quote:

Originally posted by Scottyboy:
Hunted buff last Oct in Zim.

Hunted elephant/buffalo in Feb in Zim.

Feb was 1000% worse in terms of comfort. Miserable humidity even though the temps weren't as hot.

Oct in Zim is just like Tucson in May. Heat but no humidity. Very manageable.

If you can handle AL in mid summer, Zim will be a piece of cake.

that may be true in some parts of Zim but if you are hunting the jesse around Lake Kariba, the humidity is almost as high as the temp.

Will

Make no mistake, October and November is hot,however a good camp and hunting at the correct times of day make it bearable. Fans at night and a pool make it positively enjoyable.

I have spent the last three new years at Savuli in the Save and although hot, its always enjoyable as the camp is cool , the beers wet and the pool is fun with my kids.

Hope you enjoy your hunt!!

quote:

Originally posted by RCG:
Chilly Pads? Battery operated fans?

What would Ian Nyschens say? He loved the "Months of the Sun" as he called the hot months.

I am going over in two weeks to hunt bull elephant in Kazuma with Buffalo Range Safaris. I know it will be hot and I will be taking my CamelBak hydration pack which I know Ian would have approved! No fans or wet pads for me.

Seriously, they might be just the ticket, but not for me. To each his own.

RCG

i will be interested if your opinion changes after you return! i left my battery operated fan with my PH when i left and he seemed as happy about that as he did his tip. when the temp at night hovers Around 85-90 F and the humidity is high also( remember the shore of Lake Kariba was 35 meters away), there is no way to get a good night's sleep and without proper rest, it is a real struggle to walk 6-10 miles the next day tracking buffalo. i originally read a hunt report( posted i think by Retreever)about using a battery fan on a late season hunt in Tz. at the time he caught a bit of shit about its use but the thought stayed with me. probably the smartest move i ever made was taking his advice!!!!

I live in coastal Louisiana so I am familiar with heat and humidity.

As to the original question I have not hunted SE Zim in October. I have hunted the Omay in mid to late October. It was hot and the humidity was moderate. We even had a small rain shower one evening.

The interesting thing was I acclimated to the heat quickly. After about the third night I had no problems sleeping even though I had no fan or "Chilly Pads". There were quite a few hunters in camp and some of the guys from cooler climates were suffering.

We did have a pool and my chalet was thatched and opened to the lake.

On my flight home I wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt and almost froze to death on the plane.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by RCG:
Chilly Pads? Battery operated fans?

What would Ian Nyschens say? He loved the "Months of the Sun" as he called the hot months.

I am going over in two weeks to hunt bull elephant in Kazuma with Buffalo Range Safaris. I know it will be hot and I will be taking my CamelBak hydration pack which I know Ian would have approved! No fans or wet pads for me.

Seriously, they might be just the ticket, but not for me. To each his own.

RCG

i will be interested if your opinion changes after you return! i left my battery operated fan with my PH when i left and he seemed as happy about that as he did his tip. when the temp at night hovers Around 85-90 F and the humidity is high also( remember the shore of Lake Kariba was 35 meters away), there is no way to get a good night's sleep and without proper rest, it is a real struggle to walk 6-10 miles the next day tracking buffalo. i originally read a hunt report( posted i think by Retreever)about using a battery fan on a late season hunt in Tz. at the time he caught a bit of shit about its use but the thought stayed with me. probably the smartest move i ever made was taking his advice!!!!

I have hunted in SE Zim in late Sept into early Oct in 2007. I was hunting buffalo in the Chiredzi Conservancy and it was hovering at 100-102 for the first couple of days then cooled to the upper 80's low 90's for the remainder. Warm at night but I got used to it quickly and enjoyed the challenge. No pool but we did have ceiling fans but ZESA then was basically non existent. The power was on a little in the early evening then off until who knows when. Many a shower was taken by the light of my headset.

I probably should have put a smiley face emoticon for the Chilly Pad/ battery fan users, but to me the weather and conditions are part of the hunt and I know what to expect. Plenty of water, sports drink mix and cold Castle at the end of the day. A cool shower, dinner and I will sleep fine. Now the lions near camp are another matter!

Regards,

RCG

Cold Castle, I would forego the fan for a healthy supply of cold Castle.

BTT

Will - In 3 days you'll again be envied by all of us. I wish you good luck on your warm weather (understatement) Zim buff/ele hunt. Like MJines says, drink plenty of cold Castle and you'll be fine. Take lots of pics, and I will expect to see plenty of sweat in those pics! Can't wait for the hunt report!

Glen