I have seen this many times - a client prepares a budget to hunt in South Africa/Africa, only to find out that there were costs never conveyed to him. What should you be on the lookout for?

• Animal prices - In South Africa we do not have government conservation fees etc as most of the hunting concessions are in private hands. However, in most other African countries most of the hunting concessions are owned by the government of that country, and other than the trophy fee, each animal hunted on these government owned concessions attract a conservation fee and/or a government tax plus some permit fees etc. When yo speak to your outfitter ask him/her to give you a total price including all permit fees, government taxes, conservation fees etc in order for you to do proper financial planning.
• Firearm permits - Most countries in Africa (I do not know of one who does not have this) will charge you a permit fee to bring your hunting firearms into the country. Some also charge a fee for the ammo (make sure of restrictions).
• Airfare - I have found Delta Airlines to not only be one of the most reasonably priced, but also one of the best carriers of firearms. I will always recommend them. Airfare from the USA to South Africa is around 1,800USD return.
• Day fees - Make sure what the day fee includes and excludes. Most outfitters will include a pick-up and drop-off at the airport. If not, request them to include it. Make sure that there are no extra costs like caping you trophy, transfers, drinks etc
• Taxidermy/dipping & shipping - it happens that clients never take into consideration these costs. The cost of taxidermy and dipping & shipping costs could sometimes exceed the price you paid for the animal. Most outfitters have a taxidermy they use. If you want to use your own taxidermy in your native country, make sure that you know what the dipping and shipping charges will be. Do not just choose a taxidermy because they are cheap. Remember that you paid good money for your trophy animal. Ensure that your prized trophy comes out the way you wanted. sometimes it is worth it to pay a little more to get the job done properly. I recently visited a taxidermy, and was shocked to see the poor quality of work. His prices were better than fair, but, other than the fact that one could clearly see the stitching, none of the animals looked  "alive".
• Extra activities - make sure what extra activities will cost you if you are interested in some of them

These are some of the most important issues to consider when drawing up your hunting budget. Should you require any advice on any of these matters, feel free to contact me. My advice is free of charge. mhimbibs@telkomsa.net