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| One of Us |
Hello, Has anyone out there hunted Charisa Hunting concession in Zimbabwe operated by HHK Safaris? We are very keen to hear any input especially as to availability of game, anti poaching measures and quality of camps?  | ||
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One of Us |
Yes, a couple of times. As with most concessions, the time of year you chose to go makes a lot of difference, particularly depending on the game you are hunting. Here is a reference to a report about Chirisa. I'll be back, for sure. In the Cathedral of the Mopanes JudgeG ... just counting time 'til I am again finding balm in Gilead chilled out somewhere in the Selous. | |||
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One of Us |
The Judge's report hits the nail on the head and reflects my own experiences as well in the HHK-run camp. Here is mine from our last trip there: Zimbabwe 2009 NRA Lifer; DSC Lifer; SCI member; DRSS; AR member since November 9 2003 Don't Save the best for last, the smile for later or the "Thanks" for tomorow | |||
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I did in 2007. I had a burned out PH and that put a real damper on the trip. I did kill 2 buff in 5 days. There were lots of buff and ele. Not to hammer HHK, but if I were going to go back and hunt Charisa, I would go with Phillip Smythe. He knows the area and has a passion for it...also, he has some great deals. Good Hunting, Tim Herald Worldwide Trophy Adventures tim@trophyadventures.com | |||
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| one of us |
http://www.huntnetwork.net/mod...n%20the%20Sengwa.pdf GOB, We have been with HHK four times, twice in Chirisa. Here is the story from 2000. Kathi kathi@wildtravel.net 708-425-3552 "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." | |||
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http://forums.accuratereloadin...1043/m/801104146/p/1 Hunt report from 2007. Kathi kathi@wildtravel.net 708-425-3552 "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." | |||
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Thanks for your kind reply, it sounds as if you had a very interesting adventure indeed. | |||
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Hey I thought you are in Zim. Mike | |||
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I hunted there in 2009 for tuskless and cow buff. Lots of ele, saw about 100 eles before I shot my cow. Beautiful area. Poaching, they caught 7 who had killed an ele, another PH came up on a man and his dogs that had a cow buf and her calf bayed and had wounded both of them with spears, I saw signs of poaching on two occations. PM me and I will be glad to answer any questions you have. | |||
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| One of Us |
Chirisa is an awesome destination, send me a PM and I will give you my 2 cents worth. | |||
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| One of Us |
I have hunted nine times with HHK. Three of these hunts were in Charissa. Managing director Graham Hingston is a pleasure to work with and will go far out of his way to give you the type of hunt that you want. Charissa has very high populations of elephant and buffalo. The leopard hunting is also very good. 465H&H | |||
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| One of Us |
GOB, I have just hunted Chirisa with Phillip Smythe who has taken over one of the three HHK camps. I can say Phillip has alot of desire for hunting this area. His camp is very comfortable and his staff works very hard as does Phil. As for the game I'm certain it depends on the time of year, but as mentioned in a erlier post Buffalo, Ele's, Leopard, and many plains game are available. Send me a P.M. if you would like to discuss or have some pictures. | |||
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One of Us |
Lots of elephant and buffalo when I was there in 2009. Not a single decent or mature plaingame species seen or taken. Camp was clean, food was ok. PH and camp staff were pleasant to be around. When I was there we found several wire snares over the couse of the hunt. Poaching seems to be a big problem. You can borrow money, but you can't borrow time. Don't wait, go now. Savannah Safaris Namibia Otjitambi Trails & Safaris DRSS NRA SCI DSC TSRA TMPA | |||
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One of Us |
I hunted Chirisa in 2006? with HHK. It was great, lots of elephant, buff, lions & plains game. However, a lot can change in 6 years with poaching. HHK, specifically Graham Hingston, was very organized & helpful. I would have no problems hunting with them again. Strongly suggest contacting references from the 2011 season in Chirisa with whomever you decide to go with. Good Luck! | |||
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A big +1 on that, here is my report from last november......... http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/2261089761 "The difference between adventure and disaster is preparation." "The problem with quoting info from the internet is that you can never be sure it is accurate" Abraham Lincoln | |||
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| One of Us |
My hunt in 2009 was similar to others. Burnt out hard drinking PH, hardly any plains game seen poacher activity rampant. But several good reports have come from there since. It does appear if you know Graham you have a good hunt. . | |||
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| one of us |
Why not let us know who these Burned Out PH's are so we do not end up on a hunt with them??? DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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+1 on the PH's. Information may be useful to the rest of us AR people in the planning stages of a trip. ...I say that hunters go into Paradise when they die, and live in this world more joyfully than any other men. -Edward, duke of York ". . . when a man has shot an elephant his life is full." ~John Alfred Jordan "The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero - 55 BC "The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities." - Ayn Rand Cogito ergo venor- KPete “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.” ― Adam Smith - “Wealth of Nations” | |||
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Unfortunatley, this wasn't the case with my and Crushers hunt in 2011 with HHK. My hunt was fair enough but Crushers was a cluster f**k. This was his third hunt and my second with them. The two biggest problems I noticed with their operation was first, they don't notify the camp manager of what your hunting. For example, we hunted Chete this past year. Three of us had hyena of our tags but only one was available in that concession. Second, Graham has their Ph's go from one hunt in one concession and start another hunt the following day in another consession! So my freinds Ph drove from some other consession all night to Chete to start his hunt. Needless to say, that PH was worn out the first few days. Not quite the way you want to start your hunt. These are just my observations. Take it for what its worth. If I ever go back to Zim I will probably try Chifuti Safaris. NRA Life Member DSC Life Member Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves. Ronald Reagan | |||
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I hunted Chirisa with Phil Smythe last year. He is sharing quota with HHK. The area was awesome with lots of DG and Plains Game. I think they are doing a great job on poaching with a very energetic young guy "Cobra Matt" that manages the crews, sets stings, etc and is always running around the concession. There is certainly poaching in the area but in 10 days we only picked up a handful of snares. In my opinion, poaching in Chirisa (2011) is only a very small percentage of what it is in the Omay (2010) where my experience was that poaching there is totally out of control. I hunt to live and live to hunt! | |||
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| One of Us |
I took Lion, Leopard, two Buff on Charisa a few years back. One of the other camps was hunting Ele and scored. Graham was easy to work with. My hunt was arranged by my friend and PH John Greeff. We did find snares on N side of river. IF nothing has changed, it is a good "wild" Africa experience. PG was somewhat limited as it was early, but I wasn't really looking for any except Chobe BB....struck out due to being too close to wet season, but was able to kill all bait I needed including Zebra. That is where I had my most dangerous encounter and killed, with one shot from my trusty .375RUM, the ever threatening elusive Go Away bird (for falcon replacement feathers). It was a very tense moment......We also captured the elusive baby Spring Hare..... | |||
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| One of Us |
It is seriously interesting to read the reports on Charisa as to how they vary seriously from 10 years ago to now. It seems to have dramatically changed in a serious downward spiral, getting worse each year. We just finished an elephant/plains game hunt there and are sat in the Johannesburg airport lounge on our way home. I shall post our observations and story when we return are in the office Tuesday. | |||
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| One of Us |
GOB, start a new Charisa thred! I am very interested in what you have to say! | |||
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On June 24 you post asking for references on the area. Then on July 1st you post that you have been there, hunted ele and PGs and are on the way back! All in 6 days?? Or am I missing something? "...Them, they were Giants!" J.A. Hunter describing the early explorers and settlers of East Africa hunting is not about the killing but about the chase of the hunt.... Ortega Y Gasset | |||
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One of Us |
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have apprenticed and hunted in Chirisa for over 7 years and I STILL enjoy hunting here. It is an area that you shoot ALL the plainsgame and the dangerous game together. If you want to hunt an area make sure you PH has KNOWLEDGE of the area - this helps a huge deal. Poaching - yes we have found snares every now and again, which area doesn't however we have an AWESOME young anti-poaching manager who does a magnificent job. We have had some great hunts this year already. But everyone is entiled to his/ her opinions. Subscribe to our Newsletter and follow us hunt to hunt - http://mailchi.mp/eccf60046a6c/welcome-to-2018 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages...aris/286258951422383 PHOTO BLOG - https://instagram.com/ivorytrailsafaris/ Phillip Smythe www.ivorytrailsafaris.com 16 Pendennis Rd, Mount Pleasant Harare Zimbabwe Cell - +263 772 413 618 email - phillip@ivorytrailsafaris.com | |||
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| one of us |
I agree, something smells funny.... More- If you had just hunted an area, wouldn't you have some idea on how to spell the name the that area? | |||
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| One of Us |
Yep, check out some of his posts in the double rifle forum. When he made them they reminded me very much of one of our recurring trolls so I put him on ignore. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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| One of Us |
Folks - I hunted Charisa with Phillip Smythe, just last Sept. My hunt was great, plenty of buff/plains game and elephant movement was good too! Phil's camp is awesome, and he knows the area well. On the other-hand, I was seriously un-impressed with the guys from HHK, and I mean them on a personal basis, as well as the condition in which they have allowed their camps to fall to. The area is good - but I would avoid HHK and stick with Phillip, JMO. | |||
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| One of Us |
+1 I just hunted with Phil in May of this year, great camp, good food, great staff. As Aaron mentions I was not impressed with HHK either. | |||
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I hunted Charisa in September 2009 for buff. Actually saw some nice plains game (kudu, bushbuck) and a very few elephants. Buffalo were tough but PH Rodon Tourle pulled one out of the hat for me. The PH was great, hunting and animal quality decent, camp (run by HHK) was less than desired. Out of common things like soda really put a damper on things. I would go back though. Tom Addleman tom@dirtnapgear.com | |||
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Would that be because you book hunts for him? At least acknowledge your relationship... Out of full disclosure I booked a hunt with HHK but not in the area in question. | |||
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| One of Us |
jjs - Everyone here already knows I book hunts for Phillip, that's no secret. I've offered his hunts for sale here, and wrote my hunt report on him/Ivory Trails, just last year. Sorry you missed them?? Obviously you don't know me very well. Between this thread and the "first buff hunt thread", for some reason you seem to think I only base my opinions on who/where I make money. Perhaps you've missed the whole lion issue I've been involved in with over the past 2 yrs. My opinions are based on exactly what I see/experience, and nothing more - regardless of who likes it or not. Just as Miko and others here have pointed out above - the HHK camps are in VERY POOR condition (saw them with my own two eyes) While I was there with Phillip in Sept 2011, one of the HHK minority owners tried to pull a serious fast-one with me/Phil. Offering me one thing on day one, and then CHARGING a completely different price to Phillip for what I needed, at the end of the hunt. Of course, he didn't/wouldn't say it to me in person, but waited until just Phillip was there to change the deal!! So yes, to say I am less than impressed with HHK is an under-statement. My opinion has nothing to do with making money - it comes from personal experience, I only hope for you, your experience is different. Good luck with your HHK hunt, and consider yourself lucky that you will NOT be hunting out of one of their Charisa camps. | |||
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| One of Us |
Absolutely, all in 6 days, I never mentioned where I was when I asked the question did I? I just happened to be there and was most keen to learn the opinions of others who had been there. Our party took two elephant which is why we were there. One of which had the fingers (tip of his trunk) cut off by a snare. We shall be polite and say that many folks have seriously differing opinions on the area and especially concerning Mr. HHK and leave it rest there. Then there is the obvious genius spell checker who was never taught to be polite as a child so he, she or it hides in the shadows waiting to throw stones. Those type always appear to have no life, nothing positive to say and just lurk beneath the pond scum.
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| One of Us |
Aaron, I doubt "everyone here" knows who you book hunts for...and I certainly did not see the post your reference where you had a hunt for sale. I had no idea you represented Phillip until I saw this thread and pulled up your web site to confirm what I thought... My point and my opinion has to do with the potential conflict. Representations about another's business while promoting (indirectly) your own..do you not see the potential conflict. If you had stated your representation of Phillip in this thread, I would not have made the point. Yea, I remember the threads about the young lion being shot........ I assume you are like most here, good people with differing views and strong opinions. Over the years, I have seen Agents, Competitors, and people in the industry pile on, not disclose relationships, etc...some may not find that troubling but I do... I have had Agents here PM after posting that I booked a hunt with a different outfit... to "talk" me out of my booking and take business away from a outfit I already made a commitment with...needless to say that did not happen. Sometimes statements/posts that are made in "absolutes" can be lead to preceptions that one does not intend to leave... | |||
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| One of Us |
jjs - No, I see no conflict at all. I gave an opinion, based on my personal experiences - just as others have done, period! I made no inference to my business, nor did I suggest to the OP that he contact me about a hunt with Phil, and lastly - I have not sent him a PM trying to get his business regarding this particular hunt. I simply suggested Phil and his camp, over HHK and their's (BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE) The OP can clearly see Phil posted here too, and can contact Phil directly if he wishes, either way - that has nothing to do with me giving an opinion to a fellow hunter, based on what I observed. Hoping to save him from what I think would be a less than desired experience. Just because my signature line says I'm in the hunting biz, does not require me to qualify/clarify my representations of others, everytime I give my opinion regarding a hunting area/PH. That's part of what this forum is all about, asking for/giving opinions all of the time. Despite what you might think/believe, I was not trying to indirectly promote my biz, if I was, I would come right out and say "hey man, call me - I can book you with Phil". But, that's just me - I am usually straight forward like that. I never really believed in beating around the bush much, nor have I ever really believed in insinuating others are doing A,B,C, or D, without knowing exactly what I am talking about. Especially when it pertains to their livelihood! But again, that's just me! | |||
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| one of us |
I hunted Chirisa for buff in 2008.IMO,the camp and staff were more than one can ask for but the area was the problem.There were plenty of personel in the kitchen and the skinning shed,others waking you up and cleaning your room,bbq night,the works...IMO,there was too much staff for the hunters that were there.I had a complete cabin or shelter with a concrete base and straw roof,shower all to myself,clothes and linen washed every day,excellent meals,wine,kudu jerky,etc...The gentleman at the skinning shed recovered my bullets from my buff,cleaned them and handed them to me.The view from camp is beautiful. However the area seemed dead.One guy was hunting lion and did not see any lion tracks neither did we except for one.Another fellow was hunting leopard and did not get a male visit the whole time he was there.There were no Zebras to be seen and Sable were nowhere.My trackers told me that there were much better areas in Zim to hunt.In short,I barely saw anything there during my stay.There were alot of elephant in the area next to us.After getting a taste of Makuti,I would not hunt Chirisa for free.This is sad because,like I said,the people and the camp where great. | |||
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| One of Us |
Good for you Aaron, look at the bright side, at least the spell checkers did not rain on your parade! We were impressed with what you said and do happen to agree with you. The problem seems to be that there are too many folks who really have nothing to say unless they are trying to rain on someone's parade. We do appreciate your sharing your thoughts very much. Actually it is interesting to hear the input from everyone on HHK and Charisa (that is for my friend Mr. Spell Checker). It is not interesting to hear the tough guys which hide behind a computer come out of the woodwork with their personal insults. The bottom line provided here by far seems to either avoid the area completely or if you do go avoid any camps run by HHK and you could have a good Safari.
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Am I misremembering or did GOB have a hunt report in this thread at one point?  | |||
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Your memory is intact, dla69. At least as far as my own. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Give me the simple life; an AK-47, a good guard dog and a nymphomaniac who owns a liquor store. | |||
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| One of Us |
Aaron, I think you are missing the point but whatever you are comfortable with is up to you...I just have a difference of opinion. | |||
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