Kudu Pricing?

[HookMeUpII]

Have taken 5 kudu over the years, with some hunts never providing opportunity for decent or old bull. IIRC, the highest trophy fee I ever paid was about $1800. I’ve never hunted kudu in a stocked reserve. Little doubt that numbers like $5000-$7000 or more for a kudu indicate stocked trophies that were grown exclusively for that purpose. Once in Limpopo RSA, I remember driving by a private reserve with a fleet of semi trailers parked just inside the entrance. Turns out a group of wealthy Arabs had just arrived for a “hunt”.

I would feel guilty and be called a liar for posting the trophy fee I paid and size of my best kudu that just happened to be in free range area.

That pricing is long gone. My $2300 figure is long gone as well. And that was 3 years ago.

I don't think stocked preserves have that much of an effect on pricing.

I've seen offers from sponsors, semi-recently, around $4000-$5000 trophy fee for a free-range kudu. It seems like its mostly Eastern Cape. I've also been told it's a super challenging hunt in that terrain so maybe that does have at least a small effect on pricing?

It's crazy how expensive they've become. I remember wanting a sable so bad but seeing it was $4500 I just couldn't justify it. Meanwhile, I "settled" on a kudu for $2300 instead.

Looking at some outfitters. Sable went from $4500 to $6000 in some cases. That's a 33% increase. Kudu went from $2300 (in my case) to $4600 or so and that's a 100% increase.

33% increase on the sable vs 100% increase on the kudu? Something is going on there. I'd love to know what.

Disease? Breeding issues? Population problems? Maybe some sort of government licensing nonsense?

 

[deewayne2003]

I will second the stay some extra days and go somewhere else and shoot your Kudu. $5800 for a Kudu is highway robbery, IMO.

Funny at the DSC Galla this summer a Texas game ranch tried to sell me a 2day “all inclusive” Kudu hunt for $20,000…. I politely declined.

Some of my older(boomer) friends went on a group hunt to SA a few years ago; they came home smiling ear to ear and telling me how they priced Kudu by the inch and one buddy in particular was thrilled that his wife shot…..

“The new SCI women’s world record Sable for only $17,000!”

I could only smile and congratulate him, but in my mind their trip stories were like a shopping list of red flags that told me any trips to SA would require some extensive research on my part.

 

[pilar]

That pricing is long gone. My $2300 figure is long gone as well. And that was 3 years ago.

I don't think stocked preserves have that much of an effect on pricing.

I've seen offers from sponsors, semi-recently, around $4000-$5000 trophy fee for a free-range kudu. It seems like its mostly Eastern Cape. I've also been told it's a super challenging hunt in that terrain so maybe that does have at least a small effect on pricing?

It's crazy how expensive they've become. I remember wanting a sable so bad but seeing it was $4500 I just couldn't justify it. Meanwhile, I "settled" on a kudu for $2300 instead.

Looking at some outfitters. Sable went from $4500 to $6000 in some cases. That's a 33% increase. Kudu went from $2300 (in my case) to $4600 or so and that's a 100% increase.

33% increase on the sable vs 100% increase on the kudu? Something is going on there. I'd love to know what.

Disease? Breeding issues? Population problems? Maybe some sort of government licensing nonsense?

I was talking to a outfitter in Tanzania and when he asked my wish list, he quoted me +/- $5000 for a kudu ( + a air charter to change to a different concession)
Got the same answer from two different places in Zimbabwe ( luckily one has a full meal deal in Mozambique, buff & mixed PG )
We aren’t done yet shopping around though

 

[HookMeUpII]

I was talking to a outfitter in Tanzania and when he asked my wish list, he quoted me +/- $5000 for a kudu ( + a air charter to change to a different concession)
Got the same answer from two different places in Zimbabwe ( luckily one has a full meal deal in Mozambique, buff & mixed PG )
We aren’t done yet shopping around though

Yes, per your point, I think the price is similar all over. High fence or free-range.

In terms of a fenced area, I guess maybe if a hunter wants a 60" kudu, which I assume is super rare, they probably charge a premium as that animal probably had a whole lot of care and husbandry leading up to that point. Not really my thing at all, but that is likely the case with that.

I would even guess that free-range kudu might even have a higher per-day rate due to the challenges. I've seen videos of free range hunts in Eastern Cape and it's essentially like glassing for elk in the Rockies. Spot one 1000 yds away and somehow, by luck or skill, close the distance and hopefully, get a shot. That's a ton of time and effort.

 

[washington867]

I would highly recommend Huntershill. Very affordable....

 

[eatmore-pbj]

Going again soon to NKWE in Botswana.
Awesome hunting and big kudu are everywhere. Kudu fee is 2000, eland 1800
Gensbuck around 1200. All plentiful and trophy sized. Spend a little extra on plane ticket which takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes and you'll have a world class hunt.

 

[Wyfox]

I was shopping around last fall for a hunt in 2027. I was qouted 3k for a kudu in Limpopo by a site sponsor. I ultimately opted to go elsewhere.

 

[fourfive8]

That pricing is long gone. My $2300 figure is long gone as well. And that was 3 years ago.

I don't think stocked preserves have that much of an effect on pricing.

I've seen offers from sponsors, semi-recently, around $4000-$5000 trophy fee for a free-range kudu. It seems like its mostly Eastern Cape. I've also been told it's a super challenging hunt in that terrain so maybe that does have at least a small effect on pricing?

It's crazy how expensive they've become. I remember wanting a sable so bad but seeing it was $4500 I just couldn't justify it. Meanwhile, I "settled" on a kudu for $2300 instead.

Looking at some outfitters. Sable went from $4500 to $6000 in some cases. That's a 33% increase. Kudu went from $2300 (in my case) to $4600 or so and that's a 100% increase.

33% increase on the sable vs 100% increase on the kudu? Something is going on there. I'd love to know what.

Disease? Breeding issues? Population problems? Maybe some sort of government licensing nonsense?

Supply and demand. Kudu has become the bucket list, glamor game animal. Seems like the sable demand ran its course with many reserves growing them out for stocking and then saturating the market. The 60” kudu is the new sable.

Those semi trailers I saw parked inside the entrance to a hunting reserve in Limpopo were not there to stock DG or PG. The game had already been stocked. Those trailers were carrying the entire camp for those wealthy Arab hunters. The camp had been shipped to an RSA port them semis transported the camp to the property. That is the type money driving some of this wild pricing. For those Arab hunters, no difference in market pressure between a $1500 kudu and a $7800 kudu. The extremely high numbers are not aimed at the average Africa hunter market. They are for hunters like those oil Arabs who have nearly unlimited budgets for play. You see them doing that worldwide. Most are one and done bucket list types. The next month they’ll be off to the next trendy adventure somewhere else in the world. I’ve noticed many of them starting this life style in their twenties. There are enough of these type hunters around to affect the market. I got to know one of the old master guides in Alaska and he had numerous stories of similar big money international hunters driving the economics of hunting beginning in the ‘50s. He and a few older outfitters in Africa would also tell stories of their most dreaded uber wealthy clients… Russian mafia. Once they guided or outfitted them, the Russians felt they “owned” them and became fearful of declining to guide or outfit them in the future. There are market forces at work, hidden beneath the surface, driving some of these insane prices.

 

[Philip Glass]

I disagree with this, to an extent. If you're doing the auction hunt and have good information ahead of time, they can be a great value. If you start adding $5800 Kudu and other "high price" trophies, or lots of low price ones, then I would agree its a bad deal. If you hunt the package, and maybe add 1-2 animals that make sense if you're not planning to return, they are still a good hunt.

But the problem is almost no one does that kind of research. If they did they would realize that many are not a true donations they are receiving but a marketing tool. This is number 3 on my list of Top 10 First Time Safari Mistakes video. I explain that there are two kinds of donated hunts. One is a true donation say 10Days/12 Animals like I have been given for our SASCI banquet. That is a solid $9500 value. The other is the bait and switch donation like the dreaded 4 Day, Impala/Blesbuck safari and you have to pay for airport pickup and it goes from there.
I just bought a donated hunt at SCI! Yes me. I met with the outfitter and asked questions and then took a chance on the hunt. Of course it is a true donation and not a bait and switch.

 

[Betterinthebush]

Wow! Some of the prices you guys are reporting are difficult for me to understand. Less than a year ago I took my bull in Namibia. Very expansive high fenced ranch adjoining Bushmanland. To say it was “high” was a joke. The elephant were tearing it apart for miles and it was obvious that the repairs would take months.

If I never take another kudu, I’ll not feel cheated. He was mature, a fine representative, more than what I was hoping for and, apparently, a bargain at $1,900.00.

Incidentally I got the TF price list for Nuanetsi for my hunt and kudu was $3,000.00. So, yea, I’ll hunt a giraffe bull and $350 impala instead.

 

[fourfive8]

If we live long enough and Africa hunting remains available, we might see RELATIVE kudu pricing re-adjust. Hard to predict. The example of the wealthy Arab hunters in Limpopo is simply an example. They are not the only ones driving higher kudu prices. Post pandemic American and European money also drives the system. If those with money, view a 60” kudu as most important within their social circles, the price goes up. Those Arabs in the example couldn’t care less about the pricing. The wealthy leaders in their society have been going on those type exclusive hunts for years. One of the underlying subplots in the movie Hidalgo captures that history well, either accidentally or on purpose. Many in that social strata have so much money, it wouldn’t matter if a kudu cost $1,500, $20,000 or $50,000. The only economic dynamic keeping current Africa hunt costs anywhere near reasonable for average hunters are the overall percentages/averages on the demand side of the equation. Small numbers on the demand side can inflate or control pricing for only limited lengths of time.

 

[Corylax18]

Supply and demand. Kudu has become the bucket list, glamor game animal. Seems like the sable demand ran its course with many reserves growing them out for stocking and then saturating the market. The 60” kudu is the new sable.

Those semi trailers I saw parked inside the entrance to a hunting reserve in Limpopo were not there to stock DG or PG. The game had already been stocked. Those trailers were carrying the entire camp for those wealthy Arab hunters. The camp had been shipped to an RSA port them semis transported the camp to the property. That is the type money driving some of this wild pricing. For those Arab hunters, no difference in market pressure between a $1500 kudu and a $7800 kudu. The extremely high numbers are not aimed at the average Africa hunter market. They are for hunters like those oil Arabs who have nearly unlimited budgets for play. You see them doing that worldwide. Most are one and done bucket list types. The next month they’ll be off to the next trendy adventure somewhere else in the world. I’ve noticed many of them starting this life style in their twenties. There are enough of these type hunters around to affect the market. I got to know one of the old master guides in Alaska and he had numerous stories of similar big money international hunters driving the economics of hunting beginning in the ‘50s. He and a few older outfitters in Africa would also tell stories of their most dreaded uber wealthy clients… Russian mafia. Once they guided or outfitted them, the Russians felt they “owned” them and became fearful of declining to guide or outfit them in the future. There are market forces at work, hidden beneath the surface, driving some of these insane prices.

You state that the "Arabs" have been "driving the economics" since the 50's. So, it took 70 years for them to affect the price of a Kudu Trophy?

Prices have only seemed to spike in the last 5 years or so, and not evenly, or everywhere, as other posts have indicated.

You also say "the extremely high numbers are not aimed at the average African hunter market." Yes, they are. Multiple average African hunters have posted that these are the rates being quoted to them, now, on hunts that were sold/auctioned in the US. Maybe we're all Saudi Sheiks in disguise, but I doubt it.

Your first paragraph makes plenty of sense, different things gain and lose popularity in cycles. The economics of that supply and demand fluctuation follow. The rest of the post is just very strange, a problem looking for a "solution" that doesn't fit.

 

[Corylax18]

If we live long enough and Africa hunting remains available, we might see RELATIVE kudu pricing re-adjust. Hard to predict. The example of the wealthy Arab hunters in Limpopo is simply an example. They are not the only ones driving higher kudu prices. Post pandemic American and European money also drives the system. If those with money, view a 60” kudu as most important within their social circles, the price goes up. Those Arabs in the example couldn’t care less about the pricing. The wealthy leaders in their society have been going on those type exclusive hunts for years. One of the underlying subplots in the movie Hidalgo captures that history well, either accidentally or on purpose. Many in that social strata have so much money, it wouldn’t matter if a kudu cost $1,500, $20,000 or $50,000. The only economic dynamic keeping current Africa hunt costs anywhere near reasonable for average hunters are the overall percentages/averages on the demand side of the equation. Small numbers on the demand side can inflate or control pricing for only limited lengths of time.

This post makes a lot more sense, but directly contradicts that second paragraph of your first post in several ways. Maybe you just needed to get something off your chest, I dont know.

I think the general economics of the world are more to blame than any one group of people or any "social circles" The printing presses have been pumping out money around the world for years now, despite claims that prices have only gone up 20% or 25%. Inflation the last 5 years has been crazy and it has been paired with Aggressive currency devaluation at the same time. Costs for a lot of things have doubled, or more when you look at the whole picture. That isn't the Arabs fault, that's the fault of governments making bad decisions, for decades, we're starting to see the the consequences of those bad decisions play out in all sorts of ways. This just being one of them.

 

[375Fox]

Arab money isn’t making kudu prices higher. That’s ridiculous. Maybe Tanzania hunting concessions, but not kudu in South Africa. It’s supply and demand. The outfitters closest to Johannesburg charge the most because they can. There’s a local market and hunters are willing to pay more in trophies fees to not take a flight elsewhere in Africa. Other regions in South Africa have better pricing. Namibian kudu are $2000-$3000 at same day rates as South Africa. Botswana kudu are $2000 at same day rates as South Africa. Zimbabwe kudu are generally $2000 added on a DG hunt. Zambian kudu are $3000 added on a DG or specialty PG hunt. Kudu are not plentiful in Tanzania and only available on 21 day license. You can’t compare that pricing to Southern Africa.

 

[375Fox]

This post makes a lot more sense, but directly contradicts that second paragraph of your first post in several ways. Maybe you just needed to get something off your chest, I dont know.

I think the general economics of the world are more to blame than any one group of people or any "social circles" The printing presses have been pumping out money around the world for years now, despite claims that prices have only gone up 20% or 25%. Inflation the last 5 years has been crazy and it has been paired with Aggressive currency devaluation at the same time. Costs for a lot of things have doubled, or more when you look at the whole picture. That isn't the Arabs fault, that's the fault of governments making bad decisions, for decades, we're starting to see the the consequences of those bad decisions play out in all sorts of ways. This just being one of them.

I did my first safari in Namibia in 2002. I think $300/day and kudu was $1500. It’s gone up maybe doubled in 24 years? I did my first sheep and caribou hunt in Yukon in 2005. It was $11,500 for both. I think dall sheep only would start around $40,000 now. It’s gone up over 4 times. African pricing is still very affordable.

 

[HookMeUpII]

I did my first safari in Namibia in 2002. I think $300/day and kudu was $1500. It’s gone up maybe doubled in 24 years? I did my first sheep and caribou hunt in Yukon in 2005. It was $11,500 for both. I think dall sheep only would start around $40,000 now. It’s gone up over 4 times. African pricing is still very affordable.

I agree with the statement on African pricing. People pay $10,000-$12,000 for a trophy whitetail hunt. Our first safari in RSA was about that all said and done.

Part of me regrets getting into hunting so late in my life. Wish I could have enjoyed some of the historical pricing.

 

[Hunt anything]

I think it was on this forum recently, a well known Eastern Cape outfitter thought they should charge the equivalent to a North American elk hunt for their kudu hunts.

That takes away the beauty of a safari to South Africa, multiple species at an affordable price for most people. JMO

 

[375Fox]

I think it was on this forum recently, a well known Eastern Cape outfitter thought they should charge the equivalent to a North American elk hunt for their kudu hunts.

That takes away the beauty of a safari to South Africa, multiple species at an affordable price for most people. JMO

They also wanted to take 3 hunters on an area instead of 10. They are looking at a different model.

 

[Rare Breed]

Curious what those have paid in South Africa for Greater Kudu? The outfitter we are going with likely in 2028 has them on the price list from 4800 to 5800 seems like that maybe high compared to others. Not to be cliche but we bid on the classic hunt auction at DU and "won" for 4200 4 guys "5 full days of hunting" 2:1 PH with Blesbok or Impala, Warthog, Wilderbeast and Managment animal. Did find out Impala is no longer on that list 2026 and later after the fact which was a disappointment that was one of my hitlist but Impala is a fair add on at 600 and they let you drop the management animal for a 200 dollar credit. I want to hunt a Kudu and i probably wont go back to africa again until my kids turn 16 so they can hunt also which will be 2036. Part of me just wants to pay the add on for the Kudu but if the price is crazy high compared to others I don't want to be a chump.

Basically just curious what others have paid for greater Kudu in 2024 and onwards.

Wow…I have paid $1,400 and $2,200. Why suddenly double the price? If he is telling you there are 60+ inch kudu maybe but if I understand you right over $4,000? Sky high to me

 

[Rare Breed]

No thanks!!! Just ask us we can direct you to kudu for $1200 to $2200