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African Safaris
- Thread starter Photon Guy
- Start date
Photon Guy
New member
The streets of Johannesburg are likely more dangerous to a tourist....and everyone knows a tourist in Africa
I wouldn't need to carry a handgun in town or in the streets. As for the dangers of the streets there are other methods for dealing with that.
Jim Watson
New member
I suggest you talk to your outfitter when you get ready to go to Africa.
He will be up on the laws and polices (which are not always the same.)
Heck, he might approve of an American doing a fast draw on a charging leopard after missing it twice with an express rifle.
He will be up on the laws and polices (which are not always the same.)
Heck, he might approve of an American doing a fast draw on a charging leopard after missing it twice with an express rifle.
buck460XVR
New member
If you don't have $30,000 for a safari, you're not going on a safari. It's a wealthy man's game, and always has been.
Yep. While you don't really have to be wealthy, you do need to have a fistfull of expendable cash to spend on it. Not something the average middle class family man has. This is why exotic game ranches here in the U.S. have become so popular. Many of the most desired plains game is available for less monies, without the shots and airfare. For the most part the hunting experience is similar.
Craig Boddington has written a good deal about African hunting including what types of weapons are available and suitable, as well as more mundane issues like choosing an outfitter, maintaining communications in country and how to insure you can get medical care if you should need it.
In addition to his books, he's authored a number of articles which are pertinent to the topic. His work is a good place to start your research.
In addition to his books, he's authored a number of articles which are pertinent to the topic. His work is a good place to start your research.
my good friend is married to a SA women and i took my first trip with him and he has a friend that we hunted with on privite ranches, i also use his rifles and stay at a small motel between hunts in petotia. we became good friend and i have hunted with him the last two trips and am going on a trip in june. the prices on privite ranches are much better than on the bigger comfort ranches, true you will have to cook and take care of your selfs with out being waited on hand and foot, but its well worth it in the long run. with the rand being about 16-1 it is a good time to go. a friend went to new mexico on a week long elk hunt last nov. and his cost were over 6000.00, none of my three hunts cost that much. if you shop for air fare and plan ahead you may save a good bit too. i was treated very well in africa and botswana and met alot of wonderful people, if i didn,t have to take care of older relitives i would go and stay for several months a year. eastbank.
I went to South Africa in 2010 and took 5 plains game animals. I went after talking to a friend of mine who has hunted all over the world. I asked him about suggesting a nice elk hunt and and he told me "you don't want an elk hunt, you want to go to Africa". He was aware that I was a middle class family guy but had some disposable income, DEFINITELY NOT A RICH MAN.
When I asked why, my friend told me I could go to SA for 10 days, harvest 5 animals, and see more game in 1 day than I would see in a lifetime of hunting in the states, AND be treated like a king. At that time, an elk hunt in a prime area with a good outfitter would have cost $10,000 and that was even if I never saw an elk during the 5 days.
Excluding taxidermy costs, my trip cost just under $9,000 and I took (blue wildebeest, bushbuck, impala, wart hog, and a zebra).
I did not take my own firearm because I could rent a firearm with ammunition for less than it cost to ship my own. The rifle I rented was a Sako bolt action in .30-06 topped with a Leupold vx III 3-9x40 scope.
If you're considering it, I would say to do your homework and go for it.
When I asked why, my friend told me I could go to SA for 10 days, harvest 5 animals, and see more game in 1 day than I would see in a lifetime of hunting in the states, AND be treated like a king. At that time, an elk hunt in a prime area with a good outfitter would have cost $10,000 and that was even if I never saw an elk during the 5 days.
Excluding taxidermy costs, my trip cost just under $9,000 and I took (blue wildebeest, bushbuck, impala, wart hog, and a zebra).
I did not take my own firearm because I could rent a firearm with ammunition for less than it cost to ship my own. The rifle I rented was a Sako bolt action in .30-06 topped with a Leupold vx III 3-9x40 scope.
If you're considering it, I would say to do your homework and go for it.
Photon Guy
New member
That sounds a bit underpowered for an African safari hunt.The rifle I rented was a Sako bolt action in .30-06 topped with a Leupold vx III 3-9x40 scope.
Photon Guy
New member
Well I was just at a convention where they had all sorts of hunting trips, including quite a few booths where they were selling hunting trips to Africa. I've come to the conclusion that a handgun wouldn't really be necessary in Africa although lots of hunters in the USA do carry handguns as backup when hunting dangerous game and there are some hunters who hunt with just handguns although I couldn't imagine doing that in Africa although it would be quite a challenge and perhaps it might be possible with some of the smaller game. Anyway, all of the agents at the booths with the African hunting safaris mentioned prices that were way less than the prices mentioned on this thread. Prices averaged at about $5000 not including airfare and taxidermy charges unless you were hunting some of the really expensive game. If I was hunting lion I would expect to pay the prices mentioned on this thread and if I was hunting elephant I would expect to pay at least $35000 on just the tag but for my first trip I will not be hunting anything that expensive. Sometimes, meat from your kill you can even donate to orphanages and poor villages. I do hope to someday go on the more expensive hunts, I don't want to be 80 years old one day and sitting around wishing I had done this and that earlier on in life so I want to experience this now and I do hope to hunt the more expensive game sometime in this life.
All of my prices are very accurate
And I will add.....your "show" guys did not fully disclose all the cost.
Look at my list.....there isn't anything left off
As for "donation of meat" this is the story told to us....in reality the outfitters sell or trade the unused meat to the locals.......no free rides
And I will add.....your "show" guys did not fully disclose all the cost.
Look at my list.....there isn't anything left off
As for "donation of meat" this is the story told to us....in reality the outfitters sell or trade the unused meat to the locals.......no free rides
I've only been twice, back around the turn of the century, but I've kept reading and talking to people. I may go again, maybe not, but you must by all means go if you can. I suggest joining Safari Club International - I'm not connected, just a member, but if an outfitter is on their good-guy list you can be pretty sure he's not fly-by-night, and you should read their publications and go to at least one convention.
You certainly do not have to spend tens of thousands. If you want to spend a lot you can - fivestar accommodations in a prestige area hunting high-end animals, you can even charter you own airplane and bring a professional film crew, but you don't have to. Private ranches set their own rates, and with the global economic downturn and favorable exchange rates, today's prices may be a bargain that doesn't last long.
For plains game a good 30-06 or 308 is plenty, or maybe a 7 or 300 mag if it's wide open spaces. Dangerous will require a 375 or better, something starting with 4 is better if you can handle it, but accurate shot placement is the key. You will almost certainly NOT have to deal with a charging anything. Handgun hunting is done, people do it with archery, but I wouldn't recommend it for the first time. Protecting you is your PH's job and he will be very good at it. When you get there you will realize there is nothing to worry about. Don't try to sneak anything in. I recall a sign I saw long ago near the old Iron Curtain: "Don't become an international incident."
You certainly do not have to spend tens of thousands. If you want to spend a lot you can - fivestar accommodations in a prestige area hunting high-end animals, you can even charter you own airplane and bring a professional film crew, but you don't have to. Private ranches set their own rates, and with the global economic downturn and favorable exchange rates, today's prices may be a bargain that doesn't last long.
For plains game a good 30-06 or 308 is plenty, or maybe a 7 or 300 mag if it's wide open spaces. Dangerous will require a 375 or better, something starting with 4 is better if you can handle it, but accurate shot placement is the key. You will almost certainly NOT have to deal with a charging anything. Handgun hunting is done, people do it with archery, but I wouldn't recommend it for the first time. Protecting you is your PH's job and he will be very good at it. When you get there you will realize there is nothing to worry about. Don't try to sneak anything in. I recall a sign I saw long ago near the old Iron Curtain: "Don't become an international incident."
On the subject of taxidermy, it's important to realize that you don't have to spend a nickle if you don't want to. Now, some of the PH's camp staff may be expecting to dip and pack, so the subject should be discussed before the hunt. First-timers will want to bring everything back, but the smartest policy is probably to only have the exceptional trophies mounted. Field measurements are not binding and there is some shrinkage after time, but a good PH can give you an idea whether something is really good or not. You can spend a bundle on mounts depending on what you want. A skull mount (European) is less than a shoulder mount, with the hair and face and all. Something really pretty might rate a pedestal mount - I have a Sable Antelope on a pedestal and it always attracts attention, even though it's not a great specimen. Most expensive is a full body mount, but beware, most African animals are bigger than they look outdoors and you may need a bigger house. Just give careful thought to what you want to get out of the hunt and budget accordingly.
reynolds357
New member
I will never afford an African Safari, but the U.S. "preserves" do not interest me either. In my mind, they would be somewhat like my friend's ranch where he sells Bison hunts. They are huge trophy animals, but they will eat out of your hand. He makes the "hunters" think they are hunting something, but they are not.
I agree, up to a point. There is really very little truly wild hunting available in Africa today, but game ranches are not like shooting fish in a barrel. I worked hard for the Sable I mentioned - the day before. We walked probably a mile up a huge hill - kopje I think they call them - strewn with rocks just a bit bigger than a step so you had to climb up on every one, glassed and glassed for hours, tried a different slope, you could see for miles, nothing! The climb down was tougher than going up. Next day we went to the same area, there they were, standing under a tree, Mr. Sable and girlfriend, just watched the vehicle stop about 50 yards out. I scooted out the passenger door, took a rest on the hood and - boom - he's in my entrance hall. They were not tame, and they hadn't lost their fear of humans. The ranch was so new that they probably hadn't yet developed one.
If I can get our son the genius to get over here and fix my computer to upload images I'll post some.
If I can get our son the genius to get over here and fix my computer to upload images I'll post some.
Photon, if you were at SCI, then you most likely saw my friend's booth. They sold out all 2016 and 2017 hunts by the second day - and they even raised their prices during the show and still sold out. He books hunts for folks like Cabela family, Rothschilds, etc. He can tell you exactly what you book through him will cost you. Two other friends have 13 trips each; they tend to bring a lot of things for tips for the grunts of the safari, like Buck knives or similar.