My son and I have been talking, at length, about a DG hunt in 2011. We are going to DSC in Jan., and I can't wait. One of the things we are talking about is hunting Cape Buff, and... The longer I think about it, I'm thinking that we should hunt 2 species of dangerous game, and for go the plains game[we did a very successful PG hunt last July in RSA].

We both feel the same way about the hunt. We are in it for the memories, and the adventure. Neither of us care about the size of the trophy[inches]. We want to go for a minimum of 10 days, and since we are a father/son team, we want to hunt together to share our experience[if my feet will let me]. We hunted 1x1 in RSA, and this trip, we'd like to do it 2x1 to share the pics and the experience. We even considered a mgt. cape buff hunt[if there is such a thing], and tuskless ele.

Who in Zim and in what area might we be able to put together such a hunt for 2 tuskless cows, and 2 cape buff bulls? The only "trophies" we would bring home, besides tons of pics, would be the cape buff for a shoulder mount, anda couple of ele hair bracelets.

Any and all suggestions appreciated, and if some of them are at DSC, this will narrow down the list of outfits to talk to.

Thanks!

Mad Dog

I would contact Roger Whittall. He can do it all and he has the best PH's

I would encourage you to reach out to Buzz Charlton and Myles McCallum (www.cmsafaris.com). The Makuti area is great for both tuskless and buffalo and Myles and Buzz are both super PHs and more importantly, super people. Charlton McCallum are at both DSC and SCI. This year will be my third year to hunt with them.

I agree with Mike... The Makuti area could definitely produce the outcome you are after.

Regards, D. Nelson

Thanks for the replies. Tell me about the Makuti area. Where is it located in Zim., and what is the terrain like? My son can walk up the side of a cliff, and can/does Mtn. climb. I on the other hand have issues with arthritic feet, and too mountainous of a terrain would most likely be a deal breaker for me.

Mad Dog

Do a search under the hunt report tab. I would guess that there are probably eight to ten (at least) hunt reports from folks that have hunted in Makuti in the last three years. Most, mine included, have pictures of the terrain, the camp, and descriptions of the area. There have been folks of all sizes, shapes and abilities that have hunted there successfully.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...&forum_scope=6321043

Thanks Mike! I did a search after I posted on Makuti, but yours narrowed it down a bit.

Mad Dog

quote:

would encourage you to reach out to Buzz Charlton and Myles McCallum (www.cmsafaris.com). The Makuti area is great for both tuskless and buffalo and Myles and Buzz are both super PHs and more importantly, super people. Charlton McCallum are at both DSC and SCI. This year will be my third year to hunt with them.

I can second Buzz, (do not know Myles), you will have a great hunt. You can also try Rory Muil, also a very good elephant PH.

A friend and I are going to Makuti next year with Buzz for tuskless, sable and buff. After a lot of research, BUZZ, CM Safaris and Makuti sure seem to perfectly fit what you are looking for.

I'll second the recommendation of Rory Muil. I hunted ele and buff with him last September. He works for Russ Broom Safaris and a good booking agent for them in the USA is Keith Atcheson at Atchesons.com. Broom's concession area, which is quite large, involves a charter from Victoria Falls airport and then about a 1.5 hour truck ride to camp. He hunts in the Binga district, not far from Lake Kariba.

You might want to contact Graham Hingston of HHK Safaris. The have tuskless available at Charisa, Deka and Chete. most of Charisa is pretty flat and easier walking then Makuti or Chete. WWW.hhksafaris.com. I have hunted elephant with them 6 imes and will go again in November. Great camps and PHs and Graham is one upstanding guy.

465H&H

I did my tuskless hunt a couple of years ago in Makuti with Myles. I would gladly hunt with him again.

We were not hunting buff but did see some.

Find a PH or company that has an good reputation and with which you feel comfortable and let them suggest an area and time of the season, then research those.

Best of luck to you.

Plus One!! for CM Safaris. I hunted with Myles last December, and we saw an awful lot of Elephants and several herds of Buffalo. Like both every day, and a lot of other game as well. I did have the ooprtunity to chat with Buzz a couple different days as well. You will enjoy Myles company, he is very good at tailoring a hunt around a client's capabilities without making him feel like a klutz. His crew is the best. I think they could track a mouse across hardpan.
The best compliment I can give a PH is that I intend to hunt with them again as soon as ($$$) possible.

Rich
DRSS

Also take a look at Brooklands Safaris.

Their property in the SAVE is excellent.

My vote would be to hunt the Charara Safari area which is surrounded by Lake Kariba, this area is abundant with Elephant and Buffalo along with everything else that Zimbabwe has to offer, the camp sits on the lake and you will be able to add some fishing and bird shooting to your safari giving you a good African mix, I would suggest Doug Kok as your P.H he is top notch and has been professionally hunting in Zimbabwe since 1978 I have hunted with Doug many times and I can not say enough good things about him and how he handles his business.

Check his site out at www.dougkoksafari.com

Good Luck!

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
I would encourage you to reach out to Buzz Charlton and Myles McCallum (www.cmsafaris.com). The Makuti area is great for both tuskless and buffalo and Myles and Buzz are both super PHs and more importantly, super people. Charlton McCallum are at both DSC and SCI. This year will be my third year to hunt with them.

+1
Mad Dog, Buzz, Myles, Rex, or Alan will give you the hunt of a lifetime, my son and I hunted with Buzz and Rex last June for tuskless and buff.

My vote is to go with Ivan Carter at Chifuti.

If you want up close and really exciting Tuskless and Buffalo, then Ivan is your man!

Carter is relentless in pursuing these critters - trust me on that o9ne!

He'll get you in front of a Tuskless cow if you so desire.

The man is "rabbid"!

JW

I just completed a tuskless/buff combo with Charlton & McCallum Safaris in Makuti. You will not be dissappointed. Alan Shearing was my PH. I am still a bit "giddy" after the hunt. I can't recommend these guys enough!!!!!!

Charlton McCollum would get me nod, but if tough terrain is an issue, try having them arrange a hunt in Chewore South. Also Richard Tabor, who used to hunt for Roger Whittall, and still does a few hunts for Roger, and who knows Cheowre South like the back of his hand.

Of all areas I have hunted, I would choose Cheowore South for buff and tuskless.

Another alternative is the Save Conservancy. The elephants there are very cheeky and good fun to hunt. Makore Safaris - the Duckworths, or Roger Whittall Safaris for the Save.

JPK

Well, I have to recommend Gordon Duncan at Doma, or, Gordon or Glenn at shaangan, in the Save area

Stepping back from individual operators, and looking instead at your basic premise, I would offer you the following thoughts:

1. You will need more than 10 days to take 4 head of DG on a 2x1 basis, unless you don't care at all about trophy quality, and further you will be very lucky to take 2 TL cows in 10 days.

2. Generally speaking, you save very little by hunting 2x1. Typically $50-100 less than the full 1x1 daily rate. No bargain at all, considering you are getting 50% of the hunt time.

3. You should consider taking a management (non-exportable) elephant bull instead of a TL cow. TL cows are hard to find in most areas...your chances of taking 2 TL cows in 10 days are slim.

4. In most DG areas of Zim, forget PG. In comparison to your experience in RSA, you will see very little PG in the Zim concessions, other than in the few remaining private conservancies.

5. Since there is no export quota on buffalo, the distinction between mgmt and trophy doesn't really exist. You can shoot a buffalo cow for about half the trophy fee in some areas, where Parks has granted quota for cows. You may be able to shoot a buffalo (any buffalo OTHER than a trophy buffalo) for not a lot of money on the Parks meat quota but exportability is iffy on these "meat" hunts...they are a gray area.

6. Bank on 12 days if you want to hunt two species of DG ... most operators won't do a 2 specie hunt in 10.

7. 2011 is a long ways off. A lot can happen between now and then, esp. in Zim. When Mugabe goes, expect prices in Zim to step up smartly.

Russ thanks for the obsevations.

1st, I want to hunt 2x1 with my son, not for money savings, but for the chance to hunt with him everyday.
2nd, probably not interested in any plains game, with the exception, if I happened to run into a bushpig

I'd like to here more about a mgt. bull[nonexportable]. Are they in the same range $$ wise as a tuskless cow?

Thanks everybody for your input! Keep em coming.

Mad Dog

With all due respect for Mr. Gould, some of his observations simply do not square with my experience. For example, ". . . your chances of taking 2 TL cows in 10 days are slim." That is completely dependent on the area and there are certainly areas where this is imminently doable and has been done on multiple occasions, Makuti being one of them. Another, ". . . forget PG". You will not see PG like you would on a ranch in SA, but my experience is that you definitely have opportunities for PG in DG areas. On all of my DG hunts I have shot some PG, impala, zebra, and have had opportunities for warthog, kudu, eland, klipspringer, etc. I would agree on one thing, I would plan on more than 10 days. If you travel all that way, spend some time there and enjoy it.

I'll second MJines post and add that two tuskless and two decent buff ought to be readily achieved in Chewore South in ten days of hard hunting, if the PH knows the area well. The same for tuskless in Chete and I think for buff as well, likewise in Makuti. But, its hunting and you never know until after the hunt, eh?

I've killed back to back tuskless (two in two days) in Chewore, Chete and Makuti.

More time is ALWAYS better though.

JPK

quote:

More time is ALWAYS better though.

I have to agree with that.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
A friend and I are going to Makuti next year with Buzz for tuskless, sable and buff. After a lot of research, BUZZ, CM Safaris and Makuti sure seem to perfectly fit what you are looking for.

Tim,When are going??
I am scheduled to hunt with Buzz and Miles in Nov. 2010 for tuskless

I believe the TL gene occurs in less than 5% of all cows, and in most areas about 2% of the cow population as they have been heavily shot, and furthermore of the mature TL cows you will encounter, most (3/4) will have dependent calves and SHOULD not be shot. Many hunters end up shooting adolescent TL cows for this reason. Fine if that is OK with you. But again, I say your chances are slim of getting two adult TL cows in 10 days, other posters' experiences notwithstanding. On the other hand, mgmt bulls (young bulls or to a lesser extent broken-tusked bulls) are all over the place. So in relative terms, your odds are infinitely better on bulls than on TL cows.

I would recommend you hunt more than 10 days.

My first hunt in Zim was 21 days.

I still bear the scars, when the PH, Trackers, entire camp staff, local anti poaching patrol, and the Government Game Scout, that I recieved, when they forced me into the plane AGAINST MY WILL, when it was time for me to leave.

When you look at all the costs involved in doing an African hunt, the fee for 5 or 10 extra hunting days is money well sent, IMHO.

quote:

With all due respect for Mr. Gould, some of his observations simply do not square with my experience. For example, ". . . your chances of taking 2 TL cows in 10 days are slim." That is completely dependent on the area and there are certainly areas where this is imminently doable and has been done on multiple occasions, Makuti being one of them. Another, ". . . forget PG". You will not see PG like you would on a ranch in SA, but my experience is that you definitely have opportunities for PG in DG areas. On all of my DG hunts I have shot some PG, impala, zebra, and have had opportunities for warthog, kudu, eland, klipspringer, etc. I would agree on one thing, I would plan on more than 10 days. If you travel all that way, spend some time there and enjoy it.

Mike

i agree entirely with these comments ..

research carefully , for example dande south has very few tuskless , dande north a few more ...chewore south not nearly as many as chewore north and right on the border of the chewores is sapi where almost every heard of elephant has a tuskless but a lot fewer buffalo not sure why that all is but it is ..

last year i hunted with craig boddington and ted jernigan , we looked at 130 elephants before seeing a tuskless and when we did see one it had a calf , one month later i hunted with jeff wemmer and we shot two tuskless within two days of each other ...

often when you find a herd , if its more than ten , and there is a tuskless , there will often be more than one tuskless ...

makuti i havent hunted recently but a few years back i hunted there and in the hills , glassing from mountaintops was very effective then a spotting scope saved many many miles !!

save has very few tuskless , awesome other game , excellent leopard buff and lion but tuskless are few and far between and the conservancy offer VERY few permits for ele cows .

the matetsi blocks do have tuskless but very limited numbers diue to the strong tusk genetics ...

the zambezi valley is your best bet , no question ...

there are no legal "ration" or meat hunts on parks estate anymore due to horrific abuse of the idea last year by some outfitters ...

all in all i would say the best hunt would be a 14 day sapi safari area tuskless buffalo hunt 2x2 , its an area where there are simply more tuskless than i have ever seen in any other area.

the tuskless king is buzz, whatever area he is hunting in he would make up for lack of tuskless by extra hard hunting and well thought out strategy !

i hope that this helps ...

When you make your recomendations, remember that Mad Dog has some real issues with arthritic feet and therefore a hunt in rough or hilly terrain could be sheer torture for him.

465H&H

quote:

When you make your recomendations, remember that Mad Dog has some real issues with arthritic feet and therefore a hunt in rough or hilly terrain could be sheer torture for him.

in that case definitely sapi ...

neither of the chewores or makuti would be fun ...

If the truth be known it is Chewore north. It is not God's country but God himself, a god that surrounds you with sand, wind, and water. And heat and thirst and elephant.

Hi Mad Dog

Please look at my reply under your "terrain thread" were I have combined my answer to both your threads. I hope its of some help.

With regards to all the welcomes- thanks very much indeed. As mentioned I have followed the AR for a few years now however did not post. I set off till Novemeber with out a days break hunting eles ( someones got to do it!!!) and will be back on on my return. Till then happy hunting Buzz

Just couldn't resist could you?

Damn, I hate agreeing with Will. However, Chewore North with Ian Gibson (Big 5/Chifuti) would also get my nod if you want to hunt Tuskless cows, buffalo & PG in one hunt. This area has a great combination of the above and if you hunt with Ian Gibson/Mike Payne/Andy Hunter/etc. you have a very good chance of filling your wish list of animaals.

Best of luck.

Tim

quote:

Damn, I hate agreeing with Will. However, Chewore North with Ian Gibson (Big 5/Chifuti) would also get my nod if you want to hunt Tuskless cows, buffalo & PG in one hunt. This area has a great combination of the above and if you hunt with Ian Gibson/Mike Payne/Andy Hunter/etc. you have a very good chance of filling your wish list of animaals.

+1

gibbo and andy hunter have hunted chewore north for EVER good knowledge of the area is crucial , and nobody has put in the time like those two in that area ... there is a great population of tuskless there aswell

I agree, Chewore North is awesome (although probably not for Maddog given his foot problems), as is that part of the Zambezi. I hope to return to CN myself.

Ivan - Is Chifuti now booking US Citizens into Chewore North? If not, what is the status if I may ask.

Buzz,Myles and Alan are first class for what you are after.I can only echo others posts giving them a ringing endorsement
www.cmsafaris.com

quote:

Ivan - Is Chifuti now booking US Citizens into Chewore North? If not, what is the status if I may ask.

bill c ,
yes chifuti is booking safaris into chewore north , with no problems , in fact this season most of the hunters we have booked there have been american , craig and i hunted there earlier in the year ..

quote:

Buzz,Myles and Alan are first class for what you are after.I can only echo others posts giving them a ringing endorsement
www.cmsafaris.com

i agree however their area (makuti) will not suit a guy with bad feet ... the terrain is pretty rugged.