Duke1966
AH senior member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2023
- Messages
- 69
- Reaction score
- 246
First I'd really like to thank everyone for all your help and advice offered on the website. It's been a great source of information and full of kind and knowledgable members. Before I found this site I really didn't think I'd ever actually get the opportunity to hunt in Africa. But I did and it was a great experience, mostly. The trip was a retirement gift to myself. I retired from CBP after 34 years. Three years Army and two years Bureau of Prisons before that. I decided to document this here since I found the "Hunting Reports"so informative and helpful to me when planning my hunt. Writing is definitely something I don't do often and I hope I don't make too much a fool of myself.
I booked my travel through Travel Express advertised here on Africa Hunting. Jennifer was great to work with and I would highly recommend using their services. I flew through Frankfurt and they did my firearms transit permit for me. Being 6'4" I paid for extra legroom and very happy that I did. The day before flying out I checked with the airline (United) concerning checking in the weapons and what locks they wanted to be used. I know this is widely discussed topic here and the answer isn't always clear cut even though it should be. I ended up using the cheapest TSA locks I could find. I brought extra locks just in case. I've worked in numerous airports all over the world and I guess it's not out of the realm of possibilities, but it would be very difficult for anyone to walk out of an airport carrying a rifle, so I trusted they'd be safe (and they were). I know a lot of people here have recommended to travel as light as possible but I needed one checked bag to secure my ammo so I wouldn't say I overpacked but I didn't necessarily pack "light".
The flights to Windhoek were relatively uneventful. I was a bit concerned about the firearms transit permits in Frankurt and who needed to see them. I asked three different Lufthansa agents and they all concurred that I didn't need to do anything but I kept the copies handy. I used airtags to track my bags so it was a relief to be able to see where they were. I did the new E-VISA for Namibia prior to arrival. Having worked Customs/Immigration for most of my life it was very clear to me that Namibia's E-Visa system is not fully operational. About all it did for me was allow me to access a little shorter wait line. I approached the counter at exactly the same time as two other US hunters who also had completed the E-VISA online. All three of us were processed completely differently. One guy was literally just waived through. I had to complete the same document in ink that I had already completed electronically. They did check the "Invitation Letter" provided by the outfitter. The third guy was still at the counter when I was released. It was relatively painless, but I'm convinced that the system is not actually up and running as it was designed to be. Collecting my rifle was partially expedited by the PH that was sent to pick me up. Apparently, he is a reserve police officer and seemed to know all parties involved. We stopped to pick up some shooting supplies and I was very impressed by what a clean city Windhoek is. It was about a two hour drive to camp (a very rocky mountainous area in the Khomas region) and we arrived in time for a lunch of a game meat stew and salad. My living quarters were much more luxurious than I had expected.
I was surprised to learn that I would be going out to hunt that afternoon but i certainly wasn't going to complain. When I met my PH was just a little disappointed to learn that he wasn't one of the outfitter's regulars and that was basically a "free lance". I later concluded that the outfitter probably matched me up with him because we were similar in age and I'm guessing he assumed maybe physical condition. Looking back it wasn't a great match. I'm in significantly better physical condition than most my age and would have preferred to have been with a young PH that would have challenged me more. Yes, I know, I probably should have brought this up right away but I guess I was just hoping for the best and thought maybe he'd surprise me and prove me wrong.
It was a beautiful day and cooled off fast as it got dark. My tracker saw a warthog but I never did see it. Unfortunately, last year at about this time I had detached retinas in both eyes. My vision really turned out to be an issue during whole trip. In the doctor's office they tell me my vision is 20/25 but in the real world it really isn't. I see a lot of shadows and my eyes get very dry and it takes several hours every morning for them to feel even semi-normal. I saw my first kudu which was really nice since I kept hearing about how dry it's been and the kudu population was down in the area.
The next day (June 1) started early, as they all did. The morning was crisp but warmed up quickly. We were driving to a spot to hopefully spot some wildebeest when my PH started yelling for me to shoot the Steinbok, shoot him, shoot that buck! I was on the back of the truck and didn't see any game. He said right at 10 o'clock...I threw the scope up and saw game running. Now I'm not experienced with African plains game but I wasn't looking at Steinbok...these sure looked like impala to me. He must have shouted to shoot 5 or 6 times. Finally, just as I was about to shoot the impala ram, my tracker tapped my shoulder and directed my attention to the little Steinbok standing at about 100 yards. I repositioned and squeezed off a round. I instantly heard the smack. My first African animal.
Almost immediately after killing the Steinbok we started back on the trail and we found a large group of blue wildebeest. They seemed to calm down quickly and we got on the ground and started a stalk. The wind was good but they seemed to spook a couple of times and split into two groups. It was exciting to hear them "grunting" I guess I'd call it. The PH said there was a bull right in front of us. He put up the shooting sticks and said that the bull was facing to the right "behind that bush". I got the scope on him and waited. As he stepped out he said there, there he is. It was probably under 200 yards but I really didn't feel steady. I had practiced on sticks but mine were more of a tripod. These were "sticks". I asked the PH for his shoulder and he moved close. I told him that the brush was just covering his shoulder. He said I could shoot through "that little bit of brush". I'm shooting a Bergara 300 win mag with 180 grain Barnes TTSX bullets (lots on this later). As soon as I shot my PH yelled "You got him, I saw the blood" . It didn't take long to find the trail. I don't think I've ever seen so much blood. Now, I'm not sure if I subconsciously held a little forward because of the brush or if the brush deflected my bullet but it was very clear that this animal was hit in the neck. Somehow the beast went about 400 yards before we saw (him) under a small tree. As I approached with my tracker the PH went to get the truck. I immediately noticed something unusual about this bull. He didn't have any balls! When the PH got back they were conversing rapidly in Afrikaans and I quickly deducted that "koei" is Afrikaans for cow. My PH looked at me as asked "What one did you shoot?" Huh? I shot the one you told me to. There was absolutely no way I shot the wrong animal. I was very insulted by the accusation but didn't really say much. As the PH went back to the truck I said to the tracker "I am certain I shot the one he said to shoot". The tracker responded "Yes sir, I am well aware" It was so matter-of-fact it was almost funny. Initially I was really concerned that I'd be paying some sort of "penalty" but the conversation quickly went in the direction of "as long as you're ok with it, it's not a big deal". This kind of told me that he was conceiting that he had either lost track of the bull or just had me shoot not being 100% certain that this was a bull. Honestly, other than being accused of shooting the wrong animal I was okay with the cow. I think the flat skin will be beautiful.
That night was a great night at camp with bunch of other US hunters all celebrating their kills. Just about every dinner was some sort of game meat and there wasn't one that I didn't throughly enjoy. My room was about a mile from the main camp so I opted to head back before I had a few too many drinks. I'm glad that I did because those guys looked pretty rough in the morning.
The next day (June 2) was officially only the second day of hunting. I spent an uncomfortable amount of time riding in the back of the Land Cruiser. The day's search was for black wildebeest and Gemsbok. After a couple of hours we did spot some wildebeest but they were so far away I could barely pick them out with my binoculars. The way the trackers and PH could spot these animals was really truly amazing. I would never believe it until I witnessed it myself. After lunch we did more driving, a lot more. It was only two days into the 10-day hunt and my ribs were sore from banging around on the truck and trying to keep from gun from bouncing off the truck. We spotted some Gemsbok at about 600-800 yards away that my PH dismissed pretty quickly as not having any mature bulls. Again, I admit their eyesight is just phenomenal but...
Day three (June 3) we continued driving around looking for Gemsbok and black wildebeest. We spotted some Gemsbok again but at a very far distance. We sent the tracker to see if he could find where they were heading and we circled around. I could tell by my PH's comments that he wasn't too keen on trying to get anything we might kill out of there and back to the truck. I started to get the feeling that my PH wasn't too interested in doing too much physical labor as part of the hunt. Either way the Gemsbok disappeared and we headed back to the truck. Just about anytime my PH was alone with me he'd comment about our tracker. The tracker was one of the outfitter's guys and the PH was not used to working with him. He said he wasn't too bright and had a lot to learn. Personally, I felt he was great, he quickly spotted game and was very good at remaining calm and pointing out the game for me. It was a situation that made me just a bit uncomfortable.
On the way back to camp we ran into another hunter from our camp that had just killed a kudu. We helped him load it in our truck (since they had left their's a couple miles away while stalking the kudu). I was feeling a little jealous hearing him tell the story of how they stalked him but also encouraged that there where some good bulls around. Even if one less now.
After lunch we continued the "chase" for wildebeest. We spotted a huge herd and literally chased them at speeds way too dangerous to be riding in the back of a truck. But I managed to survive and eventually we got into a position about 400 yards away where they settled down. After a lot of back and forth with my PH's frustration very clear and obvious that I was having a hard time picking out the same bull he was referring to but eventually I did. I asked him the distance and he said just hold "top of the shoulder". This is when I realized that he did not use a range finder. I spent several months shooting my rifle (300 win mag) and using a CDS scope. I know some don't care for them but I consistently shoot under six inches at 400 yards. His frustration and my frustration weren't likely to result in a positive outcome and it didn't. I don't even know what happened but I think I shot way over.
That night I learned that we were heading to another property the next day. I wasn't aware that this would be part of the plan but I didn't object. The new concession was in the Kalahari region and I figured it would be nice to see some different parts of the country. That night after dinner we discovered we had a flat tire. No big deal....other than the spare was flat also. Really? You'd think that if driving off road in some of roughest terrain on the planet was your livelihood you'd maintain your equipment. Anyway after helping him shove about four plugs into it we got the leak under control.
Day 4 (June 4). The drive to the Kalahari area was long but we got the tire fixed on the way and were in our new camp before noon. After lunch we headed out to look for Gemsbok. It didn't take long and we found a large group. The terrain was very different here and we were able to spend a long time glassing. Again, my PH wasn't the most patient and it just seemed hard for him to believe that I wasn't always seeing exactly what he was seeing. Finally we are on the same bull and spend the next 40-45 minutes waiting for the cows around him to clear. It seemed intentional that the cows just continued to circle the bull we wanted. It was getting hot and my neck was killing me. My eyes were dry and getting hard to focus. When it was time to shoot my PH said "there just behind the shoulder". Now I have spent over a year researching and studying for this hunt. One thing I have repeatedly heard is that us Americans shoot African game too far back and that you're better off to shoot "on the shoulder" especially with a 300 win mag at 250 yards. That's what I did. It was perfect I could instantly tell his shoulder was broken and he was hurt very badly. He took a few hobbled steps but didn't fall. The PH said to shoot and I shot a little back as he was angling away and he fell instantly. I felt like everything went beautifully. The when we get up to him my PH starts yelling and saying I hit him too high, I hit him far forward.
I was completely dumbfounded. He went two steps and is laying here dead in front of us. I told him he was a real buzzkill and he apologized. Later, I think I made sense of his objection to my shot placement.
to be continued
I booked my travel through Travel Express advertised here on Africa Hunting. Jennifer was great to work with and I would highly recommend using their services. I flew through Frankfurt and they did my firearms transit permit for me. Being 6'4" I paid for extra legroom and very happy that I did. The day before flying out I checked with the airline (United) concerning checking in the weapons and what locks they wanted to be used. I know this is widely discussed topic here and the answer isn't always clear cut even though it should be. I ended up using the cheapest TSA locks I could find. I brought extra locks just in case. I've worked in numerous airports all over the world and I guess it's not out of the realm of possibilities, but it would be very difficult for anyone to walk out of an airport carrying a rifle, so I trusted they'd be safe (and they were). I know a lot of people here have recommended to travel as light as possible but I needed one checked bag to secure my ammo so I wouldn't say I overpacked but I didn't necessarily pack "light".
The flights to Windhoek were relatively uneventful. I was a bit concerned about the firearms transit permits in Frankurt and who needed to see them. I asked three different Lufthansa agents and they all concurred that I didn't need to do anything but I kept the copies handy. I used airtags to track my bags so it was a relief to be able to see where they were. I did the new E-VISA for Namibia prior to arrival. Having worked Customs/Immigration for most of my life it was very clear to me that Namibia's E-Visa system is not fully operational. About all it did for me was allow me to access a little shorter wait line. I approached the counter at exactly the same time as two other US hunters who also had completed the E-VISA online. All three of us were processed completely differently. One guy was literally just waived through. I had to complete the same document in ink that I had already completed electronically. They did check the "Invitation Letter" provided by the outfitter. The third guy was still at the counter when I was released. It was relatively painless, but I'm convinced that the system is not actually up and running as it was designed to be. Collecting my rifle was partially expedited by the PH that was sent to pick me up. Apparently, he is a reserve police officer and seemed to know all parties involved. We stopped to pick up some shooting supplies and I was very impressed by what a clean city Windhoek is. It was about a two hour drive to camp (a very rocky mountainous area in the Khomas region) and we arrived in time for a lunch of a game meat stew and salad. My living quarters were much more luxurious than I had expected.
I was surprised to learn that I would be going out to hunt that afternoon but i certainly wasn't going to complain. When I met my PH was just a little disappointed to learn that he wasn't one of the outfitter's regulars and that was basically a "free lance". I later concluded that the outfitter probably matched me up with him because we were similar in age and I'm guessing he assumed maybe physical condition. Looking back it wasn't a great match. I'm in significantly better physical condition than most my age and would have preferred to have been with a young PH that would have challenged me more. Yes, I know, I probably should have brought this up right away but I guess I was just hoping for the best and thought maybe he'd surprise me and prove me wrong.
It was a beautiful day and cooled off fast as it got dark. My tracker saw a warthog but I never did see it. Unfortunately, last year at about this time I had detached retinas in both eyes. My vision really turned out to be an issue during whole trip. In the doctor's office they tell me my vision is 20/25 but in the real world it really isn't. I see a lot of shadows and my eyes get very dry and it takes several hours every morning for them to feel even semi-normal. I saw my first kudu which was really nice since I kept hearing about how dry it's been and the kudu population was down in the area.
The next day (June 1) started early, as they all did. The morning was crisp but warmed up quickly. We were driving to a spot to hopefully spot some wildebeest when my PH started yelling for me to shoot the Steinbok, shoot him, shoot that buck! I was on the back of the truck and didn't see any game. He said right at 10 o'clock...I threw the scope up and saw game running. Now I'm not experienced with African plains game but I wasn't looking at Steinbok...these sure looked like impala to me. He must have shouted to shoot 5 or 6 times. Finally, just as I was about to shoot the impala ram, my tracker tapped my shoulder and directed my attention to the little Steinbok standing at about 100 yards. I repositioned and squeezed off a round. I instantly heard the smack. My first African animal.
Almost immediately after killing the Steinbok we started back on the trail and we found a large group of blue wildebeest. They seemed to calm down quickly and we got on the ground and started a stalk. The wind was good but they seemed to spook a couple of times and split into two groups. It was exciting to hear them "grunting" I guess I'd call it. The PH said there was a bull right in front of us. He put up the shooting sticks and said that the bull was facing to the right "behind that bush". I got the scope on him and waited. As he stepped out he said there, there he is. It was probably under 200 yards but I really didn't feel steady. I had practiced on sticks but mine were more of a tripod. These were "sticks". I asked the PH for his shoulder and he moved close. I told him that the brush was just covering his shoulder. He said I could shoot through "that little bit of brush". I'm shooting a Bergara 300 win mag with 180 grain Barnes TTSX bullets (lots on this later). As soon as I shot my PH yelled "You got him, I saw the blood" . It didn't take long to find the trail. I don't think I've ever seen so much blood. Now, I'm not sure if I subconsciously held a little forward because of the brush or if the brush deflected my bullet but it was very clear that this animal was hit in the neck. Somehow the beast went about 400 yards before we saw (him) under a small tree. As I approached with my tracker the PH went to get the truck. I immediately noticed something unusual about this bull. He didn't have any balls! When the PH got back they were conversing rapidly in Afrikaans and I quickly deducted that "koei" is Afrikaans for cow. My PH looked at me as asked "What one did you shoot?" Huh? I shot the one you told me to. There was absolutely no way I shot the wrong animal. I was very insulted by the accusation but didn't really say much. As the PH went back to the truck I said to the tracker "I am certain I shot the one he said to shoot". The tracker responded "Yes sir, I am well aware" It was so matter-of-fact it was almost funny. Initially I was really concerned that I'd be paying some sort of "penalty" but the conversation quickly went in the direction of "as long as you're ok with it, it's not a big deal". This kind of told me that he was conceiting that he had either lost track of the bull or just had me shoot not being 100% certain that this was a bull. Honestly, other than being accused of shooting the wrong animal I was okay with the cow. I think the flat skin will be beautiful.
That night was a great night at camp with bunch of other US hunters all celebrating their kills. Just about every dinner was some sort of game meat and there wasn't one that I didn't throughly enjoy. My room was about a mile from the main camp so I opted to head back before I had a few too many drinks. I'm glad that I did because those guys looked pretty rough in the morning.
The next day (June 2) was officially only the second day of hunting. I spent an uncomfortable amount of time riding in the back of the Land Cruiser. The day's search was for black wildebeest and Gemsbok. After a couple of hours we did spot some wildebeest but they were so far away I could barely pick them out with my binoculars. The way the trackers and PH could spot these animals was really truly amazing. I would never believe it until I witnessed it myself. After lunch we did more driving, a lot more. It was only two days into the 10-day hunt and my ribs were sore from banging around on the truck and trying to keep from gun from bouncing off the truck. We spotted some Gemsbok at about 600-800 yards away that my PH dismissed pretty quickly as not having any mature bulls. Again, I admit their eyesight is just phenomenal but...
Day three (June 3) we continued driving around looking for Gemsbok and black wildebeest. We spotted some Gemsbok again but at a very far distance. We sent the tracker to see if he could find where they were heading and we circled around. I could tell by my PH's comments that he wasn't too keen on trying to get anything we might kill out of there and back to the truck. I started to get the feeling that my PH wasn't too interested in doing too much physical labor as part of the hunt. Either way the Gemsbok disappeared and we headed back to the truck. Just about anytime my PH was alone with me he'd comment about our tracker. The tracker was one of the outfitter's guys and the PH was not used to working with him. He said he wasn't too bright and had a lot to learn. Personally, I felt he was great, he quickly spotted game and was very good at remaining calm and pointing out the game for me. It was a situation that made me just a bit uncomfortable.
On the way back to camp we ran into another hunter from our camp that had just killed a kudu. We helped him load it in our truck (since they had left their's a couple miles away while stalking the kudu). I was feeling a little jealous hearing him tell the story of how they stalked him but also encouraged that there where some good bulls around. Even if one less now.
After lunch we continued the "chase" for wildebeest. We spotted a huge herd and literally chased them at speeds way too dangerous to be riding in the back of a truck. But I managed to survive and eventually we got into a position about 400 yards away where they settled down. After a lot of back and forth with my PH's frustration very clear and obvious that I was having a hard time picking out the same bull he was referring to but eventually I did. I asked him the distance and he said just hold "top of the shoulder". This is when I realized that he did not use a range finder. I spent several months shooting my rifle (300 win mag) and using a CDS scope. I know some don't care for them but I consistently shoot under six inches at 400 yards. His frustration and my frustration weren't likely to result in a positive outcome and it didn't. I don't even know what happened but I think I shot way over.
That night I learned that we were heading to another property the next day. I wasn't aware that this would be part of the plan but I didn't object. The new concession was in the Kalahari region and I figured it would be nice to see some different parts of the country. That night after dinner we discovered we had a flat tire. No big deal....other than the spare was flat also. Really? You'd think that if driving off road in some of roughest terrain on the planet was your livelihood you'd maintain your equipment. Anyway after helping him shove about four plugs into it we got the leak under control.
Day 4 (June 4). The drive to the Kalahari area was long but we got the tire fixed on the way and were in our new camp before noon. After lunch we headed out to look for Gemsbok. It didn't take long and we found a large group. The terrain was very different here and we were able to spend a long time glassing. Again, my PH wasn't the most patient and it just seemed hard for him to believe that I wasn't always seeing exactly what he was seeing. Finally we are on the same bull and spend the next 40-45 minutes waiting for the cows around him to clear. It seemed intentional that the cows just continued to circle the bull we wanted. It was getting hot and my neck was killing me. My eyes were dry and getting hard to focus. When it was time to shoot my PH said "there just behind the shoulder". Now I have spent over a year researching and studying for this hunt. One thing I have repeatedly heard is that us Americans shoot African game too far back and that you're better off to shoot "on the shoulder" especially with a 300 win mag at 250 yards. That's what I did. It was perfect I could instantly tell his shoulder was broken and he was hurt very badly. He took a few hobbled steps but didn't fall. The PH said to shoot and I shot a little back as he was angling away and he fell instantly. I felt like everything went beautifully. The when we get up to him my PH starts yelling and saying I hit him too high, I hit him far forward.
I was completely dumbfounded. He went two steps and is laying here dead in front of us. I told him he was a real buzzkill and he apologized. Later, I think I made sense of his objection to my shot placement.
to be continued
