Why Hunt Africa?

The question 'Why Hunt Africa?' is posed here not really to examine the philosophy of hunting but to encourage you to look at your own hunting motives with a view to getting the right African hunt for yourself. Not doing so can lead to great disappointment, not to mention, leading to a waste of time and money.

"... one does not hunt in order to kill: on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted." José Ortega y Gasset, Meditations on Hunting

Why Hunt Africa? For the sheer pleasure...

Fortunately most hunters want to hunt for the joy and thrill of hunting in it's purest form and to do this in Africa marks the epitome of their hunting careers. Africa is the ultimate hunting destination - huge choice of game, tough conditions, presence of danger and the final fulfilment of those dreams often sparked from the pages of Hemingway, Ruark and many others.

These hunters are content to work like demons to hunt their quarry, to attain a fine trophy and are not in the least disappointed if their trophy does not make it into the record books. Record books are viewed as an interesting entertainment and to get a trophy in the book is a bonus.

If you are one of these hunters you will have no trouble finding a good outfitter and having a great time wherever you go.

Why Hunt Africa? To get a record book trophy...

Of course you can hunt for the Book and get a lot of pleasure from it but then there are the others that don't enjoy it because of the pressure.

There are those hunters that attaining record book trophies is the sole purpose of their hunt. They come armed with a field statistics book and expect their professional hunter to consistently produce top 10 animals for them to shoot. Pleasure is often replaced by misery and recrimination if a trophy misses the mark by a fraction of an inch.

Most African hunting areas can produce record book trophies of certain species but it is by no means guaranteed. Research should indicate the regions most likely to deliver but do not expect a good hunting company to promise you success. Tell your hunting company beforehand exactly what you are looking for - don't pitch up and only then tell them. Realistically the only (almost) certain trophy inches will come from hunts offered behind a fence, where the animals have been measured (under sedation) like rhino or are well-known to the owner like a single 43" buffalo, for example.

Most good hunting companies when faced with an client enquiry for a 52" cape buffalo can only promise that they will try their hardest but there are absolutely no guarantees.

Why Hunt Africa? For house or office furnishings...

These are the hunters that turn up unfit and generally unprepared to work to get their trophies, often with a beautiful double rifle that they don't know how to handle. These are the guys that often give up half way through and ask the PH for some 'help'. If you possibly come into this category you would probably do better in a fenced hunting area with a good road network.