Empirevr,

Prices vary from country to country and according to product quality in the same way that different cars are different prices but FWIW, and hoping John doesn't mind me quoting figures, we sell a 1x1 10 day hunt in the Selous Reserve Tanzania inclusive of charters etc for US$19990 plus trophy fees. You can take 2 Buff for US$2200 each plus a few plains game. Full details are on my site or you can e-mail me at the aforementioned address.

In fairness, it should be noted that Tanzania is at the expensive end of the African safari business but it's also as good as it gets. As I think I said before, according to the Frankfurt Zoological Society, Tanzania has more Buffalo than all the other southern and east African countries put together.

John,

I am right. Until a year or two ago, it was common practice to offer split licences and pretty much everyone accepted it, but the GD have now warned that it's a case of do it at your peril and (to be brutally honest) I for one, know on which side my bread is buttered.

The real difference in attitude has come about with the new generation of game scout and other staff. In the old days, the scouts learned their craft in the bush and knew the old adage about rules being for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men. The new guys coming through now have been trained in college and learned a lot of their knowledge from books and are more at home with a briefcase than a rifle........ this'll probably change in a few years time as they gain more practical experience but at the moment, that's how it is. I guess its a case of the times, they are a changin'......... at least for now!

I hope that doesn't sound like a criticism. The new guys are different but not necessarily worse. Some depts, such as the anti poaching one are better than they ever were and will get feet on the ground within a few hours of being called if needed.

What will be interesting is what will happen about the unenforceable mistakes in the game laws. For example when they were being written up in the 60s(?) they made the mistake of saying you can't shot a flatdog within 200 metres of water. Effectively, that means pretty much every one that's been shot since then was technically illegal!