Off to Namibia for an early-mid August hunt this year. Took high school graduate niece along to learn riflery and hunt. She had hunted pheasants and showed aplomb with her first o/u double against doves, getting ten. The doves and others featured deliciously in a bird pie with guinea fowl and sandgrouse on our last night at the game farm.

She absorbed lessons in riflery, learned to shoot from sticks, and listened to her Master Hunting Guide, taking a fine springbok, kudu and a steenbok. A lesson in offhand shooting brought her to understand the need to practice.

But, the second day the owner and a day later his wife came down with covid, testing positive at a facility in Otjiwarango. They had foolishly delayed their own and their staffs' first vaccination (Sinopharm) until just a few days before our arrival. Two days later visiting European long-time friends also came down with it. The Europeans had been doubly vaccinated so the wife only had cold symptoms, but tested positive. The husband was ill enough to spend 8 days in hospital. Both the men initially used an oxygen concentrator and, later, an oxygen mask. All are now on the mend. The three of us Americans, doubly vaccinated with moderna, tested negative in Windhoek the day before we flew out to return home. So far none of the staff are ill.

I brought along a Bailey Bradshaw rising bite double with the scoped 450-400 barrels and some handloads with 81 grains of IMR4831. It did the job against an old, large bull eland. On the way back to the rondaevels, my Master Hunting Guide spotted a jackal which quickly began to move, stopping at about 100 yards only when he uttered a call. With the left barrel loaded, the rifle put a 400 gr soft right on target.

Echoing a number of posts, I confirm that traveling in the time of covid adds cost and complexity. Namibia can get you RT-PCR results in 7-14 hours for about the equivalent of $100 in cash. United Airlines accepted the test results promptly online. The airline staff joked that the only people flying Newark-Joburg were hunters or missionaries. Making connections on return to Newark worked. United collected all the firearms for TSA inspection. They asked me to change my lock to a TSA lock which I did and noted that TSA actually opened my guncase adding the usual inspection form for having done so.

Finished in Windhoek, having to spend two nights due to needed covid test. Dinner the first night at Joe's Beer House. Superb gemsbok steak, first as the game farm had lost so many oryx to the drought that they were not huntable. Second night went to favorite Stellenbosch and had kabeljou, a treat after eating so much meat for three weeks.

Regards, Tim

P.S. All photos taken with a Samsung cell phone S21 Ultra and photoshopped for lighting or to remove individuals.


Dinner at the lapa, bird pie coming


Wildebeeste delivered to the game farm


Very nice springbok for a new hunter



Fine kudu for skull mount and rug including face


Hunting gear: Bailey Bradhaw rising block double


Big, old eland bull. Shoulder shot put it down

Tim,
Thanks for the report and photos.
I'm headed to Zim with a double in about 3 weeks, can't wait.

Well done. Why don't these folks get their vaccines? Sheesh!

Tim,

Very nice report and some good photos.

Nicely done.

Congrats and well done on the hunt.

Not to go off topic…but I thought it illegal to use TSA locks on gun cases?

quote:

Not to go off topic…but I thought it illegal to use TSA locks on gun cases?

Pointed that out to the United rep. He observed that all the other gun cases had TSA locks and offered to let me go with him to TSA when he collected the remaining gun cases. I would have missed my connection if I'd done that... Lesser evil to change locks :-)

Regards, Tim

I sat and argued the point with a TSA inspector in Dallas.

She did her job, but was pretty clear that in her opinion the TSA lock was legal, and the way to go.

I still use a standard keyed padlock.

I don’t buy that TSA are the only folks with those keys.

BTW, my regular bag with the TSA lock had the lock cut off, and they twisted the cable into a knot.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Carney:

quote:

Not to go off topic…but I thought it illegal to use TSA locks on gun cases?

Pointed that out to the United rep. He observed that all the other gun cases had TSA locks and offered to let me go with him to TSA when he collected the remaining gun cases. I would have missed my connection if I'd done that... Lesser evil to change locks :-)

Regards, Tim

Would have done the same…but it amazes me that the rules say one thing and agents suggest another.

Outstanding report and pics Tim! Who did you hunt with? My Tuffpak has a vendor lock and no TSA lock, as it should be. I hate it when TSA takes license with federal laws and regulations.

Thanks for the report, Tim!

Well done and thanks for posting.

Regarding EWR and TSA locks, I live in NJ, I keep the CFR with airline travel regs bookmarked on my phone, and print a copy to keep with me. I have gotten the TSA only lock stated to me, I showed the copy of the actual reg, and the web link on my phone, and TSA has backed off. TSA at EWR sometimes, and just sometimes, has the attitude that "we do it differently here." When confronted with the actual regulations, they have complied in my experience...

I forgot to add, all my travel was with the full size or takedown tuffpaks, and only in the USA..

Tim,
Glad your BB double was completed... looks super!! Glad you had a good hunt and safe travels regardless of the brush with COVID!!
What did you think of United service to Africa taking up the slack for SAA?? They have been pretty controversial lately on US service!! I have a bunch of United mileage left over from corporate life!!
CHEERZ,

quote:

What did you think of United service to Africa taking up the slack for SAA??

Well, service was fine as were food and drink. Flew business class. Departing RSA was the same goat rope that SAA inflicted on passengers, largely a function of US security requirements.

FYI SAA is back according to an announcement last week, but so far only flying to African destinations.

Regards, Tim

Tim,

Glad you survived United!! Many these days simply WON'T FLY " THE UNFRIENDLY SKIES!!"

Great to hear SAA is coming back!! That was a good airline!! They will have to buy some newer birds, their international fleet was getting a bit long in the tooth!!

CheerZ,