Where would you go in Africa?

RolandtheHeadless

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Assume:

You've never been to Africa, but are an experienced hunter elsewhere, though hunting with a guide would be new to you.

You have always wanted to go on an African hunt, and decide to go while still able to do so, 2016.

You want to shoot a buffalo, sable, leopard, and kudu, and perhaps other plains game.

You want to see and experience as much of real Africa as you can while hunting.

Your wife may go with you, so you'd prefer to be in an area where she might have things to do other than go along on the hunt every day.

You're retired and willing to go about any time of year, so long as it's not too hot.

You're on a fixed income, the cost of a 21-day full-bag safari is out of the question, and even the +$50 k for a 15-day buffalo/leopard hunt would be pushing it.

You will probably never be able to go to Africa again, after this one trip.
 
I would think you could hunt buffalo/leopard/ some plains game for less than 50 grand.
 
The combo of the four species on your list is what will cause you some issue.

Zambia: No cats at the moment. Maybe, by 16, but....
RSA: Has the Species. You'll have to choose your Outfitter carefully to get the type of hunt you are describing.
Zimbabwe: Has the Species.
Mozambique: Has the Species.

There are several Outfitters here on AH that can address your needs.
 
I just did my first Africa trip a few months ago. I would recommend for the first time on the dark continent RSA just because of the lagistics of your wanting to do and to keep the price down. If you choose a reputable outfitter that has good areas you can get exactly what your looking for at a reasonable price. I took my family and we did lion,buff, and pg. it was a trip of a lifetime. If Moz is more of what you are looking for in a true wild Africa type setting simon at TMS is a good choice as he has all your required species. I have no idea what the cost would be on that. Andri Fox is the outfitter I use in RSA and is an excellent choice for South Africa. He also can get all the species you are interested in and I would say the price your looking at is very acceptable for what he can do for you.
 
Brickburn, sorry but that is wrong information.

Leopard hunting is open from 2015 in Zambia and Lion from 2016 (NOT MAYBE) !!
This is for the ZAWA involved GMA concessions, regarding private game reserves and farms where all game is private owned, there is NO juridical restriction what can be hunted or not, except from Elephant that still are under quotations from ZAWA, so you can hunting Elephant also on private game reserves and farms but they must apply for a quotation and pay the fees to ZAWA before.

Hope that this clear out the misunderstanding.

So, my humble suggestion Ronald is that there would be very hard to beat Zambia in trophy quality and the feeling of a "real African wild experience" for example Luangwa valley, and in the same time it's a very friendly country and therefore a safe destination.
 
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Assume:
You want to see and experience as much of real Africa as you can while hunting.

Your wife may go with you, so you'd prefer to be in an area where she might have things to do other than go along on the hunt every day.

You will probably never be able to go to Africa again, after this one trip.

All the parts I'm not replying to are going to be do-able in many places. Costs will vary, deals will be offered where they can and as outfitters see your request and vie for your business.

All of Africa is "real Africa".... However I am guessing what you really mean is you want to experience the more wild parts of Africa and the more "Third World" parts. That is great but it is in pretty direct conflict with the next point of taking your wife with and wanting her to be able to do things other than go with on the hunt.

It depends upon your wife a lot... But in the real wild, tent camp type places... What else can your wife do.. Sit in camp and read a book? They will not let her help cook or clean without putting up a real fight;)

I would suggest she may enjoy the time in the bush, especially if you pick the best weather time period. She may truly enjoy visiting a village and seeing the meat being distributed. Kids walking to school vying for your water bottles or whatever else they can get... She can bring some large bags of candy to hand out... You will be amazed at how many appear out of nowhere as soon as you start! But it is "real Africa" so be sure she is up to it.

If you can arrange it and she is up to traveling alone.. A thought might be to do Zambia or Zimbabwe and include a trip to Vic Falls. I have no idea if it would be practical to have her spend a couple days in camp... Often it is a major journey so that would prove difficult... But if she could go with you, spend a couple days together at Vic Falls and then a couple days in camp and leave early? Or if the weather is comfortable she may just spend a lot of time chilling out at camp.

On my first African hunt, I had made arrangements for my wife to hunt a few days and then go with the outfitters wife to do some local touring... When the wife offered that they could do that the next day... My wife politely turned her down... When I quizzed her about that.. Her response was that she was afraid if she was not along on the hunt, she might miss out on something! But my wife is an amazing "trooper" and has a strong will and is able to tolerate a lot. She was with on every step of my elephant hunt and endured cold rain and sweltering heat in Zimbabwe in November. She was not happy about all of it, and does not want to do it again, but she is glad she had the experience and in fact she told me of a conversation she just had with her hair dresser about the recent lion debacle.

I would second the thought that Simon @TMS could provide what you're looking for in Moz., other than the wife part... And I have no idea of pricing as his full price list seems to be a bit difficult to get a look at:)
 
Actionbob, I'm with you on nearly everything you say, but as you know a tented camp can be the most fantastic experience for the wife, this is from Norman Carr in Zambia... so a tented safari do not mean a rough tented hunt like up in Cameroon or CAR.... it's on another level I would say. And I guess most wife's would love it... I can guarantee you that you think that the life is not "that bad" after a hard day hunting and a 44" buff in salt, slipping down in that cool and nice private pool with a gin/tonic... ;):)..


chin1.jpg
 
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Brickburn, sorry but that is wrong information.

Leopard hunting is open from 2015 in Zambia and Lion from 2016 (NOT MAYBE) !!
This is for the ZAWA involved GMA concessions, regarding private game reserves and farms where all game is private owned, there is NO juridical restriction what can be hunted or not, except from Elephant that still are under quotations from ZAWA, so you can hunting Elephant also on private game reserves and farms but they must apply for a quotation and pay the fees to ZAWA before.
...........

Good to know that you can hunt a Leopard. Thanks.
Lion in 16.
Gordon, planned openings in Africa are always interesting. Just like sudden closings, hence the maybe.

How many Lion and Leopard are hunted on private reserves in Zambia?
 
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..................

I would second the thought that Simon @TMS could provide what you're looking for in Moz., ...............

No Buffalo in the area.
 
I would think Namibia would allow for all. I am not sure where they hunt Buffalo there but Leopards all over Namibia and lots of Plains Game.
 
I would think Namibia would allow for all. I am not sure where they hunt Buffalo there but Leopards all over Namibia and lots of Plains Game.

Buffalo up north, Leopard and Kudu for certain.
Sable in a fence maybe. Perhaps someone has imported them for hunting.
Just have to travel.
 
Brick, the thing is that to be able to export the lion trophy you need cites export documentation, so even if a private game farm have rights to take out the whole population of lion if they have owning certificate of the game, on other hand they will most probably only got one lion quota per season, and that one will be exportable. It's important to take out some of the predators and remember that a lion eat 36-40 kg meat each second day ! So there must be a balance specially on the game farms in east Zambia. One farm near to the Malawi border that we make a game count on was 30,000 acre and hold 44 lions, that's probably a bit high predator pressure to have a healthy and growing plans game and buffalo population.
 
CITES will always be playing into it for sure.

Seems strange that RSA gets "private property" treatment on Lions and Zambia does not. (re: CITES)
There must have never been an application to the Convention in this regard.

Might be worthwhile.
 
Yes, but remember that South Africa have 10,000 game farms, and Zambia have 24 registered private game farms, and most the the owners love and respect them big cats !
 
Hey Gordo, that it one AMAZING camp there buddy. Wow
 
No Buffalo in the area.
Yes sir but he has areas for buff too. All of which can be done together. His buff hunting is very impressive.
Just a couple
image.jpg
image.jpg
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I'd go hunt with John Sharp in the Bubye Valley Conservancy in south Zimbabwe. A 14 day Buff/Sable will run about $24k for day rates and another 12k for the 2 trophy fees. So you are up to $36k. Kudu and a few other PG, plus tips and plane tickets. Yep, you'll be pushing $50k and mr Leopard is nowhere to be seen. They might allow you to add a leopard, if quotas are available, figure $7k for that trophy fee. Then there's shipping and taxidermist and then more shipping. Man, I hope my wife doesn't read this.
 
375, I think my wife read it . NOT GOOD. Forrest
 
I chose the RSA for my first African hunt this year and will be returning as many times as they will have me and I can find a way to pay for it.

One of the outfitters I'm working with there also has concessions in other countries and if I were going to try the other countries I'd do so without hesitation with him.

There are definitely parts of the RSA that are as wild today as they were when the first Europeans set foot there over 200 years ago particularly in the Karoo and Kalahari.

One of the best things about the way I went about doing my trip is that the friend that put it together has connections literally all over the country (and others) so no matter what I put on my list he could accommodate me. He personally guided me for most of it but about half the time he just dropped me off with one friend or another for a few days because he had a "real job" he had to take care of as well. Each of the people he handed me off to were equally qualified and knowledgeable.

Now I went with a fairly wide open list with only a few "gotta get me one of these" on the list and there was not a single day that we hunted that I didn't shoot something and there were days I shot as many as four different species of large game.

There may be other countries where that is possible, I can't say, but I'm for sure hooked on South Africa for life.
 

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