Just won a 10 day trip Need Advice

[trperk1]

Welcome to the forum. You'll find a lot of good advice hear. For the hunt itself, I know you won it but I'd compare the price of the additional animals from their price list to a similar package being offered here. It will help you confirm if the total outlay is a good deal or not.

For a rifle, as other have said, it's really easy to take one. You can use an agency like Henry @ riflepermits.com for like $100. It's not only more enjoyable but you'll be using the rifle you practiced with. I think that's important because it's harder than you think. Particularly animals like a Kudu. You may have 10 seconds to see him and get a shot off. They are the "grey ghost".

I always book my own travel but I've also traveled extensively for work and am used to it.

Last, look for posts about prepping for your first safari here. There's plenty to read. Then start asking questions. There a lot of activity on this forum.

 

[jb1069]

Well it must have been my lucky day at the NWTF show. lol I just got another email saying I won their hunt also. Starting to see I must have shown the most attention. I'm sure both of these places are legit but it starting to feel a little slimy. "Pick the most interested guy and he will surely come and add a lot more animals to the list" This one is through Lindile Safaris

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I haven't seen anyone comment on hunt dates, so I will. Don't go in late Oct or November as it's too hot. A lot of new comers don't realize the calendar is flipped in the southern hemisphere. May, June, July, August are winter months in RSA and those are the months you should try for. Consult a lunar calendar if you prefer to hunt when there isn't a full moon, although that's a secondary selection criteria.

 

[trperk1]

@jb1069 - your lucky day I guess

 

[jomw10]

You can get a Kudu, Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala and Blesbuck for $4,850 with GAME 4 AFRICA SAFARIS All included (daily fees, trophy fees, food, beverages, etc, etc).

That will cost you $8000+ on your free hunt.

 

[USN]

Check Nick Bowker hunting website, the answer to most of your questions on planning will be there. Plan on a couple hours at least because it is that detailed. Enjoy, practice on sticks with your gun and travel with it, pack light. Did I say enjoy?!!!

 

[YancyW]

Well it must have been my lucky day at the NWTF show. lol I just got another email saying I won their hunt also. Starting to see I must have shown the most attention. I'm sure both of these places are legit but it starting to feel a little slimy. "Pick the most interested guy and he will surely come and add a lot more animals to the list" This one is through Lindile Safaris

I am glad this happened to you, it will let you see what is actually going on. Sometimes when folks hope here with a great deal, it is hard to navigate explaining some of the issues to them. Either that, you are one extremely lucky guy!

 

[Hogpatrol]

Great advice from our resident gurus, The gotcha is two animals in ten days. My last PG cull hunt, I took 20 in 7 & 1/2 days. This hunt may cost more for less animals than a package deal with one of our sponsors. South African safari operators are VERY competitive and packages offer good value.

 

[ActionBob]

That’s what I figured. I think my buffalo in Mozambique was around 4000, I see the pkgs for $9000 and days plus buffalo but if you go and decide to add a bull it’s way up there in South Africa according to the websites I’ve looked at.

I believe we paid $7500 to add buffalo last year. Like I said in South Africa for $9000+- you should

Great advice from our resident gurus, The gotcha is two animals in ten days. My last PG cull hunt, I took 20 in 7 & 1/2 days. This hunt may cost more for less animals than a package deal with one of our sponsors. South African safari operators are VERY competitive and packages offer good value.

And most will be flexible. Let you bring a wife, girlfriend, or child or even niece or nephew on the observer rate but let them hunt with you and shoot some critters. In fact most are more than happy to do so, especially if it means more critters taken.

Most would let you trade animals in a package. Say you get there with a limited budget that includes a black wildebeest but you get an opportunity at a monster red hartebeest... most would let you trade that. Or you have a duiker in your package but can't get a shot at one however the Steenbok are standing around staring at you....

BTW, don't ignore the little critters and night critters. Tons of fun! Genet, porcupine, jackal, even spring hare. Velvet monkey & baboon are pests but they may fetch a small trophy fee. All fun to hunt!

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Congrats Sir! I am excited for you. Limpopo is a little slice of Paradise and offers many species to hunt. I did my first Safari in Limpopo and had a grand time. I had booked 7 animals including: Nyala, Bushbuck, Duiker, Zebra, Gemsbok, Warthog and Baboon. I was on an 8 day hunt. 10days in country. Upon arrival, I learned that due to drought it would be very hard to hunt just for Warthog but they would be available and that Baboon were simply random targets of opportunity.

By day 4, I had harvested all of my animals except the Warthog (saw one but missed it) and Baboon (never saw one). We traded my Zebra for a Blue Wildebeest when we encountered a very large one. I also added an Impala on the last day to have something to do. I do not know your outfitter. Some advice:

• Ask lots of questions. Here and with your PH.
• Take your own rifles. You are allowed 2. They will become priceless heirlooms after your return.
• Download the US Customs firearm form, fill it out and take it with your rifles to the nearest US Customs office prior to your trip.
• Fill out the SAP520 form before you travel over to SA. Put both forms into your rifle case and keep extra copies with you in your carry on backpack.
• I booked my own trip taking the Delta Flt out of Atlanta (non-stop) to Joburg. PH picked me up at the airport and we drove to Limpopo that night. 2.5hrs more or less. I am an experienced international traveler.
• Get TSA Pre-Check and if you have time get the TSA Global Entry application and send it in. Takes about 6 months to get approved. Worth it when you come home.
• I put each of my rifles into soft cases and then sardined them into my hard case with an Apple Air Tag. This way I have the soft cases for in and out of the Land Cruiser every day.
• You are allowed 11lbs of ammo in a separate locked hard case in your checked bag. I took 50rds of 308 and 40rds of 375HH. That was twice as much as needed. I used only nine rounds from each rifle and half of that was at the range. 20-30rds for each rifle is enough unless you are a really bad shot.
• Take three hunting outfits and wear a fourth and that is one more than you really need. Be sure to wear one and pack one into your carry-on back in case luggage gets lost.
• Take all cotton clothing and no blue or black clothes to hunt in. The biting flies are attracted to blue and black. Earth tones are best. Khaki, Grey, Brown, Green. Insects are not too bad in the African winter but this varies place by place.
• Walk 5 mi per day and do cardio for training. It is not crazy to walk 4-5 mi in one day hunting. I trained by hiking in the woods and squirrel hunting and going to the gym three days per week.
• Shoot off sticks for practice both with your hunting rifles and with a 22lr trainer. The last month prior to my hunt, I shot the 22lr about 10shots per day off of sticks at 1/2" dum dum suckers at about 35y until I could break five suckers in 5-7 shots every time. Ballistically this is about the same as shooting a 30-06 or 375HH off sticks at a big game animal at 175y. Using this practice method, I took five animals all with one shot each and only missed the Warthog with a surprise off hand snapshot when he jinked just as I pulled the trigger. I also took a Wildebeest at 180y and drilled it with the 1st shot but shot it twice more to finish it quickly.
• Take things like camera, chargers, flashlights and international power adapters, meds, get your shots, etc. Not many needed for South Africa. Take a tube of Ivermectin in case you do get sick or exposed to virus. I did not need it but it is cheap insurance. You can find it on Amazon. It is sold for worming horses but my daughter is a pharmacist and said they give the same stuff to humans and helped with dosing estimate. My Doc recommended this.
• Take a vest and a light jacket and a long and short sleeved shirt for each day. Mornings are cool and afternoons can be very warm to hot. A hat or two, sunglasses and a range finder are all nice to have. I took binos but only used them twice.
• Take a note pad to use as a journal to write down your experiences every day. It is shocking how much detail you forget within 24hrs. I used mine to write a Safari Book last fall and am in the process of getting it published now.
• Whatsapp is useful to send pics and text messages home as well as voice calls to wife if she does not go with you. You can also converse with your PH as well. Text is useful due to the time difference.
• There is a great Taxidermy in Limpopo in Nylstrom. It is called Nylstrom Taxidermy. Pierre the owner is a master of the craft. Budget money to preserve your trophies and take time to go see Pierre before you go home.
• Budget time to visit the Big Five Game Preserve in Limpopo during your time in country. It is a 60,000 ac Preserve that does photo safaris where you can view all of the big five DG animals as well and all of the local PG animals. It is a 1/2 day trip and worth every penny. It is also a great break from hunting mid way thru the visit. Bouncing around in a Land Cruiser is like riding a mechanical bull, lol. 3-4 days in you will welcome the break.
• You have Impala and Wildebeest on your list. Impala is easy and can be harvested in about an hour. Wildebeest might take a little longer. Look at adding Gemsbok if they are available. They are fun to hunt and make a great trophy at about 1/3rd the cost of Sable or Kudu. Zebra is a challenging hunt as is Kudu. Giraffe is lovely but I found them to be too easy to find and too special to want to kill them. They are tough as nails. Nyala and Bushbuck make great hunts. Ask them about night hunting for smaller predators like Cats, Hyena, Jackyl, etc.. Blesbok can be fun since they like to stay out on the open savannas and present only very long shots. Eland are expensive but are great to eat and make a fun hunt. Ask about Lions. The laws are changing on them and the outfitter may be able to offer a deal. Ask about adding animals not on your list if you find something unexpected. My PH owns his own reserve and can add things on the fly within reason.

Enjoy your adventure. It will be one of the best of your life.

 

[migrabill]

I have been to South Africa just once. It was last June. It was a 10 day hunt that I won at a Banquet. The hunt included 2 animals, just like yours, an Impala and a Blue Wildebeest.
I ended up adding a Kudu, a Red Hartebeest, a Golden Wildebeest, 2 Zebras, a Blesbok, and a Warthog. I ended up paying +/- 13K for these extra animals. I too hunted Limpopo. Or our hunts sound very similar. I ended up ABSOLUTELY LOVING it. Check out my hunt report. I took off 2 days from hunting. One we went to Pilanesburg National Park. The other off day I simply wanted to go into town, visit the "table guys" and just generally do some souvenir hunting. If I were to ever go back to South Africa I would, without a doubt, use the same outfitter.

 

[375Fox]

I’d recommend comparing other outfitters in Limpopo. I’d use the Limpopo sponsor’s price lists for 10 days and the animals you’d like then compare it to the hunt you won. I’d recommend planning on 6-8 animals on a 10 day hunt. I think you’ll find the “free” hunt was more of a marketing strategy than a true free hunt especially if you get specific quotes from outfitters. It could be a great hunt and outfitter still though. Most outfitters in Limpopo are using the identical model. The put you up at a camp or lodge then head out daily to different properties. The properties may be 20 minutes drive or over an hour. Most properties will fall into the 2500-10,000 acre range and will all be high fenced and also be used by other outfitters. There are a few outfitters that stand out in Limpopo but most are offering 90% the same hunt as their competitor. The difference is usually pricing and finding someone that you’d enjoy hunting with.

I believe eastern cape generally provides a better hunting experience and pricing in South Africa. It would be worth looking into as a comparison to Limpopo.

Something to keep in mind, getting your trophies home is a significant part of overall cost now. I’d budget $150 per animal dip and pack cost. $2000 shipping. $1500 final clearing and shipping at port of entry in US.

 

[KCSafari]

Outfitters really stick out their necks with these donations so save up some money to spend. Most people only get the opportunity to go on safari once so make it count.
I would add a gemsbuck, warthog, kudu, zebra, and maybe a nyala/waterbuck. That would be a great safari that you will never forget.

 

[375Fox]

Outfitters really stick out their necks with these donations so save up some money to spend. Most people only get the opportunity to go on safari once so make it count.
I would add a gemsbuck, warthog, kudu, zebra, and maybe a nyala/waterbuck. That would be a great safari that you will never forget.

Some are, but most are using it as a marketing tool to get new clients. An impala and a wildebeest is a 1 day hunt on a game farm the other 9 days are designed to recover costs and make money at full trophy fee list. The difference in cost of most donated South African plains game hunts and hunts that were booked and paid for is likely negligible.

 

[YancyW]

Outfitters really stick out their necks with these donations so save up some money to spend. Most people only get the opportunity to go on safari once so make it count.
I would add a gemsbuck, warthog, kudu, zebra, and maybe a nyala/waterbuck. That would be a great safari that you will never forget.

That would be nearly 12k in trophy fees with the outfitter's price list.

 

[kpoynter]

Ok…Here is something VERY important to know. I’m posting their published Trophy Fees here.

Plains-Game-Rates | Hercules Safaris

Hercules Safaris is one of the most prestigious Safari Companies. We offer Rifle & Bow hunts on Plains Game or Dangerous game in South-Africa

herculessafaris.com

Understand something. ALL THEIR TROPHY FEES ARE HIGH… VERY HIGH
I may say something unpopular but I’ve noticed something the last few years.
Several South African Outfitters (not well known) have adopted this business model.
What business model? Auction/raffle hunts…just had a friend in New Orleans end up with one of these
Their market is very competitive. The model is to get people in camp…they give away the hunt as a loss leader. Nothing wrong but then all the other Trophy fees are deliberately inflated.
$4,000 Kudu..$4,200 Eland..$2,300 Gemsbuck!!!!!! Crazy high
$1,700 Zebra etc etc
Essentially everything is priced 200%…you need to know that.

So… my advice based on many safaris and knowing the deal
1) be honest with them and discuss trophy fees before you commit. See if they will give you fair rates (fair market value) on animals… if not.. do NOT GO. I’d say they will make a deal that is fair
2) Based on above… look at the animals you really want and what this would cost you (say Kudu, Eland, impala, wildebeest, zebra etc. I guarantee you, you can book a package with numerous HIGHLY reputable outfitters for LESS than this “free hunt”.
3) you will spend say $3k on travel anyway… a few thousand on taxidermy and shipping etc… so get the hunt that you want for the budget you have

Avoid buyers remorse if you go and shoot several animals you dreamed of at 200% of fair market rate

 

[kpoynter]

Some are, but most are using it as a marketing tool to get new clients. An impala and a wildebeest is a 1 day hunt on a game farm the other 9 days are designed to recover costs and make money at full trophy fee list. The difference in cost of most donated South African plains game hunts and hunts that were booked and paid for is likely negligible.

I see several of us advising similar in mere minutes…
Not only are you correct these guys are way above market.
A Kudu and Eland would be OVER 8 K!!!! Just those..
I can go to Tholo in Botswana for 7 days and hunt Kudu, Eland, Impala, Gemsbuck, Wildebeest of the highest quality for $7,500
There’s a million South African farms where a package hunt is less than this and less than he would get hung for

 

[Cowboy777]

I went to Africa last year on 2 won hunts for 19 days. One was a paid raffle, the PH was made whole by tickets bought. The other was a free drawing. I added on at both camps as I wanted to support their business and have an epic hunt.
I read about the horror stories of free hunts and got very nervous about being scammed with fees and taxes or not enjoying my time. Neither happened, both are outstanding PHs that I am returning to. Here is my advice.

1. I made sure to have up front conversations about what would be included and what would be extra. Both PHs understood that there would need to be a conversation for any extras and price was negotiable. Both were honest and upfront.

2. Both PHs were outfits that I would have felt comfortable spending my money with, without the won hunts. We had good conversations at the show and started a connection there. If you wouldn’t book a full paid hunt with them, don’t take the bait.

3. Have fun. Your PH works all the time client after client. The more entertaining you can be and fun, I promise your PH will respond and reciprocate. Many nuisance animals became free of charge as we hunted.

Yes, get a travel agent, rifle permit company lined up, some travel insurance and enjoy the trip!

 

[RR 314]

I did not read all the responses, but as I have told several people that “won” hunts— either by a drawing or them being high bidder at an auction, sometimes the best “free” hunts are the ones that are not taken.

Pretty hard to get a feel for the outfit over email. Reach out on WhatsApp. Tell him that the price list is extremely high. Sat you’re interested in killing more animals, but not at that rate. If he sticks to that rate, tell him that you are considering not staying for the entire trip and he can bring another group of hunters in say after three or four days. You’ve already incurred the cost of getting over there so see about booking with one of the site sponsors or other reputable groups for a seven day hunt while there.

 

[kpoynter]

Only if they are 53" or more......

And… 52 and under $3,950 which is double or more than any normal place…
ALL the trophy fees are SKY HIGH to get people in camp and make up for it with every trigger pull
You end up paying double what a good package would be with numerous reputable outfitters (virtually all)