by One of the projects I set for myself when I attended the Dallas Safari Club Convention was to seek tips and advice for those hunting Africa for the first time. I spoke to professional hunters (PHs) and other experts for their advice. My question to them was what would be the one tip that you would give a person planning to hunt Africa for the first time.
Here is what I got in no particular order.
Dylan Love – Huntershill Safaris, South Africa, and the PH Journal Podcast. (He has a must listen to podcast)
- Do your research on potential outfitters and especially check out their social media. It will be the most up to date.
- Let the outfitters handle the finer details.
Craig Boddington – author, hunter, and TV show host.
- Listen to your PH!
Rob Lurie – Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Game Association. They have the toughest standards for licensing in Africa.
- Do your homework!
- Ponder all you options.
- Ask for recent references.
Japsie Blaauw – Dzombo Hunting Safaris, Namibia and Botswana.
- Practice shooting off of sticks.
Marius Goesen – KMG Safaris, South Africa
- Trust your PH
- Don’t overpack. You won’t need more than 3 sets of clothes as you have daily laundry.
Philip Weyer- Henderson – Muller Hunting and Safaris, South Africa
- Take good, broken-in boots
Russ Field – Russ Field Safaris, South Africa
- Go for at least 10 days
- Pack light
- Use the camp rental guns. Your own guns will just be a hassle.
Alex Oelofse – Jan Oelofse Hunting Safaris, Namibia
- Plan a few extra days to see wildlife like elephants and lions if not on the hunting property
- Ask the outfitter whether you will be hunting all on one block of property or will you travel to another block. If another block, ask how far.
- Be wary of outfitters and PHs “overselling” size of the animals.
I think these are all good tips. I probably would have gotten more tips from more outfitters if I always remembered to ask when I visiting a booth. My bad.