Charlton McCallum Safaris - Hunting, trophy gallery and hunt reviews. Clients hunt Dande and Makuti in Zimbabwe for elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, sable, hyena and plainsgame.

2025 click pictures to enlarge

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DK - Dande

JM - Dande

EBS - Dande

EBJ - Dande

JH - Nyakasanga

PH Comment - David

JH and I had an awesome time in Nyakasanga with 21 days of hunting we had a lot of time on our side but luck had it. We found our animals and had days to spare for fishing and pleasure. Day 2 of the hunt we got our hippo which we used for bait.  We hunt a total of 9 baits for lion. Just when we were getting desperate for more bait we found a very good elephant bull on day 7. Shortly after on day 9 we got a very good looking lion which we got after the first hour on our first sitting. JH made a incredible 116 yard shot. With 11 days left our focus shifted to plains game, hyena and tiger fishing. JH got a fantastic impala and waterbuck. Unfortunately wounded our hyena and caught some tiger fish too. Game was abundant and we had many sightings of lion, elephant, buffalo and even the elusive leopard.

Client Comment

Had a great hunt with David and his team. They worked very hard, which resulted in a great trophy elephant, lion, hippo, impala and waterbuck. The time spent was very enjoyable and we had a great time together. The tiger fishing was a lot of fun. Would definitely hunt with David and CMS again.

CM - Dande

Client Comment

It was a great hunt, and just what I hoped it would be. A day-long stalk that ends with a good first shot, a bit of follow up shooting, and a death bellow...couldn't ask for much more for a first time buff. I don't know if Gareth shared the video of the hyenas calling and moving in front of the blind but that was especially amazing; I felt like I was in some nat geo wildlife documentary. The cherry on top was the nice impala ram at the end of the hunt. Good stalk, got to see and hear a bit of rutting behavior, and an exciting/challenging shot to wrap up the stalk. It was a world class experience.

I enjoyed hunting with Gareth and his team. All the CMS staff at both Matombo and Karunga were great and took care of me to a degree that made me feel a bit doted on. The buffalo tail and brisket stews with sadza were fantastic and will be remembered for a long time to come.

As a wildlife biologist who works for the state of Idaho managing our wildlife and hunting opportunities, I really enjoyed seeing the Zim model of wildlife conservation. I asked a million questions to Gareth and if it annoyed him he did a good job of not letting it show! Hell, Gareth even did a good job humoring me checking off my bird list and plant questions. I feel like the story behind what folks like you all do in partnership with the Parks and the Communal/campfire areas is a fantastic story. I wish it was more widely told on a platform that's accessible to a wider audience than other hunters.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the drives to and from Camp with Bruce and Royal. I'm an avid reader and had picked through a couple history books on Zim as well as a couple of memoirs from more recent times. Both of those guys gave interesting perspectives on all the questions that came from those readings. Great discussions with both.

The dust hasn't even settled and I'm already thinking about how to come back, and convince others to hunt with you all as well.

DP & MN - Nyakasanga & Makuti

PH Comment - Buzz

My all-time favorite client. The plan was to take an ancient old dugga boy, with DP 500 WR double at close quarters. We the most wonderful hunt. We had lions charge us whilst on buff trails. Saw 100s of elephants, hand the pleasure of Richard Harland and his charming lady Peggy to entertain us in the evenings. On the successful hunt we picked up our old bull for several kilometers and found time coming back on his tracks. DP dropped him at 11 yards and he did not take a step. We also go a zebra. Looking forward to next year.

PH Comment - David

It does not get better, hunting with great friends, having great laughs, and hard hard hunting with long grass, many 10km tracking sessions. We got our beautiful big leopard 2nd last night and then an awesome old dugga boy on the last day.

Client Comment - DP

Outstanding dugga boy hut via tracking. Two long days out walking resulted in bulls mixing herds and running off. Downwind, or not been old enough to test our residue and patience. Our luck turned on day three when our tracking took us to an ancient old bull in heavy cover and advantage wind. He stepped into an elephant trail at 11 yards and fell to my WR 500 NE open sighted double rifle. Buzz and his crew of trackers and driver did an exceptional job at every phase. I am coming back in 2026.

Client Comment - MN

Buzz Charlton and his team represent the absolute best in the Safari Outfitter business. I would challenge anyone to not leave one of these great adventures, counting the entire team as very dear friends. Fit for Purpose!

DS - Nyakasanga

PH Comment - Myles

What a truly special safari with a great gentleman! We tracked buffalo daily and often got into shooting positions, but never with the right bull. Late in the hunt we finally had the perfect 11-year-old bull walk on to us and Don made no mistake at 40 yards and his trusty .458!

We saw a tremendous amount of game, including the big four in one day – lions were seen almost daily, and we enjoyed elephants in camp every night!

Client Comment

This was my second safari in Africa. Myles and his trackers were not just good, they were mystical. There were days we followed Dugga boys mile after mile. How the trackers and Myles could do that was totally beyond me. My 10-day hunt was long and hard, but everybody associated with the hunt — Myles, the trackers, the kitchen workers, the tent crew — was excellent. They could not have been more helpful, more supportive or more hard working for me. The hunt was successful and absolutely fabulous. The bull was huge. The food was great, and so were the accommodations. I have nothing but praise for the operation. No one should miss out on an experience like this.

HG - Dande

PH Comment - Len

It has been an amazing hunt, all round and the most amazing sable. Early season hunting in Dande has been amazing.

Client Comment

This safari was outstanding, not only in terms of quality, as lion, leopard, sable were all exceptionally large, but equally important by virtue of the professionalism exhibited by Len Taylor and his team, who provided an extremely energetic and statically planned hunt which brings great credit to the reputation of CMS. This was my eight safari to five countries, was clearly my most rewarding.

KP - Maitengwe

PH Comment - Buzz

Had an early season hunt! The first half movement was slow which thankfully, picked up into the second half. This undoubtedly was due to heavy very late rains. We looked at several bulls and had an exiting mock charge. The bush was thick and noisy; it was extremely hard to approach the bulls and see them before they heard us and ran away.

Well over 100km tracking we decided on day 10 to take nice huge bodied +/- 40lbs and KP brained him beautifully. KP has been an absolute pleasure to hunt with and he can hold his head high with his walking and shooting – he earned his bull!

MR - Dande

PH Comment - Keith

This was MRs first hunt with CMS for an ele bull in our Dande East Concession. We tracked multiple bull over two days and got up close on a few with some fun exciting close ups of cows too. MR got an awesome bull on day 3 of the hunt with a text book side brain shot. We then spent a few days hunting plains game. We tried a lot but bush is so thick this time of the year. But we had a great time walking some good miles. Thanks MR.

Client Comment

I was pleased with the hunt. Trophy quality was as expected, and game was plentiful. The PH was professional and competent. The camps and staff were good. Thank you Keith and CMS Staff for a good hunt!

GG - Nyakasanga

PH Comment - Keith

This was GG second hunt with us. This time in our Nyakasanga Area for a tuskless elephant. Such an awesome hunt we had. Looking for particular tuskless that was not pregnant and having a dependent calf is not an easy tasks, but a fun one at that, as we looked at multiple tuskless before we found the one we managed to get. She was by herself with a bull. We made an approach to 15 yards were GG made a great front brain shot. We look forward to the 2026 hunt! Cant wait!!

Client Comment

Fantastic hunt. Exceeded all expectations. I appreciated that safety was always a major concern. All concerns during the hunt were addressed. Looking forward to hunting next year (2026).

MM - Dande

Client Comment

The hunt was amazing. Although the leopard escaped, us this hunt! We were able to take a cape buffalo of a lifetime- a proper dagga boy – my guess he is over 15 years of age. I’ve hunted with Keith before and he is one of the best PH’s to hunt with. The hunt for leopard was great – we had leopard on bait after day 3, but leopard are extraordinary elusive and what I learned on my leopard hunt is that when you think you know what the leopard will do, they will do the opposite! This hunt was filmed by Andy Mac, one of the best around. It’s like having a 2nd PH. Ill be back for Mr Spots in 2026. Thank you everyone on Charlton McCallum Safaris team for a fantastic hunt.

AA - Dande

PH Comment - Amin

It was a great pleasure to hunt with AA. We had success with harvesting zebra, kudu, impala, and duiker. AA’s display of confidence, coolness and ability to shoot both accurately and rapidly was truly remarkable. Unfortunately, no fresh eland spoor to follow the same with sable.

Client Comment

Thanks very much to Amin, Million, Jimmy and Mckenzie for an outstanding safari. The hunting was challenging but very rewarding and Amin and his crew were absolutely fantastic. Their hard work and professional approach are a credit to CM Safaris and I am already planning a future safari with Amin and his team. An unforgettable week!

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JH - Nyakasanga






PH Comment - David
JH and I had an awesome time in Nyakasanga with 21 days of hunting we had a lot of time on our side but luck had it. We found our animals and had days to spare for fishing and pleasure. Day 2 of the hunt we got our hippo which we used for bait. We hunt a total of 9 baits for lion. Just when we were getting desperate for more bait we found a very good elephant bull on day 7. Shortly after on day 9 we got a very good looking lion which we got after the first hour on our first sitting. JH made a incredible 116 yard shot. With 11 days left our focus shifted to plains game, hyena and tiger fishing. JH got a fantastic impala and waterbuck. Unfortunately wounded our hyena and caught some tiger fish too. Game was abundant and we had many sightings of lion, elephant, buffalo and even the elusive leopard.

Client Comment
Had a great hunt with David and his team. They worked very hard, which resulted in a great trophy elephant, lion, hippo, impala and waterbuck. The time spent was very enjoyable and we had a great time together. The tiger fishing was a lot of fun. Would definitely hunt with David and CMS again.

CM - Dande




Client Comment
It was a great hunt, and just what I hoped it would be. A day-long stalk that ends with a good first shot, a bit of follow up shooting, and a death bellow...couldn't ask for much more for a first time buff. I don't know if Gareth shared the video of the hyenas calling and moving in front of the blind but that was especially amazing; I felt like I was in some nat geo wildlife documentary. The cherry on top was the nice impala ram at the end of the hunt. Good stalk, got to see and hear a bit of rutting behavior, and an exciting/challenging shot to wrap up the stalk. It was a world class experience. I enjoyed hunting with Gareth and his team. All the CMS staff at both Matombo and Karunga were great and took care of me to a degree that made me feel a bit doted on. The buffalo tail and brisket stews with sadza were fantastic and will be remembered for a long time to come. As a wildlife biologist who works for the state of Idaho managing our wildlife and hunting opportunities, I really enjoyed seeing the Zim model of wildlife conservation. I asked a million questions to Gareth and if it annoyed him he did a good job of not letting it show! Hell, Gareth even did a good job humoring me checking off my bird list and plant questions. I feel like the story behind what folks like you all do in partnership with the Parks and the Communal/campfire areas is a fantastic story. I wish it was more widely told on a platform that's accessible to a wider audience than other hunters. Lastly, I really enjoyed the drives to and from Camp with Bruce and Royal. I'm an avid reader and had picked through a couple history books on Zim as well as a couple of memoirs from more recent times. Both of those guys gave interesting perspectives on all the questions that came from those readings. Great discussions with both. The dust hasn't even settled and I'm already thinking about how to come back, and convince others to hunt with you all as well.

DP & MN - Nyakasanga & Makuti




PH Comment - Buzz
My all-time favorite client. The plan was to take an ancient old dugga boy, with DP 500 WR double at close quarters. We the most wonderful hunt. We had lions charge us whilst on buff trails. Saw 100s of elephants, hand the pleasure of Richard Harland and his charming lady Peggy to entertain us in the evenings. On the successful hunt we picked up our old bull for several kilometers and found time coming back on his tracks. DP dropped him at 11 yards and he did not take a step. We also go a zebra. Looking forward to next year.

PH Comment - David
It does not get better, hunting with great friends, having great laughs, and hard hard hunting with long grass, many 10km tracking sessions. We got our beautiful big leopard 2nd last night and then an awesome old dugga boy on the last day.

Client Comment - DP
Outstanding dugga boy hut via tracking. Two long days out walking resulted in bulls mixing herds and running off. Downwind, or not been old enough to test our residue and patience. Our luck turned on day three when our tracking took us to an ancient old bull in heavy cover and advantage wind. He stepped into an elephant trail at 11 yards and fell to my WR 500 NE open sighted double rifle. Buzz and his crew of trackers and driver did an exceptional job at every phase. I am coming back in 2026.

Client Comment - MN
Buzz Charlton and his team represent the absolute best in the Safari Outfitter business. I would challenge anyone to not leave one of these great adventures, counting the entire team as very dear friends. Fit for Purpose!

DS - Nyakasanga






PH Comment - Myles
What a truly special safari with a great gentleman! We tracked buffalo daily and often got into shooting positions, but never with the right bull. Late in the hunt we finally had the perfect 11-year-old bull walk on to us and Don made no mistake at 40 yards and his trusty .458! We saw a tremendous amount of game, including the big four in one day – lions were seen almost daily, and we enjoyed elephants in camp every night!

Client Comment
This was my second safari in Africa. Myles and his trackers were not just good, they were mystical. There were days we followed Dugga boys mile after mile. How the trackers and Myles could do that was totally beyond me. My 10-day hunt was long and hard, but everybody associated with the hunt — Myles, the trackers, the kitchen workers, the tent crew — was excellent. They could not have been more helpful, more supportive or more hard working for me. The hunt was successful and absolutely fabulous. The bull was huge. The food was great, and so were the accommodations. I have nothing but praise for the operation. No one should miss out on an experience like this.

HG - Dande


PH Comment - Len
It has been an amazing hunt, all round and the most amazing sable. Early season hunting in Dande has been amazing.

Client Comment
This safari was outstanding, not only in terms of quality, as lion, leopard, sable were all exceptionally large, but equally important by virtue of the professionalism exhibited by Len Taylor and his team, who provided an extremely energetic and statically planned hunt which brings great credit to the reputation of CMS. This was my eight safari to five countries, was clearly my most rewarding.

KP - Maitengwe




PH Comment - Buzz
Had an early season hunt! The first half movement was slow which thankfully, picked up into the second half. This undoubtedly was due to heavy very late rains. We looked at several bulls and had an exiting mock charge. The bush was thick and noisy; it was extremely hard to approach the bulls and see them before they heard us and ran away. Well over 100km tracking we decided on day 10 to take nice huge bodied +/- 40lbs and KP brained him beautifully. KP has been an absolute pleasure to hunt with and he can hold his head high with his walking and shooting – he earned his bull!

MR - Dande




PH Comment - Keith
This was MRs first hunt with CMS for an ele bull in our Dande East Concession. We tracked multiple bull over two days and got up close on a few with some fun exciting close ups of cows too. MR got an awesome bull on day 3 of the hunt with a text book side brain shot. We then spent a few days hunting plains game. We tried a lot but bush is so thick this time of the year. But we had a great time walking some good miles. Thanks MR.

Client Comment
I was pleased with the hunt. Trophy quality was as expected, and game was plentiful. The PH was professional and competent. The camps and staff were good. Thank you Keith and CMS Staff for a good hunt!

GG - Nyakasanga








PH Comment - Keith
This was GG second hunt with us. This time in our Nyakasanga Area for a tuskless elephant. Such an awesome hunt we had. Looking for particular tuskless that was not pregnant and having a dependent calf is not an easy tasks, but a fun one at that, as we looked at multiple tuskless before we found the one we managed to get. She was by herself with a bull. We made an approach to 15 yards were GG made a great front brain shot. We look forward to the 2026 hunt! Cant wait!!

Client Comment
Fantastic hunt. Exceeded all expectations. I appreciated that safety was always a major concern. All concerns during the hunt were addressed. Looking forward to hunting next year (2026).

MM - Dande




Client Comment
The hunt was amazing. Although the leopard escaped, us this hunt! We were able to take a cape buffalo of a lifetime- a proper dagga boy – my guess he is over 15 years of age. I’ve hunted with Keith before and he is one of the best PH’s to hunt with. The hunt for leopard was great – we had leopard on bait after day 3, but leopard are extraordinary elusive and what I learned on my leopard hunt is that when you think you know what the leopard will do, they will do the opposite! This hunt was filmed by Andy Mac, one of the best around. It’s like having a 2nd PH. Ill be back for Mr Spots in 2026. Thank you everyone on Charlton McCallum Safaris team for a fantastic hunt.

AA - Dande


PH Comment - Amin
It was a great pleasure to hunt with AA. We had success with harvesting zebra, kudu, impala, and duiker. AA’s display of confidence, coolness and ability to shoot both accurately and rapidly was truly remarkable. Unfortunately, no fresh eland spoor to follow the same with sable.

Client Comment
Thanks very much to Amin, Million, Jimmy and Mckenzie for an outstanding safari. The hunting was challenging but very rewarding and Amin and his crew were absolutely fantastic. Their hard work and professional approach are a credit to CM Safaris and I am already planning a future safari with Amin and his team. An unforgettable week!