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

 

[Ku-winda]

AFTERNOON LION ENCOUNTER

While at lunch, Bredger got word the lion conservation team was going in search of a particular male lion to dart and give him a new tracking collar. The battery was just about gone on his existing one and the entire collar needed to be replaced. Bredger asked Ian and I if we wanted to tag along and almost in unison, said, “hell yeah!” We were both excited to learn more about what ZDS was doing to get the lion population up to huntable numbers and of course get the opportunity to see a lion up close and personal – this was indeed an unexpected treat! As I mentioned in the Prologue, Mark Haldane did a podcast on their lion program, and they started with 24 in 2018 and are now up to somewhere between 80 and 100 lions – a tremendous success any way you look at it. The game plan was to head down to the flood plain and hunt for targets of opportunity until we got word the lion had been located. This lion had been hanging out in a certain area, so they had a general idea of where to find him. Bredger indicated we would stay in the same vicinity and should have an especially good opportunity for waterbuck, zebra, sable or hartebeest out on the flood plain, but could potentially run across just about anything. I thought we had seen a lot of animals in the sand forests that morning, but nothing could have prepared me for what awaited us that afternoon as we traversed an old road on the edge of the flood plain. I kind of felt like I was in Ngorongoro Crater, as the sheer numbers and diversity of wildlife is something you have to see in person to fully appreciate. It was only then that I thought back to my conversation with Juan Carlos and was able to grasp what he was trying to tell me about this little Eden that is the Zambeze Delta. We cruised around for a couple of hours and did a little walk about, but in reality, were just killing time until we got a call about the lion, as Bredger didn’t want to risk slippage on any hides if we were to get something and it had to sit for a while. It was probably between three and three thirty when the radio barked, and Willem called out some coordinates on where to meet up. Bredger radioed back we could be there in 20 minutes, and we were on our way.

The Scientific Research Team for Coutada 11 is headed up by South African Wildlife Ecologist Willem Briers-Louw. He was assisted that day by conservation team member Tamar K., geneticist Caitlin C, and Govt. veterinarian Ignacio S., who would be administering the dart and the antidote. We met up at the intersection of two roads where the flood plain and what I will call for lack of a better term, a palm forest come together. After introductions and pleasantries, Willem gave us all a briefing on what was about to go down, along with the do’s and don’ts for the gallery. He indicated the lion was less than a quarter of a mile away, but it was a very weak signal. He also said they were tracking a lioness, which was also in very close proximity, and he felt almost certain they were together. We would take one vehicle in, so Ian and I climbed up on top to get the garden view and Bredger got in the back with his Heym double in tow.

We eased our way through a series of palm mottes at a snail’s pace while Willem and Tamar monitored the tracking device. After about 20 minutes the vehicle stopped abruptly and Willem slowly turned his head around, pointed to our 1 o’clock and mouthed “he’s right there!” Well, I was looking right where he was pointing and didn’t see anything but dry grass. We were but forty yards away and it was as if he wasn’t even there at all. About that time, a ray of sunlight slipped though the clouds and shone on the big cat as if it were spotlight. He was crouched down and you could only see him from his nose up – even when I knew exactly where he was, it was still hard to pick him up if you looked away for an instant. The thing that stood out the most to me were those piercing, yellow eyes! I’m sure those of you who have hunted lions know exactly what I’m talking about, but it was as if he was peering straight into my soul and is something I will not soon forget. And then out of nowhere, the lioness raised her head a mere two yards away from him – she had been completely concealed by the grass the whole time. We sat tight for a while, as it was still too far to shoot, hoping they would relax, and we could ease in closer. Soon they turned their attention away from us and started a bit of a courtship. It was playful at first, but soon turned rough, almost to the point I thought they were fighting, but ultimately culminated in a five second, wham, bam, thank you M’am! I later asked Willem if that’s how it usually goes down and he indicated that was a typical copulation. There was no cuddling afterwards and the lion slipped away through the tall grass not to be seen again that day. We watched and followed the lioness for the better part of an hour, hoping she would link back up with the male, but it just wasn’t in the cards that day. We did get to see her chase a young warthog, only to see him juke her at the very end and walk away unscathed. I had seen plenty of lions in Zim before, but usually they were only fleeting glimpses and never this close for an extended period of time. What struck me most about the entire ordeal was their similarity in mannerisms to the common house cat – it was uncanny, to say the least. Undiscouraged, Willem indicated we would try again tomorrow – it was a great first day on the Delta and well beyond all expectations!

Typical herds of waterbuck and zebra on the edge of the floodplain

Next up: THE HUNT HEATS UP

 

[Mauser3000]

I was worried you lost your keyboard. Glad to hear more of the story.

 

[Ku-winda]

I was worried you lost your keyboard. Glad to hear more of the story.

It's funny how work can get in the way of your literary aspirations sometime, lol!

 

[Frederik]

Enjoying the indept report.

 

[ay2626]

Really enjoying reading about your adventure. Thanks for the great write-up!

 

[Wiley64]

Man I have been thinking this exact trip is probably my next buffalo hunt after I go to rsa this summer. Really looks awesome!

 

[Ku-winda]

Ian was able to cut the video down of the lioness attacking the warthog to a condensed zip file. You can see the warthogs were going straight towards her, unaware of the danger ahead. She was crouched down and pounced at the last second, but the warthog won this day and walked away unscathed! It was pretty cool to view firsthand and just a microcosm of daily life on the delta!

 

[MMAL]

Great story and write up. Please keep going.

 

[Ku-winda]

THE HUNT HEATS UP

We still hadn’t met the other hunters in Mungari Camp yet, and that evening over dinner was the first time we had all been together. It became readily apparent in short order that we would have the good fortune to spend the next seven days with a contingent of five really good guys, all Southern gentlemen led by Georgia brothers Jay and Johnathan Roberts of Shoshone Adventure Consulting. Jay explained that he and Johnathan organized this trip to ZDS (a first for all of them) as part of the standard operating procedure they employ in vetting any new outfitter for their consulting business. You never quite know what the camp dynamics will be like when you have a blind draw with other hunters, but for this one, I can tell you it couldn’t have worked out any better. Between the five of them and a solid group of PH’s in Julian Moller, Rye Plettes, Poen Van Zyl and Staff Mbata, we could not have asked for a better group of guys to share a campfire with. If memory serves me correctly, Jay was hunting with Poen, Johnathan with Rye, Jon was with Staff and Julian picked up the father and son duo of Josh and Jonathan. And yes, that was a hell of a lot of J’s to deal with, but eventually, everyone got it down. Ben Rautenbach and Dylan Holmes were out of Coutada 11 at the time and Xavier Schutte was over at Ngazi camp with a bow hunter, but we got to see him a few days later. Jay and Johnathan each did a bit of bow hunting themselves along with their rifles, but I believe everyone else was predominantly rifle and all had many successes, regardless of discipline. Each night thereafter, dinner was spent recounting the collective adventures of the day and telling war stories of days long past, all of which contributed to the deepening of relationships that continue even to this day. The stars had aligned in my book, and I could tell it was going to be one hell of a safari!

The next morning was not unlike the first, but since we had a little farther to go, we were on the road by 6:00 a.m. Our truck “lineup” was pretty much always the same with Vosco on the right side sitting directly behind Bredger so they could communicate, with Alberto standing in the bed next to the spare tire so he could cover the left side field of view (and also confer with Vosco), while Ian and I would take turns between the cab upfront and the bench seat next to Vosco. We always joked with Bredger that we drew straws to see who “had” to sit with him. In reality, we each welcomed the opportunity to hang out with Bredger, not only for the education on all things delta related, but also for pure entertainment value, which was substantial! On that particular morning, I happened to be on the back with Vosco and Alberto. Bredger had indicated when we turned in the night before that we would go back to the same area on the flood plain where we had seen so much game just prior to the call from Willem. Ian and I were fully on board with that plan, although I wasn’t quite sure how much that area would differ between a morning and evening hunt. I soon had my answer, as the game was equally plentiful as it had been the afternoon before. We saw nyala, reedbuck, waterbuck, warthog and hartebeest in extraordinary numbers and spatterings of other plains game here and there as well. We kept passing warthogs that were equal to or better than ones I had taken in Zim, but Bredger would just cruise right on by. I finally tapped on the cab to query him on the matter. He got out of the cruiser and said, “there isn’t a single stone anywhere on the delta, and these warthogs just don’t wear their tusks down as much as they do elsewhere. Combine that with hitting the appropriate age and you will see that we get some real whoppers down here. You’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about when you see one of the big ones for the first time! You must also remember there was no lion pressure here for many, many years and they only had to contend with poachers and our hunters – consequently, they had ample opportunity to multiply and we have huge numbers. You will come to see that a big warthog is one of the wiliest creatures out here and when you get one, it will be a real accomplishment.” Obviously, that got our attention, and we were anxious to lay eyes on one of these old bruisers.

Well, it didn’t take long, and almost as if on cue, we saw a granddaddy within the next twenty minutes. The old boar was on his knees grubbing, maybe 80 yards off to our right as we rounded a bend in the road. It looked as if he had a pair of ivory flashlights sticking straight out from each side of his mouth and I now understood what Bredger was talking about. There wasn’t much curve to this one and his mass was undeniable. We all pretty much saw him at the same time and Bredger immediately stopped and shut off the cruiser. The boar instantly scrambled back across the road to our left and settled in a stand of palms. We had pre-determined Ian would be first up on warthog, so Vosco handed him his 9.3x62 and we were soon in hot pursuit of one big tusker, single file. Vosco took the lead with sticks, followed by Bredger with his Heym 450 NE double, then Ian as the shooter, next came Alberto and finally me the non-hunter, taking up the rear, but always with the Jeffery in tow. Essentially this was how every stalk went, with only Ian and I switching places, depending on who was the shooter. Bredger never let us forget we were in lion country and that everyone in the group had an obligation to be on high alert, regardless of where you were in line or what we were pursuing. Consequently, we didn’t ever leave the cruiser without three rifles in hand.

The road we were on dissected the huge flood plain on our left from the palm forests on our right. I was surprised the boar had chosen to head for the flood plain rather than the dense cover of the forest. He turned and went straight downwind from us, working his way from palm motte to palm motte, which became further and further apart as he approached the true flood plain. Bredger whispered, “if he makes it out there, we will never see him again.” We got plenty of quick looks at him over the next quarter of a mile or so, but never long enough to get Ian settled on the sticks – there was a reason this warthog had some age to him. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the density of wildlife in Coutada 11 is both a blessing and a curse. It’s great when you are in search of an animal, but often makes stalks much more challenging, as some of the unintended quarry often tend put a kink in your plans. Such was the case on this stalk, as we had reedbuck, oribi and other warthogs give away our position at the most inopportune times, usually when it was just about to go down. I won’t forget that last glimpse we got of the big boar, as he made it to the edge of the flood plain, only to disappear in plain sight in a sea of grass and nettle. As we walked back to the cruiser, Bredger looked at me and said, “now THAT was a proper boar!” I chuckled and said “I get it now, but would have loved to have seen Ian put that one in the salt.” Bredger replied, “well, some days may be good, some days may be shit!”, which I believe he plagiarized from a famous soccer player in an interview after a disheartening loss. Regardless, we all laughed, and that phrase became our mantra for the remainder of the hunt. We came back multiple times looking for that same boar over the next thirteen days, but he was never to be seen again.

Were we disappointed? Not in the very least - after all, father and son were in Africa together, sharing an experience neither one of us would ever forget. That same scenario played out countless times over the remainder of the hunt – sometimes we were successful and sometimes we decided it just wasn’t the right one when we got in close, but often times we just had to tip our caps to the animals, as they would manage to give us the slip without a shot ever being fired. All contributed to the experience, and I can remember each one in great detail with much fondness, regardless of the outcome.

Stalking the big warthog

Undiscouraged, we went down the road a couple of miles and decided a walkabout was in order. It started out much the same as the last stalk, single file with Vosco in the lead. This time we were going into the wind and working our way into the palm forest. We saw multiple animals, but none that quite fit the bill of what we were looking for. After a mile or so we saw a huge herd of hartebeest well off to our right walking parallel to us, all in single file. We stopped and watched them for a few minutes, and they just kept coming, and coming, and coming. Bredger and Vosco chatted for a minute before easing back our way to let us know there were some old bulls in that group. I’m guessing there were probably at least 70 or so, perhaps more. Vosco indicated they would be trying to make their way to the flood plain as well, so we needed to get out in front and cut them off. We eased back out to gain more cover and then picked up the pace to a trot to try and beat them to the pass, so to speak. Hartebeest was on my tag, so it was time for Craig to come out of the bullpen and slip into the shooters chair for this opportunity. The big herd had beat us to the punch and at least a quarter of them were already out onto the flood plain. We did, however, manage to get set up in a palm motte, which was the very last bit of meaningful cover before the wide-open expanse. They were still single file at this point and didn’t seem to be in a big hurry, so Bredger, Vosco and Alberto started the process of picking out an old bull. We were all still breathing pretty hard from the run, so it was nice to take a few minutes to settle down and catch our breath. I was looking back to the right where the main herd was coming in from and noticed a dozen zebras had joined in the parade. I alerted Bredger and told him if there was a good stallion in the mix, let’s call an audible and put Ian on him. Based on the number of Hartebeest we had seen in a day and a half, I thought we should take advantage of the situation at hand and chase Hartebeest later. Bredger agreed and soon picked out the stallion. The range was 222 yards and there was no opportunity to get any closer. Bredger asked Ian if he was comfortable with that shot and Ian nodded in the affirmative. Ian was going through his progressions and when the stallion stopped, he squeezed off a round. The stallion reared up at the shot and immediately hit the ground. He was struggling to get up again though and Bredger gave the command for a follow up shot. It seemed like a smaller target at this point, so the FTW/SAAM training kicked in, and Ian instinctively went prone and had another round in that zebra within 15 seconds – just one more advantage of that cartridge. The whole thing went down in three or four minutes and just like that, Ian had his first zebra.

Bredger and Vosco walked back to retrieve the truck, while Ian, Alberto and I went out to admire his zebra, and what a zebra it was. It was the first Selous Zebra I had ever seen up close and was amazed at the difference between this family and the Chapman’s or Burchell’s Zebra. For starters, there was a whole lot more black than white and there wasn’t a shadow stripe to be found anywhere. It was an absolutely stunning animal with amazing markings! We did an autopsy while waiting for the cruiser to arrive and there were two shots within four inches of each other, both within the Sergeant’s stripe, but the first was just a tad low. That turned out to be the last second shot that was required from Ian for the duration of the safari, and there were some difficult shots to come – you could say he was in the zone now. On the zebra's backside we found one of the 286 gr A-frames lodged under the skin, but there was no sign of the other one. We would have the skinners dig them out upon our return. We got some celebratory pics and then loaded him up quickly, as Bredger wanted this one back at the skinning shed before it got too hot. Ian was grinning from ear to ear all the way back, in a manner that would become all too familiar in the days and weeks ahead.

Ian locking in on the zebra

Going prone

Ian and Bredger

Ian and Craig

stunning markings!

Next up: THE DAY’S NOT OVER

 

[Ku-winda]

THE DAY’S NOT OVER

We got back early from the morning hunt, so had a bit of time to chill before lunch and catch up on emails, etc. After another fine lunch, Ian and I both took the opportunity to take a siesta, as we still hadn’t quite adjusted to the change in time yet. We actually got in a solid two hours of sleep, so both felt refreshed going into the afternoon hunt. We backtracked the same way we had come that morning, looking for targets of opportunity, with no particular species in mind. We weren’t thirty minutes into our hunt when we got a radio call from Willem advising that they had found the male lion again and asking if we wanted to participate. The conversation with Bredger was again a short one, as Ian and I both were chomping at the bit to partake in this project. Given the wariness of the lion the day before and the fact he was with another male now, Willem felt their best chance to get him darted was to go in alone with a smaller crew and then radio us once he was down for the count. Consequently, we got the coordinates and went out in that general vicinity to await further instructions. They caught up to the lion maybe a mile or so out into the flood plain under a lone tree with another male. We made our way to the edge of the flood plain where we could see Willem’s cruiser and the lone tree, but that’s about it. Then the waiting game started. Willem’s cruiser never moved, so we weren’t quite sure what was happening. Consequently, we took this delay as an opportunity to imbibe in a little bit of Mozambique’s finest brew - Mac-Mahon or 2M. Now I’m not a beer connoisseur by any stretch, but I’d stack 2M up against just about anything I’ve ever had. It became a staple over the next 13 days, but now I digress.

After about an hour, we saw Willem’s cruiser start creeping along and then finally coming to a stop. It wasn’t long after that before we got a call from Willem, advising us to start making our way out towards the big tree – the cat had been darted. Bredger cut straight across the flood plain towards the tree in the distance. What had appeared as flat ground to me before, was in reality about as rough as the moonscape. There were huge craters from wallows and countless mud dried hoof prints that made it extremely rough and slow going. We ultimately arrived at our destination, and it was well worth the wait. When we pulled up, Willem directed us where to park. Between our two cruisers and the one lone tree, we tried to create what amounted to a boma around the big cat that lay on the ground before us. Apparently, his partner in crime only went about 80 yards or so and laid down, so was still in very close proximity. Vosco and Alberto were all too happy to stand on top of the cruiser to keep eyes on that other cat, just in case he decided to come join us.

Ian and I each had our assigned roles – I was going to help Willem change out the lion’s old collar and Ian was going to assist Tamar in getting all of the big cat’s measurements. The first thing that really jumped out at both of us was the sheer size of this animal. You cannot get any perspective on how big this animal truly is until you are sitting right next to him. This one was obviously a fighter, as he had multiple wounds, most likely from protecting his territory. There was a limited time to get everything done, so it kind of felt like we were a MASH unit working in unison. Ignacio started an IV, treated all of the cat’s wounds with tincture violet and also took blood samples while Caitlin went about gathering various types of DNA for her research and Tamar took a multitude of measurements for her ongoing database. Willem oversaw the entire operation and ensured the collar was replaced properly. Bredger of course had our six and made sure it was only a one cat party. I asked Willem how old he thought the big cat was and he said he had all the characteristics of a five to seven-year-old and was probably somewhere in that 500-pound range. We completed our mission, all while taking a multitude of pictures to memorialize the event. We loaded up and left just as Ignacio was getting ready to administer the antidote. It was definitely the highlight of the trip for me, and I was humbled to be in the presence of the king of beasts. The experience moved me so much that I committed to Willem and team that I would do everything I could going forward to help them achieve their mission of returning these big cats to their rightful place in the delta, and I intend to fulfill that promise.

We were all on a high as we headed back to camp with a 2M in hand, as each of us recounted the events of that afternoon from our own perspective. It was the fitting end to a glorious day, and we all knew how very fortunate we were to be right there, at that very place and time, in one of the great conservation efforts of our generation.

Ignacio checking vitals

Ian and Craig with the big cat

Tamar giving instructions on the collar

Getting the new collar ready with Caitlin (check out the wounds)

Final adjustments

Ignacio preparing IV

Mission accomplished - Ignacio and Willem

What big teeth you have

A big set of mitts!

Cat's claw

Taking chest measurement

Ian, Craig and Bredger bidding adieu to the big cat

Next up: THE SKINNING SHED GETS BUSY