a) Is february a good time?
b) Would a 7mm rem mag with 160 accubonds be ok for plains game?
c) Would you suggest plains game for the 1st trip?
d) Would a 375 H&H be sufficient for dangerous game?
e) Can you suggest any outfitters?
f) What is the approximate cost in USA dollars?
g) What proportion is airfare? Can airmiles be used?
I can only respond for Tanzania for specifics.
A) Hunting season runs from June through October.
B) A 7mm magnum is an excellent flat shooting cartridge suitable for all non-dangerous plains game. The 160 gr AB should be up the task.
C) Personally no. Africa is expensive, and I think you should try to get the most bang for the buck. If you can afford an African Safari, you can afford to hunt buffalo. Buffalo are the only dangerous game available on a 10 day license. Book a buffalo hunt, then if you want an exclusive plains game hunt at a later date, do that. But I bet you won't. Dangerous game adds spice to the adventure, and African hunting is about experience. To go to Africa without dangerous game to me defeats the purpose, and I would get more out of a big horn sheep hunt.
D) A .375 is a reasonable minimum for dangerous game. It should not be considered a stopping rifle within the context of African dangerous game. It is the best choice for the client who intends to hunt with a single rifle. If I was going to take a hunting rifle and a stopping rifle, the stopping rifle would be bigger. I'm thinking in terms of a .500 NE or Jeffery, or a .505 Gibbs.
E) Try Zuka Safaris in South Africa, they have Tanzania hunting concessions.
F) The cost is largely dependent on the client and the amount of game he wishes to collect. You may purchase a 7,10,16,21 or 30 day Safari. The longer the safari, the more game you are entitled to. To get hippo, big cats, and elephant you are looking at a minimum 21 day safari. These start at about $30K, and go up rapidly from there. A substantial savings can be realized by booking a 2X1 safari, which is two clients and one PH. A 7 day safari could be a cheap as $7K, but 7 days really isn't long enough. I recommend a 10 day minimum. One thing to remember is the cost of the trophy fees. Every time you pull the trigger it will cost you money, sometimes a great deal of money. Impala, warthog and baboon, and bushpig are fairly inexpensive. Gerenuk, kudu, sitatunga, and sable are expensive. Additional expenses include accommodation prior to and after leaving the hunting camp, gratuities, fees for entering the country,
Having said that, Tanzania is probably the most expensive of all the African destinations. You could also consider the Okavango Delta in Botswana, The Rift Valley in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, or ranch hunting in Namibia or South Africa. Zimbabwe offers the additional excitement raised by an unpopular and unstable government. When planning our trip I suggested to my PH that we might like to travel south to see Victoria Falls. He told me not to got there with anyone I cared about. Zimbabwe does have some of the best hunting bargains available though.
F) If you book ahead, and carefully plan out the trip, the airfare will be about $3000.00 which was from Winnipeg, and which should include air travel from Dar or Arusha to your hunting camp.