Hunting in the Bubye Valley Conservancy

Hunters: Ali and Haider Hakim
Safari area: Bubye Valley Conservancy
Safari Operator: Brent Hein Safaris
PH: Shaun Buffee
Camp: Lamulas
Rifles used: 375 H&H mag & 300 winmag
Hunt dates: 9th till the 24th of July 2012
Type of hunt: Cheetah, Gemsbok, Klipspringer and plains game
Game hunted: Gemsbok, Kudu, Livingston Eland, Klipspringer, Waterbuck, etc.

I had been hankering to go on an African Safari with my son Haider, who turned 18 this year. Fortunately for the both of us, this area turned out to be absolutely divine. I have been hunting in various areas of Southern Africa over the years, from Cats to all sorts of plains game, but have not come across any area which compares with the Bubye valley conservancy, both in terms of the quantity and quality of a variety of game species. All credit and utmost gratitude goes to my gracious friend Ahmed Sultan, a formidable Safari Hunter himself, who guided me to this particular area.

Our Arrival into Harare on Emirates Airlines was really trouble free. After an overnight stay in Harare, we chartered the following day into the Bubye valley conservancy. It was a 2 hour flight in a single engine Cessna, but fairly smooth. Being used to older and rugged PHs, I was a little surprised to meet Shaun on arrival. As it turned out, he was extremely professional, hard working, and above all picky about what we shot. At times we would pass up on several animals before he would be convinced that the quarry in front of the muzzle was the right one. He proved to be an ardent hunter with a discerning eye, and above all was terrific company both for Haider and myself.

It was wonderful for us to have actually seen all of the big five during the tenure of our hunt. Rarities such as packs of wild dogs, brown Hyenas, white and black Rhinos, even a rare Leopard rifling across a dirt road, were a treat to encounter. Shootable Sables, Gemsbok, and Nyalas also seemed to be in abundance. In the small antelope segment, Steenbock were in plenty, besides Klipspringers and common Duikers. The Elephant population and quality was not the best, but I believe in a few years the area will start producing nice bulls. The Lion population was ineffable! We ran into big male Lions at least 7 times during our 15 day hunt. Females were also present in abundance, and it was not uncommon to come across lone males and prides sitting on various antelope kills.

As per the conservancy regulations, when hunting Cheetah and Gemsbok, we were allowed to hunt on the entire million acre conservancy. It was being spoilt for choice, as the terrain and wild life in the various blocks was at times very different from others. From big granite boulders, to thick Mopani forests, to big grasslands resembling savannas, to absolutely arid terrain, we experienced it all. We did run into a couple of Leopard hunters every other day, who invariably told us about their sightings of male Cheetahs. Unfortunately for us it was more of a run around. Since you can’t bait for Cheetah, nor track them on foot, the only opportunity one could hope for was actually running into them driving around. We did see one female with a cub, but had no luck with what we were looking for in the 15 days we were there. The inordinate Lion population was mainly to blame for this. One can safely say that this area has probably one of the highest lion populations per square kilometer, compared to any other place in Africa. From the looks of the Lions we ran into, their genetics were absolutely fantastic. Big bodied and gorgeous manes were a staple attribute.

Although a very arid area, the reticulation of waterholes, supported by subsoil water keeps the wild life going fine. There are also a number of natural dams, replenished during the rainy season, which are a perennial source of water for the hundreds of thousands of animals that roam the area.

There were about six different camps in the whole 1 million acres, and each one of them was a treat on its own. They have been done up by an interior designer from South Africa, who has actually laid out every camp very differently. Our living quarters in camp were extremely comfortable. Round the clock hot and cold running water made all the difference. Being in the midst of winter, the usual bugs, geckos, and other critters that one would care less to run into, were just not there. The best thing being that this was a Tsetse free area. The dining and sitting area was very tastefully done up, and were complemented perfectly by the delectable cuisine. The efficient and cordial camp staff truly made all the more difference.

You know you are hunting in a great area when you can turn down an animal for a better prospect. We did that plenty of times, especially with Kudus, Elands, Waterbuck, Blue Wildebeest, Zebras and Giraffes. I'm sure if we were hunting Buffalo, it would have been the same. There were many dagga boy herds that we ran into, each of which had at least a couple of very decent heads in them.

A must visit area if you are hunting Cats, Buffalo, and most Southern African antelope. I have a cat hunt booked next year in the same area. Hope to share more pictures with the hunting fraternity in 2013,

Cheers

Ali Hakim

Posts: 58 | Location: a luangwa hunt by ali hakim | Registered: 19 July 2011

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