Outfitter: Mokore Safaris
Dates: September 1-18
Locations: Tandikwe Camp, Coutada 9, Mozambique
Mokore Camp, Save’ Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe
PH: Gary Duckworth
Videographer: Jordy Alderton
Trackers: Washington, Tony, Jeff. Driver: Sam All around good guy: Mpanga
Travel arrangements: Kathi Klimes, Wild Travel

This safari was a bit of a departure from the dangerous game hunts I have been concentrating on the last several trips. After dragging my wife, Sue, to Makuti, Dande, and Dande East for ele and leopard since 2009, I really wanted her to experience the richness of game that a destination like the SVC would offer. After discussing this with Buzz Charlton, he suggested Mokore Safaris as a first rate operation with areas that offer that kind of experience. He did not steer us wrong.
We met Gary and Neil Duckworth at the SCI show in 2014. We all got on well, and after discussing my wish list, Gary suggested splitting our time between the two camps. I wanted a nyala, and some bits and bobs that I didn’t have in my collection. C. 9 offered good nyala, suni, red duiker and oribi. Mokore offered the small cats and great general plains game opportunities. We booked 18 days with Gary, split between the two areas.
I felt a like kid in a candy store. It’s been ten years since my last whack n‘stack safari. I shot way more than I’d planned, and both Sue and I were able to enjoy incredible game viewing, both while out and about and from the camps themselves. I didn’t shoot quite everything on my “bucket list,” but added a couple of species I had never even considered. I’m sure I’m the first kid on my block to have an ant bear! Sue wanted to see and photograph wild dogs, on her “bucket list” since 2006 when she made her first trip over, and I have wanted her to experience wild giraffe up close. Done!
Both hunting areas offer fairly easy walking, and since my back and knees aren’t what they used to be, that’s a really good thing. I told Gary that I can still walk all day, but climbing, not so much. Between the forgiving terrain and my Black Diamond trekking pole, we were covering a lot of ground. My iPhone has a pedometer function, and we were logging six to ten miles most days. My orthopedist squirted my worse knee full of steroid and lubricant two days prior to departure, what a good idea.
I had planned on bringing two rifles, my Winchester 375 H&H and a 7mm-08 as a light rifle for the little guys, but the Mozambique government went berserk on rifle import fees, so I left the light rifle home and brought some 375 solids for the small animals.
Our first hunting day was September 1. We left home on Friday, August 28 and drove the 300 miles to Minneapolis to spend the night, boarding a 1300 flight to Atlanta on Saturday. All went smoothly, including getting my Tuffpack inspected. We connected with the Delta flight to JoBerg, and the 16 hour overseas flight commenced. On arrival in South Africa we were informed that my Tuffpack had been left in Atlanta. Fortunately, I had engaged a service to arrange help with importing my gun into South Africa, as we had to overnight before connecting to Tete’ next day. Anna, who had helped us in 2013 as well, managed to talk to the right people to get it sorted out and get paperwork so the rifle could get collected at the Tete’ airport a day late. Thank you, Delta. Sigh. I emailed Gary, and a plan was made. My hunting boots were in the Tuffpack as well, so I had to buy a pair of shoes at the JoBerg airport, as I was wearing essentially slippers for flying.
After overnighting at the City Lodge, very convenient, we boarded the flight to Tete’ next day, and were collected at the airport by Fabian, an Austrian PH working with Mokore, and transported to camp. Tete’ and the surrounding area is hot, dry and pretty inhospitable looking. Still nice to be on the ground and on our way.

We arrived at Tandikwe Camp, and Gary and Jordy, the videographer, arrived from Harare about a half hour later.
Here is a photo of Gary. He has a plan to work as a mime if hunting doesn’t work out.
He is the first person I have heard say "Jeepers!" and mean it in a very long time.

This is Jordy. The Mokore website describes him as “a quiet, steady young man.” Pretty much spot on.


Tandikwe Camp is spacious and comfortable, albeit brown at the end of the dry season.

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Tandikwe overlooks a plain with permanent water, with large numbers of kudu, oribi and warthogs generally in view. The oribi run around in camp after sunset, adding a lot of charm.
Since my rifle was still in the ether, Gary kindly provided me with a camp rifle, a nice old FN Mauser in 30-06, and ammo. After shooting it at the range to see that it shot where it was aimed, we went hunting. I hadn’t planned on taking a warthog, since I already have a very good one, but the kid-in-a-candy-store factor came into play, and when we spotted this guy, it was a done deal.

It was a pretty bad shooting exhibition. I was feeling a bit cocky, and took a Portuguese heart shot at him. Note to self, a 30-06 is not a 375 H&H. He didn’t go down. We hot-footed after him, and I fired three more shots. While the rifle was well sighted in, it was unfamiliar. It had a fairly stiff, two stage trigger, and I was jerking it and hitting quite low. Gary must have been wondering what he was in for, hunting 18 days with this clown who can’t shoot worth a bucket of warm spit.
Overall, my shooting on the hunt was pretty much OK, some shots I could be proud of, and a few, not so much. More later.
Having shot the pig at 0730, we brought him back to camp, and proceeded to walk the Sanga River, looking for nyala. We saw pigs, bushbuck, suni, and kudu. I have never been in a place where I have seen so many warthog and kudu. They are literally everywhere. After lunch we did a bit of diesel stalking, and walked further up the Sanga. From the dry watercourse, we saw a young elephant bull, feeding about 40 yards away. What a pleasure. Walking the Sanga, we found this dead kudu bull. There is a history of poachers using gin traps here, rather than snares. It seems that the gin traps removed most of the hyena, so this kudu was intact, and virtually mummified.



This magnificent tree presented a great photo op. Sue and I are the ant-like creatures at the base. I think it’s a star chestnut?

My Tuffpack, rifle, and Russells were waiting for me back in camp. David, from the Mokore Eco camp, had driven all the way to Tete’ with my passport and documents to retrieve it. That was an all-day project, and I owe him big.

Hunting day two found us walking the Tandikwe forest, and the Pombue and Sanga Rivers. We stalked kudu and bushbuck, saw nyala, and saw three sable. The wind was uncooperative, and the forest was way too crunchy for stalking quietly. We did see a red duiker male, but no chance for a shot. I ended up not taking a red duiker on this trip, but seeing him made such an impression, I know I still want one. What a cool little creature! We saw some porcupine as well, but they are not to be shot here.

Day three was much the same, lots of walking and game sighted, but no shooting opportunities. The miles were really stacking up, and I was getting really happy with this hunt.

Day four was nyala day! It was cloudy and cool, with some light rain showers. We began driving up the Sanga River at first light, and started walking at about 0730. After a couple of hours of walking, we stopped for a brief rest and water. I asked Gary for a piece of toilet paper (he comes prepared) to clean the rain drops off the objective lens of my scope. This accomplished, we started walking again. We rounded a bend in the river about one minute later, and Gary was throwing up the sticks, urgently whispering “nyala bull!” I saw him and got up on the sticks quickly. The most striking thing about a nyala bull is how black he looks, and there he was, maybe 80 yards away and about 50 feet above us, feeding up the forest on the river bank. He looked wonderful. He was about to disappear behind a bush, and I needed to decide to shoot, and pick my shot carefully. He was quartering away, so I made my aim point the off shoulder, and fired. He went down at the shot, but started to get up, and while Gary was urging me to mind not shooting the horns, I was able to put one through his upper neck, and it was over.
The bullet from my first shot had entered at the back of the ribs on the right, and come to rest under the skin of the left (off) shoulder.
At least I felt like I was getting my mojo back.

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We were a long way from the cruiser. Gary radioed, and began to walk toward a meeting place accompanied by the trackers to plot a way in for recovery. Jordy and I hung out with the dead nyala. About an hour later, Gary was back with several extra men, on foot. Not that I wasn’t happy to see them, but it did beg the question “Why on foot, where’s the Cruiser?” “There is no plan for that!” It was a good thing the day was cool and moist. The nyala was cut in two, and carried on poles 1.59km (as the crow flies) back to the cruiser. The vehicle could not have negotiated the dry watercourse, as several areas were essentially white water, without the water.


After lunch we saw Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, pigs, impala, and oribi that we could not successfully stalk. After seeing how beautiful the hartebeest was, I decided that I would shoot one, given the opportunity. I hadn’t wanted one initially, already having a red hartebeest, but there’s that candy store again.
Day six, we started walking early, about 0600 in the Moto Pan area. We drove toward the Msangadze River. An Oribi ram was spotted, and we started stalking. It turned into a tracking hunt. We followed about a kilometer, and saw him standing in a vlei. I crawled up onto a flat rock, and settled the rifle in on my hat. What should have been a duck soup shot, perfectly broadside, missed him completely. Retrospectively, I must have misjudged the range badly. He turned away and stood, and I took another shot. He was down to the shot, Gary cried “great shot” and I started climbing down from my perch. I was half way down and Gary clutched for my rifle, and took off running. Something wasn’t right here. Obviously, not a good killing shot. Admittedly, I was shooting solids, but it was just a shot I should have declined, already having missed him clean at that range. We tracked for two hours, occasionally seeing blood spoor. We jumped him once, and although there was a pool of blood where he had rested, he ran awfully well. I had no shot, as Gary was between us, and Gary took a running shot with his double, but didn’t connect. The blood eventually stopped, and we finally gave up. We all hate losing an animal, it sucks.
We started back for the cruiser, and I was feeling pretty dejected. Like most of us on this forum, I take my shooting fairly seriously. I’m not a brilliant shot by any means, but generally I know my limitations, and I like to think that I am able to pick my shots carefully enough to avoid this kind of fiasco. On the way back to the Cruiser, Gary spotted another oribi ram, “if you want him.” I figured it was time to get my head screwed back on straight, so after a moment of consideration told him that I did. He managed to get me within 40 yards of him, a shot that anybody’s grandmother could have made.

Even though I was shooting solids, the bullet struck bone on the off side, giving my taxidermist a science project.

Driving back to camp, I was still feeling pretty unsure of myself. Someone spotted a really nice kudu bull. I had given Gary kind of a mixed message regarding kudu. I said I didn’t shoot for the tape, but that, since I already had a nice kudu mount, would only shoot if it was an exceptional trophy. Like an idiot, I went on to say something completely contradictory, defining this as something north of 55”. Fortunately, after a day or two I realized how stupid that was, and said that age and beauty, and the general impressiveness of the trophy was way more important than inches.
Anyway, we drove on a bit, bailed out of the Cruiser, and started to stalk the bull. The wind was pretty good for us, but as he was feeding away from us, we ran, sat, stood, and got on the sticks several times trying to get a good shot. After about a half hour of stalking and chasing, a good quartering away shot presented. The point of aim was the off shoulder. He was down at the shot, and didn’t move again. He was ancient. His pelvic crest was prominent, showing muscle wasting. His coat was worn and he had beautiful ivory tips. I felt good about taking him.


We had lunch in camp, rested, and went off in the afternoon in futile search of hartebeest.

Day six saw us walking in the King’s Pan and Kudu Head areas. We saw a herd of eland. One cow was nursing her calf, but no photo op, unfortunately. We drove up the Nhalurio River, and I saw something that made me proud to be a hunter. A Mokore employee, Ngwenya, was on a D5 Caterpillar dozer, excavating a pan.


Mokore owns that piece of equipment. Between drilling bore holes, building dams, and excavating pans, there is now year ‘round water in an area where it never existed. These are our hunting dollars at work, folks. Add anti-poaching patrols, and you have a recipe for an environment which will support amazing game numbers.
We tracked hartebeest, but no connection. They entered a tall grass area, and we broke off.
We started tracking “hartebeest” early on day 7, at Ngwenya dam. The word is in quotes because after a rather protracted tracking session, we found a lovely sable bull standing in those tracks. Nobody bats 1000, and it was fun. Back to the Cruiser, and on to Gary’s pan. Washington spotted a herd of hartebeest from the Cruiser. We drove on a bit, and stalked back. We tracked and stalked them for quite a long time, perhaps a couple of hours. We spotted them across an open area from a couple of hundred yards. Gary and I snuck from tree to tree, bending low, to get into a shooting position. After glassing a bit, the bull was pronounced to be very good. I got on the sticks. I was on the sticks for several minutes, waiting for the bull to present a shot. While all that was going on, a couple of warthogs picked that moment to walk right up to us. If they spooked, that herd was going to be gone, but quick. We stood as still as we could, still on the sticks, and they passed us about ten yards away. The wind was right, and they kept on walking. Finally, the bull moved into a clear position, and I touched off. He disappeared, and we hot-footed it to the spot. He was down, but not dead. A finishing shot and we had him. We laser ranged back to our shooting position, and it was 209 yards. The North Fork bonded bullet had entered high on the ribs, and the base was protruding through the skin on his off shoulder, hanging up on the mushroom.



On the way back to camp, we saw vultures, and stopped to investigate. We found where lion had killed and eaten a pair of warthogs at a burrow. One of the birds must have gotten a little too close to a cat, and was dead at the scene. A vulture head is strong muti, and his head was collected for this purpose.


Day eight we walked for 4 ½ hours on the Nhamkware River. We saw two big bushbuck, but no shot. We walked up the Nyampembentwa River. Gary took my camera, and I watched him stalk to within eight yards of a female grysbok. It shows what can be done. Amazing.

We saw a nice Nyala bull, and watched a bushbuck calf sleeping.

Day nine was a change of scene. Gary knew I wanted a suni and a red duiker. They are present in Coutada 9, but it’s a marginal area for these forest species, so we drove about three hours toward Caya, via Macossa and Meringue to a place called Catapu’. The area is managed for timber, and the hunting rights leased. Gary made a deal with the lessee, and we went hunting. These animals are present in very large numbers here, and we were optimistic on collecting both. We walked and diesel stalked, and saw a lot of suni in the morning, but getting a shot proved difficult. After three hours we spotted a ram from the Cruiser, and stalked back. I got a shot, kneeling behind the sticks. It was head on, and even with the North Fork solids I was shooting, there will be a bit of repair work needed on the hip where the round exited. These are the most amazing, dainty antelope. Their fur is soft, like a mouse’s. Their ears are translucent, almost transparent.




This isn’t the one I shot, but you can see how magical they look. Note the impressive size of the scrotum!


After lunch we chased red duiker, nearly getting a shot a couple of times. Sue and Jordy got flailed by branches and thorns on the high seat. We saw a lot of nyala, including two very nice bulls. We decided to head back to Tandikwe and leave this species for another time. Driving through rural Mozambique after dark was an adventure I do not recommend. Gary showed uncommon valor getting us home. We got back quite late, dined on hartebeest steaks, and decided to bag it and give everyone a rest the next morning.

Day ten we walked the Nhatokwe River, and saw klipspringer and kudu. We encountered an elephant cow and calf, and backed off rather smartly.
We stopped to visit the ruined camp built by Adelino Serras Pires, which was destroyed in the opening salvos of the Mozambique bush war in the early seventies. Those of you who have read “The Winds of Havoc” know the story.


Day eleven was move to Mokore Camp day. We left Tandikwe camp at 0600, and arrived at Mokore in the Save’ about 1400. The border crossing was a minor nuisance only. We were in air-conditioned comfort, and poor Washington wasn’t.

Sue and I got unpacked again in our new digs. Mokore is a pretty spectacular camp. While Tandikwe was brown, Mokore was green, with watered lawn and beautiful garden plantings. The view from the deck adjoining the dining area is nothing short of amazing. It overlooks the Turgwe River, which flows all year. Game is ever present, including kudu, waterbuck, bushbuck, impala, and pigs.

Our chalet, stone and thatch.


Dining area.


The view!


One unanticipated and absolutely delightful highlight of our trip was meeting and spending time with Gary’s parents, Barrie and Bertie Duckworth. These are the kind of larger-than-life people who populate the books we’ve spent so much time reading. Bertie is enchanting, and Barrie fills a room just with his personality. He is a force of nature.




I told Barrie that I thought Gary was a fine hunter, if a bit of a m’fana. He was, after all, born the year I finished college. Here’s a photo of Gary and his dad, illustrating the point.


After dinner our first night in camp, we went driving around spotlighting. I really wanted a civet, and was also looking for honey badger and genet. No shooting, but rounding a corner, there was a youngish male lion about 30 yards in front of us. He displayed neither nervousness nor aggression, walking nonchalantly in front of us. It does give one pause, sitting in an open cruiser, though.

Day 12 brought us back to our routine. Up at 0500, breakfast at 05300, out of camp at 0600. One of the goals I had was to get Sue up close to wild giraffe, as she had never experienced that magic. We were visiting about that when Barrie said “well, are you going to clap one then?” All the excuse I needed. We drove around looking for them, and saw some, but no stink bull to shoot.



We did spot some zebra. Jeez, I’m even starting to pronounce it the way they do. Next, I’ll be on the wrong side of the road…
Anyway, we bailed from the vehicle and started to stalk the herd. They led us a bit of a merry chase, and finally one stopped to look back. He was broadside, partially obscured in a bit of brush. His shoulder was exposed, and received 300 grains of bonded North Fork goodness. I hate it when you walk up and the dead animal is not in plain sight. He was piled up, dead, about 80 yards away. It was a very old stallion, his hooves and teeth evidencing much wear. We wanted some of his flesh to try and bait honey badger, and I’ll take another flat skin.



We took the disco donkey back to camp, lunch and a rest. Later, we walked from Mhara Pan to Ron’s Pan, following eland bull tracks. We encountered two herds of blue wildebeest. The second herd had a very good bull, and I took him with a dead center frontal shot at about 150 yards. He tried to run with the herd and collapsed within a few yards. It’s the candy store all over again. I already have a good one, so another skull mount and flat skin.


We spotlighted on the way back to camp, and I took the other shot I am not proud of. We saw a civet. I wanted him very badly. Gary had given me a Ruger 22 hornet to use instead of my 375. He was moving from right to left at maybe 40 yards. I aimed at his chest and shot. I felt I had missed, but Gary said he reacted to the shot. It was properly dark, and there was no way to find him by torch light. We went back to camp, and made a plan to look for him at first light.
We found a drop of blood near where I had shot, not a clean miss by any means. The demonstration of tracking got pretty amazing right away. Those of you who have been to this area know what the game density is like; there are tracks on top of tracks quite literally everywhere. Somehow these guys were able to follow those little bitty tracks in all that. More blood. A piece of intestine. He had been moving, and I hadn’t led him, gut shot. A bit more blood. Another piece of gut. We lost track for a bit, and just when I thought I found his track, I heard a crack from 50 yards away. Gary had the hornet, I had my 375. I had told Gary that if he saw it, just shoot it and don’t waste time waiting for me. He was holed up, under a log. After more than an hour of work, we had him. I can’t say I deserve him, but I have him.

My mbuya stick!


After recovering the civet, we started driving around, again looking for giraffe. I will share a few things about giraffe. First of all, you can’t really stalk them. We were in scrub, at the end of the dry season, and it’s not like you can sneak from bush to bush when your quarry, and his mates, all have eyes like 18 feet above the ground. It’s not going to happen. Their anatomy is really weird. You need to look at the pictures in “The Perfect Shot.” If you shoot right behind the shoulder, there’s nothing but guts. Most important, you really, and I mean really, don’t want to wound one. If you do, the follow up will be a marathon.
When we saw one that was a shooter we rearranged our positions in the cruiser. Driving slowly by, Gary and I bailed behind a bush, and the vehicle continued on. So far, so good. They weren’t disturbed. The bull was with three cows, so there were plenty of eyes and ears. We snuck to another bush a few feet away, and I was on the sticks, with a perfect broadside shot of 60-80 yards. I disengaged the safety, put my finger on the trigger, and he took two steps forward. We managed to get to another bush, crouched until he moved his head, got up and on the sticks and I took the shot. A bit of pandemonium ensued, and I couldn’t take a follow up shot for fear of hitting another giraffe. I got off a long running shot, partially obscured, and didn’t touch him. Gary said he looked well hit, but there’s that feeling again when the downed animal isn’t in sight. A few moments later, we saw him, down. He had made it about 80 yards. He lifted his head, and I shot him again. He lifted his head again! Gary asked me if I’d like to shoot him with his 505 Gibbs. Oh, twist my arm! He stopped moving that time! I don’t think the 505 is quite the fire breathing monster some claim it to be. Authoritative, yes, but manageable.
Let me tell you, those suckers are huge.




This recovery I wanted to see. Here is our rogue’s gallery, waiting for the tractor and trailer.

While we were waiting, Gary’s tracker, Jeff commented that when we were crouching, my knees sounded like a bull eland walking. Pretty much.


Jordy had to leave, and Sue rode along. She finally got to see and photograph wild dogs, a goal for her on all these trips.




Day 14 we hunted for eland. We saw a half completed camp, construction having been halted when nearby hunting land had been expropriated (stolen). Sue coined a name for this phenomenon. It is the “Zimbabwean uncertainty principle.” See why I married her?
We saw a herd of eland at Dean’s pan, but lingered there a bit so see and photograph a bow hunting blind inside of a hollow baobab tree.



Unbelievable. A hobbit should live there.
We started tracking the eland, but the wind was bad, so we broke for lunch. We then walked the Gwezi River, seeing zebra, wildebeest, and grysbok. We were watching this ele bull near sundown. A moment after this photo, he pushed that tree right over.

Very naughty elephant. Some areas looked like war zones, and they seemed to have a predilection for breaking trees off over roads.


On the way back to camp, we saw a black rhino cow and her calf, only a few yards off the road. These are the first ones Sue and I have ever seen, outside of zoos. It was a very singular moment. I couldn’t get a good photo of the cow, the brush was just too thick, but here is a picture of her calf.

After dinner, we went spotlighting again for genet and honey badger. No it’s not hunting, it’s collecting, and that’s OK too. Of all things, we saw an ant bear. “Is that a trophy?” “If you want it!” To quote Tom Cruise in Risky Business, “Sometimes, you just gotta say ‘what the f***!’”

I know I’m the first on my block. I could now claim to have shot everything from aardvark to zebra. These things smell really bad. It might have something to do with eating formic acid all night. The ant bear weighed 102.5 lbs! He looks like something from the bar scene in Star Wars.

Day 15 started by driving up the Turgwe River, and walking into Ingwe block. We saw a set of lone eland bull tracks, and followed. After tracking an hour or so, the tracks began to tell a story. A lioness had been stalking the eland bull. The bull ran, the lioness chased a bit, and then broke off. The bull returned to walking mode. After about three hours of tracking, we caught him. He was maybe a couple of hundred yards in front of us. We bumped a couple of impala, they bolted, and the eland spooked. Busted. We followed a bit more, and Gary suggested we break off and pick up in the afternoon. He said that their eyesight is so good, they are nearly impossible to approach at midday. Who am I to argue? We went back to camp for a nice lunch and rest. We picked up where we left off. After about an hour we caught up with him again. Gary glassed him, and said that his horns were only average, but that he was extremely old. Since I already have a very good eland mount, I decided that the hunt was the trophy, and that we should take him. I was on the sticks, and he was nearly broadside, quartering slightly toward us at about 125 yards. There was a little bit of light brush very close to him which I considered a visual barrier only. I fired. He reacted well, and we set out after him. We caught him standing, facing away at maybe 100 yards. I took an obstructed Portuguese heart shot, since it was the only shot I had. That didn’t work to put him down. He moved only a few yards, turned a bit, and I was able to drop him with a neck shot. The initial shot was a little bit forward, but had exited on the point of the off shoulder. On both Gary’s and Barrie’s recommendation, I was shooting solids, but still, that is one tough animal. I believe Barrie’s exact words were “softs, rubbish!”



The bag was more than full. I had shot way more than I had planned, good thing I haven’t retired yet. Enough is enough, so we took the next couple of days easy. After a late breakfast on day 16, we went to see the Umkondo copper mine, abandoned in the 1970’s. Here’s the pit-

This is an old generator-

This is what’s left of the school house on the African worker’s compound-


That evening Gary, Sue, Donovan the camp manager and I went out after dark and tried calling for lion and hyena. We heard three leopard grunting at one another, and then started playing a recording of a wildebeest calf in distress. No takers, but the night and sky were beautiful, and we did see a black rhino bull on the way out.
Day 17 saw us having a ball, fishing at Chishakwe dam.

Mozambican bream-


We decided to leave camp a day early, both to avoid the forced march from camp to Harare, leaving at 0400 for a 1300 flight, and to enjoy an evening in Harare with friends, old and new. Thanks to Melanie, for organizing this!


This has been a really long, wordy report. It was a really long, wonderful trip, with a lot to tell about and show.
Mokore Safaris is a first rate operation, run by good, solid people who are as vested as they can be both in the business, and in the game and its management. Gary is an extremely competent and focused hunter, and a delightful host. We had fun with him, and he and the staff truly saw to all our needs. The camps are beautiful, the food plentiful and first rate, and the hosts are great company. What more do you want? Oh, that’s right, I nearly forgot. There’s more game than you can imagine.
I will indulge myself and post some pictures I just like.

This may be the largest baobab in Africa, near Mokore Camp. It's circumference is over 140 feet.












Eland T-bones!







African rock python in a tree









Last, but by no means least, how can you not photograph a rock like this one?


And Gary-
Don’t get me started!

Good safari and some fine trophies and photographs.

I think you are the first I know who has taken an Aardvark.

When spotlighting can you simply take anything you see?

Wow!! Great report! Great story. Great trophies. Geat photos. Just plain, GREAT!!!

Thanks for posting.

I'm sure there are limitations to what can be taken spotlighting. Mokore is private land, that may make some difference.
If my PH tells me I may shoot, that's good enough for me, collared lion excepted!

Great report and some very nice trophies.
Congratulations.

Marty,

Having also hunted both areas you did I was with you every step of the way. Great report and pix. Coutada 9 and Mokore ranch are excellent hunting and offer a superb safari experience. Well done!

Mark

Fantastic report Marty! Great trophies and some really unique photos.

Thanks for posting it.

Marty and Sue.

What an extraordinary report and ditto pictures. You surely had a very special safari. Many many congratulations on each and every trophy. Aardvark, that is special.

I hunted the Save some years ago, it is an awesome area, one afternoon alone, we saw 44 giraffes.

Sue finally connected with her wild dogs, I still look forward to that moment! They are beauties and her photos are great.

Thank you for the report. Your eyes Marty, they do all the smiling. Thanks for making my evening.

Kind regards
Jytte

beautiful report and trophies. congrats

Thanks for posting a superbly written report.
You connected with some fine trophies.
Congratulations.

Outstanding trip and report.
Thanks for sharing - I've read this twice already.

Congratulations- interesting area and nice trophies.

Marty,

Epic photos. What is your camera and lens(es)?

BTW, thanks for posting... Really cool trip.

Sue uses a Nikon D600 with a Nikkor 28-300mm, and mostly I was shooting with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50.

Excellent report!

You managed to get photos of a lot of things that I saw back when at Mokore and didn't think of at the time... A true trip down memory lane!

Thank you!

Well done indeed! A great safari with some lovely trophies.
Congratulations Marty and also Gary and the Mokore team.


Cheers

Nick

quote:

but the Mozambique government went berserk on rifle import fees,

Outstanding hunt report. One question. How much does Mozambique charge for rifle import fees?

Here's a great travel trip re: you're delayed boots: Always wear clothes on the flight that you could hunt in and pack another complete change of hunting clothes in your carryon bag. Wear a pair of hunting boots when boarding the plane and pack a pair of slippers in your carry on bag. Once on board switch to the slippers for the long flight. That way if your bags get delayed you'll be OK for hunting clothes.

Great report mate and photos, made me feel as though I was there...

Enjoyed your report Marty, congratulations. Always good to see an outfitter putting back into an area like Mokore do - running those bulldozers out in the middle of nowhere is not cheap!!! That's one hell of a pan they making.

You right, the Duckworths are good people - all of them.

Strangely enough, we've had a few hunters collect Antbears on Nuanetsi - strange species to say the least!

Marty

Super report and photos thanks for making the effort!

You hit the nail on the head, magical areas with folks that walk the talk and put so much of their lives into doing the right things for the game.

Congrats on the great hunt!

Sounds like a fun hunt Marty. Glad you guys had a great time.

The little historical things like being in Pires' old camp add so much to a hunt.

The photos are great. Thanks for sharing your memories with us.

All the best.

Outstanding hunt and report!

Thank you for sharing.


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quote:

Originally posted by MANDLAZIM:
Enjoyed your report Marty, congratulations. Always good to see an outfitter putting back into an area like Mokore do - running those bulldozers out in the middle of nowhere is not cheap!!! That's one hell of a pan they making.

You right, the Duckworths are good people - all of them.

Strangely enough, we've had a few hunters collect Antbears on Nuanetsi - strange species to say the least!

The Aardvark is highly protected here and therefore we know very little about the hunting of them. The adults I have seen are much larger and the size of a large domestic pig.

For instance how do you sex them?

Do you have more trophy photos of this interesting specie?

At Mokore it seems a target of opportunity. The reading I have done since returning home suggests that they are strictly nocturnal, virtually never seen in daylight. Wikipedia suggests that they range up to 180 lbs, about 80 kg. Van Dyke's does sell a mannequin for mounting them, but I bet they don't sell many.

quote:

Originally posted by Marty:
At Mokore it seems a target of opportunity. The reading I have done since returning home suggests that they are strictly nocturnal, virtually never seen in daylight. Wikipedia suggests that they range up to 180 lbs, about 80 kg. Van Dyke's does sell a mannequin for mounting them, but I bet they don't sell many.

For me Marty your old broomed off Eland would take place on my wall.

What I do admire is your absolute no nonsense report.

Congratulations on an excellent hunt and a great report.

Katherine and I did the same basic hunt back in 2010. Coutada Nine is a magical place. The Duckworths and Mokore are very special also.

Fantastic report and experience. Thanks for sharing.

"Outstanding hunt report. One question. How much does Mozambique charge for rifle import fees?"



The fee was, I think, $250 per gun for a long time. This year, a few weeks before the departure, it was announced that the first gun would be $1100, with $700 or $800 for the second.
It looks like this has been rescinded, but not quite a done deal yet.

It was great meeting you in camp Marty and congrats on a fantastic hunt and hunt report. Mokore Safaris sure run an awesome operation. Well done to everyone involved. I just wish their leopards made more noise when they ate...lol

Marty and Sue- well done on an awesome safari- having said that I had no doubt of the outcome!!! The Ducks have super areas and camps and are simply good and honest people!

Marty thanks for the nice report. Sorry to have missed you but glad you enjoyed the trip.

Great hunt congratulations.

Sounds like you had a great hunt and some fantastic trophies there ... Well Done!!

Fantastic photos!