I just wanted to make a posting here that will hopefully save some of you a lot of grief, as well as your hard earned money.

I read a post elsewhere this evening that read something like this: Hi, I just booked an African Plains Game Hunt for the beginning of June with PH .......... Has anyone heard of him, or hunted with him.

Folks, today is March 9th, and this persons hunt is less than 3 months away. Now is not the time to be checking references. The time is before you lay out your hard earned cash for a deposit.

Ask any prospective outfitter or PH, not just for some references, but a complete client list from the previous season. If you only get a couple of names, steer clear. Some outfitters will only want to send you the names of successful clients. I like to speak to all clients, even those who were unsuccessful. I can't begin to tell you the number of clients I've spoken with over the years who, even though they were not successful in taking their primary animal, still had a great time, an excellent hunt, and would hunt with the outfitter again. Hunting being what it is, doesn't guarantee success, unless you're shooting in an enclosure.

I hope this bit of advice helps someone out.