I can only spare 10 days or so this year for a hunt and cannot make up my mind between a 10 day Zim elephant cow or a 10 day Namibia plains game hunt.

I have been to Zim 3 times for elephant and buff but never to Namibia. Wife says Namibia but the cow ele sounda more exciting.

Any comments.

BigB

New experiences are always great - as long as you're not low on jumbo !

I vote for seeing some new territory. That's all part of the experience for me.

Regards,

Terry

I've only hunted Namibia, no elephant. However, I'd have no trouble heading back to Namibia for some more plains game hunting. We had a wonderful time there and took some really nice trophies. What the heck, go do something new!

Go to Nambia. More stable than zim. You can hunt spotted cats or cape buff also. You won't get a monster buff there but it shoul be a easy and safe trip.

JD

These are Namibia's glory days with beautiful ranches and excellent game populations. But the government has announced that it intends to seize ranches and divide them up for black subsistence farmers, so the game situation in Namibia is not likely to last for the long term. Therefore if Namibia interests you, the time to go is now.

I couldn't agree more with 500Grains, I went in 2005 and had an "interesting" time.

I would do it again in a heart beat with another outfitter.

The hard thing about Namibia is you have to remember the reasons you go there.

While warthogs, impala, and blesbok maybe everyday table fair in South Africa you will pay for the privlidge to hunt them.

Some ranches will have white tailed gnu, brindled gnu, waterbuck, cape eland, livingtsone eland, leopard, cheetah, and some wont.

You go to Namibia for big southern kudu, huge gemsbok, huge sprinbok (compared to South Africa), big steinbok, and red hartebeeste, and mountain zebra. Baboons can be very common or not at all, jackals are common (I saw 3 but didn't get a shot off at any).

I hunted 200 miles north of Windhoek and 7 hours south of Windhoek. I saw a lot of Namibia, and I hunted 7 different ranches.

I would do it again, and there are lots of good outfits, stay away from packages as the place tends to be shot out.

BigB

Since you have already been to Zim I think Namibia should be your choice. A Namibian plains game safari might not be as intense as a elephant hunt but it will be a lot of fun. The folks we sent to Namibia in '05 literally raved about their hunts. You also can get a lot of bang for your buck and a personalized experience there with the right folks.

Mark

quote:

You go to Namibia for big southern kudu, huge gemsbok, huge sprinbok (compared to South Africa), big steinbok, and red hartebeeste, and mountain zebra.

I Lived there for 3 years... loved it! and he is right!
Aaron

BigB,

If you haven't experianced Namibia yet, but have been to Zim 3 times, I would say go to Namibia. It's a great country, one of my favotites in southern africa actually, and is a worthwhile hunting and travel destination. Try to spend a few days seeing other parts of the country then where the hunt is also IMO.

Thanks for the good advice, the problem I have is I just finished reading Bill Stewart's book and the idea of braining a cow elephant with my 404 sounds very tempting. I have heart shot ele but never had the chance at a brain shot.

Of course I do not have a gemsbok, hartebeast, warthog or mountain zebra.

Thanks

BigB

I'll also support a trip to Namibia for the same reasons mentioned above. Just do a cow ele next time.

You will very much enjoy and find hunting the various plains game in Namibia just as challenging.

I disagree a bit with D99 about packages. The ones I offer all have healthy game populations.

None of them are shot out. He may be correct about others but I guarantee you will see lots of quality game if you book one of my packages.

Namibia is a great opportunity right now.

Todd

Go to Namibia. I was born there, and is still a citizen. I hunt there, and also in Zim and SA, and while I love hunting Zim, I do not like elephant cow hunts, (except tuskless). You can also hunt elephant and other dangerous game in Namibia. I will always prefer Namibia over the rest, maybe I am slightly bias!

I've hunted in Namibia,RSA and Zim. each unique in their own way. I've never hunted eles but "have been among them". I'd pick a quality PG hunt in Namibia over anything else. If DG thrills you try a Namibian leopard. Though be careful of those ranch hunts for them, they've learned to be sharp to stay alive on the ranches there.

Thanks all,

I booked a 10 day plains game hunt in Namibia for this year today. Should be fun, now I just have to deceide between the 300 WSM or 300 win mag. I think the win mag with 200 grain TBBC should do.

BigB

Namibia is where I'd go if I were you, so I obviously concur with your choice. But then I have absolutely zero desire to hunt cow elephants anywhere at any time.

I hope you have chosen the wide open spaces and tented camps of a Namibian communal conservancy rather than a fenced ranch. Based on my experience, the former is the way to go.

I can highly and unqualifiedly recommend Vaughan Fulton's Classic Safaris in that regard.

Ah, go with the .300 WSM with 180 grain TBBC's or step up to Federal's High Energy rounds in the TBBC's.

mrlexma,

I booked with Bryan Connock and it is a tented safari in a non fenced area.

Use Enough Gun,

I did buy a box of the HE TBBC for the 300 mag. The 300 WSM is new and I have a couple of boxes of the 180 TBBC to try. The 300 win mag is old reliable for me and the first rifle I ever bought back in 72, so it is a sentimental favorite to take.

I guess it boils down to which one shoots better.

BigB

for PG either will work on even the largest eland. the 300WSM with 180 gr NP is sweet

BigB, you will have a great time with Bryan. I have hunted with him on two occasions in the past 4 years. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a shout.