By Jerry Long, March 29, 2010     

In this second post of a two part series I discuss costs associated with hunting in the Republic of South Africa. 

As mentioned in dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part I a lot of the below information was discussed in WWAC – What Would Africa CostSafari Options and listed on the Safari Options spreadsheet, but I’m going to repeat some of the key information and expound on it a little more here.   

Daily & Trophy Fees – Daily fees typically cover things like food and lodging, daily transport to, from and around concessions, the services of a Professional Hunter, trackers, tracking dogs, trophy handling, etc.  Decisions have to be made as to whether you wish to be guided 1 x 1 or 1 x 2 or some other arrangement.  Obviously, 1 hunter to 1 PH is more costly than 1 x 2.  Trophy fees, charged for a shot and recovered or wounded and not recovered animal vary by animal, trophy quality and population.  For someone who is looking for the Africa experience at minimum cost there are cull hunts to be considered – the harvesting of animals not of trophy quality (one-horned, mangle-horned) or non-horned females for herd management purposes.  These things should be discussed and settled upon with your outfitter.      

Many bowhunters who have been to Africa before caution against package hunts, i.e., hunts with a specifically named group of animals and/or airline flights included.  There can be a couple of problems with animal packages.  A hunter may not encounter a particular animal or she may encounter an animal she wishes to take instead.  Refund and exchange policies, if any, then come into play.  Refunds or exchanges may only be at a portion of the original trophy’s cost.  Oddly, many animal packages I priced out offered no cost benefit.  Additionally, from personal experience, I cannot recommend a package with airline fees included.  You may be able to obtain flights more affordable or with conditions (baggage costs) suitable to you, on an airline of your choice and straight through travel on one carrier (versus multiple carriers who may increase your chance of lost luggage) than what the outfitter can include in such a package.  Again, explore your options.    

Value Added Tax (VAT) – At the time of this writing I believe VAT for South Africa is 12.25%.  Much of your adventure, especially trophy fees, should not be taxable if you are bringing the trophy back with you to the U.S.  However, I have heard about outfitters charging or attempting to charge hunters VAT on trophies, daily fees and other services.  Talk to your outfitter about what he applies VAT to before (italics) you book.  It is my understanding that it is possible to recover all VAT paid before you depart RSA, but that it usually costs more in time and trouble than what you recover.   

Tips – Tips for guides and outfitters is a highly charged, much debated subject.  Here is a link to an excellent article written by Professional Hunter (PH) Jerome Philippe, founder of AfricaHunting.com, with comments from hunters regarding tipping.  From personal experience I can tell you that you can ask your friends, on-line communities, yourself, Super Slam archers, your guide, your outfitter and probably Larry King and Oprah Winfrey and still not know what to do.  Additionally, even after making up your mind, exact hunt circumstances may change your decision or the amount of your decision – like service above and beyond (or below) anything you dreamed or an animal you wounded attacking the outfitter or the miraculous recovery of a marginally hit animal. As you can see I have budgeted for tips on the planning spreadsheet, but reserve the right to alter the amount as I see fit.    

Trophies (in general) – The total cost of preserving trophies can exceed the actual cost of your trip.  Photographs are and always have been a far greater memory of an adventure for me than a trophy, see Photographing Your Hunting Trophies and Preserving Bowhunting Memories.  Although I very much love bowhunting I’ve never been much of a trophy collector and Mrs. dustyvarmint is not much of a fan either.  I’d honestly rather use the funds for taking Mrs. dustyvarmint, Lexus and Maggie on a trip or for more hunting.  That makes this an area for cost cutting.  I only plan to have one animal fully mounted (hopefully that is a gemsbok) so I’ll be bringing back the cape of only that one.  The remaining animals’ horns (or tusks) and skulls will be brought back for European mounting on plaques that will be arranged on the tanned back skin of one other animal – likely a kudu (if I’m lucky enough).  How much cost in trophies you wish to incur is a personal decision you must make.  To significantly reduce costs one might choose an all cull hunt, as discussed before, or simply not bringing trophies back (which may subject them to VAT, but likely at a cost less than that of preserving them).       

Trophy Dip & Pack and Shipping – Trophies shipped from Africa must be “Dipped & Packed” in order to clear import by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).  Swine and primates also require United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) clearance.   Since trophies cannot be brought back as part of your baggage they must be shipped.  When talking to prospective outfitters see if you can contact the Dip & Pack as well as the Shipping or Cargo companies they work with to get a written estimate of your “wish list” animals.  Whether or not you can contact them and whether or not you trust them may have an effect on the outfitter you settle upon.  I was able to get in touch with both the Dip & Pack company, Swift Dip, and the Shipping company, Safari Cargo Systems, to obtain written estimates of my wish list.  Dip and pack for the trophies on my wish list; gemsbok (cape, skull horns), wildebeest (skull, horns), blesbok (skull, horns), wart hog (skull, tusks) and kudu (back skin, horns, skull); was estimated at $520 and shipping was estimated at $813.03.   

Trophy Shipment “Clearing” – As previously mentioned incoming trophy shipments to the U.S. must be cleared through the USFW and possibly the USDA.  There are several reputable companies such as Fauna and Flora and Coppersmith’s (these are examples, not endorsements) that can be utilized to handle this task.  This service may include temporary storage after arrival as well as transportation to your taxidermist.  Of course, these services cost money.  I’ve seen estimates in the $250-$500 range.  Another option, which I am pursuing, is clearing my own trophies.  This lower cost choice will be the subject of a future post.      

Taxidermy – Shop around for a taxidermist.  You’ll want to ask for referrals from friends and family.  If feasible, go visit prospects.  I actually had a list of four highly recommended taxidermists in Wisconsin and one in Illinois.  Three of the four in Wisconsin never returned my phone calls and the conversations were always very odd with the one in Illinois.  Keeping the taxidermy work local (relatively) helps reduce transportation costs.  I ended up settling with a shop in Wisconsin whose work is well-known and of high quality.  Additionally, the shop always answered or replied to my phone calls as well as my many questions.  Although opinions vary I’ve not heard much good said about getting mounts done in Africa although this is an option.  Once you’ve narrowed your search ask for price estimates for the animals you intend to have mounted.  Although I’d rather have a pedestal mount done it turned out to be beyond my budget, $1250, so I settled on a standard shoulder mount, $875.   

I’m sure there are other odds and ends I’ve forgotten or didn’t cover, but these two posts on expenses are the most inclusive and detailed information in one place than any other resource I’ve seen.  If you have expenses you believe should be included I’d sure like to hear from you and include them in a future post.    

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:   

• Packin It In And Out – Treestands
• No Bird Left Behind - A Turkey Tale
• Outfitter Report – Javelina And Hogs In Texas
• Boar Attack – Anatomy Of A Hog Shot Gone Wrong
• Pronghorn – Rained Out
• How To – Prepare A European Skull Mount
• Short Draw Bow Speeds And Technical Discussion
• Short Draw Bow Kinetic Energy And Trajectory
• The Best Valentine’s Day Ever – Winter Bowfishing
• WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?
• Return On Investment – Outdoor’s Style
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part I

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 By Jerry Long, March 22, 2010   

In this post I discuss costs associated with traveling to the Republic of South Africa for hunting. 

Affording the Trip

Is a trip to Africa within your budget?  Only you can answer that question.  I’ll relate how it worked in my house-hold.  It was kind of like building a fire; an internal, burning desire.  The elk hunt costs related in WWAC – What Would Africa Cost? had me looking for another adventure (the idea).  Kansas friend Crazy Brew brought up Africa (the spark).  The website Bowsite provided tons of information and experiences (the fuel).  Once the fire was lit (raging) I started looking at prices.   When I had an estimate I brought it up with Mrs. dustyvarmint.   

The agreement worked out like this – we agreed I could spend our money to go to Africa if I re-paid the amount with a monthly savings allotment and did not take any guided/outfitted hunts during the time it took to for this re-payment.  I stress our money here because of some of the attitudes I see shared on bowhunting forums.  For the record – we’re both working hard for a living (well, she is, anyway) and we’re both wearin’ pants.  Anyway, my current re-payment schedule will take three years.  During those three years I’ll focus on all DIY hunts with friends for adventures to Kansas for turkey and whitetail deer, possibly varmints in Montana and maybe mule deer in South Dakota. 

So why go now and make payments vice saving the money and going later?  From the information I gathered I decided that prices in 2009 and 2010 were likely what I was willing to pay, EVER – that any further increase in costs would likely preclude me from ever going.  I simply reach those kinds of thresholds sometimes (ask Mrs. dustyvarmint).  I’ve already admitted I’m cheap. Now add STUBBORN (she insisted that be in all caps…).       

The attached spreadsheet, Safari Options, helps to compare the costs associated with various outfitters in various locations.  The costs listed were as of May/June 2009 planning for a 2010 trip.  Feel free to adapt it to your own use.

Discussion of Various Costs

A lot of the below information was discussed in the previously mentioned WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?, but I’m going to repeat some of the key information and expound on it a little bit here.

Equipment – As far as bow set up there isn’t that much you should need from what you already have.  I’ll discuss equipment details more fully in a future entry.  I bought new, heavier aluminum arrows to raise kinetic energy, obtained cut-on-contact broadheads from Santa Claus and bought a sight light for dark blinds.  By watching the Archery Talk classified ads I found an excellent deal on a heavy duty SKB double bow case.  I did buy a new bow, but was in the market for one anyway (my never-ending quest).

Baggage – Caught in a bind that I’ll relate in a future blog entry I booked my flights through Gracy Travel.  Those tickets included two fifty-pound bags and Doug assured me that included my bow case whether through a sub-carrier (as is the case I’ll encounter in the smaller Milwaukee airport) or through the primary carrier.  I will see.  When booking travel arrangements for hunting it is prudent to include baggage policies and fees among the various carriers.  As related in Archery Resources – Airline Travel $100 or more each way for a bow case can add up.  In the case of traveling to South Africa I’ve not heard much positive in the way of alternative shippers such as FEDEX.

Overnight Stays/Ground Transportation – The nature of the long trip from your home to RSA may require an overnight stay or stays on the way to or from.  In my case I have an overnight stay on the way there in Johannesburg at a cost of about $150.  Also, your outfitter may impose a transportation charge from the airport to the hunting concession.  This may be by-the-person or by-the-trip.  A few examples are included on the cost spreadsheet.  Again, clarify these things with your outfitter.

Insurance – I didn’t plan on paying for travel or extra medical insurance, but I decided to purchase it.  I think Doug at Gracy Travel really brought it to my attention.  There are several discussions concerning why or why not to purchase it on the Bowsite Africa forum as well as this article by the Hunt Doctors.  When Doug couldn’t articulate exactly what I was paying for through them for Travel Guard Insurance, an AIG Company, I decided I would arrange it on my own. 

First I called my homeowner’s insurance to see what was covered.  They recommended I buy travel insurance to cover lost equipment and trip cancellation or delay insurance (they don’t sell it).  I was also looking for some medical evacuation coverage as my health insurance won’t necessarily cover that to the extent that I or my family might want me to be evacuated.  Recently, however, when I decided to call and actually pay for the insurance I stumbled upon a lot of negative reviews.  As of the writing of this blog entry I haven’t decided what to do, but I’m still strongly leaning towards purchasing from Travel Guard based on the recommendations of some specific hunters I’m acquainted with.  To insure my currently paid, non-refundable, deposits plus extra medical evacuation coverage it would cost me about $193.

Ok, that’s it for this post.  I’ll continue next time with dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part II where actual in-country hunt costs will be discussed.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Photographing Your Hunting Trophies
• Outfitter Report – Javelina And Hogs In Texas
• Boar Attack – Anatomy Of A Hog Shot Gone Wrong
• Pronghorn – Rained Out
• How To – Prepare A European Skull Mount
• WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?

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 By Jerry Long, March 15, 2010   

Before our current financial situation the term Return On Investment was used quite heavily.  In this post I offer a different perspective of ROI.

Seth was just 14 when we met through a 4H archery program back in 1993.  He wanted to learn to bowhunt.  His parents consented.  We went through the whole program; safety, scouting, shot placement, etc.  He quickly learned the value of a safety belt after a very short tumble from our practice tree.  Seth didn’t take a deer that year, but he was in a tree stand just a few feet from me when I harvested a yearling.  That allowed us to practice our blood-trailing.  We met his father back at camp and cooked up a tasty snack of freshly harvested whitetail tenderloin sautéed in butter over a camp fire.  Better fare doesn’t exist.

Seth and I with a “young of the year” harvest just before I fried up its tenderloins. 

Unfortunately, the Navy took me to Washington State literally days later.  My wife will always bemoan the fact that we had to stop every day for dry ice to keep freshly processed venison frozen.  While I was out floating in the Northern Arabian Gulf and the pirate-laden Straits of Malacca, Seth was practicing his bowfishing, deer, duck, goose, and turkey hunting.  Except for one brief bowfishing trip in the late 90′s Seth and I weren’t able to get outdoors together again.

Roll forward to 2007.  Spring was hectic for both of us.  I had trips to Oklahoma for hogs and Kansas for turkeys and Seth had to plan and execute a National Wild Turkey Federation banquet while I handicapped him with assistance.  However, he called one Friday night and asked if I wanted to accompany him the next morning to fill his Wisconsin turkey tag.  I would be along for calling and picture taking only – I had previously pared down the total number of trips and seasons I was participating in after the “hunt master”, Mrs. dustyvarmint, got a look at my calendar for the year.    

I was five minutes late meeting Seth, which is highly unusual considering Uncle Sam’s training, but was quite early compared to his previous day’s partner that showed up several hours late and a little under the weather.  So, I hopped in quickly and off we went to a piece of public ground close to his home.  I had hunted this ground every legal minute of the 2006 season and had no close-encounters at all.  I was interested to see Seth’s approach.  As an archer, I set up my blind and stay put.  Seth, using a shotgun, tends to have happier feet.  Sure enough, we bumped a hen off the roost and then I slipped into the water while trying to cross a creek at a beaver dam.  DARN, wet foot for the rest of the day. 

We put up the decoys in a spot close to where we had heard last gobbling and settled against trees specifically shaped to inflict the most amount of excruciating pain on a frail human’s back.   Calling with Seth’s commercial calls and a couple of my dustyvarmint woodwork’s custom slates brought no replies.  We swapped calls and then swapped strikers – no replies.  We were quickly on the move again. 

Ooops, another bumped hen.  We heard some gobbles and then some calling that was so bad we immediately knew it to be a human using a diaphragm call – scary.  We set up well away from the direction of the calling and started our own courtship sounds.  After awhile it was apparent that the birds were about 400 yards away and weren’t coming any time soon.  The scary caller walked through our decoys and we were on our way back to a spot where Seth had helped a young hunter bag his first jake during the youth season.  Notice this continuance of passing on the tradition.  People talk about return on investment.  I can’t imagine a better one.

We approached the ag field and chose to sit on the two exact same trees he and his young partner had used.  We took up cuts and purrs in unison.  Twenty-five to thirty minutes and several cat-naps later we heard a suitor gobble from the swamp behind us.

He was a short 100 yards away.  He was coming closer.  Seth put down the call and focused his attention on the shotgun.  I continued soft cuts and purrs.  He was behind us.  We craned our necks and strained our eyes.  I was looking so far out of the corner of my eyes that my head hurt.  He was standing no more than 20 yards behind us on the edge of a swamp.  He crept forward.  We were both facing right and afraid to move.  We thought he was actually going to walk between us.  He skirted to my back, left, 4-6 yards away.  He began drumming and I risked a glimpse.  He was facing away and I whispered to Seth, “Turn around NOW!”

I continued very soft cuts and purrs.  Seth was now in position.  The gobbler headed toward the decoys, but stopped to strut.  His plumage shone beautifully in the sun.  I don’t know why, but Seth wanted him to actually get to the decoys.  However, he couldn’t pass an 18 yard shot.  BAM!  The turkey went down and I was up and on him, calls cast aside and forgotten.  Seth joined me.  There was laughter and high-fives.  Lots of posing and lots of pics.

Seth’s 2007 spring turkey.

The morning sun was shining down upon us.  It was a mild Wisconsin spring day.  We walked from the field taking turns carrying the turkey, charged with the excitement of school kids on the playground.  Which, after all, is really where we were.  A large Wisconsin playground.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Custom Turkey Call Interview On Up North Journal
• Photographing Your Hunting Trophies
• No Bird Left Behind - A Turkey Tale
• Outfitter Report – Javelina And Hogs In Texas
• Boar Attack – Anatomy Of A Hog Shot Gone Wrong
• Pronghorn – Rained Out
• dustyvarmint On Up North Journal Tonight!
• Got Glass & Slate for Your Turkey Calls?
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 2
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 3

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 By Jerry Long, March 10, 2010   

At Burlington Boss Toms National Wild Turkey Federation Chapter we pass on the hunting tradition.

Some of you faithful readers may remember the dustyvarmint’s Mostly Archery and Up North Journal Game Camera Photo Contest.  Third prize winner Dave from Rapid City, SD asked me to give his turkey decoy to a local young hunter.

Jack, a helper and participant at the Burlington, WI Boss Toms’ Banquet held March 11th, 2010 was the recipient.

Banquet attendee and helper, Jack, receives Dave’s turkey decoy. 

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Custom Turkey Call Interview On Up North Journal
• No Bird Left Behind - A Turkey Tale
• Game Camera Photo Contest
• Got Glass & Slate for Your Turkey Calls?
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 2
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 3

Feedback, Questions & Comments 

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  Posted by Jerry Long, March 8, 2010  

dv’s Time Out Corner – Before I lose you to an assumption that an African Archery Safari is too expensive I’d ask that you continue to follow along with the dv Goes To Africa series before making up your mind.  

I feel like there should be a question mark after this post’s title, but it’s true, dustyvarmint is headed to Africa with bow in hand.  In August, barely five-and-half months away, I’ll be hunting in the Republic of South Africa with Dries Visser Safaris. 

More To Come At dustyvarmint’s Mostly Archery 

I’ve been alluding to this trip for a while in various posts, but I’ve also been waiting for the right time to officially announce it.  I’ll share as much of the preparations as I can remember up to this point (I am getting old & forgetful you know), share my continuing preparations and post a semi-live hunt upon return.  As I was discussing with someone the other day, though, any hunt, but especially one of this magnitude, is more than just showing up with bow in hand ready to shoot critters.  At least it is in my case.

Wildebeest is on the wish list.

Planning 

In planning for a hunt there are outfitters to weed through, outfitter reports to review, references to contact, cost estimates to collect, prices to compare, equipment to buy, to do and equipment lists to make and it just goes on.  In fact all this preparation (read work) may take more time than one actually spends in the field pursuing game on a particular hunt.  I know there are hunters out there with much more and much less discretionary funds and ample time that don’t bother to do this preparation, but who still have successful adventures.  But, I’m from the military six-P (Prior Planning Prevents Pee Poor Performance) School. 

Complications/Problems 

The best laid plans of mice and men, right?  Already, the road to an African Archery Safari has had some speed bumps.  I’ll discuss those too.     

Costs 

In case you might have missed it WWAC – What Would Africa Cost? started this whole thing off.  Due to varying rate structures, transportation charges and more it becomes difficult to compare apples to apples costs across the board.  I’ll take another look at costs and share a tool I used to compare different outfitters and locations.  

Equipment 

Of course, I’ll be sharing equipment preparations and packing lists.  That’s what many of us bowhunters live for, right?  It’s like a sick disease; maybe equipmentitus…

Travel

Since this adventure is more than seventeen-plus hours away there are airlines to choose from, baggage considerations and travel agencies to talk to.  I’ll share what I’ve learned about this factor. 

The Republic of South Africa is more than seventeen hours away.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Packin It In And Out – Treestands
• Photographing Your Hunting Trophies
• No Bird Left Behind - A Turkey Tale
• Outfitter Report – Javelina And Hogs In Texas
• Boar Attack – Anatomy Of A Hog Shot Gone Wrong
• Pronghorn – Rained Out

Feedback, Questions & Comments 

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions.  Please leave them below.   

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 Posted by Jerry Long, March 2, 2010

Preparing for a significant (and expensive) adventure this year I head to the shop to create a DIY Arrow Squaring Rig.

Squaring Arrows & Inserts

I’ve been working on the best bow/arrow combination, see Short Draw Bow Kinetic Energy and Trajectory and Short Draw Bow Speeds and Technical Discussion, for an adventure this year that can get expensive if one wounds an animal and doesn’t recover it.  There are those who contend that squaring your arrow or insert to its axis isn’t necessary.  However, it makes sense to me that this is just one tiny extra bit of additional insurance to help ensure the best possible broadhead flight.  So I’m going to do it.  Although there are commercially available arrow-squaring tools available I wanted to see if I could create one with items on hand.  I can use the money saved for more arrow components…

The Concept

After digesting a few examples from the DIY Section of Archery Talk the basic concept was formulated in my mind.  I needed an abrasive in the form of a sharpening stone or sand paper, an arrow spinner and some way to orient the abrasive device perpendicular to the arrow’s axis.  Turns out I had all three.  The picture below pretty much explains everything.  I found it best to clamp the arrow spinner to the bench while I just held the sharpening stone in place.

An arrow spinner, a small level and a sharpening stone make a DIY arrow squaring rig.

Alternative Arrow Spinner

If you don’t have an arrow spinner you can fashion one yourself from four 16-penny nails and a 10-12″ section of 2×4.  Simply drive the nails into the 2×4 near each end to create “X’s” that will hold the arrow while you spin it.  I used one of those for years.

Using the Arrow Squaring Rig

To see if I was having any effect on the arrow I blackened the ends of the inserts with a black magic marker and let it dry.  Then I spun the arrow against the stone until the black was gone.  About twenty strokes was sufficient. 

One finished arrow and six arrows blackened and ready for squaring.

There is probably some discussion about doing the same thing to the nock end, but since these particular nock adapters were factory installed I’ll leave them be.

Ok, I know you’re dying to try this so off to the shop with you! 

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following: 

• Packin It In And Out – Treestands
• JD Welding Arrow Spin Testing – A dv Gear Review
• Overhauling A Hunting Bow
• Archery Release Mystery Solved
• Bringin’ Home the… Venison Breakfast Sausage
• How To – Prepare A European Skull Mount
• DIY $25 Bow Press
• Got Glass & Slate for Your Turkey Calls?
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 2
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 3

Feedback, Questions & Comments

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