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Area: Gaza Province, Southern Mozambique bordering Gonarezhou , close on the Save River and Thabazimbi, Limpopo, South Africa.
Outfitter: Tsala Hunting Safaris
Professional Hunter: Brandon van Zyl
Dates: September 16 – October 2, 2025
Hunt Details: 2 Part Hunt 5 Days of Plains game Hunting in Limpopo followed by a 12 Day Trophy Elephant Hunt in Mozambique.
Species Seen: Elephant, Buffalo, Wildebeest, Kudu, Suni, Sharpes Grysbok, Zebra, Duiker, Steenbuck , Impala, Lion and Leopard tracks as well as a Cheetah Kill.
The Hunter asked us to do a hunt report on his behalf due to time constraints on his side.The hunter is part of the AH family , read and approved the hunt report.
After booking the Elephant hunt in late 2024 for 2025 the hunter decided it would be best to add an additional 5 days prior to the Elephant hunt to shake most of the effects of jet lag and to pursue a trophy Elephant bull with a fresh mind and body. This was not his first or second Elephant hunt but his 3rd.
The first couple of days was a breeze except for the lack of sleep and time adjustment but none the less some fantastic trophies made it to the salt including a Southern Impala just short of 25’’ and a very nice Limpopo Bushbuck. He had been after one for quite some time so bagging one the last day before our journey to the wilds of Mozambique was quite the pleasure. The time spent in SA was mostly at our Limpopo property which has 5 Star accommodation with everything you could possibly expect.
Just as the jet lag was beat it was time to head to Mozambique and go on the experience of a lifetime. We never expected how it would end…
The hunter opted for the drive to the property which enabled them to see a lot of areas in SA and Mozambique. We started the journey at 3am in the morning and at sunrise we were heading into the Kruger National Park towards the Pafuri Border Post. This is very close to the well-known Crooks corner where the infamous South African ivory poacher Cecil ‘’Bvekenya’ Barnard spent most of his time evading law enforcement from SA, Zim and Moz. The journey to the hunting camp took us along the same route ‘Bvekenya’ took which had been dubbed the ‘Ivory Trail’. It starts by crossing the well-known Limpopo River all along the Zimbabwe Border up to the Save River.
It's always great to see how the locals life and you can’t really do that from a Cessna.
We reached the tented camp the afternoon and as the rifles had already been checked in SA, we did not feel the need to waste another bullet from the 404.
After multiple discussions we decided that our intended quarry would be in the 50lbs range and being that the hunter had already passed on multiple 40lbs+ bulls on previous hunts we were adamant to find a big one. Because our hunting area borders Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park to the West we knew that the big bulls were there, and we would not settle for anything less.
The next couple of days were spent on tracks but apart from a couple of cows we did not see much Elephant wise. Buffalo on the other hand were everywhere. We saw multiple herds almost every day just while looking for some big bull Ele Tracks. We averaged at around 10 miles on foot per day, but we were very picky about the tracks we would follow. If there is no criteria for the tracks you end up following, you’ll end up beat and broken within the first 5 Days of your hunt.
On day 4 we tracked 3 Bulls for 11 miles and after some proper judging at 25yards we decided he is just not there yet. He was a solid 40lbs plus bull with beautiful long ivory but that was the call. The next three days consisted of multiple Elephant encounters but no shooter.
Day 7 came, and we were all feeling the effects of the relentless African sun and miles on our boots. Little did we know that this would be our longest tracking session of the hunt. We got onto tracks 6:30am after checking the trail camera and tracks at a small pan. There was one bull in a group of 6 that needed another look at. After roughly six miles the tracks split and we were at a crossroad of which we would end up taking. The determining factor was the wear on footpads. Surely the bull we saw on the trail cam had to be the oldest one of the bunch. Trail Cameras can be very deceiving especially when trying to gauge the thickness of Ivory.
After a short 10min water break we were at it again. As the sun rose in the sky our breaks became more frequent. At the 11mile mark. We were almost done it was around 3:30pm ,we were beat.
I decided it would be best to give the hunter a break and ended up leaving to get the vehicle while they share the last of our water and try and get some rest. The vehicle arrived about 45min later. After having another look at the freshness of the tracks we decided that the trackers and I will continue while the hunter takes a good break in the shade as we believed the bulls could not be far.
Off we went and within another mile we heard the sharp crack of a branch which meant only one thing…
It took all of about 1 second from a 150yards to realize we’ve got something special… The entire scenario was followed by a mad dash back to the vehicle to tell the hunter we have found his bull. I commend him for mustering up the strength to do the next mile back to the bull I had just seen. I never once mentioned the true size just that it was his bull and that we needed to get there as soon as possible as the bulls were already on the move.
Our approach the last 300yards in was filled with excitement and pep talks much to the enjoyment of the hunter. As we reached shooting distance we were jammed between a rock and a hard place as the bull was badly quartering, we were hoping for either a side brain or heart shot. We could not go anywhere as this was the last bush a mere 25yards away from the bull with another bull threating to expose us on a different approach.
Just like the first encounter with the bull. He started slowly moving from our left to right to where we would have a clearing and the perfect shot. As he exposed himself through the brush a whisper of ‘shoot’ filled the air and the 404 Jeffery struck right where it was supposed to. As the bull turned multiple other shots struck him and he was down within 65yards. Textbook Elephant heart shot. The younger bull that was with him hindered our approach to where we had to back off but he then fled the scene.
After a quick insurance shot. The rest of the afternoon was spent in complete admiration of the wonderful 88 Pound Elephant Bull we could now lay our hands on…
A once in a lifetime Elephant bull and truly the stuff dreams are made out of.To shoot a tusker like this is an experience most avid hunters will never be able to do and we knew it. The best thing about it is we did it the right way. Traditional Elephant hunting on foot for many miles.
The next day was spent meat distributing to the local community of Chepelino which in itself is a great experience. We realized that we had been extremely lucky to connect on day 7 as the next couple of days were rain filled and you can’t do much about that.
In conclusion Mozambique had delivered once again and all we can do is to be extremely thankful for the opportunity.
Outfitter: Tsala Hunting Safaris
Professional Hunter: Brandon van Zyl
Dates: September 16 – October 2, 2025
Hunt Details: 2 Part Hunt 5 Days of Plains game Hunting in Limpopo followed by a 12 Day Trophy Elephant Hunt in Mozambique.
Species Seen: Elephant, Buffalo, Wildebeest, Kudu, Suni, Sharpes Grysbok, Zebra, Duiker, Steenbuck , Impala, Lion and Leopard tracks as well as a Cheetah Kill.
The Hunter asked us to do a hunt report on his behalf due to time constraints on his side.The hunter is part of the AH family , read and approved the hunt report.
After booking the Elephant hunt in late 2024 for 2025 the hunter decided it would be best to add an additional 5 days prior to the Elephant hunt to shake most of the effects of jet lag and to pursue a trophy Elephant bull with a fresh mind and body. This was not his first or second Elephant hunt but his 3rd.
The first couple of days was a breeze except for the lack of sleep and time adjustment but none the less some fantastic trophies made it to the salt including a Southern Impala just short of 25’’ and a very nice Limpopo Bushbuck. He had been after one for quite some time so bagging one the last day before our journey to the wilds of Mozambique was quite the pleasure. The time spent in SA was mostly at our Limpopo property which has 5 Star accommodation with everything you could possibly expect.
Just as the jet lag was beat it was time to head to Mozambique and go on the experience of a lifetime. We never expected how it would end…
The hunter opted for the drive to the property which enabled them to see a lot of areas in SA and Mozambique. We started the journey at 3am in the morning and at sunrise we were heading into the Kruger National Park towards the Pafuri Border Post. This is very close to the well-known Crooks corner where the infamous South African ivory poacher Cecil ‘’Bvekenya’ Barnard spent most of his time evading law enforcement from SA, Zim and Moz. The journey to the hunting camp took us along the same route ‘Bvekenya’ took which had been dubbed the ‘Ivory Trail’. It starts by crossing the well-known Limpopo River all along the Zimbabwe Border up to the Save River.
It's always great to see how the locals life and you can’t really do that from a Cessna.
We reached the tented camp the afternoon and as the rifles had already been checked in SA, we did not feel the need to waste another bullet from the 404.
After multiple discussions we decided that our intended quarry would be in the 50lbs range and being that the hunter had already passed on multiple 40lbs+ bulls on previous hunts we were adamant to find a big one. Because our hunting area borders Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park to the West we knew that the big bulls were there, and we would not settle for anything less.
The next couple of days were spent on tracks but apart from a couple of cows we did not see much Elephant wise. Buffalo on the other hand were everywhere. We saw multiple herds almost every day just while looking for some big bull Ele Tracks. We averaged at around 10 miles on foot per day, but we were very picky about the tracks we would follow. If there is no criteria for the tracks you end up following, you’ll end up beat and broken within the first 5 Days of your hunt.
On day 4 we tracked 3 Bulls for 11 miles and after some proper judging at 25yards we decided he is just not there yet. He was a solid 40lbs plus bull with beautiful long ivory but that was the call. The next three days consisted of multiple Elephant encounters but no shooter.
Day 7 came, and we were all feeling the effects of the relentless African sun and miles on our boots. Little did we know that this would be our longest tracking session of the hunt. We got onto tracks 6:30am after checking the trail camera and tracks at a small pan. There was one bull in a group of 6 that needed another look at. After roughly six miles the tracks split and we were at a crossroad of which we would end up taking. The determining factor was the wear on footpads. Surely the bull we saw on the trail cam had to be the oldest one of the bunch. Trail Cameras can be very deceiving especially when trying to gauge the thickness of Ivory.
After a short 10min water break we were at it again. As the sun rose in the sky our breaks became more frequent. At the 11mile mark. We were almost done it was around 3:30pm ,we were beat.
I decided it would be best to give the hunter a break and ended up leaving to get the vehicle while they share the last of our water and try and get some rest. The vehicle arrived about 45min later. After having another look at the freshness of the tracks we decided that the trackers and I will continue while the hunter takes a good break in the shade as we believed the bulls could not be far.
Off we went and within another mile we heard the sharp crack of a branch which meant only one thing…
It took all of about 1 second from a 150yards to realize we’ve got something special… The entire scenario was followed by a mad dash back to the vehicle to tell the hunter we have found his bull. I commend him for mustering up the strength to do the next mile back to the bull I had just seen. I never once mentioned the true size just that it was his bull and that we needed to get there as soon as possible as the bulls were already on the move.
Our approach the last 300yards in was filled with excitement and pep talks much to the enjoyment of the hunter. As we reached shooting distance we were jammed between a rock and a hard place as the bull was badly quartering, we were hoping for either a side brain or heart shot. We could not go anywhere as this was the last bush a mere 25yards away from the bull with another bull threating to expose us on a different approach.
Just like the first encounter with the bull. He started slowly moving from our left to right to where we would have a clearing and the perfect shot. As he exposed himself through the brush a whisper of ‘shoot’ filled the air and the 404 Jeffery struck right where it was supposed to. As the bull turned multiple other shots struck him and he was down within 65yards. Textbook Elephant heart shot. The younger bull that was with him hindered our approach to where we had to back off but he then fled the scene.
After a quick insurance shot. The rest of the afternoon was spent in complete admiration of the wonderful 88 Pound Elephant Bull we could now lay our hands on…
A once in a lifetime Elephant bull and truly the stuff dreams are made out of.To shoot a tusker like this is an experience most avid hunters will never be able to do and we knew it. The best thing about it is we did it the right way. Traditional Elephant hunting on foot for many miles.
The next day was spent meat distributing to the local community of Chepelino which in itself is a great experience. We realized that we had been extremely lucky to connect on day 7 as the next couple of days were rain filled and you can’t do much about that.
In conclusion Mozambique had delivered once again and all we can do is to be extremely thankful for the opportunity.
