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African Hunting Staff

African hunting staff are the often unseen and unsung people that keep your African hunt working. The hunting camp staff cook and serve your meals, wash your dirty laundry, build the fires and tidy up. The hunting crew spot and track your game, drive the hunting vehicle, carry your rifle (if necessary) and bags and skin your trophies.

Southern African Hunting Camps

In the kitchen there will usually be a head cook with maybe a couple of other staff to assist with cooking and cleaning in this area.
In some camps the outfitter's wife may supervise cooking in her own kitchen, then transfer the food to the camp.
Your rondavel will be cleaned and laundry will be done daily, probably by another couple of staff.
There will probably be another person collecting firewood and attending to outside maintenance.
African hunting staff will generally consist of just one tracker. PHs in southern Africa generally drive their own hunt vehicles and there is rarely a designated driver.
In the skinning shed there will be usually one head skinner and probably an assistant or two.

Wilderness Hunting Camps

There will be considerably more African hunting staff running these camps. This is because the camps are so remote that they must be self-sufficient in every eventuality. Some members of staff can multi-task, stepping in for each others jobs if necessary, should one fall ill or go on leave.

There will be a camp manager who oversees the day-to-day running of the camp and liaises with the PH regarding supplies etc.
In the kitchen will be a senior chef, an assistant chef and a staff chef. The head chef is usually a professionally trained cook.
There will be a waiter to serve meals and drinks. If the hunting party is large there may be an assistant waiter.
There will be a person to clean the tents daily and do the laundry.
There will be a person to collect water, treat it and refill the tent tanks.
There will be at least 2 security guards (one on day duty, the other on nights)
There may be a separate trained vehicle mechanic or sometimes the hunt vehicle drivers attend their own vehicles.
Hunting staff will consist usually of 2 trackers and a driver.
A senior skinner will run the skinning shed with an assistant or two.
A Government Game Scout will be present out on the hunt. He or she is not a member of staff but a separate entity employed by the wildlife department to ensure the hunting laws are not infringed. A Game Scout generally does as he pleases and it is a bonus when he joins in and becomes a member of the hunt team.