Booking a pro hunt
To some of us the very idea of booking a pro hunt may immediately trigger (That must be expensive) And why should I have to pay? And a whole bunch of other questions.
But to my way of thinking there are more reasons to do it than not do it.
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Experience your guide would likely have been doing for years.
This person runs a business and it is his job to know where what you want to hunt lives and the best way to go about it. Surely that's better than spending a very long time trying to learn how deer think. To me that is reason enough.
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You can hunt all over the world
These people have the contacts i.e. the private property landowners etc.
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Local laws
There are many countries all over the world where you can book and organise a hunt with a pro hunter:
- South Africa (the most well known)
- Argentina
- New Zealand
- Canada
- America
- Australia
- France
- Spain
- Sweden
- Zimbabwe
- Bulgaria
- Namibia
Think of all of the animals you could hunt rather than trying to get in with the "in crowd" at the range.
I personally have hunted in South Africa twice and can’t recommend it enough.
So how do you go about organising it?
A quick search will provide a plethora of outfitters in that particular country you wish to hunt in. But I would recommend asking people you know in shooting if they have used a particular outfitter.
Remember you will be out in the bush with this person, whom when they picked you up from the airport you would have known for 4 hours. What if you don’t get on?
I have one outfitter and one only! As I trust him implicitly and know I’m getting a square deal. I was introduced to him by a South African guy I know. I have also heard horror stories about unsuspecting people being taken for a ride. So whatever the case you need to feel comfortable with your outfitter.
So I'm new to shooting and I want to do this but I know no one?
Most outfitters will be happy to provide you a reference in Australia and if they can’t do that then ask yourself why. Hunting overseas is a special thing so if you do go, at least get some practice in. I would be a member of a club and learn how to shoot for at least a year before booking something like this.
Logistics
So you have chosen where you want to hunt and what you want to hunt. Found an outfitter you like. You now need to book flights.
(I know what you're going to ask) Can I bring my own rifle? The short answer is yes, but there are a few things you need to know.
Can I bring my own rifle?
Yes, but there are a few things you need to be aware of.
Getting a gun out of Australia
Airlines see firearms as sporting equipment (think of them like golf clubs). Australian Border Force will want to know—basically you need to register and they will assign you an ID. Once you have checked in you will need to go through Border Force.
Basically you're de-registering them in Australia, registering them temporarily in the country you are hunting in, then when you come back you register them here again.
Local laws
I can only talk about doing this in South Africa. In South Africa this is a big thing (put it this way there is a special baggage claim with a big picture of a gun) so lots of people must do this.
Once having retrieved your gun your outfitter can be waiting for you, or if you want to see around Joburg you will need to check into a special hotel that has firearm storage.
There are many of them.
That’s hard, can I use the outfitter’s gun?
There is almost a whole article: Bring a Gun vs Borrow One.
So let’s do this pro vs con.
Pro bringing your own gun
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That gun is now special. It’s what you used in South Africa. It’s what I shot my first springbok with.
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You know how well it will shoot and you can develop a load around that.
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You can set a whole new gun up.
Con bringing your own gun
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OK my gun, I paid $200 for it. It’s not particularly special, not particularly valuable. It shoots ok so why should I buggerise around with all the paperwork over my $200 gun? (I’d have time for 3 more beers in the airport bar).
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My outfitter does this for a living so it stands to reason he has one that should do the job.
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Saves so much paperwork and I don’t need to stay in a special hotel. This frees you up to see and do other things.
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If you take your own gun that gun then becomes special to you. So you won’t want to sell it—that can also be a bad thing and you may have money tied up in that gun that would be better served on something else.
So do I bring my gun or not Will!
If you have a:
.270W, 7×57mm, .308W, .30-06, 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Win Mag, .303, .338 Win Mag,
9.3×62mm, .375 H&H Magnum or alike
And it is a very special gun to you (not necessarily expensive), you know it shoots well and you’re confident it can do the job—bring it.
Hunting dangerous game
This is something all hunters want to do. But you need to understand a few things. I personally have not done this so I can’t comment too much. But the first thing is this is a bit more expensive. The next thing—it’s actually dangerous! Get on YouTube and look at a video of Cape buffalo hunting in South Africa.
So for this am I bringing my own gun?
For dangerous game—100%.
Most African countries have a minimum calibre for hunting dangerous game and that is .375.
Most people who hunt dangerous game are using very large calibres like .470 Nitro and .458 Win Mag. These can be quite expensive to buy and to shoot. So if you’re paying the expense, you may as well.
So what does it cost?
I have only ever done this in South Africa and I have only ever done plains game.
So you will need to pay a day rate to the outfitter and a trophy fee for the animals you shoot.
The going day rate is about $300 per day. Trophy fees vary from free for pest animals, to around $1000 for wildebeest, and $10,000+ for a buffalo. Plus flights Food and drink is normaly included in the day rate.
