You have already received some excellent advice from folks with experience. You’ve made a great start in a great place, AH.
Zeroing in on a few things you have mentioned, here’s some things to consider.
You and your wife are bowhunters. I would strongly recommend that you place a priority on choosing an Outfitter and PH who cater to bowhunters, are bowhunters themselves, or at least guide a fair number of bowhunters each season if hunting with a bow is a priority for you.
Looking at your list of desired animals, I would also think about this; do you care if the animals are endemic to the area you are hunting? For example, if you want to hunt Gemsbok and Nyala where they naturally exist, you are likely talking about two very different places. As an example, Gemsbok (Oryx) in the Kalahari of Botswana or Namibia and Nyala in Mozambique. If you do not care if the species are native to the area, you could easily hunt Gemsbok and Nyala on the same property in South Africa. You can have a great hunt for them both in Limpopo, SA but make no mistake, it will be a different hunt than Botswana and Mozambique.
Regarding Sable, this may be an area where there is most contrast between wild, free range populations and animals you will pursue on a fenced property in South Africa. First, I’m not knocking SA, I’ve hunted there twice and had great hunts, but Sable behind a fence is an entirely different experience than free ranging Sable in a place such as Mozambique. Same with Nyala. This is a general statement obviously and may not be 100% true everywhere, but as a general rule it is what it is.
Regarding Dangerous Game, it seems Buffalo is on your list but you are unsure about Elephant and Leopard. This may be a deciding factor in the area you choose. Leopard hunting is currently closed in South Africa, no one seems to know if it will open back up and/or when. So that may be of consequence as you make your decision. If you decide your trip must absolutely include leopard I would seriously think about “putting all your eggs in that basket” so to speak. Make that the priority and go “where”, “when”, and with “whom” maximize your chances of getting a cat. If you don’t you will very likely be going back a second time for you first leopard! I would expect to pay $30K for a leopard hunt with an excellent chance of success. And I would probably go to Zimbabwe or Zambia, possibly Tanzania or Moz.
In regard to elephant, there is no question trophy bulls are damn expensive. And you probably won’t bring back the tusks. For me, I would be completely happy with replica tusks, but for many that is not an adequate option and there is nothing wrong with that. To each his, or her, own. But you may want to consider this, if you are already paying DG rates, you can very likely add a tuskless ele in Zim for example for about $4K. Or you can add management cow for about $6K. Namibia has an option for an “Own Use” ele at a similar rate.
You could do a hunt in Zim in one of several excellent areas for a trophy buffalo bull and tuskless ele, along with Kudu, Bushbuck, zebra, warthog, and impala for a pretty reasonable price. Probably not a lot more than you might spend on leopard alone in a top quality area. Depending on where, you may also be able to hunt Croc, eland, hyena, klipspringer, reedbuck, sable, and some other PG animals.
Here’s another “general statement” that may not hold 100% true everywhere, but is usually the case. You will likely find lower day rates and higher trophy fees in SA, and higher day rates and lower trophy fees in places such as Zim. You just need to do the math and figure out what works for your hunt. Also, a Buff hunt will “generally” be a little less expensive in SA than places like Zim, Moz, Zambia and Tanzania.
Part of the fun of the hunt is “Hunting for the Hunt”! Don’t get overwhelmed or discouraged. Do your due diligence and enjoy the experience! It is a learning experience and can be a very costly one, or a very enjoyable one. You get to choose! Choose wisely
