I don't agree a seven day safari is like a "drive-by shooting". All of my safaris have been seven day hunts: 1994 Zim; 2002 South Africa; 2002 Zimbabwe, except that one turned out to be 3 1/2 days + 7 days. A hunter makes of the hunt what he wants. If he just wants to sit in the back of a bacci shooting game in most cases he can. If he wants to hunt on foot he can. My 1994 safari we probably walked well in excess of 50 kms.

I just look at a seven day "short" hunt. If on buffalo many times we see the comments you need to take the first good bull you see as the hunt is too short. Or that it may be difficult to find one in that short of time. Then the PH usually wastes the first 2 or 3 days seeing if the client can hunt and shoot!

Also the time it takes say to get to Tanzania. First the long flight over the Indian Ocean (or the Atlantic) to Jo'burg. Perhaps stopping overnight at a hotel and all the f***ing customs problems. Then back through all the airport red tape and another flight to Dar. More red tape. Then probably an very expensive charter flight to the concession.

After all that you then only have seven days on the ground before it is all finished and home you go.

Yes you can go sight seeing and I would. But I would if it was seven days hunting or twenty-one days anyway.

The seven day "short" hunts are usually loaded up on the daily fees too, to squeeze more out of the client seeing the outfitter isn't getting the volume of days.

I guess I'm just having a real whinge seeing I can't go on a seven day, a 15 day or a 21 day safari this year!