The Dilemma of Great Professional Hunters and Outfitters

[Osama Mahdi]

I wanted to share a personal dilemma that I imagine some of you have faced as well.
You go on a hunting safari in Africa. Everything is just right, the food is top-notch, the accommodation is comfortable, and your PH works incredibly hard to bring you good trophies. They treat you like royalty. The outfitter and his team do everything they can to make sure you have a successful and unforgettable trip. You feel grateful, you decide came back again to this outfitter.
As you begin planning your next safari, you come across another outfitter, a family-run operation. Their values, land, and approach speak to you, so you decide to give them a try.
To your surprise, your second trip turns out to be even better than the first. The family that runs the operation is passionate, kind, and professional. The hunting is excellent, and the experience feels deeply personal. Again, you think to yourself: I have to return here.
Then, you want to explore new countries, different terrains, new species, and unique hunting cultures. You go and discover the new trip to that other country was special and great.
Then the cycle repeats.
Your time and budget are limited, you can’t return to the previous ones and yet there are so many great new adventures deserving of going to.
I want to go back to the friends I made on my previous trip but if I do that I will miss the next great PH or the next hidden gem of an outfitter.
How do you deal with this dilemma?

 

[wildwilderness]

More money and More Time!

But really that is a great problem to have, a "first world (wealth) problem" for sure.

Giving great reviews and referring others to the previous outfitters is a good way to repay them and facilitate others in experiencing it as well. You can relive your time there with your friends as well vicariously while you go find the next great adventure.

 

[DieJager]

Variety is the spice of life. Next year going back to Africa to yet another outfitter. Would love to go back to my last one someday. Hopefully it will happen but I rather see new places and meet new people in this stage of my hunting career.

 

[mdwest]

Attend one of the big conferences/trade shows...

SCI, TTHA, DSC, etc.. its very likely your outfitter will be there.. stop by, see them, spend some time with them, and enjoy each others company...

While I hunt with Bos en Dal pretty much exclusively in South Africa these days, I make sure to stop by the booths of outfitters Ive hunted with in the past (not just in South Africa, but from everywhere I have hunted) and see the people Ive become friends with and also check in to see what they are up to, if they might have a hunt I'd be interested in doing in the future, etc..

Attending the banquets or the local parties that outfitters will host during the conferences, or the AH dinner, etc.. is another really good way to spend some social time with outfitters and PH's (they also attend these events)..

 

[LWPhunt]

This dilemma is one you won't be the only struggling with.
Same here, all I've been able to do is take that "variety is the spice of life". and accept that even the trips that aren't awesome in comparison to the past, provide back drop for something to do next. And People are interesting, so always feel blessed that I found comparisons and still had my own personal fun.

 

[375Fox]

It’s a dilemma, but I think a lot of hunters are shorting themselves not hunting with new outfitters and PHs in new areas. I enjoy hunting with good outfitters and good PHs again. I find the first trip is great, the 2nd trip is better because you know what you want, but the third with same outfitter becomes too routine without some time in between. I learn something new with each outfitter and PH I hunt with that helps me pick better hunts for the next time. Hunting with multiple outfitters adds valuable experience you unfortunately just can’t get hunting with the same outfitter again and again.

 

[mark-hunter]

How do you deal with this dilemma?

Repeat safari whenever it is financially and timely possible.
To help, note down long term priorities and follow the plan.

Most probably, you did not hunt all the species available with a single outfitter, and made a list of species to hunt on your repeated trip to the same outfit.

I see this as an occasional visit to a favourite restaurant. Not a big deal, but worthy of doing it

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

I've had three great experiences so far, but my desire to hunt new places drives me to try new outfitters, as well. I keep in touch with previous PH's, either on WhatsApp, at the shows, or on Facebook, even if its just happy birthdays and so-on.

 

[meigsbucks]

I enjoy different experiences. I’d like to hunt with Jamy Traut again, but at a different camp. His Panorama Camp was top notch, but I’d like something a little different, just because.
Same for Ade Langley. He was my PH in the BVC in Zim. He now runs KOS in Uganda. I’d love to hunt with him again.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Two different groups that I took on their first safari are hunting with the outfit I first took them to are hunting there this summer.

So as I hunt a different place they are spending money when I’m not there. One of the groups have gone twice without me.

So I would say. Recruit more people to send their way.

 

[Troubleshooter]

I want to go back to the friends I made on my previous trip but if I do that I will miss the next great PH or the next hidden gem of an outfitter.
How do you deal with this dilemma?

That's actually a good dilemma to have! As others have already stated, referring other clients and staying in-touch (whether via email, electronic messaging, or at the hunting shows) also serves the purpose.

However, I would also note that subsequent hunts with the same outfitter may not be the same as the initial one was. There may be personnel turnover, concessions may no longer be available or new ones are obtained, perhaps your familiar PH has retired or left for another outfitter (or started his own). Environmental conditions may be different due to drought, etc. which result in a different type of hunt. The world keeps spinning and conditions are always dynamic; nothing ever stays exactly the same. Perhaps there is some wisdom in the old saying that "you can't go home again"?

By all means, schedule another hunt with a favored outfitter or PH. But it is also good to have options available.

 

[mrpoindexter]

I have a friend that exclusively hunts with the same PH. I like the PH and have hunted with him more than any other, but once you travel to other places, it is easy to see how such loyalty limits your options. Go to hunt Australia, Europe, Greenland, Asia and you will see so much more. I can repeat on my PH when I come back to his country, but he isn't going to have the boots on the ground familiarity in more than one country.

I have found several PH's that I want to hunt with again in the future now, so maybe I have just taken one problem and turned it into five of them, but the solution is the same - more trips!!

 

[Hank2211]

PH's are remarkably mobile. If you want to hunt a different country (and you should), you can ask the PH you like if he can join you. The new outfitter may not have an issue with that, and if he does (local laws may require a local PH) yours can come along "for the ride". You can usually get a good deal if you use that PH to "introduce" you to the outfitter you want to hunt with - the PH can in effect say "I'd like to bring a good client with me to hunt your area. Can we do that?" It happens more often than you think.

This may cost you something - travel for the PH for example, but travel in Africa typically ins't terribly expensive (apart from charters . . .). The outfitter may well pay your PH, but if he doesn't, then you can pay your PH or tip in addition. When you're trying to calculate how much to pay your PH who comes along, don't forget that an outfitter will typically pay an agent 10-15% of the cost of the safari (other than trophy fees, but this can change). If you book the hunt yourself, you won't save that money (the outfitter just makes more), so having a PH you like book it won't cost you any more and should put money in the PH's pocket.

In over 20 safaris to Africa, I've had a number of PHs, but one of three has been on every hunt, I think. And every single hunt has been booked by the fellow who was my PH on my first hunt, and he's virtually always there (filming if not PH'ing). I have someone on the ground who knows Africa, who knows me and how I like things done, and who is more willing and able than I am to tackle things when (not if) they go wrong.

 

[DLSJR]

I’m a bit of both approaches in that I prefer to hunt with Alan Vincent and have done so 4 times in Tanzania, Cameroon & Zimbabwe. BUT, I also enjoy hunting with other PH’s who are also top level Professional hunters. I’ve enjoyed hunts with Alan’s father, Roy, twice; Cecil Riggs in Botswana, Richard Bell-Cross in Zambia. Next year I’ll be on 3 hunts with 3 different PH’s - Christophe Morio in Congo, Doug Duckworth in Mozambique and Johnny DuPlooy in Zambia on a hunt I had to postpone from this year.

The common theme is that I like to hunt with experienced, excellent PH’s who are also enjoyable to be around.

 

[BryceM]

We met an absolutely stellar bunch of people in a family-run hunting business in Namibia's Kalahari region on our first trip. I've been back 7 times and we've mixed up the locations quite a bit. They have a main high-fence ranch where we hunt, of course, be we have also hunted at least a half-dozen neighboring farms, no-fence ranches that belong to their acquaintances near Windhoek, low-fence areas in the Khomas Hochland region, and even in the Caprivi on the concession of a PH they connected me with for a DG hunt. Problem solved.

I do have a bit of an itch to try a hunt in Zim. We'll see what happens.

 

[skydiver386]

I got along with my first PH so well, I find it hard to imagine hunting Africa without him.

On the other hand I'd like to see more of Africa and meet new people.

I'll hunt with other people on occasion, but will go back with old friends from time to time.

 

[TnKen]

I understand the dilemma, after only having gone on one safari. I had a super time and have booked with the same outfitter for next year. I also like the idea of hunting a new place and seeing new sights. My personal dilemma is that I know what kind of trip I will have with the current outfitter, but going with a new one may not be as good, or even bad. I know this site is an excellent source for information concerning experiences with various outfitters, but I would hate to roll the dice and have a less enjoyable hunt.