WANTED: Looking for physically demanding hunt in Namibia. What are my options?

[Traveler]

Hi all,

I hope this is the appropriate place. This inquiry is for a friend and me. We’d be hunting together
We’d prefer a physically hard hunt that requires a lot of glassing and stalking, rather than driving around in a truck and shoot something that we spot from the road.

If this means we take longer to find and shoot our intended game, that’s fine. We aren’t looking to collect as many animals in as short a time as possible.

Ideally, I’d love it if it was more of a ‘western US style hunt’ that requires climbing on foot and glassing from ridgelines and then stalking.

I’ve read of a backpacking hunt for mountain zebra that would fit our criteria, but that’s all I’ve seen.

Now, I understand that these sorts of hunts are not encouraged (or even offered) by PHs because their total take per day is much lower. (In the zebra hunt I read about, the client took one animal in three days. I suppose many clients would take three animals in a single day on a typical plains game hunts.)

If it’s not a backpacking hunt, at least we don’t need the luxury accommodations that is fitting for a honeymoon. Spartan accommodations would be fine, if that keeps the price down.

We’d consider meat hunts vs trophy hunts, if that also kept the price down.

Does these hunts exists? What will it cost?

Thank you.

 

[BRICKBURN]

There are plenty of Namibian Outfitters that will be quite happy to have the PH walk your legs off.
Day rates and trophy fees.

An Elephant in the Nyae Nyae would certainly give you the experience you are after.
I think the conservancy also has plains game hunting.

 

[Adrian]

I'm fairly sure from my research into my upcoming Namibian hunt that most Namibian outfitters and PHs pride themselves on being able to offer all able bodied hunters a true, ethical spot and stalk hunt.
The vehicle is used to traverse distances and to reach hunting areas, not as a lazy way of hunting.

Your assumption that a plains game hunt involves shooting three animals a day may be quite true if the hunter wants to shoot whatever he sees and is happy to pay for it or is on a cull hunt but a hunt that involves looking for the correct animal that the PH is happy for you to take is quite different.
You could be stalking a potential animal for hours only to find it isn't quite right and you have to start again somewhere else. Some days may pass without a shot being fired if the PH and client aren't happy.

The PH will be paid a daily rate so whether or not you shoot anything should make no difference to their take per day.
The trophy fee is paid on top of the daily rate.

Take a look on the internet, see what's out there and fire off some emails to places you like the look of.

 

[TokkieM]

Kudu,Vaal Rhebuck,Mountain Reedbuck all on foot in the mountains anywhere is about as hard as a PG hunt can get if you leave the truck at the bottom of the mountain or in camp. You can make any place as hard to hunt as you want,just pick a species that likes the mountain slopes. Even better if there is no high fence involved.

 

[Buff-Buster]

Kudu,Vaal Rhebuck,Mountain Reedbuck all on foot in the mountains anywhere is about as hard as a PG hunt can get if you leave the truck at the bottom of the mountain or in camp. You can make any place as hard to hunt as you want,just pick a species that likes the mountain slopes. Even better if there is no high fence involved.

+1! Just did this. I promise you will sleep well after chasing these in the mountains for a few days!

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Damn I might not be in Namibia but we are about as physical as you'll get!

Enjoy the search!

My best always

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Hi all,

I hope this is the appropriate place. This inquiry is for a friend and me. We’d be hunting together
We’d prefer a physically hard hunt that requires a lot of glassing and stalking, rather than driving around in a truck and shoot something that we spot from the road.

If this means we take longer to find and shoot our intended game, that’s fine. We aren’t looking to collect as many animals in as short a time as possible.

Ideally, I’d love it if it was more of a ‘western US style hunt’ that requires climbing on foot and glassing from ridgelines and then stalking.

I’ve read of a backpacking hunt for mountain zebra that would fit our criteria, but that’s all I’ve seen.

Now, I understand that these sorts of hunts are not encouraged (or even offered) by PHs because their total take per day is much lower. (In the zebra hunt I read about, the client took one animal in three days. I suppose many clients would take three animals in a single day on a typical plains game hunts.)

If it’s not a backpacking hunt, at least we don’t need the luxury accommodations that is fitting for a honeymoon. Spartan accommodations would be fine, if that keeps the price down.

We’d consider meat hunts vs trophy hunts, if that also kept the price down.

Does these hunts exists? What will it cost?

Thank you.

Give me a shout if you're interested in something different, we are an exclusive foot hunting operation, in the Waterberg mountains in South Africa, hunting plains game on a true large dangerous game area.

It is extreme track hunting, with allot of glassing and trekking, pretty much the same as what you would envision a western hunt to be.

You can hunt burchells zebra in the mountains, kudu (who love it up there), mountain Reedbuck, Klipspringer, Eland, oryx and much more while still encountering elephant, buffalo, rhino and quite possibly Leopard...

Be prepared for 7 - 10 mile days if not more in terms of climbing

My best always

 

[billc]

I would say if your looking at namibia then it will be in the animals you pick. Then telling your outfitter you want to hunt on foot and only drive to a general area. I would say you do mtn zebra,eland,kudu it would be right like hunting out west with glassing and stalking. If you hunt and hold out looking for mature animals you will have the hunt your looking for I think. It could take you 7 to 10 days to get those 3. You may not even get all 3 in that time but would have chances at other animals I am sure if you would like.

Many guys over look south africa and think all hunts are easy there. Some hunts are just because of the amount of animals there. May want to look in the east cape also as they have some special animals that just love the mountains. The east cape has the free range hunts I think you are looking for also. Jaco has a larger area for SA so he could help also.

It will be hard to get a great deal on your day rate with only taking a few animals. Must discounted day rates come with the idea of guys taking a lot of animals. Hunting 2x1 you will be in the 350 to 400 a day each. 1x1 400 to 500 day each. In namibia kudu run 1000 to 2500,eland 1500 to 3000 and mtn zebra from 800 to 1500 depending on the outfitter.

 

[BRICKBURN]

.......................
Be prepared for 7 - 10 mile days if not more in terms of climbing
My best always

Jaco, I know you would walk his legs off.
He just restricted it to Namibia.....

Climbing the Mountains at Jerome's place is no bloody walk in the park either.

 

[Hank2211]

Jaco, I know you would walk his legs off.
He just restricted it to Namibia.....

Climbing the Mountains at Jerome's place is no bloody walk in the park either.

I thought South Africa was a thorn tree/bush garden of Eden. Until I tried walking up the mountains on Jerome's place! You wear short pants and sleeves not because of the heat, but because your skin heals, and clothes don't!

 

[Red Leg]

Hunt a low fence conservancy for Hartman Zebra in the Erongo Mountains of Namibia and you will never look at African game again in quite the same way. The same PH can give you a similar gut busting experience trying to walk down an eland or coursing Gemsbok. I would suggest using a consultant and telling him exactly what your expectations are.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Jaco, I know you would walk his legs off.
He just restricted it to Namibia.....

Climbing the Mountains at Jerome's place is no bloody walk in the park either.

And I thought I'd offer him a different perspective... And country option, I really want guys to know that it's not all just small camps and golden wildebeest and this black impala nonsense in SA, there are some Hard core true hunting operations out there.

Jerome is always a good bet for Namibia.

I'd be silly not to push SA on PG especially on a hunt like this.

My best always

 

[BRICKBURN]

Jaco, There are plenty of places to walk your butt off in RSA. You just have to look for them.
Nothing wrong with educating the masses.

Plenty of places like this in RSA. Crawl up here if you really want some exercise.

Perhaps I'm insane, but I'm going back for more!

 

[Warbird782]

RSA has the hunts that you are looking for as well. On my first hunt there we blew out a tire on the cruiser in the Karoo. My PH instructed one the the trackers to fix it as we would take a walk. A walk up a mountain! I thought he had lost his damn mind taking me up it looking for gemsbok. I had always imagined gemsbok living in wide open plains not mountains. After a long trek we found the gemsbok on top the darn mountain. This was a very rewarding hunt. The area reminded me of the desert mountains in AZ. This is just one example of a hunt like you desire. There are many mountain/western style hunts to be had in RSA as well.

.

 

[JimP]

On my safari this last May I wondered if I was hunting elk instead of plains game. The first day we sat and glassed trying to find our quarries in the hills of the Groot Winterhoek Mountains. And while we did do quite a bit of driving in the trucks we did our fair share of hiking and stalking into posistion once we spotted a herd or a animal that we felt was worth the time and effort to get to.

My safari operator prided himself in fair chase hunts. There were no water holes or feed stations that were sat on, it was us against the animals and a few times the animals won out. While is it fun it is hard to take a 3 hour stalk to get into position on a herd of animals only for my PH to tell me that there was not any animal in the herd worth shooting. But then that is what hunting is all about and I wouldn't of had it any other way.

Here is a picture of the type of country that we were hunting in 90% of the time.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

With hard work one is sometimes but only sometimes spoiled with reward.....

Screw it!! I just like the journey...

My best always...

Not unlike yourself Wayne!

 

[KVS]

Morning @Traveler Welcome to AH, it's great to see a hunter wanting to get boots on the ground and really earn his quarry. @Jaco Strauss is right, SA can also provide exactly what you looking. We offer a camp out package where it's all about being in the bush an hunting hard! Photo is of one of our concessions.

Namibia is a fantastic place and we wish you all the best with your hunting.

Take care
Jono

 

[Traveler]

Thanks for all the replies. It’s good to see that some of my preconceived notions were incorrect.

Namibia is it. (Though those pics from RSA look gorgeous). But my friend is an expat in Windhoek, so we’d be jumping off from there.

He’s already made a very short hunt there, which has colored my opinion (perhaps unfairly). The PH and he walked some hills to find a nice kudu. But he said he later felt a bit of pressure (from the guide) to take an oryx from the road. There were others in the hunting party who were looking to take some animals and the PH and the other guys were eager to get a crack at what they wanted.

I'm interested in other replies or more advice. (Who is Jerome?)

 

[Adrian]

Have a read through some of the hunt reports here on the forum and you should get a fairly good idea of what happens on a hunt and how the hunt is conducted.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Jerome is the founder of the site. He has a very good operation in Namibia.

My best always