Just Wondering

[xd45nut]

Does any outfitter offer a safari where you stay in a tent and not a hotel? Also how much would it reduce the cost if I didn’t take home any trophies?

[Grumulkin]

Does any outfitter offer a safari where you stay in a tent and not a hotel?

Yes.

Also how much would it reduce the cost if I didn’t take home any trophies?

A LOT.

[Mad Dog]

Gotta agree with Grumulkin!   If you look hard in both South Africa and Namibia, you can find tented camps[that part may not make the actual safari any cheaper].

If you can be happy with pics rather than trophy mounts, you can save 30-50% of total safari costs.

Having said that, you can do skins/euro-horn mounts considerably cheaper than shoulder/full body mounts.

Taxidermy can actually cost you more than the hunt!

Mad Dog

[elmer]

If you search you can find portable tent camps, semi-permanent tent camps, and luxury tent camps.

My taxidermy and shipping cost on my plains game hunt costs about 50% of the cost of the hunt itself (about 1/3 of the total). YMMV. For me it was three shoulder mounts and one skull mount plus the skins. Going all skull mounts and skins would have lowered the cost. A full body mount would have drastically increased it.

[elmer]

One thought is lots of photos (trust me you will want lots of photos) and just the skins may be an economical way to go. I have hard time with photos only for myself.

[JJHACK]

We have tented camps and conventional camps. there is no difference in cost. The structure has a limited effect on the expenses we have for managing the price. Quality tent camps are actually more effort and time then using an existing camp which is permanent and set up one time and used every season.

The price of a hunt is what is shown, there is no reduction for not taking things home, you will simply not have that as an additional expense. About 50% of the hunters do not bring anything home. The cost of bringing the trophies home and having shoulder mounts will be equal to the cost of the hunt or greater in most cases.

We have no hotels, and have never put a single person in a hotel during the hunting. Our hunts are in the bush and nowhere near a hotel store, or shopping area. It's about 4 hours drive in the bush to get to camp!

[WL44]

I've also never seen a reduction in cost by "leaving bits behind". The only way to save is to shoot fewer animals.

The costs of shipping trophies - particularly big animals (large skulls and horns) and clearing etc etc all adds up to a substantial sum. I'm not sure what you may save tanning skins and packing them in your suitcase next year 

I'm not aware that you can sell the trophies to your outfitter or PH. Maybe a local friend would buy them from you, but they won't sell for much I'd think.

I've never stayed in a hotel when hunting (locally in SA or in Zim). From what I've seen tented camps can be more expensive as the tents are expensive with limited life span. They too are "semi permanent" structures and you have decent ablution facilities (which are environemtnally important too) and there are kitchen and dining areas etc. This is not a pitched 2 man tent and a spade for a loo.

If you like cold showers and warm beer  you could maybe go for the cheapest deal out there and you may theoretically get it cheaper,  but then you may not and I doubt you'd choose that anyway....

[JJHACK]

Nature conservation has set standards for what must be supplied to a foreign hunter in camp.

There is nothing that can really be done to cut out the normal camp setup and provide a dirt cheap place for you to stay while hunting. We tried this about 4 years ago, offering a remote camp that had no electricity and very minimal facilities, but did skirt the laws and we were able to get it approved( I still don't know how, guess it was all the meat we gave them?). The daily fees were half the price of the regular safari. After several years of offering this we booked exactly zero hunters in this "do it your self" camp.

So it was  converted to a seasonal staff house and eliminated from the outfitting operation. Funny how there is this big stated demand from those that are kicking tires, but where the rubber meets the road nobody seems to want this kind of experience.

[rex6666]

Nature conservation has set standards for what must be supplied to a foreign hunter in camp.

There is nothing that can really be done to cut out the normal camp setup and provide a dirt cheap place for you to stay while hunting. We tried this about 4 years ago, offering a remote camp that had no electricity and very minimal facilities, but did skirt the laws and we were able to get it approved( I still don't know how, guess it was all the meat we gave them?). The daily fees were half the price of the regular safari. After several years of offering this we booked exactly zero hunters in this "do it your self" camp.

So it was  converted to a seasonal staff house and eliminated from the outfitting operation. Funny how there is this big stated demand from those that are kicking tires, but where the rubber meets the road nobody seems to want this kind of experience.

when i hunt elk in N.M. we have a pretty sparse camp, i mean if you want it
you better bring it, it is not guided.
I have no problem with this in Northern N.M. cause i know what is there
i know what might be sticking it nose/teeth in my tent at 3am.
I like most folks have no idea might decide to visit at 3am in Africa, so i
would much rather not do it my self there.

[xd45nut]

I’m not interested in staying in a tent to keep cost down, I just want to rough it. To be honist cold showers and warm beer is kind of what I am shooting for.

[WL44]

XD45, I think you may be enough of an exception to the rule that no-one is really offering that as they'd have virtually no interest.

As a local hunter in South Africa I've done some of those type of hunts - self guided (for plains game). I've also had that unexpectedly when it was supposed to be something else... (not good).

Your PH could also always pitch you something uncomfortable to use in the main camp if you feel the facilities are too nice  . You can keep your shower turned on cold and leave your beers out of the fridge  .

As JJ points out, requirements as to what is offered exist and as a non-domestic you WILL be on a guided hunt. You will need to find a PH who likes warm beer too.... You are almost referring to a self guided and self arranged type of trip, which is not possible in most of Africa (possibly in CAR) and anyway almost impossible to arrange properly when you are from elsewhere as you won't have the equipment and would have to buy supplies and rent vehicles etc.

Don't confuse camps with hotels though. I hardly think you will have a "commercial" game lodge (i.e. "camera safari") type experience in most places. You will know that you are in the bush and it should be "rougher" than home, just comfortable and running efficiently. Camps need to be set up for water, ablution, food, cooking, doing washing, skinning, slaughtering, trophy sheds etc. and that tends to make things run better when camps are at least semi-permanent type set-ups. Paying day rates and hunting hard you will have no real time or inclination I'd think to do that all yourself. Possibly a "fly camp" type set-up is the closest you will get. But there will be a main camp fairly nearby.

[xd45nut]

Thank you all, this all answers my questions.

[don heath]

I used to offer back pack safaris...About the only person in Zim still doing that is Andy Hunter. He was a Park Ranger in Chewore safari Area (in the Zambezi Valley) and now takes back pack hunts there. They are amaizing fun - but you have to be very fit!

Many operators offer hunts from a fly camp (or mobile camp) when you are hunting in Tribal areas. Again, I used to and many of my mates still do (and so does the lad who bought my company).

The only time you really save money by not taking anything home is when you hunt elephant. Typically a Non exportable elephant hunt will cost you about $6500-$7500 whereas a trophy elephant hunt will cost you from $25k upwards (both figures include daily rates and trophy fees - but not air tickets or transfer fees). Also in Zim you save the 4% Government and parks leves on the value of the hunt etc.

In South Africa there are several operations where the main business is meat production and the 'hunter' is more of a 'culling' officer. Those hunts can be fairly cheap! (but not my taste). If you want a lion...you will not get much change out of 50k whether you take the trophy home or not!

[xd45nut]

Backpack safaris…I’m going to have to look into that.

[don heath]

Drop the association an email for Andy's current contact details. I have his cell phone number...but in zimbabwe that is nearly impossible to get through on!

Zim Ph Assocaition is soaz@mweb.co.zw and ask Sally Bown to give you all of Andy Hunter's contact details.