The dog turns!
I've been harping on about how expensive safaris are lately, the classical ones that is, and how the weak dollar has affected most US hunters. Well it seems the tide is turning sooner than expected with hunts not selling that well and as the door to the season is about to open, operators are suddenly scrambling, throwing out offers of reduced prices and last minute deals to everyone.
I've had some really good prices thrown at me by various safari operators in Zambia, this after initially wanting everything plus the kitchen sink. So I'm passing these lower prices on in this newsletter with some more information and details about one of the concessions I believe is a great deal for this year.
I'm an independent PH, I have hunted Zambia long enough to know what happens where and where the best happening is. If you ask me about lion or leopard or sable or roan or kudu, I'm going to give you the best answer which will give you the best opportunity. I don't care much about touting an area because it is mine, I simply choose to hunt the best Zambia has to offer because I have hunted most of the hunting blocks and rest my reputation on providing success. If I can't offer you an area with 48" sable then I'm going to tell you, it is not that important to me, I'd rather rest assured you are happy, my reputation is intact! Why do I go on and on about this hunting term 'classical safari'? Well to put it bluntly, these are fair chase hunts in areas of Africa that have never been fenced and remain very much as they did 100 years ago. Many of these areas are in excess of 6000 square kilometers and hold populations of wild game in varying numbers, never introduced or relocated. Of course these areas have been hunted for the last 20 or so years by international hunters. This is why they exist, hunting has provided for their protection from human encroachment and all its associated evils. They are pristine tracts of hunting land where you do still get the much hyped 'real Africa' away from the game ranches and so called 'million acre' concessions you hear about.
Why would you consider a hunt in Zambia at this late stage of the year? Well, firstly prices are very good and probably will not be repeated for a hunt of this nature: Lion at less than $28,000?. You see, each year operators hope for the best so they hold their brochure prices throughout the early 'booking season', the time when most of us are busy planning our schedules. Then when it is almost too late, prices start dropping to the point where operators are simply trying to cover their concession fees and quota costs - this happens year after year, especially for new operators, those which are not that well known and alas for some of the older guys as well!
As a professional hunter I'm always looking for new hunting land. Going into an area with a basic knowledge that the key species are there and then exploring and finding the animals that are key to us as PH's is one of the best pleasures of my job. Why I like this kind of hunting is because you never know what you're going to find and usually it is always a pleasant surprise especially if the area you are in has not had much hunting activity for a while but has the basics - buffalo!
3 years ago I was desperate for a Lion hunt. I had an insistent friend / client and unfortunately the areas which I knew to have good Lion were fully booked. We took a mutual chance and booked the hunt in a concession which I had last hunted when I was 23, a long time ago and lay on the outer edge of 2 prime hunting blocks, away from national parks. To say the least I was nervous but we made the decision together. Although I knew there were Lion there, I did not hold much hope for a big male and told my friend this. It was day 19 of a 24 day hunt and after playing cat & mouse (excuse the pun) with pug marks in the sand my heart was sinking, had I made a $50,000 mistake! It is one of those things that will eventually end up in my heart attack, not facing a charging Lion or Buffalo, bring them on, but the fact that my client has paid upwards of $50,000 and here we stood on the verge of employing that age old excuse - 'That's hunting'!
I hate that term!
We'd been through one hippo and were on the 2nd buffalo for bait and now were down to the last half of an already rotting buffalo hind. I took a chance, putting the bait way up into the hills in an area where no hunting had been done. My 2 trackers just started at me, muttering to themselves, shaking their heads as they do whenever the white bwana does stupid things.
A day later we were sitting in the blind in anticipation and then one of the most unforgettable sights in my hunting career. My tracker started fidgeting, his eyes wide fumbling with words and I had to garb him and hold him down to keep still. Out of the grass 30 yards away came a Lion, head held high, purposefully striding towards the bait. I'd never seen a male this big or confident, he stood about 4 foot high at the head with a broad chest and a huge head. His mane was a red color and covered his head and chest. He didn't even have to rise up to get at the bait, he just started feeding standing broadside in absolute silent splendor. We were about to take the shot when out of the corner of my eye I saw another male walk in, his black mane softly bouncing with each step. This was the Lion you saw in magazines and it was just a quick shift of the rifle before the shot went off.
The hunting block in question is called Msoro Lupande and lies at the southern end of the Luangwa valley, where the majority of Zambia's best hunting blocks are situated. Without question, every hunting block has success each year on lion, leopard and buffalo, it is a given. You just need to make sure you choose the right time of year and then of course, as with all hunting, some blocks are better than others. Zambia's classification system calls these prime, secondary or depleted blocks depending upon their size and the numbers of game they hold and you can guess what this means.
Msoro is rated as a secondary hunting block but has 2 prime blocks on its boundary. The geography of the area is considered as escarpment and plateau which means the block runs from the valley floor into the hills which rises onto a inland plateau with open terrain but lies away from the Luangwa river making this area what we traditionally call 'the hills'. Water is seasonal and thus timing when hunting this area is crucial although pools hold out until the November rains each year. 2008 has seen record rainfall however, so the area will remain good later into the year BUT for Lion it is imperative to hunt early on, while leopard and buffalo will remain there through to October.
Hunting has only taken place there over the last 2 years and although the area has had some teething problems, mainly with the resolve and ability of the PH's, each safari for Lion, Leopard, Elephant and Buffalo has been successful. To be honest, the two lion shot last year (2007), both on the same safari, were males in the 4-5 year age group which in my opinion is TOO young. The patience and ability of both PH & client on these hunts are in question as the PH had last hunted Zambia way back. Remember, Zambia has allot of Lion, many of these younger males roaming far and wide and often PH's and clients do not have the patience, resolve or confidence to wait for a bigger trophy and simply shoot the first Lion they see.
2008 sees a new more level headed operator in the concession with a long term outlook based upon building the block up to primary status. Therefore only limited numbers of prime species will be taken in 2008. This is due to the fact that the current operator wants a good PH to hunt the block and not only put it 'on the map' but also make a honest and reliable assessment to the viability of this hunting block.
What this means is low prices for this year 2008 - in order to get a qualified hunting season under the belt. To me it is a great opportunity to explore, with allot of confidence, new hunting ground where I am able to prove that a good PH is able to deliver big trophies in an area where I know game exists!
Commitments in other concessions only allow me to hunt this area July through August so hunts are going to be limited because I cannot recommend any other PH's for the job! So I have a list of personal references, I have the burning desire to take someone in there to go after Lion and others and I am offering one of the best deals available in Zambia - if you do not shoot your top priority animal, the one you booked the hunt for, I will not charge you my PH fee, you will get this refunded! That is testament to how confident I am about the hunting block!
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