Safari 2022

Lhleggtowner

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Hey guys and gals, I've tried to figure when I can do a safari and I think 2022 is the best time. I am wanting to hunt for kudu and Cape buffalo. I would love to go to a place where I could get a 55" kudu and 45" plus dugga boy. If plains game were offered, that would be awesome also. I would love recommendations from you folks.

Now with that being said, I would like to have a great camp with hot water, and a great camp. I am willing to look at bout anything. I would love to hear from experienced hunters. Because this would be my first trip.
 
So you want a great camp and a great camp? LOL. All camps have hot water. The world is your oyster, whats your budget?
 
You're at the right place.
I've only been there once and going back in 2021 so I'll leave the advice to the experts here.
I'll be interested to see the all the experience flow into this one.
Good luck on your hunt!!
 
Lots of options. What country or countries are you looking at?
 
You're at the right place.
I've only been there once and going back in 2021 so I'll leave the advice to the experts here.
I'll be interested to see the all the experience flow into this one.
Good luck on your hunt!!
yeah, exactly why I love reading the post
 
Hey guys and gals, I've tried to figure when I can do a safari and I think 2022 is the best time. I am wanting to hunt for kudu and Cape buffalo. I would love to go to a place where I could get a 55" kudu and 45" plus dugga boy. If plains game were offered, that would be awesome also. I would love recommendations from you folks.

Now with that being said, I would like to have a great camp with hot water, and a great camp. I am willing to look at bout anything. I would love to hear from experienced hunters. Because this would be my first trip.
I think you are a little high looking for a 45"Buff. 55" Kudu is possible in the right area. Good luck.
 
If this is your first trip you shouldn’t set trophy expectations other than mature animals. Trophy expectations in inches, especially the goals you set, will just detract from the experience. With your buffalo expectation you are also setting yourself up for an expensive hunt. But if you are set on >55” kudu and >45” buffalo you are essentially limiting yourself to game farms in South Africa. The >55” kudu is possible in a wild area but not guaranteed. I’ve taken 6 trophy kudu only one bigger than 55 rest were 49”-53”. A >45” buffalo in a wild area is very unlikely.
If you’re ok with limited yourself to South Africa, I would ask how large the properties you would hunt will be, how the animals arrived at property or how long been established on it, how many other hunters at same time, how much travel time from lodge to hunting area/areas. I don’t think you will find many camps in Africa that aren’t considered great by North American standards.
 
Hey guys and gals, I've tried to figure when I can do a safari and I think 2022 is the best time. I am wanting to hunt for kudu and Cape buffalo. I would love to go to a place where I could get a 55" kudu and 45" plus dugga boy. If plains game were offered, that would be awesome also. I would love recommendations from you folks.

Now with that being said, I would like to have a great camp with hot water, and a great camp. I am willing to look at bout anything. I would love to hear from experienced hunters. Because this would be my first trip.

There are several outfitters who can offer you the quality of game and accommodations that you are looking for... I would recommend starting your research with any of the reputable, well-established outfitters who are sponsors here on AH.com. And, just so you know, a 55" kudu is comparable in trophy quality to a 200" whitetail and a 45" Cape buffalo is like a 400" bull elk. Trophies of that caliber are not found behind every bush in Africa..!

I hunted with Limcroma Safaris a few years back and I would highly recommend them for a first African safari. They are great folks who will do whatever is necessary to exceed your expectations at every level. They have huge properties, amazing trophy quality, and first class accommodations. Feel free to message me anytime with questions or a detailed account of my experience.
 
Hey guys and gals, I've tried to figure when I can do a safari and I think 2022 is the best time. I am wanting to hunt for kudu and Cape buffalo. I would love to go to a place where I could get a 55" kudu and 45" plus dugga boy. If plains game were offered, that would be awesome also. I would love recommendations from you folks.

Now with that being said, I would like to have a great camp with hot water, and a great camp. I am willing to look at bout anything. I would love to hear from experienced hunters. Because this would be my first trip.

Jacques @JKO HUNTING SAFARIS can definitely take you places where 55" kudu exist, but as others have eluded too that is a tall order, no pun intended. Yet as I say, he has properties in South Africa where this is achievable.

For buffalo, larger than 45" is also a pretty significant request. I would say that at that point, you'd want a hunt dedicated to buffalo only, and if a kudu happens along the way that's great.

I will contact Jacques to ensure he sees this thread and let him contact you via PM to discuss. If you'd prefer not to be PM'd, please let me know.
 
If this is your first trip you shouldn’t set trophy expectations other than mature animals. Trophy expectations in inches, especially the goals you set, will just detract from the experience. With your buffalo expectation you are also setting yourself up for an expensive hunt. But if you are set on >55” kudu and >45” buffalo you are essentially limiting yourself to game farms in South Africa. The >55” kudu is possible in a wild area but not guaranteed. I’ve taken 6 trophy kudu only one bigger than 55 rest were 49”-53”. A >45” buffalo in a wild area is very unlikely.
If you’re ok with limited yourself to South Africa, I would ask how large the properties you would hunt will be, how the animals arrived at property or how long been established on it, how many other hunters at same time, how much travel time from lodge to hunting area/areas. I don’t think you will find many camps in Africa that aren’t considered great by North American standards.
That is exactly the info I want to hear. I have expectations... but if basically unobtainable then, I need people to tell me that. Thanks so much for your input.
 
If this is your first trip you shouldn’t set trophy expectations other than mature animals. Trophy expectations in inches, especially the goals you set, will just detract from the experience. With your buffalo expectation you are also setting yourself up for an expensive hunt. But if you are set on >55” kudu and >45” buffalo you are essentially limiting yourself to game farms in South Africa. The >55” kudu is possible in a wild area but not guaranteed. I’ve taken 6 trophy kudu only one bigger than 55 rest were 49”-53”. A >45” buffalo in a wild area is very unlikely.
If you’re ok with limited yourself to South Africa, I would ask how large the properties you would hunt will be, how the animals arrived at property or how long been established on it, how many other hunters at same time, how much travel time from lodge to hunting area/areas. I don’t think you will find many camps in Africa that aren’t considered great by North American standards.
Man, that is awesome info.. thanks so much. I really , really do not want a game farm. I want a in the wild experience.
 
y’all fellows have pounded on me pretty good. I deserve it for expectations unobtainable. Please keep up the input. I do want to take mature animals. But the hunt is more important.
 
I think you are a little high looking for a 45"Buff. 55" Kudu is possible in the right area. Good luck.

Yep..

55” kudu isn’t hard to do...@Bos en Dal safaris can accommodate that as well as others here I am sure...

45” buff on the other hand is quite a special/remarkable animal... it can be done.. But it’s going to come with a pretty heavy price... 45” exists.. but they certainly don’t exist in every herd... (or even more than a few herds)...

45” on an old dugga boy, no longer in a herd, that has years of fighting, rubbing, scraping, etc and has likely worn down his tips a bit... would be especially rare...

How “big” of an animal to expect will largely be driven by location... in many places anything over 40” would be considered exceptional... in others you would have a great trophy at 38”...

My recommendation for a first safari is to focus on finding the experience you want... and not worry about horns just yet... no PH worth hiring is going to encourage you to shoot an animal that is anything less than something you’d be proud to mount on the wall.. if anything they will ask you to pass on animals that you think are wonderful because they know “we can do better” (you’ll hear this a dozen times on your first African hunt)...

Figure out what’s important to you... 5 star dining and a “comfortable” hunt.. or a tent camp and hard hunting... huge, vast, unfenced land... or a place with several thousands of acres but more control over the days events...

There is no wrong answer... for any type of hunt and experience you want, there are plenty of outfitters that will be able to meet your requirements... even a 45” buff if that’s something you absolutely must do...

Just make sure that the 45” buff doesn’t interfere with your other expectations (he’ll cost a good bit of money that might have bought several other animals on the same hunt.. and put you in a location where other options or experiences might not be available)...
 
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A suggestion if it’s possible in your area, go to a taxidermy and look at some buffalo skulls. A 40” mature buffalo is a really impressive trophy. Usually good Taxidermists in my area have at least one in their shop at a given time (maybe not now though with covid). I think trying to measure a trophy kudu with inches is a really poor measure. One of the pictures below is 49” and the other is 58”
31D5335E-8F19-4E73-9FFD-112E04CA736F.jpeg
EE1AD33A-47DD-493A-813A-68552ECA4646.jpeg
 
Yep..

55” kudu isn’t hard to do...@Bos en Dal safaris can accommodate that as well as others here I am sure...

45” buff on the other hand is quite a special/remarkable animal... it can be done.. But it’s going to come with a pretty heavy price... 45” exists.. but they certainly don’t exist in every herd... (or even more than a few herds)...

45” on an old dugga boy, no longer in a herd, that has years of fighting, rubbing, scraping, etc and has likely worn down his tips a bit... would be especially rare...

How “big” of an animal to expect will largely be driven by location... in many places anything over 40” would be considered exceptional... in others you would have a great trophy at 38”...

My recommendation for a first safari is to focus on finding the experience you want... and not worry about horns just yet... no PH worth hiring is going to encourage you to shoot an animal that is anything less than something you’d be proud to mount on the wall.. if anything they will ask you to pass on animals that you think are wonderful because they know “we can do better” (you’ll hear this a dozen times on your first African hunt)...

Figure out what’s important to you... 5 star dining and a “comfortable” hunt.. or a tent camp and hard hunting... huge, vast, unfenced land... or a place with several thousands of acres but more control over the days events...

There is no wrong answer... for any type of hunt and experience you want, there are plenty of outfitters that will be able to meet your requirements... even a 45” buff if that’s something you absolutely must do...

Just make sure that the 45” buff doesn’t interfere with your other expectations (he’ll cost a good bit of money that might have bought several other animals on the same hunt.. and put you in a location where other options or experiences might not be available)...
I really have to disagree with you on 55” kudu. Going to an area that holds 55” kudu I agree is easy, actually getting a 55” kudu is difficult
However, I completely agree with the rest of your advice.
 
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A 45 Buffalo and a 55 Kudu on the same trip, that might be tuff, unless you are at a game farm in RSA. But, most likely that 45 Buffalo will not be accepted into Rowland Ward.

Your best bets for Big Buffalo are Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe (Save and Bubye). 55+ kudu are readily available lots of places, but finding one is another story. I spent 2 days tracking what the PH said was a 54 and could never find the thing again to get a shot. Only by dumb luck did I end up with a 57 kudu, while driving back to camp standing about 25 yards from the road.
 
A suggestion if it’s possible in your area, go to a taxidermy and look at some buffalo skulls. A 40” mature buffalo is a really impressive trophy. Usually good Taxidermists in my area have at least one in their shop at a given time (maybe not now though with covid). I think trying to measure a trophy kudu with inches is a really poor measure. One of the pictures below is 49” and the other is 58”
View attachment 379449View attachment 379450
And pretty obvious which is which.
 

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