We are forced to change our travel dates because of world cup soccer. I was originally going July of 2010. Now that we are arranging new dates, I would like to know what the best months are to go to Namibia for hunting.

"best" in regards to Hunting opportunities, big trophies and weather. Thank you for your help.

Area ? Animals ?

ANYTIME!!!!

Don't know what area you are planning to hunt. I've been to Northeastern Namibia twice, once in early June and once in early July. Weather was excellent, but quite cold in the evenings and mornings, especially on the June trip, although I think that was more an annual variance. I think you could expect it to get progressively warmer and by October it would be extremely hot.

May - July is the best time to hunt, I really like May because the capes are in the best condition and the Kudu are in rut.

There's no bad time to hunt in Namibia -- just minor variations of great times.

August is drier and windier, it felt like the high plains of Wyoming in September.

The wind makes the long shots more challenging.

Thanks for the replies. We will be with Pieter Stofsburg, African Days Safari. We will be hunting plains game, Kudu, zebra, impala, etc.

http://www.africandays.com/

I'm not sure exactly where it's located but hopefully this helps.

Thanks.

I was hoping to see someone say the beginning of March is best, because that's when I'm going.

On a more serious note, by March shouldn't the weather be cooling off as compared to December, January and February? Aren't the animals a bit less weary as the hunting season is closed December and January and opens again in February? If the rains come, March should be greener than other months and the animals in prime condition? What other factors come into play?

Bobby B.

Geez, sorry guys. I didn't mean to kill this thread. All my questions were sincere. I've never hunted Africa before and was geniunely curious.

Bobby B.

Bobby,

March in Namibia should be like early fall in New Mexico. Possibly a little warmer than one would like and with all the leaves still on the trees,(shrubs and acacia) making visibility limited. June and july are cool with some mornings being cold especially in the back of a hunting vehicle.

Either way you'll have a great time and your other thoughts seem rational to me. Good Luck!

Adrian

I've hunted several different months and they all have their advantages. If I had to pick one it would be September as there are fewer tourists and it has dried up a bit. You can see deeper into the bush and water is becoming an issue. But I've shot good stuff May-October.

Rubline, please give Peter my regards. I have hunted with him. He was real good about helping our SCI Chapter do some 'Wounded Veteran' hunts in the past and he's a real straight-arrow guy. You will have a good hunt with him.

I assume you are not hunting in the Caprivy Strip. March would be a little uncomfortable there...Hot and possibly muggy. In the Khomas Hoekland there will be a lot of green grass and you might see some rain, but not likely. The animals should be prime, but a little harder to find due to all the green. In the Kalihari the grass will be green but won't hide the animals much. I have hunted there in Aug/Sep and June and I'm going in April 2010 thanks to the world cup. Like 3Mtaco and Oldhandgunhunter said "Anytime" is a good time to be hunting in Namibia. Wonderful people and a beautiful country and the biggest Kudu and Gemsbuck. I love the place.......Tom

Hey Guys, March is pretty much my only option. I'm off work (roofing) from November to Match inclusive. November is whiettail and moose season up here and Namibia is closed for hunting December and January. February would be too hot so that leaves March.

My intent is to hunt the Gras Ranch south of Windhoek. I'll be hunting for kudu, gemsbok, mtn zebra, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, springbok,and perhaps black wildebeest.

Apparently, I'll miss the kudu rut. Also, the Gras says the kudu have been hit hard by rabies the last few years. We'll just have to make the best of it.

Bobby B.

Just wanted to mention that the prices of AfricanDays are pretty stiff....

M

May thru Sept is the best.
Any time in Namibia is great!

Beware the winter. It can get cold.

I was once there in the winter. It was a balmy 8 degrees Fahrenheit. Beside me not being prepared for that kind of cold, it caused many other problems with vehicles, waterlines, etc.

May is great for the Kudu rut and the weather is very nice. I will say that the leaves were turning and getting ready to fall off the trees by the end of May. Visability would be better after the leaves fall but stalking is tougher with the crunch, crunch of the leaves on the ground. Aug, according to my PH is indeed very windy and can make the game a little more jumpy.

Honestly you'd probably be fine anywhere from May through Aug, just slight differences.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby B.:
I was hoping to see someone say the beginning of March is best, because that's when I'm going.

On a more serious note, by March shouldn't the weather be cooling off as compared to December, January and February? Aren't the animals a bit less weary as the hunting season is closed December and January and opens again in February? If the rains come, March should be greener than other months and the animals in prime condition? What other factors come into play?

Bobby B.

It is going to be very hot in March, into the 90+s everyday I would guess. While watching the weather prior to my May hunt of this year the 90 degree weather actually lasted into the first part of May.

According to the BBC Worldwide Weather Centre, the temperature in March at Windhoek averages a low of 59F and a high of 80F. A few degrees cooler would be ideal but it shouldn't be too bad in short sleeves and shorts.

Last year, my SIL and I were whitetail hunting in -39F not counting the windchill. We didn't see another hunter out that day.

I'll take +80F over -39F any day. Besides, I really have no choice.

Bobby B.

I actually prefer late May thru June. July & August are the coldest although only early mornings. August can be windy and quite cold. Late Aug early Sept it starts getting warm. Keep in mind, "warm" by Namibian standards is "really warm" for most Americans (90's), but "it's a dry heat".
After mid September it gets H-O-T!

I was there from August 14th through the 31st. The mornings were quite cold 40-45 degrees F, with the days in the low to mid seventies. Weather warmed up as my trip progressed. Just take a good jacket and long sleeve shirts and a wool watch cap and warm gloves for the cold and for crawling on animal stalks.

Was there in once in June and once in July. I liked June better as July was quite windy. I loved the cool evenings and mornings. Kind of like Alaska in late August early September.

June, July, August, althought July and August can be very cold... But my most favorite time of the year is early October.

I hunted late May early June, kudu should be in rut. I had pretty good luck and good weather, not a hot weather hunter. It was 80 and 50's at night.