Let me assure you, that all Hunts are not “nightmares”, and I have had very few of them.

How to avoid them? That is a good question, but I’ll try and give you some guidelines and what to lookout for.

Number one is, “You usually get what you pay for.” I have always seemed to be short of money, and looking for a bargain hunt. What is bad is when you are told one thing, and end up getting something different, the old “bait and switch routine”.

It does not matter if it is a Plains Game Ranch Hunt in South Africa, or a full blown tented Hemingway style safari in Tanzania, things can go a bit wrong at times.

First of all, get all details IN WRITING as to what you are buying. Get names and phone numbers of references that were there last year, not a couple years ago. Droughts, floods and hunting pressure can really change a lot of facts in a hurry.

Find out what IS included in the deal, and what IS NOT included.

The old saying, "Anything too good to be true, usually is", really applies to booking a hunt.

Any Booking Agent or PH, who is constantly telling you about the great bulls he took last year, just might be telling you that all the big bulls are shot out, and he just hopes you have not figured that out yet.

You will figure it out soon enough, right after you see nothing but cows and immature bulls for a week.

Let’s assume you are thinking of a fully guided hunt. Start asking lots of questions. Trouble is, are you getting the truth?

Are you hunting 1 x 1, or one PH for 2 or 3 of you? Ask for pictures of the camp. One person’s definition of a camp is different from another’s.

Will you or your group be the only ones in the camp, or will there be other hunters there? On most African plains game hunts, you or your group, will be the only ones in camp. But find out for sure.

Unless you like the “group” scene, soon the first problem pops up. One group drinks too much, and one group does not drink at all. A couple guys have hunted a lot, while most of the clients have hunted very little, and quite soon the two will clash.

Then if a certain PH should happen to get his client bigger trophies, the rest of the guys soon want him for their PH.

You also need to find out HOW they intend to hunt. Is it a strenuous climb on foot to hunt, or do you just sit and watch clearings, and then do a spot and stalk? About any type of hunting is going to be physical, but some are lot more than others.

A 40-year-old PH can kill a 21-year-old pencil pusher.

In defense of PH’s, don’t come into camp bragging about how many you have killed, and how far you can walk. He may just let you show him the next day, and then after you are whipped and beat up, the rest of the hunt is spoiled.

I actually had this happen once in Montana, and ended up doing a deposition for the outfitter to Fish & Game Dept., refuting the claims of the hunters in camp.

Find out if the man you are booking with is going to be your PH, or is he just selling the hunts, and has a group of PH’s back home to choose from for his clients. You may like the guy you booked with, but not like the PH he assigns you.

Don’t get yourself into the perception that you are going to have a TV Outdoor Channel hunt. Just you and the PH sneaking up on the biggest bull, and you have half an hour to decide if he is big enough or not.

When it comes time to shoot, be READY to shoot. You don’t have to look at the game one more time, and then get your gun ready. Be doing this while the PH decides if this is a good head to take or not. You are paying him for that judgment, and you are paying to shoot, so you do your job as he is doing his.

Things in Africa are done quite a bit different than in North America. Most of the time, you buy a licenses and a “permit” or license to hunt a specific animal. Then after you shoot it, you pay the trophy fee. You also pay the fee if you wound and loose the animal. This way, hunters are not tempted to shoot immature animals, just to fill a tag as they have paid a lot of money for in advance for tags.

Is there a sure-fire way to be sure you get a square deal on any hunt?

Talk with several of their references, and ask them if they know of any more people that would talk to you about them. Just because someone killed a great animal, does not mean that you should hunt there. Ask all the questions, and then use your gut feeling to help you decide.

Oh, deposits are an interesting point too. Certainly any outfitter or PH is worthy of a decent 20-40% deposit on your hunt. The point to be careful is, when they want the balance of the hunt paid up 30-60 days before you arrive.

Now you have no recourse if things don’t look right when you arrive. Many will want you to pay the balance of your daily rates upon arrival in camp, and then settle up the trophy fees after the hunt. This I can understand that. But if you pay 60 days early, and when you get to the rendezvous point, and no one is there, you have just been had.

Anticipation is half the fun, so enjoy the booking process, and stay awake and read between the lines and don’t forget the small print.

I have a FREE “booklet” I can send you via e-mail all about going to Africa the first time. Just write and ask for it anytime by e-mail to tblauwkamp@superior-sales.com or if you would like to ask any questions.