Outfitter: Zambeze Delta Safaris, Mozambique
Area: Coutada 11
Dates: October 10-20, 2014
PH: Rye Pletts
Tracker: Brazil
Cameraman: Staff
Rifles: CZ 550's in .416 Rigby & .375 H&H
Ammo: Handloads, .416 Rigby - 400 gr North Fork SS & 400 gr Barnes solids, .375 H&H - 250 gr Barnes TTSX
Game Hunted: Eland, waterbuck, buffalo, nyala, bushbuck, reedbuck, suni, bushpig, hartebeest.
Airlines: Air Canada, South African Airways & Airlink

This was a return trip for me with Zambeze Delta Safaris. Having had a great hunt with them a in 2012 in their Coutada 12 area I couldn't wait to get back and hunt with them in Coutada 11. This time I was with my good friend Rick and his wife Susan from Wisconsin. Rick is an avid Ruger No.1 collector and buffalo hunter and would be hunting buffalo with one of his No.1's in .450/400. Rick and I have shared many trips together.

The two animals I wanted to focus on this year were a mature eland bull and waterbuck. The potential to take very good representatives of these two animals in this area is excellent. Haldanes have managed their areas so well over the long run that it has given the animals a real chance to grow old. ZDS has had a very strict and time proven anti-poaching strategy in place for many years and the game numbers and trophy quality have continued to remain high.

My two gun battery for this hunt were my CZ 550's in .416 Rigby and .375 H&H. Loads were 400 grain North Forks and Barnes solids for the .416 and Barnes 250 grain TTSX's for the .375.

.416 on the left and .375 on the right.


Softs


Solids


En route to Mozambique an overnight in Johannesburg at AfricaSky guest house broke up the long trip and gave the inner clock an extra day to catch up. Although there are a number of very fine options for an overnight in Johannesburg I wouldn't consider staying anywhere else. The people, food, and rooms at Africasky are all top notch. The atmosphere is also second to none.

Flights all went off without a hitch with my bag and rifle case arriving unscathed with me in Beira. Mozambique has changed their VISA requirements, you now need to apply prior to entry. I used VISA HQ service and they did a fine job. Although it was a bit inconvenient getting it ahead of time it sped up the process on the ground in Beira and got us on the bush plane to camp that much faster.



We were hunting out of ZDS main camp, Mungari. It's only a short distance from the grass runway and is set under a shaded canopy of msasa trees. Private tents with ensuite baths are next to an open air eating area and surround a fire pit area where we spent evenings and early mornings.









After getting gear sorted we had a visit with PH's and camp staff around the fire. This was my first time hunting with Rye. After a short visit we went to the range to check the guns. Things continued to go smooth and the rifles and I were still on zero.



Mungari's camp managers are Craigh and Colleen Hamman. They have been here for many years and raised their two boys Nic and Josh there. Nic and Josh go to boarding school now but were on a break during my hunt and spent their time off at mungari. They are two of the most polite young men I have ever had the privilege of meeting, also very fine hunters. The youngest, Josh, is 13 and he spent each day with us. Josh knows the area well, was quite proficient at spotting and accessing game, and handled the sticks for me. Cleary a young man that had grown up in the bush with a PH as a father. Josh was a pleasure to have on the truck during the week he was there.

Mornings come early in the southern hemisphere this time of year. Wake up was around 04:00, breakfast about 04:30, and then we were on the trail by 05:00-30 each day. Mornings are my favourite part of the day, especially in Africa. A fresh pot of coffee, a rekindled fire from the previous nights coals, and the sound of the birds waking are all food for the soul. It was a daily routine and one I miss when I'm not there.

No matter how warm it was outside Rye's little pup Tika loved to sit close to the fire.



With eland at the top of the agenda our mornings were generally set aside to look over areas where the herds were hanging out. The palm savanna near the flood plain seemed to be the most popular spot for them.

Early on in the hunt we had stalked a herd of Lichtenstein's hartebeest with a very nice bull. We messed up a few stalks on him, but morning of day 3 we closed the deal with a single shot from the .375.


A couple of great things about hunting with ZDS is the diversity of the species and habitat. In a day you can be hunting in the sand forests, flood plains, tropical savanna, or swamp and hunt any of the areas 22 huntable species.






Elephant tracks through a recent burn in the savanna.



Bushpig taken on the edge of the flood plain.



One evening Craigh came into camp and told us he had been flying over the swamps that afternoon and found a poachers camp in a palm grove. He gave us the co-ordinates and we decided to go check it out the next day. It would also give us a chance to look for a waterbuck or possibly a buffalo.

The next morning we headed to Silone Camp which is one of ZDS camps near the flood plain. Here is where they keep their large amphibious vehicles they call BV's. They are a go anywhere unit for the swamps.





We were going through some head high grass only a short way out of silone when we bumped an absolute dinosaur of a bush buck. I caught just a glimpse of him but could tell he was ancient from his thick broken and worn down horns, there was no hesitation in wanting to collect him. We all saw him run into a piece of high grass that was maybe 15 feet across and about 4-5 feet high.

He was a smart old ram, because he held tight and wouldn't bust out of the small piece of cover. We trampled that patch of grass flat but we never saw him bust out of there. I still can't figure out how he managed to get out of there without being seen, but he did. The trackers swore he was a ghost, this was the only explanation in their minds.

Rye and I were a bit sceptical about the ghost theory so we decided to walk around a bit, just in case the trackers were incorrect. It wasn't long and we saw the ram break from a patch of cover about 60 yards away. The old boy made one last mistake by stopping for a split second to give us a look.

His teeth were worn flat to the gum and he was extremely thin. His face and body were scarred up, and his worn down horns were wonderful. He must have been as old as Methuselah in bushbuck years. Still, he had a very large body for a Chobe bushbuck. I felt it a privilege to take an animal like this. Few animals I actually feel a sincere regret about killing but at the same time know it was the right animal to take. This old ram was one of them, and I wouldn't trade him for any other bushbuck.



Onward to the poachers camp we went and along the way my .375 took a nasty hard knock when we went through a rough patch in the BV. We all went flying in the air and my rifle came out of the rack and took a very hard nock against the roll bar. I was certain there would be damage but when I opened the Boyt case expecting the worse I was relieved to see it came through the incident without a scratch.





Not long after this we saw a good bushpig boar run into some high grass and we decided to make a try for him. He was really moving so I didn't like our chances. We approached the high grass in the river bed where we last saw him and as we came to the edge he broke out on the other side about 70 yards away. He was really hauling it and all I could see was the grass moving and a bit of hair. When he got to some higher ground I could see him running full out in a line straight away from us. Without the aid of the sticks I put the cross hairs on him and tried to keep in time with the up and down gate of a running pig. When it felt good I squeezed the trigger and the bush pig went down in a heap.

We approached the down boar and found the 250 grain bullet had entered close to the centre of its back, took out most of the spine, went through the back of the skull, and stopped just under the skin on the bridge of its nose. I was very pleased with this fine piece of shooting and I'm sure I was a little tough to live with for the next while.



We made it out to the poachers camp to find they had cleared out what looked like the night before. They must have known they had been made by the plane and turned tale and ran. Brazil and Staff lit the camp up and we moved out.

We hadn't cleared out of the grove of trees where the poachers camp was when we spotted a group of waterbuck in the distance. In the group was a bull that stood out from the others. We quickly assessed the situation and decided to make a belly crawl to cut the distance as there was no cover but some short grass between us and the bull.

We had made it to about 250 yards of the bull and put the sticks up. There was a slight wind but I didn't feel the need to compensate, so I held tight just behind the bulls shoulder as he quartered away. My first shot was off to the left and it threw up a cloud of dirt beyond the bull. I thought the wind must have taken the bullet because I felt rock solid and it shouldn't have missed. I compensated for the wind and the bull went down.



Waterbuck clean up crew.



Loaded with meat from the bushbuck, bushpig and waterbuck we headed back to Silone to unload. It had been a productive morning.





The following morning we were doing our usual run for eland when Rye stopped the truck and looked at some small warthogs. "We need one of those little pigs for a braai, lets go take one, but you must shoot it in the head, we mustn't ruin any of the meat". We snuck to about 50 yards and I got on the sticks. Rye politely remind me where to hit him. I asked him if he knew who he was talking to and if he remembered the bush pig shot from the day before. The little pig was completely broadside and I held rock solid on where the last vertebrae would meet the skull. I squeezed the trigger and the little pig dropped without making a move. Nothing to it.

Our group walked up to the little pig and although nobody was saying anything, everyone was clearly wondering why I had shot the pig through the shoulders, ruining much of the meat. Rye gave a 'Hmmf' kind of grunt and said something to the effect of how maybe we should have scared the little pig so I could take a running shot, as I seemed to be better at those more difficult shots.

I knew I should have hit the pig right where I wanted so we decided to take a trip to the range. Sure enough the gun was grouping way left. The hard nock the scope took in the BV must have messed it up. This also meant that my miracle shot on the running bush pig had nothing to do with good marksmanship but everything to do with dumb luck. Rye knew this of course but out of politeness didn't say anything, his silence was like rubbing salt in a wound, but I'm sure he knew this. All I got from him was a slight smile. I had been nocked off my lofty perch and never mentioned the bush pig shot again.

Days on safari are never remembered by Thursday or Friday or any other day of the week for that matter, but are referred to as 'the day we got the bushbuck' or some other event. Days seem to meld into one another and time goes by much too fast. Rick had taken an absolute beauty of a buffalo bull and a handful of other wonderful plains game. With some great shooting and taking everything and more he had come for, Rick took a more non-combatant role later on in the hunt. Going for drives and Walks with Susan and looking for something outstanding was all that was on the agenda for them.

As the days rolled on we continued looking for the grand old eland bull we were hoping for. The rut was nearly ready to start but the mature bulls just hadn't moved into the area yet. We continued to seeing cows and a few skinny necked, thin horned younger bulls that made their way into the herds. Like a light switch being turned on the big bulls would show up, but I was concerned my hunt would end before then.

A reedbuck ram taken one morning while cruising the edge of the flood plain.



Suni taken after a long walk along a sand road through the 'suni forest'.

Brazil chopping off a piece of water vine for us to try.



Rye having a drink from the water vine.



This was an old home that housed the teacher who taught at a Portuguese school from back in the day. Remnants from the old days of Portuguese rule are seen throughout the area.



Everywhere we went Staff and Brazil lit fires to burn off the old grass, they were like a couple pyromaniacs. It would be only a matter of days after a good burn that new grass shoots would come up and attract animals.





This was a tree we found on fire one evening on the way back to camp. The single tree looked spectacular in the dark.


Trackers trying to get some mopane honey out of a large stick.





A couple saddle-billed Storks



Mid day temperatures were pleasantly warm.



To change things up a bit we decided to head deep into the swamps for a serious try at buffalo. We left camp early, well before sun up, and made it to Silone camp by first light. We swapped the landcruiser for the BV and headed out. We got to the spot where we left the BV for the day and had a bite of breakfast before heading out on foot. The swamps in Coutada 11 are made up of floating beds of papyrus, saw grass, winding grass covered rivers with deep water, a bit of dry flood plain and plenty of mud. It can be a pure hellish experience if done on foot. I believe Rye was putting me through some sort of test that day, we put on over 14km. Although we saw a lot of buffalo each time we tried an approach we got bust busted by the swirling wind.

Group of cows and calves in the saw grass.


Rye and I at the end of a long day of walking the swamps.



It was getting late in the evening when we got back to the BV and spotted a small group of buffalo in the distance. Tired but not ready to quit we figured we had enough light left to make a stalk on the group.

We hustled as fast as we could and when we got to the last patch of cover we crawled on our stomachs the last little distance. We were about 70 yards of the group and I got to my knees and put the cross hairs of my .416 on the bull we had picked out. I settled on where the heart was and squeezed. At the sound of the loud 'thwack' the bull reared up on its hind legs, flipped over and did a few kicks then died. I put a couple more in him for insurance but they weren't needed. The 400 grain North Fork soft centred the heart and stopped just under the skin on the bulls off side. A wonderful end to a tough day.



Recovered North Fork Soft. 98% weight retention.



Having lunch in the shade of a creek bed.



Stick bug.



A family that lived a few miles from camp. 5 wives and 20 kids.


Checking out a pan.





After chasing nyala around the forest for many evenings we finally closed the deal on one we had been watching. He was feeding with a small group in the far corner of a pan, and after a long stalk we were able to get close.


One afternoon we took some time to fish for barbel out on the flood plain. Here Josh is cutting bamboo poles for us.


My first barbel, it was a small one but I was pleased.


Nic holding a few of the barbel we caught.


The two Hammand brothers turned our little fishing trip into a real competition. I felt like I was in a professional bass fishing tournament with those two. They really took me to school in the art of barbel fishing. The winner of the tournament depended on who you asked, but I clearly caught the biggest one of the afternoon. Out of respect for my teachers I'll refrain from posting a picture of it.

Day 8 had rolled around and the daily routine of checking the herds of eland continued. We stopped the cruiser on a bit of a rise and got on top to glass the surrounding area. We immediately picked out a group about 1.5 kms out. It was a group we were familiar with, but today their was an eland that stood out amongst all the cows. The bull was clearly larger than the rest and I imagined him thick necked, worn horned, and a big mop on his forehead.

We grabbed our gear and started to close the distance on foot, the closer we got the larger the bull looked me. There was little cover except for the occasional palm and high grass that followed the river and creeks. The herd was moving which made it very difficult to keep up to without being detected. We kept at it, criss-crossing the the rivers and streams numerous times but the herd seemed to be taking us on a very long walk. The afternoon dragged out but we kept at it and by late in the day the big bull bedded down. We were within about 400 yards of the herd at this time and light was quickly becoming an issue.

With few options left and nothing to loose we decided we would belly crawl between the patches of high grass that gave us limited cover and see how close that would get us. It didn't take long and the herd made us out and started getting nervous. They started to move off but we kept crawling and cutting the distance. The bull finally had enough and got out of his bed and joined the moving herd. He was walking broadside at 160 yards from our right to left and I got up on the sticks and put the cross hairs a bit ahead of where I wanted hit the walking bull. At the shot he bucked up on his hind legs and Rye told me I hit him perfect in the heart. The bull found his legs and began to run, I led him on the back up shot by a body length and squeezed the shot off which hit him far back but still knocked him off his feet.

I can't explain what this bull meant to me. He was everything I dreamed of taking in an old eland. He was thick necked, heavy horned and had a beautifully striped cape. We were all elated.






We hurried to get the pictures done and finished just as the sun dipped below the horizon. We were a long way from the truck and had crossed so much water we didn't know if we could get the truck close enough to recover the eland. Rye and I headed back to the truck and left Staff, Brazil and Josh with the eland and said we'll see you as soon as we can.

It was well after dark when we got back to the truck and the GPS told us we were 8 kms from the eland. As hard as we tried we just couldn't get the the truck anywhere close for a recovery, the river and different creeks made it impossible. We finally conceded that we would need to go get an argo or a BV for the recovery. We weren't that far from Silone and could be at the eland in a couple hours we figured.

It was after midnight when we finally got back to the guys. After getting the bull loaded in the BV and back to Silone it was probably 01:30-02:00, and by the time we got back to Mungari it was early morning. Just enough time for a nap before breakfast.

That morning we were having breakfast and Mark Haldane came and sat down at the table and told us about giant waterbuck he had seen the previous afternoon. He was very excited and said it was probably one of the largest ones he has ever seen. Knowing how long Mark has hunted the statement meant it must be something extra special. He didn't have a client with him so all he could do was snap some distant pictures of it. The pictures left no doubt that we needed to go after him.

We downed our coffee, grabbed our gear and headed off to where Mark had seen the bull. We got to the area and it took some looking but we finally located the bull. When we saw it there was no doubt it was the same bull Mark had seen. There was plenty of high grass for cover and a steady breeze to cover our approach. Getting close didn't seem like it would be any problem.

We got low and began the approach, occasionally checking the bulls location as we moved. When we got in fairly close the bull disappeared from view. We assumed he had bedded down in the high grass and we just couldn't see him. We crept forward carefully glassing as we went and then at about 80 yards we saw the bulls horn tips sticking above the grass. I got on the sticks and the bull got out of his bed to look at us. The Barnes 250 TTSX hit him in the centre of the chest and stopped just under the skin on his rear hip dropping him instantly.

As we walked up to him he got bigger and it was clear he was very special, a once in a lifetime animal. He was long, wide, and his bases had extreme mass, he had everything.


We had finished up all the animals on our licence and spent the last day chasing a poacher around. We never did catch up to him but later in the day he was tracked down by ZDS poaching patrol.

The ZDS anti-poaching team do an excellent job in some very difficult circumstances, it's a constant up hill battle for them and one that will likely never end. They are winning the battle though,the areas under the protection of ZDS are flourishing. The Haldane's continue to put a major financial commitment behind the anit-poaching effort. This of course is funded by the income from hunters, no outside help or tax dollars. Without the hunting the funding would dry up and the wildlife would all soon be lost.

Gin traps removed from the bush by the ZDS poaching patrol.



Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.

Dave

Congrats Dave.
Great trophies all .........but the Bushy and Eland are incredible old animals.

Congratulations on a great experience and some really nice trophies!

Wow, fantastic trophies but that waterbuck is the bull of a lifetime! Your hunt report was very well done. I was in the same camp in 2012 and I hunted with Rye and his team and had a fantastic hunt as well. Even Josh (aka Bushy) was with us and drove the cruiser on occasion. Great to see they are all doing well.

Kudos on a great adventure!

Great report, Dave ! Fantastic trophies!

Nice! Don't know why, but I just love the bushpig!

One of the best reports I've read. Thanks for all the camp-life and Africana pics. Nice work!

Well played Sir!!

Really enjoyed your report, and pictures. Glad you
took some great animals, big congrats!!

Best,
Butch

Outstanding! WHAT A WATERBUCK!!

Fantastic report and wonderful trophies.
Thankyou.

Awesome photos, great trophies and a well written report. That bushbuck is as old as they get. Crazy looking waterbuck. Well done.

What a fantastic safari and tremendous trophies across the board. This has to be one of the highlights of this year.

Great report. Some wonderful trophies taken. congratulations. Mark sure knows how to run a concession.

d.unger, Great report and adventure.thanks.jc

Who re-did those CZs? They're gorgeous...look like old Westley Richards magazine rifles!

Fantastic safari great report enjoined reading it what a great adventure Unbelievable trophies

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Who re-did those CZs? They're gorgeous...look like old Westley Richards magazine rifles!

A competent gun smith could make your Blaser look like that.

Thanks for the kind remarks, glad you all enjoyed the report.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Who re-did those CZs? They're gorgeous...look like old Westley Richards magazine rifles!

Biebs, I had a local guy who used to work for Ralf Martini do the work, his name is Chris Griesbach. He went out on his own a few years back. I showed him what I wanted and he made a pattern from the old CZ stock.

Great hunt and beautiful trophies. Thanks for enlarging the photos!

quote:

I showed him what I wanted and he made a pattern from the old CZ stock.

Best looking CZ safari rifles I've ever seen, for sure.

quote:

A competent gun smith could make your Blaser look like that.

Andrew, perhaps look like that, but probably not shoot like my Blasers :-)

Congratulations-nice hunt!

Congrats on a FANTASTIC hunt!!!

some beautifull animals there That eland is a beautie

d.unger;

Congratulations on a fantastic safari. Your pictures of Mungari bring back great memories! Hunting with the Haldanes is the best! And, hunting in the swamps is like NO OTHER hunt!!!!

I'm glad you got to meet Josh and Nick. They were also my Appy's when I hunted there and two nicer boys do not exist!

Your waterbuck is a TOAD! Your Suni looks great too. Not too shabby with your other trophies either.

Another friend of mine must have hunted right before you. He booked upon my recommendation. He was in the Portuguese camp. He took a 45 inch buff and now I hate him!!!

Again, big congrats! Well Done.

Best regards, D. Nelson

Awesome report! A friend and I hunted out of the same camp in mid november and had a great experience. I hunted with Rye and his crew. I can't wait to go back and try for a few other species.

Great hunt report & pictures & trophies Dave. I really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks so much for all the comments and congratulations, we were very fortunate to take some very nice animals and have a great time while doing it. All around it was a great experience.

Those of you that have been, I'm glad it brought back good memories for you.

Peter, glad to hear you had a great experience with Rye. Would love to hear all about it and see some pictures.

Might this be one of - if not the - best concessions in wild Africa???

Fantastic bag, and that eland and bushbuck are indeed true trophies. Great tented camp.

Thanks for taking the time to detail the trip and hunt and post the pictures, congratulations!

Well done! Thanks for posting. I had a great hunt with Poen out of that camp several years ago.

Some awesome trophies! Nice report

Damn, that Bushbuck and that Eland are superb trophies. I'm a huge Eland nut so that old boy would get my heart racing.

Great report.

It was good to meet you at the show. Look forward to seeing the next report.

Super report of what looks like a smashing hunt! If this doesn't get you itching to head out to the bush in search of game, you ain't living life right!

Great report. Thanks for sharing.

Very nice. I think I stayed in the same tent in 2012. Brought back memories. Everyone was great glad to see all the boys still there. One regret was passing on the easy bushpig that was right in front of me. Lesson learned! Will go back for sure!

what a great hunt you had

Looks like a great hunt and some fantastic trophies.

Look forward to hunting with you later this year.