Guided hunts

conor_90

conor_90

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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Location
NW BC
Say you had 6-7 grand you wanted to spend on a guided hunt, ~8,500 with flight. Less is more, preferably with some left over for non hunting vacationing or a ~5 day trip. Don’t think you need to fulfill the top end.
I know hunting is hunting but a high success rate wouldn’t hurt. Physically capable of all hunts.

No new gun required (I have a 338 wm and an 8x57JRS in big game rifles, will probably add an 8x57 this summer).

Would have to be between April and August next year

Not really interested in any variety of deer.

What would you do?

Considerations atm:

Package mouflon or chamois hunt in Spain or the Balkans

Battue in Poland, czechia, Slovakia

Hog hunting in the states

A couple or three days water buff in Argentina

Is plains game in SA on the table? Muskox? Cow cape buff is interesting but I would really like to do that “right”.


Any other suggestions? No “if you add x dollars you can” please. Actual experience preferred.

Anywhere to browse besides “book your hunt”?
 
There are many opportunities in South Africa. Outfitters there offer hunts for a wide variety of plains game that might fit your budget. Flights will cost a bit more than expected but there are some very economical hunts to be had in that country. Just be sure to ask lots of questions and seek references. All game farms are fenced there, but large properties properly managed actually have self sustaining wildlife populations and healthy habitats and can be favourably compared to real "wild" country. Eastern Cape Kudu, warthog, springbuck, etc, are interesting to hunt and the land is often very beautiful. But be warned, some properties in South Africa are sadly not managed for proper, ethical hunting. Small fences, stocked with put and take auction barn animals also exist. Namibia is another place I've hunted, some wonderful game and beautiful country but generally costs a bit more.
 
10/4

Some very well priced SA hunts.

I think a “dream” Africa hunt is never going to be a reality for me; but I would hate to have a “nightmare” one…

I don’t have a desire to fill a list or kill a bunch of animals. I am interested in hippos, cape buff and gemsbok but find myself more drawn to the euro experience

I would love to hunt in Northern Territory Australia for water buff or East Africa and have more of an adventure experience. Honestly considering fishing in the Brazilian Amazon instead, seems less likely to be an expensive disappointment?

Honestly it’s inheritance and the provider wanted me to spend it on something I would enjoy. I’m very frugal and would bank it if not.
 
Longwalker has given some good advice.

I can highly recommend https://www.hotfire.co.za/ in the eastern cape of South Africa and https://kowasadventure.com/ in Namibia.

Taxidermy can be very expensive, bring back European mounts and hides tanned hair on or into leather. Take lots of photos. If you do careful budgeting you could do plains game for the $8500 you stated.

Check the auctions for various groups (local safaris club branches for example) good deals can be had.

Kudu are truly spectacular animals to hunt.

All African outfits denominate their hunts in either USD or Euros.
 
Cheers, kudu is definitely interesting.

I’d really like a “jungle” experience but that seems to cost…
 
A jungle hunt will cost you dearly.

Sadly those hunts are expensive as is Tanzania. South Africa and Namibia are great values. There can be really good deals elsewhere is Southern Africa (Botswana Zimbabwe) but I have no experience there.
 
That second kowas area on the river delta looks really tempting.

Not super interested in “plains” style hunting. I’ve always preferred brush hunting. Not really a deal breaker, but if you’re dropping the cash…

I like mountain hunting too, but that’s a whole other world of expense
 
Conor: plains games is found in lots of topography most of it bushveldt. Rarely are you dealing with wide open ground.

Email the guys at Hotfire and ask for pictures of the topography;! you can put in a ton of elevation everyday if you want to.

The Okavango River area for Kowas is outstanding I hunted there in September 2021. Pretty flat country and more expensive than their southern property.
 
Well, done the options listed so far, including the Amazon fishing albeit likely a rougher version than envisioned, budget RSA, and non-budget Zim. If the money has to burn I’d vote an Argentina dove hunt with a side of fishing as it’s an incredible country on a budget, but more than that I’d take the forbidden suggestion.

Put the money in a dividend bank stock like RY, add $300 a month to it to turn it into 30k, and do a real Cape Buff bull deal off AfricaHunting in 5 years. A major adventure of a lifetime in 5 years beats a minor one today. In the meantime hunt and fish Canada, if you are in the Dean as planned this summer the fishermen are paying $10,000 a week for what you can do with a classified waters licence at lunch while you’re paid to work.

Don’t ever forget where you live, and what it’s worth.
 
^ honestly thinking of just buying a good canoe, building something on a Mauser or Kimber and spending a few weeks hunting black bears somewhere good and remote and putting the rest in savings for a new truck.

Boring but, dreaming is free. Everyone keeps telling me I need to go on a vacation though…

I haven’t taken a lunch break in years but that doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all. Some of the best fishing I’ve done was in places like Germansen Landing after a days work

Argentina is probably on top of the list. I don’t know that the water buff hunt is really what I’ve been envisioning though. I saw footage of a Uruguay water buff hunt that looked a bit like approaching a herd of cows and putting a 458 in one. Aus would be more of the dream than anything, including the cape buff
 
Africa is fun, but for that kind of money you could do muskox and avoid the hassle of international travel. South Africa is the only place you can afford for that money and it's not necessarily as much fun as you would hope.
 
medvedqc said:
i will go namibia and will visit etosha and will go as well surf casting on ocean shore plus hunting.
Click to expand...

This would be my choice as well. Plains game hunt prices very comparable to South Africa but you are not hunting behind high fences and Namibia more hunter friendly and less travel worries. An African hunt is an incredible experience because of the numbers and variety of game animals and other species that you will encounter.

If you chose an African hunt you need to think carefully about what you are going to do with your trophies. All aspects of getting your trophies home (dip & pack, inspections, packing, shipping and custom clearing, etc.) have shot up astronomically with some experiencing costs greater than the hunt!
 
Ruger No.1 said:
This would be my choice as well. Plains game hunt prices very comparable to South Africa but you are not hunting behind high fences and Namibia more hunter friendly and less travel worries. An African hunt is an incredible experience because of the numbers and variety of game animals and other species that you will encounter.

If you chose an African hunt you need to think carefully about what you are going to do with your trophies. All aspects of getting your trophies home (dip & pack, inspections, packing, shipping and custom clearing, etc.) have shot up astronomically with some experiencing costs greater than the hunt!
Click to expand...

in namibia there is more high frences that we think but choose wisely and you ll get a great experience in a huge inhabited country. im planning to go again there ...
do you need skins, mounts, skulls to remember the hunt?
 
I think the biggest focus and what I’ve always worried about, is the experience and environment you’ll be in. The species and trophy are a distant second, simply the reason to go somewhere you wouldn’t otherwise. I’d start by seeing if someone here would host you somewhere, to get a different experience, and trade then Sask deer hunting if regs allow.

Africa is best done without fences and without a tight budget, lest you get the hunting theme park variation of Africa. Won a trip in a hunting photo contest once and took my brother, was South Africa 5 days hunting a couple species each. It was admittedly enjoyable, but also nothing like hunting DG in Zimbabwe. It’s the Mexican resort excursion version of Africa. This said, it was enjoyable and I appreciate seeing native species make revenue. But you absolutely will cost yourself more money, as you can be sure you’ll make the 5 year plan to save and return for open Africa and buffalo upon your feet hitting a paved surface.

Don’t take this as me saying South Africa isn’t real. Spend more, and there are legit African hunting experiences in RSA too. But that’s the catch, most of the real stuff is pricey.
 
Honestly Africa was not really on my radar. I was interested in Argentina and Europe. The more I look into Argentina the less interested I become. The more I think about what else I could experience for that kind of cash on a non hunting trip the more the interest wanes.

But ultimately I don’t know if I’m a guided hunt type guy. I don’t care much for trophies and wouldn’t likely spend thousands to have them so they could be hauled around or sit in storage. I like game meat and it’s one of my prime motivators for hunting. Removing that from the experience makes it a little hollow for me. I’m also not 100% on how I feel about seeing an animal for the first time then shooting it in short order.

You are right about the experience, I’m certainly not in it for the kill, so something like staying in a house boat west of Manaus seems more appealing than a Disneyland Africa experience.

I just have my marching orders; spend the inheritance on something fun and memorable. Ultimately not really my nature. I’m considering a finished Springer or a Canoe. It seems this money could go a hell of a lot further in other pursuits.

As for Sask hunts I’m not even a resident; I just go to school there and only for 1 more year. I’m actually an Ab resident at the moment or the cash would he going to a plane charter or jet boat fuel to get deep into the cassiars or northern Rockies and this thread would not exist.

There’s no bad ideas in brainstorming; but I am chronically boring and cheap to a fault. Most of my adventures have been at work.
 
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