The price of an African hunt looks cost prohibitive UNTIL you really stop and think about it:
In reality it is no more than a quality whitetail or elk hunt in the states. The difference being, on a whitetail or elk hunt you pay whether you take an animal or not. You HOPE to see the animal you are after then HOPE for a shot opportunity. But in Africa you see numerous species each day, and are hunting for 5 to 7 different animals on your wish list and you only pay for what you take!
Preparing for any hunt takes alot of thought and advanced preparation:
First and foremost is research, research, research. Check references, not only the people who had a great hunt but you want the names and numbers of those who were less than satisfied. Be sure what is and isnt included in your hunt. Know the rules and amounts expected for tipping. You are expected to tip your guide or PH, the cooks, skinners, trackers, drivers etc. Know what $$$ you can take into the country. In our case, we could take nothing larger than a $20 bill, it had to be new, without wrinkles, folds or marks and issued in the last 10 years. That in itself took alot of time to get together. Always convert some money to the local currency. It makes it much easier buying meals or gifts.
In addition to having your passport, you will need to take all your weapons, rangefinders, cameras etc. (we took everything we might ever take out of the country to save a trip back in the future) to customs, fill out a certificate of personal propety, which they verify all listed serial numbers and stamp the form. This form is good until it can no longer be read...so laminate it. This form is NOT needed to leave the states, it is to save you from paying Duty on
your equipment when you return.
You need to be famaliar with the rules and regulations for taking weapons into certain countries and obtain all the permits and licenses in advance. In our case, we were dealing with the South African Police and we actually hired an outside company to process and walk our permits through. They were at the airport to meet us and help expediate retrieving our weapons from the police station. Without their help we would have spent hours and hours trying to complete the process.
Some outfitter require you to pay in advance of your arrival...others only require a partial payment. That plus your airfare are BIG out of pocket expenses and you need to protect yourself. It is absolutely imperative that you go the expense of buying trip insurance. The price is based on the dollar amount of insurance you need. We included our airfare and any amount pre-paid to the outfitter. Then IF something went wrong... ie. flights cancelled, hunt cancelled, illness etc. we would be reimbursed.
Trip insurance also covers lost luggage, replacing your clothes and gear. If you are hurt or injured it will cover you being flown to the nearest hospital for treatment. We went took the optional coverage to guarantee being flown back to the US. Its something you hope you never need, but is worth the peace of mind knowing you have it.
Be sure you don't skimp on a case for your bow or rifle. The airlines and baggage handlers will do everything in their power to try to destroy your case. You do not want to arrive only to find your equipment destroyed and no local sporting goods store to run to for a replacement.
Not every Booking Agent or Outfitter is honest:
We all have heard stories about people who have booked a hunt and everything went wrong. The majority of the people are honest, upfront and tell you the good, bad and ugly. But there are ones that strectch the true pretty thin. The accommodations weren't as portrayed or the outfitter was a no show or cancelled their hunt at the last minute and they were out the money they paid for the airfare and hunt. Unfortunately, this does happen.
It happened to everyone who had booked to hunt after us. The booking agent in the US who was the contact person and handled all the arrangements for everyone to hunt took a year and a halfs worth of money hunters pre-paid and dropped off the face of the earth. The hunters were left with an unusable airline ticket, no where to hunt and a lodge in Africa looking for payment for past hunters who had stayed with them. Our deposit for next years hunt also disappeared with that Booking Agent.
After 2-1/2 months of our trophies sitting in the shipper's warehouse in Johannesburg they were finally loaded on a ship for America. 22 days at sea, then sitting in a warehouse waiting to clear customs, a truck ride from New York and next year we may actually have something on the walls in the trophy room!
The most important thing to keep in mind when dealing with a foreign country is when they say Tuesday...it does not mean this Tuesday...you just hope it's a Tuesday before you die!
I enjoyed my "hunt of a lifetime" and will have the memories to treasure forever!
The best to all of you and I hope the day will come that you too can share your stories and pictures from your hunt of a lifetime!
The Bottom Line On Hunting Africa Or Any Hunt of A Lifetime!
