McKenzie Sims
AH veteran
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2019
- Messages
- 218
- Reaction score
- 484
- Media
- 6
- Articles
- 2
- Member of
- Safari Club International, GSCO
- Hunted
- South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Ethiopia. Outside of Africa. Pakistan, Azerbaijan ,Tajkistan, Turkey, Spain, New Zealand, Australia , Argentina, Across the US, and numerouse provinces in Canada
Part 1 of Safari #2 flashback.
SCI 2009 was my second year attending the annual Safari Club International - SCI convention and my first year of being a life member. 2009 was also when the finals plans were put in place for my second Safari.
Attending the SCI convention is one of the best resource tools to planning a Safari, it can be dangerous as the options for incredibly cool hunts all around the world are endless but if you’re wanting to meet outfitters in person and get a hunt planned the annual SCI convention is the place to do it.
During our first visit to SCI in 2008 an auction item caught our eye, and it was a father and son plains game hunt in Namibia with Hunters Namibia Safari and Bwana Moja aka Marc Watts. It was to be filmed by Marc’s production company at the time Sable trails production and had two rigby rifles included. This hunt was scheduled for August 2009 to ensure enough time for the rifles to be built and allow for everyone time to adjust schedules. The final plans were put in place during the following years SCI convention, and it was just a few short months later and we were heading back to Africa.
This trip took a few more flights than just hoping over to SA. So from Salt Lake to New York from New York to Frankfurt then to Windhoek.
Typical fashion photos were not the focus of a trip and a lot of them came out blurry, but they are still memories to remember. This hunt was going to be our very first trip to Namibia my second safari and my dad’s third. Excitement and anticipation levels were high.
After arriving in Windhoek we ate a quick lunch, checked out a few shops, and headed off to camp. It was a short our drive when we rolled into Rooikraal ranch home of Hunters Namibia Safaris pulling into this 50,000 acer property situated in the Camelthorn Kalahari country of Eastern Namibia. The terrain consisted of small rocky hills with huge savannas and patches of bushy areas, It was like rolling into hunting paradise for 3 young boys. Arriving at the incredible rustic lodge of natural stone with thatched roof tops and balcony’s that over the landscape and a near by water hole that was flourishing with game. The walls of the rooms and lodge were lined with incredible taxidermy work of some of the greatest species found within the hunting area, we settled into our rooms and got ready to meet the team.
We started the father son hunt off by getting into the pigs.
As a group we got some nice warthogs, for my dad, myself and Ryan these were our first warthogs. A big pig is something that’s hard to come by so when you get the chance at one you should take it.
Another species we took on this father son hunt was the Gemsbok, Namibia holds some very good quality Gemsbok, besides from being a very Iconic antelope of Southern Africa they provide some incredible table fare. On this hunt we seen many great Gemsbok but with the great habitat on the property it made closing the distance to get a shot on them a bit challenging as Gemsbok have a way of disappearing into the shadows and the brush being equipped with just the right camouflage of coloration from Mother Nature.
Burchell Zebra were on the list for both of us during this Safari. We had lots of people prior to and still to this day ask how can we hunt a zebra? Especially people that know my dad as a very big horse guy. The answer is, “it can be quite difficult” as these perfectly camouflaged equines can disappear and blend in very easily if they are in any sort of vegetation and shadows. The Zebra does present the perfect target that is know as the Zebra triangle but executing this shot isn’t super easy. On this safari our camp cook prepared and made what I believe is still the best burger I have ever had and it in fact it was a Zebra burger. Zebras aren’t just for rugs, and cat bait. They to make some great meals for yourself during a safari.
A Red Hartebeest was a key focus of mine to get on this Namibia Safari. Namibia is home to some of the best Red Hartebeest hunting possible, many of the top 10 SCI hartebeest have come from Namibia. During the early days of the European settlers in South Africa they were all but whipped out part from a small group that survived on the boarder of Botswana in the Northern Cape but with game growing in value and with the money provided from us hunters South Africa has brought back and expanded its Red Hartebeest population as well as the neighboring countries such as a Namibia where they are hunted. It goes with the saying what pays stays.
SCI 2009 was my second year attending the annual Safari Club International - SCI convention and my first year of being a life member. 2009 was also when the finals plans were put in place for my second Safari.
Attending the SCI convention is one of the best resource tools to planning a Safari, it can be dangerous as the options for incredibly cool hunts all around the world are endless but if you’re wanting to meet outfitters in person and get a hunt planned the annual SCI convention is the place to do it.
During our first visit to SCI in 2008 an auction item caught our eye, and it was a father and son plains game hunt in Namibia with Hunters Namibia Safari and Bwana Moja aka Marc Watts. It was to be filmed by Marc’s production company at the time Sable trails production and had two rigby rifles included. This hunt was scheduled for August 2009 to ensure enough time for the rifles to be built and allow for everyone time to adjust schedules. The final plans were put in place during the following years SCI convention, and it was just a few short months later and we were heading back to Africa.
This trip took a few more flights than just hoping over to SA. So from Salt Lake to New York from New York to Frankfurt then to Windhoek.
Typical fashion photos were not the focus of a trip and a lot of them came out blurry, but they are still memories to remember. This hunt was going to be our very first trip to Namibia my second safari and my dad’s third. Excitement and anticipation levels were high.
After arriving in Windhoek we ate a quick lunch, checked out a few shops, and headed off to camp. It was a short our drive when we rolled into Rooikraal ranch home of Hunters Namibia Safaris pulling into this 50,000 acer property situated in the Camelthorn Kalahari country of Eastern Namibia. The terrain consisted of small rocky hills with huge savannas and patches of bushy areas, It was like rolling into hunting paradise for 3 young boys. Arriving at the incredible rustic lodge of natural stone with thatched roof tops and balcony’s that over the landscape and a near by water hole that was flourishing with game. The walls of the rooms and lodge were lined with incredible taxidermy work of some of the greatest species found within the hunting area, we settled into our rooms and got ready to meet the team.
We started the father son hunt off by getting into the pigs.
As a group we got some nice warthogs, for my dad, myself and Ryan these were our first warthogs. A big pig is something that’s hard to come by so when you get the chance at one you should take it.
Another species we took on this father son hunt was the Gemsbok, Namibia holds some very good quality Gemsbok, besides from being a very Iconic antelope of Southern Africa they provide some incredible table fare. On this hunt we seen many great Gemsbok but with the great habitat on the property it made closing the distance to get a shot on them a bit challenging as Gemsbok have a way of disappearing into the shadows and the brush being equipped with just the right camouflage of coloration from Mother Nature.
Burchell Zebra were on the list for both of us during this Safari. We had lots of people prior to and still to this day ask how can we hunt a zebra? Especially people that know my dad as a very big horse guy. The answer is, “it can be quite difficult” as these perfectly camouflaged equines can disappear and blend in very easily if they are in any sort of vegetation and shadows. The Zebra does present the perfect target that is know as the Zebra triangle but executing this shot isn’t super easy. On this safari our camp cook prepared and made what I believe is still the best burger I have ever had and it in fact it was a Zebra burger. Zebras aren’t just for rugs, and cat bait. They to make some great meals for yourself during a safari.
A Red Hartebeest was a key focus of mine to get on this Namibia Safari. Namibia is home to some of the best Red Hartebeest hunting possible, many of the top 10 SCI hartebeest have come from Namibia. During the early days of the European settlers in South Africa they were all but whipped out part from a small group that survived on the boarder of Botswana in the Northern Cape but with game growing in value and with the money provided from us hunters South Africa has brought back and expanded its Red Hartebeest population as well as the neighboring countries such as a Namibia where they are hunted. It goes with the saying what pays stays.
