Moz. Buff w/ bow success

Just back from the hunt of a lifetime with the best hunting partner a man could ever ask for. We booked this hunt with Mark Haldane?s Zambeze Delta Safaris over two years ago in Reno at the SCI convention with plans to hunt in 2012 but things came up and hunt was moved to 2013. The No.1 objective was a Cape Buffalo with archery equipment plus another Buff for my bride and several other plains game. It was meant to be a 10 year anniversary trip so we were closing out the safari with 3 nights at Azura Lodge on Benguerra Island off of Mozambique. We left Houston on Thursday afternoon and finally arrived in camp on Sunday afternoon and got settled in and got acquainted with the PH?s and had a few cocktails and as one of the PH?s said ?Broke the Ice with a Sledgehammer?. We started hunting on Monday morning and decided to give the forest a shot first to see if we could get on a group of 2-5 Dugga Boys and keep the eyes & ears to a minimum. We were into small herds of 20 or less animals everyday but not coming up with a hard bossed bull. On the evening of day 4 we got into an area with a lot of Nyala and set up on top of a termite mound overlooking a ?garden? and a few cows started feeding out followed by a bull which my PH Rye said was a nice bull for most areas but below average for this concession but if I wanted to try with the bow he was a mature enough bull. The cows all feed out between 30-40 yards but the bull didn't stop until he was at 58 so I let on go and it sailed just over his back. Meanwhile my wife had her heart on a Sable with her bow but every stalk was ending in swirling winds or other smaller game blowing the deal so disappointment was starting to set in for both of us. On day 6 we headed to the swamps to get after the monstrous herds living out in the saw grass. We got on the first herd of around 180 animals and were at about 65 yards needing to get to 40 when we heard a helicopter off in the distance and when they saw the herd I guess the pilot thought his passengers would like to see some buffalo at 10 yards so he practically landed on their backs and nearly caused them to stampede over the top of us. After the chopped cleared out the herd had split into two groups and we watched until the one we stayed with settled down and started another stalk. This stalk got me 53 yards and then they decided to change direction for no apparent reason ?maybe sixth sense? and feed further and further away. We regrouped had a bite to eat and decided we would try again but if we couldn't get within bow range we would call for my wife to come in with the rifle. The cover ran out at 80 yards so Stephanie crawled into our position and then we carefully looked over the herd to find an old bull and then waiting to get a clear shot. When the 375 rang out I could not see the shot but heard the hit and then got up to see what was happening. The first shot was a perfect double lung and he started to trail the herd so she put two more in him for good measure. First blood was on day 6 of 9 and a beautiful old bull with massive bosses grown completely together and the start of a great couple of days. On day 7 I headed back into the swamps for another crack at it but with light winds it just wasn?t meant to be, but on returning to camp we found that Stephanie had taken a nice heavy old Waterbuck. As we headed into the swamps on day 8 the winds were pumping early and things are looking good but thoughts of using a rifle are starting to creep in. We locate a huge herd of 1000+ early and wait for them to settle down and quit feeding. We head in before it looks like they have quit traveling but it might work out because 20-30 have stayed out just on the edge of the saw grass with a small clump just between us. When we get to the edge of the saw grass there is a cow at 12 yards looking our way but hasn't seen us so she beds down facing away. Rye tells me to get ready and draw and stand because there is bull broadside @ 31 yards. Sh*# I can't draw my coveralls are to tight while sitting and my nerves are all over the place. I adjust my britches come to full draw raise up slowly and the bull is quartering extremely hard so I put it just behind the last rib and it disappears into black. He grunts and hunches up and I get down & nock another. Cows are all looking but still can't see us after 20 min they start to move off and Rye crawls out to look then gives me the thumbs up. He?s down and hasn't gone 10 yards. The Grizzly Stik Momentum with 315grain Ashby went through the heart then off the shoulder blade and stopped just short of making it out of the brisket. When we arrived back at camp I found out my wife given up on the bow and had got her sable. The rum flowed that night and smiles all around camp. Final evening of hunting we head back to our Nyala spot and come across a nice bushbuck on the way make a stalk and make a piss pour shot but hurt him enough he didn't go too far and made a follow up shot. With just minutes of light left we make it to the garden and have a look but nothing then at 47 yards horns rise up out of the grass and this old bull has no idea we are there. With no shot we wait and wait its getting darker and darker and he finally decides to move and works his way to 32 yards. Another not so great shot but bull is down and safari is in the books. Stephanie was able to get a huge bushbuck also on the final night. Unbelievable place and staff and PH?s are top notch. There is no way I could not go back and try it again it was the best vacation I have ever experienced, and the beach and Indian Ocean were more than icing on the cake.

Congratulations on a fantastic trip and some great photos. Well done.
Bill

What a great hunt and fantastic trophies. You did good man, real good. A hunt with Zambeze Delta is still on my wish list.

Looks like you guys had a blast. That one buff has incredible bosses. Thanks for sharing your epic hunt.

Eldorado

Thanks for posting the report of your fantastic trip. Those two buffalo are both outstanding, nice bosses, but the ones on your wife are really extra nice. Congrats too on those bushbuck and that fantastic nyala.

Sounds like a very special trip. I'm interested in hunting Mozambique, so your post is especially timely for me. Thanks and Congratulations!

Gorgeous sable too! Congrats to both of you. You need to convince your wife to write about her experiences and post them here too. Would love to hear her stories!


HOOK 'EM!
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LAST EDITED ON Nov-12-13 AT 12:20PM (MST)[p]>Thanks for posting the report of
>your fantastic trip. Those
>two buffalo are both outstanding,
>nice bosses, but the ones
>on your wife are really
>extra nice. Congrats too
>on those bushbuck and that
>fantastic nyala.
>
>Sounds like a very special trip.
> I'm interested in hunting
>Mozambique, so your post is
>especially timely for me.
>Thanks and Congratulations!

You might look hard. In the month since we have left things are quickly spinning out of control & as of this minute I will not be going back until things settle down. Many random shootings of cars and buses by Renamo and seems to be getting worse by the day. All the PH's for ZDS are from SA and have to drive their personal hunting vehicles back home & I think they are all puckering a bit thinking about it. It's a shame it seemed Moz was headed in the right direction and becoming a premier destination.

Agreed. Moz, in just a month or two, has gone from one of the shining stars in Africa, to a place of genuine concern. It's a shame, as the hunting is said to be spectacular with good operators in all areas of the country. Hopefully, it'll sort itself out soon without becoming another all out war.

Great report!
Great trophies!
Terrible politics and civil strife screwing things up. Sorry to hear about it. That's exactly where my PH said we should go for buff. Now what?
Zeke