ZIMBABWE: Dande Buffalo with CMS August 2026

[Russ16]

Safari Dates: July 31- August 10
Area: Dande, Zimbabwe
Outfitter: Charlton McCallum Safaris (CMS)
PH: Gareth Lecluse
Appy: Owen
Trackers: Paul and Uriya
Firearms Used: Chapuis 450-400, Winchester Model 70 375 H&H Magnum
Species Targeted: Buffalo Bull and Sable
Species Taken: Buffalo Bull and Cow, Zebra, Duiker



I booked this hunt at the DSC show in 2025 to fulfill a lifelong dream of hunting buffalo; I also really wanted to hunt sable as I think they are easily the most beautiful of the antelope. I knew full well that the sable hunting in Dande would be tough and no guarantee but that any trophy would be well earned.

Departure was July 27 with an IAD-DOH-HRE routing on Qatar airways; it would be in the Q-Suite for the IAD-DOH leg and standard business DOH-HRE which would arrive July 29. I was originally booked on Emirates, but schedule changes related to the Iran conflict made that itinerary unworkable Gracy travel was very helpful in getting me a refund and rebooking on Qatar.

The outbound included an 8-hour layover in Doha. Qatar will provide a complimentary hotel room for layovers of that length but can’t guarantee if you’ll have to leave the airport or not until you arrive. Instead, I opted to pay the $150 to access the Al Safwa First Class lounge which includes sleeping rooms. I didn’t wind up using one but did have excellent food and drink options and was able to shower before my connecting flight.

Upon arrival we were met by some airport personnel arranged by CMS, and they assisted us with the firearms paperwork. This included a lot of people checking all the same information and taking pictures of our documents and guns. Once through customs a representative from CMS met me and took me to the Amanzi Lodge for an overnight.

Amanzi is a great facility and everyone there was super nice. The bar was great and both lunch and dinner were excellent. I opted to order off the African Specialties portion of the menu and really enjoyed the sadza and different stews at both meals. Myles McCallum came by and we chatted for a while about the hunting season and my hunt.

The next day Myles picked me up and took me to back to the airport for the charter to Dande. This included a nearly duplicate check of firearms before going through security and heading to the charter plane.

The flight was seamless, and we were met at the airstrip by Owen, an appy who grew up in the village that surrounds the strip. He started working in the camps as a waiter and eventually a camp manager. He’s nearly through with his apprenticeship and is scheduled for his oral exams in February. Getting to know Owen would turn out to be one of the highlights of the trip and I really hope he gets his full license as I would love to return and hunt with him as my PH one day.

That night would be spent at the Matombo camp on the Zambezi; we would be heading to the Mururu camp the next afternoon after a morning of fishing. We had arrived in time for lunch and enjoyed it while soaking in our surroundings and waiting for the heat of the day to pass. Late afternoon Owen took to boat out, and we did a little fishing and looking at hippos, crocs, and a group of elephants including a young bull with beautiful long ivory.

This was my first trip to Africa and seeing the Zambezi was an amazing introduction. Witnessing how closely the villagers live to the game is amazing. They had crops right on the edge of the river and had tried to construct crude fences to keep the hippo and elephants out, they also had huts they sleep in during the peak growing season so that they can hear crop raiders and try to scare them off in the night. Seeing a group of kids 8 or so years old fishing with cane poles only a few hundred yards down the bank from a sunning 12-foot croc is a sobering sight. Those of us in America just can’t comprehend how close to disaster they live. Despite that everyone you saw or met had a huge smile and a friendly wave. It really makes you think realize comfort, convenience, and technology aren’t the key to happiness, and in fact may spoil it.

When we returned from fishing Gareth had arrived along with Daniel MacDonald who would be filming my hunt. We had a couple of sundowners and enjoyed dinner before turning in for the night.

In the morning we left early to fish and followed the Zambezi all the way upriver along the Chewore safari area. The fishing wasn’t great hooking a couple of catfish but unable to land any. But It was a great morning seeing the game which included some bushbuck, baboons, impala, and elephant along with the ever-present hippo and croc.

After lunch we took a nap and packed up for the 90-minute drive to Mururu. Once there we checked the rifles which had maintained zero through the trip. Sleep didn’t come easy as the anticipation of my first day hunting in Africa made unwinding difficult.

 

[Russ16]

Some scenes from Matombo.

Forgive me if this is a long hunt report it was a lifetime trip for me.

 

[SWS1]

So excited to read this
I’m there in October with Gareth

 

[Andrew62]

When you decided to go to Africa, you went top shelf, good for you!! Seeing wild Africa is such a special experience!! Amanzi Lodge was also a great choice!!

 

[Russ16]

So excited to read this
I’m there in October with Gareth

I'll be writing and posting the rest over the next couple of days.

When you see Gareth make sure to discuss shot placement and tell you you'd like to slip one in behind the shoulder on a buff. It will lead to a great conversation.

 

[Doug3006]

Dande is a magical place! I had one of my very best safaris there. CMS is at the very top of the outfitters in Africa. Enjoy!

 

[Datchew]

This one's gonna be good. Enjoying it already.

 

[DieJager]

Great start of your report, looking forward to the rest.

 

[Adam Stevens]

cant wait to see more! following along

brings me right back to my first trip to africa with Buzz 8 years ago

 

[skydiver386]

No meed to apologize for your excitement. We're here to share it with you.

 

[NJC]

Posting so I get updates! Excited to follow the story.. Just from the intro it already sounds like an amazing trip!!!!

 

[Russ16]

Day 1

The 5:00 am wakeup came early with what would soon become the familiar sounds of camp in the morning. The staff getting the fire going, footsteps leading to my tent followed by the very polite “knock knock” wakeup call from one of the waiters. I really wish I could have recorded that “knock knock” and make it the alarm on my phone every morning. Mururu sits in a little valley alongside a sand river and gets quite cold at night so standing by the mopane fire in the morning was a welcome routine. I’m not a coffee drinker but was thrilled to see they had Bovril, a spoon of which in hot water makes a great cold morning drink.

After a light breakfast we loaded into Gareth’s cruiser and headed out for the day. We started by heading to some water pans to check for tracks. After a couple of hours, the trackers tapped the top of the truck as they saw where a herd of buffalo had crossed the road. Gareth said that often a few old bulls will meet up with the herd and follow it for a while, so we set off following the track.

It didn’t take long to catch up to the herd in some thick jess. We could hear them more than see them, with just the occasional cow or calf revealing itself in a brief opening. We follow for a while and then they either heard us or caught a whiff and trotted off at an increased pace. We gave them about half an hour and set off in pursuit again. This time getting close enough to not just hear them but be surrounded by the barnyard smell of a herd of buffalo.

Once again they sensed our presence and made haste out of the area. This pattern repeated itself several more times. Eventually they entered some nearly impenetrable jess and Gareth called off the pursuit. His thinking was that the likelihood of getting a shot in that cover wasn’t worth continuing.

Since we were relatively close to camp and the area we wanted to hunt in the afternoon was on the other side we stopped in there for our lunch. It was still the packed lunch we were to have in the field but as a very civilized table.

That afternoon we drove the road looking for tracks and found some of a group of three bull and set off on the trail. Walking on a bed of dried leaves while trying to keep aware of the surroundings is quite a challenge but I warmed to it. We caught up with the bulls in a little under an hour. Like the herd they sensed us an moved off with purpose. We gave them some time to settle down and followed. Eventually we caught up to them in some not terrible cover and could get glimpses of them. We weren’t ever able to get a good look at the bosses to determine age or get close enough for a shot. They led us on moving steadily until once again getting wind of us. As they left the area, I could see what looked to me like a nice set of horns on one of the bulls as he departed.

My first day hunting Africa and I tracked, saw, and smelled buffalo, it was almost surreal.

 

[Russ16]

Day 2

The usual morning routine and again we were off looking for tracks. We weren’t finding anything super fresh but eventually some that were worth following. We trailed the tracks for a while and then the wind picked up and started swirling terribly. That combined with the cover we were entering had Gareth suggest a lunch break. Lunch was under a shady tree by the river.

Mid-afternoon we went back to a spot where we had seen some bull tracks the day before and sure enough a single bull had crossed the road recently so off, we went. I truly don’t know how the trackers do what they do. At times we were tracking over pure granite rock, no way a track could have been left. But they stayed on the trail. Eventually they led to a small spring that Gareth had never seen before, it is an example of how vast and wild Dande is that a PH who has hunted there for years is still finding new springs. From the spring we continued the tracks until we began to reach another small spring. I was behind Gareth and watching Uriya looking at some tracks when suddenly the brush exploded about 20 yards in front of us. The bull had bedded down right there by the spring and waited until we were almost on top of him before blowing out. It got the heart pumping. We didn’t get a great look at him, but he had the look of an old bull. We gave him a few minutes and took up the track. It was clear this was his home territory. It was covered in old tracks that matched his and we found a couple more springs he frequents. He had a little circuit of protected water with grazing in between that he just leisurely moved between.

As the sun began to set Gareth indicated we needed to head to the truck. This resulted in some back and forth in shona with the trackers. Evenutally Gareth said to them “you want to hunt in the dark?!” He explained that they hate to give up and never want to leave a track.

That night we relived the day’s events, and I went to bed feeling the next day might be special. We knew where a solitary bull lived, now we just had to find him.