NAMIBIA: First Safari With KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS

[Hookboy88]

Just got back home from my first time visiting Africa and my first Safari. I chose to hunt with @KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS after seeing all the good reviews on here. I am very glad I made that decision.

I arrived on August 6th after flying over on Ethiopia Airlines. Philip was there to meet me at the Airport and off we were. On the way to his hunting conservancy we seen several Baboon on the side of the road and I was still in shock about being in Africa finally. We pulled into his farm and he showed me my room. I informed Philip I needed to shower and change clothes. Afterwards I meet him at the Club house and we enjoyed a cold drink while setting around the fire outside and watching all the animals such as Sable and Giraffe walking by. He informed me what time I would be heading out in the morning and we had supper. I can’t remember what we ate but I never had a bad meal there the whole time.

I was up the next morning at 5 AM even thou we didn’t meet for breakfast till 7. I was just so happy to finally be heading out to hunt in Africa. After we ate I meet my PH, Issac. And we were off to sight in my rifle real quick and after a few shots we were headed to the Mountains. Isaac already knew what animals I was after and explained how we would be hunting and informed me that the mountains would have Gemsbok, Zebra and Kudu. All animals I was after so I was excited. On the way we seen several Springbok and Steenbok. None of which seemed to catch Issacs eye. We also seen several Gemsbok down low but after Issac glassed them he told me they were females and that he could get me a good bull so we continued on.
The mountains were breathtaking and I was still a little in shock about the fact I was hunting Africa. I was trying to soak in everything I seen. We seen a bunch of Gemsbok and Kudu Females but Issac wasn’t interested in any of the Gemsbok. We rounded a bend in the road and way off in a valley I seen some Gemsbok and Issac said he also seen some Kudu and wanted to get a closer look. So off we went. When we worked our way around the mountain I realized what everyone means when they said it was rocky! They make rocks there to supply the rest of the world. But when we rounded the side of the mountain the Gemsbok and Kudu where gone. We start to walk back to the truck and I also realized I had made a mistake hunting in short sleeved shirts. Every bush had thorns and my arms were already bleeding. Back on the truck and headed further in the mountains. Didn’t go long before we seen a herd of Gemsbok and stopped. Issac glassed them
Over while I was getting dismounted. All of a sudden they take off and and I as I was watching them a Gemsbok runs up the mountain and stopped to look. Issac glassed him and whispered for me to shoot and that it was a good Bull. I ask him the distance and he tells me 230 meters. I shot and could hear the report of a hit. I work the bolt but see the Gemsbok seems to be hit hard. He ran up the mountain a ways then ran back down out of my sight but Issac said he was hit hard and was down. We move up just a little and Issac says he can see him and that he is down! I still couldn’t see my Gemsbok but was beside myself that I had got my first African Animal!
We get up to the Bull after a short walk and I couldn’t believe it! Such a beautiful animal.

A few pics and we load him on the truck. Now I am really in shock! We continue up the road a ways and see more Gemsbok. After a little bit Issac tells my driver, Afex, to stop. He starts glassing and points out three Mountain Zebra. I am watching them and Issac tells me to dismount and that we are going to put on a stalk. After we work our way around the mountain I am once again beating myself up over not wearing long sleeves lol. We get to a good glassing spot but the Zebras are no where in sight. After glassing for a few minutes we see the Zebra hightailing it across another mountain. Issac tells me we will get back on the truck and drive around and try another stalk. I am still a little in shock about everything and follow Issac back to the truck. Once we round a bend Issac points out a herd of about 10 Zebra and tells Afex where he wants him to park. Soon we are off and trying to sneak up on them. We walk down a mountain and I see Issac hand motion me to stop. I look and on another slope about 250 yards away Is the herd. Issac glassed them for a minute and I see him setting up the sticks. He signals me up and tells me to shoot the one at the bottom of the herd. I get set up and we talk back and forth to make sure I am on the right one and I send a bullet on its way! I can the hear the bullet and see the Zebra limping off. I try to shoot it again and miss. It’s out of sight now and off we go trying to catch up. We get to the top of a mountain and can see my zebra on the top of another hillside. It was a long ways off but after glassing it Casper, a young German that was there in camp doing a intern said it was bleeding badly. It walks off and we head towards its direction. We get to where we seen it and there was blood everywhere. We take off and go a short distance and I see Issac setting up the sticks. I look around and see my Zebra standing less one hundred yards away. I take my time and hit it in the shoulder and down it goes!

 

[Frederik]

Keep it coming.

 

[Doug3006]

Great story so far! Congrats on the fine trophies. The Gemsbok looks especially nice.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Your shock comes through in the telling. Congratulations.

 

[VonJager]

Congrats on your hunt! Were you on the same plane as another Namibia hunter and then met up with a Zim hunter in Addis? We got back to the states on Saturday.

I went to Khomas Highland in 2019. Glad to hear they are still going strong. Would love to visit there again.

 

[Andrew Short]

Awesome! Keep it coming! I’m booked with Khomas for next August so this is very exciting!

 

[Hookboy88]

Congrats on your hunt! Were you on the same plane as another Namibia hunter and then met up with a Zim hunter in Addis? We got back to the states on Saturday.

I went to Khomas Highland in 2019. Glad to hear they are still going strong. Would love to visit there again.

Yes. I met up with another Hunter in Namibia. We landed down In Ethiopia and met another hunter. I don’t where he had went hunting, but he showed us a picture of a nice Buffalo he had harvested.

 

[Hookboy88]

Issac and Afex go back to get the truck and I stay with the Zebra. I think the Zebra was one of the prettiest animals I seen while there. After awhile I hear the truck and see it sneaking through the mountains a long ways off. Once Issac is back to me we decide we will have to roll the Zebra down the mountain. Once at the bottom we get it loaded it up and head back towards Camp.

On the way to camp We see a Springbok a ways off and Issac stops to glass it. After looking over the Springbok Issac tells me it’s a nice one and that I need to take it. While I am getting set up the Springbok walls behind some bushes and stops. I take my time and find a open spot in the bushes that will allow me to thread a shot right on the Springboks shoulder. I send a round and watch the Springbok jump. We head that way and Issac finds blood and and maybe 40 yards later we find my Springbok! Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of my springbok right now but it was an Old Ram and measured 13 1/2 inches. It was harvested in the mountains and I was informed that it was odd to see them in the mountains. I also didn’t see anymore Springbok in the mountains my whole trip.

 

[VertigoBE]

Thanks for sharing so far @Hookboy88 ! Your enthusiasm is palpable ! Keep the story going please

 

[Hookboy88]

We head back into camp and and we drop my animals off at the Skinning shed. We meet and eat lunch and I try to take a nap but sleep avoids me. I get up at 3 and we meet for coffee and cake. Issac informs me that we will be heading back into the mountains for Kudu. We head out a little before 4. We drive and see several Gemsbok, and springbok. Issac stops the truck up high and gets off to glass off the side of a mountain. I start taking pictures lol. As I am taking pictures and taking in the view Issac hand signals me to come over. I sneak over and lay on the rock that Issac is glassing from. He points out three Warthogs and tells me that one of them is very old and would be a nice one to take. I get a rest on the rock and the warthog is standing still. I squeeze the trigger and the warthog drops in its tracks. We watch the other warthogs run off and just take a minute to look at the view. After a few minutes we work our down to the Warthog. Issac looks him over and seemed very pleased with his age. I told Issac I was not hunting with a tape measure but did want to take old mature animals. We grab the warthog and carry him up the mountain and take some pictures, then load him up and go back to looking for Kudu.

We did not see any Kudu bulls the rest of the evening but we did see some Blue Wildebeest right at dark. And I missed a jackel. We head back in and enjoy a nice supper and good company. I retired to bed but once again was not able to sleep. Back up at 5 and ready to go hunt.

Issac tells me that we will be hunting the mountains again this morning for Kudu as our target animal. We didn’t see any Kudu bulls but did see some nice Gemsbok and a lot of Zebra as well as Kudu Females. We arrive back at Camp for lunch and afterwards I get a good nap in. We meet for coffee and cake and I am back in the truck a little before 4 and headed out. Me and Issac talk and decided to go after Wildebeest this evening. On the way we see a Steenbok that caught Issacs eye. He tells me it’s a good one and I need to harvest it. I shoot from the truck and watch it run off. Now I am confused because it was not a long shot and I had a good rest. Issac tells me that he can still see it and that it has stopped. He said he is sure I hit it. We start sneaking through the grass and Issac sets up the sticks. I still couldn’t see it but Issac takes his time and points it out to me. I get set up and have my first Steenbok down!

We take some pictures and Load him up and continue on for Wildebeest. We got on several Blue Wildebeest but had failed stalk after failed stalk all evening. It was fun stalking the wildebeest and by now my arms are just a bloody mess. At dark we admit that the Wildebeest won this round and head back to camp in the moonlight.

 

[Velo Dog]

Great report Hookboy88.
I am a firearms enthusiast and curious what rifle, scope and ammunition you used during this hunting trip.
Thanks fir posting your report.
I am enjoying it.

 

[Hookboy88]

Great report Hookboy88.
I am a firearms enthusiast and curious what rifle, scope and ammunition you used during this hunting trip.
Thanks fir posting your report.
I am enjoying it.

I used Philips rifle. It was a 300 win mag with a suppressor. It was a Mauser action and I shot 180 grain Federals. Something I enjoyed about the Suppressor was the fact I could hear the bullet hit. This was the first time I have ever been able to hear the impact.

 

[Velo Dog]

I used Philips rifle. It was a 300 win mag with a suppressor. It was a Mauser action and I shot 180 grain Federals. Something I enjoyed about the Suppressor was the fact I could hear the bullet hit. This was the first time I have ever been able to hear the impact.

Hello again Hookboy88,

Thanks for that info.
I’m always curious what other hunters use for rifles, as well as specific ammunition and sighting arrangement.

I am familiar with that rifle.
A fellow I have known since childhood used it in 2017, with perfect success.
The various .300 Magnums, with 180 grain and on up to heavier bullets plus, a quality scope are pretty close to perfect, for long shots across the canyons, up there in the Khomas Hochland Highlands.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Hookboy88]

We get to camp late and there are some new hunters in camp. All the people I shared camp with were extremely nice and made for a fun experience. I enjoyed hanging out at camp with the Philip and the other hunters as much as I enjoyed the hunting.

I was able to sleep that night and I am up early the next morning. We haven’t went far when we Issac tells Afex to stop. He points out a Hartebeest in the distance and we decided to put on a stalk. After a long and fun stalk the Hartebeest decided he had waited long enough and was out of there. We get picked up and continue on. We haven’t went far when Issac points out a whole herd of Hartebeest and once again we are off. We had a long stalk and Issac signals for me to stop. We stop and the herd is maybe 40 yards away. As I am getting set up Issac tells me to shoot the one in the front looking at me. I am getting ready when the herd seen us or smelt us one and they were off and leave the country. We head back to camp for lunch and a nap. We head back out that evening and have some more failed stalks on Blue Wildebeest. I greatly enjoyed Watching Issac get us as close as he did to entire herds of animals in the thick brush. He was a very gifted hunter for sure.

The next morning we are up and Issac tells me that we are headed to a place I haven’t been and would be after Kudu. We drive a pretty good ways and I am amazed once we get to the hunting area. There is Gemsbok, Zebra and Kudu Females absolutely everywhere you look! We never did run across a Kudu bull but I missed another Jackel and we had yet, another failed stalk on Red Hartebeest. For me the toughest animal to hunt was the Red Hartebeest. He was smart, had good eyesight and would run three countries over when spooked. We did see two Blue Wildebeest Bulls a long ways off in the distance. That was the only time I seen Wildebeest in the mountains the whole trip. We head back to camp and me and Issac talk about hunting Blue Wildebeest that evening. As I am eating lunch I was informed that Issac had been told that someone had seen two big Kudu Bulls and Issac had changed his plans and we would be leaving early that evening to go see if we could run across one of them. I meet Issac about 3:15 and we are off. We get up in the mountains and we are seeing Kudu Females and Gemsbok. All of a sudden and out of nowhere a Kudu Bull stands up and takes off running. Issac yells for me to jump off and we are off. We don’t go far when we see the Bull standing. Issac glassed him real fast and sets up the sticks. I get on the sticks and... completely botched the shot... just not sure what happened but that Bull is still running around the Mountains of Namibia. Issac does the best tracking job I had ever seen before and we last seen that Bull running wide open over another mountain. We head back to camp and I am beating myself up at first then decided that I was in Africa and wasn’t going to let anything get me down. I start taking in the views and talking to Issac and soon my spirits are lifted up again. We roll into camp and have another fantastic supper.

 

[VonJager]

Yes. I met up with another Hunter in Namibia. We landed down In Ethiopia and met another hunter. I don’t where he had went hunting, but he showed us a picture of a nice Buffalo he had harvested.

Yep. That was me with the Buffalo picture. Small world! I didn’t get much chance to talk with you as I was so worried about getting the rifle taken care of during the layover. Glad you had a great hunt.

 

[Hookboy88]

The next morning I am up and after my fill of Coffee and Breakfast we are off after Wildebeest. I am excited to be chasing Wildebeest. To me they are one of the animals that really scream Africa. We see a herd in no time at all but Issac checks the wind and decided to drive a long ways off and come in from behind them. As we are driving we see a single Blue Wildebeest Bull that is In high gear getting out of there. Issac told me that he has seen that bull before and that he don’t run with the herd and is extremely smart. We park the truck and we are off. We walk a long ways to get to the Herd of Black wildebeest and right as we are getting ready to look them over we see them take off. We walk on and all of a sudden we hear them running back our way. Issac grabs me and we jump into some bushes. The herd starts running circles and stopping for short amounts of time. Finally they stop and i am already on the sticks. Issac tells me which one to shot and it’s facing me at about 200 yards. I slowly squeeze the trigger and see the Bull jump. The herd runs off and Issac tells me that he fears I hit it in the leg. I felt very good with my shot but then the Kudu started playing over in my head. The herd turns and we are able to glass them in the distance. Issac tells me that my bull is not with the herd. Issac started tracking and we find blood. As Issac is tracking I look up and see my Black Wildebeest laying in the grass. I point it out to Issac and as we make our way he stands up. As he was getting up Issac tells me to shot and I put two more in him for good measure. We walk up and I am thrilled! We look and my first shot was right on the money. Square in the brisket and had busted up the shoulder making him limp like he had been hit in the leg.

 

[Hookboy88]

We get him loaded and as it’s still early we head on hunting. Issac stops Afex and tells me that he can see some Hartebeest. I never could see them but had learned that Issac was able to see animals I couldn’t so I just listened to him. He tells Afex to park the truck a little ways up the road and we are off. We walked, and then we walked some more, and then some more. Finally I see the Herd and Issac tells me that they kept walking away from us but didn’t seem spooked. We start sneaking and Issac gets us within 60 yards of the herd. I set up on the sticks and me and Issac are talking back and forth.. He tells me to shot the one looking at me. I ask a few questions to make sure I am looking at the right one. And send a bullet. I hear a good hit and know the one I hit was not going anywhere. But Issac told me that the Bull ran off. I told Issac the one I shot was down. It hit both of us that I had shot the wrong one... we walk up and I had shot a cow. I felt bad for Issac. He had worked his butt off to get me on them and then I had shot the wrong one.

 

[Nyati]

Congrats, you are doing quite well, keep it coming !

 

[Hookboy88]

Yep. That was me with the Buffalo picture. Small world! I didn’t get much chance to talk with you as I was so worried about getting the rifle taken care of during the layover. Glad you had a great hunt.

Yes I looked for you on the plane but never seen you. That airport got a little confusing at times.

 

[Hookboy88]

We head back to camp for lunch and to drop off my Animals at the skinning shed. I hunted Philip down and told him that I had messed up on the Red Hartebeest after Issac had walked his shoes off up to this point and I wanted to try again for a bull if I had his blessing. Philip gave me his blessing and I asked him to tell Issac the same. That evening I hop on the truck and Issac is in good spirits after Philip telling him we would be chasing Hartebeest again. As we head out we see some Hartebeest but have another failed stalk. We decided to check another area late in the evening and we see some a long ways off. As we start walking Issac and Afex look over and see a good Bull on the other side of the canyon. We sneak up and get me on the sticks. I shoot and miss, the Bull doesn’t run away but looks around and I settled back on the sticks and missed.... two more times. That Bull heads out and Issac tells me that we will drive around and and then walk down a mountain and see if we can see him again. We hurry up and get on the truck and take off. Issac tells Afex to stop the truck and me and Issac are off. We maybe walked three Quarters of a mile when We spot the bull on another hillside. We sneak around and Issac sets up the sticks. This shot will be just as long if not longer than the first time I shot at it. I talk myself through it and get on the sticks and take my time. I send a bullet and hear the report of a hit. The Bull takes off running and I send another bullet and watch it go down. Me and Issac do some celebrating over the fact that we finally got a Hartebeest Bull after all the stalks we had done up to this point. We get to the Bull right as last light is fading.

Something interesting, as the Bull was running on the second shot I aimed in front of his nose and hit him in the ham.