Cost to hunt

Duckhunter3000

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I’m not sure if this has been mentioned, but how much does it cost to hunt over in Africa?
 
I'm sure you can get an idea from our AH forum sponsors.

It depends on what you want to hunt and how many hunting days you want to stay at a lodge. It also depends on location/country you want to hunt in.
 
Also need to factor in tipping.
Need to consider taxidermy (if you want to), travel agent, travel insurance/rescue plan and a little emergency cash too
 
Just a very rough estimate can be arrived at by taking the day rate and trophy fees and doubling it. To cover airfare, tips, dipping and packing, shipping, and taxidermy. So a $10k hunt is $20K all-in.
 
Figure you have the following costs:

Flights - you can estimate that on flights.google.com
The actual hunt - listed on the deals page or straight from the outfitter offers
Tips - there is a section here for tipping amounts, but figure it will be between 5-15% of the actual hunt cost.
Taxidermy - that depends on what you are looking to get done. There is also the cost of shipping the trophies, which can vary a lot.
Other costs - if you get a professional video of the hunt. Adds cost, but could replace taxidermy for some people. $200-300 per day of the hunt. Possibly a small amount of travel cost for the camera person and perhaps an observer fee to pay. You also might need an overnight stay in the city you are flying into if you arrive very late in the afternoon.
 
Just a very rough figure for you.

My last hunt was for 10 days and 12 plains game animals for $6500

Airfare and trip insurance $3,000

Taxidermy for 3 shoulder mounts warthog, blue Wildebeest, mountain reedbuck, and 5 euros $4800
Shipping to my house plus importer fees 5,000+-.

Tips around $2000psi

I budgeted around $13,000 but in the end it was closer to $20,000.

Prices have gone up for everything, this hunt was in 2022. You can do it cheaper and then again you can go for broke.
 
There isn’t a hard fast Starting number. Look through the deals and offers section for a baseline and then add in the other items previously mentioned. It does get expensive fast, the airline tickets are always the killer for me
 
Cheaper than a non-resident guided elk in Wyoming...
Cheaper than a lot of guided hunts here in the US.

I feel fortunate that I lived in Utah and Colorado and all of my hunts have been DIY, even my coues deer in Arizona. I've shot elk, mule deer, javelina all without a guide for the last 60 or so years.
 
If you can't DIY in the Rockies in America, then Africa becomes a much better deal.

Public land in America has become ridiculously hard to draw for non-residents, because of media hype.


(I got an e-mail from Wyoming G&F telling me that I would be wasting time and money to attempt to get a moose tag)


IME, you can actually take at least 4 big-game animals in South Africa for less than the cost of a tag and a guided hunt for only one animal in the Rockies or Alaska.
 
Cheaper than a lot of guided hunts here in the US.

I feel fortunate that I lived in Utah and Colorado and all of my hunts have been DIY, even my coues deer in Arizona. I've shot elk, mule deer, javelina all without a guide for the last 60 or so years.

I have been fortunate enough to take elk, pronghorn, and mule deer without a guide in New Mexico & Wyoming.

Because of media (MeatEater, mainly), public land hunting in the western US has become very difficult.

Even as a non-resident, I had always been successful on DYI hunts in the west, prior to 2023.

On our two hunts in Wyoming in 2023, there were hunters everywhere!


There was no escaping the crowds, unless you hired a "guide" to take you into "wilderness."



In the eastern U.S., I have a "guide" permit, but I can not use it in areas that are designated "wilderness."

I guess I don't have sufficient GREASE for the politicians here...


Disgusting...
 

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