Pelle Olstam
AH member
Well it has been almost a year since my first trip to Africa, so I thougth it was time to make a small hunting report ( sholuld have done it a long time ago).
This is my first hunting report on this forum and as I`m coming from Sweden, the English might not be perfect. But I hope you guys like it anyway. There are tons of very nice content on this site and I want to contribute as well.
In the beginning of may 2019 me and five other guys from Sweden Went to Zaris Safaris in Namibia. Two of the guys had been to Africa Before but for me and the rest of us it was our first time. My expectations Before the trip was high as one of us had been to the same outfitter two times alredy, and told us it was great.
Our priority game to get was Oryx, Springbok and Hartmann Zebra. But for me Kudu and maybe something else as well were on the menu.
We were going to hunt for six Days in the South west part of Namibia.
Our plane from Stockholm to Frankfurt was a bit late, so we had to run through Frankfurt Flughafen, but we made the flight to Windhoek. After the ten our flight to Namibia one of our guides met us at the Airport. It took some time to get the rifles through customs but all in all it was fine.
After visiting a hunting store and a food store to get some drinks and snacks, we made the five our drive to the camp. In camp we met all the other guides and the rest of the campstaff. We sighted our rifles and could finally relax and just enjoy beeing in Africa.
In the evening two of the guides took us for a ride in the hunting area that we ended with some sundowners on top of one of the Mountains.
Sundowners in the sunset.
Hunting day 1:
The first morning we were going after Hartmanns Zebra in the Mountains. We were hunting 2:1 so me and my friend Maths hunted together. We left camp just Before sunrise. After maybe half an hour one of the trackers spotted a Group of zebra on a mountainside. As we were about to start the stalk the tracker spotted Another zebra already standing on the top of the mountain. As they alert each other and the one on the top already had seen us we Went on and kept looking for Another Group.
Ten minutes later our guide spotted the next Group grazing on the side of a mountain. This was a Group of four, and two of them were fine to take. I was the first to try. As the drought had been very long in Namibia there were almost no cover at all, and after a shorter stalk we were at the last bush between us and the Zebra. The range was abot 270 meters, and the shooting sticks came up. (For me this is a very long shot. I have shot a moose or two back home at about 200 meters). We could not come any closer, because the Zebras had spotted us. The guide picked out the one to shoot and asked me if I felt ok to take the shot. I felt Confident at this time tho we had practiced a lot at 200 meter at home. I took the shot and got a perfect hit in the heart. The Zebra jumped arround for a bit and then fell down. I was using my Sako Kodiak in .375 H&H with Barnes X 270 grain bullet. Worked perfectly.
A fast change of hunter at the shooting sticks an Maths got the chance as well. The Zebras was now slightly closer and Maths got his Zebra to. What a feeling!! Our first animals in Africa was down.
Here you can see the Zebras over my shoulder just Before the shot.
My first animal in Africa.
After taking care of the two zebras and getting them down to the cars, which took a few hours it was time for lunchbreake and some rest by the pool, talking about the morning hunt with the others. It turned out that everyone had got their Zebra the first morning!! All of us in the Group were happy, to say the least.
In the afternoon of the first day me and one of the other guys Went out with one guide to try to find Kudu. We were the only ones who wanted to hunt theese magnificent animals on this trip. I offerd my friend to go first. We drove for about 40 minutes and parked the car. After stalking for maybe half an hour our guide spotted a nice Kude about 500 meters ahead of us. We began the stalk and just as we came over a small hill the our guide told us to stop. He saw the Kudu and told my friend to get on the sticks. The Kudu was about 110 meters away and as he came out of a brush my friend took the shot. A bullet from the .300 wm hit the neck of the Kudu and he was down. Happily we wanted to go down and take a look but the guide told us to stand still. He thought that maybe the shot would make Another Kudu start moving, and so it did. About 600 meters away we now saw a big Kudu bull running. The guide told me to follow him and of we Went. I had big troubles keeping up with the guide but after a long run we finally got the sticks up. I was out of breath after running and the guide couldn`t make the Kudu to stop. The distance was over 300 meters and we just watched the Kudu dissapear. They really are the Ghost of Africa.
As we started Walking back towards my friend and his Kudu my guide suddenly told me to stop. About 150 meters ahead he had spotted a couple of Oryx. One of them was a nice looking cow and he asked if I wanted to give it a try. Of course I wanted to do that and we started to move forward. As the terrain was very open we could just come in to about 140 meters. The Oryx were standing looking at us as the sticks came up. The shot felt good as the Oryx dissapeared over a small Ridge. We waited a few minutes and then started Walking. As we came over the Ridge the cow was laying there dead. She had gone about 60 meter with a heartshot.
Happy Swede!
After we had taken Pictures of the Oryx we hurried over to my friend and his Kudu to take some Pictures there as well Before dark. He was really happy about his Kudu, his first one. What a first day!!
My friends Kudu.
Hunting day 2:
On the morning of the second day me and Maths hunted together again. He was after oryx and I was after Kudu. We started with Kudu tho we saw some Kudu cows in the area we were hunting. After about an our stalk our guide finally spotted a Kudu bull. It was not the biggest but ok to take. He asked me if I wanted to try and for me the hunt is Always more important then the Trophy so I said yes.
We stalked the bull for maybe half an hour and were finally in at about 240 meters. The bull was gracing along side a small hill. My heartbeat was high, the Kudu is one of my favorite animals all categories and a hunt that I wanted since i started hunting.
The sticks came up and I had to take it easy to Control my breath. Finally it felt good and the guide told me OK to take the shot. The bullet was a Little high on the shoulder and the Kudu ran maybe 70 meters Before it fell. We could se it all the time and my guide told me to shoot again, just to be sure. I took Another shoot but it wasn`t needed. My Kudu was dead.
Maths got some great shots at the bull gonig down after the first shot.
Not the biggest Kudu, but I´m very happy for it.
In the afternoon we Went looking for Springbok, and an Oryx for Maths. We didn`t see any Oryx that was ok to shoot and we could not get in range on the Springboks.
Back in camp in the evening everyone was very happy. The hunting was great and everyone had shot at least one of their animals.
Hunting day 3:
On the morning of day Three we started looking for Maths Oryx. We Went to the same area where I shot mine the first day. There were plenty of Oryx in this area.
We parked the car and started Walking. After about 45 minutes our guide spotted a nice male Oryx at about 250 meters. We stalked ahead an came in to around 150 meters. Maths came on the sticks as the guide took Another look at the bull through the binoculars. It was a big one and he told Maths to take the shot as soon as it felt good. I was behind Maths with the camera and got ready.
Maths about to shoot.
He took the shoot and the Oryx Went about 25 meters.
In the afternoon we tried once again for Springbok. We were stalking in a pretty in pretty dence bush and saw them several times but whitout a chance to take a shot. When the sun was starting to go down and we were on our way back to camp the guide spotted a small Group that was out in the open. One of them looked ok and he asked if I wanted to try. I said yes and we started a short stalk. We were in a hurry because the sun was setting fast. We got in to around 250 meters and the guide told me which one he wanted me to shoot. I took the shot but it hit to far back. Not a good shot from my part... But the .375 did it´s job anyway and the Springbok Went down after a short rush. It took us some time to find it because now it was getting darker by the minute. After a while the guide shouted that he had found it. The bok wasn`t as big as the guide had thought it looked through the binoculars, but it didn`t matter to me. I had my first Springbok. The guide told me I could get Another one if I wanted, though he felt bad about telling me it was bigger then it really was. I said that if we got an oppertunity I coud shoot another one.
My Springbok.
Hunting day 4:
This day we tried for a Springbok for Maths all day, but just didn`t get a shot.
Hunting day 5:
During the Days hunting we had seen some Red Hartebeest. It was one of the animals that I had been thinking about Before the trip and i decided to give it a chance.
We left camp in the morning as usuall and this time it was me and my friend that shot the Kudu the first day. He was also looking for Red Hartebeest. We Went to an area where we had seen a large Group several times. In the Group there was some very nice bulls.
After stalking the Group for about two hours we finally got a chance at a nice bull. The shot distance for me was VERY far. About 360 meters when we got the sticks up. We just couldn`t come any closer in the open terrain. If we took a step, the Red Hartebeest took a step. The guide asked me if I wanted to try as one of the big bulls of the Group was standing free. I felt good even though it was a very long shot from the sticks. The guide looked again at the bull and told me to shoot when it felt right. I took the shot but I missed below. The bull just stood there looking at us and the guide told me to shoot again. This time i put the dot in the Swarovski scope not just on top of the shoulder, but above the bull. The second shot rang of and I could see in the scope that it was a decent hit in the heart area. He Went maybe 40 meters and stopped again. I shot again but missed as it was now around 400 meters to the bull. He ran again about 200 meters and stopped. We could see he was in bad shape. As we came up to him we took an isurance shot and it was over. A very nice Red Hartebeest that i`m really happy for.
My Red Hartebeest.
In the afternoon my friend also got a nice Red Hartebeest bull. We were very happy!
Hunting day 6:
The last day of hunting we Went out looking for a Zebra and some Oryx for culling. One of the guys shot Another Zebra, but this took almost all day so I didn`t get anymore chances on this trip. But it didn`t matter. Still a great day.
Travel day:
On our last day we made the 5 hour trip back to Windhoek. Went to the taxidermist and made our orders to them. I ordered a pelt from the Zebra and shoulder mounts on the Oryx, Kudu, Springbok and Red Hartebeest.
When everobody had placed their orders we looked around in their workshop and then Went to grab a meal toghether with one of our guides, Before going to the Airport. We had a late lunch at Joes Beerhouse. A really nice Place to end a great week.
Summary:
Namibia was evrything I could have dreamt of and more!! We all had a blast and Everything, the staff, guides, camp and the hunting was just increddible. Together we shot 33 animals in six Days.
We are now planning for a trip in springtime 2021. Just hope this Covid-19 has ended by then.
I hope you liked this hunting report and I will try to write some more in the future. Maybe something from moosehunting in Sweden or the next trip to Africa.
//Pelle.
This is my first hunting report on this forum and as I`m coming from Sweden, the English might not be perfect. But I hope you guys like it anyway. There are tons of very nice content on this site and I want to contribute as well.
In the beginning of may 2019 me and five other guys from Sweden Went to Zaris Safaris in Namibia. Two of the guys had been to Africa Before but for me and the rest of us it was our first time. My expectations Before the trip was high as one of us had been to the same outfitter two times alredy, and told us it was great.
Our priority game to get was Oryx, Springbok and Hartmann Zebra. But for me Kudu and maybe something else as well were on the menu.
We were going to hunt for six Days in the South west part of Namibia.
Our plane from Stockholm to Frankfurt was a bit late, so we had to run through Frankfurt Flughafen, but we made the flight to Windhoek. After the ten our flight to Namibia one of our guides met us at the Airport. It took some time to get the rifles through customs but all in all it was fine.
After visiting a hunting store and a food store to get some drinks and snacks, we made the five our drive to the camp. In camp we met all the other guides and the rest of the campstaff. We sighted our rifles and could finally relax and just enjoy beeing in Africa.
In the evening two of the guides took us for a ride in the hunting area that we ended with some sundowners on top of one of the Mountains.
Sundowners in the sunset.
Hunting day 1:
The first morning we were going after Hartmanns Zebra in the Mountains. We were hunting 2:1 so me and my friend Maths hunted together. We left camp just Before sunrise. After maybe half an hour one of the trackers spotted a Group of zebra on a mountainside. As we were about to start the stalk the tracker spotted Another zebra already standing on the top of the mountain. As they alert each other and the one on the top already had seen us we Went on and kept looking for Another Group.
Ten minutes later our guide spotted the next Group grazing on the side of a mountain. This was a Group of four, and two of them were fine to take. I was the first to try. As the drought had been very long in Namibia there were almost no cover at all, and after a shorter stalk we were at the last bush between us and the Zebra. The range was abot 270 meters, and the shooting sticks came up. (For me this is a very long shot. I have shot a moose or two back home at about 200 meters). We could not come any closer, because the Zebras had spotted us. The guide picked out the one to shoot and asked me if I felt ok to take the shot. I felt Confident at this time tho we had practiced a lot at 200 meter at home. I took the shot and got a perfect hit in the heart. The Zebra jumped arround for a bit and then fell down. I was using my Sako Kodiak in .375 H&H with Barnes X 270 grain bullet. Worked perfectly.
A fast change of hunter at the shooting sticks an Maths got the chance as well. The Zebras was now slightly closer and Maths got his Zebra to. What a feeling!! Our first animals in Africa was down.
Here you can see the Zebras over my shoulder just Before the shot.
My first animal in Africa.
After taking care of the two zebras and getting them down to the cars, which took a few hours it was time for lunchbreake and some rest by the pool, talking about the morning hunt with the others. It turned out that everyone had got their Zebra the first morning!! All of us in the Group were happy, to say the least.
In the afternoon of the first day me and one of the other guys Went out with one guide to try to find Kudu. We were the only ones who wanted to hunt theese magnificent animals on this trip. I offerd my friend to go first. We drove for about 40 minutes and parked the car. After stalking for maybe half an hour our guide spotted a nice Kude about 500 meters ahead of us. We began the stalk and just as we came over a small hill the our guide told us to stop. He saw the Kudu and told my friend to get on the sticks. The Kudu was about 110 meters away and as he came out of a brush my friend took the shot. A bullet from the .300 wm hit the neck of the Kudu and he was down. Happily we wanted to go down and take a look but the guide told us to stand still. He thought that maybe the shot would make Another Kudu start moving, and so it did. About 600 meters away we now saw a big Kudu bull running. The guide told me to follow him and of we Went. I had big troubles keeping up with the guide but after a long run we finally got the sticks up. I was out of breath after running and the guide couldn`t make the Kudu to stop. The distance was over 300 meters and we just watched the Kudu dissapear. They really are the Ghost of Africa.
As we started Walking back towards my friend and his Kudu my guide suddenly told me to stop. About 150 meters ahead he had spotted a couple of Oryx. One of them was a nice looking cow and he asked if I wanted to give it a try. Of course I wanted to do that and we started to move forward. As the terrain was very open we could just come in to about 140 meters. The Oryx were standing looking at us as the sticks came up. The shot felt good as the Oryx dissapeared over a small Ridge. We waited a few minutes and then started Walking. As we came over the Ridge the cow was laying there dead. She had gone about 60 meter with a heartshot.
Happy Swede!
After we had taken Pictures of the Oryx we hurried over to my friend and his Kudu to take some Pictures there as well Before dark. He was really happy about his Kudu, his first one. What a first day!!
My friends Kudu.
Hunting day 2:
On the morning of the second day me and Maths hunted together again. He was after oryx and I was after Kudu. We started with Kudu tho we saw some Kudu cows in the area we were hunting. After about an our stalk our guide finally spotted a Kudu bull. It was not the biggest but ok to take. He asked me if I wanted to try and for me the hunt is Always more important then the Trophy so I said yes.
We stalked the bull for maybe half an hour and were finally in at about 240 meters. The bull was gracing along side a small hill. My heartbeat was high, the Kudu is one of my favorite animals all categories and a hunt that I wanted since i started hunting.
The sticks came up and I had to take it easy to Control my breath. Finally it felt good and the guide told me OK to take the shot. The bullet was a Little high on the shoulder and the Kudu ran maybe 70 meters Before it fell. We could se it all the time and my guide told me to shoot again, just to be sure. I took Another shoot but it wasn`t needed. My Kudu was dead.
Maths got some great shots at the bull gonig down after the first shot.
Not the biggest Kudu, but I´m very happy for it.
In the afternoon we Went looking for Springbok, and an Oryx for Maths. We didn`t see any Oryx that was ok to shoot and we could not get in range on the Springboks.
Back in camp in the evening everyone was very happy. The hunting was great and everyone had shot at least one of their animals.
Hunting day 3:
On the morning of day Three we started looking for Maths Oryx. We Went to the same area where I shot mine the first day. There were plenty of Oryx in this area.
We parked the car and started Walking. After about 45 minutes our guide spotted a nice male Oryx at about 250 meters. We stalked ahead an came in to around 150 meters. Maths came on the sticks as the guide took Another look at the bull through the binoculars. It was a big one and he told Maths to take the shot as soon as it felt good. I was behind Maths with the camera and got ready.
Maths about to shoot.
He took the shoot and the Oryx Went about 25 meters.
In the afternoon we tried once again for Springbok. We were stalking in a pretty in pretty dence bush and saw them several times but whitout a chance to take a shot. When the sun was starting to go down and we were on our way back to camp the guide spotted a small Group that was out in the open. One of them looked ok and he asked if I wanted to try. I said yes and we started a short stalk. We were in a hurry because the sun was setting fast. We got in to around 250 meters and the guide told me which one he wanted me to shoot. I took the shot but it hit to far back. Not a good shot from my part... But the .375 did it´s job anyway and the Springbok Went down after a short rush. It took us some time to find it because now it was getting darker by the minute. After a while the guide shouted that he had found it. The bok wasn`t as big as the guide had thought it looked through the binoculars, but it didn`t matter to me. I had my first Springbok. The guide told me I could get Another one if I wanted, though he felt bad about telling me it was bigger then it really was. I said that if we got an oppertunity I coud shoot another one.
My Springbok.
Hunting day 4:
This day we tried for a Springbok for Maths all day, but just didn`t get a shot.
Hunting day 5:
During the Days hunting we had seen some Red Hartebeest. It was one of the animals that I had been thinking about Before the trip and i decided to give it a chance.
We left camp in the morning as usuall and this time it was me and my friend that shot the Kudu the first day. He was also looking for Red Hartebeest. We Went to an area where we had seen a large Group several times. In the Group there was some very nice bulls.
After stalking the Group for about two hours we finally got a chance at a nice bull. The shot distance for me was VERY far. About 360 meters when we got the sticks up. We just couldn`t come any closer in the open terrain. If we took a step, the Red Hartebeest took a step. The guide asked me if I wanted to try as one of the big bulls of the Group was standing free. I felt good even though it was a very long shot from the sticks. The guide looked again at the bull and told me to shoot when it felt right. I took the shot but I missed below. The bull just stood there looking at us and the guide told me to shoot again. This time i put the dot in the Swarovski scope not just on top of the shoulder, but above the bull. The second shot rang of and I could see in the scope that it was a decent hit in the heart area. He Went maybe 40 meters and stopped again. I shot again but missed as it was now around 400 meters to the bull. He ran again about 200 meters and stopped. We could see he was in bad shape. As we came up to him we took an isurance shot and it was over. A very nice Red Hartebeest that i`m really happy for.
My Red Hartebeest.
In the afternoon my friend also got a nice Red Hartebeest bull. We were very happy!
Hunting day 6:
The last day of hunting we Went out looking for a Zebra and some Oryx for culling. One of the guys shot Another Zebra, but this took almost all day so I didn`t get anymore chances on this trip. But it didn`t matter. Still a great day.
Travel day:
On our last day we made the 5 hour trip back to Windhoek. Went to the taxidermist and made our orders to them. I ordered a pelt from the Zebra and shoulder mounts on the Oryx, Kudu, Springbok and Red Hartebeest.
When everobody had placed their orders we looked around in their workshop and then Went to grab a meal toghether with one of our guides, Before going to the Airport. We had a late lunch at Joes Beerhouse. A really nice Place to end a great week.
Summary:
Namibia was evrything I could have dreamt of and more!! We all had a blast and Everything, the staff, guides, camp and the hunting was just increddible. Together we shot 33 animals in six Days.
We are now planning for a trip in springtime 2021. Just hope this Covid-19 has ended by then.
I hope you liked this hunting report and I will try to write some more in the future. Maybe something from moosehunting in Sweden or the next trip to Africa.
//Pelle.
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