Has anyone here hunted Africa “Backwards”?

[Northern Shooter]

When I generally think of those planning their first hunt in Africa, it’s likely for a mixed bag plains game hunt someone in the southern Cape.

Did anyone here buck that trend and start with Dangerous Game on their first hunt? I imagine if so, buffalo would likely be the most common choice.

Say you had the funds for elephant, would you recommend someone hunt elephant in their first safari or would that “ruin” the idea of Africa for subsequent follow up hunts?

Curious to hear from those that targeted dangerous game first, did the plains game still have the same appeal to you? Did you end up hunting them afterwards?

 

[BJH65]

When I generally think of those planning their first hunt in Africa, it’s likely for a mixed bag plains game hunt someone in the southern Cape.

Did anyone here buck that trend and start with Dangerous Game on their first hunt? I imagine if so, buffalo would likely be the most common choice.

Say you had the funds for elephant, would you recommend someone hunt elephant in their first safari or would that “ruin” the idea of Africa for subsequent follow up hunts?

Curious to hear from those that targeted dangerous game first, did the plains game still have the same appeal to you? Did you end up hunting them afterwards?

We did DG first then plains game. I don’t really agree with the notion one should hunt plains game first to gain some experience. If it’s within your budget, I see zero issues with hunting DG on your first hunt, if you have the time and budget. Many get great enjoyment pursuing the “Tiny Ten” after they have obtained the Big 4 or Big 5.

 

[WAB]

When I generally think of those planning their first hunt in Africa, it’s likely for a mixed bag plains game hunt someone in the southern Cape.

Did anyone here buck that trend and start with Dangerous Game on their first hunt? I imagine if so, buffalo would likely be the most common choice.

Say you had the funds for elephant, would you recommend someone hunt elephant in their first safari or would that “ruin” the idea of Africa for subsequent follow up hunts?

Curious to hear from those that targeted dangerous game first, did the plains game still have the same appeal to you? Did you end up hunting them afterwards?

My first Safari was for Cape buffalo. If you are an experienced hunter, the advice to hunt PG first is completely nonsensical to me. If you want to hunt DG, and you have the capability to do so, why in the world would you waste your time and money doing a ranch hunt for PG first? Go hunt what you want to and ignore the naysayers. However, be sure you are prepared physically, mentally and with properly tuned equipment.

 

[Wahoo]

I agree with the above whole heartedly. The reality of life commitments, time, and budget are all real to varying degrees for most of us. If you want to hunt dangerous game go do it. Generally speaking it’s not going to get more available or cost less, and your own physical ability is not going to improve by waiting. Regardless of your experiences you are just as much a first time elephant hunter as anyone else the first time you hunt an elephant.

The first African animal I ever took on my first ever trip to Africa was a bull elephant at 17 yards.

 

[deewayne2003]

First Safari was last July and first animal in Africa was a tuskless elephant, later in that same trip I took a great bushbuck & Impala because i still had 8 days left in the hunt.

As @WAB said - Why spend the money shooting ranch Impala and wildebeest if you’re interested in big game.

As for plains game the only ones I have interest in pursuing would be Eland.

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

First hunt leopard. Did enough plains game during the waiting that now I really need revenge in the kudu department!

 

[Beck]

When I generally think of those planning their first hunt in Africa, it’s likely for a mixed bag plains game hunt someone in the southern Cape.

Did anyone here buck that trend and start with Dangerous Game on their first hunt? I imagine if so, buffalo would likely be the most common choice.

Say you had the funds for elephant, would you recommend someone hunt elephant in their first safari or would that “ruin” the idea of Africa for subsequent follow up hunts?

Curious to hear from those that targeted dangerous game first, did the plains game still have the same appeal to you? Did you end up hunting them afterwards?

I killed a cape Buffalo and a Hippo in Mozambique on my first Safari. At the time I thought it was a bucket list trip, and I wanted to kill some dangerous game. I killed a lot of plains game and another buffalo on my second trip which was to South Africa. I would recommend anyone going on their first trip to chase after buffalo, "it's the most fun you can have with you pants on". Hunting dangerous game first has certainly not diminished my desire to hunt plains game - at this point some of the most desirable trophies to me are in fact plains game.

 

[ftrovato]

When I generally think of those planning their first hunt in Africa, it’s likely for a mixed bag plains game hunt someone in the southern Cape.

Did anyone here buck that trend and start with Dangerous Game on their first hunt? I imagine if so, buffalo would likely be the most common choice.

Say you had the funds for elephant, would you recommend someone hunt elephant in their first safari or would that “ruin” the idea of Africa for subsequent follow up hunts?

Curious to hear from those that targeted dangerous game first, did the plains game still have the same appeal to you? Did you end up hunting them afterwards?

I went on my first safari last year and started with free range buffalo in Mozambique. I can finally afford to make trips to the dark continent and I'm not getting any younger!

I'm going back next year to Mozambique for buffalo and then Namibia or SA for more free range plans game that I didn't experience last year.

My advice, if you can afford buffalo, hunt buffalo! We dont know if we will be here tomorrow...

 

[LivingTheDream]

I had 2 of the big 5 before I ever shot my first PG animal. I had 4 of the big 5, before I took my 4th PG species. I still haven't killed many of the common PG species, will probably do those with some newbies or my family.

 

[Maaax]

My first safari was two years ago in Zimbabwe. My wife said to go like you might never go again so I did and hunted an elephant, two buffalo, an eland, giraffe and three impalas. Don't limit yourself.

 

[Muskox]

I would imagine that you could see it as backwards.

I grew up hunting elk horseback in the wilderness areas of Wyoming. That's been 32 years since I left home, every hunt is judged against my youth hunting wild elk in wild country. I enjoyed Namibia a lot, most of what I saw was similar to big cattle ranches in Wyoming. Wildlife everywhere, saw baboons running across the road on the drive to town. Kind of like coyotes leaving the airport.

I was in Namibia, and there was a guy in camp from Spain. He had hunted Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe and this was his first hunt on a game ranch, and his first hunt with his wife. He hated it. Bitched and complained the entire time, shot doubles and triples of everything, but said he would not come back. We were in camp 12 days together, he probably killed 50 animals.

A buddy of mine did his first safari at 58, shot a leopard, wounded and lost a buffalo, and got a nice collection of Mozambique wildlife out of one of the Coutadas. He has never been on a plains game hunt in Namibia or South Africa.

 

[mark-hunter]

Lets paraphrase the question.
Someone who has never hunted anything goes first for the elephant hunt?
Somehow, it does not sound right.
For me, it is one step that leads to another. Plains game, up to DG.
But that is personal.

There are a number of hunters who went for DG first.

Hunters of golden age of safari generally went on a full bag safari to East Africa. (including DG)
But that one safari, a few months long, could be described as "as one and done".

In modern days, of short safari, go for DG first? Where is the romance, where is the challenge, where is the motivation for the next hunt?

So, not for me... but to each his own.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

When I generally think of those planning their first hunt in Africa, it’s likely for a mixed bag plains game hunt someone in the southern Cape.

Did anyone here buck that trend and start with Dangerous Game on their first hunt? I imagine if so, buffalo would likely be the most common choice.

Say you had the funds for elephant, would you recommend someone hunt elephant in their first safari or would that “ruin” the idea of Africa for subsequent follow up hunts?

Curious to hear from those that targeted dangerous game first, did the plains game still have the same appeal to you? Did you end up hunting them afterwards?

When I generally think of those planning their first hunt in Africa, it’s likely for a mixed bag plains game hunt someone in the southern Cape.exciting thing

Did anyone here buck that trend and start with Dangerous Game on their first hunt? I imagine if so, buffalo would likely be the most common choice.

Say you had the funds for elephant, would you recommend someone hunt elephant in their first safari or would that “ruin” the idea of Africa for subsequent follow up hunts?

Curious to hear from those that targeted dangerous game first, did the plains game still have the same appeal to you? Did you end up hunting them afterwards?

The first morning of my first safari the PH had me shoot a duiker and then a reedbuck. Pretty harmless. I suspected he wanted to.know if I could shoot before we went looking for a buffalo. We got a bull after a long tracking job. The most exciting thing I've ever done, but it didn't ruin anything. Kudu, zebra, bushbuck, etc. were all adventures on n their own right.

When I could make another safari I took another buffalo, and another bushbuck because he was big, then a really big (31 6/8) nyala. From my own perspective, If you.love to hunt, every game animal is worthy of respect, or maybe awe, in his own right.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I killed a cape Buffalo and a Hippo in Mozambique on my first Safari. At the time I thought it was a bucket list trip, and I wanted to kill some dangerous game. I killed a lot of plains game and another buffalo on my second trip which was to South Africa. I would recommend anyone going on their first trip to chase after buffalo, "it's the most fun you can have with you pants on". Hunting dangerous game first has certainly not diminished my desire to hunt plains game - at this point some of the most desirable trophies to me are in fact plains game.

I agree. I can't quite see making a safari in Africa with no plan to hunt at least one dangerous game animal. And you're right about buffalo!

 

[Hunt anything]

I killed a buffalo on my very first day of my very first safari and very first stalk. The hunt was set up as the buffalo to be number one on my list and everything after that was gravy. Sable, warthog, nyala, chobe bushbuck, common reedbuck, Lichtenstein hartebeest and non exportable elephant followed in that order.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

My first safari was a package of five plains game animals. I had all but the kudu by second day. Then an unexpected opportunity came up to cull an exceptional cow buffalo. It took some persuasion but I finally agreed. Turned out to be quite an exciting hunt. The herd bull gave us some serious grief. My second safari I took a very nice old bull. Then I hunted buffalo again on my fourth safari but never connected. They are fun to stalk but I think kudu are every bit as difficult to hunt and a fraction of the cost. A lot prettier on the wall too. Those critters are just plain magical. Anybody asks me I always tell them shooting four kudu is five times as challenging as one buffalo and a lot less money. No desire to shoot elephant, croc, or hippo. My buffalo bull hunt gave me all the exposure to rhino I'll need for this lifetime.

 

[Green Chile]

I thought I was only going to be able to go 1 time. Buzz Charlton asked what I do for fun living in Alaska and I said we call bears with predator calls. He said forgot everything else, we are going for tuskless elephant! So I came the first time...went to Zim when there were State Dept warnings about Mugabe...and took a tuskless with CMS. I started that way and have been doing DG ever since. It was multiple safaris before I even looked seriously at PG. Now I'm chasing DG and duikers on most trips. So I guess I started "backwards".

Here's the first hunt report. https://www.africahunting.com/threa...years-ago-and-i-wouldnt-try-that-again.89360/

 

[revturbo9967]

My first safari was cape buff, croc, hippo and plains game in a wild area in Zim. I would do it all over again if I had to have another first hunt.

 

[steve white]

First 2 safaris were backwards, although on the first I did add a few PG to fill time/pot. If you are not sure you are coming back, better 'gitter done the first go.

 

[DLSJR]

My first safari focused heavily on dangerous game. It was a 24-day hunt back in 1983, with Roy Vincent, then of Rosslyn Safaris, in the Deka Safari Area.

Mine was the first full safari conducted on Deka in 12 years and it was a very grand adventure. I had everything that occurred in that area on license, except for lion. I should have extended to 28 days and added lion as I would have shot a fantastic male on day one. It would have been the first animal I shot in Africa. As it was I shot a 58 lb. Elephant bull, a big leopard and two buffalo, a 41” bull and 42” bull. We also saw lion and a Black Rhino, both within 25 yards.

Back then Deka had tons of buffalo and elephant but also lots of plains game. I was very fortunate to shoot a 45” sable, 31” Waterbuck and 54” Kudu as well as Warthogs, Klipspringer, Sharpe’s Grysbok, Impala, Common Duiker. The only animal I had on license and didn’t shoot was a bushbuck.

To this day, that trip remains the finest month of my life. The mounts from that hunt are scattered around my game room and I often think about the experiences I enjoyed during that fantastic time.