My only trip to Zim was in Charisa and Sijarira in late August/early Sept. There were no Tsetse flies there- but it got in the 90's most days. All the leaves were off, etc.

What should I expect July 20 in Makuti
Temps
Tsetse Flies
Foliage

I know the terrain is very rough- just wondered about those other things.

Also, are you close enough to Zambezi/Kariba to tigerfish if you have extra days, if you are lucky enough to get your animals early? Thanks...

I hunted with Myles McCallum in December. We were in Makuti and it was about an hour to the Zambezi River IIRC.

Rich
Buff Killer

I hunted in Makuti in November so a little extrapolated guessing here:

Cool to very cool evenings and warm, but not too hot days since Makuti has some altitude compared to Valley concessions.

There were plenty of Tetses there in November, but nothing like parts of the valley. There will be fewer earlier in the year, but there will be some.

Some (much or most?) parts of Makuti are quite open, some parts closer, not many that I saw which would be thick, even early on. But Makuti also has a lot of grass and while most was down to calf or maybe waist high some was head high. I suspect you will encounter lots of waiste high grass and some head high and more.

Because alot of the terrain is not flat, I think you will be able to see well from heights and see down into the grass, even if it is tall.

I brought a very good spotting scope with me at Rich Tabor's (the PH) suggestion. I earned its nickname, "The Limbsaver", because we could see and evaluate tusks, or the lack of them, from a couple of miles away. A spotting scope might be a great idea, but I think it was BillC who hunted a lot earlier in the year - can't recall what month - who reported that a spotting scope wouldn't have been much help.

Can't hurt to bring one if you've got one.

Hope this helps,

JPK

I have a compact spotting scope with really good glass that I have been taking on extreme type hunts. It might be the ticket, and it will attach to the top of my BogPod shooting sticks. Thanks for the advice.

Look forward to hearing more input...

Tim, I hunted early Aug, and don't recall much about the weather which means it was probably nice! Expect cool evenings around the campfire and chilly mornings on the truck, then nice weather the days. Everybody has a different system, I take a hooded sweatshirt and a pair of baggy sweat pants, light/cheap gloves in case riding on the back, then hunt/track in shorts and a t-shirt.

No tsetse, or at least very few.

This year with the rains the grass may be a bit taller and the bush a bit thicker then when I was there, but it should be a good time...pretty yet w/some burning having been done (which the sable love).

Makuti is along the Harare-Chirundu tar road, and Kariba is not too far away (hang a left, I'd guess an hour or two "down" from camp), and doable for a day trip w/an early am start. I hunted over "Heroes Day", and it seemed like every white family in Harare with a boat was making the pilgrimage to Kariba! We opted to go to Mana Pools on something like day-8, which was great. If looking to fish, you will need to make provisions ahead of time to arrange a boat, tackle, etc.

Thanks Bill...I am talking next year, and was just wondering about a few of these things. I am liking the nice temps and little to no tsetse...just thinking about something fun to do if we did shoot out early, since I am only really looking for 2 animals. Mana Pools is perfect.

I hunted there in mid July a few years back and saw no tsetse flies. Very cool nights with high in the upper 70s in the daytime. Very pleasant!

I just got back monday from Zim. We hunted Kazuma and Panda Masuei. About 1.5 hours south of Vic Falls. Nights were high 40s and the afternoons were high 70s to low 80s. Fery few mosquitos and moderate flies. Excellent weather to hunt in.

Makuti in July... Cold enough in the mornings and at night to warrant a decent jacket! pleasant during the day, can still get quite warm (up to 35deg) but not normally above 30.

The bush is begining to thin out- A time of year I like.- but still many springs giving water and hundreds of hidden 'hot spots' to have a look for game.

Tsetse fly- a small but real issue. garry hopkins nearly died of sleeping sickness he caught whilst hunting in makuti in 2004. They are not nearly as plentiful as on the valley floor, but all control work has broken down.

Best protection from tsetse fly? A fat American in a dark shirt 3 paces behind you - with such a good tsetse attractant around me I find I never get bitten

quote:

A fat American in a dark shirt

We're just better fed and tastier than you Africans ...

I took a good friend to the Valley last year for his first African hunt. He was after leopard and buffalo. Right off the bat, he shot zebra and impala, and his PH made the obligatory "gut bucket." They baited leopard for at least 10 days after that, adding to the "gut bucket" in the back of the cruiser each time they shot another animal of opportunity. I was off chasing croc, and reportedly my buddy and his PH were being hammered by the tsetse flies inland.

When I finally met back up with him, he had one of the most descriptive comments of the trip. He quipped:

"I'm convinced, if there's a hell, it's filled with tsetse flies and smells like the gut bucket!"

I gotta say, I concur. The little beggers are a total menace!

Tim:

WE hunted Makuti mid-August thru early Sept. in 2007. As other have said, the evenings and mornings will be nippy enough to warrant a jacket and gloves, especially if you are riding in the high seat. The days were great.

RE: TSETSES--They were pretty bad in specific areas, not everywhere. When we drove through the bad areas I used my hooded jacket pulled tight around my face. The only expoused area were my eyes, and I wore sunglasses.

However, Makuti is a great place and I would return in a heart beat despite Tsetses.

Best regards, D. Nelson

Hi Tim,

Everybody's pretty well covered it. My wife and I were there hunting with Alan Shearing during the first week of July 2007. We only encountered tsetses in one small area while driving on the road into the camp. They invariably buzzed around in the cab of the truck for a few hundred yards and then were gone. My wife got bitten once; me, never.

And yes, it's cool (cold!) there in the evenings and mornings. The fire was very welcome at those times. The days were very pleasant.

We're going back to Makuti in the latter half of July this year to hunt a tuskless cow and leopard with Richard Tabor as our PH. I at first thought we would be sharing the camp with you, but your later post indicated you will be there in July, 2010.

Dave

Loneduck,

I have hunted 13 elephants with Richard Tabor, four at Makuti. You will enjoy your hunt with Rich, I think! Quiet guy until you get to know him. Good hunter. His trackers, Ohriah and Tiangwe, are great and very nice fellows, quiet too.

BTW, it will be my Ziess 20x60x85mm spotting scope that you will use on your hunt. Rich liked it so much I loaned it to him, and loaning it to him gives me the requirement to go back and get it!

Great luck!

JPK