I know there have many posts about HHK safaris in Zimbabwe, but I wanted to put in my two cents worth about this fine company. Graham Hingeston made me a great deal on a PAC elephant on their 800,000 acres Lemco ranch at the last DSC convention. The total price for 10 days of hunting including the trophy fee was 9000.00. The hunt, ranch and facilities were more than expected. Everything was run first rate including before and after the hunt. We visited their office in buluwayo and they seem to be very organized and professional. I took Bull Elephant, Kudu,giraffe,Hyena,Impala,Wildebeest,Jackel,warthog,And Bushpig on the hunt, and that was all in 8 days of hunting. I would highly recommend HHK and their Lemco property, it is a hunters paradise.

The only problem we had was with our PH. He was an absolute JERK! the whole trip. He was rude and inconsiderate not only to me but my wife also. He constantly bashed the USA and many of his past clients, some of which post on these boards. His behavior was inexusable.

[ 07-01-2003, 19:28: Message edited by: Jerry Huffaker ]

Jerry,

I assume you are being "tongue in cheeck" about your PH. It's hard to imaging a rude PH in all of Africa, let alone working for HHK. Please advise.

Ski+3

I am not sure it is tonge in cheek. I will agree it is rare to have a western US experience in Africa. It happened to me in 01. My regular PH was ill and he hired anothe PH to hunt with me for 4 loooong days. I told Mark later I would just as soon sat in camp with a good PH as hunt with this guy again, it does happen albet seldom.

Dear Jerry

Who was your PH?

These things happen and I would say are not the norm. I hunted once with a PH who had nothing nice to say about past clients. I knew from the get go that nobody made him happy and I would most likely be added to the complaint list. He was not the perfect PH he thought he was. I won't hunt with him again nor would I send clients to him either.

What was his name? save the rest of us the turmoil.

I won't post his name on a public forum. If you want to know who he is just send me an e-mail. It's really a shame he was such a knucklehead, because he was the best hunter in the bush I've had in 5 trips over there.

I have hunted with the PH in question a couple of times and he stays in my home during the convention season. My experience with him is exactly opposite that of Jerry's and I would be happy to share my opinion of him as an individual and as a PH with anyone who cares to contact me. With this PH I have taken lion, buffalo, leopard, various plainsgame and have had a couple of interesting experiences with elephant. As Jerry is gracious enough to say in his post, you will not find a better natural hunter than this PH.

Jerry, a couple of observations: Upon your return from your hunt, you related on these forums your side of the story of the shooting of your elephant and of the supposed poor treatment you received at the hands of the PH in question. Replies from other posters were nearly all sympathetic and indignant. After a day or so of getting your satisfaction, you deleted your post, saying it wasn't fair to have others comment on the situation and take shots at the PH when they weren't there. Fair enough.

Then, you proceed to start various threads about your hunt, posting photos of your trophies, with details of how they were taken. You have every right to be proud of your trophies and share them with the members of this forum. (I particularly liked your hyena). But it has always struck me as funny that if your hunt was so horrible, you would want to keep talking about it here. Finally, as you are out of hunting stories, you're back to ragging the PH. (I know, there was another, very complimentary thread about HHK, and you had to throw in your two cents again in the interest of balanced reporting.)

I don't question that you felt somehow slighted or insulted by this PH. Sometimes people don't see things the same way. There are definitely two sides to this story and I have heard them both.

Here are some facts: The PH in question is one of the busiest and most requested guys working for HHK. He hunts over 200 days a year. Most of his hunting, by far, is done with repeat clients. He keeps a log of every animal taken on every hunt. By late September of last year when I last hunted with him, he had guided clients to nearly 350 animals. He continued hunting through December, then started again in February, with Jerry. He was booked to guide clients on six lion hunts this year, more than any other PH at HHK and probably more than any PH in Zim. He is not a hand-holder. He is aggressive. He loves to hunt. He has a sense of humor that can get abrasive, but he takes as good as he gives, if you're up to it.

Jerry, I respect your right to say what you want, and I do believe that you have bad feelings about your hunt, for whatever reason. But, your repeated hammering of this guy is turning into a rant that reflects on you.

[ 07-06-2003, 19:42: Message edited by: 875x ]

David,
That was a very good reply David. I agree with just about every point you made. I would like to make a couple of things clear though, I have never said it wasn't a good hunt, in fact, it was an outstanding hunt. I will repeat, the PH in mention in an outstanding hunter. It was our country and our citizens bashing that was so hard to take. You are correct he is very abrasive and I'll add,to us, he was offensive. I love this country, I'm proud to be an American, and I'm proud of our way of life. Your post showed good taste and character by excepting the fact that we did have problems with him.
Now your gonna love this, my wife just came in and read this and gave me a good tail chewing for bringing it up again. Her philosophy is to forgive and forget,so being a christian man, I will sincerely forgive him for his behavior,chalk it up as another one of life's experiences and you and I can call a truce. What do you think?

Jerry,

It was your hunt and your money!!! I believe if I had been in your situation I would have politely told him that I came to Africa to hunt, not to listen to Bullshit about my country. I feel the same as you do about somebody mouthing about the US, especially when they are standing with outstretched hands looking for a handout.

I'm with Jerry on this one, too. A gentlemen pays for his hunt, takes his wife along for the thrill of time spent together in the veldt, and has a PH act insulting and abrasive? I don't care if he's the best damn hunter in the whole world or what he thinks of Americans or if he simply was having a bad week or two, there is a reason there is the word PROFESSIONAL in front of the word hunter. I'm sure a few words to Lou Hallamore or Mike Fynn would have straightened the matter up, they run an excellent outfit.

I've only seen this happen once and luckily not to me. A discussion in private with the outfitter and a new PH was front and center the next day and the safari went on to be a resounding success. My hats off to Jerry for making it work.

Usually most professionals would consider the politics of the home country of their client as a subject to avoid. Same with religion.

I agree that politics and religion are best left out, particularly if the PH and client are not well acquainted. I have never detected any anti-Americanism from this PH. Most of his clients - his livelihood, are Americans and his wife is American.

I don't know what to chalk it up to, because I wasn't there, but perhaps it's the difference in sense of humor. I do know that the PH is baffled by the situation and feels badly about it.

Jerry, no need to call a truce, because we've never been at war!

I have known Jerry for some time through our association with a mutual friend of ours and a few visits at Dallas Safari Club, I have also had some business dealing with him in the past, and I sure would be suspect of anyone that could not get along with him...

Sounds like to me this PH may have let his job go to his head...

It was Jerrys money and Jerrys hunt...I would drop a PH from my business should I get such a report and I have in the past, a couple of very good hunters I might add...

I don't know the PH's name, don't care, but I do know the circumstances as Jerry asked my advise on this and explained what happened..The PH's behavior was out of line IMO based on what Jerry told me and I know him well enough to believe whatever he tells me....

Jerry:

I don't understand all this pussyfooting around, if you're not willing to name names then you shouldn't have brought it up. It's like saying "Well, I'm not going to tell you who this jerk is, unless you REALLY want to know, then email me." Well, IMO, if you're going to bitch about him and therefore, in some respect, HHK, since they employ him, then he needs his name named and the right to respond if he or his company so desires. Like I said in the initial dead elephant column, I sure hope you didn't give him a tip. If you did, then it makes your complaints look somewhat peurile.

Well, I'm hunting with this dude in September. We'll see what happens.

I have had some good ones and bad ones.

If things are bad, I will, uncharacteristically, give you my opinion! And all the good or bad details.

Will,
I find that hard to believe, you always been such a gentle sinsitive sort!