For American hunters, that is.

Now that the dictator has killed and tortured the opposition enough to win an "election," what are the chances of encountering drugged-up teenage "war veterans," newly-formed rebels (some of which might decide to hold someone "rich" for ransom), desperate and starving poachers, or crooked thugs working for the army? Have there been any incidents?

Imagine a range of views from Zim being Disneyland to Zim being Rwanda. Then do a search and you will find opinions at all points in between. The truth is for you to sort out.

Not trying to be a horse's butt but this issue has been kicked and beaten to a paste.

I have hunted in Zim six times starting in September 2002 and most recently May of this year. I have never once felt unsafe or the least bit unwelcome. I have driven through Beitbridge, Gwanda, Bulawayo, Harare, Kariba and Vic Falls encountering nothing but friendly and courteous people. I haven't booked my next hunt there yet, but I will.

This has been covered almost without ceasing for months. See topics on elections, reports from Zim, etc.

I was in your shoes before I went some 08 weeks ago. No problems

Remember we are the onl;y cash foreign exchange they have and one hunter being troubled the whole industry will stop............

In fact the zim people are one of the nicest I have come across .........

I think that the odds are in your favor that you will have a safe hunt.

I wouldn't risk my life there, I think the odds are it will turning into a complete lawless shithole.

If you had my contacts and could see the stuff I see you wouldn't risk it.

quote:

If you had my contacts and could see the stuff I see you wouldn't risk it.

Could you give some examples...?

.......just scroll down and read this forum, as mentioned above, or do a search. You will be reading for hours.

First off, I'm going to Zimbabwe next month.

Secondly, I think there are valid concerns about the situation there, but I think the effects on Americans hunting there will remain minimal.

I'm not trying to be a smart ass here, but you can ask the same question about any place.

Is Detroit "safe"? Is Washington, DC "safe"? Ever been to East St. Louis? I'll take Harare over Cairo or Mexico City any day.

How about what happened in New Orleans? During Katrina, the society/community in New Orleans went through an astonishing transformation in a couple of days with rampant and outright lawlessness and illegal police confiscations of legal firearms, etc. Yes, people died in New Orleans and the situation was very bad, I'm not discounting that. But anyone who gave it a thought should have known that no matter how bad it was, it was temporary. And yet, the civilized veneer of the city washed away very quickly. The conduct of many of the people and the government in New Orleans was a disgrace.

Contrast that with the people of Zimbabwe, who have put up with, and will continue to put up with, disease, malnutrition, violence from the government, hyper-inflation, etc. and look how they conduct themselves. They are clearly some of the most patient, peaceful people in the world.

We just returned yesterday from a very successful Leopard/PG hunt. Absolutely no problems anywhere for us. We shopped in Bulawayo and had no problems in camp. Plenty of game and all were a challenge to hunt. We had cats on 12 baits and took the first Tom on the first evening of hunting. It took me 6 evenings to get mine. Not saying there aren't issues, but our friends in Zim as always will make do. I'd go back tomorrow.
LDK

Gee, I hope so. My parents are over there right now!

In all seriousness, they were hunting in Bots for 10 days and their PH, who is from Zimbabwe, came back into camp and told them it was totally safe to travel there. I think if you don't walk around with a "Mugabe Sucks" flag on your back, you're going to be fine. Trouble has a way of finding those who look...

L.D.K.: Who did you hunt with and where?

Indy,
Zimbabwe is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and given the opportunity I would hunt there for the rest of my life without a care in the world, unless my PH told me to start worrying, I would never give it a moment of thought. The chances of encountering the things you referenced are higher in the US than they are in Zim.
You want dangerous, go spend a week in East L.A or East St. Louis with the drugged-up teenage bangers. Worried about kidnapping? Head on down to any of the US/Mexico border towns and turn your back, drop your guard and see how long it takes them to bushwhack you and drag you across the border for a little ransom…You want some crooked thugs – go hang out in Washington D.C. at the capitol building for a few days and let the politicians pick over your bones.
So in my very humble opinion, what you should do is search for an outfitter, PH, whatever in Zim you want to hunt with. Contact them with your list of animals and location preference. And just ask them. They are not going to let you come if there is going to be a chance you might not make it out because of the political climate.
Brian

quote:

Originally posted by Indy:
For American hunters, that is.

Safe enough for me. But it's a personal decision.

I consider the Bronx too unsafe to venture into.

Safe enough for me, I leave for Zim in 4 days.

I'll take my chances in Zim. over New York City, Chicago, WDC etc. any time any day. At least in Zim I can have a weapon to defend myself. Nuff said! Well just had to add I will be there in Oct.

I was aware of the previous posts on this subject. What I wanted to know is did/could anything change recently.

David, I'm leaving in the morning. There are places to shop in Bulawayo?? sounded like nothing was left the way the economy is????

I’m going in September and, I am not concerned.

The guys I booked with in RSA a few years ago also offer safaris in Zim.....when I asked them to put a package together for me they said they aren't going to Zim now....maybe in a few years....

it's as safe as Russian roulette. after all, five of the six chambers are empty!!

There are issues, but appart from a few very localised problems in commercial farming areas there has ben almost no trouble. Reading the world news you would think I was living in Rwanda in april '94. I am not.

I have canceled a couple of hunts when I was uncertain, rather than take any risk with a client. But, things are almost back to normal - ie I am down to my last 200 Billion in Zim money, the bank hasn't got any cash and I will have to negotiate to pay in US$ for the coffee this morning...

Follow Ganyana's advice:

"Be in contact with your PH! the situation never changes as fast as people in the first world think and any local with his ear to the ground gets wind of impending probems well in advance"

I am going late season - there's still a green light for me.

sevenmagltd,

I spoke with LDK last night and he said there was fantastic shopping in Bulawayo, but prices were a bit higher than last year.

I'll let him respond to any other questions.

David Walker

I'm finding out for myself next week. Flying out tomorrow, couple of days in KZN, then Limpopo, then Zim, then back to Limpopo again.

I am content to book hunts in Zimbabwe as of now..If it changes for the worst I will not send my hunters there. I stay in contact almost daily...I don't see any major problems with hunters, the problems are all within the political parties and citizenery..

Hunters and tourism are presently the bread and butter of the country and its hands off as I see it. I have not had a single problem.

Sorry for the slow reply guys, I've been swamped with taking care of clients and haven't had time to respond. I still haven't downloaded any pics yet, but will try to get this done sometime this week. I have a show coming up next weekend, so I'm trying to get ready for it. We hunted in the low veldt. Nearest town is West Nicholson. PH's were Ticky Drummond and George Brown. We have 40 square miles of granite mountains, two rivers, riverine and lots of bush country to hunt. We are next to Lemco. Absolutely had no problems anywhere. Shopping was good, but prices had double from last year on some items. Still great bargains however. People were friendly, our staff was excellent and the food above board. The drum didn't have to beat twice to find us at the dinner table. Lodging is wonderful. Very comfortable with hot bath and showers in each suite. Although Elephants have pushed over the telephone lines, we run on huge generators, so power was no problem. Saw lots of game every day: Elephants (aggressive), Black Rhino, herds of Impala, Wildebeest, Eland, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, Duiker, Grysbok, Giraffe, Kudu, Bushpig, Caracal Lynx, Sable, Zebra, Klipspringer, Warthog (huge, my client took a boar with 12.5" tusks and I took the largest boar and sow I've yet taken), Hyena, Honey Badger, Civet, Genet, African Wild Cat, flocks of geese and knob billed ducks (we wore them out one morning in the corn field), Francolin, Guinea, Doves etc. Hunting was not a cake walk. You really had to get out in the bush and hunt. For the first time ever, I came home with blisters on my feet: from the same boots I always wear. We took excellent Leopard. This area crawls with big Tom's. My friend took a 7' 5" Tom with a 17" skull. And on his first time ever in a Leopard blind and within the first hour of darkness. Took me 6 nights as I was rotating 3 separate blinds and 4 separate Tom's. Leopard hunting is addictive and after shooting Impala baits (most were 18-20" rams) for two days, we had hits on all 12 baits. Most were mature Tom's but we did have a couple female/young Tom's and Hyena's taking advantage of the feast. Next time I will concentrate on Hyena more. I'll get a complete report in the proper forum ASAP. Till then, good hunting!
David

David,

Thanks for the brief report. Sure looks like you had a most enjoyable hunt; exactly of the same type that you like to offer to your clients!

Looking forward to reading the full report ant seeing the pictures.

Wishing you a very successful hunting show next weekend. BTW, where is the show? Some details about it please?

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren

I Had a call from Buzz Charlton at the wekend- Asking if I was still here in Zim! I am

Apparently Don Causey had put out a notice that I was leaving the country/getting my family out a couple of months back. This was B/S. I and my family are here, nor have my wife and daughter been out of the country since the USA shows in January.

I will be out of Zim for September and October- But that is work related, not politics.

Andrew, the show is in Birmingham, Alabama this coming Fri/Sat&Sunday. It is about the largest show for us Southern Hillbillies and Rednecks It features the World indoor archery contest sponsored by Buckmasters. A lot of my business associates and friends will attend. Our booth will be next to the Capp's Taxidermy display and Ultimate Muzzleloading products. It's a good place to spend the weekend to get out of our humid, hot summer days. I hope to have some pics posted of our Zim hunt before I leave, if not, then next week.
Good hunting,
David

quote:

Originally posted by Don Heath:


Apparently Don Causey had put out a notice that I was leaving the country/getting my family out a couple of months back. This was B/S.

Mr. Causey has a penchant for inaccuracy.

quote:

Apparently Don Causey had put out a notice that I was leaving the country/getting my family out a couple of months back. This was B/S. I and my family are here, nor have my wife and daughter been out of the country since the USA shows in January.

If I'm not mistaken, that was in reference to Ganyana.

As to the question of whether Zimbabwe is "safe" or not depends on one's definition of safe. Some would advocate that it is just as safe/dangerous as some American cities, which is a crock to put it mildly, and if one can read and listen to the news it is quite clear the nation is undergoing a political upheaval and the opportunity for you to become embroiled in those activities are certainly high. Are the hunters in the bush likely involved in such issues, probably not, but as seen over many years of civil unrest in many African nations, bad things can happen when and where you would least expect them.
Frankly the problem I would have in spending any money in Zimbabwe would be knowing full well such monies end up in the hands of the bad guys no matter how much denial is put forth. No one wishes to bring hard times to those involved in the hunting industry there or elsewhere, but hunting is far overshadowed by the political crisis that exists. A person may well be able to obtain an objective view of safety in Zimbabwe by some investigation within the insurance industry. Such data is out there if one wishes to dig deep enough to make a determination as to the level of safety percieved by those insuring against lack of safety. Considerable drop in bookings by outfitters may well be a sign of the level of safety, real or imagined. Hell, there may be some kind of amazing sheep, goat, bear, etc. in North Korea, but even if you could hunt there, who wants to support the idiot running the place!! I do not see much difference in the two as far as their attitude toward the U.S. and policies within their country.

I just retuned from Dande North on Friday the 11th. We arrived in Harare on the 23rd of June and stayed at Gecko Gardens that evening. We chartered out to the Tafika fishing camp on the 24th. We began hunting on the 26th and I was in a couple of villages. There were signs directing people to the polling stations for the next day and we ended up losing a couple of camp staff who felt they needed to help with the sham err... election.

We avoided the village areas on sham day, but we had absolutely no issues. We chartered directly out from the Pedza airstrip to Harare International on the 10th. There were no issues with police, gun licenses or anything else.

I'll tell you what, the idiots at TSA and United Airlines in Dulles were much more frustrating and scary than anything we encountered in either Zimbabwe or South Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiteman:
As to the question of whether Zimbabwe is "safe" or not depends on one's definition of safe. Some would advocate that it is just as safe/dangerous as some American cities, which is a crock to put it mildly, and if one can read and listen to the news it is quite clear the nation is undergoing a political upheaval and the opportunity for you to become embroiled in those activities are certainly high. Are the hunters in the bush likely involved in such issues, probably not, but as seen over many years of civil unrest in many African nations, bad things can happen when and where you would least expect them.
Frankly the problem I would have in spending any money in Zimbabwe would be knowing full well such monies end up in the hands of the bad guys no matter how much denial is put forth. No one wishes to bring hard times to those involved in the hunting industry there or elsewhere, but hunting is far overshadowed by the political crisis that exists. A person may well be able to obtain an objective view of safety in Zimbabwe by some investigation within the insurance industry. Such data is out there if one wishes to dig deep enough to make a determination as to the level of safety percieved by those insuring against lack of safety. Considerable drop in bookings by outfitters may well be a sign of the level of safety, real or imagined. Hell, there may be some kind of amazing sheep, goat, bear, etc. in North Korea, but even if you could hunt there, who wants to support the idiot running the place!! I do not see much difference in the two as far as their attitude toward the U.S. and policies within their country.

Good Points. Also, since the good people of Zimbabwe now realize that the rest of the world doesn't give a rat's ass-thanks russia and china- you have to wonder how much longer they are going to be content with the current situation. Kick a gentle dog long enough, and eventually he's gonna bite. Unfortunately the poeple of Zimbabwe are now out of options. They are going to have to get rid of Mugabe and his cronies by themselves using force.
We all sit here and complain about the current regime, but we all know a substantial amount of the money we spend there goes right to them, not to the poor people who need help.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:

quote:

Originally posted by Indy:
For American hunters, that is.

I consider the Bronx too unsafe to venture into.

If they would let me walk down the street carring a rifle, and cartridge belt, with a ranger carrying a FN FAL with a couple of 30 rd magazines, and my PH with his 500NE double, the BRONX would be no problem at all!

.......

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:

quote:

Apparently Don Causey had put out a notice that I was leaving the country/getting my family out a couple of months back. This was B/S. I and my family are here, nor have my wife and daughter been out of the country since the USA shows in January.

If I'm not mistaken, that was in reference to Ganyana.

I was under the impression (perhaps incoreectly) that they (Don and Ganyana) are one in the same...

quote:

If they would let me walk down the street carring a rifle, and cartridge belt, with a ranger carrying a FN FAL with a couple of 30 rd magazines, and my PH with his 500NE double, the BRONX would be no problem at all!

I dunno Mac...

Ever seen any Charlie Bronson films...?

"I'll tell you what, the idiots at TSA and United Airlines in Dulles were much more frustrating and scary than anything we encountered in either Zimbabwe or South Africa."

Amen Brother!!! Idiots is an understatement. I had a NINE hour delay because of United's incompetent staff at Dulles. What would take a child 3 minutes to compute, print out and handle, took Mo-weana, Curlyette and Larry Jo an hour and thirty Frickin' minutes!!!! We missed our plane because I didn't know what my returning ammo weighed. I finally said I took 10 lbs, shot 5 lbs and have 5 lbs left. Her head began to spin and blew all over the counter. Meanwhile, Larry Jo called Shempette over and after speaking in tongues, decided to get advice from the wizard of OZ. He wasn't in so she took a tea break. Obviously she had to wait for the Mare's milk to sour, so we missed our flight. Then, after all this manure, I get hassled and told I can't transport 3 guns. Hell, I just came back from Africa with 3 guns. Who changed their mind while I was gone? I paid $50 extra because I was over weight by 7.5 lbs. This was done at Nashville when I left home....3 weeks earlier! Now Mo-weana has to go get a waiver. By now I'm turning red with blue spots. Flame comes out my ears. My client is in the next corner giving them Hell. "Supervisor" he demands. He gets one: it's none other than Shempette! Lovely......Nine hours later we board a Piper Cub and flew home.

TSA guys at Dulles....well, we met a good one. He even loaned us his personal cell phone to call home. No one was there; they were on their way to the airport to pick us up! Can't say anything bad about the ones we encountered. They were fine and doing their job. Next time I'll take a raft across the pond. GRRRRRR.....I'm still p/o'd.

Don Causey is not Ganyana.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanahile:

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:

quote:

Apparently Don Causey had put out a notice that I was leaving the country/getting my family out a couple of months back. This was B/S. I and my family are here, nor have my wife and daughter been out of the country since the USA shows in January.

If I'm not mistaken, that was in reference to Ganyana.

I was under the impression (perhaps incoreectly) that they (Don and Ganyana) are one in the same...