Trip duration: September 1 6, 2010 through October 5 2010

Hunt dates: September 20-29, 2010; Cape Town SA )October 1-5, 2010

PH: Gary Duckworth

Safari Company: Mokore Safaris

Outfitter: Adam Clements Safari Trackers

Booking Agent: Mark Young

Location of hunt: Nhacainga Conservancy, Mozambique, Coutada 9

Animals taken: Livingstone Eland (2), warthog (2), common reedbuck, Impala, red duiker, Chobe bushbuck, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, baboon

Animals hunted but not taken: bush pig, grysbok

Other Animals seen: Cape buffalo, lion, elephant, nyala, oribi, grysbok, suni, common duiker, bushpig, waterbuck, pangolin, genet, porcupine

Rifles: Ruger no. 1 450/400 nitro express 3”, 1951 Remington 721 300 H&H magnum.

Ammo: Factory, Hornady 400 g.DGX, Federal 180 g. Nosler Partition

Travel Agent: Gracy Travel

Hunting methods: tracking, spot and stalk, walking dry river beds, rocky cliffs, and riparian areas

After 5 years of saving and dreaming, I am happy to report my wife and I just returned from another successful safari in Africa.

A few years ago I began my search for primarily an eland safari in a remote, wild area. The goal would be the tracking pursuit of one or two old eland bulls. My wife, Jennifer, hunts with me and we enjoy a lot of walking on safari. The eland appeals to me not only as a beautiful trophy but also because of the challenge and the style of hunting it offers. I think walking is the best way to see the country and enjoy the beauty of the bush and I thought an eland hunt (or two) would provide that.

Eland was the goal but other plains game animals would be considered as the opportunities arose. After researching options in Namibia and Botswana and after speaking with Mark Young regarding Coutada 9, I made the decision in April 2009 to book a 10 day hunt for Livingstone eland in Mozambique. This area sounded like just what I was looking for and the cost was comparable to other options but with the bonus of being in DG safari area in a Country we had never visited.

Physical prep for this trip included lots of walking and working up to running 3-5 miles, 4 days a week. I was very glad we did this as the distances traveled in the hot, dry conditions could have been difficult otherwise.

Our flight out of Dulles on the 16th of September was cancelled due to aircraft computer problems so we were a day late leaving. The flight was rescheduled for the following morning and we were told to be at the airport at 8:00am. Due to the crew being stuck in traffic the flight did not leave until after 1:00pm. There were more than a few passengers pretty upset with SAA at this point. Oh well, it still beats a boat. This ended up not being too much of a problem thanks to Gracy Travel keeping everyone informed of our itinerary changes. Luckily we had allowed more than two full days to get to our hunting destination, so we would not miss any hunting. We then flew to Harare, Zimbabwe and overnighted at the Mokore guesthouse. The following morning we loaded up the Land Cruiser and drove through north eastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique to the Nhacainga Concervancy in Coutada 9. Other than a two hour delay at the border accompanied by all the necessary bribes, payoffs, harassment, pleasantries, and slow motion stamping of paperwork, we experienced no problems and we were off to camp.



The camp is new and it is excellent in all respects. Great tents on raised concrete slabs with luxury bath/shower, huge dining, bar, fire area, beautiful views of the mountains and bush. More luxury than I expected but no complaints!

Camp tents:


Dinning/bar/fire area:









Views from camp:





PH Gary Duckworth:




After confirming that the rifles were still on, the first evening I was able to get this warthog after a short stalk with the 450/400:



There are tons of warthogs in this area.

The next ten days were spent primarily tracking eland but we were able to hunt some other animals as the opportunities arose.

Conditions: Most days were hot and dry with a smoky haze in the distance. The last day of hunting was actually a bit cool with a light rain and mist. There were some mosquitoes at night but they were not bad (Malaria is fairly common this area). There were lots of tsetse flies with some days being worse than others. However, we experienced very few bites, and they were mostly just a minor nuisance. They were not nearly as bad as the deer flies in early summer here in Virginia. No ticks seen at all, perhaps due to all the fires.

“Tsetses on the bonnet”



DAY 1
The first morning’s hunt brought us a Lichtenstein’s hartebeest. My first shot was a bit low but the bull laid down after a short distance and I was able to finish it:



DAY 2
The second day Jennifer took this nice bushbuck with a great shot through some brush :



Later that day I was able to take this red duiker:



I feel very fortunate to have collected this guy as it is the only one we saw in 10 days. I hit him where I could see him through some thick bush at about 80 yards. His horns are thick and the skinner said that he was “as old as me.”

DAY 3
I took this reedbuck with the 300 H&H on the morning of the third day:



After tracking eland the rest of the day, we finally caught up with the herd. After stalking closer through some harassing baboons and glassing to try and locate a mature bull in the herd, we inched forward as the sun began to set.

We had decided earlier that Jennifer would have the first go at the eland. Minutes later Gary located a huge bull and after a careful stalk Jennifer had her chance. They crawled, stooped and stalked closer, avoiding the watchful eyes of all the cows. Eric, one of the trackers, and I stayed back and watched the shooting sticks go up as the big bull walked into a clearing in front of Gary and Jennifer at 125 yards. I was all nerves listening to Eric whispering things that I could not understand. As Jennifer steadied herself on the sticks and the bull stopped I could hear Eric repeat to himself over and over…eehh …Shooooot…..Shooooot! oooo SHOOOOOOOT! I think he wanted to get this eland as much as we did!

She shot her bull in the shoulder but as it quickly turned and ran, the bullet wound was not visible on the opposite side. For this reason and because it was getting late, Gary had her quickly shoot it two more times on the run and he shouted for me to shoot at it as well. All three running shots hit the eland, and it went down after running about 100 yards. The follow ups were not needed but they were a good idea, not knowing how good the first shot was at the time. Jennifer’s off hand follow up shots resulted in a nice scope scar as well but it was a small price to pay for this beautiful old eland.

I can honestly say that walking up to this brute was without a doubt, the finest moment I have ever experienced while hunting. Very close to tears of joy for this moment.

Old Blue:





Time for a cold one:




MORE TO COME................

The little things we saw while walking and while driving around made the whole trip even more special. Hunting was the reason we were there but all the other things embellished the experience.

Bird chicks with the perfect camo




Awesome scenery:










































MORE TO COME.........

Great pictures and that is a very very nice eland.

Coutada Nine is a wonderful camp and the Duckworth's are first class.

Waiting on the rest of the story.

We were lucky enough to come across two pangolins on this safari:





Lime green beauty:



Burned areas



Unburned areas (Tip…not a good idea to wound a DG animal in this Coutada!)



A Strange white praying mantis, we named it the “Duckworth mantis”:





And yes there is beauty in this as well:






At the end of the long days we were dirty and tired but we loved every minute of it.

Dirt,ash,sweat, and blood……





The trackers, Eric and Ericalanu were a sight to behold. Watching these guys follow a single animal mile after mile is one of the real gifts I will cherish from this safari.





I knew that if Eric could track eland half as well as he could find wild honey, we would have no problems!





Tracking eland:











sorting it out...




Getting closer now……








Some days we were close enough to camp to return for lunch especially if we had an animal to drop off at the skinning shed. On other days we skipped lunch because we were busy trying to catch up to eland. The remaining days we were too far from camp at mid day so we enjoyed some lovely hot lunches in the bush . After the meal and a short siesta it was back hunting again before 3:00pm.







DAY 4 was spent tracking eland with no luck.

DAY 5
Gary and Jennifer made a stalk on a group of 6 impala rams. Jennifer hit the largest ram a little far back and it took off into the bush. After some tracking and a finishing shot, the impala was field dressed , tied on a pole and carried out by the trackers.





I took this big baboon later in the afternoon, mostly as payback for spoiling some stalks for me in Namibia in 2005:


DAY 6 tracking eland…..

DAY 7 more tracking eland.

Poaching is a problem in the southern areas of this Coutada. Mokore is doing everything they can do to minimize it. We saw limping animals with injured legs or missing feet on several occasions.

Jennifer took this warthog that was missing a front leg:



I believe Gary said they have removed 5,000-7,000 foot hold traps over the last few years. These are serious, well made, strong traps made with vehicle leaf springs. They are set in game trails near water and they are apparently extremely efficient.

While tracking eland we found an area being burned by poachers. We found a jacket hanging in a tree, a water bottle, some shoes, an axe, and a bloated cane rat complete with carrying handle.



Needless to say the water was poured out, the shoes chopped up, the bloated ungutted cane rat confiscated by the trackers (to eat later) and I am now the proud owner of the unlucky and thirsty Mozambique poachers’ axe. I am sure that poacher had no idea his axe would end up across the world in Virginia, but that is where it sits.

Soon after this we came upon an eland cow with a badly broken leg with a trap still on its foot. We put it down and the meat was recovered. After searching the area for more traps and completing our anti poaching duties, we continued our hunt for the elusive tuka (eland).



You know when the trackers sit down to rest that you have covered some ground!







At the end of the day we caught up to one lone eland bull but could not close the distance for a shot before he trotted off as the sun began to set. Tired, thirsty and defeated, we made it back to a road where the truck could pick us up as darkness fell on the bush.



We covered at least 10-15 miles on foot that day and the cold beer at the end was about the best I have had (i.e. chugged) . I slept very well that night until the lions roared in camp, hopefully bringing us some luck with the eland…

DAY 8
I have to admit, waking up at 4:15 to march a dozen miles through the dry, 100 degree land of smoke made me question my sanity a little bit. Everyone looked tired (well, the white people were tired!) I was actually having passing thoughts of redirecting our hunting efforts at a kudu, …..any kudu. Gary and Jennifer helped keep me focused on the task at hand. We had been planning this a long time. There was no turning back now. No time to give up on the eland now. We had come too far…and we had the lions blessing, certainly that had to be worth something.

Not long into the morning, one of the trackers spotted the glimpse of an eland through the bush. They began tracking and in 45 minutes or so we were able to catch up to the herd. The trackers heard the eland breaking branches just ahead of us. A mature bull was spotted and a termite mound allowed us to close the distance to about a hundred yards. I shot the bull through the shoulder with the 450/400 and he ran about 50 yards before falling. Did I mention I love eland hunting? All the fatigue from the last few days was lifted from me, followed by the settling in of the most pure happiness. It was a good thing as it turned out to be the hottest day by far. What a gift to have that eland in the salt in time for lunch! Later that day the gardener confirmed that it was indeed his lion friends that had brought us the luck.

My beautiful bull:







amazing neck on these beasts!


DAY 9, DAY 10
The next two days were spent walking the dry river and rocky cliffs for bushpig. We could hear them ahead of us a couple of times and we were able to see glimpses of them in the thickets. We did not get one but enjoyed hunting for them very much. We also kept our eyes open for an above average oribi or perhaps another impala or warthog.

Over the course of our safari we saw four nice nyala bulls while walking along the dry river. Quota was already filled which in many ways was a relief! This could have severely affected my bank account and marriage. We saw sign of sable but never saw them.



On day 9 I had the misfortune of having the Ruger no 1’s lever latch and spring fall to the ground after an unsuccessful attempt on a grysbok. Apparently the lever latch pivot pin had loosened enough to fall out. Something to keep an eye on for you Ruger No. 1 users. I would recommend some Locktite to avoid this problem.

A quick Africanized fix with a zip tie worked in a pinch.

Not as charming as Gary’s 375 held together with electrical tape, but getting there.



This was my first safari with the Ruger No. 1 and it was a real pleasure to carry all day. It has definitely become a new “old friend.”



Turning down multiple kudu in the mid 50’s was psychologically damaging but we enjoyed seeing them all the same. I kept telling Gary to tell me they were all 49” regardless of the size as I had spent my kudu money on the hartebeest. If I come back to this area again the kudu are in trouble. For those interested, this is a great area for big kudu.

Here is a nice one with some awesome, deep
curls:



Overall I cannot say enough good things about Gary Duckworth, Mokore, and Coutada 9. Very professional outfit, and they take the hunting seriously which I appreciate very much. The trackers, staff, lodging, food, vehicles etc.. were all excellent.

Anyone looking for a plains game hunt with a wild “old Africa” feel would not be disappointed here. We got exactly the kind of experience we were looking for and actually much more.

After the hunt we rested up for 4 days in Cape Town SA. We were guided by Lesley Cox of Amber Tours and we enjoyed her service and company very much. Her knowledge of wines and the attention she gave to our tastes were appreciated.

Table Mountain:


Cape of Good Hope


Wine lands


We toured Cape Town, the Cape peninsula and the wine lands and Jennifer and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary before flying home. Damn it hurts when that plane lifts you away from Africa!

Special thanks to Mark Young and Jamie at Safari Trackers, Gracy Travel, Gary Duckworth and all the Mokore staff for all your assistance with making this dream come true. Thanks to Bruce for making our airport transfers a real breeze. Thanks to the trackers Eric and Ericalanu, no way we could have gotten the two eland without them!
Thanks to Saeed and AR members for helping to quench my thirst for Africa during the long duration between safaris.

And last but not least, thank you to Jennifer who is the best friend, hunting partner and wife I could ever imagine. For those of you who safari alone, I have no idea how you do it.

Hopefully it will not be so long before we are back in Africa again!

Cheers!

Grafton, great pics! Can't wait for the rest. BTW, I really like your Ruger no. 1


Mad Dog

Congratulations on a great hunt!

That Eland is outstanding!

Mozambique looks like a destination on it's rebound. Glad to see it.

Hugh

Great report and excellent photos. Looking forward to more!!!

Phil

Fantastic,

Great report. Is there any more coming? Great pictures and a great eland.

Thanks for sharing.

Great story and pictures so far, very much looking forward to 'the rest of the story'.

Grafton,

Great report and pix so far. So glad you guys really appreciate the bush and not just the shooting. Coutada 9 is a very special safari destination and one of my favorites for sure. Thanks for taking the time to photo the camp. I hadn't seen the new facilities. Also thanks for letting me be part of your adventure.

Congrats to you and Jennifer.

Mark

awesome eland, one of the best I've seen posted here.

What a great old eland.

I can't wait for the rest of the story and pictures.

WOW!!! Those are some impressive eland!!! What's the story with the MGM lion?

Brett

Great pig on day one. I really love a good pig and those elands are beasts. Your scenery pictures are the best brochures Mokore could ask for. I really want to go now. Thanks for taking the time to give such a great report. Vince

Two OUTSTANDING Eland bulls!! I'm definitely jealous. Those are also some of the best pictures I've ever seen on this forum. Congratulations on a damn fine safari.

Great report and pics Grafton. Congrats to you and Jennifer on some outstanding trophies and your anniversary!
Cheers,
David

Fantastic report and wonderful scenery photos. The eland are absolutely huge! Gotta love those Ruger No. 1's. I'd pack my 450/400 for anything now.

Grafton, great report, and those eland are superb. The "koffee kops" are thick, full, and very dark. Nothing says trophy eland any better, at least to me, than that tuft of hair. The worn horns, ain't so bad either. Well done.

Awesome hunt, report 7 pictures. I just love the fist eland - a real old bull with a great ruff! The pangolin are cool - I didn't realise the African species was so big.

Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations on the fine hunt you and Jennifer completed - some excellent trophies and memories! Thankyou for submitting such a complete report. Your pictures really helped create the atmosphere of the hunt.

I just took my first animal with a Ruger No.1 in .450/400 (wild NA Bison)and hope that it can make the trip to Africa soon.

Congrats on a fantastic trip to the both of you!

Well done!!!

Having thirteen years with a true best friend and hunting buddy is the best part of this report. A wife to cherish indeed!

Great hunting report and photos to last a lifetime.

wowser!

Rich
DRSS

Congrats on a great Safari.
Tracking Eland in Mozambique is one of my favourite hunts so I know your love of it.
One of mine from Moz.

So nice, Grafton! (Now to find you a good taxidermist -- just kidding.) LOVE the report.

Welcome back Grafton and congratulations. Great story and wonderful trophies and photos. Glad you both had a successful trip.

Fantastic report... thanks for sharing !
A great trip for sure with some wonderful trophies. Look forward to seeing the mounts once you get them worked up.
Congratulations to you both !
Andy

Excellent!

quote:

Look forward to seeing the mounts once you get them worked up.

Me too. Only problem with this is that it is like the painter's house that never gets painted. Customer mounts come first.

Ever wonder how taxidermists know how long skins can last in the freezer? All of their stuff is in there!

quote:

The "koffee kops" are thick, full, and very dark. Nothing says trophy eland any better, at least to me, than that tuft of hair.

I agree..



It was great to rub my hands through those mops and see all the little leaves and bark stuck in there where they had been feeding.

I will never forget that smell either. I guess they rub that mop in urine. It does not smell like urine though. It is like a mixture of herbs and a horse stall. I think Gary thought it a bit strange how I really liked that aroma. Great stuff!

Stunning photos, animals, and a great commentary of your experiences! You made it so easy to follow your adventure and I think this is what most of us that have never been to Africa envision it to be like.

Congratulations on the animals and thank you for sharing your photos!!

Scott

Great report!

Did you think you were handicapped with a single shot? The Ruger #1s are neat, and have cool caliber offerings- I note that on your wife's eland you did several follow up shots- how did that work out with the single shot?

That area is very cool as well- good for kudu I see.

I did not feel limited by the single shot. I also had the option of using the 300 H&H if if the situation called for it and the time allowed. Jennifer got two shots off at the running eland and I only shot once. She was much closer than I was and I would not have had time for a second shot with any rifle. Turns out those insurance shots were not needed anyway as it was hit hard.

If anything, the single shot helps me to make the first shot count. If you practice you can reload them pretty fast as well.

The Ruger No.1 is the only single shot I own other than a muzzle loader. I bought it more for the caliber than the model. Not being able to afford a Heym double in 450/400, the Ruger was the next best thing.

There was one instance where I grabbed the 300 for the final stalk on one eland bull that got away. Not for the extra shots but I was not sure we would be able to get close enough for the 450/400 due to the open area we were in at the time. With a 100 yard zero that bullet drops something like 9-10" at 200 yards. I was limiting all work with the 450/400 to 125 yards or so. We did not have that much trouble getting that close to most game. I think the longest shot was something around 150 yards.

Grafton, what kind of sling do you have on the Ruger no. 1?


Mad Dog

Grafton;

Congratulations to you and your wife on a very successful safari. I always love seeing other huntresses in the field with their hubbys. (The perfect safari...and celebrating you wedding anniversary too...way to go!)

As others have said, your photos are excellent and very artistic. The camp looks phenominal. We hunted out of Coutada 11 at the end of August. It is amazing how different the terrain is, although they aren't that far a part.

We both did very, very well! When and where are you going next?

Best regards, D. Nelson

quote:

Grafton, what kind of sling do you have on the Ruger no. 1?

It is a canvas and leather sling I ordered from Jeffsoutfitters.com

D.Nelson, thanks, I have some time (most likely a few years) to think about the next trip. Want to hunt elephant at some point. Really want to see Vic Falls as well. Jennifer would really like a buffalo. Most likely a hunt in Zimbabwe but too soon to say. Nyala, waterbuck....Damn now you've done it!

Great report, Grafton.
Can you give us an indication of the cost or at least refer us to the outfitter's website?

Karoo, send Mark Young a PM, he is the booking agent and I am sure he would be happy to give you all the details.

You can also read more at Mokore Safaris website and Adam Clements Safari Trackers website.

Super report and photos. COngrats!!!

Sweet sassy molassy! Those are some fantastic eland bulls.

The ruff is the thing, isn't it?

Very nice bulls.