As it may end up, I MAY end up hunting in this hunt area this Oct instead of Chirisa again. Having only been in the Plumtree and Chirisa areas prior, I've never stepped foot into this area of Zimbabwe before, much less hunted there..

For the guys who've been there before, please fill me in on what the terrain is like, buff numbers, ele numbers, plainsgame species and availability etc.. Just trying to get a feel for what a hunt in this area is going to entail.

Gracias, gents..

I am sure you will get some good feedback, but until then do a search on "Chete" and you will get a lot of relevant hits. I have not hunted Chete, but understand from others that it is one of the more challenging concessions to hunt. Fun hunting if you are fit and enjoy a physical safari.

Here is a link to HHK's website, note on the left there is a drop-down with a bunch of other info.

http://www.hhksafaris.com/chete_buffalo.php

A great source of information will be Saeed. I believe that he's hunted there a number of times with Roy and Alan Vincent back when Roy had that concession. If I recall correctly, Saeed took a fantastic buffalo with Alan on one of their Chete hunts, that was around 50" wide.

Thanks guys.. I have been reading all the archived topics on the site.. A great wealth of info in them about the various safari areas in Zim.. It seems that Saeed was quite the fan of Chete back in the day.

Bill, thanks for the link. It's HHK that I'll be going with. We are just waiting to see which place it'll be that we'll be hunting in. I'm up for any and all.. Their camp in Chirisa is really nice.

As for the physical part of Chete, I'm ALL for that. SOunds like its a great locale and somewhere I'd like to chase buff.

I have hunted both Chete and Charisa several times in the last ten years. Tell me what you want to hunt and I'll tell you which I think would be better.

465H&H

I hunted an adjacent area and my wounded elephant ran into it. We had to drive about two hours to get a permit and a game scout, then drove back and followed the bull into the Chete Safari Area. Found it dead. I recall the area was very hilly.

Chete is one of the best areas I have hunted.
We hunted there 5 consecutive years when Roy had it, and absolutely loved that area.

It is quite tough, and one needs to be in pretty good shape physically to be able to enjoy hunting that area.

A 12 to 15 hour day out there is quite common, mostly on foot.

I have heard of people who have cut their hunt short because of their inability to enjoy that sort of hunt in Chete.

I've hunted Chete once before, about five years ago. I took an elephant and saw lots of buffalo, hippo, kudu, etc.

This September (about 11th-27th) with Lou Hallamore for leapord and perhaps a hippo and a buffalo.

It is quite rugged and I've been walking several miles every day and doing some stairs, etc. getting ready. Leopard hunting, of course, isn't as tough as chasing buffalo or tracking elephant, thank goodness, but hunting along the lake is quite easy, if you so choose.... Just make sure your PH is one who understand your limits, if you have any?... and you'll be just fine.

Don't forget that Chete is right on Lake Kariba and fishing is an option, even if you just climb down the cliff in front of camp and fish from the bank. If you decide to go there, check with Graham Hingeston at HHK and see if he recommends that you bring a fishing pole.

If you're going in October, I'll try not to stink the place up and leave you a big ol' dagga boy or two!

Thanks for the insight guys..

Should the decision be made to move the hunt to Chete or stay in Chirisa, the priority will stay the same.. Buffalo is the primary quarry with ele as secondary.

I like the idea of fishing while there as well.. Sounds like fun.

Here is my reading on buff and ele between the two areas. A lot more buff in Charisa then Chete. But still plenty in Chete. I saw an absolute monster buff in Chete in November. More ele in Charisa also and if your looking for a bull then Charisa has more bigger bulls. A 40 lb er in Chete would be huge. I lot more tuskless in Chete than Charisa. If you can hunt Charisa in March or April it will be your best chance for a 60# bull. I have seen 3 buff over 40" in Charisa also. It will take time to find one like that in either area.

I finally got the pic to post.



465H&H

Scottyboy:

You aren't going to believe this, but as I mentioned, I'm going to Chete in September.

Guess where I'll be in March... Yep! In Chirisa hunting a mangement elephant. Biebs and I have a buffalo on license, too, if we get the urge.

Do I get a scouting fee?

The post above is pretty accurate, btw, according to my experience, especially about the elephant being a bit bigger at Chirisa.. but, to me, an elephant is an elephant. Damn, I love hunting those magnificient animals!

Send me a Sat phone and I'll call you every night from both Chirisa and Chete... on your dime, of course... with a few calls to my girlfriend, maybe.. also on your dime... or a Ben Franklin or two.


Either place, if you get there after me, I'll leave a note on the single malt I don't drink, reserving it just for you!

Judge,

I took a management ele bull in Chirisa and 2 PAC ele bulls in the ajoining CAMPFIRE area.. this trip will be for buff as the priority.. we just aren't sure as to where we'll be hunting them quite yet!

As to where has the bigger ele, I am like you in your thinking.. I just like hunting them.. whether its tuskless, PAC, management, trophy.. Its all ELEPHANT hunting to me and I love it all.. Your scouting for a nice management ele bull for me will certainly be noted, my good sir! Don't forget to tie a nice old dagga bull to a thick mopane trunck before you depart camp as well.. Gotta get close with those DR's, ya know..
ALTHOUGH....I may have to borrow Ernest the lucky elephant on this trip. He seems to bring great luck whereever he gets taken with!

Whereever we end up for our hunt, I'll be looking for that last nip left for me in camp!

Things I remember from hunting Chete- hot, rocky, lots of up and down hills, good fishing, rough rocky roads, beautiful scenery, elephants, buffalo, leopards, lots of rocks, tired when I left, climbing over rocks, and did I say ROCKY!

I walked the length of Chete not so long ago, on the shoreline. Yes, there are lots of rocks.

Scottyboy:

You want Ernest, just p.m. me with your address and you'll find that your wish is my desire!

I don't think I really meant that... but if you want the lucky elephant, I'll send you one with my special voodoo spell that produces guaran-blanking-tees success!

Tucson where I live, is one rough, HOT, steep, rocky cob of a place as well. Sounds like Chete will make me feel right at home!

Judge, you are a generous man.. I will most def. be getting in touch with you well before we depart for Zim.. It seems that the voodoo you do is just what I need for this trip!

PM headed your way.

Scottyboy,

I hunted Chete thia past November for tuskless. If you hunt late the game animals are concentrated near the lake. We hunted the hill area but saw very little sign. There isn't much water anywhere there except for the Lake. Here is a pic of an elephant we saw along the lake shore. We saw 5 herds of elephant from a boat in an afternoon. Buffalo were also within a mile or two of the lake.

465H&H

Sorry about the pic! I am having trouble with Photobucket this am.

465H&H:

I'd agree with you that the concentration is at the lake late in the season.

I was there in late November and early December one year. We saw tons of elephants by the lake. You couldn't go full power up the river, either because you'd hit hippos. We'd see several dozen buffalo coming to water each day, too.

Made for easy hunting!

My friend and I booked with HHK (Chete) for July of 2011. I've got leopard,hyena, hippo and eland on license. He's got pac elephant.
From the posts above, looks like I better hit the gym harder. Can't hardly wait!

CTJ

quote:

Originally posted by CARLOSTHEJACKAL:
My friend and I booked with HHK (Chete) for July of 2011. I've got leopard,hyena, hippo and eland on license. He's got pac elephant.
From the posts above, looks like I better hit the gym harder. Can't hardly wait!

CTJ

Since Chete is a gov't safari area there are no crops for elephants to raid. How do you do a PAC elephant there?

465H&H

Maybe a tuskless?

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
Maybe a tuskless?

Kinda what I was thinking as well..

I doubt it. As I believe there are only three tuskless on quota at Chete. JudgeG has one on quota and I have two already booked.

465H&H

quote:

My friend and I booked with HHK (Chete) for July of 2011. I've got leopard,hyena, hippo and eland on license. He's got pac elephant.
From the posts above, looks like I better hit the gym harder. Can't hardly wait!

Tuskless quota issues aside, July is the wrong time of year for PAC elephants. And as 465H&H has pointed out, Chete is a gov't area. Your hunting partner should check into this.

Does anyone know what the area is like for plainsgame, especially sable?

Like most of the valley areas it is much better DG area than a plains game area. Impala, duiker and klipspringer are there in good numbers. Sable and eland are there but not as abundant as some of the other areas like Matetsi or the Save.

465H&H

I hunted Chete in October 2006 with Buzz Charlton. HHK's camp was very nice.

Chete, as everyone has mentioned, is rocky and rough. The road net is poor, in that it doesn't cover all that much of the area, and the roads are rough. That can mean lots of walking. Alternatively, one can take a boat along the lake to access areas far from the road and walk from there. Temps were hot and it was humid because of the lake's proximity. The heat seems to reflect up from the red rocks and dirt at Chete.

I saw a number of buff herds along the lake shore, lots of elephants, nothing with ivory better than maybe 25lbs, but we weren't looking for big bulls either. Saw lots of hippo and endless numbers of crocs.

We had three tuskless on quota and killed all three within three days, two in one day. Lots of walking in those three days though, litterally dawn to dusk one day.

We hung a couple of baits for a leopard, and the area looks great for leopard, with some springs and deep, rocky hollows running to the lake. We abandoned the leopard hunt when Buzz heard that a couple of elephant bulls were available in Omay; we bugged to chase them.

Tried some fishing and caught some bream, no tigers, but not a lot of time spent trying either.

Also killed a nice bushbuck. On the downside for plains game, we found a HUGE snare line, running a couple of miles. Saw poachers and their dogs as well that day. We picked up 34 snares and found remains of eland, sable, buff and more than a few other animals in some of the snares or nearby. The Parks camp didn't have a running vehicle or fuel for one even if they did. On the plus side, they asked for a ride and we dropped of a patrol which picked up the rest of the snares and went looking for the poachers.

I would return to hun there, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

JPK

quote:

Originally posted by CARLOSTHEJACKAL:
My friend and I booked with HHK (Chete) for July of 2011. I've got leopard,hyena, hippo and eland on license. He's got pac elephant.
From the posts above, looks like I better hit the gym harder. Can't hardly wait!

CTJ

Never saw an eland the whole time I was there. Saw leopards,impala, hyena, lots of hippo, lots of BIG crocs, lots of elephant but not much tusks,two sable; two leopards were taken while I was there, in the day time on two consecutive days (as I recall, you can't hunt after dark), heard lions most nights. Lots of klipspringer and hyrax, they love those rocks!

quote:

Originally posted by RBHunt:

quote:

Originally posted by CARLOSTHEJACKAL:
My friend and I booked with HHK (Chete) for July of 2011. I've got leopard,hyena, hippo and eland on license. He's got pac elephant.
From the posts above, looks like I better hit the gym harder. Can't hardly wait!

CTJ

Never saw an eland the whole time I was there. Saw leopards,impala, hyena, lots of hippo, lots of BIG crocs, lots of elephant but not much tusks,two sable; two leopards were taken while I was there, in the day time on two consecutive days (as I recall, you can't hunt after dark), heard lions most nights. Lots of klipspringer and hyrax, they love those rocks!

Thanks for the info! Eland is the last on the list, but I hope some move in by the time I get there.

CTJ