I'm headed to Namibia for plainsgame in 2010. This has now evolved into a Buff hunt as well and I seem to have the choice between Caprivi and Zim somewhere near Lake Kariba. Travel costs will be about equal and cost of the hunt similar.

Which would you choose and why?

Who would you be hunting with in Zim?
Private land, communal, or Parks?

Also which outfitter in Caprivi?

Frost,

Caprivi (kasika anyway) is a floodplain hunt. You wait for the herds to move in over the border, spot them a long ways off, and maneuver for the shot. Both bulls I saw these year from Kasika were 34", but w/ very nice bosses. Not much else out there to hunt when the buff is down.

The classic Zim hunt is cut a track and follow up through mopane and brush. Much more up close and personal.

It's hard to make a bad choice, but I know which hunt I will be on next!


Good luck,

I hunted elephant on the shores of Lake Kariba last year and loved it - beautiful area, lots of buffalo...

Frostbit, there is nothing better then to track down a buf or two...Just like following a big bear into an alder thicket... You will be tested...

Mike ... Zim X 2

Frostbit, my impression from going there and listening to others who have been there that elephants in the Caprivi have bigger bodies than you generally find in Zim. I can tell you that any elephant is going to impress you when you are up close, but they were monsters in the Caprivi. Now, tusk size is a different matter. I can't say you'll see much difference there. I have less information on that.

I hunted the Caprivi at a time when I had poor luck. It was baking hot (October) and the elephants were largely gone during that time as it happens, so I took what I could. There was no selection. Buffalo happened to be gone too. My impression is that you will have good selection of elephant and especially buffalo in Zim. Good hunting.

I successfully hunted Buffalo in the Caprivi (Kasika) in July and it is a great experience but definitely much different than your classical tracking hunt. It is a floodplain and the hunt is more like a foot hunt for Pronghorn in that you are walking long distances to spot them on the semi-high grass floodpalin and then making a stalk. Depending on the time of year it also means you'll be potentially getting wet. Ditto on the fact that there is little or no other game to hunt there except Elephant.

Zim is sounding better by the minute. Thanks for the input.

Jim

Frostbit

On my first Safari I hunted 21 days in the OMAY not too far from Lake Kariba. I had a great hunt, killed a very good cape buff, some good plainsgame and 3 elephants, including a 55lb bull.