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Anyone have experience hunting mid June early July in Mozambique for buffalo / Sable / plains game ? This will be a early season hunt. Several reputable outfitters are suggesting this hunt . I am concerned that all hunting area roads will not all be opened limiting access. I also believe burning will be very limited and game will be difficult to locate. Any outstanding outfitters/PH’s or areas you would recommend? I have read about Catouda 9 and that area sounds interesting. What are the game densities like for buffalo and Sable? What did you see regarding buffalo and Sable trophy quality? Was everyone successful in your camp that hunted buffalo and Sable? What other plains game was plentiful ? Would you hunt in Mozambique again? What would you do differently? Any logistic problems or difficulties hunting Mozambique? Please feel free to PM me. Thanks in advance. | ||
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Very tough and expensive to get your trophies out Just what I’m hearing from few guys " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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I am hunting with Mokore in Moz in Nov. I don’t think hunting opens till August. Mike | |||
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I have hunted there twice and I can tell you it is VERY EXPENSIVE and takes a long time to get trophies home. And I was hunting with different outfitters in different areas. Plenty of sable and buff in Coutada 10&11. though. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… | |||
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Have hunted Moz six or seven times and once driven across Moz from Zim after an early season Ele hunt in late April and opened roads in a Niassa Block, did some work and then shot a Lion around late July so have a good idea on Moz conditions. IMO,Your concerns are valid . However Moz is a big country and can be totally different from area to area. | |||
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You are all over the place... Stick with Zim...the Sable will be higher quality and you had narrowed down several top areas Mokore hunts both the Save and Coutada 9 and the Plainsgame is fantastic..Sable in Moz are more apt to be 37-38" Moz has plentiful buff but based on your original criteria...Zim or Zambia are best...Zambia Sable are without a doubt the best | |||
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I hunted with Zambeze Delta Safaris in coutada 11 in August and September of last year. I saw more Sable the first morning than I saw in 28 total days hunting Sable in “good” Sable areas in Zimbabwe. Historically, Sable were bigger in Zim than Mozambique, especially Northwestern Zim around Hwange park (Matetsi areas), but given the enormous poaching pressure and unsustainable offtake as the Zim opperators struggle to make ends meet, I would wager that the average size Sable in Coutada 11 is now bigger than any area in Zimbabwe. Buffalo are in the 10s of thousands and if you’re willing to hunt in the swamps, it takes one day to get your buff. Animals that are in the thousands and will be seen many times a day in this area are Buffalo (swamps), Sable, Nyala, Waterbuck, Reedbuck, Oribi, Warthog, Red Duiker, Suni, Lichtenstein Hartebeest. If you want Buffalo and Sable, go to Coutada 11, it will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. June and July may be tough, I would talk to the ZDS guys and get their opinion. The best hunting usually starts in mid August, but there are so many Sable and Buffalo I bet it would be doable. Use enough gun... Shoot 'till it's dead, especially if it bites. | |||
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Zimbabwe must have changed! In the early 90's I was shooting several sable on each hunt! | |||
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Yeah, unfortunately it has changed a lot since then. I booked “good” Sable areas twice and in the two years from booking to arrival (you had to book well ahead to get good areas and dates), both areas went from good Sable areas to virtually no Sable left. This was 2010 and 2013. Use enough gun... Shoot 'till it's dead, especially if it bites. | |||
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That is awful! As all my hunts were at the end of the season, we were shooting something like 6 sable and dozens of buffalo on each safari! Those good old days!  | |||
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I was in coutada 11 in 2012 and it was unbelievable amount of sable. And everything else. All my trophies were exceptional and my teedbuck is top 15. If anyone cares about a reedbuck I actually had its skull laying aeounf and just got around to measuring out of curiosity. I knew it was big. My nyala is amazing too. Place is well run you might say White Mountains Arizona | |||
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Thanks to everyone for the posts and pm's. Poyntman , I agree with you that "I am all over the place". I am receiving many conflicting replies about hunting Mozambique early season by some of the most well known african PH's , and booking agents. If it was a Alaska Yukon moose hunt or a elk hunt, it would be no problem. Zimbabwe , getting mixed reviews about some of the smaller areas in the SAVE, which I thought would be a pretty solid hunt . Zambia is pretty much booked up for buffalo, and a Sable hunt by itself is pretty pricey. | |||
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I hunted the Save in 2010. That’s a long time ago in Africa time. When I booked in 2008 I got a lot of solid intel about the Sable population, but by the time I got there they were gone. Me and my hunting partner hunted 28 days between us and saw 1 immature male. Sable are probably the most susceptible antelope species to poaching, and even in the interior ranches within the Save, they are under assault by poachers. The areas north of the river are probably less so. If I booked a Sable hunt in Zimbabwe I would ask for some sort of guarantee about the number of animals that will be there when you get there. If they won’t give you that, you should ask yourself why. You didn’t mention why June/July is so important, but if you really want a Buff and Sable combo, do yourself the justice of asking if that date restriction is worth having to go back again if or when you miss out on the Sable. Go to Coutada 11 during the time frame they tell you will work and make it a sure thing. If the timing just doesn’t work out, then pick one of the best Zim operators and roll the diced. Use enough gun... Shoot 'till it's dead, especially if it bites. | |||
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Sable anywhere I would think would be much more challenging early season than late. I blanked out on Sable in the Save in early season a few years back, but shot a really good one there this december in the Sikumi forest area (borders Hwange). Depending on where you hunt in Mozambique, some are Roosevelt sable which are substantially smaller than the common sable (still look neat, just not as much horn). Buffalo, as it is a tracking hunt more so, I would be less concerned about the early season part. You will have to get closer and you will see fewer of them because they will not be as concentrated on water, but with the cover you will have more excitement. The positive of an early season hunt is that they have not been as harassed by other hunters and they may be a bit calmer. I am also looking into a Mozambique hunt down the road, but more for Nyala and Suni than Sable. | |||
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I forgot to mention one other thing. When I was looking for Sable hunts, I had more than 1 very well known PH and Agent tell me “I don’t even think they have Sable in Mozambique.” These were people who operated exclusively in Zimbabwe. I think it’s very common for people in the hunting community to be extremely knowledgeable about the country or area they focus on, and completely ignorant about places right next door. Keep that in mind. Use enough gun... Shoot 'till it's dead, especially if it bites. | |||
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I would think you could get it done in Mozambique that early but later would most likely be better. I spent 15 days in Coutada 9 last September and I guarantee there are Sable. Our group took two great Sable, the place is absolutely full of plains game. The downside of going that early will be lots of thick brush, so you may not see near as much wildlife, but you already know that. The Niassa also has good Sable and excellent Buffalo I believe but never been there so I cant comment. PM me if you want to talk more about C9. | |||
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I’m sure all the members here, including myself, would like to know who made this asinine claim. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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I don’t think it would be appropriate or productive in any way to mention those names. The point is that there are true professionals and experts in some areas or countries, and we (as hunting tourists) often assign them expertise beyond what they are truly experts in. Some of them are absolutely experts in many countries, but not all of them are. We all have to be aware of this and filter advice accordingly. Use enough gun... Shoot 'till it's dead, especially if it bites. | |||
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Thanks for your response, I understand your logic and can’t disagree with it. ____________________________________________ "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." Terry Pratchett. | |||
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I was on Mokore with my brother and the Duckworths. I was the only one without a Sable tag, so I pretty much ran into shooters every day. Tons of nice Kudo. If you couldn't see a hog to your right, just look left. Covered in plains game. Bush Buck, Reed Buck, Water Buck, Oribi, Duiker, Hartebeest, Impala, and Nyala seen anytime you are looking for one. All the animals we took were high quality. If your thinking about C9, Mokore is your place. They work hard on the anti-poaching and it shows. Your best bet is to get in touch with Gary or Neil Duckworth. They're straight shooters and will tell you what you need to know about hunting that early. | |||
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True. My experience as well.
Whatever you are going to do and wherever you are going to go, you need to make up your mind rather quickly. The best outfits are booking up and the longer you wait, the tougher it will be to find a good operator with dates open that work for you. I am already having date issues with a party of four for September of 2020 in a known area of Tanzania. Due diligence is one thing, procrastination another... and it could cause you to book with a lesser outfitter to get the dates you need. On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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I hunted in northern Mozambique in 2015 and 16. The first trip I saw a monster Sable, but couldn't get a shot so I came back the second year. I was the first hunter of the year on the second trip, and none of the grass had burnt so it was almost impossible to see game. I was very happy with this 41" Roosevelt Sable bull that we got on the last day of my scheduled hunt.  Unfortunately my outfitter no longer has that concession. Like others have posted, Mozambique is VERY EXPENSIVE to get trophies out. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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Very nice Sable. How is this determined as Roosevelt? ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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The word of my Outfitter, Simon Leach. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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A very good one and well done. Cheers ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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Back to the original question- Yes it is too early. Yes you could could have a successful hunt early. But you should consider the fact that you will see only a fraction of the game that would be visible after mid August. My first hunt on the Delta was in very late July.I was told that burning didn't start until August, sometimes late August. We had a good hunt but....... | |||
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A touchy subject as Roosevelt are reported to reside only in the Selous and buffer areas immediately adjacent. There has been some talk about a limited presence of the Roosevelt Sable in the northernmost part of Mozambique but I would be somewhat skeptical as they are typically gregarious animals and very unlikely to break boundary especially when it comes to crossing the Ruvuma River. I did read an article somewhere that any Roosevelt Sable claim from Mozambique had to be confirmed by DNA testing and to be quite honest, the one in the photo has all the makings of the East African or Common Sable. | |||
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Now that's a MONSTER!  NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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Yes, when I look at my South African Sable and my northern Mozambique Sable, they look pretty much the same:   When I booked my South African hunt it was advertised as a Common Sable, my Mozambique hunt was advertised as a Roosevelt Sable. Simon Leach, my Moz Outfitter and PH went to great lengths explaining that the sable on his 690,000 acre concession in northern Mozambique were of the Roosevelt sub-species. Taxonomists have long been known to be either a lumper (where all animals with only minute differences are lumped into one species) or a splitter (where animals with minute differences are split into a variety of sub-species). I have several books on animals of Africa, and they only show animal distribution maps for Common Sable and Giant Sable. Since this discussion started, I have also done some research and I see where SCI is now requiring DNA testing to determine a Roosevelt Sable. Prior to DNA testing technology, how was it determined what sup-species an animal actually belonged to? I am not entering any of my animals into the Roland Ward or SCI records books, or any of the SCI slams or circles or whatevers. My hunts in northern Mozambique were some of my best hunts for truly free range animals, and if my PH said these were Roosevelt Sables, that is good enough for me. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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Absolutely and I was more interested in whether they had different facial markings, size etc. Great animals whatever the difference. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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I have never noticed much of a difference in the facial markings between the Roosevelt and Common sables but more notably the size of body, Common being the bigger of the two. Horn length and mass also falls in favour of the Common sable and in TZ (west) specimens have been known to reach 46" (and maybe slightly more). The coat of our Roosevelt are hardly ever totally jet black as some flashes of brown are almost always present in the mane and their horn length very seldom exceeds 40". I would opt to compare these two animals to the Impalas: East African & Southern.  | |||
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Everyone I spoke to , including the Outfitters and PH's that have concessions and or hunt in Mozambique said the best hunting starts in August. A couple of outfitters were confident enough with their game populations to offer a early season Buff/Sable hunt in Mozambique. The lack of any burning , roads not being fully opened and the thick vegetation made other hunt options we had sound much better for this early season hunt. We now have a hunt booked and just waiting for the paperwork. I have discovered that there are not a lot of Sable/Buffalo combination hunt options early season. Thanks to everyone who commented and PM's. | |||
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Good luck. ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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The largest Sable I ever took was old and over 51 inches and he was brown. Interesting to note that the PH sold the safari for Roosevelt? ROYAL KAFUE LTD Email - kafueroyal@gmail.com Tel/Whatsapp (00260) 975315144 Instagram - kafueroyal | |||
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Now you know why we end up with white hair (those who still have hair).  | |||
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