Hunting African game in Texas

JamesJ

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Just curious, I've got a couple ranches herein Texas that I'm working with, they have lots of African game on them. Bongo, kudu, eland, wildebeest etc. Assuming they are priced reasonably would you hunt them? The animals are going to be in fantastic shape and you can take the meat home.

Ive done it and its fun, maybe not the most challenging hunt, but the venison is fantastic. But I was, just wondering how many would consider it.
 
I love hunting Texas and have taken 3 African animals there, albeit very reasonably priced ones and ones that are in larger numbers (addax, scimitar oryx, and aoudad).

Not sure I would ever consider hunting any of the more common plains game animals in Africa, but hey you never know. The one that is interesting (and scary in asking or a price) is bongo. I would love to hunt one in the Congo, but unless I wake up a brain surgeon tomorrow or win the lottery this weekend that probably wont happen.

Anyways, best of luck James
 
Because I enjoy eland meat so much, I could possibly be enticed for a "meat hunt" type thing, perhaps.
Definitely not interested in a "by the inch" or "trophy hunt" of any sort though.
 
I could be enticed on certain animals if the price is right.

mainly Eland (meat) and Zebra (rugs and meat)
 
Yes I figured as much :(
 
I'd consider it.. but not at an exorbitant cost..

I could fly to SA or Tanzania and hunt the same game for a week for the price most of the places I have looked at in TX that have African game..

For example.. my wife and I have a hunt planned in SA next June... the outfitter we are hunting with has quoted us the following trophy fees:

Gemsbok $1100
Eland $2800
Kudu $2450

Those same three animals at a place I just looked at in TX are

Gemsbok $7500
Eland $6500
Kudu $15,000

While I'd love to bring the meat home.. and anywhere in TX is obviously a whole lot easier and convenient to get to than Africa.. For the price for me alone to hunt a TX Kudu, my wife and I both can fly to SA, hunt 4-5 animals (to include a Kudu) and fly home, stay at an all inclusive camp, and still have some money left over for taxidermy..

I haven't seen a TX hunt for African animals yet that I could justify spending the money on (although I remain hopeful that one day I might..)..
 
No, thanks. Those aren't the animals I hunted in Africa because it wasn't an African hunt. Hunting Africa game is about the entire experience, the African culture, the food, the new land. And there's the risk, danger, and uncertainty of Africa. TIA is a huge part of the whole experience.
 
@mdwest there is no way we could ever get the prices as cheap as they are in Africa on some of these animals, but once you factor in airfare shipping, etc the price gap diminishes.
But, like I said reasonable prices and the prices for many of these animals are dropping as stock increases.
Wildebeest in TX are 1/2 what they used to be.

But lets say you could take a gemsbok for $3k would you do it? Ive sold eland bulls here for $3,500. thats pretty comparable.
 
@James Jeffrey - HuntingAgent.com I would be interested. I agree with the previous posts about trophy game in Texas being very expensive. However, 3k for a gemsbok or 3500 for an eland are definitely reasonable prices.

Texas also has the advantage of not needing as much planning time. I've been planning my African safari for over a year, which is very difficult being in the Army, not knowing when my next move or vacation time will be. On the other hand, flying to Texas for a 4-day weekend or something like that is easy to do.

I know you're a master at finding very fairly priced hunts, so I'd recommend posting them here!
 
ive hunted the 5 f ranch in texas for water buck,3500.00 and an oryx,4500.00. three days and nights,all drinks, food,lodging.guide service and meat vacuum packed all included in the price per animal.we did these hunts at two separate times.dont know what the prices are now but they were way lower than anybody else.everybody else charged extra for everything.guide service,extra.food extra,lodging,extra,drinks,extra.at my age i might have to go this route,plus,no problems getting your trophy home.
 
I see Texas as a great option for those animals that can't be hunted in their native range but not sure anything else is for me personally but I guess when it comes right down to it, a fenced gemsbok in Texas isn't a lot different than a fenced gemsbok in South Africa. I still like going to Africa though for African game and Texas is great for the odd and unusual stuff.
 
For those types of prices I would definitely consider it..

For me, its not just about the animal, its also about the entire experience.. the time in another location, a different culture, etc..

If the cost is the same.. or even similar for me to hunt in Africa vs TX.. Africa wins every time...

I love hunting in the US.. but would stick to TX game when in TX...

But if we're talking significantly lower overall costs (a $3K Gemsbok plus another $1K in travel, housing, meals, etc..etc..).. and then you throw in the convienience of being able to do that hunt over a weekend (no time off work), and I end up bringing home a couple of hundred pounds of meat as well... I might think of a weekend Gemsbok hunt in TX as "practice" for next years Gembsbok hunt in SA.. and seriously think about it..
 
Yeah those prices for Oryx and eland are reasonable when all things are considered of going to Africa and getting your trophies home, plus getting the meat. I think most of us would at least be interested in seeing what the prices for all animals offered are.
 
I took a scimitar oryx in Texas about 10 years ago. Not available in its homeland. As far as animals that I could shoot in Africa, I don't find it worth the price. For the same money as one animal, I get a trip to Africa and that animal; I'm money ahead if I shoot two animals in Africa.

If I could shoot a zebra in Texas for under $3k I would start thinking about it because I love the meat. Meat is one part where Texas offers something that Africa can't. That is where I'd be interested. "Trophy" animals not so much: the price isn't better and the emotional value of the trophy isn't the same.

Now, with the import ban on lion, I could see some potential there if the legal end can be worked out. It would be a huge up front investment, but there is no competition so the price could be very high (like out of my price range high). For that matter, start farming tigers. I know many if not most people will decry either as a "canned" hunt. But when there is no alternative, a "canned" hunt starts to look pretty appealing. I decided I didn't want to hunt lion in South Africa in 2013 because it wasn't a "real hunt". I regret that now because it would have been a hell of a lot more hunt that watching youtube videos which is what I've got now.
 
Someone needs to offer replica lions and South African hunts would boom again!
 
Now, with the import ban on lion, I could see some potential there if the legal end can be worked out. It would be a huge up front investment, but there is no competition so the price could be very high (like out of my price range high). For that matter, start farming tigers. I know many if not most people will decry either as a "canned" hunt. But when there is no alternative, a "canned" hunt starts to look pretty appealing. I decided I didn't want to hunt lion in South Africa in 2013 because it wasn't a "real hunt". I regret that now because it would have been a hell of a lot more hunt that watching youtube videos which is what I've got now.

Now there's an idea @Bert the Turtle! Exotic predator hunting close to home? I'm intrigued!

@gizmo sounds like something the Gizmo family ranch should expand into!
 
As some have mentioned above, I would also hunt some of the animals in Texas, but the price has to be reasonable.... $15,000 for a Kudu is not reasonable, even if it is well above 65 inches.
 
James, there are two factors which would sway me. The first is the cost of the animals, of course. I agree with you that if prices come down on the Texas side, and if you add airfare, shipping, etc., on the African side, things can come close to balance for some animals. The problem is that I never go to Africa to take only one animal, and as soon as you start multiplying animals, Texas really can't compete.

The second factor, which is almost as important, is the hunt itself. Not every hunt in Africa is hard, but you are in Africa and that counts for a lot, especially for me.

Having said all of that, Texas has a real leg up when it comes to certain animals which are more or less extinct in the wild, like aoudad, scimitar oryx, or data gazelle. The one animal I would hunt in Texas without doubt is aoudad.
 
Not sure I can call 3k for a Gemsbok "reasonable" The last I shot in Namibia (2014) cost me $650, plus I got to take a Hartman's Mountain Zebra for free. Not to mention I shot 2 other Gemsbock for meat(for the guide and trackers) That's a 2350difference.That covers airfare and shipping at least.
 

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