We returned from our safari yesterday. Wanted to give an update on the trip.
Flew from Denver to NY. Customs in NY was a little rough, but not too bad. The cops were arrogant and rude, but at least we got through. Then to Johannesburg and on to Windhoek. I expected a long process of getting rifles into Namibia, but it turned out to be very easy. Claiming luggage and getting rifle permit took about 10 minutes. It took much longer getting rifles on flight in Denver and then through NY.
We then drove to Okahandja for our first night. We used African Days for the trip. They have a beautiful bed and breakfast in Okahandja called Khaya Guest House. Great food and a comfortable bed. The next morning we went to the first concession. It was about 10 miles out of town and was 20,000 acres. We used a river bed to check zero on our rifles. We made a first pass down the river bed and I shot an impala. Horns measured 24". Bullet entered right chest and exited through left shoulder. He never took a step.
We left my friend in a stand overlooking a watering hole in the river bed and then went to check another watering hole. There we found a nice warthog. 250 yard shot on a running warthog. He ran about 40 yards after impact and died. Tusks measured 11".
We saw a few more hogs that afternoon, but no shots. We went to a new camp about 30 miles on the other side of Okahandja for the rest of the trip. It was on a 50,000 acre concession, but we had to return to the first concession the next morning. I saw a few animals the next day, including a 52" Kudu, but passed up on the shot in hopes of something bigger. Unfortunately, we didn't get shots on anything that day. On day 3, we started hunting on the larger concession. We found a large red hartebeest in a field and started moving in for a shot on him. Unfortunately, he spotted us before we could get in position and fled. We started tracking him, but about 400 yards into our trail, but found a nice old blue wildebeest standing about 150 yards away from us. He was facing us. I put a single shot into his chest slightly off-center to the left. He ran about 30 yards after impact, but was dead before I could even get in position to make another shot. He was a huge old bull.
Day 4 started with us looking for zebra. We spotted a small herd of zebra, but they spotted us about 1000 yards out and were running the other direction long before we could even start a stalk. We did spot a very nice herd of red hartebeest though, and moved in on them. I shot one at about 140 yards. He was facing away from me and dropped with a single shot through the left shoulder. The bullet passed through his shoulder and neck. He measured 24" horns. Another nice bull lingered in the area, and my wife was able to shoot him. Her shot was a little too far back and we tracked him for about an hour before we caught up to him. I placed a finishing shot to his chest and he dropped in his tracks. He measured 22".
That afternoon, we went back to the first concession. Another hunter had missed a shot on a large kudu bull the previous day. The bull was standing at 130 yards and he jerked the trigger enough to send the shot in front of the bull and killed a kudu cow. We returned the next day to find the bull standing in the exact same spot. Needless to say, I didn't miss. My shot entered his left shoulder and was found under the skin on the right side. He collapsed were he was standing. His horns measured 56 1/2" with 13" bases.
Day 5 was the most frustrating day of the trip. We spent the entire day stalking a herd of eland. Unfortunately, we weren't even able to get a shot on one. We covered about 25 miles of trails while tracking them. Lots of fresh tracks and poop, but couldn't catch up to them. Nightfall forced us to abandon the search.
On day 6, we travelled to a concession on the edge of the Kalahari desert. Wonderful ranch with lots of animals. I was able to shoot a Burchell's zebra, a springbok (17 1/4" horns) and a gemsbok (42" horns). My wife also shot a springbok (16" horns). The ranch was overrun with animals. The landowner had killed 200 gemsbok in the prior month trying to thin the herd. He had another hunter in there killing springbok. They had killed 3 on the morning of our hunt.
Flew from Denver to NY. Customs in NY was a little rough, but not too bad. The cops were arrogant and rude, but at least we got through. Then to Johannesburg and on to Windhoek. I expected a long process of getting rifles into Namibia, but it turned out to be very easy. Claiming luggage and getting rifle permit took about 10 minutes. It took much longer getting rifles on flight in Denver and then through NY.
We then drove to Okahandja for our first night. We used African Days for the trip. They have a beautiful bed and breakfast in Okahandja called Khaya Guest House. Great food and a comfortable bed. The next morning we went to the first concession. It was about 10 miles out of town and was 20,000 acres. We used a river bed to check zero on our rifles. We made a first pass down the river bed and I shot an impala. Horns measured 24". Bullet entered right chest and exited through left shoulder. He never took a step.
We left my friend in a stand overlooking a watering hole in the river bed and then went to check another watering hole. There we found a nice warthog. 250 yard shot on a running warthog. He ran about 40 yards after impact and died. Tusks measured 11".
We saw a few more hogs that afternoon, but no shots. We went to a new camp about 30 miles on the other side of Okahandja for the rest of the trip. It was on a 50,000 acre concession, but we had to return to the first concession the next morning. I saw a few animals the next day, including a 52" Kudu, but passed up on the shot in hopes of something bigger. Unfortunately, we didn't get shots on anything that day. On day 3, we started hunting on the larger concession. We found a large red hartebeest in a field and started moving in for a shot on him. Unfortunately, he spotted us before we could get in position and fled. We started tracking him, but about 400 yards into our trail, but found a nice old blue wildebeest standing about 150 yards away from us. He was facing us. I put a single shot into his chest slightly off-center to the left. He ran about 30 yards after impact, but was dead before I could even get in position to make another shot. He was a huge old bull.
Day 4 started with us looking for zebra. We spotted a small herd of zebra, but they spotted us about 1000 yards out and were running the other direction long before we could even start a stalk. We did spot a very nice herd of red hartebeest though, and moved in on them. I shot one at about 140 yards. He was facing away from me and dropped with a single shot through the left shoulder. The bullet passed through his shoulder and neck. He measured 24" horns. Another nice bull lingered in the area, and my wife was able to shoot him. Her shot was a little too far back and we tracked him for about an hour before we caught up to him. I placed a finishing shot to his chest and he dropped in his tracks. He measured 22".
That afternoon, we went back to the first concession. Another hunter had missed a shot on a large kudu bull the previous day. The bull was standing at 130 yards and he jerked the trigger enough to send the shot in front of the bull and killed a kudu cow. We returned the next day to find the bull standing in the exact same spot. Needless to say, I didn't miss. My shot entered his left shoulder and was found under the skin on the right side. He collapsed were he was standing. His horns measured 56 1/2" with 13" bases.
Day 5 was the most frustrating day of the trip. We spent the entire day stalking a herd of eland. Unfortunately, we weren't even able to get a shot on one. We covered about 25 miles of trails while tracking them. Lots of fresh tracks and poop, but couldn't catch up to them. Nightfall forced us to abandon the search.
On day 6, we travelled to a concession on the edge of the Kalahari desert. Wonderful ranch with lots of animals. I was able to shoot a Burchell's zebra, a springbok (17 1/4" horns) and a gemsbok (42" horns). My wife also shot a springbok (16" horns). The ranch was overrun with animals. The landowner had killed 200 gemsbok in the prior month trying to thin the herd. He had another hunter in there killing springbok. They had killed 3 on the morning of our hunt.
