There is all sorts of crap offered at the shows. Buyer beware.

Far too murky to make an informed decision.

But, I will repeat it again.

If anyone is going to hunt in Zimbabwe, why bother to book through a South African PH or outfit?

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Far too murky to make an informed decision.

But, I will repeat it again.

If anyone is going to hunt in Zimbabwe, why bother to book through a South African PH or outfit?

Besides the point, but just for the record, at one time I also could legally offer some DG hunts in Zimbabwe.

In follow up to Saeed's post, what I'll like to have explained is: How can a South African Hunting Outfitter offer any hunt at a more competitive cost than a Zimbabwean hunting outfitter, without taking some shortcuts?

quote:

Originally posted by Andrew McLaren:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Far too murky to make an informed decision.

But, I will repeat it again.

If anyone is going to hunt in Zimbabwe, why bother to book through a South African PH or outfit?

Besides the point, but just for the record, at one time I also could legally offer some DG hunts in Zimbabwe.

In follow up to Saeed's post, what I'll like to have explained is: How can a South African Hunting Outfitter offer any hunt at a more competitive cost than a Zimbabwean hunting outfitter, without taking some shortcuts?

Andrew,

My post is not a swipe at honest PHs from South Africa, where the majority are.

But, it seems we regularly hear of South African PHs getting involved in shady deals in Zimbabwe.

That of course leads us to those shady characters in Zimbabwe who make all this possible.

Saeed, I certainly did not see your posting as a swipe at any honest South African hunting outfitters! Maybe you misunderstood my post? Or, much more likely, maybe I did not communicate my thoughts well?

The point that I tried to make is that South African Hunting Operators offering "legal" hunts in Zimbabwe have additional costs over and above what Zimbabwean hunting outfitters have. My question is, how, given these additional costs of e.g. traveling to Zimbabwe, border crossings and a multitude of other cost items that needs to be recovered, can such a South African hunting outfitter offer any "better deal" than a Zimbabwe-based hunting outfitter can?

Sure, I know that some clients "falls in love" with their first ever used PH and wish to progress to hunting DG with "only him"> But then these clients can reasonably expect to be asked to bear the additional cost of insisting to hunt with a particular South African PH or HO working with a Zimbabwean PH or HO.

Where a prospective client is offered a significantly "better deal" in Zimbabwe by a South African hunting outfitter than that what he can get from a Zimbabwean hunting outfitter I say: Beware! There may be a shortcut involved that could cost you dearly.

I simply fail to see how a South African HO can, without resorting to illegal shortcuts, offer a better deal in Zimbabwe than what a Zimbabwean HO can do for the same hunt. Anyone claiming to be able to do so withing the Zimbabwean law must please explain how??????

So my question is: is Zim as effective in catching native poachers or just the easy ones which probably have cash to buy their way out? Is this a true indication of the effectiveness of the anti-poaching operation or just "show"?

Who are the players exactly?

Stinky mess none the less

I also wonder just how credible an acquittal is in a Zim court.

I'd say color and minority ( like white, Ndebele & other minor tribes ), majority ( Shona ) matters
It only makes sense
Just like being let's say from New York and getting stopped in Utah. You get more likely ticket then local guy
Just my way of looking at things.

I imagine paying off judges is a national past time. Of course, that is just an idea based upon numerous trips to Zim and making a lot of observations.