Hey Y'all,

I will be hunting with Antonie in September 2005 and would like to hear about your hunts with him!! This will be my "first" one.........finally!!

Thanks,

Bob

I hunted Namibia in 2001 with a bow and had a great time. It was my first trip to Africa and it was better than I expected. I easily took 4 animals in 8 days as it was a "target rich environment". Namibia is a very safe country to visit and would be good for a trip for your first time to Africa. It cost me no more for a guided African bow hunt than to be guided in the US, Canada, or Alaska and there is a much wider variety of game that can be taken. The accommodations were better than anything I had experienced previously, you can have a hot shower everyday, the meals are unbelievable, and you see a lot of game.

I can only vouch for Antonie's character that we experienced the days that we hunted with him. Antonie was a gentleman, had great eyes, is a bowhunter himself (took a giraffe as his first bow kill),could judge trophies quickly, and is a married man with kids who is expanding his ranching operation. He is going to limit the number of hunters a year to insure the quality of his game. I have not personally seen his operation but I did hunt plainsgame in the same general vicinity which is just East and North of Etosha Park. There was a ton of plainsgame on the concession that I visited.

Several others have hunted with Antonie since I was in Namibia and have posted very positive reviews after they have returned. Most of these are bowhunters but my buddy gun hunted with him and had a great time. These are the addresses for those postings:

http://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?forum=18&threadid=295016&MESSAGES=43&FF=18

http://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?forum=18&threadid=295433&MESSAGES=11&FF=18

www.bowsite.org/bowsite/tf/thread.cfm?threadid=259128&messages=23&forum=18

Here is a copy of a thread that no longer exists on the forum: I have posted about Makalaan on the thread started by R.Lantier already.I have been to RSA and Zimbabwe twice each before going to Namibia and have a pretty good idea of what is available.I think that you will have a tough time beating Makalaan.You mention that you may want to hunt with an African PH and I think that is wise as it is an important aspect of the overall experience. Tony is a great hunter,he and his wife are fine Christian people and wonderful hosts.If you get a chance to see them in action you will really appreciate the skills of the bushmen trackers. You mention that you would like a warthog,kudu and a couple of other representative antelope. Take a look at the ones I took at Makalaan in the photo section. There were plenty of kudu,warthog,eland,gemsbok,harteeest,and zebra.We also saw and took blesbok and jackal.Duiker and steenbok were seen but not taken. I now you say now that a few species will be enough to satisfy you but most of us upon arrival want them all.The good news is that at Makalaan the prices are so good that if you choose to take more you will have the opportunity to do so.The other outfits you are looking at will charge considerably more for the same animals and daily rates. Everything is first class, especially the people.E-mail Tony and you will see what I mean.You will get a prompt and courteous reply or I'll eat my shorts. Good luck and enjoy your hunt, as well as the pre-hunt preparation.This part of the hunt is as important as any other and can be almost as fun...eyedoc

Hey Ron,

Thanks a lot!!

Bob