One and Done?

[Neil Molendyk]

I only know of one instance where that happened, to a business acquaintance of mine. He was a little vague about the circumstances but from what I have gleaned it was maybe trip to good to be true. The animals that he took were very inferior and some that he had booked were not even available. The animals that he did shoot were left in Africa, according to him they weren't even acceptable to bring home.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

There is nothing like a first safari. Congratulations.
I wanted a Cape buffalo since I was 15. After my divorce, I set two goals: go to Africa by 55 and retire before 60. Both came to fruition. At the time I thought that trip to Zimbabwe in 2013 would be my only one.
After that, I got sick in ‘14 and my ability to hunt was in question. Fortunately, I recovered enough to go to Namibia in ‘18. My brother who doesn’t hunt went with me. He can’t wait to go back.
In ‘20, I went to SCI to plan three more trips. Unfortunately COVID came along and then I developed some health issues. Now my wife has some major health issues.
Will I get back to Africa? I hope so.
Long story short: Go when you can. You never know what life will throw at you.

Hi @meigsbucks I hope and pray you and the wife get well enough to do another trip. In the meantime keep hunting in your head!

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

They are all 'once in a lifetime trips', that you keep repeating. And Africa loves you for it, keep coming!

 

[Deleted member 40394]

Heck my first trip is in July. Already thinking about a second trip. My plan is to target the animals on trip 2 that I didn’t get trip one. We should see how it plays out. Will probably hunt different areas each time I go. Eastern cape, then Namibia, then Limpopo, etc.

 

[Philip Glass]

I'm scheduled to go on my first Safari next year and I thought it would be a once in a lifetime trip. I keep reading about everyone becoming addicted to it so I was wondering if anyone here or that you may know has ever said they didn't enjoy it enough to want to go back?

I am sure there are people that have been screwed by unscrupulous outfitters and swore they would never go back. Even those guys, once the dust settles, will be planning to try again. Find a long established, reputable outfitter, and you will be like ALL the rest of the safari rookies and be making the next safari plans on the flight home!
We laugh, quite hard, when someone says it a once in lifetime trip. Because we all said that way back when!
Ill be on my 16, 17, and 18th safaris this year.
Regards,
Philip

 

[Jaegger]

I would have to periodically send your buddy a photo, or a quick quip about the experience on your last hunt if I were you. I'm fortunate. Ann has come along on both my hunts - 1st hunt she took 3500 photos in 12 days and 2nd hunt - she reduced it to 1800 in 14 days. And, she encouraged me on which to shoulder / wall pedestal mount and which to euro! 2023 / 2024 can't get here soon enough.

@thi9elsp … Congrats to you both for having that shared interest on Africa Safari & so much to the Hunt: Place, People, Culture. Africa can be truly hunted successful w/ rifle, bow, & camera: 3500 pics reduced to 1800 pic is a Full Safari!

I’m in Germany & he’s in Florida, we chat but no longer about hunting— but your right … I will ping him a pic of my 2021 Golden Wildebeest & a quick quip of the experience. MAYBE his wife has forgotten sneaky OR their in a better place!? Happy Trails.

 

[Jaegger]

Heck my first trip is in July. Already thinking about a second trip. My plan is to target the animals on trip 2 that I didn’t get trip one. We should see how it plays out. Will probably hunt different areas each time I go. Eastern cape, then Namibia, then Limpopo, etc.

Agreed: most of my follow-up trips are to target species that either eluded me on the previous trip OR species I spied along the hunt & did not have the budget $ to add-on. Don’t forget about Zimbabwe & Botswana …

 

[WAB]

I have two friends who have been once and are not very interested in going back. Both are Alaskan and both are very experienced wilderness hunters. One is likely the most successful bow hunter in the state. They hunt the Alaskan wilderness, as most of us do, unguided.

Unfortunately both took the all too common advice of booking a South African ranch hunt for a first Safari. They had good hunts by the standards of such hunts, but for guys with their capabilities it wasn’t, shall we say, addicting.

My first Safari was a buffalo hunt in the upper Luangwa. A true bush camp in a wild area. I believe if they had followed that path they would have gotten the bug as badly as I have.

 

[Red Leg]

I know two who were done in by the taxidermy. Both did rack and stack trips to SA, and both live in average suburban homes. Eight to ten shoulder mounts overwhelmed those spaces (perhaps spouses as well). They both loved the experience - even found it life changing. But they won’t go back because of lack of room, and can’t imagine simply having photography. To me that is a definition of insanity, but I suspect it is not an uncommon situation.

 

[Woodcock Hunter]

In 2018 I booked and made my first trip, thinking it would be my only trip. A once in a lifetime chance to go. Did 7 day plains game and got 8 animals.
Boy was I wrong! I was thinking about how to make a return trip on flight home. Within 20 days of being back trip 2 was booked for 2019, for Buffalo, Sable, Nyala and Springbuck.
Thirty days after returning trip 3 was booked for 2020 which didn’t happen of course.
When travel opened up dates for 2021 set and 21 day safari booked. Thinking this big of a safari would last my fix for at least a couple years. WRONG!!
Within 20 days of return 2022 booked and it went from 14 days to 21 days after initial days were booked. Added Buff again for this year!!
It really doesn’t matter how much you make money wise if you want to go back as bad as I do each year you can and will figure out how to cut your costs and save enough to make your dreams happen. Work over time or extra jobs. Cut back on expenses at home and hunts at home. That’s how I am doing it. Every extra dollars is marked for next safari. I set a max budget for hunt and how much I need to put back each week. It can be done.

I am already setting aside for 2023 trip now.

Hi Mark,
Who did you use for taxidermy? Who would you recommend? In process of planning my first trip to South Africa.
Thanks

 

[Longwalker]

I want to go back again and I will, but taxidermy won't be on the bill next time. I'm mostly done with taking trophies home. The experience of a hunt is enough for me, and even when living in a small home there is always room for more wonderful experiences.

 

[oldfart009]

Been there twice and My wife and i are planning another trip next year.

 

[Nyati]

Been there 7 times, then Covid came, now planning for nº8.

Doing only euro-mounts, you can put a lot of them in a normal house , and you can also hunt a better trophy and give away some.

 

[fourfive8]

……My first Safari was a buffalo hunt in the upper Luangwa. A true bush camp in a wild area. I believe if they had followed that path they would have gotten the bug as badly as I have.

@WAB, Does this look familiar? View upriver from lower main camp on Luangwa in area you are talking about…. if I’m guessing right. There is another established camp several miles upstream from this lower camp with a “fly camp” between the two. It is one of my favorite pictures of Africa. Seems to capture iconic Africa of the upper Luangwa. Large numbers of hippos and big crocs common. 2nd pic across river from camp- “don’t fall into the river!” Is a no joke warning

Your right, too bad your friends from AK didn’t experience this taste of Africa. In this trip we bumped into a lioness in the long grass, too close for comfort really, she was hunting and had 3, quarter-grown young with her. We had two run ins with an extremely aggressive cow elephant and enjoyed such bush delights as swarms of feasting tsetse flies. Those biting white sox in AK have nothing on hungry tsetses

 

[meigsbucks]

Hi @meigsbucks I hope and pray you and the wife get well enough to do another trip. In the meantime keep hunting in your head!

Thanks. There isn’t a day that goes by, I don’t think of Africa.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Hi Mark,
Who did you use for taxidermy? Who would you recommend? In process of planning my first trip to South Africa.
Thanks

Sent you a pm as not to derail this topic and get onto something else.

 

[WAB]

@WAB, Does this look familiar? View upriver from lower main camp on Luangwa in area you are talking about…. if I’m guessing right. There is another established camp several miles upstream from this lower camp with a “fly camp” between the two. It is one of my favorite pictures of Africa. Seems to capture iconic Africa of the upper Luangwa. Large numbers of hippos and big crocs common. 2nd pic across river from camp- “don’t fall into the river!” Is a no joke warning

Your right, too bad your friends from AK didn’t experience this taste of Africa. In this trip we bumped into a lioness in the long grass, too close for comfort really, she was hunting and had 3, quarter-grown young with her. We had two run ins with an extremely aggressive cow elephant and enjoyed such bush delights as swarms of feasting tsetse flies. Those biting white sox in AK have nothing on hungry tsetses View attachment 452359View attachment 452360

Yes, that’s the spot. I actually hunted from the upper camp but spent time in the lower camp where you were. It is one of the most remote spots left in Africa. Who has that concession now?

 

[fourfive8]

Yes, that’s the spot. I actually hunted from the upper camp but spent time in the lower camp where you were. It is one of the most remote spots left in Africa. Who has that concession now?

I do not know. I was there prior to the first closure and reorganization of many of the Zambian concessions and I imagine there has been quite a bit of flux since then.

 

[Woodcock Hunter]

Sent you a pm as not to derail this topic and get onto something else.

Sorry, I’m new to this. Didn’t mean to change subject.
Thanks

 

[BLJC30]

Sorry, I’m new to this. Didn’t mean to change subject.
Thanks

No problem at all…. All derailment is welcome on my posts! Lol