A great way to get the most out of an African safari is to go with someone who’s been there before. And that’s exactly what is offered in this exceptional sweepstakes. An experienced travel companion adds peace of mind, especially for international travel. Advice on what to pack and what to expect is invaluable, as is knowing how to negotiate airports, customs, and cultures of a foreign country.
The perfect travel/hunting companion comes with this South Africa safari sweepstakes package. Tim Herald, WTA’s senior consultant, has hunted Africa 35 times, and he’s anxious to get back for this plainsgame hunt. Here’s why.
The hunt takes place in an 80,000-acre wilderness area known to produce big kudu and other trophy animals. The winner will be able to hunt kudu, blue wildebeest, blesbok, warthog, gemsbok (or hartebeest), impala (or springbok) and duiker (or steenbock). It’s a 7-day hunt with 7 animals on the winner’s list…that’s an animal-a-day adventure. And the winner has the option of upping the adventure level by adding other animals by paying the trophy fees. (Hint #1: Study the species list and strongly consider, and be prepared, to tag more onto your adventure.) And, there’s an option to bring another hunter or observer for an additional cost. (Hint #2: Bring someone.)
This makes a great introductory hunt in Africa but it is certainly not a novice-level hunt. It’s the real deal with an extraordinary camp in a beautifully remote area.
The hunt takes place in the Kalahari Region, near the Botswana border. “It’s a unique camp,” Tim said. This second-generation outfitter—the operation has been in the same family for decades—has built a luxury tent camp deep in the bush. “And it’s not your normal East Africa-style tents with just a bed in them; I mean, they are luxury,” Tim said. And they serve meals prepared by a chef. Not a cook, a chef.
“It is real upscale but you are in the middle of nowhere,” Herald said. “And in a tented camp it’s going to feel more like being on safari than staying in a lodge that’s set up like a hotel room. It’s just unique to anything that I’ve seen over there, having all the comforts you could want but you’re still staying in tents and you’re staying out in the middle of the bush.”
Tim said he’s hunted in Botswana just across the border, so he’s very familiar with the area. It’s one of the reasons he’s anxious to get back. “The trophy quality is off the charts, with kudu in the mid-50s to over 60 inches, huge gemsbok, huge eland. I don’t know what it is about the desert environment. It’s probably like Sonora where everything they eat is protein. The trophy quality is just superb.”
For most hunters, plainsgame is the place to get their feet wet in Africa, mostly because of the abundance and variety of game species. Dangerous game is often the next step. They say once you visit Africa, you’ll always want to return. So if you’re the winner you may start something.
“I don’t know what it is about Africa,” Tim said, “but I fell in love with it and every time I’m there, I’m already trying to plan my next return. It’s something that got inside me and I hear a lot of people say the same thing. And it’s not that I don’t want to hunt other places, but to me, nothing is like Africa.”
Though he’s hunted Africa many times, Tim has never moved on from plainsgame.
“I have been to Africa 35 times, killed 29 buffalo, lion, two leopards, six elephants, two hippos, a crocodile, and darted a rhino, but I still love hunting plainsgame,” he said. “I love eland because they are huge, you track them like buffalo, but they are more wary and switched on. A big bonus is that they are my favorite red meat on earth.”
And kudu. He said he has taken 15, “and I still hunt them any chance I get. They are regal, a challenge, and overall a magnificent animal.”
“So I do still enjoy the variety and challenges that plainsgame hunting provides, but I don’t necessarily always try to just get the biggest. I like to hunt old animals and get the experience. Of course I am going to shoot a 60″ kudu if I see it, but an old, heavy, worn-down bull that provides a great stalk would be just as much fun to me.”
Like I said, Tim has the experience and attitude to be a boon traveling and hunting companion. He’s too modest to say it, but he’s an expert hunter, has written who-knows-how-many articles on African hunting, and has produced a boatload of safari TV shows and videos.
In summary, the winner will experience the quality of camp, the quality of animals, and the quality advice and companionship of someone who’s been there three dozen times. And as if the safari isn’t enough, the winner will also receive $2,000 for airfare.
The hunt, valued at $12,240, will take place from June 14–20, 2024. There’s plenty of time to plan. But the sweepstakes ends July 31, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. If you win, you can choose to hunt with a rifle, archery, or crossbow—the outfitter is experienced at all of them. Tim will work to coordinate travel plans, so if you don’t end up on the same flight to Johannesburg for the overnight stay, he’ll make sure someone meets you at the airport and gets you to the hotel. The next day, the outfitter will be there to begin the 5-hour drive to camp.
Sweepstakes tickets are $25 and you can buy up to 10 tickets. And with each dollar you spend, you earn Bonus Bucks which are valid for one year and can be cashed in on your next WTA adventure or applied to your next TAGS portfolio.
Don’t miss this chance to hunt Africa. Enter now!
