First African Safari

In a general sort of way a modest plains game hunt costs about the same a nice quad or snowmobile, buffalo hunts tend toward the price of a secondhand 4X4 pickup and elephant about the same as a new one. Not exactly cheap, but within reach if you want it bad enough.

Is that just the hunt or hunt with skulls and hides brought back?
 
Is that just the hunt or hunt with skulls and hides brought back?

That would depend on the truck or quad. Dip and pack, freight, permits,brokerage fees can use up a couple grand or more in the blink of an eye. Then there's taxidermy; Euro mounts are cheap, taxidermy mounts add up fast when there are so many of them. You can add $5000 for airfare and miscellaneous.The good part is much of the cost is spread out over 2-3 years.
 
That would depend on the truck or quad. Dip and pack, freight, permits,brokerage fees can use up a couple grand or more in the blink of an eye. Then there's taxidermy; Euro mounts are cheap, taxidermy mounts add up fast when there are so many of them. You can add $5000 for airfare and miscellaneous.The good part is much of the cost is spread out over 2-3 years.

We got flights to Jo'berg for $1400 this year.
 
I think I'd be willing to pay more to not have to deal with those African snakes!!!!

Not a lot of love lost between me and snakes either, however sometimes it can't be avoided. More to the point, some areas can't be effectively hunted until well into the dry season and rates are higher then. Temps can be more tolerable in the high rate months too.

Sometimes you can't win, I booked a trip in the dry season just to stand in a swamp with the snakes and crocs and hippos. Its a lunatics sport.;)
 
Travel is cheaper in the off season, if you can make it work with thicker vegetation and snakes.

Being further south, May is getting pretty cold already in South Africa and vegetation is subsiding. Further north you are likely right. Anyhow, flights were a deal.
 
I've worked out a rule of thumb for this, after 7 trips, figure 1000 bucks per animal for dipping, packing, freight and shoulder mount taxidermy once they're back in country. 10 animals =$10,000.........20 animals=$20,000..........add life mounts and the sky's the limit. I just paid $32,000 for taxidermy for 23 animals taken in RSA, however 6 are life mounts so the rule of thumb goes out the window.
 
Ok, we were at one of the many Zimbabwe roadblocks when I saw a 3/4 good looking black girl eyeing me up. Without thinking I smiled back. Apparently that's all the invitation she needed because she was determined to jump in the truck with us. That was a little awkward since how do you go about throwing a cop out of your truck? We couldn't just peel out of there since we were at a roadblock and how would that go down? Couldn't very well take her with us either. I quickly took up the hobby of cloud formation viewing and let the PH talk me out of the situation while the trackers snickered.

After that he advised me to not smile at the local girls.

Now that is one far-fetched yarn. C'mon, really?!?! Everyone knows you've never smiled! I've got pictures of you beside everything from grizzlies to elephants to buffalo, and nary a smile. Not even a faint grin! I'll be damned if I'll believe you gave one up for a local gal in Zim!!! :p
 
Now that is one far-fetched yarn. C'mon, really?!?! Everyone knows you've never smiled! I've got pictures of you beside everything from grizzlies to elephants to buffalo, and nary a smile. Not even a faint grin! I'll be damned if I'll believe you gave one up for a local gal in Zim!!! :p

That was the last time I smiled. Just not worth takeing any chances; try to be friendly and all hell breaks loose.

I've got a Oct trip to Moz booked; buff, hippo, croc.
 
That was the last time I smiled. Just not worth takeing any chances; try to be friendly and all hell breaks loose.

I've got a Oct trip to Moz booked; buff, hippo, croc.

When do you pass through the Joberg airport? If you're there on the 15th, I'll buy you a drink -- A-Zone and I will be passing through on our way back home. I envy you the hippo and croc -- you just always have to be first, don't you? :p Am definitely looking forward to this one, that's for sure -- we'll be screwing around for a few days in the Eastern Cape on an cull hunt for eland and kudu as a warm-up round, then off to Zim for 26 days chasing elephant, lioness and buff. The utter madness is that booking 3 DG species also means we each ended up with 2 full allotments of plainsgame. So, among other things, it seems I've got 4 giraffes on license as well. If nothing else, I'll at least beat you on the giraffe count! ;)
 
When do you pass through the Joberg airport? If you're there on the 15th, I'll buy you a drink -- A-Zone and I will be passing through on our way back home. I envy you the hippo and croc -- you just always have to be first, don't you? :p Am definitely looking forward to this one, that's for sure -- we'll be screwing around for a few days in the Eastern Cape on an cull hunt for eland and kudu as a warm-up round, then off to Zim for 26 days chasing elephant, lioness and buff. The utter madness is that booking 3 DG species also means we each ended up with 2 full allotments of plainsgame. So, among other things, it seems I've got 4 giraffes on license as well. If nothing else, I'll at least beat you on the giraffe count! ;)

It will be close, I leave Jo-berg for home on the 10th of October.
 
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