I am reading "Buffalo!" by Craig Boddington and he made a comment that "as a group", he opined that Zimbabwe has the best PHs in Africa.

He stated he believes this is due to the fact that more of the Zim PHs grew up hunting at a early age, and thus became excellent trackers and good at spotting game.


I have hunted twice in Zim and both of my PHs Lindon Stanton and Kirk Mason seemed to be excellent trackers, on par with the trackers in their crew.

I hunted once in RSA and the PH, although very good, did not seem quite as good at tracking as his crew (although he was pretty good at spotting game).

I am curious what other people have experienced in their hunts.

BH63

I have to agree that as a whole, Zim has produced the best PHs. This is not to say that there are not other great PHs from other countries.

I have hunted in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. In my mind it is not even close, Zimbabwe has the best cadre of professional hunters as a general rule. Of course, there are outstanding PH's in most countries I would guess, but in terms of what country generally has the highest consistent quality in their PH's, I would have to say Zimbabwe based on the countries I have hunted.

Qualifying to be a PH seems far more stringent in Zim. In RSA one can be a "PH" without necessarily being qualified for dangerous game hunts. (One of mine recognized this from the certification number/license no. of another. Both knew their job and performed admirably.)

"The client is always right" figures more into how PH's in RSA are taught to handle business? What I've noticed about Zim PH's is they seem far more the "I'm in charge here" types.

Out of eight African hunts I have hunted Zim twice..........One good PH and one awful PH....

.

This is interesting. I have never hunted in Zimbabwe. I will have to change that. I see that all the most experienced buffalo hunters on this site speak highly of it. I've kind of got in a Limpopo groove.(6X)
My wife always comes with me and we like to explore the country after the hunt.
I guess that would work in Zim too.

The 3 PHs in camp when I hunted in Tz we're all Zimbos.

This is quite a shabby generalisation and there are very renowned PHs throughout Africa and not one can out track or has the vision of a well qualified African tracker of which there are plenty.

You would need to have hunted all countries in order to make this assessment and then maybe consider which country can boast the safest history in DG hunting and one that does not suffer persistent accidents by client or PH.

Whilst Zim has some outstanding PHs I assure you a good quality PH does not need to track as an attribute to his skills in the field. Nor does growing up in Zim improve your eyesight.

Zim PH's go thru the most comprehensive and lengthy apprentice to professional level training in all of Africa.

How these guys operate in today's Zimbabwe is truly amazing. From simple camps to luxurious camps, they have every type covered.

These PH's know how to "make a plan" when things go bad and supplies are scarce or non existent.

I'm so glad I have hunted there in 2007, when things were real bad and commodities scarce and then again in 2011, when the economy was stronger and times better.

Both of my hunts were with Buffalo Range Safaris. I also treasured my time spent at The Ultimate Safari Lodge with Russell and gang on both trips. For those of us lucky enough to have experienced that place with Russell, you know what I mean. I met a lot of well know current and retired PH's on both trips. That place is like Rick's American Cafe in the movie "Casablanca". What memories!

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
This is quite a shabby generalisation and there are very renowned PHs throughout Africa and not one can out track or has the vision of a well qualified African tracker of which there are plenty.

You would need to have hunted all countries in order to make this assessment and then maybe consider which country can boast the safest history in DG hunting and one that does not suffer persistent accidents by client or PH.

Whilst Zim has some outstanding PHs I assure you a good quality PH does not need to track as an attribute to his skills in the field. Nor does growing up in Zim improve your eyesight.

cant agree more with you Andrew. i ve seen some French, Namibian and Zambian Phs that were highly skilled ...

quote:

Originally posted by medved:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
This is quite a shabby generalisation and there are very renowned PHs throughout Africa and not one can out track or has the vision of a well qualified African tracker of which there are plenty.

You would need to have hunted all countries in order to make this assessment and then maybe consider which country can boast the safest history in DG hunting and one that does not suffer persistent accidents by client or PH.

Whilst Zim has some outstanding PHs I assure you a good quality PH does not need to track as an attribute to his skills in the field. Nor does growing up in Zim improve your eyesight.

cant agree more with you Andrew. i ve seen some French, Namibian and Zambian Phs that were highly skilled ...

I think you guys are missing the point. The OP was talking in generalities as "in average". I don't think even an idiot would say there are no good PHs in other countries, but given the rigors of becoming one in Zim as compared to the rest of Africa, there is no doubt that ON AVERAGE, Zim PHs are the best.

I have the study info and the actual exam book for Zim PH's test. It is very comprehensive. I have always heard the Zim PHs must more work--both book and practical--than any other country. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:

quote:

Originally posted by medved:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
This is quite a shabby generalisation and there are very renowned PHs throughout Africa and not one can out track or has the vision of a well qualified African tracker of which there are plenty.

You would need to have hunted all countries in order to make this assessment and then maybe consider which country can boast the safest history in DG hunting and one that does not suffer persistent accidents by client or PH.

Whilst Zim has some outstanding PHs I assure you a good quality PH does not need to track as an attribute to his skills in the field. Nor does growing up in Zim improve your eyesight.

cant agree more with you Andrew. i ve seen some French, Namibian and Zambian Phs that were highly skilled ...

I think you guys are missing the point. The OP was talking in generalities as "in average". I don't think even an idiot would say there are no good PHs in other countries, but given the rigors of becoming one in Zim as compared to the rest of Africa, there is no doubt that ON AVERAGE, Zim PHs are the best.

Would I be an idiot to state they also have the highest accident and mortality rate? On average.

This is a bit like asking what state has the best looking women. Sure, there are some pretty ones from Texas, but saying you're dating a Texas girl doesn't mean you're not with an ugly pig, as Texas has plenty of those, too (just like any other state). Much the same way, there are surely some ugly pigs among the Zim PH fraternity. The flip of that is the awful reputation South African PHs have in the more glamorous safari countries. There are some very good PHs from RSA, but having an Afrikaner name is certainly a strike against you up front if you're trying to work in Tanzania or Zambia. In the end, having an average assessment doesn't seem very useful to a potential safari client. Of course, I guess it's more fun to consider such things than to work or do whatever else everyone on here does when they're not hunting.

I'll be joined by a Zim PH in Ethiopia in a couple of months. Opted to hunt both areas in Cameroon with Zim PHs as well. When we head to Uganda in March . . . it will be with Zimbos again.

I'd say, as a whole, Zim produces the most above average to outstanding PHs. There are plenty of great PHs in every country where there is a reasonable amount of organized hunting, but Zim certainly stands out.

quote:

Would I be an idiot to state they also have the highest accident and mortality rate? On average.

Only if you failed to take into account pertinent valid measures of effectiveness such as percentage of hunts overall, dangerous game and the obvious non-hunting related deaths, such as the gent who was eaten by a croc.

I would have to say overall experience is not to be underestimated. I once hunted with a rather young PH in Tanz who had never hunted there and he was very uncomfortable judging ele and buff there. Nice guy, busted his butt, but wasn't in the league of a guy with more gray hair.

My first safari was with a zim ph. of more than four decades of professional experience. He was so good at tracking that he would sometimes correct the trackers when he saw them getting it wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:

quote:

Originally posted by medved:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
This is quite a shabby generalisation and there are very renowned PHs throughout Africa and not one can out track or has the vision of a well qualified African tracker of which there are plenty.

You would need to have hunted all countries in order to make this assessment and then maybe consider which country can boast the safest history in DG hunting and one that does not suffer persistent accidents by client or PH.

Whilst Zim has some outstanding PHs I assure you a good quality PH does not need to track as an attribute to his skills in the field. Nor does growing up in Zim improve your eyesight.

cant agree more with you Andrew. i ve seen some French, Namibian and Zambian Phs that were highly skilled ...

I think you guys are missing the point. The OP was talking in generalities as "in average". I don't think even an idiot would say there are no good PHs in other countries, but given the rigors of becoming one in Zim as compared to the rest of Africa, there is no doubt that ON AVERAGE, Zim PHs are the best.

Would I be an idiot to state they also have the highest accident and mortality rate? On average.

Do they have the highest accident and mortality rate? I ask because I don't have any idea if that is true. I would guess that Zim hosts more DG hunts than all other African countries put together.

I believe that CB was partially taking into account the fact that Zim has a very strict apprenticeship and exam process that seems to be universally enforced. Most other African countries don't require the amount of training and experience and/or don't universally enforce their rules when giving out PH licenses(some countries have a bad habit of giving out PH licenses to those who are willing to pay but don't have the experience).

Just playing devils advocate here.

Name a PH in Ethiopia that is not up to scratch?

If the thread was group of best elephant PH's then Zim would be a front runner.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
I'll be joined by a fascinating PH in Ethiopia in a couple of months. Opted to hunt both areas in Cameroon with Zim PHs as well. When we head to Uganda in March . . . it will be with Zimbos again.

I'd say, as a whole, Zim produces the most above average to outstanding PHs. There are plenty of great PHs in every country where there is a reasonable amount of organized hunting, but Zim certainly stands out.

Hi Will,

I would have thought the ridged Zim PH examination and conditions were far removed from the high icy peaks of the Bale mountains?

Good luck in Ethiopia. Note your PH here will be a national as foreign PHs cannot conduct safaris in country.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:

quote:

Originally posted by medved:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
This is quite a shabby generalisation and there are very renowned PHs throughout Africa and not one can out track or has the vision of a well qualified African tracker of which there are plenty.

You would need to have hunted all countries in order to make this assessment and then maybe consider which country can boast the safest history in DG hunting and one that does not suffer persistent accidents by client or PH.

Whilst Zim has some outstanding PHs I assure you a good quality PH does not need to track as an attribute to his skills in the field. Nor does growing up in Zim improve your eyesight.

cant agree more with you Andrew. i ve seen some French, Namibian and Zambian Phs that were highly skilled ...

I think you guys are missing the point. The OP was talking in generalities as "in average". I don't think even an idiot would say there are no good PHs in other countries, but given the rigors of becoming one in Zim as compared to the rest of Africa, there is no doubt that ON AVERAGE, Zim PHs are the best.

Would I be an idiot to state they also have the highest accident and mortality rate? On average.

Do they have the highest accident and mortality rate? I ask because I don't have any idea if that is true. I would guess that Zim hosts more DG hunts than all other African countries put together.

I believe that CB was partially taking into account the fact that Zim has a very strict apprenticeship and exam process that seems to be universally enforced. Most other African countries don't require the amount of training and experience and/or don't universally enforce their rules when giving out PH licenses(some countries have a bad habit of giving out PH licenses to those who are willing to pay but don't have the experience).

Looking through the list of qualified Tanzanian PHs there are some legends here and a host of other top notch PHs. Really depends on how you judge a PH? One of the most important qualities of a PH is to ensure that the client gets the very best return for his hard earned money. They say good areas make good PHs.

Zimbabwe certainly has the most stringent requirements in Africa for becoming a PH or PG. And the best are also SOAZ/ZPHGA members.

I think we are past decsribing anyone as the "best" in anything, especially generalizing with a specific profession.

It all depends on the individual involved, just in any walk of life.

They are exceptional PHs from many countries, and there are bloody awful ones from the same countries.

Also, one has to take into consideration in whose opinion a PH is great or not.

There are some clients who are so obsessed with what they think they should be getting from a hunt, that no PH can satisfy them, no matter how hard he tries.

Sometimes I get a communication from a client on his first hunt, basically explaining how he was well and truly got screwed by PH X.

When I answer that from his own details, I really cannot see how he could blame the PH, but himself.

I get an earful of insults that because of AR, I am siding with those who pay me to advertise on it!

This is the sort of client who I have said many times before, have no right to go on safari!

As several posters pointed out, this topic is in no way meant to disparage any individual PH, but was merely bringing up a posit made by Mr. Boddington (who has hunted in several different countries). To be fair, this book was printed in 2008, so he may have changed his opinion since then.

My own, very limited experience also seemed to indicate this point as well.

Since Zim, is one of the few African countries where in the recent past, locals can afford to hunt glamour game and DG, I can see where these hunters might have a more skill set, than hunters with less experience, who might tend to rely more on the skills of their trackers.

And yes, this is a generalization, but that does not mean it is without merit.

About 10% of the Major League Baseball players come from the Dominican Republic, hence the generalization "The Dominican Republic turns out a higher quality "group" of baseball players than Jamaica", would probably have merit.

BH63

Good bad and ugly
That sums it up for me

quote:

I would guess that Zim hosts more DG hunts than all other African countries put together.

Not even close...according to the numbers on any given year there are more Lion, Leopard and Buffalo shot in Tanzania than Zimbabwe by a large margin..except for Leopard which fairly close. The only category Zim wins in is Elephant. Zim may host the most DG safaris per year, but they don't even beat the next two combined of any of the major countries.

quote:

Originally posted by Heym 450/400:

quote:

I would guess that Zim hosts more DG hunts than all other African countries put together.

Not even close...according to the numbers on any given year there are more Lion, Leopard and Buffalo shot in Tanzania than Zimbabwe by a large margin ..except for Leopard which fairly close. The only category Zim wins in is Elephant. Zim may host the most DG safaris per year, but they don't even beat the next two combined of any of the major countries.

I must admit that I am shocked. Where are these figures available?

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

Looking through the list of qualified Tanzanian PHs there are some legends here and a host of other top notch PHs.

This is true but Tanzania is also the one major safari country that seems to have PH licenses up for sale so to speak(I'm sure that they are not the only country where this is true).

The most universally loved/hated PH in all of Africa is said to have gained his PH license under some shady circumstances in Tanzania(Terry Cacek wrote about this in his book Professional Hunters for a Changing Africa).

Read my post above. The 3 PHs in my camp in the Selous were ALL from Zim, even though the concession was held by Pano Calavrias, an Tz outfitter/PH/citizen. The hunt was conducted by Zimbos working for Adam Clements, the area subcontractor. Just because you hunt in X country doesn't mean you hunt with PHs from that country.

There is absolutely no need to get offended on this statement or opinion, ALL african countries have excellent ph´s,The fact remains that acquiring a Zim ph license is more difficult than other countries however that does not mean that a competent hunter/ph from other country could not pass the exam with flying colors given the chance.

And many ph´s hunt different areas and countries and game, they don't have to grow there to be able to hunt and guide competitively.

Many french ph´s hunted c.a.r but tanz as well, some zim ph´s hunt cameroon both savannah and rainforest as well as tanzania or mozambique and botswana. Cliff walker has guided successfully in Zim, tanz, zambia, cameroon, ethiopia and uganda, Mike Fell is an excellent ph that has worked in tanz, cameroon, c.a.r as well as chad, it all depends on the individual, their talent as hunters and their capability to learn and adapt.

what will interesting is to see is how someone can get a PH license for any country ...

pretty sure it may be surprising to see that you cannot one in some countries unless you are resident and for some not easily done ... plus the practise that some are asking.

quote:

Originally posted by Heym 450/400:

quote:

I would guess that Zim hosts more DG hunts than all other African countries put together.

Not even close...according to the numbers on any given year there are more Lion, Leopard and Buffalo shot in Tanzania than Zimbabwe by a large margin..except for Leopard which fairly close. The only category Zim wins in is Elephant. Zim may host the most DG safaris per year, but they don't even beat the next two combined of any of the major countries.

That is interesting since a lot of areas are being given back since they can't sell many hunts in TZ for a variety of reasons. I am not saying you are wrong. Given what I know about TZ booking , I am surprised.

quote:

That is interesting since a lot of areas are being given back since they can't sell many hunts in TZ for a variety of reasons.

Larry,

Numbers have definitely dropped in the past decade and still sliding to what appears an all time low.

A slump in business notwithstanding, TZ still has a very high number of registered outfitters who will on average each be holding at least 4 concessions or more and as you probably know, each concession has its fair share of game quota (not small).

A normal DG license will include at least 2 Buffalo and if you upgrade to the full bag 21 day permit you would find 3 Buff + Lion + Leopard included.

Again on average, each concession will likely have at least 30 Buffalo, 2/3 Lion and 3/5 Leopard on its quota.

To the best of my knowledge there was never a fixed quota as such for Elephant as the kill rate was low due to size/weight restriction imposed on the ivory and this is why Zim has the upper hand on their varying choices and regs governing the hunting of the same.

TZ does not have or offer Elephant on PAC, tuskless or non-exportable programs as does Zim even though I would be all for the culling of the vast numbers of tuskless elephants inhabiting the miombo woodlands.

Dammit an Elephant without tusks is like a woman with no tits.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Heym 450/400:

quote:

I would guess that Zim hosts more DG hunts than all other African countries put together.

Not even close...according to the numbers on any given year there are more Lion, Leopard and Buffalo shot in Tanzania than Zimbabwe by a large margin..except for Leopard which fairly close. The only category Zim wins in is Elephant. Zim may host the most DG safaris per year, but they don't even beat the next two combined of any of the major countries.

That is interesting since a lot of areas are being given back since they can't sell many hunts in TZ for a variety of reasons. I am not saying you are wrong. Given what I know about TZ booking , I am surprised.

I found some quota numbers while searching last night...I'm not sure the source and can't say that it was accurate but considering the amount of area set aside for hunting in Tanzania it would seem reasonable to assume their quota is substantially higher than Zims...now as to whether they actually sell all that quota or not, I'm in no position to say. I'll look around when I get home later and see if I can find that PDF I was lookin. As to the premise that the best PH's come from Zim, I would tend to agree, but that hasn't always been the case and not for as long as one would think. It wasn't that long ago that safaris to Zim were relatively small compared to places like Kenya and Tanzania. My uncle is the reason why I became interested in safaris as a kid and has something like 30 safaris under his belt. His trips mainly consisted of Kenya in the early 70's, followed by many trips to Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana. Zimbabwe maybe once or twice....statistically irrelevant, but it's how I see things.

Interesting discussion...

In regards to the number of animals hunted these are 2016 quotas for CITES animals:

Zimbabwe

Elephant:500
Leopard: 500


Tanzania

Elephant:200
Leopard: 500

Add in the number o tuskless hunts in Zimbabwe and the margin is even larger.

https://cites.org/eng/resource...s_per_page=50&=Apply



The most buffalo seem to be exported from Zimbabwe in to the US.

quote:

African buffalo trophies were primarily imported to the U.S. from Zimbabwe (5,288 trophies between 2005 and 2014), Tanzania (4,970 trophies 2005-2014) and South Africa (4,219 trophies between 2005 and 2014) (Table 15). Other top five source countries were Zambia and Mozambique.

The source is not may favorite but it is hard to find data on the number of buffalo hunted.

http://www.hsi.org/assets/pdfs...y_hunting_by_the.pdf


To state the following is grossly inaccurate.

quote:

Not even close...according to the numbers on any given year there are more Lion, Leopard and Buffalo shot in Tanzania than Zimbabwe by a large margin..except for Leopard which fairly close. The only category Zim wins in is Elephant. Zim may host the most DG safaris per year, but they don't even beat the next two combined of any of the major countries.

However there are more lion hunted in Tanzania than Zimbabwe.

The premise was that Zimbabwe has more dg hunting than all the other countries combined...that is what I was responding to. Your info would indicate that despite the quotes being significantly higher in Tanzania it is not translating to animals shot and exported, which would points to larrys comment about Tanzania not being able to sell all their hunts.

From what I understand:

To be a PH in Zim, you must complete the following:

* Study for, and Pass a leaner exam.
* Work as an apprentice under a licensed PH for 2 years.
* Successfully hunt dangerous game.
* Obtain advanced-level 5-day 1st-aid certification.
* Pass a highly stressful shooting test, which most applicants fail.
* Pass a very difficult proficiency exam, which most applicants fail.
* Pass an oral interview/test

I wonder what other country, in the world, has such stringent requirements to be a PH.

I know that many Americans like to take 2 week vacations to RSA and take the 10 day class and PH test in that country (even though they can't receive a license because they don't live there). Score a 70% and you are in. But as I understand it, being licensed for dangerous game there is a more involved process.

Tanzania used to require just an exam with no formal training requirements. The Tanzanian exam was said to be relatively easy to pass. I don't know if that is still the case or not?

Regardless, there are good and bad PH's/guides everywhere. The trick is to establish a good reputation and keep it.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
I'll be joined by a fascinating PH in Ethiopia in a couple of months. Opted to hunt both areas in Cameroon with Zim PHs as well. When we head to Uganda in March . . . it will be with Zimbos again.

I'd say, as a whole, Zim produces the most above average to outstanding PHs. There are plenty of great PHs in every country where there is a reasonable amount of organized hunting, but Zim certainly stands out.

Hi Will,

I would have thought the ridged Zim PH examination and conditions were far removed from the high icy peaks of the Bale mountains?

Good luck in Ethiopia. Note your PH here will be a national as foreign PHs cannot conduct safaris in country.

Fascinating.

I know that many Americans like to take 2 week vacations to RSA and take the 10 day class and PH test in that country (even though they can't receive a license because they don't live there). Score a 70% and you are in. But as I understand it, being licensed for dangerous game there is a more involved process.
Try and do it.
It is an great adventure and not so easy as it looks like.


A PH is a rockstar
I never understand that.
Of course we can have a good time, but he has do to a job, a job for me. Like a taxidriver or so, of course i tread both with respekt, but they are not medical doctors, priest or lawers, pp.
In Germany we have an hunters education witch take some months and ends with an long examination. Maybe this gives us an more realistic look.