I would like to hear from anyone whom has hunted with Classic Safaris in the Caprivi for buffalo.
Thank you gentlemen.

I would think the search function would turn up plenty on this outfitter!

Has this outfitter resolved his trophy delivery problems?

quote:

Originally posted by LHowell:
I would think the search function would turn up plenty on this outfitter!

Has this outfitter resolved his trophy delivery problems?

I received my trophies just fine this year, as did Jorge400 whose hunt overlapped mine. I am not aware of any recent issues, and I believe that mark65x55 did receive his although his were quite delayed as has been covered in great detail in a number of threads in the past.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by LHowell:
I would think the search function would turn up plenty on this outfitter!
QUOTE]

I assume you haven't hunted with Vaughn then, would that be correct? I did check out the search for him but found no one whom posted about his Caprivi buffalo hunts.

Cats,

Well, no I haven't hunted with him.

I was just urging research.

You might have foundthis one. Or considered that any of the several other posters that have hunted with Vaughn Fulton might have some thoughts on his operation in general.

Just trying to help. I think that is what AR is all about.

Les

Cats,

I apologize for personally responding to your thread intended to research and gain independant information regarding hunting Buffalo with my operation. I do beleive that you will get them though the question posed by LHowell is one that I felt needed to be addressed. I also did not wish to address something and leave the original question (Buffalo in Caprivi) unanswered. I hope that this is acceptable to you and once again apologize if my input was not wanted.

Firstly the Buffalo in Caprivi, particularly in our areas.
The facts are as follows, last year was the first year that we offered Buffalo hunting when we were awarded the Salambala Conservancy.
Last year was a headache and cause for great stress for me regarding our success rate on Buffalo which was un-acceptable due to low rainfall, poaching, Botswana Defence Force and game department activities, my own knowledge of the behaviour of the game in this area and to a lesser degree fishing activities.
This area in recent times relies on migration of the buffalo which as just stated did not do us any favours last season.
As Murphy would have it there are currently 100's of Buffalo in the area due to the good rain season. So much so that the community are placing pressure on the Game department to do something as these Buffalo together with Hippo and Elephant are destroying fields daily.
Hunters who were not able to connect last year were disattisfied. So assuming responsibility we have offered these hunters in addition to the discounts of last year to return at a minimal cost and atleast one of them will return this year and hopefully submit a report here.

To answer the obvious burning question, "what will the difference be if the rainfall next or following years is below average or other circumstances threaten success?".

Realising our predicament we applied for and are happy to announce that we have just secured an additional area where there are 400 to 500 resident Buffalo throughout the year. Kasika Conservancy is approximately 18 miles east of Salambala and is part of the Zambezi flood basin where you may see Elephant, Hippo, Crocodile, Lechwe and Sitatunga as well as Buffalo.
In addition, the traditional authority and the committee of Salambala experienced the same frustration and embarrasment that I did and this year there is currently constent monitoring and patrols being undertaken by the community Game Guards and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to minimize human disturbance and deter any poaching attempts.

I realize that this is a very brief description and welcome any additional questions.


Trophy delivery problems

LHowell,


A forum search will show that This outfitter that being me Vaughan Fulton, never avoided Mark's thread that he posted here concerning his trophy shipment over which he was justifiably upset. Mark's thread was a hard lesson for me and I did and still do acknowledge this and obviously according to your post pay a price for it.

Nevertheless to those fellow members who are or were not aware of the issues that we are faced with here is a brief explanation. We hunt in open communal conservancy areas north of the Vetinary fence and all trophies taken are subject to quarantine periods. There are 2 options the first one is spray with Soda Ash (a pre-tanner the taxidermists here will explain the pro's and cons better than I) and the trophies are placed for 21 days in quarantine or,
Option 2 is to leave trophies unsprayed and trophies stay for 3 months in quarantine. Both options are pretty straightforward though one also has to liase with the vet so that both parties are available and able to process this together.

After the quarantine period the trophies are placed in a closed container (trailer) and sealed by the Vet and naturally paper work accompanies the transportation through the control gate and the seal may only be broken and the container opened in Windhoek by the state vet. From here the trophies are delivered either to the shipping agent or the local taxidermist of choice.

One of the issues that Mark, previous and current hunters and I are/were faced with is that the nearest state Vet office in our western area where Mark hunted is approximately 200 km north of camp and the terrain here before you get to the gravel road is hell on vehicles and kidneys as past hunters on this forum will attest to.

Never the less there was additional procrastination on my part and I offered to make good on it and I beleive that Mark will clarify this if you request.
In addition to acknowledging my fault I have undertaken to avoid a repeat of this so we work hard to get our trophies out in a 6 month period which we do not always acheive however all trophies are at the shipping agent within 8 months of the hunter leaving camp.

In the Caprivi it is alot simpler as the Vet office is only a little over an hour out of camp and the road is on the way out making it logistically practical and easy.

Cats,

Again I apologize for responding in person to your request and hope and trust that you will understand why I felt it was justified

Vaughn surely no need to apologize rather I appreciate a straight forward honest answer. It is refreshing to find one here on AR where too often a poster has a personal agenda to fulfill. Cats
BTW I sent you an email.

Mr. Fulton,

I guess that answers my question [posed to the forum in general] regarding the trophies.

I had, of course, seen all the posts regarding the delays but never had seen the resolution of them.

As your services are so widely recommended with great reviews here on AR, and as I have been very interested in hunting in Namibia, that subject was of concern to me.

Thank you for your response and explanation.

I look forward to speaking with you in the future.

Les

Vaughan,

I understand your reluctance to publish circumstances as it might be construed as advertising.
Reading your explanations though, I am in awe at your very timely reponse to a valid inquiery.

YOu make no bones about what happened,you assume responsibility and apparently offered to make good to hunters caught in the situation.

Above all you are not shying away from allowing the facts of reality dangle in public exposure.

I recommend you for your insight into business as well as showing some feeling for hunters that entrusted their money,time and aspiration to you.

What a difference to my own TZ experience,where my carefully planned DG hunt into the Kigosi was switched to a vastly inferior Masai area without my consent and I ended up taking "representative" plainsgame and great monetary cost to me.

I would say,keep your forthcoming attitude up,it is appreciated to hear from the PH,especially if he tells the truth rather than constructing stories in an attempt to cover up the facts.

Cats,

I can't reply to your question concerning buf in the Caprivi with Vaughan, but I can offer an opinion as to Vaughan himself and as to my shipping experience.

For my hunt last summer, I knew I would not be hunting with Vaughan since he would be preparing to hunt his new concession. However, despite all the work involved with setting up his new camp in the Caprivi for a client arriving to hunt elephant, Vaughan made the time to meet me at the airport, get me settled at the hotel, take me to dinner, introduce me to my PH and make sure he and my PH understood what my goals were. Upon returning to Windhoek, he was genuinely concerned that my hunt went as I hoped and insisted on seeing me off. He had nothing to worry about as my hunt went better than I had dream, but I have no doubt that he would have made it right with me one way or another if it had not. He is just that kind of a gentleman.

As for my trophy shipment. I litterly read for the first time, Mark's problems the day my hunt contract arrived from Wendell. Needless to say, I was concerned and I picked up the phone and called Wendell. We talked about it for some time and at the end of the conversation, I told Wendell to just tell me what to expect in terms of trophy shipment timing. Well, Wendell was wrong, my trophies arrived two months quicker than what he told me to expect.

I know this does not answer your questions about buffalo, but I felt you should hear something about the man you are inquiring about and shed some light on the other question that arose.

George

Cats,

Hope I’m not stealing your post but after reading all of the replies I felt compeled to reply myself and offer this in hopes to clear up some of the post made in the past and hopefully help put you at ease about hunting with Vaughan. If you’ve read any of the previous post regarding trophy shipment then you know I’m the one who started all this crap. I hope you, Vaughan and the other members will believe me when I say I truly regret the way I handled this matter. I would again like to apologize to the members of this board for my actions in this matter but more importantly would like to again publicly apologize to Vaughan for the damage I did to him and his company, to our friendship. For this and more I’m truly sorry and wish I could undo what has been done in the past. Hopefully this will be a small step in that direction. In the end Vaughan proved to be a man of his word and delivered on his promises, in fact he went well above what was in our original agreement. He both publicly, and privately, offered to do much more to make sure I was satisfied, to which I am. In fact it is I who now feels indebted to Vaughan for the expenses he incurred on my behalf. Bottom line, I should have trusted Vaughan more. If you, or any other member, would like to discus this matter with me feel free to PM me, I’ll send you my phone number and we can talk.

I had spoken via phone lines to others whom have either hunted with Classic Safaris or knew Vaughn. I have yet to hear from anyone that was not content in their dealings with the man.
His honor is not my query. But the quality of buffalo and numbers in the Caprivi is.

Mark,

Thank you for your apology however there is no need to apologize to me as more good than bad came out of it at the end of the day and I thank you. The process is a lot more streamlined now and I don't sit on trophies as long as what I did with you. Your post helped future hunters by them not having to suffer the same wait and expectancy. In fact I mentioned in an e-mail to a friend today that I cringe at the mention of trophy shipments and remember what I felt like when I was standing in the headmasters office for howmework not done or mis-behaving.

I have said this before and I'll say it again I had a great time with you and LaRita and I put the strain on a budding friendship by not acting in a timely fashion regarding your trophies. I do not hold any grudges towards you and in fact I have a fuzzy feeling in my heart as I type this reply. Thank you Mark

Mark, that was a stand-up post.

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:
Mark, that was a stand-up post.

Damn Straight

I can only echo the great things that have been said about Vaughan. I hunted with Vaughan last May and had a great hunt taking some very nice animals on his large concession and one of the farms he has access to. Vaughan is a straight up guy who goes 110% in making your hunt what YOU want. I think I can call Vaughan friend and look forward to hunting with him again hopefully in the Caprivi for cape buffalo.
John

Vaughan,
Please advise if you have elephant in the Caprivi and where one can find general info on an elephant hunt up there. Kudude

I've never hunted with Vaughn, and probably never will, but that's how a man takes care of a problem, Up front and straight ahead, unlike some other outfitters/agents/PHs on this site.
Good on ya!

quote:

Originally posted by kudude:
Vaughan,
Please advise if you have elephant in the Caprivi and where one can find general info on an elephant hunt up there. Kudude

In case Vaughan does not get back to you right away, AR member Mrlexma hunted elephant with Vaughan in the Caprivi and posted this report.

Details of Vaughan's hunts in the Caprivi are on his website here -- although the other pages of the site have additional details about the hunts.

Sorry for the semi-hijack:

quote:

What a difference to my own TZ experience,where my carefully planned DG hunt into the Kigosi was switched to a vastly inferior Masai area without my consent and I ended up taking "representative" plainsgame and great monetary cost to me.

Oh for Christ's sake! How about just saying "Vaughan's behavior differs from my experience"? I think we can all recall the details and don't really need them pushed forward AGAIN! I think we all agree you got the shaft, but flinging the shit around again is getting you nowhere.


JMHO,

John

Its good to see an outfitter making an honest reply. In Africa (or anywhere) problems can occur. How they are resolved can be more important than problems not happening in the first place.

Cats, I hunted Elephant/lion in the Salambala and also in another conservancy just east of the Quando (Kwando) river in the Caprivi in 2004 with John Wambach. It was in Nov., after regular season and I didn't have a buff tag. Saw one herd of 300-400 buff come down to the Chobe River to drink and to cross over at night to get some grass in Namibia as the Chobe Nat Park was severely overgrazed. Saw another herd in daylight by the Quando River. Got several pictures of good bulls. One picture is posted at http://www.wwrendezvous.com in their hunting gallery. John's clients with buff tags appeared to have got some good bulls. Hope this helps. SGraves 155

I can't copy it, but here is the link to the picture

http://www.wwrendezvous.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=191&papass=&sort=1

I would shoot it.

quote:

Originally posted by SGraves155:
Cats, I hunted Elephant/lion in the Salambala and also in another conservancy just east of the Quando (Kwando) river in the Caprivi in 2004 with John Wambach. It was in Nov., after regular season and I didn't have a buff tag. Saw one herd of 300-400 buff come down to the Chobe River to drink and to cross over at night to get some grass in Namibia as the Chobe Nat Park was severely overgrazed. Saw another herd in daylight by the Quando River. Got several pictures of good bulls. One picture is posted at http://www.wwrendezvous.com in their hunting gallery. John's clients with buff tags appeared to have got some good bulls. Hope this helps. SGraves 155

John Wambaugh is another PH that you can trust with your Life but not with your Money.

I thought he had lost his Namibian Lic. and was deported back to RSA for poaching other's areas.