My PH friend (also a veteran of the Rhodesian war, in fact one of the original Selous Scouts) hunts more in jess than mopane, though he hunts in both. Even thick mopane is quite open compared to many of the places he hunts.
One of his points is that when hunting really dangerous game, you do not always have the choice of when an animal might take offense. Charges are NOT always the result of the hunter in question wounding the game; in fact many charges are from animals that have been wounded earlier (whether by hunters, snares or other animals), or by mamas with young. Carrying a rifle slung when in really thick stuff amid such unpredictable possibilities is not a good idea. Or he does not believe it to be, and most other PH's agree.
But as you said, different strokes for different folks.
