BOOKING AN INTERNATIONAL HUNT

When booking an international hunt there are a few key things to look for and expect.

Lots of people can get burned and have a bad taste for all international hunts if they don’t take the time to look through and study a few outfitters. I’ve personally had friends go to Africa on whim have a horrible safari not want to return and hesitate doing anymore international trips.

Here are a few of my personal tips and suggestions to think of when it comes to booking a international hunt

1. Hopefully you know one or two people or have a mutual friend of a friend that’s gone on the hunt your looking at or has done some international hunting that you can call or sit down with and pick his or her’s brain and get a feel of how there trip went. Keep in mind if they talk negatively about the trip they too could have made the mistake of not asking questions and selecting the right outfitter before her or she went so one resource shouldn’t be your stopping point.

2. Take close consideration that before booking a hunt online or over the phone there are a few other ways of going about it. You could use a booking agent and there are several good ones out there. But if a booking agent isn’t your thing and you want to do it on your own that’s okay to.

3. Every year there are lots of hunting conventions across the united states where you can go and sit down face to face with a majority of the outfitters across the world and get a feel for their personality and ask question and get answers right then and there. A few reputable ones are SCI (Safari Club International), DSC (Dallas Safari Club), GSCO (Grand Slam Club Ovis) & Sheep Show (The Wild Sheep Foundation) these are the conventions you’ll find the top of the line international outfitters.

4. When your emailing or talking to a outfitter in person here are a few good questions to ask. Do you have the desired species I’m looking for? When’s the best time to come for that species? Can I have a list of recent references that have hunted said species with you in the last 3 years? Do you have any recent trophy and accommodation photos? An outfitter can have the best area in the world but if he has a rough camp for what the hunt conditions allow and a horrible staff chances are your going to have a dissatisfied hunt regardless if you take an animal or not.

5. When you find the outfitter you want to book with make sure he has everything in writing and that he has secured dates and permits for the species you want to hunt.

6. Also make sure the outfitter provides you with a list of what’s include and not included with your hunt. Nothing worse than traveling around the world to find out you had to book a hotel prior to heading to the hunting area and the hotels are sold out or extremely expensive due to short notice.