MOZAMBIQUE: Heading To Mozambique With Simon Leach From Traditional Mozambique Safaris

[siml]

@buffybr, here's what we had tonight over the fire! Of cause we had to wash it down with famous Mozambique rum. You know what that means

 

[Ridgewalker]

Where’s the Mozambique rum?

 

[ActionBob]

Where’s the Mozambique rum?

By now? Most likely behind a couple trees at camp

 

[Nyati]

Welcome to AH, Neil, have fun in Mozambique!

 

[siml]

Well tomorrow is our last day of hunting. Gents from New Zealand kicked our butts in the rugby, having a rugby fanatic client is bitter pill to swallow.

 

[flatwater bill]

Kiwis are fearless...............nothing more dangerous than being in a Kiwi rugby scrum.............especially for the hooker........hope the hunt was a great one...........looking forward to a return trip.................all the best............................FW Bill

 

[ROCKET]

That looks really good Simon.....I have been wanting to be there for three years........only know I will.......I will.......waiting for more pics guys.....!!!!

 

[siml]

We arrived safely at Nampula Airport, now for flights home.

 

[Royal27]

We arrived safely at Nampula Airport, now for flights home.

Nampula?

Why did I think you flew out of Xai-Xai?

 

[dory]

RUM ?
My favouite tipple .
Cold beer in the fridge , rum on ice !!!
When do you find time to hunt ???
Im liking this tripp more by the minute !!

 

[siml]

@dory, good hunter always works a brilliant plan.

 

[CAustin]

Any pictures from the hunt @Traditional Mozambique Safaris

 

[siml]

@CAustin, I am sure Neil will add photos with his report.

 

[siml]

@Royal27, Xai-Xai.....??

 

[Foxi]

@buffybr, here's what we had tonight over the fire! Of cause we had to wash it down with famous Mozambique rum. You know what that means

View attachment 206223

it looks like Simons sneakers are inside.
Roasted by low temperature.
No wonder,that you need a lot of rum

 

[Neil P]

Just got home Simon. Approx 50 hrs travel since we left camp and maybe 5 hrs sleep tops. Qantas cancelled our flight out of Sydney yesterday so had to o/nite there and get an Air NZ flight this morn. - Shit happens aye. Gonna try catch some sleep now

 

[siml]

Glad to hear that you home safely. You can never trust the Aussies
@bluey

Thanks for making the trip such a great time, good to learn a few new tricks from another professional hunter.

 

[Neil P]

It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t start this report about my latest hunt in Mozambique with Simon Leach of Traditional Moz Safaris by taking a look back at how I came to be there in the first place.

Twelve months ago I set out for Zambia to hunt with Adam Buske – PH for Pete Swanepols’ Safari Bwana. A friend of mine here in NZ had booked a Buff hunt but had to pull out because of a bad back. I replaced him on the hunt at fairly short notice.

Adam and partner Josien picked me up at Lusaka airport (19 hrs flying time to get there) and we drove about 4 hrs to his concession on the Kafue river. While the main target was the Buff I was also keen on a Sable antelope – one of the great African trophies in my eyes. The first afternoon a big male elephant walked into camp to eat figs off the tree less than 20 metres from the dining table. A helluva sight considering that it was my first encounter with said species. Later in evening we drove down to the neighbouring concession to pick up a gun (.375) as I am over travelling with one if I can avoid it. A step up from the good ole .308 I’m used to using at home here in NZ.

Sun 16th Oct – Up at 5am and out to look for Buffalo. Not a lot of animals about but it was full moon. We did see Kudu, Hartebeest, Warthog, Bushbuck, Reedbuck, Impala, Duiker, Puku and Grysbok. Buff tracks but no hair. Back late morn for lunch and a nap then back out for the avo hunt. A mob of zebra and more Puku which were plentiful along the river.

Mon 17th – I missed a nice Bushbuck in morn after spotting it before the trackers on the back of the bakkie. We found the Buff sign late morning and after a bit of driving around to get the wind right started a stalk. We heard the Buff immediately some 100 metres ahead and quickly closed the gap. Adam and one of the trackers were 20 metres ahead when I looked to the right and saw a big Buff standing 50 metres away looking right at us. I had to get Adams attention and pointed it out. Hell they’d just walked right past him. Turned out there was a group of several animals laying under some cover. There was a nice bull laying down but on a terrible angle for a shot so we waited a bit and then he suddenly stood up. Sticks up,

“quick shoot him” Adam hissed

I fired and pulled left. Gun didn’t quite go off when I expected but he went down in a screaming heap with a bullet in the neck.

“give him another in the shoulder” says Adam

So I did and my first encounter with a Cape buffalo ended with a pat on the Buffs back and a heap of photos. A duiker met the same fate as we returned to camp with the spoils of the chase.

 

[Neil P]

Tues 18th – A quiet morning seeing a couple Bushbuck and Hippos in the river by camp. Crocs too were not an uncommon sight in the river. The avo was a hunt for Sable which had been seen drinking water near the game scouts huts up the front of property. We got in on a herd in some thick cover and a quick and rushed shot at a bull resulted. Things happened really fast and I heard the bullet hit with a thump from about 50 metres. I think a slight deflection off some foliage in front meant the bullet found a different path to it’s target than the one intended. The big bull raced off with Adam and one of the trackers leading the charge after it. Adam got a shot off and succeeded only in blowing half a horn off which we picked up a couple hundred metres away while tracking. We tracked the animal for about 2 hours til dark intervened.

Wed 19th – Back to where we left the trail the night before, the trackers Fred & Moses did a superb job tracking from 7am til 2pm when we called it a day some 10 km from where we started out. The hot African sun had worn everybody down and the bull had mixed up with some more Sable and the track was lost. They said if he survived he had to come back to get water. Maybe there was still hope. On the way back to camp we saw Roan and a couple lions at a waterhole.

Thurs 20th – Quiet day, checked Sable area for sign of a return of the bull and in avo hunted along river for bushbuck seeing about seven but nothing trophy wise.

Fri 21st – Shot a nice Bushbuck near camp on way out. Checked Sable area again and saw a big Kudu bull with one horn broken half way up. Saw a croc in river by my hut and the Hippos sunning across from us. Caught a few pyke and bream at camp instead of the usual midday nap. Quiet avo hunt didn’t produce anything of note.

Sat 22nd – Hunted for Kudu bulls that had been seen but only 9 cows seen for effort. The waterhole had seen a lion kill with vultures sitting in tree. We couldn’t see the kill and strangely nobody was keen in going into the bushes to find it either. Bunch of scaredycats those trackers!!! Couple days later found the remains of a Roan they’d eaten.

Checked out an old steam engine from 1903. Made in Rochester England it was shipped over to cart the copper from the mines. Should be in a museum but just abandoned in the bush.

Adam took me for a drive around the large Mushingashi concession next door which Adam had previously managed. A lot of game was seen with Waterbuck, some bushpigs and a family of 3 Oribi along with two large male lions laying asleep. We drove to within 25 metres and took pics. They barely opened an eye to look at us and pretty much completely ignored us.

Avo we took the boat downstream to fish for Pyke and Bream. Saw Crocs and plenty Hippo which was a little disconcerting weaving through them in our little boat. Negotiating the shallows in the near dark was interesting, trying to avoid the rocks I was up the bow calling to Adam when to lift the motor so we didn’t lose the prop.

 

[Neil P]

Sun 23rd – Checked the Sable area for tracks and found the herd with unbelievably my bull back with them. Missed out on a shot but couldn’t believe I had another chance at him. We left them for a couple hours to settle down and then stalked after them again. Another encounter with the herd and it was all on again. He walked across in front at about 70 metres briefly giving me a sighter but turned and walked directly away as I nestled onto the shooting sticks.

“Shall I shoot him up the ahole Adam” I enquired

“Yes yes just hit him and we’ll get him” he assured me.

Boompha and down he went but up again and away with Adam and Fred racing after him. Not sure why as I had the gun. (though Adam was armed as well) I could see the bull standing looking back after a mad hundred metre sprint but I couldn’t really shoot with them in front and besides I was sucking in some big ones. Adam tried to shoot but his gun didn’t go off for some reason. Lucky it wasn’t a charging Buff. We tracked the bull for another 2 hrs before darkness put an end to proceedings. I was starting to feel a bit down about the whole affair at dinner that night but Adam assured me we’d find the bull in the morning. I wasn’t so sure........

Mon 24th – Back in pursuit of the ghost that my Sable had become. Fred & Moses did an extraordinary feat in tracking the bull for 9 hours and through the heat of the day. They said he was just keeping ahead of us watching his back and always swinging downwind of us so he could smell us before we could get to him. Having 5 of us crunching along wasn’t helping a whole lot either making far too much noise for my liking. I hunt sika a lot in the bush here in NZ and you can’t make any noise at all or they are on to you and gone. There was a sombre feel to dinner that night.

Tues 25th - Back to the fray and another 3 hrs tracking the dark ghost of Africa. We found where he’d been laying up but still he had the will to get up and run once more. With him went any realistic chance I might of had of ending this drama on a positive note. We continued on the spoor heading back towards the road. At one stage it appeared another Sable had crossed the track and fed confusing the trackers. I went out to the side and slightly ahead while Fred and Moses were sorting out where my bull had gone. A noise had me spinning around to see a sable bull running but trees prevented me getting a shot off. Adam had kept saying just shoot if any chance presented itself. Well just as well I didn’t cos after a brief follow up we saw him again and it had both horns so different sable. The boys seemed to give up at that point and we returned to the vehicle half hours walk away.

On way back to camp I shot a nice impala and then a Baboon that was a bit too smart for his own good. In the avo we checked the roads to see if my sable had crossed anywhere

Wed 26th – Checked the roads for sign again and then headed for Lusaka to start the long journey home.

The one thing I had really wanted to witness was African trackers doing their thing and I’d got that with bells on with a total of 23 hours spent tracking, but not to the extent of not recovering the animal. Adam kept checking the area after I left but no sign was found of the dark ghost. I’d learnt a fair bit on this hunt - about sable antelope

To be continued.............