The Problem with Africa !
Have you ever heard this phrase? "The problem with Africa is ......" usually coming from your PH or one of the colonials you have met during your travels to the dark continent. The general perception is that Africa is fraught with problems, a great many it appears, with the likes of Sir Bob Geldof and Bono persistently shoving guilt inducing poverty down our throats to keep their bank accounts in balance!
One thing has always puzzled me about a great many PH's! Seriously, they claim to be true Africans because they are always selling you 'the real Africa' and touting when their family first arrived on the continent, then they go on and on about the problem with Africa and how it is going to the dogs!
I'd think that after 300 years of collective experience the 'white' settlers of Africa would have learnt one undeniable fact - Africa beats to the rhythm of it's own drums and in the end, no matter how much perspiration and toil went into making Africa like 'back home in Europe', she has endured. This is good for us hunters, because it allows us to reap the benefits of the unspoilt wilderness, those parts of the continent where the beasts have prevailed! Where this is leading you may have guessed, I am having a dig at the legions of PPPH's (predominantly plainsgame PH) which populate our southern regions of the continent. Seriously, I'm tired of hearing about a 2000 acre piece of ranchland in the middle of a cane sugar farming belt being "the real Africa", or the ultimate "big game" hunt taking place an hour outside a city which harbors over 20 Million people?
Right now in Zambia or Tanzania or Zimbabwe or Mozambique PPH's (proper PH) are getting set to do the annual drive into their respective hunting concessions (and by concessions I mean 12,000 sqkms of open wilderness, NOT a million acres of collective parceled and fenced ranchland with a double laned highway leading to the front gate!). Sometimes it takes a day to get in and sometimes it can take a week to reach last years campsite. It often means crossing flooded rivers, building bridges, cutting open roads, sleeping next to a stuck vehicle, harassed by mosquitoes and wildlife officials and then when you finally reach the place where the river bends, where camp was last year, the one with a great view, you find that the river has washed away the bank and camp no longer exists! This is a job for a particular type of PH, usually younger, more energetic, and definitely one who enjoys going to sleep on the cold earth with mud and grease in your hair. Yet that's what it takes to be a PPH in these countries and after years of doing this, I still enjoy the drive in but not the mud in my teeth or the corned beef dinner!
So I will temporarily join the PPPH ranks and let you in on some hunting deals which I have on game ranches throughout Zambia, a destination usually reserved for the classical safari, the ones where the PPH's are heading right now to build camp, the ones we leave up to the youngsters to get ready and then fly in on air conditioned jets with our clients!
Why choose a game ranch in Zambia?
Zambia is not a traditional ranch hunting destination but lately more opportunities have opened up allowing hunters to take many of the more unique and sought after species that occur here and that are more expensive south of the Zambezi!
Most of the ranches have not been able to allow hunting due to complicated and costly regulations and have until recently remained untouched. For 2008 we've combined a portfolio of hunting opportunities at various properties and are hoping to get the best deal for both parties: the hunters and the ranch owner.
The other plus is that there are some great opportunities to hunt in a wilderness concession and experience sleeping beneath the stars in the Africa bush, hearing the drums from a nearby village and hunting on foot.
Unique species : sable, Livingstones eland, Defassa waterbuck, Lichtensteins hartebeest, Kafue lechwe, tsessebbe, puku, Chobe bushbuck, oribi, Sharpe's grysbok |
| Other species : kudu, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, common reedbuck, impala, grey duiker, bushpig |
Zambia is Sable country and if you cannot afford one of the classical hunts then look to the game ranches.
Livingstones Eland are also very good in Zambia and make a great hunt, over 1900 pounds of beast calls for an accurate shot. Add puku, Defassa waterbuck, Chobe bushbuck, oribi and Sharpe's grysbok for a full compliment of game you don't easily find in South Africa. Kafue lechwe is another Zambian special and without a doubt hunting for these magnificent antelope on the open Kafue flats is the best addition to a game ranch hunt. We spend 2 days camping out on the flats and walking after 30" plus bulls on the knee deep floodplain. The area also has an incredible variety of waterfowl later in the year.
We have some Kudu in the 60 inch class as well as magnificent trophies for the other more common plains game like zebra, wildebeest, warthog, duiker, bushpig.
All these hunts include some excellent wingshooting for francolin, guinea fowl and waterfowl, while some of the properties are situated on rivers with excellent fishing.
In all, we can provide the ultimate adventure trip combining all pursuits and catering to families and groups of hunters wanting to simply experience the Africa that everyone talks about.
We have 4 new rifles for use(2 x 300 win mags, 1 x 30-06, 1 x 458) as well as shotguns and 22's so there is no need to hassle with you own rifles or gear. |
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