Since humans first learnt to hunt, they have hunted in Africa, the cradle of civilisation. Over the years, the methods may have changed but Africa remains one of the greatest hunting locations on the planet, unmatched for its variety of both terrain and species.
For many hunters, the idea of hunting in Africa feels out of reach. Whilst they view it as a bucket list experience, the idea of flying halfway round the world to a vastly different country and culture, spending an often-considerable sum of money and investing both time and effort in it is simply too much when they are worried about everything that could go wrong.
Our team member James was in this very situation this year and has documented his experience to help others experience the thrill of Africa with more confidence and to avoid the pitfalls that exist out there for the unwary.
Pick your "why?"
The most important thing to initially work out when planning a trip to Africa is your “why”. What is it about Africa that is drawing you there? Is it the different culture? The landscape? The variety of species you can hunt? Whatever it is, this will help guide your search for the right location and outfitter for your first trip.
For me, I wanted to experience authentic Africa within my constraints of budget and time. Whilst truly wild, untouched Africa is still out there, it is now incredibly expensive and very time consuming to experience. However, I wanted to experience free range, low fenced hunting with self-supporting wild populations of game that behaved naturally and to hunt them in a fair chase, ethical way whilst at the same time experiencing some of the local culture and understand how hunting, especially in Africa is a key driver of conservation.
Destination
There are in reality two destinations for the first timer in Africa that offer an accessible (both in cost and travel terms) start to an African hunting experience and they are South Africa and Namibia.
Which destination you pick is based on several factors including, budget, other attractions, travel and culture.
On average, South Africa is the cheaper of the two options, simply because of a much greater supply of opportunities in South Africa as well as a different operating model for the outfitters. The downside to this is there are some safari operators that work in a very commercial way with you sharing your camp with many other hunters and it feeling a little like a hunting conveyor belt, however, not all operators are like this, indeed there are several incredible hunting outfitters who give you a very wild African experience yet often with easier access to international airports and good transport to the hunting areas. It also offers a huge variety of different landscapes, from the dry Bushveld in the west to the Maluti and Drakensberg mountains, to the lush surroundings of the Limpopo river.
Lastly, South Africa is also great if you are traveling with a non-hunting partner or family as there are fantastic attractions for everyone, not just the national parks, but vineyards, diving, metropolitan cities, sailing and more.
Namibia on the other hand has a distinctly different feel to South Africa. Firstly, it is much less populated, the capital Windhoek is not much bigger than some towns in other countries, never mind cities. It also has an interesting history and the legacy of its German occupation is still visible through place names, great beer and German being widely spoken. Compared to the variety of landscapes present in South Africa, the majority of Namibia is a drier, more desert like country, unless you travel to nearer the borders where the landscape becomes more lush, especially around the Etosha national park. Also, being less densely populated means the hunting areas are larger, something to keep in mind if encountering fences on your hunt does not appeal.
Two further areas which will have a huge impact on your decision are the species you wish to pursue and the low fence vs. high fence debate, both of which deserve their own segments (below).
Species
This will be a major driver for where you want to go for your safari and your plans overall. What is it that you actually want to hunt? For some the iconic Kudu is the star of the show, especially if you have read Hemingway, for others the Gemsbok (or Oryx) is the star of the show. Whichever animals you wish to focus on, we would recommend picking two or three focus animals and then a secondary list of animals that would be great to hunt but you wouldn’t be upset if they didn’t feature.
Not all areas, even within one country, have good populations of every species and if there is one animal in particular that is your focus, it is worth researching where would work best for you.
If you are looking for the more exotic species, it is also worth noting that whilst many species not native to South Africa have now been introduced there and have adapted well, this type of introduction is not allowed in Namibia, where only native animals may be present. This is not a problem if you are looking for an Oryx but would be a problem if you wanted to hunt a Nubian Ibex!
We should also mention the topic of trophy size. This is a controversial topic and one that some hunters obsess over and others couldn’t care less about. If you wish to focus on hunting huge trophies that will gain you a place in the SCI or other record books, then South Africa may be your better option. Given the nature of the majority of the hunting areas and also the breeding programmes in operation, it is much more likely to find a huge trophy as they are simply more common. If on the other hand you would prefer to hunt older males who are past their breeding age, yet still often very respectable trophies, then Namibia may be preferred, indeed their national trophy scoring method even awards bonus points for these past-prime animals.
Finally, one piece of advice that will help your safari go much more smoothly and increase your enjoyment of the trip; try to be open minded and take what Africa gives you. It is good to go with an idea of what you would like to hunt and definitely make your PH aware of this, but if you see their eyes go out on stalks and they excitedly inform you that an animal of a lifetime is in front of you, don’t give up that chance unless you are truly certain you won’t later regret it!
Low fence vs High fence
Do you want to hunt in a low fenced area or a high fenced area?
You may have seen the terms before but not totally understood to what they refer. In short, a high fence is a sturdily built fence of anywhere from 7 to 9 feet high, often with electrification, that ensures that nothing can get through or under it. A low fence in Africa is usually around 3 to 4 feet high and often just several strands of wire between posts that may be used to keep cattle in (or out) or may just be used to delineate property boundaries. Wild species can go over or under these low fences easily and treat them as if they are not there.
How common these two types of fences are is highly dependent on location. The way South Africa’s game laws are set up mean that the vast majority of their hunting concessions are high-fenced as the game animals belong to the outfitter and are therefore valuable commodities.
In Namibia you get more of a mix, with many areas simply low fenced to demonstrate boundaries rather than to keep anything in (or out). That is not to say that high-fenced operations don’t exist here, but they are less common and often only found where the high value animals are (such as Sable or Roan) or where the outfitter hunts colour phase animals (such as Golden Wildebeest or Golden Oryx).
Another thing to keep in mind here is the size of the area itself. Nobody wants to hunt inside a high-fenced area of 50 acres. This is not hunting and is not ethical. If the high-fenced area is 20,000 hectares though, you could hunt all day and not see a fence, with the animals behaving totally naturally and populations (if well managed) being self-supporting.
There is no right answer here, only what you feel comfortable with and what you feel is ethical in your mind.
Outfitter
Now comes perhaps the hardest part, picking an outfitter to go on safari with! Your first port of call should be with your hunting friends and contacts, have any of them been to Africa? Can they recommend someone based on personal experience?
If you are unlucky in this regard and draw a blank, your next step will be one of two places; the first is one of the large hunting fairs such as Jagd und Hund in Germany or the SCI shows in the USA, both of which host a huge amount of hunting operators from across the globe, allowing you to speak to them in person and get a feel for both their operation and potentially even the people you will be hunting with. The second option, which is by far the most accessible, is the internet. There are multiple forums where people discuss their hunting trips, both the good and the bad, whilst most hunting outfitters also have their own websites now. Just be very careful when exploring your options as there is a vast difference between good marketing and good hunting!
Once you have found a shortlist of perhaps 3-5 outfitters that you think will fulfil your criteria, you should reach out to them, outlining your requirements and asking any questions you may have. This will give you a good feeling as to whether these are the people you want to entrust your potentially once in a lifetime trip with and whether you could envisage hunting with them day in, day out for a week or more.
A few questions that are useful to ask when talking to outfitters:
- How big is your area? Is it continuous or is it separate blocks and if so, what is the travel time between them?
Some outfitters will advertise that they hunt over X thousand acres but in reality, they have multiple small areas and need to switch between them for different species. It can also be tedious to have to drive for an hour or two each day to reach different areas when all you want to do is start hunting.
- How many PHs do you have? Is the person I am talking to the person I will be hunting with? Are the PHs fully employed by you or do you use freelance ones?
Ideally you want a PH that knows the area you are hunting intimately, has spent a lot of time there and can ensure he gets you the best opportunities and knows the animal behaviour there like a pro.
- Are there any hidden costs?
Some of the more unscrupulous outfitters have low advertised costs but try to add multiple additional costs on to your final bill that they do not make you aware of in advance. Remember, if it is too good to be true, then it normally is!
Are your populations of animals self-sustaining?
There is nothing wrong with outfitters brining in new animals to improve bloodlines or ensure genetic diversity, but what you don’t want is to find you have unwittingly become part of a “put and take” experience where the outfitter buy in trophy animals and release them shortly before you arrive. The key takeaway you are looking for from your outfitter is honesty and ensuring their ethos matches your own.
- Do your hunting methods match my own preferences?
In an ideal world, most of us would prefer to spot and stalk our animals, testing ourselves against nature in the fairest manner. For some though, perhaps down to mobility issues, this is not always possible. For others, a particular species might necessitate particular types of approach, not all of which you may enjoy, i.e. hunting with dogs is not always for everyone. It is best to check how things are done so there are no surprises, and you don’t arrive expecting to walk and stalk, only to be told to shoot everything from the truck!
It is likely that you will quickly find a favourite or two from your shortlist and it is at this point you should ask for some references that you could contact. Ideally, you should get at least three, one of which should be from your home country, after all, there are many cultural differences in hunting and it can be good to discuss things with someone from a hopefully similar background.
If, after all of this research, you are confident in your decision, it is time to decide on dates, ask for your contract and when you are happy (and only then) pay your deposit (ensure you double check the conditions of this, i.e. is it refundable, at least in part, can you change dates if something happens etc etc) and start preparation for one of the ultimate hunting trips available today.
You are going to Africa!
Keep an eye out for Part 2 of our safari series where we look at preparing for your safari; what to pack, what to practise, what guns to, which ammo to use and more!
