No PG in Zimbabwe?

18 June 2010, 06:07

Austringer

No PG in Zimbabwe?

I was talking to a local hunter yesterday who has been to Zimbabwe several times, the last being several months ago.

I told him I'm going on a Buffalo/PG hunt in September, and he informed me Buffalo will be good, but that PG has been "shot out" of Zimbabwe for years.

Is there truth to his statement?

18 June 2010, 06:40

MJines

Like most generalizations, that is complete bullshit. In the last two years I have been on hunts in Zim where either myself or a friend shot impala, zebra, kudu, waterbuck, bushbuck, and warthog, and we tracked or saw duiker, klipspringer, wildebeest and eland. Not counting the other stuff I am sure we saw and I cannot remember. It all depends on the area, the time of year, and other variables. Besides -- in my opinion -- I would rather be hunting free ranging animals and see fewer than be hunting abundant plainsgame behind a game fence in SA or Namibia.

18 June 2010, 07:06

Kyler Hamann

That person must be speaking of one particular area, never-the-less its an ignorant statement.

Its like saying there are no mule deer left in North America. You can go to plenty of places where you would never see one, a few places where you rarely see them. But they're plentiful in many areas. The same is true with plains game in Zim.

18 June 2010, 08:44

craig boddington

I also just returned from Zimbabwe. As a country Zim no longer competes in the plains game market; since the land reallocation started in 2000 the majority of the carefully nurtured plains game on private land is gone, including perhaps 80% of Zimbabwe's sable. But that's "as a country" compared to South Africa and Namibia, which are primarily plains game destinations. There are still areas with superb plains game hunting, including some of the Matetsi blocks and the large conservancies. The majority of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Safari Area are, and always have been, primarily dangerous game areas--but they all also have a good variety of plains game--you just have to dig around a little. Only by exception is Zimbabwe a great "plains game only" destination--but buffalo, leopard, elephant, or lion along with some plains game--you bet!

Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris
http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333
Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com
NRA Benefactor
DSC Professional Member
SCI Member
RMEF Life Member
NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor
NAHC Life Member
Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer
Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262
Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142
Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007
16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409
Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311
Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added
http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941
10 days in the Stormberg Mountains
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322
Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232

"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson

Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......

"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."

18 June 2010, 18:26

MARK H. YOUNG

We've had 5 clients return so far from Zim. One hunted in Sijarira Forest and got his buffalo the first day but with the super thick cover saw little plains game but Sij has always been a big game area. The other clients hunted with Mokore on the Save Valley Conservancy and took buffalo, sable, giraffe, kudu, eland, bushbuck, impala, warthog, zebra and waterbuck with multiples of most species. You just have to book your hunt where the species you want are found in good numbers.

Mark

MARK H. YOUNG
MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES
7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110
Office 702-848-1693
Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED
E-mail markttc@msn.com
Website: myexclusiveadventures.com
Skype: markhyhunter
Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716

18 June 2010, 18:48

ledvm

quote:
Originally posted by craig boddington:
I also just returned from Zimbabwe. As a country Zim no longer competes in the plains game market; since the land reallocation started in 2000 the majority of the carefully nurtured plains game on private land is gone, including perhaps 80% of Zimbabwe's sable. But that's "as a country" compared to South Africa and Namibia, which are primarily plains game destinations. There are still areas with superb plains game hunting, including some of the Matetsi blocks and the large conservancies. The majority of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Safari Area are, and always have been, primarily dangerous game areas--but they all also have a good variety of plains game--you just have to dig around a little. Only by exception is Zimbabwe a great "plains game only" destination--but buffalo, leopard, elephant, or lion along with some plains game--you bet!

That actually is a pretty fair assessment. There are areas where the PG is virtually gone but others where it is pretty fair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. Lane Easter, DVM

A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House

No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991.

19 June 2010, 09:51

Austringer

From what I understand he hunted elephant on communal land, so I took his statement with a grain of salt.

I did a lot of research before I booked and feel very comfortable with my decision. I'm hunting the Save Conservancy, so I don't think there will be a shortage of PG. However, even if that were the case, I'd be more than happy to take that in trade for the opportunity to hunt in an area where the big five roam freely.

Mark, my expectations for PG aren't that high! If I can get a couple of impala, a warthog, and maybe a zebra or bushbuck I'll be perfectly happy. Of course, the more I get to see the better.

Scott, that is a good point. I was very excited that 505 Gibbs hunted with the same PH I'm hunting with in September. Even without considering his awesome lion, he seemed very happy with the PH.

20 June 2010, 00:43

Jorge400

quote:
Originally posted by corne Omujeve:
MJines,

Not all of Namibia is fenced!!!! We have a 1 000 000 acre free range pains game area in North Western Namibia.... And there are lots of other free range areas in Namibia.
So please do not make such statements before you have the facts....

Corne, very true and I'v hunted 3 times on unfenced communal lands for plains game from the west to northwest to the Caprivi. That being said, I have to laugh at the irony of MJines opening sentence above.

"...Africa. I love it, and there is no reason for me to explore why. She affects some people that way, and those who feel as I do need no explanation." from The Last Safari

20 June 2010, 01:28

larryshores

Austringer:

I hunted the Save last October. No shortage of plains game where I was hunting. I shot 3 impala, 2 bushbuck, kudu , eland, zebra and 2 giraffe. I passed on wildebeeste (there are many), duiker and waterbuck. I saw sable but there was no quota.

I saw no nyala. There were few warthogs where I was at.

20 June 2010, 04:26

dla69

quote:
Originally posted by corne Omujeve:
MJines,

Not all of Namibia is fenced!!!! We have a 1 000 000 acre free range pains game area in North Western Namibia.... And there are lots of other free range areas in Namibia.
So please do not make such statements before you have the facts....

Agreed.

I hunted free range animals when I was in Namibia last year.

20 June 2010, 09:27

Scott King

quote:
Originally posted by Austringer:
From what I understand he hunted elephant on communal land, so I took his statement with a grain of salt.

I did a lot of research before I booked and feel very comfortable with my decision. I'm hunting the Save Conservancy, so I don't think there will be a shortage of PG. However, even if that were the case, I'd be more than happy to take that in trade for the opportunity to hunt in an area where the big five roam freely.

Mark, my expectations for PG aren't that high! If I can get a couple of impala, a warthog, and maybe a zebra or bushbuck I'll be perfectly happy. Of course, the more I get to see the better.

Scott, that is a good point. I was very excited that 505 Gibbs hunted with the same PH I'm hunting with in September. Even without considering his awesome lion, he seemed very happy with the PH.

I observed an over abundance of PG on Mokore in the Save Concervancy. Gary Duckworth told me in 2007 when I hunted with him that he had heard but had never seen lion on Mokore. As of 2009 when I was there he had seen them, and as of 2009 they were offering lion hunts. I did not hear or see hyenas when I was there in 2007, but in 2009 I heard them several times.

I hope you've got a lot of money for trophy fees. If you get trigger happy on the Save you're going to need it.

21 June 2010, 23:54

CCMDoc

quote:
Originally posted by Austringer:
quote:
Originally posted by Scott King:

I hope you've got a lot of money for trophy fees. If you get trigger happy on the Save you're going to need it.

Not a problem that part will be easy! I've seen the commercials on TV, I'll "just say NO."

....Yeah....that will be easy....

The only "No" I predict you will be saying will be to the question"

"Do you want to pass that one up?"

Pop and I went to Zimbabwe last September for Cape buffalo and Kudu ... took two Cape buffalo, two kudu, four impala, two blue wildebeest and a warthog. Could have easily taken zebra, bushbuck, waterbuck and duiker.

Have a great time!