It’s been a long time in the planning stage, but plans are finally put
together for the 2006 season. The return trip to 'The Dark Continent'
with stick and string to hunt a wide variety of trophy class plains game
has been on my mind since the last trip, back in ‘90. Those that
have been to Africa will wonder why it has taken me so long to get back,
while those who have never been may wonder why go at all. I
ask myself these same questions from time to time and can therefore understand.
There were several reasons for the delayed return. A house and trophy room
to build/finish, a business to run, too many other commitments and so many
North American species to chase. To name a few!
A friend told me before my first trip, “No one only goes to Africa once!”
He should have known, given he had already made three trips. The
reason is simple; the experience is nothing short of awesome!
Blind
Blind
Imagine sitting in either a ground blind or tree “hide” (enclosed stand) over a water hole
and watching several hundred animals, of as many as twenty different species,
come in to drink at under twenty-five yards. Now imagine that many
of these will have horns of true trophy class and come in dozens of differing
shapes and sizes.
Add in some remarkable coloration and you have
an incredible variety of game literally parading in sight through the day.
To make it more interesting, all the species are available for harvest
if you are willing to pay the listed trophy fee. It is not at all
unusually for a bowhunter to take trophy class animals of 6-8 species on
a ten-day hunt!
Try that anywhere else in the world!
Granted the cost of a 6-8 species ten day trophy hunt will run a lot
more than a do-it-yourself whitetail hunt in your home state, however the
experiences can not be compared! The closest comparison you can find
in North America would be a 3-4 species hunt in BC or the Yukon, but the
cost would be at least double that of an African trip, with a fraction
of the success potential, much poorer weather and you had best be in great
shape! In contrast, taking six or more species on a ten day South
African hunt is a conservative estimate, the weather is usually clear and
sunny and the hardest work involves climbing up to your hide after the
four course meals.
The benefits don’t stop with the hunting. The food and general
service provided on an African hunt rivals that which you’d expect on a
fine vacation. Great food served in several courses, comfortable
lodging and daily laundry service are just some of the things you’ll grow
accustom to while enjoying your hunt. For those that would love to
take their 'other half' on an exciting trip, but have life partners that
don’t hunt and don’t enjoy 'roughing it', South Africa could be the ideal
situation. The accommodations are very comfortable, the weather enjoyable
and quality time can be spent just viewing and/or photographing animals.
There are also side trips that can be planned and the hunt trip can be
extended to afford additional time in country for general sight seeing
tours.
Alright, now time to talk specifics: The Tag-A-Long South African
Plains Game Hunt for 2006 is set for the ten days between May 29th and
June 9th, 2006. We will arrive on the 28th and depart on the 10th
to get the maximum hunting time each of our ten days (hunts can be extended
a few days with prior notice). The hunt will be with Angus Brown
Safaris, at his famous Northern Province bow hunting only camp. While
final prices for the 2006 season have not been set, Angus believes they
will be very close to the 2005 rates, and he has agreed to extend our group
the discounted rate (based on 2005 prices) of $250.00 per day. This
represents a discount of $1,000.00 from the standard rates for a ten-day
hunt. In addition to the discounted daily rate, members of this group
will save money on transport fees to/from the airport to the hunting concession,
and will have the camaraderie of fellow bowhunters. Additionally,
I will be doing an 'On Line' bowhunting report on the adventure for www.bowhunting.net,
which means every one of our group will get to share their adventure with
family and friends back home via the daily internet updates.
The total cost of this adventure can be customized to fit the individual
budget of each client. By focusing on less expensive species, and
limiting yourself to only five species, the total cost (including air fare
from New York) could be kept to under $7,000.00 (including trophy fees).
Those that want to treat this as an 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity and
take a wider assortment of animals can spend considerably more. Complete
species listing (with trophy fees) will be sent upon request but this is
a reasonable sample:
Impala $350.00
Warthog $350.00
Blesbuck $350.00
Steenbok $300.00
Zebra $1,100.00
Kudu $1,450.00
Blue wildebeest $950.00
Red Hartebeest $950.00
Gemsbok $1,000.00
Grey Duiker $250.00
Lynx, Vervet monkey, and jackal are all free.
There are more, but you get the idea!
Below are a few commonly asked questions and the answers:
Q. Why South Africa over the other countries offering hunting?
A. For one thing, I’ve been there and can personally assure my clients
that things will run smoothly. Several other countries offer hunting
opportunities but their governments are more unstable, their prices are
generally more expensive and their success rates are far lower.
Q. Why pick Angus Brown Safaris from all the possible choices available?
A. Not only have I personally hunted with Angus; I know many others
who have also bowhunted with him over the years. He has been running
quality 'bowhunting only' concessions for over twenty years and is himself
a dedicated trophy bowhunter (both in Africa and North America).
His operation has expanded over the years to include his daughter and son-in-law
(also bowhunters) and has become a bowhunting family affair.
Going back to hunt with Angus will be like going to visit family and
that is the kind of experience I want to share with my clients.
Q. How difficult is it to put all the travel arrangements together?
A. Air transportation from the East Coast direct to South Africa is
well organized and as part of our group you will be taking part in the
organized transportation arrangements we put together and travel as a group.
Q. What about getting trophies home?
A. There are a number of ways to arrange this, but those who wish can
take advantage of the same services we put together. Your trophies
can be delivered to a quality taxidermist we use, or we can help arrange
to get them shipped to a taxidermist of your choice.
I think the reason a lot of people don’t go is that there are
so many options, various prices and areas to pick from that it is just
too confusing. There is also the talk of political unrest and the
cost. It can be daunting at times, but some research and a few good
contacts can solve these problems and concerns. Certainly the
opportunity to travel as a group, to an established bowhunting only operation,
will ease the concerns. There will be questions and I look forward
to discussing them with any potential clients. There is only room
for five clients to join me on this hunt. Your place can be reserved
with a small deposit ($500.00) and you’ll have a year to save for the
rest of your adventure. If you’ve ever thought about the possibility
of a bowhunting trip to Africa, this could be the best time to make your final plans. We’d certainly like to have you join us. Email me at NRoyGoodwin@Netscape.net.
Roy Goodwin
Tag-A-Long Consultants
1A Condon Way
Hopedale, MA 01747
(508) 473-8716
NRoyGoodwin@Netscape.net or Angus Brown Safaris at http://www.angusbrownsafaris.co.za/
