15 November 2015, 22:33
shootawayBack On Track-20 Days Of Ele Bull Hunting
Outfitter:Mokore Safaris in association with Richard Tabor Safaris-http://www.richardtaborsafaris.comArea:Mozambique,Coutada 7 and 9.
Dates:November 4-17,2015
Camera:Ray Buchanan-Rustic Hunter Productions
Tracker:Tedious
Driver-Dube
Guide:Gwenya
Rifle:Searcy Field Grade 500NE
Handloads:Hornady cases,Woodleigh 570gr softs and solids,IMR 4831
Dedicated to my Grandmother Maria.
As many of you know I hunted a Bull Ele for 14 days in Dande with PH Richard Tabor last March.
That was a very hard tracking hunt and we did not find a suitable bull.I had gone home swearing I would not return on another ele bull hunt.Despite trying to get my mind off of that hunt,I could not go on without another try.I contacted Richard in the summer and he thought Moz would be a good place to try again for a tracking bull hunt.I was kept in suspense the whole time wondering if we would succeed and what the whole hunt would be like-both of us never hunted there.After the difficult thing of telling people at home and at work that I would take off to Africa again in November,I started to prepare.
The day arrived and I was off early the morning after halloween.I got to Joburgh and found out that I booked at the wrong City Lodge hotel.Luckily they had vacancy at the one I was at(airport) and I spent the night there.Air Hunt 2000 was helping me with the rifle and they were good.After a nice buffet breakfast with Christmas tree and decorations all around I was off for Tete Mozambique.
I arrived in Moz on a very cloudy day.Richard and team were there,helped clear the rifle and soon we were headed for camp.
[URL=
]Petrol stop[/URL]We arrived at our fly camp at dark about 4 hours later and it was very windy with it starting to rain lightly.I was told the camp was set up just for my hunt.I was impressed with the whole thing.It was old Africa style.
[URL=
]camp [/URL][URL=
]camp[/URL][URL=
]view from camp[/URL]The next day it was cold and still windy.We had to go to town and pick up another game scout.We would need two for the hunt.
The weather started to get better and we were off hunting in the afternoon.
The hunting area was made of very large hunting blocks.There were roads winding through numerous small villages.These villages played an important role in us finding a bull ele.We visited many and passed the word around that we were looking for bulls.We paid for there cell phone time in advance should they report a sighting.Gwenya took care of that well as not only was he very enthousiastic about the hunt but he also spoke portuguese.Soon we started to get reports and the tracking began.
Among the first sightings-on a river bed I believe there was a track that would be distinguishable from all the others not only among the herd but all bull tracks seen on the hunt.This track was twenty eight inches long and the biggest that Richard had ever seen.The track fitted both Richards feet and half of Ray's.
[URL=
]Huge Ele Bull Track[/URL][URL=
]Huge Track[/URL][URL=
]village[/URL][URL=
]break[/URL]Before following the bull herd tracks, we drove along the roads looking for tracks, on the boundaries of the whole concession and along the beautiful Muira river.
[URL=
]Muira River[/URL]The tracking of the herd with the huge track would be very tough going.The bush was extremely thick, and the branches tore my legs.The tracking would last for hours with many kilometers covered.Once walking in deep into the block the GPS would show no roads nearby for exit.On one occasion we got out of the bush with flashlights after dark hungry and exhausted.
[URL=
]scratches[/URL]It took us a couple of days to find the bull herd with the huge track.All the bulls had small ivory.The huge bull came out and walked straight towards us.He was in the low thirties and Richard let him walk.The size of the body of this bull was humoungous.He stood towering over us.At this moment one of our game scouts did not listen to Richard's orders to stop and seeing our game scout walking away only ten yards from him the bull turned and left.As of this Ray missed out on some great video footage as well.
The hunt resumed and a few more groups were spotted by the odd village.The track of the bull that would be the first with acceptable ivory in 17 days of tracking(both hunts) was spotted by some villagers at night on the Nhamikonbe river.
The weather started to turn very hot with clear skies.We got days about fifty degrees celsius.
We started tracking the bull herd which had seven bulls in it.On the second day of tracking we had no luck catching up to them and we got out of the bush in an area where there was no signal to contact our driver and the distance to the land cruiser was quite far about a half hours drive.We went to a village to get help.We could not speak portugese and wanted someone with a motorbike.Eventually we found a fellow and we crashed out in front of the general store(hut) while he and one of our game scouts left to find our truck.It took hours before our truck arrived.We built a fire,bought some orange drinks,and had quite an unforgettable evening at the village.We fell asleep under a spectacular show of falling stars and were then awakened by the arrival of our truck,motorbike and warm lunch sandwiches in the cab.
[URL=
]village store[/URL][URL=
]village store[/URL]The next day was a very important one.It was the day we caught up to the herd.We saw their ivory all small but for one.The last bull standing a distance away from the others and in very heavy growth.The bull was a little over 40 pds with perfect ivory.We tried to get into position but he heard us and took off running.That night I had some whiskey and Moz beer and went to sleep very happy.
The next day we tried to find the bull and lost the tracks.We got back ready to try again the next morning.A village called in with another sighting of two bulls but way in the south of the concession.
Once we arrived and met the villager he took us to the spot where they were sighted.We started tracking and soon came across more tracks-the remainder of the seven.It was the same herd.It had travelled about 40km's overnight.
Richard and Tedious thought out the whole situation and how best to intercept them and put us on a hot track.The plan worked.We picked up their tracks while they crossed the Muira river and soon enough we where seeing fresh spoor.At one point Ray thought he heard them but it was not the
case.After a couple of hours of hot weather tracking we came to a fresh dropping and mopane flies filled the air.At the same moment we heard them.
Ele Bull Video
We were off to let everyone including the villages know that we shot our bull.
Villagers started to come out of their huts and make for the road with bags,knives axes,pots, bikes etc...
It was nice to hear Gwenya shout it out from in back of the cab.
There were soon many people on the roads as we made our way to a spot in the block were there would be a trail cut for the truck to enter.
[URL=[URL=http://s217.photobucket.com/user/p7y
900s/media/moz%202015%20304_zpsfh7li1vj.jpg.html]
[/URL]]Area where we shot the bull[/URL] [URL=
]A path is cut[/URL]Unfortunately we chose a bad spot to enter and after cutting a trail for 3km's we came to a unpassible area.We decided to proceed on foot and bring back just the ivory without the head.This made no difference for the villagers who were already at the sight.
[URL=
]flat tire[/URL][URL=
]villagers[/URL][URL=
]our GREAT team[/URL] We took some photos and then started to skin the bull and remove the ivory.
I was captivated by the recovery experience.At one point someone called for silence and all the villagers started to sing.It was a song about the blessing from the chief to the hunting party.The villagers were all smiling and one look at them made me feel that we were very welcome.I will never forget that.
Soon the villagers were cutting out the ele.I stood my distance but liked being near the whole thing.The tusks were off and Richard said "let's go".
[URL=
]Let's go.[/URL]We shot the bull on the morning of the sixth day.
The next morning we would be leaving our camp for the Coutada 9 camp of Mokore Safaris.
Having already spent two weeks in Zim the past March,I thought it would be a good idea to stay only two or three more days and head back home.
I changed my airline departure date for an earlier one but was regretting my decision especially after seeing all the plains game in Coutada 9.
[URL=
]reedbuck[/URL]I had never been in an area with so much game that it made driving through the concession difficult.We saw the huge track of one lion that passed through our camp our first night there.We were told that there was estimated to be around twenty male lions in the concession.
Wart hogs were literally in the hundreds everywhere.Some had very long tusks.We took an old one by a waterhole.Richard said that he would probably not make it through the year.
[URL=
]warthog[/URL][URL=
]Guinea Fowl[/URL]We visited a couple of scenic places to watch the sun go down and have a couple of beers.
[URL=
]sundown[/URL][URL=
]Moz Beer[/URL][URL=
]at a watering hole/dam[/URL]We saw the good work antipoaching was doing.A whole container of traps seized.
[URL=
]container of traps seized from poachers[/URL][URL=
]Gin Trap or bear trap[/URL]We had a live demonstration of how such a trap works and Ray filmed the whole thing.
In the end I had the best hunt in my entire life.The area is a wild one.There are no white people in the area and I was told that there was a chance that we were the only white people some of the villagers may have seen.The woods with its old large trees defined the landscape.There was Mahogany,Leadwood,Wild Mango,Star Walnut,and Baobabs galore.The Baobab fruit were the main food source of the bulls we were tracking.The villagers often said that the bulls were in the area for the Baobab fruit.Many times if not always the bull tracks we followed led us from Baobab to Baobab with the forest ground being full of pods-that and wild mango fruit.
It was sad to see the beds of huge trucks that passed us full of cut big Mahogany and Leadwood.
Logging was evident in the forests we walked through too.If I am not mistaken the native farming style also involved cutting and burning forests to plant rather than reusing or refertilizing.Countless fires could be seen at night as farmers prepared for the rains and the new growing season.
I did not see forests with trees like this in Zim.I was told that there they were cut down long ago.
[URL=
]Mahogany[/URL][URL=
]Flowering Baobab[/URL]The food on the hunt was great.
[URL=
]chicken,some sadza[/URL][URL=
]steaks for lunch take-out[/URL]The Searcy was shooting well too.
[URL=
]Searcy 500NE[/URL]The End
