Bob I know it's hard to believe but that's not 1% of the gemsbuck we saw. We saw thousands of them between the 2 camps. Unless you've seen 500+ gemsbuck moving in one herd you can't imagine what it looks like. And that was just one herd we saw at Kalahari. It looked like the wildebeest migrations you see on TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cliffy
He's actually watching you.
He must think he is hiding in all that grass and got confused.
Wow! I wish you could have gotten some video of it, that would have been something to see.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cliffy
Gemsbuck are my fav African animal. This really makes me want to got to Namibia. An at $200 for < 34"..... Like tap, I am wondering if its ok to take a pic of me standimg on a pile of them as well??? Even at full price I would bet you could get a 40"+ out of one of those groups of 500.
I have no doubt there are 40+ there. Lots of 38-39+ Just not around every tree. I actually saw a 44+ female with another 42 or so in one small group on a hillside. Jamy knows they are there but it takes a lot of hunting to get one---- just as I like it. As I have 2 just touching 40 I wasn't looking for one this time. I will be going back.
I'll have another installment later today or tomorrow as I have a busy busy day today.
Patently waiting.......
The Quest For Food
We have been told by Rentia that the freezer is empty. Food is needed.
Gemsbuck is the animal of choice for the table with Springbuck a close second. Neither of which is particularly hard to find. Getting into range for a good head shot is!
We take of for one area of the farm that we have seen numerous gemsbuck in and after a short while we sight a nice heard of them in the distance. We pile out and start a stalk. Unfortunately--- they have other ideas and off they go. Wind, eyesight, just plain bad luck, who knows. They take off. after several tries at getting close we give up on them and start back to the truck off in the distance. as we round a small group of brush we spy a springbuck angling toward us.Jamy stops and points, I see, he puts the sticks UP, I place the rifle in the sticks. Now he says, we don't want to ruin any meat (including neck meat) so would you please shot it in the head. 'OH, and by the way, this is a 100 yd head shot" he adds, as I'm lining up the scope. The animal is facing me, slightly left front quarter. As I'm maybe 2" high at 100 yds, I aim slightly low (bottom of jaw line) and slightly on the animals left side. Knowing that at 100 yds with it looking right at us it won't stick around too long I pull the trigger when the sights go where I want them. I hear a "whop" and the animal disappears just as I loose sight in the scope from recoil. Jamy says it's down and we start the walk over. When we arrive at the animal there is no chance it's going anywhere. The bullet broke the neck as it angled from left to right across the base of the skull. No meat wasted.
Meat hunting, actually biltong hunting as they call it is a big business in South Africa and Namibia. Lots of local hunters hunt for meat only and there is a well organized culling industry in both countries. We saw adds in gas station store windows for culling companies looking for 700 gemsbuck, 2000 springbuck, etc. They are highly organized in the field. They shoot at night, head shots only, hang 20 carcasses on the sides of the hunting truck and then drop them off at the trailing processing truck with full butchering facilities inside. They take it down to a hanging carcass neck to tail and then cool it for sale to game meat markets, etc. The land owner gets a price per carcass. Unfortunately they are not very discriminating on which animals they shoot. They take females along with large trophy males. They count carcasses not trophies. One must remember that this is just the way it is on some very large farms that need to cut the numbers of animals down. The game meat industry is big in southern Africa.
My partner goes out for another springbuck and comes back with the meat also. His is a heart/lung shot that didn't touch the forelegs. Another great meat shot.
As our time is winding down and we leave in the morning, we take the last afternoon off just to relax and clean up our gear. We sit on the porch and view through binoculars the miles and miles of terrain in sight. We view in the distance Blue Wildebeest, Black Wildebeest, Springbuck, Heartebeest, all within sight of our tent (with binos of course). We hear the cackle of birds and the buzz of insects. We have recently removed a nice colorful Gecko lizard from our shower. The dung beetles are running around in the sand and we see the tracks of the millipede left from their travels last night around the tent. We take it all in as we will need to remember it all until we return.
Attachment 10899
The fire is lit, the wine is poured and the great camaraderie has started at the lapa. We watch our last sunset at Panorama and once again think back to the definition-
Panorama, noun, from the Greek, def, an unbroken view of the whole region surrounding an observer
The Trail Home
Dawn comes, showers are taken (the last for over 40 hrs), breakfast is served in its usual stylish way, toast, butter, jam, coffee, milo, fruit, sliced meats, eggs, fruit juice. All the required items are in place. Although this morning a strange calm pervades the room. We are leaving. Not by choice but by necessity. Already the pull to return starts. Africa does that to you.
The truck is loaded, we crawl in and start down the dirt road. 400 yds from camp what do we see? A real nice Blue Wildebeest bull just standing there 50 yds off the track. He knows no rifle is loaded! We jump springbuck and see gemsbuck in the distance as we go down the road and wave good-bye to Panorama.
Windhoek Airport Departures
After passing the inevitable Police road block outside Windhoek we pull into the parking lot at the airport and drag over a couple of baggage carts. We load them up and go inside only to find that the ticket gate won't
open until an hour and a half before the flight. We're 2 hrs away. The line up starts. others arrive 2 hrs early also. Finally the agents get there and we process in for the flight. Baggage is weighed, tags are applied (you can have your bags tagged all the way through to your final US destination but be sure to verify the destination city on the tags as they go on). You rifle case will not go on to the baggage belt until you take it over to the Police Office about 100 feet away to have your permits returned, your serial numbers checked and asked about how many rounds of ammo you are returning with. If it's zero just say so. Don't say you're leaving it with the PH. It's not technically legal to do that by international law. They will let you lock the case and take it back to the ticket counter and put it on the belt. Recheck your bag tag on it to make sure of the destination. Pass through ticket and Passport Control and go to the waiting room for departure. After boarding our SAA flight, we taxi out and lift off and leave Namibia for home.
Arrival in Jo'burg
As we taxi in I see all the gates at the terminal are full so we will be using Remote Parking, RATS! We have a short connection due to schedule changes after we booked. This will take more time now to load the bus and ride to the terminal. We get to Pass Port Control, pass through and go to In Transit Ticketing. NO DELTA. We're 55 mins from departure and NO DELTA! We ask around and are told the gate closes at 1 hr before flight for hand security checks and everyone is up at the gate we can't get to because we haven't checked in. Finally a very nice Delta agent comes by and solves all the problems. She calls ahead to the gate, secures our seat and we all run the half mile to the gate. We get there just as our boarding group is called.
Off we go down the ramp, up onto the airplane. We get lucky and get the 3 seat row all to ourselves. The engines start, we taxi out and we lift off to leave Africa once more. As we climb across the southern end of the continent it is dark so can not see our last chance to view Africa.
IF YOU GO ONCE-YOU WILL RETURN-DEAL WITH IT
ok cliffy I can't bite my tongue any longer. You said other sites call you names well here it comes. those pictures of those gemsbok are just plain awful. Were talking about massive groups of gemsbok here! I see a couple that look big but you didn't bother to offer any of us private emailed pics. How are we suppose to see the spacing between the rings of their horns. How are we suppose to be able to fully enjoy one of the coolest african creatures ever when those pics are of such low quality that you can't even see the ticks on their back? If you want to redeem yourself please send me a private message so that I can forward you my email. You can then set things straight between you and myself by emailing me the good stuff baby! I'm sorry I'm just addicted to oryx and these pictures are making my skin itch from the withdrawl pains. Please help a poor man out!
On second thought I think I need jerome to ban me from this site. I cant quit thinking about going there and hunting. Africa is making me a worthless man!
Hey tap when you get there BE SURE TO GET GOOD PICTURES OF THE GEMSBOK! I wouldn't mind a wall covered in scull mounts of 33" or 34" Gemsbok.
Cliffy, glad you got a helpful gate agent in OR Tambo. It's a long wait for the next plane. My return from Namibia saw that same remote parking job, that unexpected extra trip to the terminal sure is long when you have some place to be. At least I was staying at the Airport that night.
For the next trip TAP is buying you a "big white gun", so he can spot the ticks on the new picture set.
If you want some good specs for the purchase to send him just PM me and I'll forward them to his email!!
You are so right when you say; "Already the pull to return starts."
We will all deal have to deal with our return trips.
Where you going next?
As the sun sets in the west and the sky turns from blue to black, the stars emerge to start their nightly dance around the Southern Cross an so comes the end of another African Safari. For those who have - the hook is set and the pull begins to once again return to the Dark Continent. For those who have not, they can not even imagine.
Cliff Biggs 2011
Tap those were NOT massive groups of gemsbuck They were just a mere appetizer of what we saw there.
I know it's hard for you to imagine but when I say herds of 200 and 300 I'm not telling lies. You go ahead a try to get up on 400 eyeballs close enough to get pictures of ticks on the ears with a pocket camera HA :-)
The next trip is being planned and might very well be back to Panorama!!!!!!
I have seen herds of 400 and 500 oryx. I drew the stallion range of white sands missile range in New Mexico before they started killing off all the oryx and it was an amazing site to see. I would like to see it again one day before I die.
As for having many 33" and 34" oryx on my wall that will never happen. I'm going to shoot enough 33" oryx to build a house with!
Heck I am going for a castle!Quote:
Originally Posted by tap
Cliffy, thanks for the excellent hunting report! You have made me want to go to Namibia!
Thank you, Cliffy, that was amazing! Now can you please get your act together and go back on another safari?!? I am not sure I am going to live without further installments of your story. Seriously, it was beautifully told, and the deep love you have for Africa shone from every line. Thanks again!
:agree:Quote:
Originally Posted by timbear
Very nice story.Don't think I could go that long seeing all those animals and not doing some serious shooting though.Did you guys see any kudu at all or more eland at that second camp.
Tap I don't know how long its been sence you've been to White Sands but the Oryx are protected there now they do drawing permits for hunts and I was told the herd now exceed 3000 running all the way down to Fort Bliss Tx. and to think it all started with a few that got away from hunting ranches.Quote:
Originally Posted by tap
Thank you Cliffy :clap::clap:
Saw kudu right behind the lapa at Panorama. Just coming into rut right now so the big boys would be out now. We saw many cows and a few bulls to @ 51". ALL of the area with hills around Panorama is Kudu country. Jamy has so much area to hunt he hasn't even been to some of it yet because it hasn't been necessary. We're talking 15 -20 miles away on the property he hunts. If I go again I'm going to set it up to go explore some of the unknown areas. That would be fun!! We jumped a large group of eland twice at Panorama down on the flat area. We weren't hunting for them. It seems that the eland have learned how to go to the top of the "mountains" around Panorama to get away as there are no roads up there. It's strictly a boot leather hunt for them in that area. Getting them out is an exercise in quartering and carrying. Kalahari Camp is a much better venue for eland.
