MOZAMBIQUE: 15 Day Hunt Report With Zambeze Delta Safaris In Coutada 11

[Ku-winda]

PROLOGUE

Sometimes in the hunting world, the correlation between one’s expectations and reality never quite intersect - such was not the case with our October ’24 safari with Mark Haldane’s Zambeze Delta Safaris (ZDS). I’m getting way ahead of myself though and probably ought to go back and provide a little background on the genesis of this hunt. I first met Mark Haldane through my role as Treasurer on the board of The Dallas Safari Club Foundation. Over the course of the last three or four years I got to know him through our support of his anti-poaching efforts in his hunting concession (Coutada 11) on the Zambeze Delta. The reports we were getting back about their successes provided strong confirmation our funds were being put to good use and what he and his team have accomplished over the last thirty years is nothing short of remarkable. There is a really cool podcast Mark did for the FTW Ranch, and it is well worth the 30 minutes to complete and does much more justice to their accomplishments than I could ever do here. (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/sh...ation-Success-Story-with-Mark-Haldane-e2j1951) In any case, I booked a 15 day buffalo/PG hunt to coincide with my youngest son’s (Ian) college graduation. Ian was already a very accomplished marksman and hunter in Texas, but this would be his first taste of the Dark Continent.

Mark and FTW Ranch owner Tim Fallon arranged a special three-day Safari Course right after the ‘24 DSC Convention for anyone booking with ZDS that year. Consequently, Ian and I welcomed that opportunity to join in. Our Clan had all been to SAAM training multiple times before, but this was the first time any of us had taken the Safari Course. Those on the Forum that have been to the FTW Ranch know it is a best-in-class operation, and the instructors are second to none. Whether you are going after an Argali ram or a Botswana bull, you will be well prepared when you complete your training. Dave Knesek was our instructor (this was my third time with Dave) and I just can’t say enough good things about him. He is about as likeable an individual as you will ever be around and knows his stuff backwards and forwards. He pushed us hard in the course and it paid big dividends in the long run. ZDS PH’s Bredger Thomason, who Ian and I hunted with (more about him later) and Xavier Schutte were also both in attendance along with Mark. That really worked out well because there wasn’t any kind of “get to know each other period” in MOZ, as we already had an established relationship and hit the ground running. We also had the good fortune to meet a couple of great guys in Juan Carlos Alonso and Clay B. who were going to ZDS about a month before us. We were in the same group as those two guys and had an absolute blast. Both were extremely proficient with their double rifles and if memory serves me correctly, JCA carried a 470 NE while Clay was equipped with a 450/400 NE. The course was set up with multiple drills to simulate real life hunting dangerous game situations and Ian passed with flying colors, so he walked away exuding confidence. The course also allowed Bredger to analyze our capabilities, so there was no need to learn that on the fly once we got to MOZ. We continuously practiced what we learned over the next nine months, so were very comfortable going into the hunt.

When Juan Carlos and Clay returned from MOZ in early September, we had the opportunity to catch up and JCA told me “You aren’t going to believe this place!” He went on to describe in great detail that the proliferation of wildlife was like nothing he had ever seen before. He literally said you can’t drive a quarter of a mile without seeing something, which I thought had to be an exaggeration, only to find out it was the gospel truth. He went on to give me the skinny about the kit and gear that had worked best for him, so that intel was invaluable. JCA, Clay and one other buddy all got nice buffalo, a variety of plains game and Juan Carlos got a big tom leopard as well. Needless to say, Ian and I were both pretty jacked after getting this feedback - October could not come soon enough!

Next up: TRAVEL

 

[Hunt anything]

Those Coutadas around the Marromeu buffalo reserve are definitely special places!

Can’t wait for the rest of the hunt.

 

[Ku-winda]

Those Coutadas around the Marromeu buffalo reserve are definitely special places!

Can’t wait for the rest of the hunt.

Thank you Sir! They are special places indeed and I will try to do them proper justice!

 

[Ku-winda]

TRAVEL

Travel arrangements were made through Patrick Wright with PWP Travel in San Antonio. This was the third safari where I’ve used Patrick, and he has become my go to guy. Patrick truly is available 24/7 and has proven that on more than one occasion, including the last leg of this trip. Ian and I were both traveling with rifles, so Patrick ensured we had all of our paperwork in order well in advance and also engaged Gilbert from Africa Sky to help facilitate the firearms process once we touched down at O.R. Tambo International Airport. We flew United Airlines from San Antonio to Newark with a layover prior to their 8 p.m. flight out to Joberg. The flight across the pond was uneventful, although it’s still a grind any way you slice it. Patrick had arranged a greeter to get us through customs and then hand us off to Gilbert to get our firearms all sorted out. There have been other posts on this forum about Gilbert and he is a rock star in my book. He got us through the process in very short order and before we knew it, we were on our way to the Africa Sky Lodge with a couple of other hunters.

After a quick shower, we sat down to a great meal with the same hunters we rode in with from O.R. Tambo. The bulk of the conversation centered around the days to come and stories of hunts past. Both were great gentlemen, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company and hearing about exploits from far off places. It wasn’t long though before we were all pretty much running on fumes and bedtime just couldn’t come soon enough. Ian and I were both up early and enjoyed a hearty breakfast before getting everything packed for the next leg of our trip. It wasn’t long before Gilbert arrived and retrieved our firearms from the vault, loaded us up and got us on our way to the airport. We pretty much reversed the procedure we had done the night before with our firearms, and once again, Gilbert made it a seamless process. Ian and I joked that he was the Mayor of O.R. Tambo, because everyone knows who he is and his access to pretty much everything is incredible. It wasn’t long before we said our goodbyes, took care of him accordingly and were on our way to the Airlink gate.

The flight to Beira was a bit rough with significant turbulence, but our spirits were high, as we were ready to start our adventure in MOZ. I must admit, when we stepped down on the tarmac in Beira, it reminded me of the first time I flew into Bulawayo in the 90’s – it was kind of like stepping back in time. Ian actually got a kick out of it until we got inside, and they took our passports and walked off with them. All they said was “Americans”. Neither one of us knew what was going on and the language barrier didn’t help. After watching everyone else clear customs, I was starting to think this might be really bad. About that time a policemen took us to get our bags and rifle case. He told Ian to stay put and took me in a room with another policemen. I’m not sure whether they were speaking Sena or Portuguese, but I finally figured out through hand gestures they wanted me to open the firearms and ammo cases and provide paperwork. What followed was the most painstaking counting of ammo cartridges you could ever imagine. They were all in boxes of 20, so you would have thought this would be a pretty simple endeavor, but not so. Every cartridge was taken out individually, put on the floor and counted as it was put back in its original box. It was like watching paint dry! They referred to multiple manuals, before ultimately stamping my paperwork and ushering me out the door. I quickly met up with Ian who had found Pete, our ZDS helicopter pilot. About that time one of the policemen came back and said we need your rifles and ammo again. I asked what the issue was, and they said the “big boss” needs to approve it. So, they took the rifles and ammo and disappeared into the same room and closed the door. After 30 minutes or so, I saw one officer leave the room and he left the door open a crack, so I peaked in to see what was going on. There were three officers lounging around and not even looking at my items, which were all on the floor. I poked my head in and asked if there was a problem. They all started moving at this point and the “big boss”, a woman, pulled out another batch of manuals and we repeated the same process as before. About this time, Pete walked in and whispered, just make sure you keep your cool, which I did. He said no one wears a watch in Africa because it will drive you crazy. And then just like that, they sent us on our way.

Within five minutes we were in Pete’s chopper, all loaded up and ready to go to Mungari Camp, roughly an hour and twenty minutes away. Ian sat up front with Pete and absolutely ate it up. Pete is one cool cat (besides being a badass pilot) and gave Ian and me an education on the ride out. The landscape is virtually devoid of trees for the first 30 minutes or so out of Beira and he pointed out the charcoal pits that were used to turn the downed trees into charcoal. He indicated that is the sole source of income for many villagers and they sell charcoal in the city for their livelihood. He says it isn’t unusual for them to ride twenty or thirty miles on their bikes with big bags of charcoal to sell. The farther out we got, vegetation started to improve with some random big hardwood trees. Eventually we started to see little huts here and there with gardens and foot paths connecting the huts. Eventually it was full-on forest with huge hardwoods and high canopies, that were essentially impenetrable except for the open pans. We were approaching 45 minutes to an hour before we saw our first animal and then it was only sporadic. Once we got into Coutada 10, there were more regular sightings, including three big Dagga boys out in a large pan, which got us excited. Finally, we crossed over into Coutada 11, and it was a whole different story. Even though it was roughly 2 p.m. in the afternoon, the pans were full of animals – mostly notably warthogs, hartebeest, sable and nyala. At this point, I knew Juan Carlos hadn’t been pulling my leg and I knew we were in for a real treat. It wasn’t long before we saw the airstrip and Pete was touching down. Off to our right, the entire camp had come out to greet us, with PH Bredger Thomason and his big Texas grin right in the very front. As we stepped off the chopper, I knew we were in a special place indeed - suddenly, all the frustrations from the Beira airport were long forgotten and all was right in the world once again!

Next up: THE HUNT

 

[Warren Knudsen]

It is like the garden of Eden, I hunted there in 2022 August, after the first day I said to my PH Poen, that I could go home now and be happy, the animals on that first day of my first african trip was simply mind blowing. I look forward to reading the next stage of your report.

 

[Ku-winda]

It is like the garden of Eden, I hunted there in 2022 August, after the first day I said to my PH Poen, that I could go home now and be happy, the animals on that first day of my first african trip was simply mind blowing. I look forward to reading the next stage of your report.

Hopefully will bring back lots of good memories then. I had the good fortune to share the campfire with Poen for about half of the hunt - he is a class act for sure! Ian lost his cell phone coming back from the floodplain one day and didn't realize it until we were almost back at camp. Poen and his client were going to the swamp early the next morning and he kept an eye out for it the whole way down. He saw it by the light of the cruiser barely sticking out of the sand about ten miles from camp in one of tracks on the road. Very easily could have run over it, but he was on the lookout. He put it in a palm tree and radioed Ben who passed it along to Bredger - disaster averted!

 

[Warren Knudsen]

Hopefully will bring back lots of good memories then. I had the good fortune to share the campfire with Poen for about half of the hunt - he is a class act for sure! Ian lost his cell phone coming back from the floodplain one day and didn't realize it until we were almost back at camp. Poen and his client were going to the swamp early the next morning and he kept an eye out for it the whole way down. He saw it by the light of the cruiser barely sticking out of the sand about ten miles from camp in one of tracks on the road. Very easily could have run over it, but he was on the lookout. He put it in a palm tree and radioed Ben who passed it along to Bredger - disaster averted!

Poen is a hard case, and a bloody good ph, the whole team that Mark has there are all first class, they have done a wonderfull job. Certainly bringing back lots of good memorys seeing the pics from the flight in, we did that also with Mark flying, it was amazing for my first trip to Africa.
Very lucky retrieving that phone.

 

[Ku-winda]

CAMP (I was going to do this one later, but decided better suited here)

After meeting the Mungari staff (a worthy group, who I’ll devote an entire section to at the end), we walked up to Camp and got settled into our respective quarters. It’s a tented camp with concrete floors, typical of what you would expect to see in a remote safari area, complete with a firepit in the middle and a common dining area where all meals were served. I believe there were ten tents in total and each one had one or two beds with an attached bathroom and shower. Hot water was delivered via a wood furnace and 55-gallon water drum behind each tent. The quarters were exceptionally clean and even the bed was quite comfortable. The grounds were reminiscent of what you would see in a park and were kept immaculate. There were three or four red duikers that called camp home, and they could be seen just about any time of day wandering about and feeding in the lush grass. Interestingly enough, they installed a swimming pool while we were there and we got to see it go from start to finish, all in a matter of three days. The dining area was awesome – it is open air on two sides and adorned with a number of unique skulls along with a multitude of “war trophies” from the anti-poaching unit like gin traps, spears and homemade muskets. We always gathered for breakfast and dinner, sometimes lunch, although a good many of those were held in the field. The food was excellent, the presentation was equally important, and the main course usually revolved around one of the game animals taken a day or two before. We never sat down to dinner without a prayer and over the course of 15 days heard it delivered in German, Afrikaans, English of course and one night even got it in Sena.

The skinning complex was on the other side of the airfield, roughly a quarter of a mile away. Most of the camp staff’s quarters were on that side of the airfield as well, so whenever you drove up with game, they were there in a matter of minutes. It looked pretty much like any other African skinning shed I had ever seen with the actual skinning area, saltwater vats, drying racks, etc. and a multitude of trophies and skins waiting to be shipped. Ian and I took great interest in looking through the other trophies every time we were over there, just imagining what the story was behind each skull.

Ngazi Camp was also in close proximity to the skinning complex and we went over there several times to hang out with Ben and Barb (more about them later). It is an original Portuguese camp from the 60’s with a ton of old-world charm and is set up to accommodate smaller groups. Rather than a tented camp, it had permanent rooms similar to rondavels I had become accustomed to in Zimbabwe. Very cool place and perfect for a single family. If memory serves me correctly, I believe they had three rooms, but it may have been four. They were also just in the final phases of completing a third camp while we were there. That one is called BamBala Camp and is probably a couple of miles away as the crow flies. It overlooks a huge pan, so should be some great game viewing straight from the lodge. I believe that one will be somewhere in between Ngazi and Mungari in terms of the number of people it will accommodate. Bottom line is you can’t go wrong at any of the camps, as each has their own unique features and charm.

Next: THE HUNT

 

[Ku-winda]

THE HUNT – October 9-23

Once we were all settled in, Bredger indicated we would go for a late cruise after getting our rifles zeroed, so we could start fresh the next morning. Bredger’s lead tracker Vosco along with Dylan’s tracker Alberto were waiting for us when we got to the cruiser. It was a fifteen minute drive to the range and Bredger set up a fresh target and then grabbed a few blankets from the cruiser for the bench. Ian took honors and his first shot was about two minutes high and one minute to the left. A second shot confirmed the first shot and after some minor adjustments to his scope, the third shot ripped the left side of the bull. Bredger was good with that and said let’s see what the old man can do. Amazingly enough, my first shot center–punched the bull and Bredger asked if I could do that again. The second shot was almost touching the first and Bredger nodded his approval – Vosco and Alberto were grinning as well, so I took that to mean they were pleased as well.

Ian was hunting with a CZ 550 in 9.3x62 that I had purchased from @Bonk a couple of years ago for his birthday. It was topped with a 2-7x Leupold scope and he was using Norma factory ammo with 286 grain A-frame bullets. I had asked Mark early on if he had any issues with Ian using that caliber on buffalo and without hesitation, he said “no”. He is a big fan of the A-frame bullets because of the herd situations on the delta and indicated the 9.3x62 has been performing admirably on this continent for the last 100 years. That was good enough for me and the reason we chose to bring that rifle along for his first safari.

I brought along my 404 Jeffery built on a GMA action that I had purchased from @ay2626 after my return from Australia in 2023. I had great success with my .375 on water buffalo, but was quite impressed by how much punishment they could take and thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a little more firepower. Consequently, I decided the 404J would fit that bill, went searching, and ultimately ended up with this rifle. It is topped with a Swarovski Z8i scope and I was using Swift factory ammo with 400 grain A-frame bullets.

Both Ian and I were using Swarovski 8x30 SLC binocs, which I’ve always thought to be the perfect African hunting optic – super light and plenty good field of view while stalking. Each of our rifles were completed Trader Keith canvas slings. I believe it was @Red Leg who had recommended them in a post about slings awhile back, so I thought it was worth a try. After using them on this trip with their wax stitching that won’t slip, I’ll never use anything else. Each of us had a culling belt, Ian with a canvas one I got from @SkullKeeper and I was using a leather one with canvas loops that Tim Fallon had helped design for FTW Ranch. Our foot gear for the dry land was the Salomon X Ultra 04 hiking boot, which was perfect for the terrain. We also used the Altima Maritime Assault shoe for our sortie in the swamps, and those could not have worked out any better as well.

In the months that followed our time together at the FTW Ranch in early January, Bredger and I talked on a regular basis, right up until the time he shipped out to Mozambique in May. After that, we still conversed via WhatsApp and consequently knew each other pretty well prior to the hunt even starting. Before we ever set foot in Africa, Bredger knew this hunt was all about Ian and my goal was to give him the full African experience. Yeah, the old man would get to pull the trigger a time or two, but Ian’s experience would be the primary focus. I indicated to Bredger that I had never been one to get caught up in the “tale of the tape” and that our goals were to harvest the oldest animals we could in fair chase and if we happened to get a big one in the process, well then, we would just count that as an added bonus! I told him hard hunting and long stalks would be right up our alley, so to please plan accordingly. He indicated that was music to his ears and would ensure Ian got the “full meal deal” with lots of stalking, tracking, etc. With that in mind, the game plan was set and the hunt could begin.

This is probably as good a time as any to bring our PH, Bredger Thomason into the fold. Bredger is a 20 plus year veteran of the North Texas Police Department in Denton, but has been hunting in Mozambique since the early 2000’s. His Aunt was a regular with ZDS and introduced him to the African experience early on as a bow hunter. He fell in love with the delta and made multiple trips over the years before Mark asked him if he would consider coming on to provide some expertise as a bow hunting PH. That’s how it all started, and his role expanded to where he now spends half his year with the PD in Denton and the balance of the year guiding clients for ZDS, both bow and rifle hunters. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first about having a Texan guide us in MOZ, but those fears were put to rest in short order after spending the first couple of days with him in the field. The fun meter with Bredger is at least a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, but when it’s go time. I cannot think of anyone I would rather have by my side than Bredger Thomason. He is the consummate professional and has the uncanny ability to judge animals as well as any PH I have ever been around. Bredger was armed with a Heym double rifle in 450 Nitro Express. I’m not sure of the model, but some of you Heym aficionados may be able to chime in when you see pics. He joined AH while we were in MOZ under the name of @Madhatter - most fitting, indeed!

DAY ONE

We were up early at 5:30 a.m. to the sound of Mr. Roundy exclaiming “good morning, Boss” and leaving hot coffee and cream on the table by my front porch. This was followed by a breakfast of bacon and eggs, which became the blueprint of our morning routine for the next 15 days. Vosco and Alberto already had our rifles on the cruiser, and we were on the road by 6:30 a.m. It wasn’t long before we started seeing animals, and did we ever see animals. I was a little surprised we didn’t stop to get a better look at them, but later learned Bredger, Vosco and Albereto were sizing them up on the fly and we wouldn’t waste time stopping unless they were worthy of a closer look.

The Coutada 11 hunting concession is comprised of 500,000+/- acres and has at least four (and maybe more) distinct ecosystems. I would break those down as Miombo woodlands, sand forests separated by huge open pans, the flood plains and finally the swamps. The animals varied by each eco-system and Bredger had a pretty good idea what we would encounter by the areas we went. Some of the animals were in all four of the eco-systems, while others were only found in one or two. On the first morning, we headed towards the sand forests. There was a pretty good chance there to run across sable, hartebeest, nyala or warthog and if lucky, we might even bump some buffalo. It wasn’t long before Ian got his first taste of an African stalk going after a nice warthog. The thick cover of the forest chalked up a win for the warthog, but it was a great start to the hunt and we were not discouraged by any stretch of the imagination. About mid-morning we eased into a huge pan and there were animals everywhere – reedbuck, oribi, warthog and sable. We stopped to glass and Bredger immediately barked for Ian to get his rifle – “I’ve got eyes on bushpig!” He shut off the cruiser and we went on another stalk. There was a male and female feeding on the far side of the pan. The wind was good, so we got out and hugged the tree-line for probably a quarter of a mile or so. By this time. the bushpigs had eased their way into forest and a game of cat and mouse ensued for the next twenty minutes. Bredger had Ian on the sticks one time, but they were moving about hurriedly, and he just couldn’t get a clean shot. We followed their tracks for another twenty minutes where they had moved out into another open pan. The bushpigs had disappeared into the high reeds near the center of the pan, but Bredger had already turned his attention elsewhere. He spied a loan bushbuck well off to our left flank and he was studying it intently.

It wasn’t long before Vosco had the sticks up and Ian was settling in. The bushbuck was aware of our presence, but did not appear to be overly concerned. He was slightly quartered away from us and was looking back over his shoulder, Bredger asked Ian if he was comfortable with the shot and Ian nodded yes. Bredger called out the distance at 141 yards and it wasn’t long before the rifle cracked out. The bushbuck went straight down and became the first of many one shot kills Ian had over the next 14 days. We exchanged a few high fives and started working our way out to the bushbuck. It was first time I had actually been in a pan on foot and it was like walking on a sinking sponge. We eventually made it out to the bushbuck and the shot from the 9.3x62 was perfect – the bullet had entered just behind his last rib and had gone out the opposite shoulder on the far side. Ian’s first African trophy was on the ground, and it was the perfect start to what would turn out to be an extraordinary safari. Vosco and Alberto along with Ian and I took turns packing the bushbuck out to the cruiser, which by this time was probably a half mile or so. This only added to the sense of accomplishment for Ian’s first animal and a highly successful first morning.

Next up: AFTERNOON LION ENCOUNTER