Advice and Info

My oldest daughter wants to go to Africa for her graduation present.She wants to hunt plains game. Have spoken with a few local folks that frequent Africa and got some good information and advice but feel you can never get too much of either when it comes to something like this. We are looking at going next June. There will be 2 hunting and 2 non hunting.So lets hear it! Any advice, info, recommendations will be greatly appreciated.




SWNMHUNTER

The place I went would be perfect for hunters, kids, etc. Send me a PM with your email address and I can email you my hunt report. Trip of a lifetime.

My plan is to take my son there when he graduates. Best Kudu hunting in the world. They are an Eastern Cape Kudu but still a Kudu none the less.

Check out www.blaauwkrantz.com

PM sent

SWNMHUNTER

I would say give jacques at hartzview safaris a email.If you look at my post somewhere in this africa forum here you can see some of the animals my son and I took.great guy and awesome ranch with all the hunting done on the ranch of 20,000 acres no traveling around to shoot animals.They have packages with non hunters figuered right in the price which is nice.The ranch is outside of kimberly area with some site seeing that can be done also.He was great with my son who was 12 at the time.If you want you can send me your email and I can have him get in touch with you also.We are hoping to get back there next july or aug for another trip.

PM sent to you also billc. Thanks for your info and reply.
SWNMHUNTER

There are lots of good outfits around, and you will most likely have a great trip. Start by talking to PH's at the ISE show or the Hunt Expo. Not necessarily to find someone to go with, but to figure out what you want. Are there specific animals you want to hunt? What type of hunting is your preferred style? Blinds, spot and stalk, driving around? All have their place, and to a certain extent the old saw about "When in Rome...." is good advice. But there certainly are differences in hunting approach even within RSA.
Advice from people who have only been once or twice is helpful, but they have little basis for comparison. Yes, they obviously had a good time. Very little hunting in Africa is bad, so it begs the question, compared to what? Once you start zeroing in on what you want, and identify some outfits that might provide that type of hunt, call lots of references. Most people love to talk about their trips with others, and aren't shy about sharing their experience. You'll hear plenty of good references, but focus on the details. How big was the actual property YOU hunted? What about fences? Did the PH smoke like a factory all day? (Amazing how much this matters to some people) The food and accommodations will almost certainly be great, but I've stayed in everything from wall tents to old farm houses in Africa. The ambiance is very different, and a big part of the experience.
Enough for now. You get the idea. Focus on the type of trip you wnat before settling on a specific PH.
Bill

I would definitely have to steer your daughter away from cape kudu due to size as the sheer size factor difference between cape and southern is so drastic. The awe effect definitely takes place when you look at a southern greater kudu vs a cape kudu. Plus, I don't know a single person who posts a pic of thier kudu who doesn't add the fact its a cape kudu. they always say look at my giant kudu, just remember its a cape kudu. The reason is because a giant cape kudu is small compared to a southern greater kudu and its something you always want to be proud of. Cape kudu in my mind are more of a collectors trophy. Now as for hartzview they are a good place to hunt no doubt. However keep in mind they are near kimberly south africa and in the Kalahari. Its a desert and its not the prettiest place I've ever hunted. The kudu are mostly cape kudu here but on the high fenced areas like hartzview they will have southern greater kudu. I can tell you that the kalahari in the time of year you will be there with your daughter is very cold in the mornings and usually breezy during the days and often times it doesn't feel like it warms up as the breeze is chilly. the terrain definitely isn't the prettiest. I think the prettiest terrain has got to be the eastern cape. Unless you go to zambia its gonna be a little arid. If you hunt the limpopo you can get mountainious terrain and arid terrain. I much more prefer the views of limpopo over the kalahari and kimberly most any days. Granted kimberly does have some beautiful mountain ranches but hartzview isn't one of them. Harzview is more open than your expected african safari. If I were you I would take a long hard look at spiral horn safaris. they have huge hunting areas and the quality of animals they take astounds me at times. the black giraffe they kill is simply stunning and the size of their kudu sable waterbuck and buffalo is impressive. Combine this with the views and type of hunting and I would say that would be my absolute #1 and most definite choice. I can't say you will be dissapointed with any top grade outfitter with a good reputation. What I can tell you is that after you've been there 5 or 6 times there are just certain parts of south africa that don't appeal to your western hunting style of taste. Your first experience no matter where you go will be the best in your mind. However once you've gone a lot you will definitely have a prefrence for the different areas and the type of country and hunt in spiral horn safaris massive area is the type that will appeal to any wester hunter. I guarantee you that. Now if you want cheap prices then you need to look at namibia. they have about the best rates anywhere I can guarantee you that. The trophy fees are cheaper and the daily rates are cheaper. If you want more info from a guy thats been there done that dont hesitate to ask. I think billc has been there a few times a well so he is a good source. In addition if you can find scottyboy on here he has been to africa more times than nelso mandella. If you really want to do your homework go to the best african safari website on the net. Its www.africahunting.com go to the forums page and go to the africa hunting forum. Ask the readers there which areas they prefer of any of the outfits you are considering. Harzview and spiral horn owners are both on there and you can chat with the owners and ph's directly. In addition Jerome is the website owner. He has a substantial amount of land in namibia and can set you up with a great deal on his place or another place in Namibia. Whatever you do I would say to run your final decision by Jerome via PM. He has a pretty good line on all the crooks and can help steer you straight on to an awesome safari. pm me if u have any further questions

Tony

I have to disagree with Tony on the Kudu. Yes, Eastern Cape Kudu are smaller. 55" or so versus 50" or so but I saw over 100 bulls before I shot one. I would be willing to bet that 98% of the people that look at them cannot tell the difference. My experience with the Rudman's on their 80,000 acres as the trip of a lifetime and I cannot recommend enough.

I will email you a link to my story as soon as I finish this.

Just don't go on a small property in RSA. There are definitely some small ones. I did reserach for over three years before I pulled the trigger with the Rudman's and it was the best trip I could have imagined. There are a lot of good places out and there and some bad as well.

Littlejoe, are you referring to east cape hunting? I assume you are and if so that is one of the most gorgeous areas you will find anywhere. However, I didn't like the eastern cape kudu for the reason of numbers. There were so many that it didn't seem like a challenge to me. When I hunt the limpopo in the mountainous areas it is so hard to fund kudu that when you do find them it made me feel like I had accomplished something.

However each person has their own hunting style. I really can't speak to that but I can speak to the fact that the eastern cape is definitely the closest you will get in terrain to hunting the west and its gorgeous.

I will second littlejoe. try to find as large of a property as you can. Remember that one hectar is about 2.4 acres. There are lots of 5000 acre properties and on my first safari most properties I hunted on were less than 2000 acres high fenced. I still had an awesome time but if I had to go to those places again I would be less than satisfied.

I would say you got some more good advice.I can say hartzview is not the same desert area as must in the area.It is 2 hours away from kimberly and is rolling hills with all kinds of brush.Stinky gave you the info on the best site for africa hunting for sure.He just left out his wife likes diamonds and that is why he stays out of kimberly area.

I am taking my daughter for her graduation also in 2013,We have been looking at Limcroma.But I am still checking.

Me and Tony wanted different things. I think that Kudu are as majestic as it gets and I wanted to see as many as possible and after much reserach knew that per hectare the Rudman's have more than anyone. I saw hundreds of Kudu and loved every second. I saw little bulls, average bulls and eventually some big bulls and was fortunate and got two of them, day 9 and 10.

I wanted on my first safari to hunt a big area with lots and lots of game and that is exactly what I got.

Now for my Namibia trip I know I will see less but I am hunting a desert with totally different species. All in what you personally want to do.

Thanks to everyone for the info and advice. Having never been to Africa I am soaking up all the info and advice I can get my hands on at this point. I have spent countless hours looking over post and reviews on africahunting as well as AR and here at MM. There seems to be a wealth of knowledge out there and I want to use it all to make the best informed decisions in my planning. So keep it coming guys.
SWNMHUNTER

I would also say since your taking your daughter you want someone who is good with kids if she is as young as my son.As you know for my hunt report post on here jacques is great with kids and makes it more then the taking of the animal.Also really do yourself a favor and remember to call lori at travel express for tickets as she is the best at that part.

Oh yeah, definitely do what billy boy just said. contact lori with travel express. One of my desitinations in africa just had a major hickup. I had to cancel and for only $50 lori got all my planes re-routed on different dates and different airports. I would also recomend travel insurance cuz its cheap. It may say your butt if you have to cancel.

And don't take anymore adivce from billc. He's trying to send you to kimberly for god sake. Don't forget your taking a teenage girl for god sake. The stupid women love those shiny rocks and your safari may come to a screeching halt in kimberly.

So here's two mental notes for ya buddy. Stay on africahunting.com, and ignore billc. He will crater your pocket book! ROFL

I'm glad we have an africa site here. Guys in this forum are way cool to chat with.

LAST EDITED ON Mar-08-12 AT 05:11PM (MST)[p]Stinky I will have to dissagree with you on the Eastern Cape Kudu. I spent 2 days in the Northern cape (really close to the eastern cape just outside of Richmond) climbing hills/mountains scrambling over waist high rocks, overlooking river bottoms finding the right kudu. I did see a maybe a dozen smaller bulls in the 2 days before we found mine, it was a 1 1/2 mile stalk up a dry river bed. The last 1/2 mile crawling on our hands and knees trying not to get spotted by the bull or the 10 cows he was with. I got a shot at 260 yards standing on my tip toes to shoot over a tree. Granted he is 3/4 the size of a southern but he is alot more colorful than a southern. And one thing I did not see was a high fence as all these kudu's were free range.

I would also say to figure out the two species you want most and then go from there. There are alot of really good places out there. The Rudman's specialize in Kudu which was my number one for sure and Nyala was number two and they had great Nyala. The rest was just gravy.

You will find Impala, Blesbok, and some of the other species everywhere.

You guys are making a big deal over one of the most common species in southern Africa.
Whether its southern or Cape, a kudu is a kudu is a kudu. There isn't a hunting operation in Bots, RSA, or Namibia that doesn't offer them. There's a reason they are only $1500, gents.. They are extremely common antelope.

The Cape subspecies, IMO, offers a greater hunting challenge due to the mountainous terrain they inhabit. It's a great hunt.

To the original post, go over, enjoy yourself, and begin planning your return on the flight back home! And when you make your return trip a priority, make the plainsgame secondary & add a buffalo, elephant or leopard to your wishlist. You'll be glad you did.

Good luck! Africa is a special place!

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DRSS

LAST EDITED ON Mar-09-12 AT 12:52PM (MST)[p]Also, take heed and listen to advice from folks who have made multiple trips to different locales. Experience is worth it's weight in gold when it comes to African hunting.
A big problem with soliciting advice from others online is that alot of guys go to Africa once and are now experts. They believe that there is no other place other than where they went. It's a common theme.
You can't really blame them..they probably DID have a wonderful time.. but they have only seen the top ice cube of the entire iceberg! Africa is a HUGE continent! One safari in one country hardly qualities.

Talk to people with alot of ground time. Stinky &to Blank on here have quite a bit of time over there.. I have been a number of times in multiple countries as well.
Go to AR or African hunting. There is a wealth of knowledge on those sites. You'd learn ALOT. This site is 99% deer & elk. Go to an African site & you'll spend hours learning from some serious African hunters.




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DRSS

Take all the info you can get be it from someone who was there once and enjoyed it or someone who has been there a dozen times.There is a reason there telling you about the place they hunted and for sure it is not because they had a bad time.It is all good info and the only true african experts is the people That make a living every day hunting there. That is why there the PH.