Planning a third trip to Africa in 2015. Had a bad experience with Adam Clements and a great hunt with Luke Samaras (2006 & 2010). Three hunters, one wants to hunt elephant bull, the other two buff and other stuff. Looking for suggestions. Probably three one on one hunts. Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Namibia come to mind as possible countries. Perhaps a split full bag and separate buff hunt. Any suggestions appreciated.

My suggestion would be to not commit to anything & instead just wait until this time next year before even settling on a country, let alone a company or a PH.

Things often change VERY quickly & often unexpectedly in Africa & in this financial climate, there's no need to rush into anything at all anyway.

CMsafaris.com

They can and will make a plan.

Jeff

Forget Tanzania if you are after elephant.

Zimbabwe is probably is your best bet.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:
CMsafaris.com

They can and will make a plan.

Jeff

Hard to argue with that suggestion. I have shot six of Big Seven with CMS, including multiple elephant and buffalo. They are solid people and work hard. In terms of group hunts, in June 2014 we will be doing a dagga boy hunt with seven hunters, so I am confident they can accommodate three hunters.

Mike,

We might need to keep these ringing endorsements down. It may make future bookings a problem for us. Just sayin...

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
My suggestion would be to not commit to anything & instead just wait until this time next year before even settling on a country, let alone a company or a PH.

Things often change VERY quickly & often unexpectedly in Africa & in this financial climate, there's no need to rush into anything at all anyway.

Steve, no offence but is this the same advice you would have given while you were still active in the hunting industry?

Chris

No offence taken mate.........Yes it is.

I appreciate people in the industry like to try to have as many bookings as far ahead as possible (and I don't blame them for that) but that doesn't alter the fact that in the time span being discussed, Govts can fall and rise again, mad dictators can take over, hunting can be banned and reintroduced and droughts and game populations can come & go (to say nothing of companies go under & people get sick) ....... but if you have the patience to check my previous posts, I think you'll find I was giving similar advice at least 4 or 5 years ago when I was still operating.

If the guy was asking about species such as mountain nyala, my advice would be different but in the case detailed, I think he'd be silly to book so far ahead right now.

agreed, especially with regards to Tz. the situation there seems to change year to year and sometimes even in the middle of the season

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:
CMsafaris.com

They can and will make a plan.

Jeff

Hard to argue with that suggestion. I have shot six of Big Seven with CMS, including multiple elephant and buffalo. They are solid people and work hard. In terms of group hunts, in June 2014 we will be doing a dagga boy hunt with seven hunters, so I am confident they can accommodate three hunters.

Another vote for CMS. I've also taken lion, leopard, multiple buffalo and elephant with them. Will be on my 4th trip with Charlton McCallum Safaris this time next week. They are top notch and you will NOT be disappointed with their operation. Great folks as well.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Chris

No offence taken mate.........Yes it is.

I appreciate people in the industry like to try to have as many bookings as far ahead as possible (and I don't blame them for that) but that doesn't alter the fact that in the time span being discussed, Govts can fall and rise again, mad dictators can take over, hunting can be banned and reintroduced and droughts and game populations can come & go (to say nothing of companies go under & people get sick) ....... but if you have the patience to check my previous posts, I think you'll find I was giving similar advice at least 4 or 5 years ago when I was still operating.

If the guy was asking about species such as mountain nyala, my advice would be different but in the case detailed, I think he'd be silly to book so far ahead right now.

OK, point taken. Although 2015 is actually not that far away. It will be "here" in a year

By the time we get to DSC (in a little over a month) - most outfitters will be booking 2015 hunts hard-out. I presume it would be the same in much of Africa?

If it were I, which it is not, I would wait. I would be open to short notice, 30-45 days. There are many outfitters looking to fill open dates in TZ. Remember, not all the world's outfitters post on AR.

I had a short notice offer for a good TZ block a couple months ago. 30K all in (except TF's) for 21 days. 5K more to include the Maasai species.

Back in 2004-2009 when disposable income was being spent on hunting, getting good dates in good area's was more difficult. Now, name your dates, pick your block and get a reasonable price.

Seems to me, Zim has taken advantage of Zambia and Botswana's issues. TZ has become much more affordable to the normal guy.

Just my .02

Steve

Waiting for late season opportunities, cancellations, etc. is a good solution for those that have schedule flexibility. For others that need to have dates to plan around for work or family reasons, booking for 2015 is certainly not too far out. Many good outfits are already virtually fully booked for 2015.

Hunting season in 2015 is pretty much about 18+ months away & between now & then are 2 conventions & an election in RSA.

The world economy is waaaay down the toilet & Mad Bob will be in his 90s by then....... & with a bit of luck, he'll be dead & roasting in hell.

I think it's fairly safe to say that January-March (or So) of 2015 will see PLENTY of special deals on offer in most of the African countries that offer hunting.

I think that depends on who you want to hunt with. If you are not picky . . . maybe . . .

Mike, I reckon very few companies indeed will be fully booked (for 2015) a year from now or even in February/March 2015....... perhaps one or two that offer really specialist deals such as mountain nyala might be fully booked but that's about it.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Forget Tanzania if you are after elephant.

Zimbabwe is probably is your best bet.

Saeed, what kind of elephants have you seen on your Selous trips, any tuskers?

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
I think that depends on who you want to hunt with. If you are not picky . . . maybe . . .

I have to agree with Mike. In my experience to get a top quality safari for the animals you want you have to book the best time of year for those animls and with a safari operator that has great areas holding those species. This pretty much rules out waiting and taking whatever slots are available later on.

I do agree that at the end of the season as we've seen this year there are some good deals avaialble. The thing is that most people cannot just pick up and leave on short notice. They have to put in for their vacations way ahead of time so that pretty much rules out this option for them. Also not ever species is easily huntable late in the season. For example if you want a leopard late season can be very difficult and I say that having one on offer right now.

Mark

George,

Stick with a top notch Zim outfit with a long track record and you'll be happy.

Mark

Hands up all those who have tried & been unable to book a standard issue PG or DG hunt any time in the last 12 years (since 9/11) within 10 days or so of their preferred dates & with their preferred company.........

I'll bet a pound to a pinch of shit there won't be many.

Thanks for the ideas. We'll be doing our research. CM is a possibility. Zimbabwe may be our best option. Any other recommendations on safari operators appreciated.

Matetsi Unit 3 will be difficult to beat for that hunt

quote:

Originally posted by ManuelM:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Forget Tanzania if you are after elephant.

Zimbabwe is probably is your best bet.

Saeed, what kind of elephants have you seen on your Selous trips, any tuskers?

This year has been our tenth consecutive year hunting in different areas of Tanzania, mostly the Selous.

We have never even seen a single shootable bull.

My PH saw one a few years ago the day we flew out after our hunt.

I have spent very little time in Selous and will agree with your comments Saeed, I must say I have 2 good friends Christophe Morio and Francios Guillet who were PH,s for Passanisi,

they showed me photos of magnificent elephants they shot just a few years back, now nothing, even lucky to get 1 big tusker (60lb+) in a season,

I was very lucky to have 2 friends hunt elephant out side Tarangero National park,
and Lake Manjara,

both shot 2m+ Ivory Bulls, the one went 68lb and the other touched 80lb,

This was in 2011, and I think those days are gone in Tanzania,

as far as I know, there is no more Elephant hunting in the Masaai Land area?

JK

Tanzania has a terrible poaching problem, especially elephants.

They had a joint game department/police/army operation early this year.

Not sure if that did any good apart from a PR campaign.

Out of curiosity - aside from poaching, were they overshot in the 90's and 2000's?

quote:

Originally posted by Orvar:
Out of curiosity - aside from poaching, were they overshot in the 90's and 2000's?

If you are talking about elephant they were heavily poached in the 80's then recovered in the 90's and 2000's up until about 2010. Now the cycle of poaching is repeating itself.

quote:

If you are talking about elephant they were heavily poached in the 80's then recovered in the 90's and 2000's up until about 2010. Now the cycle of poaching is repeating itself.

Indeed, the difference being that this time round it has gone out of control; the price of ivory to the poacher is the equivalent of a single month's wages per KG!
The payback is so lucrative that it far outweighs the risks of being caught.
The elephant poaching in TZ today extends to include every corner of the country, from North/South, East/West - not like the 80s where the primary area was the Selous which was and still is, totally uninhabited and almost inaccessible; as result of the hunting ban there was no legal hunting taking place which meant the presence of outfitters and department patrols was absent.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by ManuelM:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Forget Tanzania if you are after elephant.

Zimbabwe is probably is your best bet.

Saeed, what kind of elephants have you seen on your Selous trips, any tuskers?

This year has been our tenth consecutive year hunting in different areas of Tanzania, mostly the Selous.

We have never even seen a single shootable bull.

My PH saw one a few years ago the day we flew out after our hunt.

10 years ago i hunted the Selous( can't remember the concession number but it belonged to Pano Calavrias and ran along the Kilombero River). in 10 days, we saw 1 small herd of elephants disappearing over a ridge several miles away. as an aside, Mark Sullivan had used this camp earlier in the season, according to the guest log at the lapa. in terms of big game, there wasn't much other than hippo. buff numbers weren't impressive. bear in mind, though, this was 10 years ago.

quote:

10 years ago i hunted the Selous( can't remember the concession number but it belonged to Pano Calavrias and ran along the Kilombero River). in 10 days, we saw 1 small herd of elephants disappearing over a ridge several miles away. as an aside, Mark Sullivan had used this camp earlier in the season, according to the guest log at the lapa. in terms of big game, there wasn't much other than hippo. buff numbers weren't impressive. bear in mind, though, this was 10 years ago.

J$:

If you knew a little more of the Selous and its concessions you would also know that they all have their peak times during the year.

K1 & K2 being the concessions you are referring to can be quite productive but only for a couple of months of the entire season.

I have guided in those concessions on several occasions, never had any problems with buff (some pretty good ones too) - Lion density and quality were not bad, no shortage of Leopard and plainsgame was more than reasonable.

Probably one of the better areas for Hippo and Croc, especially in Boma Ulanga where Elephant use to thrive in the swamp accessible only by boat or Jet-Ski

And yes, MS did in fact sub-lease and put some safaris through there 10 years ago or thereabouts - the deal soured between the two and the opportunity to continue hunting those blocks was not renewed; as Saeed quoted someone as saying: " with friends like that, who needs enemies"?

Oh to have seen the SGR in the days Brian Nicholson & Jon Speed et al were laying the blocks out. I reckon they must have seen the very best of it!

FWIW, I have some pics on my computer somewhere of my friend Jon speed with some magnificent Tz ivory that to this day, knock my socks off every time I see them!

Jon incidentally, is also the suthor of the Mauser books that are WELL worth a read!

quote:

Oh to have seen the SGR in the days Brian Nicholson & Jon Speed et al were laying the blocks out. I reckon they must have seen the very best of it!

Absolutely right Steve, don't forget those colorful characters in the shapes of Palmer-Wilson and Alan Rodgers who made the Big 4 group of the SGR.

I'm glad I saw so much of it when I did but what I saw is a mere shadow of what it must have been then.... it must have been an absolute bloody paradise in those days!

I would just go with CMS. That solves the problem of getting what you want and also if you will enjoy the whole thing. They are great.

Feel free to look us up at either Dallas or Reno, we've been in the business for many years and can accomodate you on the hunts requested. As stated above if you are looking for good areas/operators with available dates and quotas you should start planning asap.

quote:

Originally posted by studdog:
Thanks for the ideas. We'll be doing our research. CM is a possibility. Zimbabwe may be our best option. Any other recommendations on safari operators appreciated.

Zim or Namibia (Caprivi for example) would be your best bets, IMO.

How about Namibia. I know you can peg a pretty good bull in the C. strip or Sobbe. Karl S. has some pretty good deals from time to time. Buffalo can be pricey but good places to hunt buffalo are drying up too...so no place will be "cheap" for long. Namibia is a good stable country,some Great Plains game hunting too...

Ed

my experience there the past 2 years echoes your comments. plenty of elephants and enough buff/plains game to fill the bill- and Karl is a lot of fun to hunt with..