of slides which I'm sure I could convert somehow. Yes it was Robin Hurt. My grandparents went to Kenya in 1967 and were supposed to hunt with John Dugmore who was a prominent PH at the time. Dugmore got chewed on by a leopard the week before they arrived so they got pawned off on this skinny man-child, Robin Hurt. They went back with him in 1970 so needless to say they were impressed.

 

[Garciamarquez1918]

I still have my grandafther's 30-06, which is a pre-64 Model 70 with a target barrel. I have his rhino skull, and (shhh!) rhino horn. My dad's tusks, his lesser kudu, buffalo, leopard skin and a couple lion skulls. My grandmother's leopard. But sadly when you have two generations of a lifetime of hunting (100 heads?) many have to go. And many most likely ended up in flea markets. We were able to give the European mounts to the local zoo here. But it's a shame so often the minute you die these treasures become, well, less than treasures.

 

[RLL]

Thanks for sharing. A great time capsule and piece of hunting history!

 

[mark-hunter]

We were able to give the European mounts to the local zoo here. But it's a shame so often the minute you die these treasures become, well, less than treasures.

I know (not personally) of only two hunters who collected big 5, plus other African animals. Both of them have passed away. Both of them have gifted their trophies to two different hunting museums.
The purpose of trophy is memory. There is no better way of keeping those memories alive than to donate to a museum. I have given some thought to this. And I concluded that the best way for the family is to keep photos, records, and diaries of the old man's hunts.

 

[Fixfire]

I still have my grandafther's 30-06, which is a pre-64 Model 70 with a target barrel. I have his rhino skull, and (shhh!) rhino horn. My dad's tusks, his lesser kudu, buffalo, leopard skin and a couple lion skulls. My grandmother's leopard. But sadly when you have two generations of a lifetime of hunting (100 heads?) many have to go. And many most likely ended up in flea markets. We were able to give the European mounts to the local zoo here. But it's a shame so often the minute you die these treasures become, well, less than treasures.

Glad to hear you have most of the better “stuff”!! Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[Garciamarquez1918]

Here are a couple photos. Unfortunately some of the marquee photos (elephant etc.) have for some reason been removed from the scrapbook. The hand-written comment on one with my dad and the lesser kudu is interesting because of how exceptional his kudu was at the time. It would still be a great lesser kudu but it shows the success of conservation in the last 50 years that lesser kudu in that range are not all that uncommon. Also worth remembering at the time people were seriously concerned that leopard and cheetah would go extinct. Final photo is the lesser kudu 55 years later in my dining room. That's maybe the best you can hope for -- that your kids hold on to a few trophies that remind them of you.

 

[Hunt anything]

Fantastic story and memories! Thanks for sharing.