I will be buffalo backpack-hunting in Chewore North during the last week of May 06 and sleeping out in the opien.

Can anyone tell me what to probably expect in terms of weather, min-max temperatures, state of vegetation, the likelihood of rain, etc?

Thanks, Antonio

Early mornings and evenings can be chilly - but are not cold. A good bush jacket should be fine - a down vest is my favourite - especially with a fleece material..the crinkly ones are a bit noisy...or a good fleece. Day time temperatures are usually comfortable walking temps and night time gets chilly again, but not too cold. Take a sleeping bag rated for 5 or 10 degress c and below.

Rain - not likely. Highly unlikely...but never say never...but little enough chance that its not worth taking rain gear.

Vegetation is thick enough to hinder some shots but will give you good cover for stalking.

Awesome hunt...I am hoping to do something similar later in the year I would love to hear from you how it goes??

Incidentally - did you find some binos for under a grand?? Which did you get??

Cool at night for sure. Bone dry...
I'd recommend a good wool sweater too.

Early May of 2005 it was cold in Zimbabwe (at least on the Hwange border) ... So cold that I "stole" cloth napkins from the breakfast table and made doo-rag style ear muffs. I'm afraid I looked like the lady on the syrup bottle, but with chilly temps and the open air of the Land Cruiser, I felt like I was on a ski lift. Darn 1115 kept asking me when the pancakes would be ready.

Next time I'll take a windbreaker, light gloves and a skull cap. They won't take up much space and one can leave them in the car when you begin your stalks/tracking... or on a backpack hunt, wear them until the sun warms up the air and stuff them in the pack... They shouldn't weigh much at all.

As an aside, we had one guy with us who was pretty new to any type of hunting. His wife packed for him. You wouldn't believe the "outfits" he had each morning... He even had a white Panama Jack straw hat and linen trousers.

Antonio, who are you hunting with is it Doug Carlisle? He's the only one I know thats pushing backback hunts up in Chowore. Its a cool way to hunt but Im more inclined to book a safari camp with a bed and shower.

Thanks guys, your answers will help me taking the right stuff with me...

Tigerfish: I cheated in the end and bought the Leica 8x32 Ultravids. After much deliberation, I rather preferred to be sorry for spending too much once in a lifetime than sorry for AGAIN not spending enough. Got them yesterday and I am very happy with them: Good old flawless teutonic engineering. I will take them with me to Zim...

Gunny: I will be hunting with Andy Hunter as PH...

Antonio

Antonio,
Excellent decision...a few years ago...oops nearly a decade now...I bought Swarovski 8x30's and was very happy with them....however I couldn't quite shake the little pangs of envy whenever I compared the optics of the Sws against the Leicas that some of my fellow travellers were using...one day the Sws were stolen though...so I saved for a bit and bought the 8x32 Leicas....and I have not looked back yet...and you must understand - I am an equipment pig...my kit works and it works hard(why else do you pay for a lifetime guarantee??) They have been dropped, kicked, thrown, underwater, through sub zero and left on the dash underneath a land-cruiser windshield in the Zambezi valley....and they are still perfect...I will never use anything else.

I did unfortunately have reason to use the guarantee - not becoz of wear and tear - I had some kind of grime on one of the internal lenses...put them in a box, posted them off and they were returned cost-free to me fully serviced and havent had a problem with them since then(touch wood!)

I love my Leicas....

Antonio, while it was 15 years ago when I hunted Chewore North for the first 18 days of May, the temps ranged from a low of 28 degrees Farenheit (night)to about 106 F during the day. There had been a considerable drought that year, and the game was concentrated by the Zambezi. It was a wonderful safari. Good luck, and good hunting.

Tigerfish: That is good news about the Leicas. Although I do not plan to be too rough with them, it is good to know that someone put them through all that you recount, and that they are still up and running...

308Sako: As you say, I am expecting temperatures from 0°C to 40°C. I am taking a light sleeping bag that is rated for 2 to 7 °C. I plan to use a jacket or track suit for sleeping which should help if temperatures should go deeper than freezing.

Antonio

I hunted Chewore south in may 03.
The bush is a little thick in the valleys and flats but not to thick on the hills, which will be the areas you will most likely hunt.
This should be a great hunt at that time with the day time tempreture getting a bit hot and the nights quite cold. A good wool or fleece jacket will be necessary.
Andy is a noted PH for walk in hunts as is Doug Carlisle and Nick Murray.
Good hunting,
ozhunter

I hunted in the Save Conservancy last May, and, like so many have said, cold nights and mornings, mild to hot days. We had a couple of days in the 90s, but mostly it was in the upper 70s and 80s.

Also, long grass was a problem. It actually cost me a buffalo, as I didn't realize that there was so much of him below the grass line and my shot was placed high in the lungs ( I thought I was shooting for the heart, but I was wrong). Hunting impala for leopard bait was fun, as all you would see was their head and necks standing above the sea of grass. I shot 14 for bait and game scout rations, including two real trophies, most all head and neck shots.