Myths and Facts of Africa Hunting

[MarcelV]

This is a Question that has been bugging me for a long time, i have heard of people who where afraid of hunting in Africa due to allot of reasons and finally got convinced to give it a try and found out it was only a Myth.

There are things like

#1 - High fenced hunting compared are compared to canned hunting.
#2 - Africa hunting is to expensive, though a Elk hunt is some cases cost more than a Africa hunt.
#3 - The perception that Africa is a health hazard to hunt.
And more.

this is just a few i have heard of, i am interested in other Myths about hunting in Africa.
Lets call this Myths and Facts of hunting in Africa, it would be great if we can share some of the interesting Myths and facts you have heard.

Just as a matter of interest, and i think a section like this can help future hunters to distinguish between Myths and facts.

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Apologies for the Re-post of this Topic, the previous thread are missing..

Marcel

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Well, there is the myth that all the animals are endangered and something is wrong with hunting them. Then there is the myth that properly regulated legal hunting is the reason why some of the animals actually are endangered. Often this crosses over with the myth that the animals sing, dance, and make complicated plans for the usurpation of power, often involving the cunning involvement of other species.

There is the myth that if I take just the head, the meat is wasted.

There is the myth that the animals are bulletproof and cannot possibly be killed with any sort of ordinary firearm. Related to the fact many people shoot poorly and will surely blame lost game on their "legendary toughness".

There is the fact that hunting in Africa can cost less than hunting in Texas. There is the fact that is more expensive than most people can ever hope to afford. There is the fact that class envy will prevent many from ever learning the truth about what good hunting does not only for people in Africa, but the very animals we hunt.

There is the fact that there are more huntable species than you will see anywhere else. There is the fact that it is a good time. There is the fact that I go to sleep thinking about August, when I go back, and wake up thankful I am another day closer.

 

[MarcelV]

Bert, that is the voice of a passionate africa hunter, i wish you all of the best with your August trip..

The one myth that bugs me the most is the Disney Africa, where Lions have personalities, sweet and cuddly,
if only

And there is allot of fact on the POSITIVE impact hunting has on concervation of allot of our species..

Thanks for your thoughts..

 

[Thunder head]

Two biggest ones to me.

Africa is cheaper than alot of north american hunts. Simply not true. If you total Safari, travel and taxidermy cost a safari will cost you more than most north american hunts. There are premiere american hunts that cost more, but the average ones do not.

You cant hunt elephants!!! Most people have know idea that you can legaly hunt elephants. There even more confused when i tell them they are overpopulated in most of the range they have left.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

You are right about the cost: travel to Africa is not cheap. But the animals can be significantly less expensive than in the US. The only way to make good on the travel cost is to shoot a large number of animals. At least that is what I told my wife.

 

[enysse]

You are right about the cost: travel to Africa is not cheap. But the animals can be significantly less expensive than in the US. The only way to make good on the travel cost is to shoot a large number of animals. At least that is what I told my wife.

That is exactly how I justify hunting in Africa. The per animal costs are not bad at all.

But the airfare, taxidermy and shipping add up the cost quicky.

I won't mount anything in US hardly anymore...it would have to be a incredibly big animal. Elk, moose and caribou take a lot of room up. I have not shot a big enough elk to mount yet and not one moose. But I have 2 huge caribou! Hunting in the US can be cheap too...but you have to do a lot of planning and plotting.

 

[MarcelV]

Two biggest ones to me.

Africa is cheaper than alot of north american hunts. Simply not true. If you total Safari, travel and taxidermy cost a safari will cost you more than most north american hunts. There are premiere american hunts that cost more, but the average ones do not.

You cant hunt elephants!!! Most people have know idea that you can legaly hunt elephants. There even more confused when i tell them they are overpopulated in most of the range they have left.

I do not really agree with you on the cost aspect, i have no experience with hunting abroad and i am speaking from peception here so please correct me if i am wrong here.

But when you compare apples to to apples, me as a RSA citizen hunting at meat hunting prices can also get the hunt for substantially cheaper than the avarage US guest would pay, but i would then need to make piece with camping in a tent, be my own guide and take all my own risks.

And i believe that is the way Tag system works aswell (yet again my perception), you buy the tag and you need to look after yourself.

But if you book a hunt in the US where you have a full lodge catering for your group allone, with kitchen staff, trackers guides laundry services transport permits ext incuded and a 90 percent guarentee that you will get what you are hunting for, i believe South Africa is still very competitive and therin i think the myth lies..

Most people do not compare Apples to Apples...

What do you guys think, am i of the mark here ?

 

[enysse]

Well, when you explain to your wife, what the costs are? She is going to look at the total dollars spent! That is going to get you in trouble.

Here is the lower 48 states...you don't have to use a guide....except in the wilderness of Wyoming...so you can get away cheaper. But if you go to the Yukon or NWT for sheep or moose...Yep, it gets pretty expensive in a hurry!!!

A elk hunt in most western US states on public land is still affordable..you might just not get anything over 280 inches every time out there....and you just may get a cow elk. Whitetail hunting is still reasonable too.

You have to remember your family doesn't care what you hunt? As long as you don't bust the bank.

 

[MarcelV]

Apologies for going of the topic with this one...

Just another interesting question for me, can you guys help me see the picture here, a comparison of sorts..

How does the US Animals compare to the Africa animals, for example Size, difficulty of the hunt ext.

I have heard that the Whitetail though smaller in size compares to a Kudu if it comes to hunting challenge, is this correct and what other comparisons are there with things like Elk,Moose, Caribou ext ?

 

[enysse]

I would say the US is very challenging to hunt compared to Africa.

The one thing I can't compare is the quality of the hunt...for the animals. There is no place on earth hardly for the dollar that you are going to hunt and get a nice Kudu and gemsbok...etc. for the dollar. They are very many animals in Africa and the quality of game is unbelievable.

You are luck to harvest one nice animal in a season in the US. In Africa in one trip you can harvest many.

I will say it super hard to compare apples to apples on this one.

 

[MarcelV]

I would say the US is very challenging to hunt compared to Africa.

The one thing I can't compare is the quality of the hunt...for the animals. There is no place on earth hardly for the dollar that you are going to hunt and get a nice Kudu and gemsbok...etc. for the dollar. They are very many animals in Africa and the quality of game is unbelievable.

You are luck to harvest one nice animal in a season in the US. In Africa in one trip you can harvest many.

I will say it super hard to compare apples to apples on this one.

, thanks for that reality reminder...

 

[billc]

I guess what makes africa seem like it cost less is you have a chance to harvest more animals on a hunt.Comparing south africa to like a guided elk hunt here in the states.By the looks lodging is much nicer on avg in sf compared to a tent camp in the states.Could hunt for atleast 2 or 3 animals the size of an elk plus other animals for the avg cost of a good quality elk hunt for a 300" or better bull.I think why alot of people are talking about africa you can get the tags to go hunting.Anymore to go elk or mule deer hunting getting a tag is very hard.Yes the travel cost is more as long as you do not need to buy some high dollar elk or deer tag.I will be enjoying my first trip to africa this july.Then I will be able to compare much better but right now africa could be pulling ahead.I would still say from what I am learning the hunting here is much tougher.You could hunt in the states and lucky to have 50 deer or elk on 100,000 acres from what I am gathering you are looking at hundreds of animals on 15,000 acre game ranch in africa.Again this is comparing south africa to our hunts here in the states.

 

[Thunder head]

Lets add a little clarity,
Yes you will get more bang for your buck during an african safari. And if you divide the cost by 6 animals the price is much less. My first trip ended up at about $13,000 total for everything including taxidermy. You can go on a elk hunt at some of the best ranches in the west for less money.
The myth part comes in when you hear you can go on an african safari for less than an outfitted hunt hear in the U.S. It simply not true in most cases.

Marvel,
I think its a fair compare a whitetail to a bushbuck or kudu. They both spend the majority of daylight hours holed up in the dense bush or thickets. By there nature it makes them difficult to hunt. You also have to factor in there are many more hunters per acre in the U.S., this can lead to highly pressured animals that barley move in the daylight at all.

 

[MarcelV]

Thanks Thunder head that gives me more of a picture of a comparison,
is there any other comaparisons like Elk to Eland ext
or am i trying to get answers on question without real answers

 

[enysse]

Hard to compare Eland to Elk. If you hunt the super best areas in US, where hunting pressure is limited...then it's comparable.

I would say it's generally easier to shoot a huge eland compared to a elk on public land or a ranch.

In the end it cheaper to hunt eland. You have to play the draw game to go hunting elk on public land, buy a expensive landowner tag, hunt on tribal land, or go to a exclusive ranch.

I won't go into fence hunting of whitetails and elk. Because most people will call those canned hunts.

 

[enysse]

The more I think on the subject.

One should never compare North American hunting to Africa....they are both different. Which in a lot of ways is good....if it was all the same...why fly to Africa.

I think everyone in Africa...should concentrate on how there operation or business is different than someone elses. What do they bring to the table that there competitor doesn't.

I think if more hunting operations had a online video available of there place of operation: Showing food, accomodations, vehicles and staff...plus the animals. People would feel more comfort in booking with them. So many first time people...need to be pushed over the edge to get on a plane and hunt Africa....epecially in this economy.

 

[MarcelV]

With that i completley agree, each outfit should be unique and competitive, and as for my business, i would support more online video,
i think it gives people a sense of comfort to atleast see something and have a better idea of what to expect.

My main intrest in the comparisons are due to questions i have encounterd in the past,
for a new and first time hunter without friends to describe or explain the comparison, it is a bit of a challenge
deciding what animal to hunt based on pictures but no challenge and dimensional comparison.

but i agree it should not be comparable, because each one is different.

Thanks again.

 

[Thunder head]

Marvel,
An elk is essentaily a big deer. They have alot of the same habits and tendencys as far as feed and bed schedules. I dont think you can compare eland tracking to any North american hunt. Now in the eastern cape or the desert were you might spot from a distance and do a long spot and stalk they could be very similar.

Enysse has a point its difficult to make comparisons. Its like the difference in hunting savannah buff in the jungels of CAR, versus stalking them in the wide open Caprivi strip.
I think you would do just fine with a new hunter in africa by describing the traits of different animals and the areas they choose to inhabit, versus the challenge that creats for each species.

 

[MarcelV]

Thanks guys, i understand the point, comparison is not possable.

Does anyone else have some good Myths about hunting in Africa,
on my first topic which where lost someone mentioned that a famaly memeber asked them why go to Africa there
is canabals in over there.

That is one of the best ones i have heard this far.

can anyone top that one

 

[tap]

I would have to disagree with a comparison being impossible. Lets say you want to hunt a trophy elk in North America. The equivalent would be a kudu in Africa.

Difficulty of the hunt..... Depends on where you go. I went on public land in Utah and had one guide with me. We saw 3 to 4 bulls every day over the 350" b&c. I ended up killing a 386 bull on the last day of a 9 day hunt and I was in many elk every day. This hunt was on the Dutton for those of you who know Utah. That area is known for being tough to find elk in. I also hunted the San Juan for elk but it was more like a canned hunt and the animals weren't really wild. My Utah dutton area elk hunt totaled about $30,000 when all was said and done. The tag alone ran me $15,000!

Now for Africa. I am obsessed with Kudu. I believe they are the african equivalent to elk. The main difference is that no matter where I hunt (including the public mountains near me for elk competing with the public pressure) I find that kudu are much more difficult to find. When you hunt for a true trophy kudu, a bull at or larger than 55 inches, you are in for quite a long haul. In my experience a 55 inch kudu is comparable to a 350 inch elk. However the 55 inch kudu takes me on average 6 solid days of hunting before I find one. In this time I'm usually only hunting a single bull someone found at some point in that hunting season. That means I'm looking for only him. In doing this I don't see cows or other bulls usually. It is very disheartening to go 5 days without seeing a kudu. At the end of my last kudu quest I harvested a 58 1/4 inch bull that took me 6 days to find. The bull cost me $2500, daily rates were $350/day, and airfare round trip was $1800. trophy shipping was 3000, and taxidermy full body mount was 3000 as well. Total for one giant kudu was right at $10,000 as compared to my utah elk at $30,000. My Utah elk last year on the San Juan ran me $20,000 and the two bull I shot off the Navajo indian reservation totaled about $35,000 for both. I have hunted many elk and many kudu and would honestly say a kudu is more of a challenge and more rewarding than an elk. And to top it all off a kudu is less money.

Now if we are going to compare diy (do-it-yourself) apples to apples we can do that as well. If you have friends in africa as I do, they will let you stay with them for free and hunt their non-high fenced cattle ranch for free. tags for this will cost you a few hundred bucks, airfare is still around 2,000, and trophy shipping is gonna cost roughly $3,000! wether you are in africa or here in the states food will always cost you the same so we won't include that. A d-i-y hunt will run you about $5,500. That means diy is cheaper in the states but to find someone in africa will to let you hunt their place for free is gonna be hard to find if you can find such a place at all.

Now if you want a sub 300 inch bull in america you can spend about $6000 total and have a fully outfitted hunt and most likely get your elk. so you can spend $6,000 in america on a small bull or go to africa and possibly kill a monster kudu for $10,000? Its a no brainer for me.