This book will give you detailed information on planning your safari. You will receive invaluable tips from picking an outfitter to shipping your animals' home. We even cover which seats to pick for your flight. For years I worked and saved, and saved and worked. I spent what felt like a lifetime waiting for the day that I might make my dream African safari come true. The information found here was gathered through my experiences in planning my two safaris over the past few years. As we all know the best way to learn about planning a trip like a safari is to talk to someone that has been there and done that. I would like for you to consider this book as your conversation with an old friend. Most of us are not like the hunters on the television hunting shows. In essence we are not paid personalities thus we must pay to play. It is a very detailed business of planning and executing a hunt in South Africa. I wanted to "un-muddy the waters" for those who've shared the same dream for a safari as I have for so many years, but didn't know where to start. With the information I am providing, I will help you to avoid the many pitfalls that plague so many hunters as well as the overlooked details that can turn a trip of a lifetime into a nightmare. I am living proof that a safari is attainable for the everyday working man.
Planning An African Safari
For The Everyday Working ManBy Kerry ThomasTrafford Publishing
Copyright © 2012 Kerry Thomas
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4669-4059-8Contents
Foreword..................................................................xiPreface...................................................................xvAcknowledgments...........................................................xviiDeciding to Go to Africa..................................................xixChapter 1. Where Do You Want to Hunt?.....................................1Chapter 2. What Are the Animals You Want to Take?.........................5Chapter 3. How Long Should You Hunt?......................................9Chapter 4. How Do You Pick Your PH?.......................................13Chapter 5. 1-1 or 2-1 Hunts...............................................19Chapter 6. Outfitter's Questionnaire......................................21Chapter 7. Safari Hunting and Fees........................................23Chapter 8. Time of Year to Go.............................................31Chapter 9. Bow versus Rifle...............................................35Chapter 10. Taxidermy: US versus Africa...................................39Chapter 11. Medicines and Vaccinations....................................45Chapter 12. Flight Options to South Africa................................49Chapter 13. A Few Things You Should Consider..............................53Chapter 14. Guns for Africa...............................................59Chapter 15. Customs Forms and Rifle Permit................................65Chapter 16. Proper Shot Placement on African Animals......................69Chapter 17. What Do You Need to Pack for Your Safari?.....................73Chapter 18. Your Arrival in the Country...................................77Chapter 19. What to Expect in Camp........................................81Chapter 20. A Typical Hunting Day.........................................85Chapter 21. After the Animal Is Down......................................89Chapter 22. Care of Your Trophies.........................................93Chapter 23. Activities after the Hunt.....................................95Chapter 24. It's All about the Money......................................99Thoughts on the African Safari............................................103Safari Planning Checklist.................................................105About the Author..........................................................107
Chapter One
Where Do You Want to Hunt?
Now that we understand the "why we hunt," let's discuss the "where in Africa do you want to hunt." There are many different countries in Africa to choose from—South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, etc. Each country has a variety of big game species to choose from, many of which will overlap while others will be exclusive to a particular area. If there is a particular animal that you are after, you should take the time find out where that animal is most commonly found. Let's take the bongo for example. It's generally only found deep in the forest areas of Central Africa. So if there is an outfitter offering you a free-range bongo hunt in southern Namibia, that should raise a red flag with you. He may only have a couple that he bought for you and one other client to shoot. Beware of this guy. He is probably trying to pull a fast one on you.
But our focus here is mainly in the pursuit of plains game found in South Africa. The availability of most any game animal can be found in South Africa.
Next we'll talk about the size of the concessions. The size of the concessions in South Africa will vary widely. Concessions are similar to what we call a hunting lease here in the States. Generally, the areas will range from five thousand to well over twenty-five thousand acres. With that being said, you will want to hunt an area that is at least ten thousand acres. Personally, I would look for a twenty thousand–acre property as a minimum. There are outfitters that will advertise that they have twenty thousand, forty thousand, or even one hundred thousand–plus acres to hunt on. Ask questions. Find out if it is all one area or will you be spreading your hunting over several small properties. They tend to mislead their hunt services as being conducted on one large hunting area when actually it is on four or five smaller ones. Make sure you ask questions. There will be occasions that you will be hunting in several areas depending on the game you're after. This is a normal practice: you just know up front before you go what you are getting.
Bear in mind that pretty much all concessions in South Africa are going to be high fenced. On a good concession, the only fence you should come in contact with is the main gate when you enter. Although most people don't want to hunt in a fence, a twenty-five thousand–acre game ranch covers over thirty-eight square miles. Many of the game species may only range about four to five square miles; therefore, many of them may never know that the fences exists. You can easily hunt for a week and never see the fence.
You don't want to be involved in what is known as a "goats in gates hunt." You are not hunting on a real game ranch. You are hunting on farm that has wildlife on it. You will be driving through cattle and sheep camps. That is not fun, and that is not why you go to Africa.
Most of the hunting in South Africa occurs in the northern areas of the Limpopo Province and the eastern part of the country. These areas are rich in game, and the hunting industry is strong. Most of the southern part of South Africa will not give you the landscape that you would expect of Africa.
Chapter Two
What Are the Animals You Want to Take?
The different styles of hunting can vary worldwide. But hunting is still hunting when properly done in a manner that gives the prey a fighting chance. There are basically two types of safari hunts in Africa. Your choices are either plains game or dangerous game.
Dangerous game consists of the elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, and buffalo, better known as the big five. Also added to the list should be the hippo and crocodile. Countries such as Botswana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are a better choice for hunting the big five species due to the availability of enormous government-owned hunting areas. Animals here will mostly be free ranging and very much wild. The hunting of any of theses animals will be very expensive in comparison to the hunting of plains game. Most first-time game safari goers will be after a plains game hunt. To give you an idea, a leopard hunt will be in the $12,000 range and up. A lion will be in the $20,000 range and up. For that type of money, you could hunt a truckload of plains game.
Some of Africa's most sought-after plains game consists of the following: kudu, with its beautiful long spiraling horns; the eland, the largest of the African antelope; nyala, with it's unique markings; waterbuck, with long sweeping horns; blue and black wildebeest, also know as the clowns of the plains due to their constant frolicking display. Gemsboks are one of the staple symbols of Africa with its very long and very sharp three-foot long horns and no hunts complete without an impala.
Others included will be the sable, roan, bushbuck, red hartebeest, blesbuck,reedbuck,duikers,grysbok,klipspringersteenbok,Hartmann's and Burchell's zebra, bushpig, giraffe, vervet monkey, baboon, warthog. Africa has several small cat...
