Has anyone have personal experience with hunting elephant in matetsi unit 3 in late Sept? Also how is the weather in Zim this year in this area? Dry or wet?

It's dry. Hot by day, cool by night. Good ele

What does the terrain and vegetation look like in this unit?? Is it the "typical" African bush landscape, or more open?? What kind of shot distances would be typical in this unit?? (Not necessarily for elephant).

- mike

Seems like the Matetsi to me had more grapefruit sized rocks lying in wait in the knee length grass than any place iv'e been in Africa.I'm inordinately clumsy but my PH makes me let the tracker carry my rifle there unless we are about to shoot and I saw even him fall once and scratch his new Sabi 500Jeffreys. If you don't follow what I'm saying it's a bitch to walk in the grass. Other than that I rather like it and spent 2 months in camp there 2 years ago and about a month the year before. Haven't figured out where the rocks come from.

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
I saw even him fall once and scratch his new Sabi 500Jeffreys. .

Your PH wasn't Rex Hoets was it?

No he wasn't, sorry.

Who are you hunting with? I was told by Lou Halamore and Bill Lemon at SCI that HHK had obtained the rights to unit 3 - I wasn't sure they were going to have it in 2007 or if it wasn't until 2008.

Ozhunter, it seems like I'm forever tripping over the small dried "stones" that come out of a pachyderm's butt! Those things, once hard, can roll out from under one's foot like a small wheelbarrow tire - so I can sympathize with you.

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
Seems like the Matetsi to me had more grapefruit sized rocks lying in wait in the knee length grass than any place iv'e been in Africa.I'm inordinately clumsy but my PH makes me let the tracker carry my rifle there unless we are about to shoot and I saw even him fall once and scratch his new Sabi 500Jeffreys. If you don't follow what I'm saying it's a bitch to walk in the grass. Other than that I rather like it and spent 2 months in camp there 2 years ago and about a month the year before. Haven't figured out where the rocks come from.

This is nothing compared to running into a wait-a-bit-thorn-bush unseen in the grass.

We were shooting francolines, and they love to go into long grass. The only way to get them to fly is to run after them and shoot as they take off.

We were in a valley, full of golden long grass. And as the francolines dived in, I took off at top speed after them.

Suddenly, I came to grinding halt! As I ran smack into one of those horrible thorn bushes. I screamed my head off, and I could hear everyone shouting if I was alright.

Except Walter, who was laughing like a bloody hyaena, screaming "sounds like a francoline bit Saeed's balls off!"

MHO

I drove Mat-3 this time last year. The troops were talking about how unusually brushy it was for that time of year. They said normally it was easier to spot game, but not last year. There were large areas of tall grass, but mainly brush. The walking and stalking was easier than I anticipated.

I was not hunting elephant but we saw a good number of elephant, and sign everywhere. Last year there seemed to be more elephant on Mat-2. The buffalo were scarce because of abundant water they said. Hunters on Mat-3 were asking to be allowed on Mat-2. I saw a total of eight bulls in ten days. Three moved off the concession. I shot one, that left six, one with a broken horn. Pretty slim pickins. There was plenty of plains game, but it seemed one day you would be covered up, the next, not much moving.

Thanks Kensco, interesting!
- mike