Or, how trophy hunting pays for real, boots on the ground, conservation.

African Conservancies was established in 2014, and the first project was in Nyaminyami Rural District Council, the Omay Communal Land hunting area. AC comprises Carbon Green International, the relevant Rural District Council and the relevant community in which the conservation plan falls. A trust has been formed that will include these parties as beneficiaries. The primary goal of AC was to locate a suitable area to form, build and manage a sustainable community conservation area. The Omay 1 hunting area between the Ume and Sengwa Rivers was selected as a perfect phase one. The criteria of selection include: being communal land hunting area, falling within the CGI REDD+ project area, and having a suitable residual resource and forest land to be able to resuscitate.

The primary objective of AC was to partner the community and council. The belief in building sustainable conservation areas and in particular enabling communities to truly and directly benefit from this sustainable utilization is at the core of this project.

The hunting offtake was reduced in 2014, 2015 and in 2016. For example, 2014 saw twelve buffalo being hunted from the quota of thirty five. In 2015 we had a buffalo offtake of ten from the possible thirty five. Having done our own numbers on the ground, our offtakes are very conservative and the population increase through relocation due to no hunting pressure is clearly visible, with far better trophy quality and substantial numbers increases across species.

Anti-poaching began in 2014, with six game scouts based out of Manyuli camp close to the Gokwe boundary and six scouts based out the Ume hunting camp. We decided at the close of 2014 that the anti-poaching was not having enough effect on elephant poaching, so in March 2015 Chris Moore personally came into the Omay to oversee and manage the anti-poaching teams.

He immediately amalgamated the two teams and brought in Charles Khumalo to head up this new team. Charles is ex-Zimbabwean National Army, a brave, dedicated leader who has commanded not only the respect of this unit, but Chris and the community at large. They started in-house training incorporating firearms training, tactical house clearances, offensive tracking and in the process building a more intense unit that could cope with a far more aggressive outlook to the poaching problems. This immediately began to produce results.

This team increased in size and area of operations; in 2015 additional capacity was attained to eighteen personnel and there are four fixed bases of operations. The focus has been on hardened, armed poachers with the theory that the fish, snare, and dog-bushmeat poachers would be dealt with in the process of eliminating the more "serious" elements.

Though in theory based in the Omay communal land, operations stretch into Gokwe, around Chizarira and Charisa and Binga. Due to operations being outside of the National Parks we predominantly operate with Zimbabwe Republic Police details and district council game scouts. Our entire unit has now been accepted as Police reservists.

It has been agreed that our unit will establish a dedicated reaction team within the police force that Chris shall train and manage. The first in-house courses in conjunction with Police are set to begin early 2017. We hope to achieve better safety, operational cohesion and teamwork by implementing Standard Operating Procedures and insight into our intelligence and operations work.

In August 2015 Charles Khumalo was tasked with resurrecting and bettering the information gathering networks, as reacting to shots fired is almost a pointless affair. The poachers shoot toward last light and fifteen minutes from shots fired the elephant’s face is chopped off and the poachers are moving. There is no way to track them fast enough to catch them up at this stage.

The informant/intelligence network has had significant effect; we had over one hundred and twenty people of interest on our books at the beginning of 2015. We have over one hundred and eighty at this time. Over 95% of our arrests have occurred and been made possible through the capturing or purchasing of intelligence that is then collated, vetted and prioritized. Our full-time Intel man has proven time and time again that our focus on the “funnies” department produces results. By taking away the safe zones in the community that the poachers utilized in the past, they are now severely limited as to where and how to carry out illegal operations without being compromised. We incorporate many layers into this department.

Educating people and school children to the value of their wildlife and ensuring the CAMPFIRE funds trickle down and are utilized correctly is essential. In doing this we ask communities to embrace the teams’ desire to protect their natural resources and to understand that without the participation of the community in our protection efforts there is very little hope for the future as the community only has their renewable natural resources to consistently rely on. We make sure the community is protected from the wildlife and ensure that we promptly carry out PAC (Problem Animal Control) operations.

There are continual undercover operations taking place. These vary in style and target various criminal elements. The “sales” department, “purchase” department and “poaching” department. The covert teams pose as the above, leading to sting operations carried out in conjunction with the police. These teams actively work their way into the ivory trade in the area, building up intelligence and “networking” the illegals and setting up stings that protect the identities and integrity of undercover teams and Confidential Informants. These ops by nature are very testing and have a high danger component that takes a certain type of individual to carry out with a high degree of success. 2015 saw the unfortunate murder of one of our confidential informants. The person targeted was the head of our intelligence section. His brother, the CI was poisoned and died.

In 2016 there were a total of 52 arrests for elephant poaching, bushmeat poaching, fish poaching and illegal gold panning.2 illegal firearms were recovered along with 119 snares and over 4km of illegal nets.

2016 saw a massive reduction in poaching activities and the increase in game numbers is now quite visible. Over the last nineteen months only four elephant have been poached in the whole of Omay. We believe that these results have been achieved by the continuous efforts to reduce the operating space and safe zones for poaching teams and the significant reduction in firearms available to the teams from our 2015 recoveries of illegal weapons.

We would not be able to operate without the significant assistance we receive from the Safari stakeholders in the Omay. Legal sport hunting and the sustainable utilization of forests plays a pivotal role in the subsistence of the communities that live in Omay. Our role in contributing to a sustainable livelihood from these renewable resources on behalf of the communities is imperative.

Omay Safaris.
Is this a new outfit ?

Commendable and very similar to what I am doing in Zambia.

The recovery of only 2 firearms seems a bit on the low side?

It would also seem that the previous quotas were inflated and not sustainable. Who set these quotas?

Actually, the whole of the Omay is close to one million acres. I consider 35 buffalo a bit light considering the Omay shares a considerable border with Matusadona National Park. Perhaps the OP should give us an overview of the portion of the Omay they control.

And good on you for controlling the scourge of Africa, poaching for meat and ivory!

Interesting, I hunted the south Omay in July 2012. Hunted seven days, dark to dark. Waleked all day tracking buffalo. Was hunting both buffalo and plains game, if spotted. Fired one shot in seven days at a 250 yard running baboon. Did see a few snares and traps.

How much plains game did you see

Hmmm in 2011 in the South Omay, I saw buff almost every day if we were tracking them. Plains game is spread out in the big open conservancies. Had no problem shooting buff on all three of my trips to the Omay in '09, '10 and '11.

Same as bwanamrm, I saw buffalo nearly everyday and hunted in 09, 11, and 12. Killed buffalo each trip. Also saw plainsgame, not much in 2011 but we hunted in April when everything was green and thick.

Not to mention the elephants and leopard (had to sit in the blind almost four hours before shooting it in the daylight) I hunted and the tiger fish I caught in the Ume.

When I was hunting in the Omay there was basically no plains game abailable due to poaching. This was in 2010 iirc. Action is more than overdue in the Omay. I understand from this post that there is a new operator other than MP who seems to take antipoaching more serious than MP Safaris.

I hunted the Okay this past Oct/ Nov. I met both Chris and Charles. I was actually shocked at the extent of their anti poaching work.
Everyday Charles spent time on the phone talking to informants and then planning the nights activities. Charles and Chris went on two overnight patrols while I was there. Being successful on one night.
The whole team was professional in appearance and action at all times. Armed to the gills each time they left.
I was not prepared for the amount of plains game we saw each day. Waterbuck, impala, bushbuck, and kudu. Lots of all these animals.
I got the impression the Omay is in good hands with this team.

Keith Prowell

quote:

Originally posted by df06:
Interesting, I hunted the south Omay in July 2012. Hunted seven days, dark to dark. Waleked all day tracking buffalo. Was hunting both buffalo and plains game, if spotted. Fired one shot in seven days at a 250 yard running baboon. Did see a few snares and traps.

Unacceptable.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Commendable and very similar to what I am doing in Zambia.

The recovery of only 2 firearms seems a bit on the low side?

It would also seem that the previous quotas were inflated and not sustainable. Who set these quotas?

Yes, the quotas were way too high; depending, of course on what one is trying to achieve. It is necessary to cut back a lot in order to improve the trophy quality.

The fact that only two firearms were recovered is mainly due to the successes the previous year.

quote:

Originally posted by Omay Safaris:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Commendable and very similar to what I am doing in Zambia.

The recovery of only 2 firearms seems a bit on the low side?

It would also seem that the previous quotas were inflated and not sustainable. Who set these quotas?

Yes, the quotas were way too high; depending, of course on what one is trying to achieve. It is necessary to cut back a lot in order to improve the trophy quality.

The fact that only two firearms were recovered is mainly due to the successes the previous year.

Africa needs more of this style of investment and management. Communal involvement or partnerships are all important for sustainability. Trick is to create a business environment with communities that is directly stapled to the wildlife asset thus encouraging conservation.

Once you have broken the back of the local poaching syndicates the rest is fairly easy.

Your model needs to be well advertised and encouraged as it again proves hunting as a conservation tool under a new responsible format.

I would like to see some of these communities cross borders in order to witness successes in other countries as I believe this is the future of wild Africa.

I hunted Omay north in 2015.....had to purchase goats for leopard bait, plainsgame was almost non existent......savages everywhere. I was successful on leopard and my wife got a sable that was a gift from above, so the previous is not a negative report because I was unsuccessful, just for the record......

It is shocking what has happened to the area.

In the late 80's short duration buffalo hunts were conducted in the Omay. Everyone got their buff. Over 3,000 impala a year were culled. Game was abubdant.

There has been an incredible increase in the human population and an incredible decrease in the game populations. Go figure.

The Omay is in desperate need of an operator with some passion for the area and to take on the poaching syndicates. Weldone Chris and wish you and your team all the very best. You on the right track.

Good evening, gentelmen,

I spent 3 safaris in Omay North (Oct 2012, Oct 2014, June 2016).
5 buffalo bulls, elephant, hyppo, hyena and assorted plains game were taken there.
Thank you for your constant anti poaching activities.
Greetings from Vadim too

Best regards,
Rinat

quote:

Originally posted by Guy Whittall:
The Omay is in desperate need of an operator with some passion for the area and to take on the poaching syndicates. Weldone Chris and wish you and your team all the very best. You on the right track.

I remember John Sharp a few years back relating his sadness as regards the demise of the Omay.

When I was there in 2010 the poaching was ridiculous. There was basically no plains game left which made my leopard hunt with MP Safaris very complicated and finally unsucessful. It would be interesting who is now operating the Omay and which operator is now doing something finally in regard to develop and preserve the area. I do not know Omay Safaris but it seems they are doing something better now.

I went in 2014. The hunt was for tuskless. We started in the south portion of the Omay. We saw lions, a fair number of elephants (mostly tusked cows) and some buff. The buff were cows and young bulls. There was very little, if any, PG seen. We drove to another camp to have a look for elephant sign. It was a beautiful camp high on a bluff over looking a river. One could see a lot of country. We could see some PG. However it was VERY little. Less than 10 head. The PH remarked about the poaching decimating the game.

I took two tuskless and we decided to move to the north camp to hunt croc as well. There was a several drive to the north camp, largely due to the horrendous roads. During that drive, we did not see a single head of game, NOT ONE!

The north camp is quite scenic. There are large numbers of croc and hippo. In the Tiger Bay jess , there are a lot of elephants. Mostly cows. I saw very little other game in the safari area. The other game I did see was in the national park.

When we drove back to camp at night from the far side of Bumi Hills, we did not see a single head of game in a multi hour drive.

As I stated before, in the 80's, this area was absolutely crawling with game. Mass numbers of 5 day buff hunts were sold and EVERYONE got their buff. Game was everywhere. They culled thousands of head of PG per year. Now, due to poaching, it has come to this. It is sad.

While not as bad but still sad is Tiger Bay. This used to be a really nice resort that was busy. Now it is largely empty and run down.

quote:

Originally posted by jaegerfrank:
When I was there in 2010 the poaching was ridiculous. There was basically no plains game left which made my leopard hunt with MP Safaris very complicated and finally unsucessful. It would be interesting who is now operating the Omay and which operator is now doing something finally in regard to develop and preserve the area. I do not know Omay Safaris but it seems they are doing something better now.

That was 2011, Frank. I was there also.

8 days in both camps and I saw a lot of elephant, 100's of buffalo, dozens of pods of Hippo and I stopped counting crocs, one Kudu bull, four bushbuck ewes, two roan, two warthogs and two female lions. The Appy went out twice looking for Impala for Jaegerfrank's bait but I never saw him bring any back.

It is interesting to read about the different extremes of experiences on the Omay. I guess it can be attributed to many things PH, time of year, particular area, expectations, health of the hunter, etc. In no way am I discounting any person's bad experience, it is just been that mine have been so different.

I hunted leopard in 2011 the same year as jaegerfrank (according to Fjold) and killed mine in the daylight with only 4 or so hours in the blind. It did require 8 days of hard work to get to that point.

Maybe the appy should have gone here for the impala bait.

Congratulations for the great job done by Omay Safaris. In the late 70s and early 80s I was sole agent for Paul Grobler Safaris. Paul was hunting the whole of the Omay, it was teaming with game. At this time Paul used to hunt about one dozen of (old) buffalo bulls a year / a small fraction of the quota. Trophy quality was outstanding. Presidents F.J.Strauss, Giscard d'Estaing and other VIPs hunted there as did a number of guests of the rhodesian government : Omay was considered as one of the very best concession of the country. Let's hope that actual work & investment - much needed - will allow a brilliant recovery.

I hunted there in Oct of 2010. As others have said, lots of buff, elephants, crocs and hippos. Very little of anything else. Plenty of snares, though. The last day in camp we went fishing, took dozens of snares in the boat and tossed them in deep water.

So if I am reading this correctly Martin no longer has the Omay but this new outfit Omay Safaris?

quote:

Originally posted by rxgremlin:
So if I am reading this correctly Martin no longer has the Omay but this new outfit Omay Safaris?

Here was a thread from last year relating to this.
http://forums.accuratereloadin...691080922#6691080922

According to Martin's website, he still has Omay North and South.

When I read of some of those hunts that were complete busts due to poaching/no game, am I the only one who is wondering if the hunter was sold a bill of goods ?

Uninformed agent/ dishonest outfitter ?

I would be interested in more/specific details.....

I hunted Omay North in 2014 for Buff out of the Ume camp. I met JTEX there and my boys shot some impala for his leopard hunt. Plains game was hard to come by and I never got on the sticks for a shot at a buff despite walking 15 miles a day and working dark to dark. It had been hit very hard by the poachers

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:
Omay Safaris.
Is this a new outfit ?

Is this Chris Moore?

Most of this is a year old, but Chris Moore is still actively running the APU with some really innovative stratagems. Buff numbers are up and trophy quality is improving.

Any updates and specifically hunting out of the Ume camp?

quote:

Originally posted by Victor Watson:
How much plains game did you see

Sorry for very delayed answer.
This was in 2012, with MP.
Like the gent above, I hunted dark to dark for seven days and only fired a 250 yard shot at a baboon, out of frustration.
I saw-
I saw buffalo at a distance or running full speed at long range.
A few wart hogs, maybe ten, all females with little ones
About six kudu, females and immature males
Several groups of impala, maybe 15 total.
One hyena.
One group of a dozen baboons.
Was most certainly the most disappointing hunt of my life.
I have posted here about it in past and not interested in re hashing it. Gets my blood pressure up.

I hunted The South in 2016 and chased Buff almost daily. I shot two. I hardly saw any plains game.