quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I saw a bunch of 40+ buff in the Luangwa valley areas with John DuPlooy of Muchinga last year, and I heard they pulled a 46-47" out during the season.

I have hunted with Alister in the past and he is a fun guy to hunt with as well.

Zambia is a bit more expensive than Zim, but a great country to hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I figure you would steer him right also, but I try and only make recommendations on personal experience!

Keeps life simpler.

Frankly, buffalo and cat hunting isn't getting any cheaper, but it is worth it.

Zambia is a great destination.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I figure you would steer him right also, but I try and only make recommendations on personal experience!

Keeps life simpler.

Frankly, buffalo and cat hunting isn't getting any cheaper, but it is worth it.

Zambia is a great destination.

Absolutely Mr. Butler and Johnny has one of the finest big game concessions in the Luangwa valley. Get in early to beat the heat and the late season resident hunters.

quote:

Originally posted by dave1:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I figure you would steer him right also, but I try and only make recommendations on personal experience!

Keeps life simpler.

Frankly, buffalo and cat hunting isn't getting any cheaper, but it is worth it.

Zambia is a great destination.

Absolutely Mr. Butler and Johnny has one of the finest big game concessions in the Luangwa valley. Get in early to beat the heat and the late season resident hunters.

And your area is busy with buff
Andrew.

quote:

Originally posted by martin pieters:
Highly recommend Greg Michelson, leopardridge@hotmail.com,

Greg is hunting the

Nkala game management area (GMA) which lies on the eastern boundary of the Kafue National Park. Nkala is bounded by a second concession we hunt which is the Namwala GMA which also lies on the eastern boundary of the Kafue Park.

Great rates
Great Ph

Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by sandyhunter:
I did a bunch of safaris in Nkala as an appy in 2012. It's a neat place. I believe it's the smallest GMA in Zambia, and it's very close to villages and the town of Itezhi-Tezhi, which is sort of a mixed blessing. It's a perfect place for a 7-day buffalo hunt, though, especially in the May through July period.

There are lots of buffalo, though the herd will sometimes move back into the park. During the first part of the season, the buffalo hunting is primarily herd-based and is easy and hugely fun. You should be on tracks at first light nearly every morning. We took a lot of hard-bossed bulls in the 39-41 inch range when I was there. Later in the season, the buffalo spend most of their time in the park, around Lake Itezhi-Tezhi (a reservoir), but one can still hunt dugga boys in the thickets--tough but rewarding hunting.

The eland herd comes into the GMA around the same time that the buffalo herd moves out--September-ish. They're beautiful Livingstone's eland, and the hunting can involve lots of walking and tracking, as is typical for eland hunting.

Nkala also has some very nice sable--not a lot of them, but enough that they're a worthwhile target animal for one or two clients per season. Blue wildebeest, zebra, Crawshay's defassa waterbuck, oribi, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, and Chobe bushbuck were all readily available. When I was there, the reedbuck had been hammered pretty badly by the resident hunters, but that was nearly four years ago, so things are likely much improved. Kudu are available, though not in great abundance. Maybe three good ones will be shot all season. I saw one bull that was in the high, high fifties. It was also a decent place to find a Sharpe's grysbok, though we never had a hunter take one while I was there. Hippo hunting is tough (assuming they're even on quota this year), but one can get one for bait if not too choosy. Unlike in some GMAs in the Kafue, one stands a pretty good chance of shooting a bushpig or a hyena in Nkala. It's not a guaranteed thing, but the odds are relatively good.

Nkala is not a bad place for leopard. If you go there looking for one, you will most likely get one. We took a good lion in 2012, but there aren't any resident lions--just ones that pass through every now and then. The last lion taken there before 2012 was a young cat shot maybe two years prior--a serious mistake on the part of the game farm owner acting as the PH on the safari. It's just not a lion destination.

In sum, Nkala is a great spot for a 7-14 day safari, especially if you're wanting to shoot a nice buffalo.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:

quote:

Originally posted by sandyhunter:
I did a bunch of safaris in Nkala as an appy in 2012. It's a neat place. I believe it's the smallest GMA in Zambia, and it's very close to villages and the town of Itezhi-Tezhi, which is sort of a mixed blessing. It's a perfect place for a 7-day buffalo hunt, though, especially in the May through July period.

There are lots of buffalo, though the herd will sometimes move back into the park. During the first part of the season, the buffalo hunting is primarily herd-based and is easy and hugely fun. You should be on tracks at first light nearly every morning. We took a lot of hard-bossed bulls in the 39-41 inch range when I was there. Later in the season, the buffalo spend most of their time in the park, around Lake Itezhi-Tezhi (a reservoir), but one can still hunt dugga boys in the thickets--tough but rewarding hunting.

The eland herd comes into the GMA around the same time that the buffalo herd moves out--September-ish. They're beautiful Livingstone's eland, and the hunting can involve lots of walking and tracking, as is typical for eland hunting.

Nkala also has some very nice sable--not a lot of them, but enough that they're a worthwhile target animal for one or two clients per season. Blue wildebeest, zebra, Crawshay's defassa waterbuck, oribi, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, and Chobe bushbuck were all readily available. When I was there, the reedbuck had been hammered pretty badly by the resident hunters, but that was nearly four years ago, so things are likely much improved. Kudu are available, though not in great abundance. Maybe three good ones will be shot all season. I saw one bull that was in the high, high fifties. It was also a decent place to find a Sharpe's grysbok, though we never had a hunter take one while I was there. Hippo hunting is tough (assuming they're even on quota this year), but one can get one for bait if not too choosy. Unlike in some GMAs in the Kafue, one stands a pretty good chance of shooting a bushpig or a hyena in Nkala. It's not a guaranteed thing, but the odds are relatively good.

Nkala is not a bad place for leopard. If you go there looking for one, you will most likely get one. We took a good lion in 2012, but there aren't any resident lions--just ones that pass through every now and then. The last lion taken there before 2012 was a young cat shot maybe two years prior--a serious mistake on the part of the game farm owner acting as the PH on the safari. It's just not a lion destination.

In sum, Nkala is a great spot for a 7-14 day safari, especially if you're wanting to shoot a nice buffalo.

The size of Nkala has been increased greatly! 2016 will see the southern boundary extended significantly to include a large portion of the northern section of the Bilili GMA as well as a large section of the lake shore of the massive Itezhi-tezhi dam. This will increase the huntable area of Nkala significantly. Now, we will see what benefit that will include?

I've known/worked with Greg for over 15 years - a very good guy who always runs a good operation.

quote:

Originally posted by martin pieters:
NAMWALA

Namwala is situated immediately north of Nkala and shares a 14km boundary with the Kafue Park along the Kafue River. It is a large concession, approximately 250 000 acres of hunting area. Namwala is famous for its big leopard and sable. The SCI #1 sable was taken on the Namwala boundary. There is also a healthy population of buffalo up until late August when they migrate northwards. Hippo and crocodile are abundant along the Kafue River and good populations of plainsgame are found throughout the concession.
Namwala offers its clients a top end safari camp, tented sleeping accommodations, and thatched dining/entertainment area. Solar power supplies 220V electricity 24 hours and the camp also has a Wi-Fi facility.

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:
Hey while we are on Zambia does anyone know how Leon's new operation turned out? I forget the name but it is a community area in the Luangwa that bordered L. Lupande and Sandwe if I remember correctly.