On the Zimbabwe Leopard topic you wrote the following as an explanation as to why you failed to return my trophy fee for an unsuccessful buffalo hunt:
"bobmn, you passed up bulls the first few days, you failed to walk and moaned the entire time, you rolled over your trophy fee for 2 years and then failed to rebook, your inability to put in the miles and your lack of enthusiasm plus your quest for a certain size does not make my area bad nor does it make my PH inadequate!"
So as to not hijack 1Sheephunter1's thread I thought I would address the points you made in a new topic.
"you rolled over your trophy fee for 2 years and then failed to rebook"
On May 9, 2012 I emailed you: ". Could you please send me a check for $2378 which is what my refund should be from the buffalo trophy fee not used? Thanks. Bob" You ignored this request for refund and subsequent requests.
Regarding your other allegations, on February 21, 2012 I emailed you:
"Martin:
Following my phone call to you, your email to me requested that I address my concerns about the hunt you outfitted in August of 2011 in writing. Consequently, the following are my questions:
1. In a phone conversation with you in January 2011 my wife specifically requested to observe a lesson in a classroom and you stated that you would arrange for her to participate in a classroom. Why did you not inform her that this was impossible because August was a school holiday and no schools were open in Zimbabwe during August?
2. During that same conversation, you told her that tiger fishing would be available in camp while I was hunting. Upon arrival there was no fishing equipment until it was was fetched from another camp about midweek. The observers then fished for about 30 minutes the rest of the time in camp. During our stay at Big Cave Camp following our hunt, locals we meet that were staying at Big Cave informed us that “fishing on Lake Kariba is only available during months with R in them because of water temperature”. Why was so little effort put into observer fishing?
3. Why did Cathy have to pay for boat motor fuel when it was purchased from a local village because there was none in camp?
4. On 3 March 11 I asked you what camp we were hunting out of. On 7 March 11 you replied “Chifudze”. No correspondence was received from you changing our hunting camp and the first I was notified of the change to Elephant Point was when we were picked up by Scott at the dirt strip at Tiger Bay. Why was the camp changed to Elephant Point?
5. Who hunted out of Chifudze Camp from 10 August to 18 August the dates we were in Elephant Point?
6. How many buffalo were taken from Chifudze Camp 10 August to 18 August?
7. On 26 July 11 I requested contact information for the pilot and where and when we should meet him. On 4 August 11 Hayley sent “Oliver” with his phone number but no information as to where or when to meet him. Oliver was not the pilot and for the 3 days we were in Vic Falls trying to contact him that phone was never answered. Neither were the numerous emails and phone calls we made to your cell phone or office. Finally, less than 12 hours before our departure from Vic Falls you answered your mobile and told us to meet at the Vic Falls airport where an unspecified pilot (no name or contact info) would find us. Needless to say, this caused us a great deal of consternation during our stay at Vic Falls. Why was this simple request so difficult for you to fulfill?
8. My rifle did not arrive to Vic Falls on the flight we took from Jberg. We called and emailed you, your office, African Sky Guest House and Travel with Guns and left contact info for our mobiles and emails as well as the same contact info for Ilala Lodge. The only reply we ever got was from Steve from Travel with Guns who informed us that it would probably be on the next day’s flight. When you finally answered your cell, your first question was “Has your gun arrived” so it was obvious you had received our previous messages. Why did you not leave a message at the Ilala Lodge desk for us if you were unable to contact us on our cell phones?
9. How many times have you used Elephant Point Camp before it was used for our hunt?
10. On 6 June 11 you emailed that there was a 10 kg baggage weight limit for the Cessna 206 charter flight. On 26 July 11 Hayley emailed that the baggage limit was 15 kg per passenger. A Cessna 206 has a useful load of 1,765 lb. It holds 63 gallons of fuel and has a range of 650 statute miles (no turbocharger). With a full bag of gas, oil and 4 passengers and 1 pilot (1320 lb. total) that still leaves 445 lb for bags. The aircraft we flew in was turbocharged (better range) and had 30 gallons of fuel on board and it was a 2 hour flight from Vic Falls to Tiger bay. How did you arrive at a 15 kg (33 lb.) weight limit for bags?
11. Have you ever had a hunter show up in camp with only 33 lbs. of gear including rifle and ammo?
12. On the afternoon of day 3 the PH turned down a track because it ended at the national park and he was hopeful we would see a herd of buffalo that had wandered out of the park. At the end of the track we discovered Dennis with a Russian and his daughter baiting for Lion. The afternoon of day 4 we arrived in camp to find Mike with a Russian’s traveling wife. He told us of a valley where he had seen some “dugga boy tracks”. My PH graciously told him to set up above the valley for plains game and we would work the valley for buffalo. We saw no tracks nor did we see any evidence of any footprints of anybody leaving a hunting vehicle. How common is it to run into other hunting parties from the same outfitter while on a Martin Pieter’s hunt?
13. At no time did I ever indicate that there was ever going to be anyone other than me hunting. Why was Cathy issued a hunting license?
14. The only communication in camp that was available was the PH’s cell phone which was unusable from camp. Is it standard operating procedure for a Bulembi Safaris camp to not to have SAT phone or radios for communication?
15. While eating a candlelight breakfast of cold cereal and powdered coffee, I bit into a worm of some sort. I immediately recognized the taste from my survival training as a Navy pilot. Is it normal for a Martin Pieter’s camp to operate for 7 days on a 4.5 kva generator?
16. Mid week we ran out of eggs, fresh vegetables for salad and orange mix for the soda. However, after a 2 hour drive from Omay safari area to meet the van at the hardtop for our ground transfer to Bulewayo, I helped unload a full case of eggs, fresh vegetables, etc. destined for the Russian camp. Did I, my wife, daughter and sister eat more than you planned for during our 7 day hunt?
17. After we began our 6 hour drive to Bulewayo, I asked the driver to stop at a store in a village we were passing through so I could purchase some drinks and snacks for us and the driver. Why did you not at least put a cooler in the vehicle?
18. The PH stated that we would meet you at your office in Bulewayo before proceeding to Big Cave for the night before our flight to Jberg. About an hour from Bulewayo, the driver informed us you could not meet us and we were to proceed to Big Cave and you would meet us in the morning. The following morning when the driver picked us up for the airport, we were informed that you cancelled our morning meeting and we were to proceed to the airport. Why did you not stop by Elephant Point camp while you were in camp with the Russians during the week or at least meet us before our departure?
19. Why did I not see one mature bull buffalo after hunting sunup to sundown for 7 days?
Thank you for taking the time to answer these very specific questions with specific answers to these 19 questions.
Bob
On February 21, 2012 you replied:
Hi Bob

Many thanks,

• I can only apologize about the school holidays, I did not even take into account school holidays.
• "Locals' stated that you can only catch a tiger in a month with an R in it.........well as a local, I beg to differ. It is true that tiger fishing is possibly best around October/ November, however, with correct fishing methods ( deeper water, ground baits etc ), a lot of tiger fish are caught in August. The worst months being the winter months of June/ July ). The PH's as well as Dalton knew of your request for fishing equipment, they were supposed to bring it with them,I am not sure why you only fished for 30 minutes.
• gain, I have not bee informed about boat motor fuel and the fact that she had to pay for it this is the first time I have heard of it.
• The camp was assigned due to the size of the group, the fact that you wanted to fish ( Chifudze is 100 km's from the lake , 4 plus hours ), and for possible game viewing options along the lake by boat.
• During that period, I had a father and 2 sons from England hunting out of Chifudze camp.
• I believe if memory serves me correctly that the father and son hunters took 4 buffalo during that period, they finished early and came to the lake for plains game and fishing, they shot some bushbuck and caught a few fish.
• This I cannot answer, typically, prior to your arrival, you are informed by or office of the plans for the charter, in your case, you were arriving in the Falls several days prior to the safari and were then to meet the charter plane at the airport. 99 % of clients arrive at the airport and are met by the charter pilot and taken to camp, in your case, I assume there were misunderstandings between our office and your self, this I can look into to try and find out exactly why there was confusion.
• I was out of cell signal and email contact, when I received your email, obviously, the first thing I did was call you and ask if your rifle had arrived. Steve from Travel with Guns is far more capable being the booking agent for your flights and in the know with firearm travel, and would have done everything to try and locate your weapon. It happens often, rifles are delayed and 99 % of the time arrive the next day on the next flight.
• We use Elephant point for a few safaris/ year, it is a very unique area, and we often travel from other camps solely for the purpose of hunting buffalo that come out of Bumi Hills state land, we have over the years taken some of our best elephant, leopard and buffalo out of this area. Often I use this camp as a base for when I am hunting specific herds as it is too far to travel back and forth to my other camp, also the roads are terrible so it is easier to use this camp.
• I am not a pilot, nor am I a charter company owner, this is what we are told by the charter companies, I cannot even begin to guess what weight a 206 can carry safely into bush strips in hot weather in mountainous conditions, this is for the trained 206 pilot to know.
• We have hunters show up with far less Bob, often if they want to bring more gear, they opt for a Navajo and pay more money.
• During ' peak ' season, I have hunters in most camps, the Russian was hunting plains game NOT buffalo, so she did not interfere with your hunt, the husband was hunting lion, NOT buffalo, again, there was no conflict. Sometimes hunters share camps as long as they are not after the same quarry.
• When you say Cathy was issued a hunting licence, I am not sure what you mean, if she had a TR2, it was perhaps the office assumed she may want to hunt plains game and they were making sure, in any event, there is no charge for this piece of paper.
• Most PH's have their own SAT phones and it is common practice for ALL PH's to have their own radios in their vehicles and mobile radios for while they are walking, I am not at all sure why Scott did not have his fitted and or connected.
• Yes, most camps have 5Kva generators, they are ample, some bush camps have bucket showers, paraffin lights etc and NO generators. Vehicle batteries are often used for 12 V lights., did you find the worm?
• At Elephant point was Scott and I believe Dalton and perhaps Mike came and went, I am not sure why either of them did not go and get supplies, there is no excuse for that as the were there to run the camp an make sure there was enough food, drink, water etc, this I will have to look into.
• The vehicle should have had a cooler, again not sure why Thulani did not have one, secondly, the PH ( Scott ) usually puts a cooler into the vehicle an makes sure you are comfortable before saying goodbye.
• I did not hunt with the Russians at all, and as for not meeting you in Bulawayo, I believe at that time, I was not in Bulawayo, I cannot remember exactly what or where I was, but it must have been important otherwise I would have been there to see you.
• You should have seen a shootable bull. I am not sure where Scott took you and if he perhaps concentrated in only one area. The Omay is huge and he could have travelled vast distances to find suitable tracks and get you onto a decent trophy. I can only assume, you stayed in one area and hunted for specific buffalo.

In light of the above, Bob, what can I do to have you back for another hunt to get your buffalo.


Regards

Martin
If your allegations, which are untrue by the way, that my performance as a client was the cause for the unsuccessful hunt, why did you wait until October 2016 to raise this issue on a public forum?