JINKLE
AH member
Khomas Highlands, Namibia – May 2025
A New Continent. A New Challenge.
After months of planning, gear checks, and anticipation, I touched down in Namibia for my first African hunt. This wasn’t just a box-checking trip — it was about the experience, the terrain, the people, and testing my skills in a place where everything felt wild. Our flight path took us from Dallas/Fort Worth > Newark > Johannesburg> Windhoek — 21 total hours of airtime.
I hunted the Khomas Highlands with @KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS, run by Philip Hennings. This region sits around 5,000 feet above sea level and offers the kind of backcountry, mountain-style hunting that challenges you from day one. Steep climbs, long stalks, tricky wind — exactly what I wanted.
The Team
I made the trip with @dchum, and on Day One, we met up with @bcoving who was just wrapping up his hunt.
Our hunting crew:
The Lodge and Daily Life
The camp consists of nice block style houses that are very comfortable. I stayed in the guest wing outside the game room with a queen bed and a shared bathroom — up-to-date, clean, and warm during cold nights. The Kudu Bar quickly became the nightly hangout spot after dinner. From there, we would head to the Game Lodge for snooker, dartboard, and nights of good parties.
Meals were something out of a dream — German-style meals made from local game (think kudu goulash, springbok steaks, hartebeest meatballs, oryx schnitzel), drinks by the fire, and clear African skies full of stars.
The Hunts
We hunted for 7 full days, with one day off to run into Windhoek with Juan for sushi and supplies. Every day out was different — different terrain, different game, different challenges.
My first clean kill came on the second day of hunting on a gemsbok that we spotted on the way back to the truck. I gut-shot an oryx the day before from 320 yards out that we never recovered but I was being given a second chance. It was one of those things that still sits with me, but Philip and the crew are still tracking just in case. Adab and I had hiked a few miles into the mountains and get where we could glass the areas around us. No sights on gemsbok at the time, just plenty of kudu cows. We then decided to head back to the truck before lunch and approached another rise and caught him broadside from 247 yards away. I shot and hit the same shoulder twice before he had a chance to run, and he went down. When the Land Cruiser pulled up to load the gemsbok, I was able to see @dchum had already taken a nice bull as well. After day 2, we both already had Namibia’s National Animal in our bag.
The next day, we were off to The Rocky Mountains, a new area Philip has acquired. They were not joking when naming this place, it makes for some great and challenging hunting. The landscape offered a great environment for Hartmann’s Zebra. When we first pulled up, Adab could already see some on a slope going up a few thousand yards away. We glassed multiple ranges and were coming up dry on locating zebra until about 3:30 when Adab had another amazing spot. He could see just the zebra’s head sticking out behind a tree from 1027 yards away. We all got out and started our stalk and were able to get within 420 yards without scaring off the zebra. I got set up on the sticks and took the farthest shot of my life. It landed just in front of the shoulder and the zebra had started moving downhill. We got to where the zebra had ended up and started prepping to pack out. There is very little opportunity to try and get the land cruiser around these slopes in the Rocky Mountains.
On the fourth hunting day, we made our way over to Heusis, the property where Philip grew up. Right off the back, we saw a huge kudu bull that we stared at for a few minutes before passing on. I am not one to care about length or size, just prefer an old animal that can tell a story when looking at it, but the shape of this kudu was not for me. In about 30 minutes later, we saw another bull bumping his cows along. The kudu were in full rut. We knew this one the one right off the back and we took to our stalk. The kudu was zigzagging through the bush and trying to lose our tail. His cows went up to the right while he stayed back, and we were able to get our first shot in him from 170 yards out. I put a few more shots his way and he was down. We got him loaded in the truck and were back by 11 am for a picnic lunch with our team.
On that same afternoon, we went back out to Heusis after our picnic lunch. We drove a little deeper onto the property and dropped @dchum off and split up for our excursion. Moments later, we had already seen a female warthog with about 4 other smaller warthogs and behind them, a total of 5 young springboks. I had told Adab we were on the lookout for springbok or a baboon, so this was a promising sighting knowing they were in the area. We drove for about 45 minutes to a hill where we could get some glassing in and right off the back, saw 8 springboks laying down in the tall grass. We were 350 yards out and wanted to get closer to have better eyes on a mature ram. We got to 175 yards out and watched them for about 30 minutes before they had all stood up and we had eyes on our target. The springbok dropped immediately, and I started running towards that direction to smell the cotton candy scent gland. Once we had gotten our photos in, I heard on the radio that @dchum was looking for a zebra they just shot so we loaded up the springbok and started heading that way.
The next day, we decided to take a rest day and hang out with Juan as he went into the city for supplies. I highly recommend stopping at Cape Town Fish Market in Windhoek if you are ever there, the seafood and sushi were amazing and the back porch views were beautiful.
On our 6th day, we took a trip up to Ralf Liedtke’s farm in Erongo set up by Philip for @dchum, Juan, and I. @dchum was going for his Damara Dik Dik and the change of landscape was worth the trip for me to go along and help with the hunt. @dchum has more to this in his report.
The next day was our last hunting day, and we have already had a great week of hunting. We asked our team to drive around the property so we could capture some of our last breathtaking views before the Sundowners Philip had set up for us on the hill to say our goodbyes.
Animals Seen (but not hunted):
Baboon, warthog, klipspringer, kori bustard, giraffe, duiker, bat eared fox, African wildcat, lots of kudu and more oryx than I could count.
Highlights
Final Tally and Plans
Final Thoughts
This was the most fun, most physically demanding hunt I’ve ever done. From long glassing sessions and steep hikes to the incredible guides and genuine people, it was exactly what I hoped Africa would be — raw, exciting, and unforgettable.
I’ll be back. No question.
Until next time, cheers.
Link to view more photos:
drive.google.com
A New Continent. A New Challenge.
After months of planning, gear checks, and anticipation, I touched down in Namibia for my first African hunt. This wasn’t just a box-checking trip — it was about the experience, the terrain, the people, and testing my skills in a place where everything felt wild. Our flight path took us from Dallas/Fort Worth > Newark > Johannesburg> Windhoek — 21 total hours of airtime.
I hunted the Khomas Highlands with @KHOMAS HIGHLAND HUNTING SAFARIS, run by Philip Hennings. This region sits around 5,000 feet above sea level and offers the kind of backcountry, mountain-style hunting that challenges you from day one. Steep climbs, long stalks, tricky wind — exactly what I wanted.
The Team
I made the trip with @dchum, and on Day One, we met up with @bcoving who was just wrapping up his hunt.
Our hunting crew:
- Professional Hunter: Adab
- Driver: Santos
- Tracker: Mentos
- Camp Host & Legend: Philip Hennings
- Local Wingman: Juan — A great and knowledgeable hunter, he ran supply missions, translated in town, and was just a good hang.
The Lodge and Daily Life
The camp consists of nice block style houses that are very comfortable. I stayed in the guest wing outside the game room with a queen bed and a shared bathroom — up-to-date, clean, and warm during cold nights. The Kudu Bar quickly became the nightly hangout spot after dinner. From there, we would head to the Game Lodge for snooker, dartboard, and nights of good parties.
Meals were something out of a dream — German-style meals made from local game (think kudu goulash, springbok steaks, hartebeest meatballs, oryx schnitzel), drinks by the fire, and clear African skies full of stars.
The Hunts
We hunted for 7 full days, with one day off to run into Windhoek with Juan for sushi and supplies. Every day out was different — different terrain, different game, different challenges.
My first clean kill came on the second day of hunting on a gemsbok that we spotted on the way back to the truck. I gut-shot an oryx the day before from 320 yards out that we never recovered but I was being given a second chance. It was one of those things that still sits with me, but Philip and the crew are still tracking just in case. Adab and I had hiked a few miles into the mountains and get where we could glass the areas around us. No sights on gemsbok at the time, just plenty of kudu cows. We then decided to head back to the truck before lunch and approached another rise and caught him broadside from 247 yards away. I shot and hit the same shoulder twice before he had a chance to run, and he went down. When the Land Cruiser pulled up to load the gemsbok, I was able to see @dchum had already taken a nice bull as well. After day 2, we both already had Namibia’s National Animal in our bag.
The next day, we were off to The Rocky Mountains, a new area Philip has acquired. They were not joking when naming this place, it makes for some great and challenging hunting. The landscape offered a great environment for Hartmann’s Zebra. When we first pulled up, Adab could already see some on a slope going up a few thousand yards away. We glassed multiple ranges and were coming up dry on locating zebra until about 3:30 when Adab had another amazing spot. He could see just the zebra’s head sticking out behind a tree from 1027 yards away. We all got out and started our stalk and were able to get within 420 yards without scaring off the zebra. I got set up on the sticks and took the farthest shot of my life. It landed just in front of the shoulder and the zebra had started moving downhill. We got to where the zebra had ended up and started prepping to pack out. There is very little opportunity to try and get the land cruiser around these slopes in the Rocky Mountains.
On the fourth hunting day, we made our way over to Heusis, the property where Philip grew up. Right off the back, we saw a huge kudu bull that we stared at for a few minutes before passing on. I am not one to care about length or size, just prefer an old animal that can tell a story when looking at it, but the shape of this kudu was not for me. In about 30 minutes later, we saw another bull bumping his cows along. The kudu were in full rut. We knew this one the one right off the back and we took to our stalk. The kudu was zigzagging through the bush and trying to lose our tail. His cows went up to the right while he stayed back, and we were able to get our first shot in him from 170 yards out. I put a few more shots his way and he was down. We got him loaded in the truck and were back by 11 am for a picnic lunch with our team.
On that same afternoon, we went back out to Heusis after our picnic lunch. We drove a little deeper onto the property and dropped @dchum off and split up for our excursion. Moments later, we had already seen a female warthog with about 4 other smaller warthogs and behind them, a total of 5 young springboks. I had told Adab we were on the lookout for springbok or a baboon, so this was a promising sighting knowing they were in the area. We drove for about 45 minutes to a hill where we could get some glassing in and right off the back, saw 8 springboks laying down in the tall grass. We were 350 yards out and wanted to get closer to have better eyes on a mature ram. We got to 175 yards out and watched them for about 30 minutes before they had all stood up and we had eyes on our target. The springbok dropped immediately, and I started running towards that direction to smell the cotton candy scent gland. Once we had gotten our photos in, I heard on the radio that @dchum was looking for a zebra they just shot so we loaded up the springbok and started heading that way.
The next day, we decided to take a rest day and hang out with Juan as he went into the city for supplies. I highly recommend stopping at Cape Town Fish Market in Windhoek if you are ever there, the seafood and sushi were amazing and the back porch views were beautiful.
On our 6th day, we took a trip up to Ralf Liedtke’s farm in Erongo set up by Philip for @dchum, Juan, and I. @dchum was going for his Damara Dik Dik and the change of landscape was worth the trip for me to go along and help with the hunt. @dchum has more to this in his report.
The next day was our last hunting day, and we have already had a great week of hunting. We asked our team to drive around the property so we could capture some of our last breathtaking views before the Sundowners Philip had set up for us on the hill to say our goodbyes.
Animals Seen (but not hunted):
Baboon, warthog, klipspringer, kori bustard, giraffe, duiker, bat eared fox, African wildcat, lots of kudu and more oryx than I could count.
Highlights
- The Zebra Stalk – Steep, rocky country they call the “Rocky Mountains” — fitting. The whole sequence was classic mountain hunting: glass, hike, stalk, wait, shoot. Most satisfying hunt of the trip.
- Back-to-Back Trophies – @dchum and I each got our trophies out on separate stalks and linked back up after. On both the gemsbok and when I dropped a springbok; he took down a zebra. It felt like a celebration ending to the day.
- Camp Vibes – Laughing around the fire with Philip, Juan, Carl (the intern), and other fellow hunters. Beers, wine, and G&Ts in hand, African game on the grill, stars overhead. Can’t beat it.
Final Tally and Plans
- My Animals: Gemsbok, Hartmann’s Zebra, Kudu, Springbok
- @dchum’s Highlights: Gemsbok, Zebra, plus a Damara dik-dik from Ralf Liedtke’s farm in Erongo
Final Thoughts
This was the most fun, most physically demanding hunt I’ve ever done. From long glassing sessions and steep hikes to the incredible guides and genuine people, it was exactly what I hoped Africa would be — raw, exciting, and unforgettable.
I’ll be back. No question.
Until next time, cheers.
Link to view more photos:
Namibia 2025 - Google Drive
drive.google.com
