SOUTH AFRICA: Great Time Lousy PH

[Frozen6bt]

I just returned from my first Safari. I had a great time and collected some nice trophies as well.

The only hang up was a lousy PH. He spent more time on his cell phone conducting business for his game breeding operation than he did hunting with me. He was always late to get moving in the morning. He never took the time to get to know me or what I was looking for in my hunt, trophies or anything else. He was always pressuring me to take shots I wasn't comfortable with or take the first example of an animal that was on my list. His performance was so bad that one day I actually got left in camp alone as he was a no-show.
After that, I did not hunt with him for the rest of my hunt. I was lucky enough to spend the rest of my hunt with a friend on mine in the same camp and his PH was the absolute opposite of what I had been dealing with.

After voicing my problems to the Outfitter, I was decently compensated for my lack of decent a PH.

My trip was a blast irregardless and I fully intend to go back to Africa again someday, likely in the next 2-3 years.

 

[Saul]

*Regardless (cough cough)
I am sorry to hear that your PH was so lousy, especially because he is the guy you are paying to keep you and your family safe and happy on your hunt! I am glad that everything worked out in the end and the outfitter compensated you (at least someone took responsibility).
Feel free to not mention the name of the PH or outfitter if you do not want to (I see that you carefully omitted this information) but it might be nice to know this when I decide to book my hunt.

 

[Red Leg]

Man, that is really a shame. At least you were able to do something about it before you spent the whole hunt with him. Do go back. What you experienced was an absolute exception. I use a hunting consultant (Jack Atcheson Jr - there are others) and one of my primary requirements is that I don't want to hunt with a jerk. There are some places you can't control that - Africa you can. There are some terrific PHs out there - Jammy Traut, Nick Nolte, Grant Taylor, etc. Heck of an impala - I have seen the black-faced sub-species that looked less like black-face than that one!

 

[Frozen6bt]

I fully intend to go back. Although I'm looking at the East Cape next trip as I'll bring the Wife along with her camera.

As for my lousy PH, I realize he was an exception. Even in the camp I was at the other PHs there were awesome and far and above more professional than the one I was stuck with.

As far as names, I was hunting with Dries Visser Safaris. his Camp and staff there were very good. His Chef was incredible. Dries himself treated me very well and took my concerns seriously.

The PH, if you want his name, send me a PM. I have no problem giving specifics about his performance but as this is a public forum and he may end up on here, I don't want anything to do with him or to hash anything out with him. The tip I left him should have made any questions he had very clear........

 

[Royal27]

Sorry about the PH, but glad you had a good time regardless. And glad you're going back and taking the wife to the EC. I'm doing the same thing next May.

Really do like that impala.

 

[greyfox]

If your next trip is to the eastern Cape, let me recommend Marius and KMG.
feel free to contact me with any questions/concerns, etc...
I've bene back three weeks and can't wait to return to Africa!!

 

[RickP]

Sorry to hear about the poor PH situation. At least you had a good enough time to get bitten by the 'Africa bug'. I hunted with the same outfitter the two different times that I've been to RSA but have hunted with 5 different PH's and they've all been good. Some fit my style of hunting better than others but I can't complain about any of them as they were all sociable and enjoyed some good banter.

 

[CAustin]

What a shame your PH was not good. It does look like you got some good trophies though. There are lots of good ones over there. Hope the next trip is better.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Glad you were on top of it enough to complain and move toward a solution.
Sad to feel pushed into shooting at something and not hunting.
NOT professional at all.

Very nice facial markings on that Impala.

Do share some of the actual hunting tales you experienced.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Not rite! I would have crapped a VW beetle! Cell phones should be prohibited on Safaris, and PH's with no personality should be hung from the yard arm!

glad to hear that there were some positives, hope your second trip will be awesome.

my best always

 

[PeteG]

Good to hear you enjoyed your trip over once getting over the ph issue.
Nice to see the Outfitter made things right with you and ensured you left satisfied and looking forward to another trip.
I agree with Jaco, I feel there is no need for cell phones out of camp.

 

[Sable123]

These types of things really grate my carrot! Sorry to hear about the Lousy PH, I know alot of good guys with PH licenses that would give their left nut, myself included, to be a full working PH especially working with such a fantastic outiffitters like Dries Visser Safaris but instead don't get positions because guys like these have filled them and don't realise how fortunate they are!
My advice, next time your PH uses his cellphone in the bush....put a bullet through it.

 

[PeteG]

put a bullet through it.

ha ha, that will sure get the message through...
Preferably after he's finished the call though

 

[spike.t]

Not rite! I would have crapped a VW beetle! Cell phones should be prohibited on Safaris, and PH's with no personality should be hung from the yard arm!

glad to hear that there were some positives, hope your second trip will be awesome.

my best always

+1

 

[Sable123]

Umm...thanks for clarifying that...wait till he puts the phone down, then shoot it!

 

[Nyati]

Nice to hear thing turned out all right in the end, and you did get some nice trophies.

As for your lousy PH, I would not have given him a single Rand as tip

 

[Divernhunter]

Not much worse than a poor PH. Can really throw cold water on a hunt. Glad you got another for part of the trip. I would not have left a single cent/Rand for him.
Our trip was great and with a PH and outfitter that went so far above what they needed to it made me feel a bit bad. Never rushed on shots. He would not let me shoot ones I thought I wanted and found better animals for me to actually shoot. We were made to feel like we were the most important royalty in the world. We enjoyed talking with them and were given bits of history about the area and joked about things. My disability than did not allow me to do hard, long stalks was not a problem for them and they constantly checked to see if I was ok with the stalk. They were really good people who were really glad to have us in camp. They are "real people" and a great pleasure to be with.
If you get to go back I would highly recommend Iliwas Safaris. They are about 1.75 hours NW of Port Elizabeth.

They experience you would have with them will be so much better than you had. Even if it turned out to be good in the end.

 

[petrusg]

Sorry about the PH, they can really make or break your hunting experience. Glad that all worked out and that you intend on coming back...

 

[bluey]

pain in the ass , having a piss poor p.h, specially with dries visser , he couldn't have been there to long or that outfit would've had him sorted by now .
im sure he was given his walking orders .
when me and my son kody were hunting with them in 2010 , they were too good and made us uneasy ,by laying out the red carpet .
with in a day or so they worked out what we were about and let up a bit on the royality , and then it was by far the experience we wanted , and received .
really glad you still had an awesome adventure .
you will really enjoy the east cape ,im sure of it

 

[Scott Slough]

Nice to hear thing turned out all right in the end, and you did get some nice trophies.

As for your lousy PH, I would not have given him a single Rand as tip

One Rand! I very seldom tip poorly, I typically I chose to not frequent the business (outfitter in this case!). But in this case the outfitter addressed the problem. So by only tipping a singe Rand, he knows you thought about what he was worth. In general, a VERY low tip gets the message across better than NO tip.