Just sitting in Heathrow waiting for our final flight of the trip and thought I'd post this report. Photos to follow in the next few days.
Outfitter: Leopard Legend Hunting Safaris
PH: L'wyk Jansen Van Vuuren
Sesfontein Conservancy, Namibia
Rifles: Rocky Mountain Rifle, 375 H&H, Zeiss 2.5-10x50 Victory HT, Handloads with 250gr GMX
Rocky Mountain Rifle, 7mm Rem Mag, Zeiss Conquest HD 3-15x42, Hornady Superformance 139gr GMX
We had originally planned to go to Tanzania this year but those plans kind of fell apart at the last minute so we were left scrambling to find a hunt. We heard that L'wyk had gained the rights to hunt the Sesfontein Conservancy in Namibia and he had an opening in July so we jumped at this unique opportunity. The conservancy hadn't had a full-time outfitter in it since 2009 so there was the promise of some exceptional heads as well.
Getting to this remote part of Namibia took us nearly 5 days from the time we left home but we were greeted with a very well-appointed bush camp with all of the ammenties including flush toilet and shower in our tent. L'wyk's wife Julene joined us and she definitely kept us well fed with local game.
We arrived late in the day and only had time for a quick drive near camp but we saw lots of springbok, including one that was close to 16 inches. L'wyk assured us we'd see plenty in that class. We also saw some gemsbok before settling into camp for our first night. The following morning we headed deep into the 650,000 acre conservancy and found several large herds of springbok. I took a great ram at a little over 200 yards with the 7mm. Once we had him on the truck, we went to check out a few other herds and found a really tall ram for Vanessa. After a lengthy stalk, she put the big ram down with a perfect heart shot. We decided to head back to camp to drop the springbok off before heading out for the afternoon. Near one of the springs, we came upon five desert lions, including two very well-maned males. Later we also saw a puff adder that had just caught a bird and we got some great photos and video. We saw many more springbok, Hartman's zebra, ostrich and we tried a stalk on a very nice steenbuck but we just couldn't get close enough for a shot. As we were heading back to camp, we spotted several giraffe, including a spectacular, very dark male. We had a plan for the following day.
We were up early the next morning and with a truck full of help we headed out in search of the big giraffe. It was around 10 in the morning before we finally located him and he was right in the middle of a wide open plain with several females. It wasn't a great scenario but we managed to get within about 175 yards under the cover of a few mopane trees. I felt steady on the sticks but my attempt at a high neck shot resulted in a clean miss. I was devestated as the giraffe took off at a gallop. We followed in hot pursuit and the big male stopped for one look back. When L'wyk let me know he was 280 yards away I knew I was going to have to opt for a body shot, something I wasn't keen on doing. The 250-grain bullet hit the giraffe hard and he ran for 20 yards before crashing to the ground. I was very relieved.
It took the better part of four hours to get the huge beast skinned out and cut into manageable-sized pieces. We loaded half of the meat on the Land Cruiser and headed to town. Our first stop was the school where we dropped off two quarters and the remainder was taken to the conservancy office. The people in town were so happy to see us with all of the meat. The conservancy truck followed us back out to pick up the remainder of the meat and the intestines and organs. We hunted the remainder of the afternoon had had a couple blown stalks on gemsbok and ostrich. Stalking game in the wide open Namib desert was proving to be a real challenge.
The following day we tried to stalk ostrich a half dozen or more times and ended up getting busted every time. Of all the game we encountered, the ostrich were by far the toughest to get near. Around lunch time, we spotted several ostrich in a wide-open plain and decided to try and make a play. We walked all the way around a mountain but were disappointed to find the closest we could get was 600 yards. We'd brought a bipod along in case we encountered some long shots and as Vanessa snuggled in behind the 7mm, she felt confident she could make the 622 yard shot. It seemed to take forever for the bullet to get there but the big male ostrich raised his wings, stumbled backward a couple steps and fell to the ground. It was indeed a perfect heart shot that broke his far side leg on the exit.
Late that afternoon we stalked a herd of Hartman's zebra and I took down a big stallion. When we reached him, we noticed that he had been attacked by a lion a day or two earlier and he had huge pieces of his rump and flank torn out. It was doubtful that he would have lived from the injuries. It was undoubtedly the lions we'd seen a couple days previous that had caused the injuries. On the way back to camp, we spotted a huge springbok ram that Vanessa decided to take. He led us on a bit of a chase over a mountain but she ended up with a 16-inch plus ram.
The following day we drove to a massive plain to the north and saw hundreds of springbok and good numbers of giraffe, zebra, ostrich and gemsbok. We tried unsuccessfully to stalk some ostrich and gemsbok. While driving through a particularly rugged canyon, we spotted a really big klipspringer that I managed to put down. He ended up measuring 4 1/4 inches with huge bases. Later in the afternoon we saw some elephant along a dry riverbed and then we saw an old bull gemsbok that had worn his horns down considerably. Vanessa shot him in the heart at a little over 200 yards. While not overly long, he was very heavy and quite old.
The following morning it was Vanessa's turn to try for zebra and she shot a beautiful stallion late in the morning. On the way back to camp we made a couple more plays on some ostrich and the closest we could get was 535 yards, so I decided to take the shot. I hit the big bird on the shoulder and he went down on the spot. He was definitely my hardest earned trophy of the trip.
Very early the following morning Vanessa got a quick opportunity at a big spotted hyena and managed to hit him right in the shoulder. We saw numerous spotted hyena and brown hyena tracks every day. Never have I seen an area so thick with hyena. That afternoon we stalked a group of zebra stallions. After following them for about 30 minutes, one of the stallions decided he'd had enough of us and started to charge us from about 300 yards. When he got to about 30 yards, he stopped and I shot him square in the chest. He must have figured we were lions to act so aggressively. We saw some fresh rhino tracks at a spring but never did see the rhino.
There had been a couple of brown hyena coming into camp every night and while leaving early the following morning we saw one just outside of camp and I wasted no time putting him down with the 7mm. Late that afternoon it was the PH's turn to shoot and he took a big Hartman's zebra stallion.
On our final day in the conservancy, gemsbok were on the hit list and we found a herd of 17 late in the morning.There was one particularly good bull that caught our attention. They were in a horseshoe canyon that there appeared to be no way out of but much to our surprise, they scaled the near vertical wall and I ended up taking a 400 yard shot just before they reached the top. I hit the bull a bit high and thankfully he made it over the mountain and down the other side where I was able to put him down with another shot.
This was our second trip to Namibia and our second conservancy hunt and it won't be our last. The Sesfonein Conservancy is very open and you see game all day long. While there we tried meat from everything we took except for the hyena and were surprised at how good the giraffe was. The klipspringer was likely my favourite but all African antelope tastes so good. We delivered several thousand pounds of meat to the village and inject some much needed cash into their economy. Namibia is a very safe country and for those looking for a taste of true wild Africa, these conservancy hunts really are an economical way to do it.
