Originally Posted by
the blur
I'd love to get a plains animal. Something with fancy antlers. But the big gun thing is over for me. I'm happy with my .308.
What does something like that cost ?
Figure approximately $1,500 round trip currently for airfare for an economy class seat from the East coast of the US to South Africa (SA) in prime season (May, June, July, August).
The hunt would depend on where, how long, and game. I believe there are some hunts of 5 - 7 days in SA that feature maybe three game animals, including one main animal like wildebeest, zebra, etc. that can be had for somewhere starting around $4,000.
That would put you in somewhere around $5,500 before tips and taxidermy. That is a deal compared to a single game animal (elk, moose, etc.) in the continental US, Alaska, or Canada.
If you go at the beginning or end of the season (April, October, etc.) you can get a big price break on both the airfare and the hunt cost. There are more leaves on the trees and bushes and the heat and insects can be a bother at these times but these hunts can be significantly cheaper. I would guess that you might be able to pull off the entire hunt including travel for under $4,000.
Of course many African trips cost more (sometimes much more) than the basic SA plains game hunt. Traveling with my wife and hunting this season was just slightly less than the cost of a new pickup truck.