NAMIBIA: Africa At Last

Ragman

AH elite
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Canada(Sask./B.C.), Namibia, RSA(Eastern Cape) USA(Texas)
Like everyone on here, I have dreamed of hunting Africa since I was a young kid, but grew up believing it would never become a reality. This was something that you only read about in hunting magazines. So I consoled myself with the fact that I lived in Saskatchewan and am able to hunt whitetails, mule deer, pronghorn, moose, elk and black bear and have been very successful at it. But as the 80s turned into the 90s and the 90s gave way to the new millennium, the fire to hunt the amazingly diverse wildlife of Africa only burned brighter.

Even up to 2 years ago I still believed that it was something that was out of reach, but losing a couple friends to different accidents made me look at things from a different perspective. Life is not promised and if you don't act on your dreams, you may lose the opportunity. So I started talking to my local taxidermist and friend, Rion White who also puts together international hunts and decided to scrape my pennies together and go with the group of other Sask. hunters to Namibia in April 2015 with Nick Nolte Safaris.

Before long, the morning of March 29 arrived and we were dropped off at the Regina airport. Everybody that has made the journey from North America to Africa knows what the next couple days entail, but I had never been overseas before and did not fully grasp what kind of a marathon it was going to be! Regina to Toronto...Toronto to Paris...Paris to Johannesburg and finally Johannesburg to Windhoek. Over 48 hours of travel and I never slept a wink.

Our hostess, Isabel Nolte, was waiting for us on arrival as was our luggage. But all of our rifles were missing. We waited for about an hour, and then Isabel suggested we go into the city of Windhoek for supper and then check back with the airport. We ended up at a tavern called Joe's Beer House. I don't know if it was the excitement of finally being in Namibia, but that was the best damn tavern I've ever had the pleasure to visit! After some food and beers, we headed back to the airport, but still no rifles. So we left for the hunting lodge. It was 2am by the time we got there, and I was so done in by more than 2 days without sleep that I crashed hard.

The next morning they had to knock on my door three times to wake me up, but finally I came to and remembered where I was. We all gathered for breakfast and to meet with our PHs. I was paired up with a young man by the name of Nicola van Zyl. After we ate, we went out for the traditional sighting in of the rifles. But this was a little different as we would all be hunting with our PHs' rifles. Nicola's was a Weatherby Vanguard in .30-06 which was coincidental as it is nearly identical to my Smith & Wesson Model 1500 in 7mm Rem. Mag. Felt like holding my own gun. After the shooting was done we headed out for our first day of hunting.

The animals on my wish list in order were: Kudu, Springbok, Hartebeest, Gemsbok, Impala and maybe a Blesbok. I was also hoping to be lucky enough to get a shot at a baboon. When we got to the farm we would be hunting, we started seeing Gemsbok right away, which jolted me back to the reality of where I actually was! We made 4 or 5 unsuccessful stalks on gemsbok and one on a hartebeest, but the animals spooked each time, not giving me a shot. We were also seeing large numbers of Steenbok and Warthogs, both of which were not on my wish list. The farm we were hunting was low-fenced and I assumed the Gemsbok jumped the fences like our deer do. Was I ever surprised when we spooked a big gemsbok bull and he ran UNDER the fence! It was amazing to see him lay those long black horns along his back and scoot under the wire without slowing down! I also learned that guinea fowl like to hide in tall grass and cause you to ruin your undies when they flush from right under your feet like our sharptails and huns!

Now one thing that had been really on my mind ever since I booked the hunt was the fact that I would be shooting at these exotic animals in front of a PH and tracker. I have never been on a guided hunt before and do the vast amount of my hunting alone. Also, the wounding policy of paying if blood is found was causing me anxiety as well, even though at home I am a calm and confident shooter. I was afraid that these new pressures would cause me to shoot like a raw rookie in front of the pros!

In any case, about 4 hours into the day without firing a shot, a silver medal Steenbok stood looking at us at about 60 yards. Nicola suggested we break the ice and put something on the ground. I agreed and took the shot. And just like that I had my first African animal down. It was not on my original wish list, but what a beautiful little animal. I've never had the desire to go for the Tiny-10, but this guy made me consider that I might like to add a few at some point.

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After we were finished with photos and caping the Steenbok, we surprised a troop of baboons and chaos ensued! Baboons were scattering everywhere and I never got a shot off, but it was sure exciting!

Early that evening, our tracker spotted a herd of gemsbok about 500 yards through the brush and on the other side of a dry riverbed. As usual, I didn't see them, but grabbed the rifle and away we went after them. The plan was to make it to the dry riverbed where we could get cover behind the bank and walk silently on the sand. But when we were about 200 yards from the herd, Nicola suddenly stopped. I looked the direction his eyes were and I managed to see 3 sets of ears poking out of a hole. Suddenly, 3 warthogs popped out of the hole and stood there staring at us. I thought they would spook in the direction of the gemsbok, but they headed out the other way, so the hunt was on. We made it to the riverbed and hustled down it until we were parallel to the herd. Nicola crept up the bank and studied the herd for what seemed like an eternity. While I was waiting, I could hear them grunting and occasionally horns clashing, but I couldn't see them yet. Now I have been hunting since 1981 and have not been affected by buck fever in years. I did when rifle hunting when I was in my teens and early 20s. Occasionally while archery hunting as a mature hunter, but I thought it was a thing of the past. But to my surprise, while I was waiting for Nicola to make a decision, the shakes made a surprise appearance. When he finally set up the sticks and called me up, my heart was pounding and I was starting up breath like I just climbed a few flights of stairs. I got the rifle on the sticks and Nicola explained which animal I was to take. The crosshairs were all over the bull! Finally they slowed down a bit and squeezed the shot off. The gemsbok dropped like he had been hit by lightning! Now my favourite part of any hunt is the walk up to an animal after the shot. This time it was even more special. What an incredible animal. With dark quickly approaching, Nicola headed back immediately to the bakkie to try to find a way back to retrieve my gemsbok. They left me alone to wait for them and that half hour was the greatest part of the entire hunt. There I was, at the end of my first day of hunting Africa watching the sun go down next to this beautiful bull. I didn't want it to end, but the approaching headlights of the bakkie soon ended it and we were heading back to the lodge. No kudu on Day 1, but how could I complain about that after such an awesome day?

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As icing to the cake, when we got back to the lodge, we found out that Isabel and Rion had gone back into Windhoek that day and retrieved all the rifles. Bring on Day 2!
 

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Good report and very nice Gemsbok
 
Excellent. Glad you enjoyed.
 
Sounds like a great hunt, can't wait to hear more. Good thing they found your rifles after one day; last year it took them a week to find mine on the same trip from Johannesburg to Windhoek. Did you happen to fly Namibian Air?
 
Great start to your report. After the 48 hours with no sleep, they had to send someone in the room to shake me to get me out of bed my first morning. I was up 2 hours before the alarm after than, but was really dragging that first morning :)! 30 minutes on the plains of Africa with just you and your great trophy to reflect and watch a sunset ... you are a lucky man!!

Look forward to the rest of the report.
 
Great start!

Those little guys can get to you.... Steenbok is one of my favorites of all!
 
Nick and Isabel are the very best! I hunted a leopard (and truck load of PG) with them in '08, and took my spouse along on a very relaxing vacation/hunt in '12 with them. They are wonderful people and he has access to about a quarter million acres of some of the best hunting in central Namibia. Can't wait to read the rest of your account.
 
Everyone who finds themselves in Windhoek needs to eat at Joe's.

Enjoyed the first installment and looking forward to the rest.
 
Joe's....Hmmmm, I be in Windhoek in 5 weeks...May need to check it out.
 
Good to see another sask boy on here (im in stoon) awesome post man.I still havnt been over there yet im still in the planning phase but I love reading these threads on peoples first time over there. Good to see you had a great hunt.
 
Very good start and couples of good trophies......nice Orix.....this seems to been a great hunt.....We wait for more.....!!!!!
 
Great start to your hunt. The time flies way too fast when on a safari. Congrats on some nice trophies. Bruce
 
Great start Ragman, looking forward to the rest of your report! I think in the long term you will be happy you took the opportunity to get started on the tiny 10. If you hadn't someday I promise you you'll be wishing you had taken one when it was presented, say like in the middle of a hunt and your now looking for one and can't find it.
 
Sounds like a great hunt, can't wait to hear more. Good thing they found your rifles after one day; last year it took them a week to find mine on the same trip from Johannesburg to Windhoek. Did you happen to fly Namibian Air?

We flew that portion of the trip on SAA. On the return home my rifle took 3 extra days. But that is better than you not having it for a week of your hunt!
 

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