ZIMBABWE: DALTON & YORK SAFARIS - Chewore South 2025 Lion, Elephant, Buffalo & Hippo

hoytcanon said:

I don't doubt any of that, but there is plenty of video evidence of unnecessary shots on clients animals... I have no idea what prior agreements were made regarding the PH shooting into client's game... but I have been guiding off and on for more than four decades in Canada, on many species, and very few clients want me to shoot their animals unless it is a safety issue and/or it is a wounded animal that they have no shot on and is on the verge of becoming unrecoverable. I do everything in my power to NOT squeeze the trigger on clients animals.

Keep in mind this is an opinion based only of YouTube videos, which often lack background and context, and with zero personal experience. Again, I think they run a great operation and seem like super guys to be around.

Click to expand...

I have hunted with York a couple times and completely disagree with the trigger happy comment. This is based on the fact that while tracking a wounded Buffalo that I had shot, he asked if it was OK for him to shoot my animal on the follow-up to which I quickly agreed was a good idea. We tracked that bull for a day and a half in the nastiest thickest cover in the Omay and at one point York got another bullet into him before we caught up to the bull and I finally put him down for good.
You are correct on the context. Some hunters prefer to have as much help as possible on dangerous game and will ask the PH to participate and in York's case it is safe to assume that this was discussed in advance.

Yukontom said:

I have hunted with York a couple times and completely disagree with the trigger happy comment. This is based on the fact that while tracking a wounded Buffalo that I had shot, he asked if it was OK for him to shoot my animal on the follow-up to which I quickly agreed was a good idea. We tracked that bull for a day and a half in the nastiest thickest cover in the Omay and at one point York got another bullet into him before we caught up to the bull and I finally put him down for good.
You are correct on the context. Some hunters prefer to have as much help as possible on dangerous game and will ask the PH to participate and in York's case it is safe to assume that this was discussed in advance.

Click to expand...

I have no doubt of that... they seem like terrific guys, I love their enthusiasm for hunting... my impression, as I indicated, was from their videos, which lacked the context of what had been agreed upon.

I curious to know how often a hunter shows up on an African DG hunt and does not want anyone else assisting in bringing down the DG animal.

Then flubs the shot. And the animal is lost. Then I would also like to know how often that type of person is the first to complain about paying for the trophy fee of a lost animal.

Altitude sickness said:

I curious to know how often a hunter shows up on an African DG hunt and does not want anyone else assisting in bringing down the DG animal.

Then flubs the shot. And the animal is lost. Then I would also like to know how often that type of person is the first to complain about paying for the trophy fee of a lost animal.

Click to expand...

Perhaps, but there is a type of person who has invested a lot in the experience and wants to get it done themselves, not have someone else accomplish the task they set out on. We are not talking here about a "charge/safety" scenario. As you point out, if you want to feel the sense of accomplishment or satisfaction or whatever driving force motivates you to want to get it done in your own, you also have to accept responsibility for failure as well as success... which may mean, paying for an unrecovered animal... so be it. I guess I am one of those people... bowhunting and guiding for 40+ years... I go to great lengths to challenge myself, on the one hand... and doing everything I can to NOT put a bullet in a clients animal, on the other. I have had this conversation a couple hundred times over the years.

I think we are talking past each other.

I’m sure it’s a very small percentage that wants someone else to actually kill their animal for them. Unfortunately, there are hunters like that.

But on the flipside of that is a PH who is the one that has to go in and sort out an animal that can easily kill them. They may have a wife and kids and although it’s expensive to us, the relatively small portion they keep in their pocket is not worth getting maimed or killed for.

So they have to make that decision in a split second. If you’re shot is a killing shot or not, and whether they are going to have to deal with that animal in an hour or two.

Sometimes it can not up to the guy who whiffed on his first shot, he had his chance and didn’t make a killing shot. Now the safety of the team takes priority, not someone’s purity challenge or ego.

Altitude sickness said:

I think we are talking past each other.

I’m sure it’s a very small percentage that wants someone else to actually kill their animal for them. Unfortunately, there are hunters like that.

But on the flipside of that is a PH who is the one that has to go in and sort out an animal that can easily kill them. They may have a wife and kids and although it’s expensive to us, the relatively small portion they keep in their pocket is not worth getting maimed or killed for.

So they have to make that decision in a split second. If you’re shot is a killing shot or not, and whether they are going to have to deal with that animal in an hour or two.

Sometimes it can not up to the guy who whiffed on his first shot, he had his chance and didn’t make a killing shot. Now the safety of the team takes priority, not someone’s purity challenge or ego.

Click to expand...

As someone who has tracked dozens of clients wounded bears on my hands and knees with a flashlight in my teeth, I disagree. If you are not willing to follow up on a wounded animal, you are in the wrong profession. Or, on the flip side of your earlier point, if a guide/PH makes the decision on their own, without consulting the client, to shoot a clients animal, after the client expressed that they did not want this, then the PH better shell out or waive the trophy fee. You are paid to NOT make that decision... this obviously does not apply to a charge/safety scenario... it is not enough to say, "it is too dangerous to follow up on the wounded animal." You made a career decision, now deal with it. All this nuance aside... there is much that can be done in advance of the hunt and during the hunt to ensure that these scenarios do not occur, including clear instructions on shot placement, testing equipment and client accuracy, calm coaching as the hunt progesses, discussions about likely or possible scenarios... even the demeanor of the guide. Some guides get so wound up and intense that they create stress and a greater chance of poor decision making and poor shot placement/timing. These are all good things to discuss before the hunt, and even before booking the hunt... it helps a great deal when philosophies and expectations are clearly understood and in alignment.

First off, use a headlamp and take the flashlight out of your mouth. If you need the angle, hang the headlamp from your neck.

Second, there are two guys from Ontario that are chest thumping know it alls whose opinions matter More than anyone else’s, and I am about to “ignore” another one of them.

Third, for every one minute of film, there are sixty minutes that happened and were filmed but did not get shown in the final production. Conversations happen and park boundaries must be discussed, maps consulted, trackers lives to consider, predators to contend with etc etc. The majority of those happen off camera and only the action sequence makes it to YouTube. Also the ph isn’t the film editor, or I suspect these films would be much different. Enjoy them for what they are worth

A 150-300 pound black bear can put some teeth into you. IF they chose to. Most run and never attack. And yes a 250 Ontario black bear would not be fun to wrestle. But pales in comparison to an elephant, leopard or buffalo on top of you. And the latter happens far more often.

It’s great we all have different goals while hunting.

I’m primarily an archery hunter and I’ve moved to recurves and longbows, but I’ve never been one of those PIA archery purists that considered it a failed hunt if the animal had to be finished with a bullet because of my poor shooting.

I’ve never had to follow up a bow killed African animal with a firearm. But if I put myself in that position I wouldn’t prolong suffering for my ego either.

Firebird said:

First off, use a headlamp and take the flashlight out of your mouth. If you need the angle, hang the headlamp from your neck.

Second, there are two guys from Ontario that are chest thumping know it alls whose opinions matter More than anyone else’s, and I am about to “ignore” another one of them.

Third, for every one minute of film, there are sixty minutes that happened and were filmed but did not get shown in the final production. Conversations happen and park boundaries must be discussed, maps consulted, trackers lives to consider, predators to contend with etc etc. The majority of those happen off camera and only the action sequence makes it to YouTube. Also the ph isn’t the film editor, or I suspect these films would be much different. Enjoy them for what they are worth

Click to expand...

Knock yourself out... the flashlight in the teeth" was satirical. You find opinions, as being a "know it all", I call it a "conversation."

Outstanding safari and hunt report. York and his team are great hunters and a joy to be around. You and your boys are in for a terrific adventure in Nyakasanga- a very special place.