Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa How was the 24HR camfire hunt in ZIM for PAC ele & Buffalo

I know the guys went, but I have not heard anything?
Any updates?

Well, seeing as you're asking, here's a thumb-nail sketch.

It was basically a disaster. We killed our elephants, but a last minute location change that nobody was informed of, to a camp that didn't even know we were coming, only to find out there were no non-trophy elephant quota to be had anyway, managed to filter out any fun that there was in the experience. Getting booted out of that camp in the middle of the night added to the pleasure, but continueing to hunt the same goat, donkey and snare infested area ensured that our days were consistantly glum.
On day 10 (yes day ten)of my ten day hunt a permit was procured to shoot elephant in Zambezi National Park.Another member of the group got his on his eighth day. That fleeting moment of elephant hunting was great, but not enough to save the trip. Honestly, how bad does a trip have to be when 3 hunters can kill elephants and still wish they had stayed home? Somehow we managed to achieve it.

What a bummer, did you all hunt buffalo or was that a wash as well?

DISASTER

Model70Guy is being polite.I got there 2 days befor the other 2 guys only to find that we were not going to the promised MULTIPLE buff area but to some [bleep] whole that had no buff on it and no quota for non trophy elephant.But some guy named Charles was suppose to show up and get things straightened out.Well when I left that area after 4 days still no sign of Charles or the non trophy elephant quota.On the first day in camp when I came in for lunch I was confronted by the fellow running the camp asking me what the [bleep] I was doing there, he then asked if I was hunting donkey or goat because there was nothing else on Quota on that property.I was later offered a PAC elephant hunt to be hunted at night with spotlight.I had booked a nontrophy elephant hunt so I could experience the tracking and HUNTING of an elephant,not a night spotlight hunt which I could have booked WAY cheaper then I was paying.
I moved on the fourth day after the 3 truck traffic jam trying to hunt the same small area as the other 2 guys.
I was jacked to go to another place but that was short lived when we couldn't get on one of the places where there was actually buffalo because there was a problem with money being owed to the property owner by the Operator which never did get resolved while I was there.
I felt pretty stupid booking a package hunt where I paid for my animals up front with no refund if the animals were not shot.
Both the booking agent and Operator were guarantied
their money regarless if I got anything or not.This was my own STUPIDITY so PLEASE learn from me and NEVER book a package hunt it doesn't give the operator much insentive to get you your animals.I to ended up shooting my elephant and a buff but that is another story.
But as Model70Guy said even with the animals taken the hunt FOR ME was a complete CLUSTER[bleep].
I never did see a buff bull on the properties that the Operator had for me to hunt.Most of the properties were villages where most of the game had been snared and killed off,far from the great buff and elephant places that we had been promised .Just read the 24 hrs campsite hunt thread that was selling this hunt.
I guess BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!

The third member of our party killed the only mature bull that any of us saw in the hunting areas we had. I was into buffalo a few times, without a shot at a suitable bull. Most days we couldn't find so much as a track to follow. Evening recaps of our days were sometimes won by the guy who had seen an impala or baboon. Better than an endless string of bell wearing goats I guess.
I was offered a chance to up-grade my hunt to trophy elephant, which there was quota for. Now, attempting to fix their problems with liberal applications of MY money wasn't way up on my list of things to, but it was a way of pretending to hunt elephants. If I'd actually seen a big bull I would have shot it and ponyed up the dollars but unluckily didn't have to make that choice. I did have a thrilling stalk on 4 bulls that proved too small to legally shoot as a trophy. Better than nothing again, but very frustrating as these were exactly the animals that we had booked for.These were the only elephants I saw in the first 9 days.

Very discouraging news....I feel terrible for you guys. Seems like most everything was misrepresented

This was the deal worked out by Safariman, correct?

that's a bummer!


?? sounds "out of character" based on previous reviews ??

Very sorry. This is extremely discouraging and depressing. I've been saving for a safari and this is exactly the kind of crap that will keep me from going.

Well I was the number three Hunter on this rip off we did not get the hunt we paid for and were promised. As soon as I realized that we were going to be hunting in the Matetsi Communal areas I knew we had been duped.I shot the only Buff that I saw in the hunting area except for a young Bull we found in a snare which I dispatched. As I had read eleswhere this area is poached out. I would not have left home if mention of this area had been made as a possible hunt location.. On day 4 the owner Tim showed up and took my trackers replaceing them with a Skinner and a guy who had been intro duced to me as the truck watcher when we were in the bush.What do you do when your 15,000 miles from home I tried to make the best of it.A expensive lesson! I doubt if I,ll ever see the stuff I did shoot.

Wow! Who was the hunt with? If i get the job I am in the process of getting (United States Border Patrol) I am planning on a 2010 trip with some friends.

If this hunt was organised by who I think it was, it's unusual in that although I don't know much about him, I always thought the guy was of good repute and would be suprised if he was to blame for anything.

How about the guys who went on the hunt, write a proper hunt report detailing all the good and bad etc (for example how they came to be kicked out of camp in the middle of the night and did they have a contract etc) so that the agent has a proper chance to address the entire issue properly. He's contributed a lot to this forum over the years and surely he's at least owed that....

Alternatively, keep it off the public forum entirely and deal with it completely in private which might actually be a far better option.

Trial by internet is always a dangerous thing because most of the time only one half of the story is ever heard and all they usually achieve is to disrupt the forum where the trial takes place and no-one comes out a winner. - Incidentally, it also often lays at least some of the contributors and indeed also the forum owners open to the risk of prosecution for libel. Internet libel laws are extremely strict and often ignored.

But hey, it could have been worse. It was reported on another forum by a well respected and highly reputable Zim resident that during the election period one Brit hunter spent 5 days in a Zim jail without food or water because (as I understand it) his paperwork wasn't in order!

This is disturbing...I'd like to hear what Mark has to say on the issue. powdr

We need to hear both sides of the story. Was there anything discussed concerning a refund ?

Good luck on the refund. (not grinning)

What a shame to hear about hunts like that. I've had trouble on hunts before also and it sucks.

It's been awhile since the original hunt was set up. How about naming the booking agent/operator who set up the hunt and telling us his position and if he did anything to make amends for a hunt obviously gone wrong. I'm sorry to hear about your bad hunt, but please let us know who is at fault so nobody else gets taken.

I'm sure we would also like to hear the agent/operator side of the story.

I don't pretend to speak for Mark (Safariman)but I will say that he was brought up to speed as soon as I got home. There is nothing posted here that he will deny. I also know that at the current time he has suspended booking with African Dream Safaris. He's on holidays until Aug 21. Between knowing that he wasn't available and also knowing that the other 2 hunters were out chasing sheep and caribou, I felt no immediate need to get the report up, at least until the question was asked. As it is at least 2 of us are bouncing off satellites from the bush and tundra to post.

As for refunds, there are some things that money can't fix.Some things can't be fixed at all. My report has been filed with ZPHGA, for whatever good that may do.

Mikey,
I'm sorry your tripped sucked so bad. I can't imagine how absolutely frustrating it must be to be on a dream trip and have it go so wrong. My heart goes out to you guys.

Wow. Glad I didn't cancel my wedding to go on this one!

Give it a few years!

On a serious note, sorry you guys had a bad experience.


Travis

Hunts that go bad SUCK. I had one recently.

Everybody loses, I suspect, except the guys still in Africa.

I'll bet Mark wishes he could wring some necks, and I bet the hunters do too.

For the record, except for Mark arranging it for guys on this site, thus the title, 24hourcampfire had nothing to do with arranging this hunt. We're not in the outfitting business.

Best of luck to all who deserve it, and a scourge on those who may have double-dealt. It seems clear it will all come out in the wash, for better or for worse.

Glad to see, at least, that all made it home safe to hunt another day. Getting kicked out of a camp in the middle of the night sounds like something that could have gone real bad, real quick!