Great advice here!
To add a little more details to
@Edward Wright OP... Depending upon where you go, be prepared to add on other critters for the best overall value. If your budget allows.
For example the "deal" we started with on our Tanzania hunt in 2021 was a 16 day leopard and Buffalo package that included the full or long license (21 day), leopard and first Buffalo trophy fees, rifle import, road transfer to the camp from a regional airport. Additional costs would be flights including the low cost one from Dar Es Salaam to Mbeya, additional trophy fees (decent deals but they add up), ammo tax, gratuities for a large staff (21 people). At that point we made the decision (which turned out to be a fantastic choice!) to add lion and the extra 5 days to total the 21 days the license is good for. Ours was one of those higher total cost hunts but great value for what we got...
I do not recommend putting off your first Buffalo hunt to save up for something like this. You should ho on that first hunt sooner rather than later@ However if your health is good I might suggest just this as a second hunt.... or 3rd.
Deals occasionally pop up for one or two Buffalo on a 7 to 10 day safari in Tanzania which can be quite competitive compared to even RSA Buffalo hunts, especially if compared to "free range". Things to be aware of though; Is a charter flight needed? That can quickly blow the budget, what other animals are available not only on license but also on quota for your Outfitter and finally what he allows on this "hunt".
In some situations on the truly wild hunts.... And I would classify them at a different level than the often quoted "free range" hunts in some areas and especially countries that really do not offer the same experience as hunting in a truly wilderness area.... The Outfitters put together lower cost packages but reserve some more desired or restricted quota for the full bag hunts that bring in the bigger money for them. I do think this is quite fair as the guy spending $100k plus on a "full bag" should be entitled to shoot whatever he comes across that is legal vs. the guy taking a low cost filler deal offered up on a "short license". There may also be some opportunities to share a license and split the allowed quota.
I do think Zimbabwe (and probably some other countries) offers more flexibility in being able to find truly wild hunts of less duration and for specific animals without that high cost license and probably lower cost transportation, although watch out for charter flight costs in Zimbabwe and Mozambique also. If you restrict yourself to camps that can be driven into, it will lower the overhead of your hunt. If you do charter. Try to arrange the timing to split costs such that the plane is bringing hunters out on the return from taking you in, and bringing someone in when taking you out. It may be better financially to extend your days in camp if you can split charter costs.
Finally I want to discuss the concept of finding "a" PH.... Too often I think clients and especially certain PH's seem to think they are entering into a marriage of sorts
It has been joked about the definition of the word "friend" in Africa is "someone who gives me money"
Now of course that is both not true in many cases but also has a ring of truth in it. There is nothing wrong with returning to hunt with the same PH and equally nothing wrong with going with a different PH every trip. Just be aware that if you cross countries borders, such as booking with a South African PH to hunt in Zimbabwe... Your South African PH is unlikely licensed to hunt in Zimbabwe. He therefore becomes your guest to tag along on your Zimbabwe hunt. He becomes your booking agent and your companion and observer. And you are paying not only for the cost of him being in camp, but his transportation cost, his daily fee because to him he is working and needs to be earning, AND a commission to him for booking. Not only that but if he and the Zimbabwean PH speak Afrikaans and you don't, they will inevitably begin having conversations that you are now not part of and you will be sitting essentially alone at the campfire, paying for the whole damned thing plus a good profit to "your" PH! Just book directly and take a true friend along instead, it will be a much more enjoyable use of your money.
Finally an example of something I find intriguing is Dalton and York... I have not hunted with them but the thing I like that they offer is a fair daily rate that is the same no matter what DG you are hunting. Then trophy fees on what you shoot. They just really seem to have a very straight up and fair pricing plan and are developing a good reputation. There are others also, I only mention them as they come to mind at the moment and there are several hunt reports with them on here
Probably not an issue if booking only a buffalo hunt, or Buffalo as the only dangerous game.... But many Outfitters charge more per day if hunting lion and Buffalo for example vs only Buffalo. I really don't believe their costs are much higher, they simply charge more because they can
