I'm thinking hard about this offered hunt. Does anyone have any experience/knowledge re the booking agent/outfitter or the areas being hunted? Specifically I'd like to know about the Elephant population in this area and also Cape Buffalo.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...2100588/m/9231064242

Chete Safari Area

Was shot out/ poached quite a few years ago.

Sounds like it has now come under long term management.

I remember hearing about that years ago. I'm hoping to get some info regarding the current conditions. Concerned mainly with the elephant population in the area. Also thinking about taking a Buff if time permits.

Chete was an absolute great hunting area.

We hunted there when Roy Vincent had it.

It went downhill after he left it.

I know a hunter who hunted there a few years later, he said it was an absolute disaster.

Have no idea what happened since the current owners have taken charge of it.

Saeed - Thanks for the info. I've heard about the area being poached out years ago. If anyone has any info. regarding current conditions please let me know. A PM will work if you don't want to comment in an open forum.

If you search you will see a whole topic on this earlier this year.
They have taken over and are reinvesting in the area.
I think plains game and many animals were overhunted and poached.
But Elephants are still quite prevalent I believe. Call Sean and tLk to him...

I enquired about a hunt there this year and was told that they were sold out???

Would be very interesting to get an honest hunt report from there.

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Would be very interesting to get an honest hunt report from there.

That's exactly why I started this thread. I did speak to one hunter who did this hunt. He had a good hunt but it was in 2013. I'm hoping to hear from someone who knows the current conditions in this area for elephant. I was thinking of adding two days to the hunt and also trying for a Buffalo if time permits.

The area was badly pillaged by Hingeston and company. Will take years and mega-loot to restore.

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Originally posted by cow-trader:
The area was badly pillaged by Hingeston and company. Will take years and mega-loot to restore.

I seem to remember this name, and it was not in a very good context either.

A shame really, as Chete is a classic hunting area that requires a lot of foot work.

I shot several lions, leopards and elephants there, not to mention lots of buffalo as well as all the plains game on offer.

Some areas in Chete are so thick and far off the beaten track that some hunters cannot get to them.

The same happened in the Omay, and Chirisa, and, and, and. These areas are coming back, but it will take time.

Check outfitters with ZPHGA; I think it would probably be possible to get a good buff hunt there this year (and in Omay), as there has been a lot of AP work done there.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by cow-trader:
The area was badly pillaged by Hingeston and company. Will take years and mega-loot to restore.

I seem to remember this name, and it was not in a very good context either.

A shame really, as Chete is a classic hunting area that requires a lot of foot work.

I shot several lions, leopards and elephants there, not to mention lots of buffalo as well as all the plains game on offer.

Some areas in Chete are so thick and far off the beaten track that some hunters cannot get to them.

Had quite a few adventures in Chete.

Oscar, a friend's father from Germany, was hunting with us.

He wanted to shoot a buffalo, but was a bit hesitant about my rifle.

A 416 Rigby Improved.

Anyway, one day we found a very old bull lying down under a boabab tree.

He seemed he was on his last leg - some suggested he was not going to get up, even if we had not shot him.

We approached him from downwind, which was from behind him as he was lying down.

Oscar was still not too sure about the rifle, but, he had no choice.

The rifle had a muzzle break, and Roy likes to block his ears at the shot.

And Oscar wasn't of good hearing either, as you will see.

We all approached the buffalo, and the fun started.

The bull was lying down facing away from us.

Roy said "Don't shoot until I tell you"

Oscar only heard the word SHOOT, and fired!

The bull was hit - we have no idea where, but was trying to get up bt finding it hard.

Roy said FUCK!

Oscar said SOMETHING WRONG?

Roy said "I said do not shoot! Shoot him again now"

Oscar ended by firing I think 4 shots.

Eventually the bull died, and he had 18 bullet holes in him!!

Because of the way he was lying, the bullets were stitching him.

In in the rear leg, out of it, into the stomach, out of it, into the neck, and out of it.

We all had a good laugh, Oscar was pouring with sweat, and looked not too far behind that buffalo in his state either.

Walter said "Oscar. I am glad the buffalo died first. I wasn't sure which one of you would be left standing"

That was seriously funny.

We had a game scout called Big Boy.

He was very pleasant, always helpful, but his socks beat the worst week only leopard bait when it comes to the smell!

Big Boy wanted to become a professional hunter, so we decided to help him understand certain things about the animals.

I shot a kudu just before lunch as we were heading back to camp.

Me: Big Boy, can you tell me how old this kudu Bull is?
Big Boy started looking at it, moving around, without a clue.

An American friend of mine, was smiling, and said quietly to me “this is going to be interesting”.

Big Boy had no clue, so I decided to help him.

The kudu’s horns have small ridges on them, and about a third of the way up there was a larger ridge.

I said: Here, look at these ridges. You count from the bottom, and each ridge is one year. This large one is for a leap year!

Hite, my American friend, burst out laughing. Tears were coming down his cheeks, and he was repeating “leap year??!!”

No matter, Big Boy believed me. And that is that matters!

We also had a bit of fun with lions there.

One day on the way back to camp for lunch, we saw a very big lioness carrying half a warthog.

We had a lioness on license, so decided to go home and have lunch, then come back and try to find here.

This was not too much of a hassle, as there was very little shade, and she was going to go to one of the boabab trees around there.

Sure enough, we found her sound asleep under a boab tree.

Most of her body was huddled from us, and there was a good breeze from her to us.

We had no idea how long before she gets up, so we decided to wake her up.

I got ready, and Roy threw a rock to the side her.

She was in in instant!

A couple of shots later she was stone dead.

Our truck was quite far away, so I stayed behind with her, and they went off to get the truck.

I found a dead squirrel next to her, which she had killed. The mate of that squirrel was on the tree looking.

This was just after lunch, and I rested my head on the lioness and went to sleep.

I was jerked up rather quickly, as I turned my head I got a whif of her from a bullet hole, and was not too sure where I was.

Eventually my friends arrived, without the truck. They had to leave it about a mile away.

We skinned the lioness and carried the head and skin back.

It is interesting that the outfitter who has Chete has not answered here??!!

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Originally posted by Saeed:
It is interesting that the outfitter who has Chete has not answered here??!!

Noticed that as well

My lady and I flew into Chete in late August of 1989. The day before a doctor from Michigan had wounded and lost a buffalo and asked me if we could track down this bull for him. He was leaving that morning.

Also, they had discovered a poached elephant the night before that the ivory had not yet been removed. So an ambush was set up the next morning and when the three guys showed up they killed two on the spot and left the third guy 'leaking oil and running for his life.'

We saw the boat with the bodies heading down Lake Kariba for Binga. From there the authorities in Zambia would be contacted we were told.

This was all before we had even had breakfast. I asked the game ranger what they did around there for excitement?

He just stared at me.

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Originally posted by Safari2:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
It is interesting that the outfitter who has Chete has not answered here??!!

Noticed that as well

He might be out of contact, so may be we should give him some time.

quote:

Originally posted by Safari2:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
It is interesting that the outfitter who has Chete has not answered here??!!

Noticed that as well

Sorry to all for not chiming in here I have just settled in Namibia and am today just getting to wifi. I had 2 hunters in Chete at the last of 2017 and will gladly send their contact information if to anyone interested. Sean

Sean,

It might be a good idea if you give us an idea of how Chete is now.

If you include photos of the camp it might be helpful too.

Last photos I got from Chete looked like a shambles.

Saeed, I hunted with Alan and Roy at Chete in 97 and recall Big Boy quite well. AS I recall he had a bit of a drinking problem and wrecked his official vehicle while I was there. He was a good tracker and on one occasion at least carried my back rifle.

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Originally posted by R. Gunn:
Saeed, I hunted with Alan and Roy at Chete in 97 and recall Big Boy quite well. AS I recall he had a bit of a drinking problem and wrecked his official vehicle while I was there. He was a good tracker and on one occasion at least carried my back rifle.

You are absolutely right.

I remember Roy was showing us the location where he wrecked that truck.

He had, without any question, the worst smelling feet of any human I have ever met.

We took the boat to the Fly Camp, and Big Boy took his shoes off and sat in the front of the boat.

A week old, rotting leopard bait did not compare to the aroma were subjected too.

We got him to sit in the back of boat, to avoid being killed by the smell.

That was truly SMD - smell of mass destruction!