New to the site and looking for advice

[Bobpuckett]

Welcome to AH Tony! when are you planning your trip? There are lots of great outfitters on this site I'm sure you'll find what your looking for.

 

[buchnerl]

Welcome to Africahunting.com @Tony Parisi You have come to the right place to answer all your questions and thoughts about the "Dark Continent" Feel free to pop me a message and I shall introduce you to authentic hunting, ol' African Style! My direct e-mail address is Loodt.Buchner@tootabi.com

View our three minute enticing video to see what Africa has to offer;

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[Tony Parisi]

Welcome!!!

And like Wheels said, don't worry about asking questions. Ask away!!!

You'll find this forum to be extremely friendly. I also like the fact that you're asking about living there before you have even gone once yet. You're going to fit in well.... And you're right on the cost when compared to NA hunts.

Yes, I bit premature of me, I know. I was just curious. Through a combination of good decisions and just plain good luck, I'm able contemplate early retirement. So, I have an acquaintance who has actually retired to Costa Rica -- not my kind of place, but it got me thinking about expat communities in other parts of the world. I have absolutely no idea how I would go about it or what would be involved. And of course, I would not want to give up U.S. citizenship or anything like that. It would be a part time thing. From what I've gathered so far, looking at other parts of the forum, the majority opinion seems to be that living in Africa full time would be unwise. I spent my youth in the military, travelled quite a bit to some very nice places and some not so nice places. Lived in Europe for several years. I got around. Never been to Africa per se, unless you count Somalia. Suffice to say, a less than pleasant experience, and I'll leave it at that. It seems to me that living somewhere relatively stable -- Namibia, Botswana, RSA -- though I understand RSA has some violent crime problems -- would be interesting. No real interest in bullets flying past my head again anytime soon.

 

[Tony Parisi]

Welcome to AH Tony!

When it comes to plains game, and kudu and gemsbok in particular, there are almost too many choices in Namibia and South Africa. I'd stay away from Botswana because I don't support the closure of hunting there, but that's just me.

What this means is that you need to decide what else is important to you. Things such as:

1. Is it important that the animals be native to the area?

2. Do you want free range or will you accept fences?

3. If you accept fences, how big an area should it be at a minimum?

4. How important are other factors such as the type and style of camp?

It's by asking yourself questions such as these, and others, that you will start to whittle the number of outfitters down to something reasonably manageable. Once you've done that, you can get lots of advice here on the good, the bad and the ugly, but you can also talk to those outfitters who are sponsors of this site. While there is no formal vetting process (that I'm aware of), they are vetted in the court of public opinion, and a bad apple wouldn't last long.

Good luck, enjoy the site, and welcome to the addiction.

All good questions. Authenticity is important to me. I think I would prefer animals be native to the area. I would prefer free range. When you mention fences to most Americans like me they immediately think of what we refer to as "canned hunts." My understanding is that is not the case in Africa because we're talking about tens of thousands of acres. So, I would be open to that. I think I have realistic expectations. For my first trip I would be looking for nice, representative examples of each species and, of course, a reasonable chance of success. It's really about the quality of the whole experience to me. I would enjoy seeing lots of game every day. Don't necessarily need to pull the trigger right away. A nice camp is one of the attractions for me. Especially important if I would bring my wife along, which I may. She's not all that much of an adventurer, but thankfully she tolerates my wander lust.

 

[Tony Parisi]

Welcome Tony. When do you plan to visit Africa? Namibia is an excellent destination for a first time African Safari. If you are interested in FREE RANGE plains game, look no further. In addition to Kudu and Oryx, North Western Nambia is home to the elusive Hartmann's (Mountain) Zebra - a great combination!

Hello John! I'm thinking about three years out. I'm going on a trip to Alberta Canada this fall and it's not an inexpensive trip -- Mountains, horses, wall tents, the whole nine yards, as we say. Once that's done, I'll turn my attention to Africa. Thanks!

 

[G Skinner]

Tony
Half the adventure is getting there .....then planning on going back . I went to Namibia for my first trip , you can't go wrong in my opinion .My thoughts were to take my bow instead of a rifle as this gives you BIGGER BRAGGING RIGHTS ! Go have fun ,listen and learn . You can't go wrong asking here on AH . Welcome to the site . GOOD LUCK AND PLAY SAFE !
Glen

 

[Spear Safaris]

Hello! First day on the site and looking for some sage advice. I'm an experienced North American hunter, but have never been to Africa. My interest is primarily in plains game -- more specifically Kudu and Gemsbuck, in that order. Namibia seems to be a popular destination for those new to Africa, but others may have different ideas. Any thoughts and advice much appreciated.

Also, out of curiosity, I'm wondering if any of you have chosen to make Africa your home and if any of you expats would be willing to share some of your experiences and thoughts on that subject.

Regards,

--Tony

Hi Tony
Welcome to AH.....enjoying making new contacts and getting help with your planning.
We run an Outfit in North Eastern Limpopo Province of South Africa so if you are interested in this part of the world give us a shout!

 

[johnvdw]

Tony, Namibia is politically and economically the most stable country in Africa. We have a friend from the US who moved here about 4 years ago and is happily living in Windhoek. Contact us by email if you need more information.
Our hunting lodge is wife and family friendly with all the creature comforts, but without it feeling like a hotel.

 

[CAustin]

Tony welcome. I always tell people to ask lots of questions and before you book a hunt make sure you speak voice to voice with someone who has hunted with that outfitter.have questions prepared for the people you talk to and ask the same questions to get a real picture of what the hunt will be like.
If you want the straight scoop PM me on this site.I am always willing to help.