Although there are many of us who yearn to shoot an elephant of this calibre there are very few hunters dedicated enough to hold out for a really big jumbo.  Honestly, who’s to blame us mere mortals?  If I have an old bull sporting thick 5 foot toothpicks in my sights, which probably puts him in the mid 60-70 lb. range, I would never hesitate pulling the trigger.  This would be a trophy of the highest quality and a hunt anyone would remember.

However, there are individuals that for unknown reasons head off to the most remote corners of the African continent, many times on nothing more than a whisper, in hope that there may be one of the really big boys around.  Perhaps these hunters have read too many Hemingway or Ruark Novels or maybe they are sadomasochists and get pleasure from tromping around under the hot African sun.

The Niassa Province holds some of the truly big tuskers left on the continent and every year we have at least 1 client who is looking for that hundred pounder.  This year was no exception.  From our very first conversation the hunter explained that he wouldn’t even consider pulling the trigger on an ele under 80 lbs and would only be likely to shoot if it was closing in on the century mark. After several telephone calls and emails back and forth the client committed to joining us on a safari in 2009.

The hunt started off on the wrong foot with the client’s initial flight being delayed causing him to miss all of his connecting flights.  Then a very unseasonable early rain made the roads a bit soft for the first few days of hunting, but finally a little bit of sun firmed them up and the hunt’s luck started to change.  The upside to the early rain was that it made tracking easier for our team.

Within the first week we had been able to show the client a couple of average fifty pounders, but nothing close to what he was targeting.  Then after day ten the team cut a very big track.  The footpad showed all of the telltale signs of an old elephant; a smooth center with large cracks on the edge.

Like most elephant hunts the next 2 days were spent hour after hour following the spoor of the large bull, picking up on day two where they had left the track after the first day.

Late in the afternoon on the second day the party finally closed in on the old bull getting within 20 yards of him in a bamboo stand.  Vast stands of bamboo occur along the many rivers in our areas and this is where the elephants like to hang out to avoid the midday heat.  After waiting for him to turn the group finally glimpsed his ivory.

The PH estimated it to be in the mid 60 pound range.  Now the moment of truth, with a good bull in his sites would the client continue to hold out for bigger or settle on a great trophy?

Without hesitating the client said he was not interested and after admiring the old bull for a few more minutes the group slowly eased away and headed back to the cruiser.  This scenario played out a couple more times on the hunt, this jumbo was the largest observed though, each time with the client admiring the largest land mammal and then declining to shoot.

Even though he didn’t fire a single shot the hunter is already planning to come back next year and spend another few weeks with us in search of a 100 pounder.

Until Next Time Good Hunting and Safe Travels!

Visit our website at www.safrique.net

Matt Hulley-Miller

MD Safrique, Mozambique.

With the return of peace and political stability in Mozambique, coupled with a smooth transition to democracy, the country has reclaimed its status as one of Africa’s treasures. The atmosphere is bright and optimistic as roads, bridges and hotels are built, and development forges ahead at full speed.

Come experience Mozambique at this very exhilarating and distinctive moment in its history with Safrique as your safari guide.

The promotional hunting video below will be featured on African Hunting Gazette’s Safari Newsreel Convention Issue coming out in December.

At the beginning of the season, I was approached by some of the local trackers and told they thought that I should get a Mudzimo or witch doctor to come and give us his blessing because the spirits were not happy and they feared we would have bad luck on our safaris. I immediately shrugged off the idea and told them to stop their nonsense, at which point they shook their heads, muttered their disapproval and shuffled back to their quarters.

The first hunt started and as I previously wrote about our client’s bag that contained all of his hunting gear, including his boots, didn’t arrive to camp. The saga continued throughout his hunt and the bag was not located until after he was back in the U.S.

Next, the first buffalo that was shot this season was hit high on the shoulder and never presented an opportunity for a follow-up shot.  After relentlessly tracking the buff for three days the blood spoor finally ran out and we had to write the buffalo off as lost.

The second hunt of the season was for leopard. In this densely populated area there is literally potential for a leopard to be in every tree. The baits were hung and with expectations running high the hunters checked their baits religiously every day for the next week.  Each day the hunting party returned to camp with the same news as the day before……..nothing. The trackers who had spoken to me before about the Mudzimo plucked up the courage once more and literally demanded that I arrange a visit otherwise they knew no leopard would come to bait.  With nothing to lose I reluctantly arranged the visit.

We arrived back at camp after driving for six hours to fetch the Mudzimo and it was immediately clear the staff were terrified of him. We assembled everyone in the staff quarters that afternoon and upon instruction from the Mudzimo took off our shoes, arranging ourselves in a circular fashion. The ritual now began.  After about an hour of clapping and chanting he held some “magic” maize meal between his hand and mine and said the blessing was complete.

That afternoon the hunting party went and sat at the only bait that had been hit by a cat. Within a few hours I could hear the truck approaching with the trackers singing and shouting congratulations to our client, sure enough he had taken a big tom leopard.

The PH rushed over to me with the trail cam that had been positioned at the bait and motioned for us to come have a look at it. We crowded around the viewfinder and there were pictures of the cat feeding at exactly the same time as the Mudzimo was giving us his blessing!

Until Next Time Good Hunting and Safe Travels!

Visit our website at www.safrique.net

Matt Hulley-Miller.

MD Safrique, Mozambique

We, as a company that operates two such rugged concessions, are very forthright with our clients about the style of hunting and the physical demands that the Niassa terrain dictates.  However, hunters that are prepared to do some walking and not see herds of 200 hand fed antelope should seriously consider visiting one of the last true Safari destinations.  Niassa presents an opportunity to see Africa through the eyes of Selous and Bell.  There is no modern infrastructure encroachment leaving the bush intact and pristine.  The stunning beauty of the Lugenda River flowing between inselbergs that unexpectedly jut through the miombo forest is truly a sight worth beholding.

The Niassa Reserve alone, where our Block L1 concession is located, is home to the densest population of large predators found anywhere outside of a national park.  Even the nocturnal leopard can usually be seen slinking through the grass a couple times per safari.  The roars of lions voicing their dominance and the whoops of hyenas calling each other to feed will drift into your camp lulling you to sleep or perhaps keeping you awake. It’s not uncommon to see sign the next morning from these nightly callers wandering amongst your chalets, drawn in by the aroma from the skinning shed or kitchen.

We still conduct Safaris in a manner befitting the image that the word invokes.  Mornings are spent waking up to the gentle knock of your chalet attendant, followed by steaming cup of coffee and tea.  Your days will be spent walking behind your professional hunter and his crack team of trackers hot on the spoor of your quarry.  A midmorning or noon meal will be taken in the field and will consist of venison sandwiches and cold salads.  After a successful hunt the evening will be spent around a campfire with a sun-dower in hand as you watch a magnificent sunset.  .  This view may be from our mountain camp perched atop an inselberg that looks across the entire Rovuma Valley or from a camp on the Lugenda or Lussanhando Rivers watching the water flow lazily past.  A dinner of wild game or continental cuisine will top off your day.

As stated, these areas are vast and are criss-crossed by approximately 1,000 kilometres of winding bush tracks we have developed.  Feeding in vleis beside the bush tracks a healthy population of Lichtenstein Hartebeest, Waterbuck, Reedbuck, and Niassa Wildebeest and can be found.  Additionally, Kudu, Eland and Zebra can be seen browsing through the miombo woodland.  Along the many river courses we pursue the more dimunitive species of antelope like Bushbuck, Red Duiker and Livingstone Suni.  The topographical characteristics along with the opportunity to take several plains game species as well as 6 of the Dangerous 7 make Niassa Province a true Safari destination awaiting any rough and ready hunters.

Until Next Time Good Hunting and Safe Travels!

Visit our website at www.safrique.net

Matt Hulley-Miller

MD Safrique, Mozambique

Now what does this have to do with hunting in Mozambique?  Well I am pretty sure that same lion somehow made it back to the wilds of the Niassa Province, “Along the way realizing it’s definitely not in Kansas anymore,” and ended up feeding on a hindquarter of eland in our Block L1 Concession.

We had been seeing good sign of lion all season, but unfortunately had struck out prior (our first ever) to this hunt.  While driving and checking leopard baits the hunting party bumped into the eland hindquarter that hadn’t been taken down, on purpose as many times leopards will also feed on our lion baits, from the hunt before.  They caught a glimpse of a large tawny-colored cat slinking away through the elephant grass and after examining the bait site determined that it was a big male.

The client confirmed he wouldn’t be against getting an opportunity to shoot a lion on his 14 day leopard x plains game hunt and thereafter a blind was erected and the bait pile topped off with some fresh meat.  Our PH then wisely gave the lion a day to feed and settle down again after having been disturbed.  The next afternoon found the party in the blind and after a couple hours of sitting with expectations high the cat materialized in front of the bait.

The PH took a few minutes examining the lion trying to confirm that it was 6+ years old, the requirement we hold ourselves to in all of our concessions and that the Niassa Reserve mandates in its management areas, which include Block L1.  Quickly enough it became apparent that this was an old warrior on the downhill side of his life and the client was given the okay to shoot when he was ready.  The client took his time, waited for the cat to position himself favourably and then drove home a well-placed shot.  The lion broke into a “death run” and tumbled to the ground a short distance from the bait.

I am sure everyone’s adrenaline was pumping as they approached the downed cat.  Sure enough it had expired and our client had a great trophy.  The interesting part began after the kill though, when upon examining the lion our PH discovered it was nearly toothless and sported more scars than a retired prize fighter.  He stated that he had never seen a cat this old and estimated it to be 10+ years.  Since we participate in the Niassa Carnivore Project the lion will be aged officially and we will find out his true age in a few months.  Taking old lions is nothing new as we and other operators in the Niassa Reserve do it year after year.

This is a true testament to the conservation practices and sustainable use policies that have been put in place and that we adhere to stringently.

Until Next Time Good Hunting and Safe Travels!

Visit our website at www.safrique.net

Matt Hulley-Miller

MD Safrique, Mozambique

The topic of leopard hunting has always been shrouded in controversy with the most common arguments revolving around the ethics of baiting, hunting from a blind, using hounds and hunting at night with the use of a spot light. It is difficult to apply the same rules to leopard hunting in general as all regions have their own unique topography and history of pressure on the leopard population. This then has a direct effect on the way leopards are hunted there. For example, in an area such as the Kalahari, which consists mainly of sparse vegetation and soft sand, it is more practical to track leopards on foot than it is in an area where the ground is hard and the bush is thick. In the same way topography and pressure will affect the necessity to hunt at night with the aid of a spot light. 

In our Niassa blocks, which are dominated by tall grass that can reach up to fourteen foot high, it is just not practical to track leopards on foot like in the Kalahari. In areas where the grass is burned and the ground is bare, the chances of tracking a leopard are equally as slim as the soft pad and light gate of the sleek cat will leave no impression in the earth. This is not to say that it can’t be done. What it does mean, however, is that the chances of success are far less compared to baiting and sitting in a blind.  At the end of the day a leopard is an extremely alert and intelligent animal and even hunting from a blind is a huge challenge and not guaranteed.

The use of a spot light is legal in Mozambique and many cats are taken at night with its use. Leopards are nocturnal animals and the difference between one that comes into the bait at night versus one that feeds during the day often has no rhyme or reason. While conducting our first leopard hunt of the 2009 season, we set up a series of trail cams at bait sites, but with no blinds or people to cause disturbance. We had one large tom feed at 13h45 in the mid day heat, a female that fed just after last light and a young male that would come to the bait like clockwork at midnight. We conducted this study during a new phase moon when you would think all the cats would be feeding just before dark. We find the leopards in our Niassa areas to be much more likely to come into baits during daylight than say more “educated” cats in places like Zimbabwe where years of pressure have made them smarter. The explanation for the different feeding times of these leopards could be anything from the proximity to water, to the temperament of the individual animal or even to some other disturbance it may have encountered on its way in to the bait.  

We are lucky to operate two concessions in the Niassa Province in what may well be the most densely populated area for leopards left in Africa today. The large amount of small prey such as duikers, warthogs, cane rats and guinea fowl along with very light hunting pressure are the primary reasons for this. Topography in our area dissuades us from tracking leopards like in the Kalahari, but the history of light hunting pressure dictates that the cats, even very old toms, will come into baits during daylight and hence we opt to shoot our cats, of which we currently boast 100% success rate, during daylight hours.  Even though we do not see night hunting of leopards as unethical, watching a cat in the tree during the day is much more enjoyable for the client and ourselves.  

Visit our website: www.safrique.net

Matt Hulley-Miller, MD Safrique

As our office staff scrambled to track down the clients bag; proper shoes, clothes and ammo were donated to his cause by our PH’s.  With the buffalo hunt underway the search for the lost bag continued.  Is it in Johannesburg, Lilongwe, Seattle or Atlanta?  These were all places that the airline carrier told us they had located the bag.  At one point they guaranteed us it was in Jo’burg and we made the decision to send a staff member from Maputo to collect it so we could then ship it up to the camp.  After spending a full day there we returned empty handed.  It ended up never having left Seattle, but this was only discovered when the client arrived home, needless to say with sore feet after walking in unfamiliar boots for 10 days.

Even though this client had a very successful hunt there were precautions that could have been taken to minimize the impact of the poor air carrier service.  The bottom line is there are a lot of moving pieces to a safari and third parties are outside our, as operators, control.  There are steps clients can take to game plan for these contingencies however.  When it comes to checked baggage we recommend clients dividing evenly clothes, ammo and other personal effects between two bags.  This way if one is lost there are identical items in another bag.  This makes even more sense if you are hunting with a partner where each of you can put a box of ammo and change of clothes in the other’s bag.

For further assurance I personally carry-on a rucksack (backpack) with one change of clothes, personal effects and will either wear my hunting boots or also put them in this rucksack.    This way I know that even if all of my bags are lost I at least have 1 change of clothes.  The last step we recommend our clients take is at every change of flight go to the air carrier’s ticket counter and give them your baggage numbers so they are aware at least that they should be transferring your bag.  This is especially true if you have to take multiple air carriers to get to your safari destination.

As operators we try and game plan for these mishaps as they are inevitable.  We have spare clothes, boots and as many different calibres of ammo on hand as practical.  We also try to have a contact person at each commercial airline our clients use.  However, it is impossible to stock every size of shoe or calibre of ammo and even having a contact at the airlines provides no guarantee that a bag will be located quickly.  These precautions are definitely not a fail-safe, but if the client prepares for the unexpected it will minimize the impact on his safari if baggage does go missing.

Until Next Time Good Hunting and Safe Travels!

Visit our website at www.safrique.net

Matt Hulley-Miller

MD Safrique, Mozambique