This past July saw us welcome back John and Lynn Nowlin on their fourth hunt with John X Safaris. Having hunted the East and Northern Cape on their previous trips, the Nowlin’s set their sights on Mozambique, and more importantly, a Leopard.
Professional Hunters, Ed Wilson and LJ Marais, guided the Nowlin’s on an unforgettable safari. What started out as a Leopard hunt soon materialized into a Cape Buffalo, Hippo, Sable and plains game.
By all reports they truly enjoyed their adventure, dropping us a mail upon their return home.
Carl and team
We wanted to write and thank you for another great hunt with John X Safaris. Ed and LJ were real pros. We hunted a great Sable, very good Nyala, good Leopard, the Buff that would not quit – you never know with Buffalo, and a man-eating Hippo. Mozambique really is old Africa. You expect Tarzan to appear on a daily basis!
Many thanks and good hunting,
John & Lynn Nowlin
John’s Sable was his first taste of Mozambique – Nothing better than a tingling jet black coat and the heavy bases of an old Sable bull. The kind of start the team was after.
There are not many that can compete with the classic Nyala. The big bell and flaring white tips, combined with the majestic nature of the specie, provided John with a memorable hunt and breathtaking trophy.
While things were going according to plan on the plains game front, the Leopard were playing considerably hard to get. Our Mozambican Leopard hunts are not your average hunt – we use hounds, and hunt at night. The ever-present Tsetse fly pose the biggest danger of all, with sleeping sickness a common occurrence amongst dogs left outside during the day.
By night seven the trackers were drawing every ounce of knowledge from past experience– a fresh cat track was what they were after. Once they’d achieved that, the hounds worked their magic and John made a telling shot – earning a beautiful Leopard.
Day eight saw the hunters rising to a relaxing morning, the all important Leopard was in the salt. The team set about planning the final two days of their safari. A trip to the swamps after Cape Buffalo was what they had in mind – that was until late morning when a local villager arrived with an SOS.
His village had come under threat from an old Hippo bull, who’d moved into their only water source. The bull had also laid claim to their subsistence crops, with constant raids being its nightly pilgrimage. Sustained pressure from both villagers and Hippo had spilled over into tragedy with the Hippo finally attacking one of the locals protecting the villages crops.
John made an important shot on the charging Hippo bull, earning the respect of the elders and the joy of the villagers. Lynn too joined John in the celebration – ensuring they’d never forget what they thought would be their last trophy on their Mozambican hunt.
After so much excitement from both their Leopard and Hippo hunts, they decided to utilize that last day to the maximum.
Found a grumpy old Cape Buffalo and enjoyed the thrill of pursuing these dangerous beasts in their swamp enviroment – An experience of its own!
A Sable – Nyala – Leopard – Hippo and Cape Buffalo all on one safari – in the same area – only in Mozambique. Just ask the Nowlin’s, they’ll be able to tell you about that, and much more, when on safari with John X Safaris in Mozambique.
For more information and current rates contact us at hunting@johnxsafaris.co.za ; or follow us on Twitter, connect with us on Facebook and visit our Website!