I’ll be honest, I want to hunt at Senuko Ranch in the Save Conservancy in the Lowveld of Zimbabwe. I have wanted to for quite some time. In fact, I went to Reno last year with the full intention of booking a hunt there. In Reno, I got to meet Clive Stokil, owner of Senuko, and one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Save Conservancy. After talking to Clive for a while, however, it became obvious that he was, let’s say, somewhat unenthusiastic about selling me a hunt.

Now, it could be that I caught him on a bad day, or that he was in a bad mood. Or maybe I just read him wrong (or it could be that he just disliked ME), but the result was that I looked elsewhere for a hunt. That elsewhere turned out to be Jumbo Moore’s ARDA camp, right next door to Senuko in the Save. I had an absolute ball hunting with Jumbo. There was plenty of game, good PH, great trackers and a comfortable tent camp. I would not hesitate to recommend Jumbo Safaris to anyone looking for a true African safari experience.

The problem is I want to take my wife with me on my next safari. Now, I married a great gal, however she is definitely “citified†to the core. She has been to Africa with me before (Namibia) and says she will go again, but only if we can stay in a nice lodge. Senuko IS a nice lodge. For those who don’t know, Senuko Lodge, when not being used as a hunting camp, caters to tree huggers and shutter bugs and costs three or four hundred bucks a day for a room. Each bungalow sits out on its own kopje ledge with an open front overlooking the valley below. They say the views are breathtaking. It is the perfect place for wives, like mine, whose idea of roughing it is the Holiday Inn. As a bonus, for me, Senuko is one of the largest ranches in the Save with great populations of game, including some of the largest buffalo and leopard in Zimbabwe. (As you may know, there are few places in Zimbabwe where one can stay in a nice lodge and hunt dangerous game. That’s usually reserved for plains game hunters in Namibia and RSA.)

Another bonus is hunting on Sunuko is the realm of Gordon Duncan. Gordon is a well known PH with a good reputation as a dangerous game hunter. There is a famous video of him shooting a charging bull elephant when he was guarding a bunch of shutterbugs. He did everything in the world to deter the charge, but ended up having to shoot it at a distance of six feet! I have been in email contact with him, and he seems to be a very pleasant and enthusiastic person – the type of person with whom I would enjoy a hunt. I’ll bet that if he had been manning their booth in Reno, I would have booked a hunt there, or at least agreed to be put on a waiting list for a buffalo, as their quota was full for 2005 at the time of the Reno convention. (Turns out that I would have gotten a hunt, as buffalo did become available on Senuko.)

So, I’m going to try again to book a hunt at Senuko Ranch. This time there will be three hunters and three wives. It’s rumored that Gordon will be making the convention rounds this year and I will get to deal directly with him instead of Clive. I hope so, because when I decide to spend 10-20 thousand dollars on a hunt, I’d like the host to act like he actually wants me there, whether he does or not!

So tell me, did I read Clive wrong? I certainly hope so.

Any feedback is appreciated

I don't know Clive but it sure sounds like you have your heart set on the property and what it offers. Check them out again at the show and see how you feel.

Good luck!

GAHUNTER - I've known both Clive and Gordon for over 10-years and would honestly say (due to whatever circumstances) you just got off on the wrong foot. They are both salt-of-the-earth, honest guys and well respected by their peers.

Gordon bears primary responsibilities in the marketing and conducting of hunts... as Clive's efforts are typically focused elsewhere. Unfortunately - as you know - Gordon wasn't here last year, but will be this year.

There are very few places as nicely equipped as Senuko. You'll be fine. Book with Gordon and give Clive a second chance. We all have off days, don’t we?

Thanks New Guy. (BTW with over 1100 posts you ain't exactly a "new guy" any more)

I was told in Zimbabwe last May that Clive never intended for hunting to be as important an endeavor as it has become in the Save when he spearheaded its establishment. He thought eco-tourists would pay the way. I just figured that he didn't like hunters very much.

As you and Ann both can tell, I am more than willing to give them a second chance. I dearly love the Save and believe this to be the premier property in the conservancy. I just hope Gordon is ready for an aging Southerner and the two African "Newbies" who will accompany me.

quote:

Originally posted by GAHUNTER:
Thanks New Guy. (BTW with over 1100 posts you ain't exactly a "new guy" any more)

I was told in Zimbabwe last May that Clive never intended for hunting to be as important an endeavor as it has become in the Save when he spearheaded its establishment. He thought eco-tourists would pay the way. I just figured that he didn't like hunters very much.

All of that's accurate - except the part about Clive not liking hunters. You might say that the conservancy (combined with politics of late) doesn't afford Clive much time to hunt anymore, but he's an old hunter at heart. He's been a licensed PH for nearly 30-years, and I actually came to know him through a mutual friend that took lion, elephant and buff with him over that time.

Ganyana is a better known reference for both Clive and Gordon than I am. He's "on the ground" and knows the community/profession better than I do. I'm sure if you PM him he'd be glad to respond.

Well Gordon and Glen Stockil will both be at the convention, either hanging arround with Ron Oliver, their USA agent or on the Zimbabwe ZPHGA booth.

Senuko is definatly a good area and it is a real joy to hunt as a PH