Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Zimbabwe in 2014 ?

I am thinking about going to Zim in June or early July of 2014. Does anyone have any insight on what the current political / security situation is there? I actually have a contact in US Diplomatic security who told me that I should be OK in the hunting areas. Any recommendations on PHs, areas to hunt or the best time to go? (The second half of July and the first half of August are out, but later is possible.) I will be going mainly for plains game but am also thinking about a buiffalo. Thanks.

I've hunted in Zim twice the last time in June of last year. I've landed in both Harare and Bulawayo. In both cases I felt more comfortable than in Johannesburg, SA. In both cases I was met at the airport and driven to a home or bed & breakfast and treated very well. I was after buffalo and leopard so didn't see a lot of plains game other than what was shot for bait.

As far as outfitters, I believe that plains game is better in the SE and SW parts of the country. The Save area was renowned. The Zambezi Valley in the N E is good for buffalo and I saw some plains game in Chewore. There are a number of very good outfitters including Charlton McCallum, Mokore, Zambezi Hunters. A web search would give lots of info. Hope this helps.

GO. You are safer there than in most cities here.

+1. Went in 2001, 2004, 2010 and 2012 and have had zero problems other than running out of trophy fee money.

Mike

I went in 2012. Landed in Bulawayoad no security issues. For sure you step back to the 1940s in many respects.
My hunt however was very mixed.

With whom and where did you hunt if you don't mind the question?

Go! you will have a ball! My son and I were there in summer of 2011. Very nice people, and they really welcome hunters. We hunted in the Omay, with Martin Pieters safaris, but we were after dangerous game. Besides Martin, there are a whole list of very good outfitters there. I'll mention a few, and I'm sure others will chime in, as well.

1. Mokore safaris
2. Zambezi hunters
3. Charleton/McCallam safaris
4. John Sharp
5. HHK safaris

All of them have websites. Look them up, and decide what you want to hunt, and go from there. Good luck!


maddog

You'll be fine. I've hunted there on multiple occasions (last time in 2011) with no problems at all.

My hunts in Zim have all been with HHK, a first class outfitter. I recommend their Matetsi Unit 3 and Chirisa concessions for PG and buff.

Zim has markedly increased the buffalo trophy fee this year. Before you go read 2 books by Peter Godwin: "When a Crocodile Eats the Sun" and "The Fear". Watch "Mugabe and the White African" available on Netflix.

I feel that predicting a meteor hitting the earth has better odds than predicting what Zimbabwe will be like in 2014.

I go to Zim every year and have spent four months there over the past two years. Will be there again with my wife hosting a large group in late June into July. I have never had any issues in which I felt threatened. I would not recommend spending time in Harare or Bulawayo unattended as like many large cities in the world you can run into problems. Once you leave the cities and get into the rural and hunting areas you will pretty much be alone so there are few opportunities for problems to arise. I would recommend early June if possible opposed to later as June and July are the prime weather months. An many have posted here, there are several good outfitters as well as a few nefarious ones to stay away from. Decide what the primary species you desire to hunt is and narrow down from there. There are areas that have great buffalo but smaller populations of plains game and vice versa.

I went buffalo and elephant hunting in Zimbabwe in 2012 with Three Ways Safaris and I had a great experience. You should definitely spend as little time as possible in the cities, but the countryside is both safe and beautiful. There are some Safari outfitters that US citizens are forbidden to do business with due to their association with the Mugabe regime and the sanctions imposed on it. I recommend contacting the US Embassy in Harare and making sure that the outfitter you are planning on hunting with is not on this list. Three Ways Safaris is not on the list, and the most of the big name outfitters like HHK and Chifuti are ok to hunt with as well.

The area I hunted is located in southeast Zimbabwe close to the borders with South Africa and Mozambique. I can't speak for the rest of the country, but the buffalo and elephant hunting there were great and the plains game hunting was good, but there are other places I would go (Namibia) if I were hunting exclusively for plains game. I would absolutely recommend hunting there for buffalo.

I have been to Zim each of the last four years. In 2012 I spent a month there with my wife.

We have spent time in Bulawayo, Harare, and Vic Falls and never felt unsafe. As with any city you have to apply some common sense to your decisions as to what part of the city and what time of day you go.

The hunting areas are safe. Remember the cheapest may not be the best route, however there are good values in Zim even with the increases.

Tim416 is a good guy to book with.

The list maddog gave is very good. Any of the primary Bubye Valley Conservancy operators are good also (John Sharpe, Pete Fick, Martin Nel, and Shaun Buffee)

I have hunted with Martin Pieters three times and Mokore once. I will hunt with Buzz Charlton, Matetsi One with Tim Farren, and Sengwa Research with Mokore in the next couple of years, and I am sure to return to the Omay.

What will it be like in 2014? There should be a presidential election and a vote on a new constitution this year. My prediction is Mugabe remains in power and not much will change.

Make certain you book with a reputable operator that is fully licensed to operate and hunt in Zim. Two weeks ago I was offered a buffalo hunt by an American booking agent using a South African PH in an area operated by friends of mine. I contacted my friends and they are taking action against these clowns. Zim is a wonderful country to hunt, just be careful when booking.


Edit: I reread your post nd I saw you are mainly interested in PG and possibly buffalo. The Bubye valley Conservancy would be a great area for this type of hunt. Plainsgame is abundunt and there are very good buffalo also. the area is over 1,000,000 acres (1600 square miles).

http://www.shaunbuffeesafaris.com/