I just got in from an elephant hunt with Karl Stumpfe, Ndumo Safaris. I don't have time to post the whole story but I did want to put up a picture from my small camera. Karl will get me some better pictures when he has time between hunts.

Here it is:

josh

Congradulations, can't wait to here about the full hunt. Not many of those types of animals in west Texas is there.

Very Nice Josh...sure is heavy. COngrats.
I am off to hunt with Karl on Thursday...can't wait.

Nice Josh! Which double did you use?

Rusty, Searcy 375fl and it had a S&B 1.1x4 flahsdot in Talley QD's. I ended up being thankful that the scope was on it the morning that the shot developed, I'd have been screwed without it. We got a very fast initial shot looking straight into the rising sun. The bull was skiddish and within quick reach of a park boundary and escape. My initial shot was head on and low, the bull staggered and turned and I hit him again in the shoulder (Karl fired at this point and we think hit a front leg) and then we both fired again at his hip. We tracked him around 300-400 yds and I got a glimpse of his head, slightly turned, I fired and appear to have spined him in the neck and put him down for good. He fell on the side with the bullet holes so we weren't sure of the exact placements. My wife and I had to head to our next destination and were not able to stay and see the disection.

After the initial shots I found myself trying to run the elephant down, I am not sure what I thought I was going to do when I caught up to him face-to-face. While the trackers were following the blood trail I kept stepping all over then and getting ahead of them while Karl tried to slow me down. It was very strange, I didn't have any fear of the elephant at all, my only thoughts were to catch him fast and put him down before he could get to the park boundary. When I saw his head for the last shot, I didn't wait for anything, just fired fast. After I shot Karl told me that the elephant went down, I remember hoping it was the same elephant. I had been in such a hurry I didn't wait for Karl to tell me to shoot. Thankfully, I killed the right elephant.

After everything, I asked Karl if he could see the open sights on his rifle looking into the sun and he said he couldn't. The only thing I could see through my S&B was a glimpse of the red dot. I don't think the elephant was going to let us get another shooting oppurtunity and without the red dot for the first shot we would not have gotten him.

It was a great hunt and I am ready to go back.

josh

Congratulations! Nice bull.

Brett

Josh, good one. Was Gottfried your tracker?

fjold, the trackers were a couple of Kavangos, Wilhelm and Petras. Ricardo was on the hunt as well as the NAFI female conservancy observer and one Caprivi hunting assistant (who tried hard, but was little help). Gottfreid was busy with camp duties and doing the driving. He was with us on the one day of plains game hunting we had time for; but Francois was the PH on that hunt.

Gotfreid has just got his Hunting Guide license. Which for those of you not familiar with the Namibian system is the lowest of the four guide levels. Hunting Guide, Master Hunting Guide, PH and Big Game PH.

My wife and would be pleased to hunt plains game on our next trip if Gotfreid is available. He is a good hunting guide and extremely honest. Just a plain good guy.

By the way, one of Karl's trackers got leopard chewed on the day we left Namibia. I don't know which one and apparently it was not overly serious. That should be quite a story, maybe Karl will have computer access in the next week or two and fill us all in.
j

Josh--Good to have you back. Good job and good shooting. The 375 Flanged seemed to have plenty of punch.

Those are some thick tusks on that old bull, or so it seems from the photo.

Good job, Josh, and congratulations!

Great bull. Great camo in the pic.

nice

Thanks Josh, There was a Wilhelm on the hunt with me last year, a young, quiet guy. I remember that Gottfried had quite a sense of humor when you got to know him.

Karl seems to have all kind of interesting interactions with leopards.

Nice Bull!!! Congrats!!!

Good elephant... Good shooting...


Mike

Is this the same elephant that is in the July Magnum Magazine?

ghundwan, of course not. That elephant was hunted by Erik Engelbrecht in the Ruacana area, this one was hunted by Josh in the Caprivi area. 2 different hunters, 2 diffenent areas. What made you think its the same bull?

I jumped the gun...... only read the full story in the magnum last night after the post - then realised it was most defiantly not the same one

Great elephant & GREAT PH. Congratulations! jorge