Just back from 08/07/09-28/07/09 hunt with PH Dale"Donza" Desfountain of Brooklands Hunting Safaris in the Save Conservancy. Took a beautiful full maned lion, 42' Buff, Big Hyena, Eland , 31 1/4 ' BIG Waterbuck and more common game. & different male lion on bait....we took the largest and oldest. Took four days to try for big jumbo in a concession adjoining Gono re Zhou Park.....came close but after 15 miles and 7.5 hours the park boundary defeated us. Great hunt ......will go back for big elephant, leopard and..? If you like more than hunting i.e bird and flora identification and expect great accomodations 100% effort and great trackers consider this firm. The other PH's were nice guys and appeared to enjoy good sucess. July was a very COLD month..... but Vic Falls and Chobe Park, Botswana were in their glory. The Vic Falls Hotel was great . NO PROBLEMS WITH ANYTHING IN ZIMBABWE......JUST DO IT !

Sounds like a great hunt. Please post some pics and details so we all can see your great trophies. Congratulations!

What he said!!! We need pictures!!!

Brett

Dale is a good guy and known to many here on AR.. He has come to some of our get togethers in Dallas,Tx..

Congrats on your hunt and get those pics up and hurry, I am leaving for Tanzania in 3 days..

Mike

We need your pics and full report!

No pics, what a tease. I want a Save Lion too, so I need pics, pics, and more pics.

Apologize for no pics yet. This is my !st hunt report post and I've not yet figured out the photo import process. Coming soon!

We have got to see that Lion

for god sake man show us the pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will post pics if you want. Mail to

wparks@scottsborolawyer.com

We gots to see shumba, stat.

Which area of SAVE did you hunt?

I leave 9/29 for 21 days in the SAVE

Larry:

The Brooklands Hunting Safaris website says the hunting area is 1hr 20 min from Harare by air and 4 to 5 hrs by car. They also say the Zim Ruins are nearby. Based on the travel time and the fact that the ruins are near Masvingo, I'd guess that puts this concession to the North of Hammond and Arda. Frankly, it may be close to where I was hunting in June. This, of course, is pure investigative speculation.

Pictures or else!!!!!

Below are pics and a narrative received from Jim Hinde:




Well,here's your Shumba fix for the week..........its mine for my LIFE. The exact locale was the Msaize River very close to Brooklands Msaize camp. Taken at 0205 ,giraffe bait,.375 H&H mag.Shumba was hungry and was on bait as we arrived by Landcruiser at 0145......scornfully strutted off into the thick riverine without a shot afforded. We feared we had ruinously educated this beast....but set up in our preconstructed thorn bouma anyway.....what else to do? With the 3 trackers, Dale and I talking over our dilemma and with the finishing touches being applied to our blind , I asked Dale to shine the torch on the bait to allow me to position the rifle on the rest and adjust the scope. Shumba was already approaching the bait in fact, only 10 feet from it. With the light he walked a bit faster ,and when 10 feet beyond the bait began tunig left.......changing a broadside presentation to a curving, quartering away presentation. We decided it was a go and the 75 yard shot was heard to be a solid hit and he appeared hurt. As he left the circle of light I shot twice more....one ecitedly high and one just behind. Then darkness and silence .....and a wounded lion heading for the thick riverine. We approached in the cruiser....rifles off safe and tracker holding the torch. Scant dark blood and a bit of flesh....drops into the black. The torch initially piked up the relection of eyes in thorn 60-70 yards away......the lon? Or a lioness, or hyena or????? Then the eyes closed and then the could not be seen. We decided to return to camp, warm upfrom the 35-40 degree F. chill and give him an hour . We awakened Paul another PH in camp,talked over our approach and then returned to the bait. On foot we followed blood for only 20 yards more befor Buka the #1 tracker called off tha approach as too dangerous and as likely to push the cat into thicker ,less approachabe brush. 2 hours of no or fitful,dark deam encrusted sleep followed for the 6 of us . At 0630 after a cup of coffee or tea and a full review of procedures and positioning we returned to face what we all believed would be a lion charge at close quarters. Shumba was quite dead.....60 or 70 yards the bait ,behind thorn. his eyes now turned away from last night's torch. The relief, the joy ,the sense of accomplishment after 9 nights and 10 days was truly unmatchable....for all involved. The 50 or so residents of the camp were also freed from the angst of living with a wounded lion. Shumba weighed 223 kg. More picture later. Jim Hinde Great Falls MT

Jim,

What a brute! Those Save lions have to be the equal of anything in Africa. You must be over the moon. A huge congrats to you.

Mark

WHAT A BRUTE!! You'll be high from this hunt for years to come! Congrats to you!

That is one nice Lion,congratulations Jim
now for the Buffalo,Eland photos

Man, congrats on a beautiful lion!!!

Surely, that is THE KING OF THE BEASTS. Magnificent trophy, period.

Great job taking a beautiful lion. Can't wait to see the rest of your pictures.

Thanks,

Greg

Thanks Will for help posting the pics. My colleagues are rewarding me for my month in Zim with several night and weekend opportunities to earn enough to return. Later. Jim

Wow!!!! Stunning!!! Absolutely stunning!!!!

Brett

That is a great lion, well done.

super puddycat

WoW!! What a beautiful Shumba. Congrats to you on such a spectacular trophy. That cat could have come from Zambia or Tanzania, what a wonderful mane...

Jason

Certainly one of the best lions I have seen - well done - I am very, very, very jealous!!!!!

What a great Lion.