How do/did you pick your hunting outfitter?

[BRICKBURN]

The problem with my post was that I placed it on another mans thread. My mistake, which Jerome kindly corrected.
................

I also invited you, separately from J, to post your hunt report.
Please do so.

 

[BRICKBURN]

100%

Their expectations for a "good" hunt (shooting from truck and getting drunk) sure didn't meet mine. I asked too many questions about trophies and not enough on the experience.

I made a similar boo boo on the after the Safari area.

The late Jason Bridger (Outfitter and PH that operated Kanana Safaris in Botswana) had made a comment to me during my research process before hunting with him.
I paraphrase here: "If every hunter was like you, the bad Outfitters would be out of business."
This was in reaction to the number and depth of questions I ask before I make a decision. Jason answered them all honestly and the answers were corroborated from other sources.

I screwed up one thing badly. I never researched Taxidermy in Botswana. I assumed it was like South Africa and would have multiple options. In reality, it is a near countrywide monopoly. In the end, I had issues with the taxidermy/d&p provider in Botswana. I was within a couple of emails of abandoning the trophies for the entire group because of the BS.
Over a year later, Jason worked hard to resolve the problem directly with the owner and the trophies eventually made their way home.
Jason did exactly what I expect of a Good Outfitter; He worked on his clients behalf, long after he had been paid, and helped solve the problem.

How Outfitters handle problems is certainly a litmus test for me. The absence of problems is not realistic as a measuring tool. There will be issues, how do they manage them.

If Jason Bridger were alive today I would hunt with him in a heartbeat.

 

[Steve Gibicsar]

I'm in about the same position as you are. I've read, and read, and researched, and sometimes all of the details seem overwhelming and I just want to say the hell with it. Some outfitters help with all of the permitting, licenses, fees, ect. Then there's outfits that sell a hunt and everything else is your responsibility. But then there are buisinesses that will help you with all of the details of a hunt. I think that the variety of prices related to a hunt/safari might relate to the amount of service provided.

 

[Aegis]

@wildfowler.250 I've only been to Africa once (so far), and in the interest of "bottom line up front," I went with KMG.

I spent a lot of time on these forums reading hunt reports and narrowed it down to three different outfitters which 1.) Had the animals my buddy and I were looking for 2.)Fit our budget and 3.) Had multiple good reviews from hunters on these forums. Having gone through a bunch of hunt reports on the three outfitters, we had a pretty good feel for each of them, and then we then emailed each separately and inquired about the type of hunt we were looking for (2x1, plains game, budget considerations).

They all sent back good, informative email offers about what kind of hunt they could put together for us, and we chose the one that seemed to fit the best. I actually felt like any one of them would have been a great choice, but as I previously mentioned, we ended up doing a 7-day 2x1 plains game hunt with KMG in 2017. The lodge and the KMG team are top-notch, and we couldn't have been more pleased with the experience. We did travel to some different properties to hunt, I didn't think any of them were an excessive distance from the lodge, and the lodge itself sits on about 50-some-thousand acres. My post-hunt review is here: https://www.africahunting.com/threads/south-africa-incredible-experience-with-kmg-safaris.39792/

I'd say just do your research, pick out a few that review well and fit your budget, and then dig a little deeper if you like. Talk to the outfitter and ask for references, and talk to them, too. I think it will become clear as you go through that process which safari companies stand out, and the decision will wind up being pretty easy.

And for what it's worth, my only affiliation with KMG is that of a satisfied client...heading back for 10 days next June!

 

[firehuntfish]

Hi Dan, XXXXXXXX of TWS is just an asshole and does not deserve anymore explanation from me. I have made my points quite clear to him, several times, privately and publicly. I will continue to bad mouth him every chance I get.
He lies/cheats and provides a poor African Hunting experience. And, he makes a lot of money doing it. That money from North American hunters/clients should go to outfitters who work hard providing a good hunt, as far as I am concerned.

You may very well have made your points quite clear to the outfitter, but not to anyone else on the forum... This would be extremely helpful information to prospective clients if you would have chosen to explain in detail why you feel this way....

I have thrown grenades over the years and have hopefully cost a couple of bad outfitter a lot of money. I like it that way.

I can certainly understand the feeling of gratification and sense of justice that one might feel after lobbing a grenade... However, if you truly are doing this with the main goal being to expose a bad outfitter as you stated, wouldn't you agree that it would be far more effective to provide as much detailed information as possible to lend both credibility and a measured demeanor to your statements? It was certainly not my intention to discount your complaints with this particular outfitter. My intention was to simply suggest that there are better ways to get your information out there.

Your industry would be a lot better off if travelling hunters would speak up about the bad operators. That is how it works in most other industries. And it is the best way of rewarding the right people. It's healthy.

As I have said many times over, nobody here has any issue whatsoever with an unhappy client speaking up by posting the complete details of his/her safari experience good, bad , or otherwise. My only issue is with the manner in which it is done.... Content posted in an improper manner is really not healthy, and potentially libelous...

Why do the bad Safari Operators in South Africa seen to just go on forever. They are hard on first timers hunting in South Africa, and it pisses me off. PHASA is as useless in this regard, as tit on a boar.

Do they? Over the last 10-15 years, it has been my experience that I have noticed quite a few African outfitters come and go... The fly-by-night outfits don't last for obvious reasons, while the well-established, most reputable ones seem to endure...

Your place was recommended to me recently by an American aquaintance on a private forum. He was referring to your excellent deal on buffalo cows. I may have sent an inquiry to you recently. I have recently lost interest in hunting with you and have booked my 2020 buffalo hunt with Marius Kruger Jr. in Mozambique.

I do not recall answering your inquiry. Maybe you sent it directly to Hannes Els, the owner? In any event, I do regret and apologize for your loss of interest in hunting with us. What is something I said? Regardless, I sincerely wish you the best of luck on your 2020 buffalo hunt in Mozambique. We all look forward to your detailed hunting report.

Your opinions on this matter are waisted on me. If I ever get treated badly again on an African hunt, I will make the outfitter famous like I have XXXXXXXX.
So should every travelling hunter. It might clean your industry up bit.

We can certainly end in agreement that it is readily apparent that my opinions are wasted on you...

It has been a rough couple of weeks for dead horses here on AH.com.... So, with that in mind, let's move on... Hopefully, anyone else following along here will have a more positive and productive takeaway from this thread in regard to writing their own hunting report when the time comes.