Bruce: Welcome to another episode of Whitetail Rendezvous. This is your host, Bruce Hutcheon, and we're extremely fortunate to have an Olympian, a global huntress and a lady that understands what's at stake to put together a trip across the street or across the world. Welcome to show, Amy Martin Shaffer.

Amy: Bruce, thanks for having me.

Bruce: Amy is the owner and operator of the ProHunt Concierge Ltd. Amy, talk to the listeners and tell us what you do at your business.

Amy: Well Bruce, ProHunt Concierge is pretty much an all-encompassing business dealing primarily with international hunting. I started it in 2011 after an extensive background and work history in the industry as both a guide, outfitter, booking agent, working with taxidermist, and of course, being a hunting client myself. I just saw a need for better preparation on the behalf of hunters themselves, and also for outfitters and the connection between was just lacking.

There's so many options out there, as you know, even just the whitetail industry, but when you expand that globally to all the different continents and all the different countries and the animals available, the outfitters available to all [inaudible 00:01:33] hunt to you. It's just such huge, huge field for people to choose from that I like to be the link that the hunters come to and say, "Hey, here's where I want to go. This is my wish list. This is who I am and what I'm capable of affording or doing, send me somewhere," and I kinda fill in all the gaps for them.

We get together and discuss exactly it is what they want, their personal preferences, their physical limitations. I find several different outfitters that match their needs and then let the client speak directly with the outfitter to make a decision. And then from there, once we choose an outfitter, I also help with all of the pre-trip preparations, recommendations on gear, on preparing for your hunt physically and mentally, and also just coordinating all of the logistics involved from everything with trophy shipments to visas and passports, and even getting your immunizations done. I really am an all-encompassing, one-stop-shop for the international hunter.

Bruce: So Amy, here I am. I'm 68 years old and personally I haven't hunted outside of North America. What would you recommend me looking at as my first global hunt?

Amy: Well, give me an example of an animal that you'd like to pursue as a hunter? What peaks you interest? Maybe even just the type of hunting that you like. Do you want to go on the mountains? Do you want to go in the forest? What peaks your interest Bruce?

Bruce: I would like to start off in South Africa and go after the plains game with the opportunity to take a kudu and then work up to a Cape buffalo.

Amy: Okay. Well I'd give you names of outfitters that there's about 15 that can accommodate for you. We would just sit down and discuss maybe the other budget, the other animals that you would like. Whether you would like a free range hunt or don't mind being on a very large fenced property. I like to specialize in hunts that I would personally go on. Hunting over there, there's such huge vast tracts of private ranches that I tend to stay with the larger ranches.

Then let's talk about is there anything else you want to do after the trip? Do you want to go visit the beach? Do you want to hike Table Mountain? Do you want to ride the train? That's also part of what I do is let's go find you the best kudu with the best operator that matches your personality and your age limitations, whatever guns you might want to shoot. And then we would just talk with him and see if he's got availability on dates that suit you and go from there.

There's a lot involved. I don't just throw one operator at you and say, "Here's who you have to go with." You will know as much about the hunt and the process and be educated as we go forward, especially since it's your first time going over.