I've spoken with a zim PH about my recent self guided hunt in Cameroun. He said this is possible for a foreigner also in Zim if he buy a Nykasanga's action hunt. I asked again if is sure and he said YES. Is this true?

What he means is that anyone can bid on the auction system. Self guided in Zimbabwe?

Mario - Nyakasanga does have some very good hunting, but I'm not totally sure you could do it the way you are thinking. I know residents of Zim can certainly do a DIY hunt in there, but I think non-resident hunting might be another story. Plus, you're gonna need a vehicle in there, camp, etc, etc, etc. It would be awfully fun, but I think it wouldn't be legal. Perhaps one of the Zim PH's could way in on the facts???

as far as i am aware on zim citizens can do self guided hunts. You will need a PH

Unless things have changed - and with the unpredictability of Zim, you never know - a foreigner can buy the auctioned hunt, but must make use of a licensed PH.

For the record.

Sapi and Nyakasanga are 'chase Libre' areas. Anybody may buy a hunt. You do not require the services of a Zim PH and are free to hunt entirely on your own (well, with a parks game scout tagging along)

Many foreign hunters used to do this, and hire a farmer or somebody to outfit and manage the camp for them. Andy Hunter (MuVimi) used to hire out a fully equiped camp but may have sold it.

The 'crime' comes when an unlicesned PH guides a client...ie a South African Operator buys the camp and then acts as the PH of a US or European client rather than just as a camp out fitter. There are several Zimababwean 'outfitters' that also act as unlicesned PH's...not just the lads from south of the border.

Mario...I could never actually see the point in this as It is cheaper to buy a hunt in a prime area, and get you meals provided and services of a good PH thown in for less than it will cost to buy the camp and out fit it. I appreciate the dream of 'doing it your self' without a PH along to hold your hand...but this is technically legal on tribal or private land as well - no PH is legal but an unlicensed PH is a crime.

Of course, almost no safari operator is going to let you guide yourself- he has promised his PH's days and he also doesn't want wounded dangerous animals that he has to then run around after and clean up...

However, I can recomend Cladio Chiareli (I have probably spelt his name wrong - sorry) who has a camp there set up each season and run by a mate of mine. If you bought a hunt, you could base out of Cladio's camp, Hire a cruiser and bumble happily about on your own.

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
For the record.

Sapi and Nyakasanga are 'chase Libre' areas. Anybody may buy a hunt. You do not require the services of a Zim PH and are free to hunt entirely on your own (well, with a parks game scout tagging along)

Many foreign hunters used to do this, and hire a farmer or somebody to outfit and manage the camp for them. Andy Hunter (MuVimi) used to hire out a fully equiped camp but may have sold it.

The 'crime' comes when an unlicesned PH guides a client...ie a South African Operator buys the camp and then acts as the PH of a US or European client rather than just as a camp out fitter. There are several Zimababwean 'outfitters' that also act as unlicesned PH's...not just the lads from south of the border.

Mario...I could never actually see the point in this as It is cheaper to buy a hunt in a prime area, and get you meals provided and services of a good PH thown in for less than it will cost to buy the camp and out fit it. I appreciate the dream of 'doing it your self' without a PH along to hold your hand...but this is technically legal on tribal or private land as well - no PH is legal but an unlicensed PH is a crime.

Of course, almost no safari operator is going to let you guide yourself- he has promised his PH's days and he also doesn't want wounded dangerous animals that he has to then run around after and clean up...

However, I can recomend Cladio Chiareli (I have probably spelt his name wrong - sorry) who has a camp there set up each season and run by a mate of mine. If you bought a hunt, you could base out of Cladio's camp, Hire a cruiser and bumble happily about on your own.

There ya go, the explanation we all needed. Mario, good luck!

What Ganyana has said is completely accurate, however unless you are an experienced hunter and furthermore experienced in Zimbabwe(another thing altogether) I wouldnt recomend that you try it. As many people who are "zim experienced" will tell you, there are a myriad of problems from local politics, to speaking the language, to how to handle trophies with Parks etc etc that you would have to contend with, and thats just when things go right.!!! My personal feeling is that you would be far better off dealing with a reputable PH and operator who will give you some bang for your buck

I just completed a great hunt in Sapi this past May, see the report in that section. Mokore Safaris (Neil Duckworth) outfitted and guided me on the trip. Their cost to do it was extremely reasonable and well worth it.

470...but there you are back to a reputable zim company and the services of a good, licensed PH.

If Mario wants a chase Libre hunt without a PH to guide him....better to speak to Cladio (who speaks Italian) about a camp and trophy handling and hireing a truck and and....

Realistically I would recomend Andy Hunters back pack safaris in the chewore for those that are looking for the ultimate in 'old time' adventure hunting.

I know Nyakasanga as I hunted there a couple of year ago with Barry Van Herdeen. Great place.
Of course a chasse libre is another story. So thanks to Ganyana for the infos. Yes the problem can be the camp as I havent see tourist camps there and I think Barry leave his camp.
I do not trust too much in Mr. Chiarelli after the Tarabini's tragedy and after a couple of bad experiences of several friends.
Ther'is an old sugar station there, that is private. I think they have a hunting camp there and maybe they lease it.
However the difficulties are not only camps and vehicles but also the staff at the camp, butchery, skinning etc.

A true Chase Libre hunt sounds like a pain in the ass. I will happily just show up with money and let my safari company do everything else.

quote:

Originally posted by BigBoreCore:
A true Chase Libre hunt sounds like a pain in the ass.

That is the point to some extent. Any success belongs to the hunter.

quote:

Originally posted by BigBoreCore:
I will happily just show up with money and let my safari company do everything else.

And, outside of pulling the trigger, that is the extent of many client's contribution to the hunt.

Some of us just want a more genuine experience.

And BTW, it is not about the money. Guided hunts are arguably cheaper than chase libre hunts. If counting on a per animal/trophy basis, guided hunts are far cheaper.

I bought an Nyakasanga hunt a couple of years ago. I hired Rich Tabor as PH and Roger Whittall Safaris as outfitter for the camp. The Whittall end could have used some improvement, a lot of improvement actually.

I believe it unwise to hunt a place like Nyakasanga without at least a guide accustomed to the game if you are yourself not more than just familiar with the game. But if one were to want to hunt on their own, without a guide, PH or trackers, then the late season would be the time. Early season and the brush is thick, as well as the elephants, some of which had nasty dispositions. Many lions as well.

JBrown, as in all things, a hunter will get out of a safari what he puts into it. If he wishes to be a trigger puller who otherwise is merely an observer, so be it. But for the most part, PH's I have hunted with or known welcome as much participation as the hunter wishes.

JPK

"I hired Rich Tabor as PH and Roger Whittall Safaris as outfitter for the camp. The Whittall end could have used some improvement, a lot of improvement actually."

The condition of these camps "as is" are terrible. The Sapi camp we used would be worthless if you didn't bring in everything you needed. Mokore sent a team in a week ahead of me to make the camp very comfortable. They brought in the tents, bedding, built a shower stall, brought generators, etc. The only building we used was the dining area. They had prepared me for how rundown everything was and they kept apologizing to me for the conditions. I was amazed how much effort they put into making me comfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by 470Evans:
"I hired Rich Tabor as PH and Roger Whittall Safaris as outfitter for the camp. The Whittall end could have used some improvement, a lot of improvement actually."

The condition of these camps "as is" are terrible. The Sapi camp we used would be worthless if you didn't bring in everything you needed. Mokore sent a team in a week ahead of me to make the camp very comfortable. They brought in the tents, bedding, built a shower stall, brought generators, etc. The only building we used was the dining area. They had prepared me for how rundown everything was and they kept apologizing to me for the conditions. I was amazed how much effort they put into making me comfortable.

Knowing Makore's camps and knowing the Whittall's I don't doubt that the camp the Duckworths set up was a grade higher than the Whitall camp - it was always that way in Chewore - but the Whittall camp was not bad. Generators, wiring for lights, etc, etc...

What was a problem is that I traded Roger a buff quota for outfitting the camp, but told him that the camp was to be exclusively mine, and that his hunter would have to stay elsewhere. Instead, one of the world's biggest a-holes shows up to shoot a hippo. What a friggin' tool. He was rude to EVERYONE, especially those who couldn't tell him to f--k himself without risk of their jobs.

We were up early since I hate rushing in the am, and then on the road to reach our destination before daylight each morning and returned well after dark each evening. Not our hero. He had the gall to bitch, in my friggin' camp, about the hours, up too early and dinner too late for his taste. Three painful days that I had thought that I'd gaurded against. Drama every one of those evenings. I finally had enough and told him to shut the hell up or I would kick his butt out of my camp. Thankfully he killed his hippo the evening of day three, and that made him an insufferable expert, but he left the next morning, after more drama.

(Just to give you an idea of what an ass this jerk was, he lectured me on how to travel internationally with firearms, because, according to him, I was doing it all wrong - but he was delayed a day because his guns didn't make the plane! The PH's called him FIGJAM - F--k I'm Good, Just Ask Me!, which is a Don Heath original bestowed on the cocky at the Rifa camps according to the PH's.)

Then, to top it off, in comes a hunter and camera crew for the buff hunt... Now, as it turns out, the hunter and his pro camera crew were really good guys and fun company, but that is no excuse for Roger. I had planned and looked forward to hard hunting and a quiet camp. Didn't get it.

JPK

Were I to undertake such an adventure I'm quite certain I'd get lost, cold, wet and shoot generally small if any trophies.

The first time I hunted on Mokore I know I had been over the same areas more than once but there was no way I could find my way back to camp even were I to find myself on a road. The second time I hunted Mokore I felt everything was more recognizable but getting lost would have been a real possibility were I not guided.

Even in Alaska one of the valid reasons non residents are required to use guides while hunting certain species of game is the real possibility or probability of danger for the hunter.

quote:

And, outside of pulling the trigger, that is the extent of many client's contribution to the hunt.

Some of us just want a more genuine experience.

Jason,

I'm not a traditionalist about the gear, clothes etc but I do have a traditional idea of what safari is supposed to be and doing it all myself is not safari in my mind. A "genuine experience" applied to safari does involve daily laundry, hot showers, sundowners, skinners, a good PH etc. Going to Africa and doing it yourself is something else in my opinion.

Mark

One thing to consider on one of these do it on your own safaris is that you can end up spending so much time on the camp chores including skinning etc, that it can drasticaly cut the amount of time you have to get out of camp and actually hunt.

465H&H

for me the exeperience of the self guided hunt is interesting because is like to hunt in the gold age, before people like Bror Blixen or Selous invented the figure of the professional hunter. Is a challenge with the nature.Of course some things go wrong and is very difficult be able to run a camp without the experience of a PH. In Nyakasanga, for my experience, could be also very dangerous. More dangerous that in Cameroun where I went last april as is plenty of big game the animals are very aggressive (last time Barry killed a charging tuskless cow).

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:

quote:

And, outside of pulling the trigger, that is the extent of many client's contribution to the hunt.

Some of us just want a more genuine experience.

Jason,

I'm not a traditionalist about the gear, clothes etc but I do have a traditional idea of what safari is supposed to be and doing it all myself is not safari in my mind. A "genuine experience" applied to safari does involve daily laundry, hot showers, sundowners, skinners, a good PH etc. Going to Africa and doing it yourself is something else in my opinion.

Mark

Mark
I was speaking of the hunting experience being genuine, not the camp experience.

Self-guided simply means that you don't have a PH leading the way(or holding your hand). You can have as large of a staff as you like. If you want a luxury camp with a French chef, champagne, and daily laundry you could do that on a self guided hunt. You would just have to plan ahead.