Just got back from a 5 week stay in SA and Zim. Did the news make it back to the states about the American hunters detained at the border of Zim? Officials thought they were hired killers going after Mugabe. I guess they were held for most of a day before being let go. Zim is going to hell in a hurry. I visited an area that I hunted less than two years ago and could not believe the lack of game. Went to a new area looking for sable and never even saw a track! This place had 40 sable permits! I am sure there are still some good places to hunt however if you are planning a future trip I would be very careful as game is getting scarce. SA was as beautiful as ever and in the north has a lot of rain. The grass is chest high and all the animals I shot were very healthy and fat, Impala hunting was great. Make sure you bring lots of bug spray and be prepaired to remove a lot of ticks from your balls at night.

Usually, the crooks you know about are just plain stupid, otherwise you wouldn't know they were crooks. That place sounds like it needs some Italian mafioso's to clean up the place. Then they would have some nice casinos and nation-wide trash pick-up (e.g., Waste Management, Inc.). Look at how the mob developed the hole-in-the-desert Las Vegas, an environment really hospitable to only gila monsters. I see a bloody end to Mugabe, hopefully sooner than later.

Roscoe

Where did you hunt?

I was not there for a true hunt however I had hoped to take a sable if the opportunity presented itself. I was there with my PH friend from SA checking into some new areas for this years hunts. The area was Tsholotsho near Hwange National Park and the Lake Kariba area. I think either area holds good populations of Buffalo and Elephant however the game is not as abundant as it used to be. My best advise is to make sure anyone knows what they are getting into when they book a hunt and make sure you use a trusted booking agent or outfitter. I would also try to fly into Zim rather than drive like I did. The border customs offices are the only ones giving hunters trouble. Getting through the airport is a 10 minute process.

Roscoe:



Whew!.... That was the reply I was hoping for. 1115 and I were advised to fly and avoid the border for that very reason.



Our info is the same, plenty of buff, but the other stuff is not like it used to be. Plains game is still there in huntable numbers, but not as it should be.... and perhaps, not for long.