The Accurate Reloading Forums
SAVE Safari in 2015?
05 November 2013, 06:04
John WeaverSAVE Safari in 2015?
Robin and I are planning a safari in 2015. Leopard and eland being our primary quarry. We have contacted Thierry Labat and are considering the SAVE Conservancy as the destination. Question is, would it be wise to plunk a significant down payment with the SAVE situation still unresolved?
05 November 2013, 07:26
bwana cecilTough call.
I have a safari planned for August 2014 in the Save with Butch Coaton as my PH.
If things go pear shaped, they'll make a plan & the hunt will go on.
LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show.
Not all who wander are lost.
NEVER TRUST A FART!!!
Cecil Leonard
05 November 2013, 08:52
bronxfatsHad a great hunt with Butch in Nyakasanga in 11/2011 for bull ele,hippo,croc,buff and a few add ons.Had a great hunt for lion etc in the Save in 7/2009 with Donza Desfountain. I've been very worried about the Save as have we all.......but all African hunts are encased in the unknown and potential disappointment and disaster.Most turn out to be incredible adventure with most dreams realized. Say hello to Butch. He as is Donza is not a prominent subject of our posts........but both deserve to be. Jim Hinde
05 November 2013, 14:31
subsailor74I agree this is a tough call. I guess it all depends on how much you trust your PH to make a plan if the Save permits don't materialize. My last two safaris were booked with Save Safaris, and in both 2012 and 2013 permits were not issued for the Conservancy. My PH made a plan in each case, and I had probably the two best hunts I have ever had. I took a nice tuskless in Dande in 2012 and a huge leopard this year at Debshan Ranch in the Shangani region of Zimbabwe. For 2014, I will again book with Mike Payne at Save Safaris to hunt Matendere Ranch in the Conservancy. If the permits do not get issued, Mike will make a plan, and we will have a great hunt.
05 November 2013, 14:53
shakariAnyone that can predict the situation anywhere in Africa, let alone Zimbabwe that far ahead ought to do the lottery.
05 November 2013, 15:02
larryshoresSteve is right.
It certainly has its risks.
05 November 2013, 15:07
David Hulmequote:
Originally posted by subsailor74:
I agree this is a tough call. I guess it all depends on how much you trust your PH to make a plan if the Save permits don't materialize. My last two safaris were booked with Save Safaris, and in both 2012 and 2013 permits were not issued for the Conservancy. My PH made a plan in each case, and I had probably the two best hunts I have ever had. I took a nice tuskless in Dande in 2012 and a huge leopard this year at Debshan Ranch in the Shangani region of Zimbabwe. For 2014, I will again book with Mike Payne at Save Safaris to hunt Matendere Ranch in the Conservancy. If the permits do not get issued, Mike will make a plan, and we will have a great hunt.
And the same is true for all the straight-shooter operators in Zimbabwe. Most of you know who those are by now, but for those who don't, feel free to send me a PM.
05 November 2013, 17:40
joesterI hunted buffalo in the SAVE last August (2013) and had a great hunt & shot an old bruiser. Barrie Duckworth was my PH, a wonderful guy. At that time lions & eles were not yet allocated, but we saw a bunch, even a daytime leopard. I'll say this unequivocally- - if you book with the Duckworths (Mokore Safari) you won't regret it.If they are not granted a license for you (Zim Politics 101!) You WILL get a refund. Or perhaps an offer (your choice) to hunt on another one of their cocessions. Their Sengwe Research Area is game-rich.
05 November 2013, 19:22
larryshoresThis is not a question on whether the PH is reliable or whether the Save is a great place. It is a question about the risks of booking so far in advance in an area that has been more in controversy for several years.
The facts are that MOST of the Save was not hunted in 2013. Will 2014 & 2015 be different? What will happen if Mugabe dies?
There are certainly some risks. Whether you can tolerate those risks is the real question.
06 November 2013, 04:17
John WeaverThanks for the posts guys. I think we'll make a decision based on the plan B Thierry comes up with in the event permits are not issued for plan A. Leopard may not be available on short notice. So there is the rub.
21 December 2013, 21:06
Safari2Thought I would bump this one back up to the top in the event there is any news about 2014 Save quotas?
21 December 2013, 22:00
Bama15You may want to think about hunting in the BVC. It is stable and will be for the foreseeable future. 2015, is not to early to plan your hunts there.
22 December 2013, 02:17
boarkillerif Old Bob croaks, shit is gonna hit the fan, plain and simple
" Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins.
When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar.
Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan
PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move...
Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies...
Only fools hope to live forever
“ Hávamál”
22 December 2013, 03:44
DinoinPVThierry is my PH, and a most amazing hunter and honest guy! I just sent him a deposit for lion for 2015 in the Save!! I didn't think twice about it...
I know he will make a plan if there is trouble, or he will refund my deposit..
Go for it!!!
28 December 2013, 12:52
Neil DuckworthPersonally you can't go wrong in booking with Thierry, he's one of the best hunter's and hunts great areas in the Save, no one can predict on what's going to happen. The reasonable thing would be to put down a token deposit as 2015 is still far out and then rely on thierry to do what's right should thing turn for the worse. There should be some direction on the SVC shortly..