Karl Johnson
AH member
Hunter: Karl Johnson
Safari Operator: @KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS, Windhoek Namibia
https://khomas-highland-hunting.com/
Dates: 31 August 2022 – 9 September 2022
Rifle and ammo: Winchester Model 70, All Weather, 300 Win Mag
168 grain TTSX handloads, 83 grain Ramshot Magnum
Game taken: Warthog, Red Hartebeest, Mountain Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Steinbok, Klipspringer, Kudu, Oryx
Game seen: Nyala, Eland, Bat Eared Fox, Black Wildebeest, Impala, Giraffe, Lechwe
Summary
I had a fantastic time on safari with Khomas Highlands Safari in Namibia. They are located approximately 100 miles north of Windhoek and have approximately 370,000 acres of free-range land on which they hunt. This is also a working cattle ranch so there are some cattle fences but no high fences on the hunting area.
Phillip Hennings and his staff do an amazing job taking care of their guests. The food, accommodations, and attention to detail are all first rate. In talks with Phillip, his people, and observing the treatment of the land and game, it is obvious he is an excellent steward of the land. My details of the hunt will follow, but I give Phillip and Khomas Highlands Safari my highest recommendation. This was my first African safari, but I’m very well-traveled, and this place is special.
Day one
It is 6:00 AM Central African time. I arrived yesterday to the hunting concession. The beauty and grandeur of this place cannot adequately be captured with pictures. The camp itself is outstanding and a first-rate place.
Two days of international travel have certainly negatively impacted my sleep cycle and combined with the excitement of knowing that today I will begin my safari left me short on sleep. Throughout the evening I heard different animals in the distance. I think many of them were jackals howling throughout the night along with some birds closer to sunrise.
Breakfast is fantastic, as are all the meals during my stay. They age the game animal meat for 5 days or so prior to preparing them. No taste of wild game and they are tender as veal.
We start in the morning with a trip to the rifle range to check zero on the rifle and make sure that it shoots where it should. I’m making excuses, but I was shooting from a strange bench, off bags, and did not get myself set up correctly and my first three shots did not group well. I walked around to look at them and settled back down and put two more into a perfect tight group with the original first shot.
Satisfied with that we went hunting. We saw a male kudu that garnered greater investigation but as we started a stalk on the kudo male we came across some kudo cows we had not seen. They spooked and ran, which was the end of our Kudo stalk that morning.
We proceeded on; driving through the high plains desert and off to our left we spotted two warthogs. My PH Henrick said they looked like old ones let’s go after them. We got off the truck and stalked up the hill for about 200 yards towards where we had seen them in grass which comes up to about mid-thigh. They had moved on a little bit so we went after them for another 300 yards prior to seeing both of them. I confirmed with Henrick that the second one was the oldest one and he encouraged me to shoot it. I lined up the shot, squeezed the trigger and I could tell I’d hit the hog well. Everyone said they knew I’d hit the hog well, but we let Spike, the 8-month-old pup loose to find it. Spike found it maybe 30 yards further from where I’d shot it in the tall grass. I put my bullet in between the last two ribs on the left-hand side and broke the bone on the right front shoulder and it was lodged just inside the hide. My first African animal and I couldn’t be happier.
After the morning hunt we had an awesome lunch of homemade pizza followed by a short siesta. Every day at about 3:00 you have cake and coffee prior to the afternoon hunt. Today it was a blueberry muffin. We went into the mountains seeing several different game species on the way. We were moving slowly down a mountain road when up ahead we saw several oryx cross the road. I’d made Henrick my PH and Heinrich my guide aware that for hogs and oryx I simply wanted mature/older males, representative of the area. We immediately stopped, looked, and listened. Henrick was very certain that there were more than just a few in this herd so we got out of the Land Cruiser and started our stalk. Turns out he was right there with numerous oryx in this herd. We continued very cautiously and carefully up and down the crest of the mountain a couple of times watching listening and trying not to spook them.
We eventually moved our selves very cautiously down the side of the mountain after cresting a top when we were afforded cover from some bushes and rocks. There were several oryx at the bottom of the mountain and we looked down upon them trying to judge which was the oldest male to take. Finally, I was set up on the sticks for an approximately 120 yard down-hill shot. I shot the male oryx at a downward angle taking out his lungs. He was staggering off and I shot him again. Very quickly after being hit with a second shot he laid down and expired.
We walked down the hill and found the oryx, a beautiful animal at the end of his life. An excellent afternoon hunting with the group. Henrick, Heinrich and the driver/spotter Charlie were quickly proving to me the stories I’ve heard for years about the hunting skills of these guides/professionals are not exaggerated. Their ability to spot game, analyze it, and lead you on a stalk are utterly amazing. Picture below shows Henrick, Charlie, and Heinrich, L to R.
Day two
The day starts with breakfast at 7 AM and then out to the Land Cruiser. We see numerous animals including a Bat Eared Fox, kudo females as well as some oryx and then we came across some springbok. It looked like a good herd with a few nice rams so we decided we would put a stalk on them. The stalk lasted for about 90 minutes, up-and-down several hills, down into valleys, slowly but surely watching them from afar and trying to get to a spot to take one of the best rams. I continue to be amazed at our PH Henrick as he seems to know what animals are going to do, where to go, and how to do it at a level that is beyond my comprehension. He can walk across hardscrabble rock-strewn ground and not make a sound as he walks in-between thornbushes that never seem to bother him, and his clothes never get snagged.
After this time of up-and-down the hills and in an out of valleys I must admit, I was starting to think that they’d given us the slip and we would never see them again. Suddenly I can tell Henrick is feeling good about our position. The shooting sticks go up and it’s a relatively close shot at about 170 yards. I squeeze the trigger and I’ve hit him as he was trying to walk off as I shot. I was concerned he was going to run. He’s gushing blood from both the bullet entrance and exit wound. He refuses to go down.
He’s been wandering in and out of the bushes below as we are waiting to put a finishing shot on him. I’m dumbfounded, as are my guides, that this animal is still standing. I squeeze the trigger one more time and down he goes. For years I’ve read and heard about the white hair on the posterior of springbok standing up upon death. I am amazed upon seeing it and try to think of a reason for this to occur. He is a beautiful ram taken after a great stalk that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
After another amazing lunch and the afternoon siesta we go hunting. We are about 5 miles out of camp when Henrick taps on the roof telling Charlie he sees Red Hartebeest. Of course, I’ve not seen them, but the guys have amazing eyesight and skills at spotting game that are unbelievable! Henrick says one is a very good male. We begin an amazing stalk on the Red Hartebeest through a long and wide valley. For over 2 1/2 hours we stalk them up and down the sides of the valley trying to get closer without spooking them. Later Heinrich asks me if I saw all the Kudu cows we spooked, and I admitted I had no idea we had done so.
After this amount of time Henrick asked Charlie to pick us up in the Land Cruiser because we can no longer see the game. We drive a bit down the road and Henrick bangs on the roof of a Land Cruiser saying stop Charlie. We jump out and stalk them for almost another mile. Fortunately, they seem calmer than they had earlier.
After another 15 minute stalk Henrick puts the sticks up and says to wait, the herd bull will step out to the left and that he is a very good bull. We wait for a few minutes and Henrick confirms that’s him. I see him well as he is facing us, and Heinrich tells me it’s about 240 yards. I squeeze the trigger; the rifle roars, and I see the bull jump as he’s been well hit. We wait about 5 minutes before we walk towards where I shot the animal. Prior to our arriving at the spot the bull had been standing, Spike finds him 20 yards away from where I shot him.
We walk up on the bull and we’re all very pleased. This is an awesome animal who is stout in both body and horn.
Safari Operator: @KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS, Windhoek Namibia
https://khomas-highland-hunting.com/
Dates: 31 August 2022 – 9 September 2022
Rifle and ammo: Winchester Model 70, All Weather, 300 Win Mag
168 grain TTSX handloads, 83 grain Ramshot Magnum
Game taken: Warthog, Red Hartebeest, Mountain Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Steinbok, Klipspringer, Kudu, Oryx
Game seen: Nyala, Eland, Bat Eared Fox, Black Wildebeest, Impala, Giraffe, Lechwe
Summary
I had a fantastic time on safari with Khomas Highlands Safari in Namibia. They are located approximately 100 miles north of Windhoek and have approximately 370,000 acres of free-range land on which they hunt. This is also a working cattle ranch so there are some cattle fences but no high fences on the hunting area.
Phillip Hennings and his staff do an amazing job taking care of their guests. The food, accommodations, and attention to detail are all first rate. In talks with Phillip, his people, and observing the treatment of the land and game, it is obvious he is an excellent steward of the land. My details of the hunt will follow, but I give Phillip and Khomas Highlands Safari my highest recommendation. This was my first African safari, but I’m very well-traveled, and this place is special.
Day one
It is 6:00 AM Central African time. I arrived yesterday to the hunting concession. The beauty and grandeur of this place cannot adequately be captured with pictures. The camp itself is outstanding and a first-rate place.
Two days of international travel have certainly negatively impacted my sleep cycle and combined with the excitement of knowing that today I will begin my safari left me short on sleep. Throughout the evening I heard different animals in the distance. I think many of them were jackals howling throughout the night along with some birds closer to sunrise.
Breakfast is fantastic, as are all the meals during my stay. They age the game animal meat for 5 days or so prior to preparing them. No taste of wild game and they are tender as veal.
We start in the morning with a trip to the rifle range to check zero on the rifle and make sure that it shoots where it should. I’m making excuses, but I was shooting from a strange bench, off bags, and did not get myself set up correctly and my first three shots did not group well. I walked around to look at them and settled back down and put two more into a perfect tight group with the original first shot.
Satisfied with that we went hunting. We saw a male kudu that garnered greater investigation but as we started a stalk on the kudo male we came across some kudo cows we had not seen. They spooked and ran, which was the end of our Kudo stalk that morning.
We proceeded on; driving through the high plains desert and off to our left we spotted two warthogs. My PH Henrick said they looked like old ones let’s go after them. We got off the truck and stalked up the hill for about 200 yards towards where we had seen them in grass which comes up to about mid-thigh. They had moved on a little bit so we went after them for another 300 yards prior to seeing both of them. I confirmed with Henrick that the second one was the oldest one and he encouraged me to shoot it. I lined up the shot, squeezed the trigger and I could tell I’d hit the hog well. Everyone said they knew I’d hit the hog well, but we let Spike, the 8-month-old pup loose to find it. Spike found it maybe 30 yards further from where I’d shot it in the tall grass. I put my bullet in between the last two ribs on the left-hand side and broke the bone on the right front shoulder and it was lodged just inside the hide. My first African animal and I couldn’t be happier.
After the morning hunt we had an awesome lunch of homemade pizza followed by a short siesta. Every day at about 3:00 you have cake and coffee prior to the afternoon hunt. Today it was a blueberry muffin. We went into the mountains seeing several different game species on the way. We were moving slowly down a mountain road when up ahead we saw several oryx cross the road. I’d made Henrick my PH and Heinrich my guide aware that for hogs and oryx I simply wanted mature/older males, representative of the area. We immediately stopped, looked, and listened. Henrick was very certain that there were more than just a few in this herd so we got out of the Land Cruiser and started our stalk. Turns out he was right there with numerous oryx in this herd. We continued very cautiously and carefully up and down the crest of the mountain a couple of times watching listening and trying not to spook them.
We eventually moved our selves very cautiously down the side of the mountain after cresting a top when we were afforded cover from some bushes and rocks. There were several oryx at the bottom of the mountain and we looked down upon them trying to judge which was the oldest male to take. Finally, I was set up on the sticks for an approximately 120 yard down-hill shot. I shot the male oryx at a downward angle taking out his lungs. He was staggering off and I shot him again. Very quickly after being hit with a second shot he laid down and expired.
We walked down the hill and found the oryx, a beautiful animal at the end of his life. An excellent afternoon hunting with the group. Henrick, Heinrich and the driver/spotter Charlie were quickly proving to me the stories I’ve heard for years about the hunting skills of these guides/professionals are not exaggerated. Their ability to spot game, analyze it, and lead you on a stalk are utterly amazing. Picture below shows Henrick, Charlie, and Heinrich, L to R.
Day two
The day starts with breakfast at 7 AM and then out to the Land Cruiser. We see numerous animals including a Bat Eared Fox, kudo females as well as some oryx and then we came across some springbok. It looked like a good herd with a few nice rams so we decided we would put a stalk on them. The stalk lasted for about 90 minutes, up-and-down several hills, down into valleys, slowly but surely watching them from afar and trying to get to a spot to take one of the best rams. I continue to be amazed at our PH Henrick as he seems to know what animals are going to do, where to go, and how to do it at a level that is beyond my comprehension. He can walk across hardscrabble rock-strewn ground and not make a sound as he walks in-between thornbushes that never seem to bother him, and his clothes never get snagged.
After this time of up-and-down the hills and in an out of valleys I must admit, I was starting to think that they’d given us the slip and we would never see them again. Suddenly I can tell Henrick is feeling good about our position. The shooting sticks go up and it’s a relatively close shot at about 170 yards. I squeeze the trigger and I’ve hit him as he was trying to walk off as I shot. I was concerned he was going to run. He’s gushing blood from both the bullet entrance and exit wound. He refuses to go down.
He’s been wandering in and out of the bushes below as we are waiting to put a finishing shot on him. I’m dumbfounded, as are my guides, that this animal is still standing. I squeeze the trigger one more time and down he goes. For years I’ve read and heard about the white hair on the posterior of springbok standing up upon death. I am amazed upon seeing it and try to think of a reason for this to occur. He is a beautiful ram taken after a great stalk that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
After another amazing lunch and the afternoon siesta we go hunting. We are about 5 miles out of camp when Henrick taps on the roof telling Charlie he sees Red Hartebeest. Of course, I’ve not seen them, but the guys have amazing eyesight and skills at spotting game that are unbelievable! Henrick says one is a very good male. We begin an amazing stalk on the Red Hartebeest through a long and wide valley. For over 2 1/2 hours we stalk them up and down the sides of the valley trying to get closer without spooking them. Later Heinrich asks me if I saw all the Kudu cows we spooked, and I admitted I had no idea we had done so.
After this amount of time Henrick asked Charlie to pick us up in the Land Cruiser because we can no longer see the game. We drive a bit down the road and Henrick bangs on the roof of a Land Cruiser saying stop Charlie. We jump out and stalk them for almost another mile. Fortunately, they seem calmer than they had earlier.
After another 15 minute stalk Henrick puts the sticks up and says to wait, the herd bull will step out to the left and that he is a very good bull. We wait for a few minutes and Henrick confirms that’s him. I see him well as he is facing us, and Heinrich tells me it’s about 240 yards. I squeeze the trigger; the rifle roars, and I see the bull jump as he’s been well hit. We wait about 5 minutes before we walk towards where I shot the animal. Prior to our arriving at the spot the bull had been standing, Spike finds him 20 yards away from where I shot him.
We walk up on the bull and we’re all very pleased. This is an awesome animal who is stout in both body and horn.
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