Final Thoughts
The Animals: I do not hunt with a tape measure. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. We did see a reedbuck near the end of the hunt that was better than the one I took on the first day. With every other animal, however, I believe we got the best of what we saw, including zebra and impala.
The Booking Agent:
@DAVE FREEBURN SAFARIS is a class act. This was, by far, the most comfortable and painless booking I’ve ever experienced. Everything was completely transparent, with no hidden fees or surprises. Dave went to bat for me from start to finish. He was able to shrink a 12-day Roan/Sable hunt to 10 days and arrange a restricted menu for the notoriously picky eater I am. He also told me that if I wanted eland, I needed to book in September. I can’t imagine booking another hunt without him.
The PH: Matt Stanton should need no introduction after the sable write-up. I will simply say that had I not experienced it, I would not have believed it. Matt and I have both grown up a lot since the last time we hunted together. I don’t know who’s on your Mount Rushmore of PHs, but Matt Stanton’s on mine. He’ll always be my first choice.
The Outfitter: Classic African Hunting provided a wonderful hunt in a wonderful area with a big, friendly, and competent staff and excellent accommodations. It is truly a well-oiled machine. Not much else to say here.
The Area: Probably the most impressive thing about Matetsi 2 is the amount of game we left. Big kudu bulls are a dime a dozen, and we saw several in the mid-50s. Many days, there were buffalo as far as the eye could see. I have videos of waterbuck bulls I would have mortgaged the farm for three weeks ago. You name it, we saw it. Pretty much everything but rhino and leopard.
In fact, I saw more game on the trip from the airport to camp than I did on any of my past trips. It’s the only place I’ve ever been in Zim where you could book a dedicated plains game hunt and be successful. The road transfer from the airport is also a piece of cake, and the only one I’ve ever had where I didn’t believe death was imminent.
The Trackers/Scout/Driver: Tapiwa, the lead tracker, was young, and at first, I was worried. Any doubts I had were dispelled on the day of the sable. For 11 miles, he diligently followed invisible sign no one else could see. He has my respect, and we message daily. I am still in awe of his God-given skill.
Mescheck, the secondary tracker, is Classic African Hunting’s tractor driver. He was loaned to us for this safari because he’s familiar with the area. Deliberate, quiet, and steady, we used him more as a spotter this trip, where his eagle eyes helped many times, especially on the sable follow-up. You never saw him without his axe, and although I secretly coveted it, I never had the heart to ask him for it. The most surprising thing about him, which I didn’t notice until later, is that he was always stone-faced and serious. However, in the pictures of him with the animals, he’s smiling. I suppose, like me, he doesn’t mix business with pleasure.
Gugulethu, the government scout, was quiet and polite. Although she was with us every step, she was noiseless and stayed out of the way. She also spotted the sable for us once after we had lost him on the follow-up and quietly pointed him out. Although small in stature, she helped where she could, including loading and unloading the eland. She also sang a beautiful African rendition of “Happy Birthday” to my daughter, who turned 17 while I was away.
Nelson, the driver, was my good luck charm and the only one I’d allow to touch my rifles. He was always smiling and called me “boss.” He never strayed from the radio and always appeared timely with the cruiser when called upon. Without his constant attention and quick responses, we never could have made it to the eland in time. Ironically, unlike Mescheck, he doesn’t smile in pictures. We also WhatsApp daily, with him preferring voice messages.
In closing, I’ll share what I wrote when asked to sign the guest book. I stand behind these sentiments today.
