Lion Hunt

[Riggs]

Alright fellas, I've finally saved up enough to go on a wild lion hunt. I would have had this done in 2019, but I went through a divorce and you all know how that goes...I nearly lost my boat in the process! Anyways, I've finally recouped my money and I am ready to go on my hunt. I have a few questions that I have not been able to find answers to on the forum...maybe I didn't look in the right place??

1) What is the status of importing a male lion into the USA? Last I heard things were going in the right direction and they were doing so on a case-by-case basis.

2) What is the current wait time on the CITES and other permits?

3) What is the current wait time for importing said lion trophy?

4) Recommendations for outfitters that were used when trophies have gotten through in the past. I've heard that outfitter reputation along with their area data for lion data and such have a big deal to play into whether the permits get issued or not

Thanks for all of your responses in advance! I may not respond right away, say for a whole day, due to work. Thanks again guys!

 

[sierraone]

I have never hunted lions, but I know that you can't import one to the U.S. from South Africa. Most would tell you S.A. is not a wild lion hunt. And recently there has been a movement there to stop all lion hunting in the country. So first I would suggest that you decide which country you will hunt in because the rules will be different for each country. Good luck.

 

[Bullet Safaris]

Hi, the permits are issued on a case by case basis as you stated. There is CITIES quota in several countries (so a lion may be legally hunted and still have no chance of import to the USA). The chance of import varies greatly in my opinion per country and per area (these type of results are not going to be made readily available to us per country).

The limiting factor is the USFWS (I am assuming you are from the USA and wish to import your trophy to the USA).
The USFWS needs to approve/grant you a permit for a specific area. They are the ones to grant you the actual permission for bringing in a hunted lion trophy based on your application to them to do so. The CITIES permit for Import and Export will follow.

The idea is that hunting outfitters/areas, in countries that already have a CITIES quota to hunted/export lion, must now prove that the killing of a lion be 'beneficial' to the management of the species. The USFWS is the one that makes this final decision for Americans. They start the paperwork process for you by deciding if your hunt fits their criteria.

- the time frame/success rate for a permit is unreliable and unknown.
- past success of a permit for an area doesn't necessarily mean it will be an easy repeat for the next hunter (but we hope it goes this way soon).
- there is a long list of applications and it seems to be moving very slow.

I am happy to offer more information and talk with you about this - the sad reality is that anyone going on a lion hunt should be ready to not see the trophy for a while if ever.

If you are fortunate to be in a position to hunt a wild lion - you are helping conservation in Africa and we thank you! go to the right place and you are about to get the adventure of a lifetime!

If you harvest an old male (everyone is on a 6 year old rule these days) you should be prepared to be happy with the experience, privilege and a picture! No one can guarantee importation at this time.

There are permits being issued, it just very slow and very few. It could change at a moments notice - but that is the deal in a nut shell as of today.

 

[cpr0312]

What country are you hunting?

Nathan makes all valid point that you need to consider!

If you haven't already, you need to contact John Jackson at Conservation Force immediately. He can help you with the entire process and if anyone can get it back in the US, its his team.

 

[gillettehunter]

Good advice from Bullet safaris above. The one person you really want to talk to if you want to import your lion is John Jackson at Conservation Force. From my understanding he is doing more to aid importation of CITES animals that perhaps anyone else. A call to him may produce a list of outfitters that have had lions imported successfully in the last few years.
Good luck
Bruce

 

[375Fox]

Just looking at your previous posts and your listed age, do you understand the costs involved in a wild lion hunt? At the low end, all in, getting there, hunt, get home I would estimate $50k going up to $100k+ depending on county and outfitter. There was a “wild managed” hunt advertised here in South Africa by Limpopo big game safaris at about $22k so maybe $30k all in which would be a good compromise on hunt and cost. Then there are of course farm raised lions released into “hunting” areas to be tracked down and shot advertised at very low cost now.

 

[Spear Safaris]

Riggs
We hunt in western Tanzania and our Lions have been going to the USA successfully.
If you are interested please feel free to contact me on email. info@spearsafaris.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Ernest

 

[Riggs]

Just looking at your previous posts and your listed age, do you understand the costs involved in a wild lion hunt? At the low end, all in, getting there, hunt, get home I would estimate $50k going up to $100k+ depending on county and outfitter. There was a “wild managed” hunt advertised here in South Africa by Limpopo big game safaris at about $22k so maybe $30k all in which would be a good compromise on hunt and cost. Then there are of course farm raised lions released into “hunting” areas to be tracked down and shot advertised at very low cost now.

So, you're basing my comprehensive and financial ability based on a previous post from 2019 and age? I'm well aware of the $50k and upwards of $100k cost, and have the financial ability to do it. As far as the farm raised lions, I dont believe in high fence/canned hunting

 

[Riggs]

Riggs
We hunt in western Tanzania and our Lions have been going to the USA successfully.
If you are interested please feel free to contact me on email. info@spearsafaris.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Ernest

I will be contacting you later tonight

 

[375Fox]

So, you're basing my comprehensive and financial ability based on a previous post from 2019 and age? I'm well aware of the $50k and upwards of $100k cost, and have the financial ability to do it. As far as the farm raised lions, I dont believe in high fence/canned hunting

Good, many don’t have an idea what they are actually asking

 

[Riggs]

What country are you hunting?

Nathan makes all valid point that you need to consider!

If you haven't already, you need to contact John Jackson at Conservation Force immediately. He can help you with the entire process and if anyone can get it back in the US, its his team.

I will do that!

 

[Riggs]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has responded! For anyone who comes across this thread, please do respond as well!

 

[Tanner Lee]

My information my be a little out of date but from what I know Zambia is the best place to harvest a wild lion that can be imported. The Zambian government does all the studies and other things necessary to make the process easier. Like I said this maybe out of date because I have been out of the loop of the Lion hunting information for a few years.

 

[M Whitley]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has responded! For anyone who comes across this thread, please do respond as well!

Congrats on planning this trip! I think Nathan from Bullet Safaris answered you thorough and honestly. I was with Nathan in Tanzania October 2020 on a leopard hunt and we saw some good lions! Even had to abandon some baits, run them off, and a good male visited camp one day. I’m not sure of lion density in other areas but Nathan’s area sure seemed to have a lot. Most mornings you could hear one grunting rather close to our camp. His areas are the real deal and remote as they come, it is a big investment and I would speak to Nathan. I’m sure he has lion hunter references you could call. When I book my lion it will be with Him.

 

[M Whitley]

Congrats on planning this trip! I think Nathan from Bullet Safaris answered you thorough and honestly. I was with Nathan in Tanzania October 2020 on a leopard hunt and we saw some good lions! Even had to abandon some baits, run them off, and a good male visited camp one day. I’m not sure of lion density in other areas but Nathan’s area sure seemed to have a lot. Most mornings you could hear one grunting rather close to our camp. His areas are the real deal and remote as they come, it is a big investment and I would speak to Nathan. I’m sure he has lion hunter references you could call. When I book my lion it will be with Him.

 

[Riggs]

Good, many don’t have an idea what they are actually asking

I've ran across that myself when it comes to marlin and sailfish fishing, most people that have never been get upset real quick because the fish arent biting right away or because they dont understand trolling...in the rare case some dont understand the pricing breakdowns. I layed out a simple 8hr breakdown of the day's schedule and an EXTREMELY simple price breakdown and this guy still didn't understand it. I completely understood where you were coming from no hard feelings.

 

[rinehart0050]

I'll just echo everyone's comments on contacting Conservation Force. They're handling my leopard permits for my upcoming hunt.

 

[Pieter Oosthuizen]

Good day "Riggs", glad you have bounced back, no better place than the African Bush to cleanse ones soul. The reality for lion trophy hunting and exports have been explained in detail by the Nathan. The situation is just getting more complex with all the "voices in the cities" gunning against hunting and influencing good common sense without having any tracks on African Soil. Best of luck with your research and planning.

 

[godwincp]

so I to am hunting leopard in July in Zimbabwe at the Drummond ranch and was just going to use the normal cites process for having it shipped back to the US. I just read that rinehart0050 is using John Jackson from conservation force, an organization I support, to get his leopard back.
what exactly is he doing more than trophy shippers or others can’t do. Please reply as I want this , assuming I’m successful, to go smoothly and hopefully beat the Biden BS. Thanks

 

[Riggs]

so I to am hunting leopard in July in Zimbabwe at the Drummond ranch and was just going to use the normal cites process for having it shipped back to the US. I just read that rinehart0050 is using John Jackson from conservation force, an organization I support, to get his leopard back.
what exactly is he doing more than trophy shippers or others can’t do. Please reply as I want this , assuming I’m successful, to go smoothly and hopefully beat the Biden BS. Thanks

CF have more contacts and can pull more strings. My first thought when Biden was announced as the winner was, "There goes Africa." Trump may not have been perfect, but at least he got things moving in the right direction. But par the course, we've gone from the fire and straight into the fryingpan.