Sir It would be great if you talked facts not just what you want to see or hear. Sci and dsc both had more then a few hunts on auction from zimbabwe , moz , zamibia and tanzania. We all know were you like to hunt but no need to always try and bring down other places.
The other nations are few and far between at auctions my friend, particularly "all inclusive full hunt value" donations. It's just not practical. I've looked at the accountants financial statements for a few operators and there just isn't enough profit whether Net or Gross to donate things of great value. Asking a Zambian, Moz, Zim, or Tanzanian operator for a hunt donation is saying "go get $20,000-$60,000 in cold hard US cash, pay the government their fees, and then host a client for us for free". It's really hard to do.
In RSA, and to a much lesser extent in Namibia, the game belongs to the landowner and as such, the game may have had zero cost to grow and develop. The most generous RSA donor is donating something of value, but of little to no "hard costs out of pocket". That's the best of RSA donors. The worst of donors are predatory, creating the illusion of value that is often predatory in nature and in the long-run, damages the operator, the customer, and the charity involved. This is why AH does such a good job reminding members to request price sheets and to a thorough due diligence prior to bidding.
This isn't an attack on RSA, this is an attack on dishonest advertising. I once won a Canada Black Bear Hunt at a conservation raffle. Nowhere in the package details (and I paid a lot, as in full retail, $3500 for the hunt) did it say I had to bring a buddy, only that it was some odd charge like $4000 additional, plus I was later informed that I had to bring a buddy, that fuel charges and boat usage was extra, and a bear processing fee, and and and. I went, covering some of the buddies costs as well so I wasn't pushing a scam upon them inequitably, and I did get my bear. 14 others at camp were not so lucky, and the outfitter quit in the middle of the hunt stranding a dozen people in the hands of one assistant. The operator subsequently was sued and run out of business several times I believe, but they continue to operate "cast and blast" packages out of Michigan I believe.
Every hunting package must be evaluated carefully and reference checking is a very wise choice as well. Caveat emptor cannot be stated strongly enough.
I prefer to negotiate my very best deal directly with known operators and donate cash to charities so I can distinguish capitalism from charity clearly in my own head. YMMV.
