Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
The best safari outfitters, who have the best areas, the best camps, the best staff and the best equipment have not developed this reputation overnight. They are, more often than not, booked out more than a year in advance. And nowhere is it more true than in the hunting industry, that you get what you pay for. In my experience, it is extraordinarily rare to find a good cheap hunt, in fact, I think the phrase, ‘a good cheap hunt’, like the phrase ‘military intelligence’, is an oxymoron.
Nothing is more expensive than spending even one day of your time hunting looking for an animal that is not and has never been in the hunting area. When you multiply this experience by 7, 14 or 28 days, the cost becomes devastating, not only from the point of money, time and effort flushed down the toilet but in the frustration, irritation, anger and mental anguish that will live with you for years after. No-one likes to be lied to, cheated or defrauded but this is doubly galling when, in retrospect, if you are honest with yourself, you know in your heart of hearts that a little bit of research could have avoided the situation in which you found yourself.
Of course, hunting is not about, ‘dial-a-buffalo’ or ‘rent-a-herd’, and an essential element of this amazing sport is its infinite uncertainty. A novice on his first hunting trip to Africa may take a world record on his first morning out of camp. An experienced, dedicated, African veteran may spend many years of his life looking for a particular trophy class animal and never obtain one. But everyone who has paid to hunt a particular species, in a particular area, with a particular outfitter, should have a chance, if not an exactly equal chance, to take the animal of his dreams. As such, I believe it is better to save up and wait for an opportunity to hunt in the best area, at the best time, with the best outfitter and professional hunter that you can afford. I believe that it is axiomatic that, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys and, although I shot a colobus monkey once in Ethiopia, to mount above a bongo I had previously earned in the Central African Republic, it is the only monkey I have ever wanted while on safari.
Luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity and, in booking a safari, the more research you do, the fitter you are, the more you practise your shooting skills and prepare, the luckier you will be on that important hunting trip of a lifetime. Having said that; people often do not think past the hunt itself. I believe it is just as important to prepare for what happens after the hunt is over. Which people am I going to need to tip and how much? On this score, once I know how many people are going to be in my hunting team and, roughly, what their functions are, I take some small gifts with me to give the team both before I start the hunt and/or during the hunt, as well as the normal monetary tip at the end of the safari. The word ‘Tips’ stands for, ‘To Insure Prompt Service’ and these little gifts do just that. They often help cement the team, ensure a happy, friendly and co-operative atmosphere, as well as raise the spirits of the team when, as can often be the case, times are tough, enthusiasm is waning and spirits are low. As James Mellon writes in African Hunter, ‘On any difficult expedition, especially on a foot safari, the gravest danger is always sinking morale. So keep your spirits up at all costs.’ Over the years, I have taken many such gifts with me in the form of T shirts (emblazoned with the South African flag), warm woollen hats and gloves – all of which are unbreakable and easy to pack – simple Swiss army knives, inexpensive digital watches, sweets and necklaces (for the wives and children). Clothing, however, is the all-time favourite and, like the army, in Africa, there are only two sizes that count – too big or too small.
Where are you going to send your trophies at the end of the hunt? In my opinion, the best taxidermists for African animals are in Africa and, for the most part, they are less expensive than those overseas. Outside of South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, there are no taxidermists, as opposed to dipping stations, the quality of whose work I trust. Having said that, I believe it is important for the hunter to verify the standard of the taxidermy by actually visiting the studio, seeing how the work is done and by whom and, if necessary, speaking to other customers of the taxidermist he has in mind.
A good taxidermist will give you a sheath of printed forms on which to note the various measurements of the trophies you take. I think it is important to fill these in, particularly in the case of unusual animals which your taxidermist may not know well. I try and make a point of visiting my taxidermist when my trophies arrive at his studio. I take along the forms plus photographs of the animals concerned. We check the trophies together and discuss how I want them mounted, taking his suggestions into account of course. If you merely make the arrangements telephonically and the trophies turn out badly what can you do then? The taxidermist will usually blame the professional hunter and he will return the compliment. None of this will replace the hair that has slipped, the horns that are burnt, the tusks that aren’t yours or allow you any recourse.
If you do not follow this procedure and, to compound matters, you are dealing with an inferior taxidermist, you run the risk that your Harvey’s duiker is going to be mounted on whatever the taxidermist believes is the closest type of animal in respect of which he has a mould or form, such as a southern bush duiker. The fact that the resulting full mount bears no resemblance to the live animal does not seem to bother many taxidermists nor, for that matter, some clients. Over the years, particularly in North American trophy rooms, I have seen some very strange sights – Lord Derby’s eland that look like Cape eland, nyala like bushbuck, a leopard like a lioness and so on. The worst was a springbok that looked as if its face had got lodged in a pencil sharpener.
Worse still, imagine hearing that your trophies have been lost, damaged or stolen while at the taxidermist or, taking delivery of your prize kudu only to find that the horns have been replaced with an inferior set, or your luxurious, perfect cape has been exchanged for a moth eaten one. This means that, even after a long day in the field, it is important to show an interest in your trophies, to accompany them to the skinning shed and to check, at regular intervals, how they are being caped, skinned, salted and labelled and how they are treated subsequently. For example, in humid or wet conditions, the salted skins must be opened and aired every day. And what insecticide is being used to prevent bugs making a meal of your hides and horns? And how are your skulls being cleaned? How many hunters do you know who let the skinners boil their heads only to find that, at the same time, the horns attached thereto have been badly burnt?
Most good taxidermists will provide you, free of charge, with a set of labels to be attached to your trophies to ensure that the correct ones arrive at the correct destination. In this regard, I also obtain my taxidermist’s advice on which airfreight forwarding and clearing agents to use. I do not send my trophies by sea.
In the years to come, especially when you can no longer hunt the way you once did, it is wonderful to have a record of your hunts. I would urge you, therefore, to take lots of photographs and not just of dead animals. Photographs of people and places, sunrises, sunsets and scenery and also of those inevitable hunting mishaps – a flat tyre, stuck in a river crossing – and then of all aspects of the hunt such as building a blind, hanging a bait and so on. Also, if you can, keep a diary and, if not every day then, at regular intervals, jot down notes of what has transpired. When you return home write up your diary and keep it together with your photographs as a permanent record and memory of your hunt. In the years to come you will be very glad that you did so and, who knows, if you do this often enough, you may have sufficient information and photographs, if not for a book, then for a number of interesting magazine articles, which will help other people to avoid some of your mistakes and book a decent safari.
Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
I would like to begin by mentioning some thoughts on 1×1, 2×2 and 2×1 safaris. On a 1×1 safari, the only thing I really worry about on the human relations side is my compatibility with the PH. For the most part, I enjoy hunting with young or young-at-heart pros who thoroughly enjoy their job, know their hunting area well, speak the local languages fluently, have a good rapport with their hunting team, have a sense of humour, can hold a conversation about things other than sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll and who do not want to make holes unnecessarily in the animals I am hunting.
On a 2×2 safari, this issue is compounded purely by the additional numbers, if nothing else, and it makes good sense to ensure that you and your companion have a very, very sound friendship before you embark on an adventure of this nature, which can often bring with it stresses and strains not present in the every-day environment. It is equally important for the two pros to have a similar relationship.
In my view, 2×1 safaris should be avoided at all costs. For a small discount, two of you share the services of one PH. In other words, at best, you each have one half of the hunting time. If one of you wounds an animal and you have to spend a day or so looking for it, however, the other member of the team never recoups his ‘share’ of the lost time. Apart from this, the whole concept is flawed and fraught with relationship destroying time bombs. While it is true that, personally, the 2×1 safaris I have shared with my close friend, Derek Carstens, have proved the old axiom, ‘trouble shared is trouble halved, pleasure shared is pleasure doubled,’ circumspection is the watchword when booking this type of safari.
Travel arrangements to and from the hunting area are critical. If at all possible, I try and fly directly to my destination. If I have to split the journey I try, as far as possible, to fly on the same airline, as this reduces the chances of my firearms going astray and, if they do, my getting them back quickly. If I catch a connecting flight in Africa I do not sit in the transit lounge and assume that my luggage, particularly my firearms, are going to catch the connecting flight with me. I remember once in Nairobi having to rescue my gun case from a trolley full of luggage about to be loaded on an Air Ethiopian flight to Addis Ababa. I was en route to Harare. It is extremely important to ask to see the cargo manager and ensure that your luggage is loaded onto the connecting flight, in your presence, if this is at all possible and it often is. In any event, I obtain the name, title, telephone and fax numbers of the cargo manager on each of the airlines on which I fly before I leave.
In Africa, one cannot assume anything. In this regard, while I always try to limit my luggage to what I can personally carry, namely, one suitcase, one gun case and one carry on piece of hand luggage, which I can drape across my shoulders on a broad strap, I always take the largest piece of hand luggage I am allowed.
In this I carry as many of my breakables, such as cameras, binoculars, spare telescopic sight etc. as possible, plus a change of clothing and toiletries. And the one area where I do not stint, is my gun case. Apart from the wailing and gnashing of teeth when your guns do not arrive on the same flight as you, there is nothing worse than to find out, when they do eventually arrive, that someone has driven over your soft or plastic gun case in a ten ton tractor and your brand new, custom made .375 plus Zeiss Diavari Z scope are in a state that, only after copious amounts of super glue have been used, will they be fit for a wall hanging and nothing much else.
I know this will seem a bit like belt, braces and hands in the pocket precautions, but I also wrap a broad Samsonite luggage strap around my suitcases. If you have ever flown regularly with African airlines and experienced the vigour with which they pound their aircraft onto the tarmac when landing, you will realize that your luggage is not going to receive any treatment more gentle than that meted out to their planes. As for kid gloves – what is a glove?
Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
I also think quite carefully about the unthinkable. In other words, what will happen if I fall ill or am hurt while on the hunt. Where are the nearest hospitals, what facilities do they offer, what is the standard of nursing and health care and, most importantly, how am I going to get to the nearest acceptable facility? One of my friends reduces this question to a very simple answer, namely, if it is in the northern hemisphere, fly to Zurich and, if it is in the southern hemisphere, fly to Cape Town. Has my professional hunter received any first aid training and has he had any experience in dealing with sick or wounded people, including snake, scorpion and spider bites? Do I have insurance which covers medical evacuation? Am I going to take my own medical kit and, if so, what should it contain? Fortunately, in this regard, my wife is a trained nursing sister and when it has been necessary to take my own medical aid kit, she has prepared a very comprehensive one.
Long before embarking on the trip I take time to consult an expert and, I stress, an expert, not merely a family general practitioner, as to medical precautions that can and should be taken before, during and after the trip. And I am not talking merely about things like the obvious malarial prophylactics. At various times I have been inoculated for smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, tetanus, polio, encephalitis, meningitis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies and flu. In some cases a series of injections is required. In the case of hepatitis B, for example, the course is spread over a period of three months, hence it is no good popping along to see your family GP on the day before you are due to leave. I always have a gamma globulin injection in the week before I leave as this boosts the body’s immune system in general, although it only lasts for a relatively short period of time, roughly about six months. In South Africa, I have found the Netcare Travel Clinic to be the most well informed, up to date and efficient operation for this kind of advice and service. Apart from anything else, their trained nursing sisters give so many injections every day that they are experts in providing the maximum amount of cover with the minimum amount of pain. They also keep your records on computer and can tell, instantly, which of your cover has expired, what needs boosting and what you need for every African destination.
Africa is a tough continent. It often seems that everything on it and in it, animal, vegetable or mineral, wants a piece of you. From the grasses that cut your arms and legs, to the thorns (of all sizes, shapes and descriptions) that are patiently waiting to take a piece out of you. And, of course, not to forget the snakes, scorpions, spiders, bees, wasps, mosquitoes, flies, fleas and ticks. Sometimes these space invaders come in more subtle forms, like the jiggers which lay in wait in the sand for the unwary who walk bare foot on the tempting, neatly swept, camp surrounds. An itchy bump on the bottom of your foot, with a little black dot in the centre, or, worse still, under a toe nail, will be the bad news bear. The black dot is actually a worm and must be removed carefully if infection is to be avoided. And then there are the flies that lay eggs on the inside of your clothing as it dries on the washing line. A good hot iron takes care of them so I am careful not to dress in un-ironed clothes.
This is a topic all of its own and a very important one. If you are allergic to any of these bugs it can make your safari a misery. If you are prepared, however, the marvels of modern science and a degree of caution and common sense can allow you to escape most of the unfortunate ‘accidents’ which befall the ‘un’ people – you know them – the unprepared, uneducated, unwilling to learn people. Because, although there are a slew of ointments, creams, sprays and pills to alleviate the symptoms, it is much better to take with you those things that will prevent you from being bitten in the first place. A careful questioning of the usual suspects will provide you with the relevant information. For example, if you spray your clothes with Bayticol it will keep the ticks off. If you pretend you are a colouring in book and Tabard is a crayon, that should keep the mozzies away and, I must confess, it has been ages since I have hunted in anything other than longs and long-sleeved shirts, no matter how hot it is.
At the end of the day, I know myself best and, for all those minor ailments that I can and do pick up in a strange environment, eating and drinking different food, under physically demanding circumstances, I usually end up being my own doctor. I make a list of things, starting at my head and ending at my feet, that I suffer from and take along those peculiar remedies. You know the ones – like Caltex CX3, they work for me!
Despite having walked hundreds of kilometres on safari, I have never had trouble with my feet. Not until hunting in Central Africa that is. One day tracking giant eland we walked 42 kilometres (calculated from way point to way point on the GPS). The tracks led us across the innumerable petite marigeaux (little streams) in the region and my well-worn boots retained the water wonderfully well. My well soaked, water softened feet developed the mother of all blisters. I had brought nothing for my feet. Fortunately, my PH knew exactly what to do. He extracted some of the fluid from my blisters using a syringe and replaced it with mercurochrome. If your eyes are starting to water as you read this then you are either an ex-paratrooper or have done this before. Yes, it burns like the fires of hell but, if you coat the blisters with antibiotic cream and wrap your feet in thick, white adhesive plaster, you can walk the next day and the next and…
Ever since, I pack a spare pair of boots and socks in the baggage man’s pack and, when my feet become soaked, change my footwear. Especially when hunting those animals you kill with your feet, like elephant and eland, bad or blistered feet can kill your hunt.
Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
Obviously, the more important the hunt is to me, the more trouble I take to ensure that I book the right area, at the right time of year, with the best possible outfitter and professional hunter. Each year, there are a number of hunting conventions in North America and Europe at which all the top safari outfitters and professional hunters are represented. It is well worth attending one or more of these conventions. For example, the biggest convention of its kind in North America is the one held by Dallas Safari Club in January of each year in Dallas, Texas and, in South Africa, it is Huntex held in April half way between Johannesburg and Pretoria. These conventions allow you to do a large amount of comparative shopping and reference checking in a short period of time. Apart from anything else, these conventions are run by hunters for hunters and offer you everything that you can possibly think of which relates, directly or indirectly, to hunting, under one roof.
Having decided on where I am going, what I am going to hunt, what time of the year and with whom, there are a whole slew of other questions to which I need answers and it is a good idea to develop a second checklist of questions to ask the booking agent, outfitter, professional hunter and one or two chosen referees. Incidentally, when asking questions it is not a bad idea to send them off in writing and ask for written replies. The more of the correspondence that is in writing the better, particularly the correspondence with booking agents, safari outfitters and professional hunters and, in this regard, I always take a folder along on my hunt with the correspondence in it. This can really help to eliminate misunderstandings, particularly, if there are different home languages involved. This was really brought home to me at a French restaurant in Bangui in the Central African Republic. I ordered roast chicken in what I thought was impeccable and grammatical French. Fifteen minutes later, when the owner and his waiter had stopped laughing long enough to dry their tears, I found that I had ordered a roasted prostitute.
The one and only time I failed to correspond directly with the outfitter cost me a lot of time, money, pain and suffering. I had booked a 28 day hunt in Tanzania. In my written correspondence with the young professional hunter, who had quite literally begged for the opportunity, I specified that the object of the hunt was to try for a good quality lesser kudu. Hence I wanted to hunt for two weeks in Masailand, one week to explore along the Rungwa River in the south-west, and then back to Masailand for a week, where my wife was to join me before we travelled to the Ngorongoro Crater for a few days of game viewing.
Well, he never forwarded one bit of the correspondence to the outfitter. Not knowing my requirements, the outfitter assumed mine were the normal Tanzanian priorities of lion, leopard and buffalo and shipped me off to the Rungwa River. He had allowed me three days, in total, in Masailand.
Eventually, as I managed to sift through the fog of fabrications spewed forth by the duplicitous young man, I spoke directly to the outfitter. He was not to blame as I had been led to believe. In fact, he could not have been fairer or more obliging when he discovered my predicament. He allowed me a further two days, free of charge, in Masailand. Unfortunately, the five days were insufficient to obtain a lesser kudu and I had to book a second safari, which I did with the same outfitter, two years later. This time I shot a good representative lesser kudu in Masailand on the 12th day of the hunt.
So, at last, it’s off to the races. The questions that I now want answered relate, essentially, to clothing, equipment and medical matters, for example:
- What kind of hats are best?
- What colour clothing is best?
- Is camouflage allowed, if so, what type works best?
- Should I bring shorts and short sleeves or longs and long sleeves and, in what quantities?
- Is washing done daily?
- What kind of footwear is recommended and how many pairs should I bring?
- What about gloves, scarves, jerseys and jackets?
- What will I be sleeping on and in?
As regards equipment, it is not sufficient to ask advice merely with regard to calibres and cartridges. For example, when hunting in the Central African rain forests, it may be a good idea to take a pair of stout, garden secateurs to help cut entangling creepers. Duck tape may be needed to wrap around metal gun sights to prevent them snagging on the undergrowth. Boots with protruding metal eyes or catches for bootlaces must be avoided as they catch on the undergrowth and can cause the unwary to stumble and trip. On the open plains, a bipod or monopod may work best as a rest and, if hunting in the savannah, before the grasses are burnt, a pair of clear glass spectacles to shield eyes from the head high grasses which constantly flick in the face may be an idea.
What kind of luggage to take – hard or soft? Many hunters travel with soft duffel bags of various sizes because they pack easier in small aircraft. I never do. I always take a good quality, hard shell, lockable suitcase. The one I use is dust proof and waterproof. It provides much better protection for my clothing and equipment and, being lockable, is much more secure and not only from two-legged thieves. I always take glucose sweets for energy, much loved by mice and rats, who think nothing about gnawing through duffel bag canvass. If absolutely necessary, I pack a fold up, material duffel bag in my suitcase. I also always take a thin, waterproof gun sleeve. This takes up very little space and is useful protection for firearms, particularly when travelling in open hunting vehicles in dusty or wet conditions.
I try to establish the number of people that are going to be in my hunting team. For example, on some hunts the team may be quite large and consist of two trackers, a professional hunter, game scout, baggage man, driver and myself. The role of the baggage man is to carry food, water, first aid kit, GPS, cameras, spare footwear, socks and rain gear. On the other hand, it may be only myself and the professional hunter. In the former case, I may be able to take a video camera and a 35mm stills camera. In the latter event, I may be hard pressed to carry a pocket sized, ‘point and push’ camera in a moon bag on my back. In the case of cameras, video cameras and torches, I establish whether there is a facility to recharge batteries in the camp or from the vehicles that I use and, if so, what type of connections are required. And my equipment check list includes spare batteries for my stills camera, flash and distance measuring binoculars. For one reason or another, it seems easy to forget these tiny, little blighters.
Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
I do not want to imply, in any shape or form, that everyone in the hunting industry is a crook but it does seem, at times, that every crook is in the hunting business. As such, before parting with any of my hard earned funds, the most important single thing I do is to check and re-check all the information I have been given and all the representations that have been made. In the early days, I used to hunt regularly with a group of close friends until one emigrated to Australia, the other to the U.K., one returned to Texas and the last one became a full-time professional hunter. We always used to do our homework thoroughly and booked our hunts a long time in advance in order to ensure that we secured the right place, at the right time of year, as well as the services of the people with whom we wanted to hunt. Most importantly, however, each year the role of checking out our proposed hunting area fell on the shoulders of one of the group. We did not part with a deposit until one of us had physically inspected the land on which we were to hunt and verified the facilities that were on offer.
Of course, the further afield I hunt, the more difficult it is to do this. As I have wandered into ever more remote areas, looking for ever more difficult species to hunt, I have reached a stage where there is no alternative but to rely on the representations of the booking agent, the outfitter, the professional hunter and the sportsmen who have hunted in the area before.
It was for this reason that, some years ago, I tried to develop a more objective data base. After six years, three failed attempts and many tens of thousands of Rands, I managed to computerize the SCI Record Book of Trophy Animals on an interactive basis. This software program allows me to ascertain, at the click of a mouse, which country, location in a country, professional hunter and amateur sportsman has the best record for any given animal in the record book. I can plot, on the map of Africa, which I can also enlarge, every species in the Record Book for which there is a designated location. By limiting my search by different time periods, I can also track whether trophy standards have improved or deteriorated over the period in a given location. The program is as good an initial research tool as it is in verifying representations made, as it is in providing the names of outfitters, professional hunters and amateur sportsmen to contact.
Fight fair I can hear you saying: ‘That’s an information system not available to anyone other than you.’ At the moment that is the case but this record book and the even older and more respected, Rowland Ward’s Records of Big Game, allow you to do the same thing albeit not so easily.
At the end of the day, however, I need to talk to people. In this regard I have drawn up a checklist of questions to some or all of which I need answers. I ask the same questions of each of the booking agents, outfitters, professional hunters and sportsmen I talk to and, if the answers to the same questions are different, a little amber light starts flickering in my head.
Some of the questions you may wish to ask are the following, namely:
- Can you give me the names, email addresses, telephone and fax numbers of people who have hunted the area that I am thinking about going to, for the species I am interested in, over the last three years?
- How big is the area that I can hunt?
- What other species can I take in the same area?
- What is your success rate over the last three years on the species that are found in the hunting area and can you give me measurements of these species taken over the last three years, by year?
- What is the best time of the year to hunt?
- What is the climate like at this time, including high and low temperatures?
- Who will my professional hunter be?
- How many times has he hunted the area I will be hunting?
- How many animals of the kind I will be hunting have his clients taken over the last three years and what are their measurements? Can you give me a list of their names, email addresses, telephone and fax numbers?
- Can you send me a photograph of the camp and two or three representative photographs of the terrain and bush in the area I am to hunt?
- If there is no permanent camp, please describe the camp that you will establish and the terrain in which it will be situated.
- Will we hunt exclusively from the main base camp or will we move to one or more other permanent or semi-permanent camps during the safari and, if so, why and for how long?
- Will we hunt exclusively from the main base camp or will we fly camp and, if so, why and for how long?
- Can you send me photographs of a typical fly camp and the other permanent or semi-permanent camps.
- Will I be sharing the camp with other hunters or have it to myself?
- What food and drink is served in camp and, when we stay out for the day, what food and drink is taken along and how is it carried?
- If I have any special preferences regarding food and drink will you cater for them or must I and, if you cater, will this affect the daily rate?
- Is there a current first aid and snakebite kit in camp, if so, what do they contain and is one carried in the hunting vehicle?
- What is the standard of the tracking staff?
- How many staff will there be in camp and what are their functions?
- What vehicle will we use to hunt and how old is it?
- Apart from the daily rate and the trophy fees, what other charges will there be attributable, directly or indirectly, to the hunt such as import or export charges for firearms or ammunition, government conservation fees, taxes and levies, trophy preparation, dipping and packing fees, documentation fees, airport departure taxes and so forth.
- What hunting methods do you use, walk and stalk, sitting at water holes, Toyota tracking, dogs, driven shoots and so forth?
- Is there poaching in the area that I will hunt?
- Are local citizens allowed to hunt in the area that I will be hunting, with or without licenses?
- Will somebody be there to meet me at the airport, if so, who?
- How do I get from the point of entry into the country to the hunting area and back, how long does this take and what does it cost?
- What other travel options are there, how long do they take and what do they cost?
- Which taxidermist do you predominantly send your trophies to?
- How fit do I have to be in order to enjoy the hunt?
- Where can I obtain a good map which includes the hunting area?
- If I am compelled to cancel my hunt after I have paid my deposit, what are the cancellation terms?
Aug 6, 2013 | Safari Planning
I have a fairly good collection of African hunting books and I go through my catalogue to refresh my memory as to which books might contain detailed information on the animals and those people that have hunted them successfully. The series of books put out by Safari Press and edited by Tony Sanchez-Ariño entitled, Hunting in (African Country Name) such as Hunting in Tanzania, are also a useful source of information. However, to date, I have found The Hunting Report, to which I subscribe, to be the most fruitful source of up to the minute, written information. Staff, as well as subscribers, file reports by species and by country and, for a small fee, they will email copies of these reports to you. Apart from the useful information contained in the reports, they also provide a list of sportsmen who can be used as references and a list of safari outfitters for the particular animal(s) I am looking for and, if you are a regular subscriber like me, then you will also follow the controversies which they publish, usually between hunters and outfitters which can serve as warning of what and who to avoid.
In recent years, James Mellon’s magnum opus, African Hunter, has been updated and African Hunter II, edited by Flack and Boddington provides the most comprehensive overview of hunting in Africa that it is possible to obtain in one book. Subsequently, Safari Guide II edited by Flack and Neufeld was published – both books are available from Safari Press and Rowland Ward – and the latter one provides the most detailed information on hunting in all the various countries in Sub- Saharan Africa which offer the sport. If you are only going to consult two books, I can honestly say that these should be they.
Being an African, I subscribe to African Hunting Gazette, Magnum, African Outfitter and S.A. Game & Hunt magazines. But beware of those journalists who accept free trips and then write glowing reports about those they visited. As a regular contributor to all of these magazines, I believe they are the best hunting publications in Africa and are choc-a-block full of relevant information. They certainly help both fill my data bank and point me in the direction of people who may be able to help me.
Most booking agents, outfitters and PHs have websites and, for the sake of completeness, I mention them and, although I will look at them, I usually take them with a pinch, and sometimes, a bucket of salt.
Another good source of information, which I never neglect, is my taxidermist. Good taxidermists receive trophies from all over Africa and are in regular touch with safari outfitters, professional hunters and clients. There are 10 commercial taxidermists in South Africa and I have yet to find one who has not been unfailingly helpful. If, however, a taxidermist doubles as a booking agent, then the comments I make later regarding these gentlemen need to be born in mind.
Belonging to one or more hunting associations is, in my opinion, essential. I belong to three domestic associations, namely, Cape Hunt, the KwaZulu-Natal Hunting and Game Conservation Association and the East Cape Game Management Association. Again, I find members of these associations tremendously helpful, even insofar as international hunting is concerned, although, in this respect, you can do no better than to belong to Dallas Safari Club and SCI whose members are good sources of objective and unbiased information.
From these various sources I have now obtained a list of booking agents, safari outfitters, professional hunters and sportsmen to contact. The list of sportsmen is probably the most important as they should be able to provide the most objective and unbiased information and advice. As a general rule, I do not use booking agents, quite simply, because they are not objective. While they cannot recommend an out and out buffoon, as this would damage their reputation, I never forget that they earn their livelihood from commissions paid by outfitters and hunters. Some of the best of these, however, have such good reputations and are so well known that they do not use booking agents. You do not have to be a neurosurgeon to work out which outfitters and pros are going to receive the nod from the agents.
I should, however, issue a small word of warning here. The relationship formed between a client and a professional hunter is often a very special one. Over a three week safari you probably spend more quality time with your professional hunter than you do with your best friend over the course of a year. This relationship often grows into friendship and the client returns, year after year, to hunt with the same PH.
Asking such a client to give his opinion of that professional hunter is like asking a proud mother to give you an opinion of her prodigal son. Just as important when checking references, is to remember to ask how many times the referee has hunted in Africa as, it never ceases to amaze me, how often in following up a glowing reference, it is only to find that the referee is talking about his very first trip. In all honesty, such a person has no standard of comparison to go by and his reference is, to all intents and purposes, of very little value.
