Always ascertain exactly where the hunt takes place, for example, if it's in Zimbabwe make absolutely sure if it's on land that hasn't been "re-distributed" and that the owners aren't on the banned list with the US Govt...... The penalties for breach of the Lacey act are severe. If the hunt takes place in Tanzania for example, make absolutely sure where. Many people offer hunts in areas they charmingly describe as nestling against or adjacent to the Selous etc...... What that means, is it's in the buffer zone, and buffer zones tend to hold a far lower game population than the Selous itself. Of course, one must understand that even areas such as Selous isn't a guarantee of having lots of game around. It's an immense area and the game is free to roam and most herds etc tend to follow the rains and grazing......

There's lots of African countries that offer good Buff hunting and I've only mentioned two of them - but I'm sure you get the idea.....

Make sure you get a comprehensive safari contract detailing all costs and what is and isn't included in your package price.

If you allow a minimum of 7 days hunting for a Buff hunt you should be about right...... but the more days you hunt, the more fun it is and the more chance of success you have.

Most countries allow 1 Buff per hunter/package but FWIW, a 7 day licence in Tanzania allows 2 Buff & some plains game per seven day licence.

Many people will suggest you ask for references - but they're really a waste of time. No-one is going to put you in touch with a dissatisfied customer. - It's probably better to check to see how long the safari company has been in business. If they're well established then they must be doing things pretty well. It's always a good idea to ask for pictures with the PH you'll be hunting with actually in those pictures.

One of the most important things to remember is that hunting is like most things in life and that quality comes at a price and that there's no such thing as a free lunch.