Sitting here at Gate E13 in Atlanta Hartsfield airport, readying for my flight to Africa, a lot of thoughts run through my head. Primarily the combination of excitement and dread of the near 20 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. If you have made this trip, you know what I mean. It’s a steep price to pay for access to one of the most amazing hunting destinations around, but well worth it.
I just met up with Mike Pickering (eyedoc) and John and Elizabeth Perkins. They flew in from Louisiana, while I arrived a couple hours earlier from Pennsylvania. We are heading over the Atlantic to JoBerg, overnighting at Africa Sky B and B, and then flying into Windhoek, Namibia the next day. Our final destination is 6 hours North of Windhoek to do some bow hunting.
Already I ran into a hitch. At the Buffalo Niagara airport this morning, they had difficulty getting me a boarding pass, and they couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to check my bow through to Windhoek. I had to explain my trepidation about leaving my luggage in the Joberg airport overnight. Finally after over an hour at the desk, things were sorted out. A reminder to us all to arrive at the airport EARLY.
Our travel was booked my Steve at Travel with Guns, and as usual, he did a great job. Everyone has someone they like in the booking industry, and Steve is the guy for me. Personable, fair, and on top of his game. Any problems we have are not due to Steve.
Hitch #2 occurs after boarding the Delta 777. It seems our copilot (each flight must have 4 pilots) was diverted to Memphis Tennessee. So now we are stuck on the aircraft while we wait for the copilot to arrive, or until they find another pilot. We have 2 hours left until our current crew hits 20 hours, at which point they maxout their shift and we will be stuck in ATL for the night. So now we sit on the tarmac waiting to see what will happen. The thought of losing a day of hunting is disappointing, as well as the possible logistics of changing our transportation plans once we hit South Africa to get us to our final destination in northern Namibia.
Success! After close to 90 minutes, the copilot arrives and we are wheels up. Now begins the long flight over the Atlantic. Our plane contains some individuals well known in the hunting world. Scott Schultz from Scent Blocker, along with his son Wyatt, Karl Metzler from Team Backwoods and Michael Waddell from the Bone Collector series of shows and products. Also present was the owner of Excaliber crossbows. A lot of these guys are shooting film for upcoming TV shows. All were nice guys and fun to chat with.
We finally arrive in Job erg. The landing was rough, but we walked away. As is usual in Africa, getting our bow cases took an extra hour or so. There always seem to be a problem somewhere. You end up standing around with a bunch of guys (and gals) in camo near the oversize luggage arrival area waiting to see if you hit the case lottery. It gets more nerve wracking each time another case shows up that isn’t yours. As the crowd dwindles you begin to wonder if your bow is there. At last, success! We retrieved all of our cases and hopped into the van to take us to Afton House for the night.
After settling in, we sat down in the dining room for an excellent meal of butternut soup, potatoes, Greek salad, vegetables and beef filet. Everything was delicious, and the desserts were decadent. Now full and very tired I am heading to bed. Tomorrow we are up for a 9:30 flight to Windhoek, and then the 6 hour ride to camp. Hunting will begin the day after that.

So, I suppose this actually isn't much of a report yet, but if we have internet access at the lodge, I will post updates as they occur.

Hope you have a great hunt!

Two years ago I hunted in Namibia just north of Grootfontein and had a blast.

Best of luck Doc! The little woman and I will be leaving Houston for Zim. in 28 days! Damn, I've got the fever!

Best of luck and tell Leoni and Diedre I said "Hi" when you have breakfast tomorrow...

On our way to breakfast now, will be sure to say hi for you Tim.

Best of luck on your safari.

SD, Have a great safari and look forward to some great pics.

Mike

Day 2 Sunday
Finally reached Makalaan. We got up this morning, had a great breakfast at Africa Sky, then off to OR Tambo airport for our flight to Windhoek.
What can you say about any Joberg airport experience? The best is just to make it to your flight on time, which we did, but not without incidents a plenty.

There was plenty of line jumping, overt bribery requests, miscommunications and general ignorance. Pretty much par for the course. The most intriguing was when we had to take our bow cases to the firearms area where they looked through them, then slapped large red FIREARM tags on them. Ensuring it would be more difficult to extract them once we got to Windhoek. It is always an adventure traveling through the small city that is the Joberg airport.
Once in Windhoek, we collected our bags and were on our way. We had a long, but very pleasant ride to camp. Sun, beautiful scenery, animals we could see from the road, all in all very nice. It is cold here, only 39 degrees F. I think I should have packed more clothes…

At Makalaan, we settled into our comfortable rooms and then went to the lapa for dinner. Soup, salad, potatoes, rice and a gemsbok stew were served. Delicious. We enjoyed some conversation with Antonie and Melinda, owners of Makalaan, then back to prepare for our first hunting day tomorrow. Bows were brought out, broad heads installed, daypacks loaded and cameras charged. Soon, off to sleep and hopes for a great day tomorrow.

Day 3, 7/16/12
Sleep was difficult last night. It was pretty cold, but it more the excitement of what awaited the nest day. Mike and I were up around 6:30, and got ready to go. It was below freezing, so no dilly dallying getting dressed.


We went to the lapa with our gear and checked our bows. They were pretty well out of tune. After quite a bit of fussing around, we felt ready. John and Elizabeth joined us shortly and we had a breakfast of eggs, toast, sausage and cereal.
With the cold weather and quite a bit of wind, we didn’t mind not getting into stands until around 10am. I was placed in a bunker blind with a good view of several trails, as well as a watering hole.


The morning passed uneventfully, with 2 decent gemsbok stopping by, along with a few warthogs here and there. I saw one I wanted to shoot, but he was screened by others ans trotted off without a shot opportunity.
A little after noon, just after the warthog left, another one came in with three other males. He had nice tusks, with the right one worn down from digging. He was larger than the other three males, and I decided to shoot if I could.
As luck would have it, he stayed hidden behind his comrades until a few female kudu wandered by, disturbing the pigs. The other three trotted off, tails help high, while the big one stood warily. He walked around to the other side of the water hole and began to drink. I turned my video camera on and prepared to shoot.


At the shot, the 125 grain Steel Force Phathead went through him and he wheeled away. I could see plenty of blood running down his side and felt it was a good shot and he wouldn’t go far. I saw him stumble about 70 yards away and appear to go down.


After about 25 minutes, I cautiously walked over to where I last saw him, following a good blood trail. As I got closer I heard a branch snap and saw a pig run off. I could see it wasn’t the one I shot. When I was no more than 10 yards away, I saw another male standing over my pig. He ran off at my approach.


Upon reaching the pig, I could see he had plenty more blood on him than when I had shot him. He also had 4 more puncture wounds and area of scalped hide. It seems that although the rut was over, some of his pals didn’t get the message and gored him up pretty good when he was down.


All in all, a great start to the hunt. I love to hunt warthogs, and have a hard time passing up a decent one. After the pig was picked up, I went to the blind to see what else awaited me.


The rest of the day was good. I didn’t shoot anything, but saw some game. I had a young female giraffe come in, several immature kudu, 4 decent waterbuck, and a few more gemsbok right at dark.


Our party was successful as a whole. Mike shot a big old bull giraffe and a jackal. John shot a gemsbok a bit far back. They jumped it twice while tracking, so they let it be and will see what they can do tomorrow.


Off to dinner soon, then some relaxing around the fire. I got to say it is really cold. I have been to Africa before, but never when it is this cold.

Hoping for a warm front soon

Can't seem to load pics? They are jpegs from my camera and it only seems to want to take url images on AR? any advice?

Congrats on the pig.

Upload photos to photobucket and then use the URL...

July 17 2012
Any day hunting is a good day, but I will admit to not having my best day. It was very cold again this morning, and when I was dropped off at my blind, I realized it had no door to block the light once I was inside. I ended up taking my jacket off and affixing it to the opening to try to darken it up a bit. It helped, but only made me that much colder. A gusty southeast wind didn’t help.
It ended up being a slow day. I saw quite a few warthogs, and two gemsbok. Both gemsboks were female and had exceptional horns. When feeding on the grass with their heads down, their horns stuck up at least 5-6 inches above their backs.

I also saw a secretary bird, which eats snakes, as well as dozens of guinea fowl. I wished to see more game, as I think anything that comes by is enjoyable to watch. Perhaps tomorrow.

As a whole, our group had a good day. John shot a beautiful warthog, the largest taken this year, as well as a nice old blue wildebeest. He and his wife saw plenty of animals today, including giraffe and waterbuck, impala and gemsbok.

Mike saw some nice impala and plenty of warthogs today. He declined to shoot today, as nothing caught his eye. No one has seen any eland yet, although we know there must be some around.

One thing we do not see much of is kudu. There was an outbreak of rabies this year which decimated the kudu population in this part of Namibia. The owner has counted over 300 dead here alone! Including some stunning 50” plus specimens. I have been fortunate to take a couple very nice kudu in my previous trips, so I am not terribly disappointed; however I am a sucker for those regal animals, and would likely shoot a good one if they were available. Hopefully this is not too widespread, but it is something to think about if you plan on hunting this area.

After getting picked up at dark, we headed back to camp. After stowing our gear we headed to the lapa for dinner. We had a delicious spinach soup, followed by rice and gemsbok stew. Dessert was warm pudding. As always here, everything was delicious.
It seems as though it may be warming up in the next few days. That would be great. It has been a little too chilly to sit around the fire, one of the best things about these trips.

I must step it up and give you something better to read. I will be more diligent in my search for animals tomorrow.

July 18, 2012

Our third day of hunting has started off much better than the previous two. It appears to be a bit warmer, and we are hoping the trend continues.
Before breakfast I shot my bow and was a couple inches to the left. It is concerning as I am running out of adjustment room on that side. I am not sure what to think. It must be either the sight, the rest to torque on my part. I hesitate to adjust my rest during the hunt and chase my aim point all day. For now I will leave it as I can hit a business card at 30 yards.

Breakfast was enjoyable. I eat more here than I do at home. We started with cereal and guava juice, then the eggs and bacon with toast and jam. Just the thing to start you off.

I was placed in an elevated blind today, and on the way here we saw a herd of blue wildebeest cross way in front of you. These animals are my nemeses. In four trips over, I have yet to get a shot at one. The elevated blind gives a bit more of a view than the pit versions, and gets more sun, so it should be a good sit.

Things begin to happen around 9:30am. First a group of nine female waterbuck arrive. When I hunt Africa in the hotter months, I look at these animals and wonder how they can survive with their thick coats. On a cooler day like today, they look just fine.

At 9:45, a lone blue wildebeest bull comes in. Without to much thought, I hit the record button my video camera and grab my bow. I know the distance, having ranged it when I got here, and I draw and shoot at the broadside animal. Off he runs and I can see my arrow protruding from the side I shot him from. I worry that my penetration may be off, but as I watch, he crashes into a brushy area, and thrashes about.

Once I can see through my binoculars he is dead, a combination of exhilaration and tiredness overcomes me. I have waited a while for this, and it has come to pass. I have no real interest in dangerous game, nor does my wallet, and plains game hunting to me is as good as it gets. What an amazing opportunity I have to just be here and just experience this, much less harvest one of these incredible animals.

I call Antonie, who will be here in a bit to collect my wildebeest, and sit back down to wait. One thing I have learned about Africa, is you never know what may show up. Luckily for me with in 30 minutes, a group of 11 red Hartebeest come in. They look shimmering in their cinnamon red coats as the sun hits them. They are a mix of male and female, with what appears to be a couple good males in the herd.

As they drink, I look closely through my binoculars to ascertain their quality. I wasn’t really thinking about harvesting a red hartebeest, but this is too tempting. As the best male drinks from the waterhole, I line up and let the arrow loose. Again, the 125 grain Phat head does it work. The hit is low in the chest and he jumps over the waterhole and trots away, unsure of what happened.

As he stops about 40 yards away, two other males begin to gore and attack him. He does his best to defend himself, but is getting weaker by the second. In no time he is down as the other two stand watch over him. I feel bad of course, but again, so grateful to harvest this amazing animal. He will make a beautiful rug.

After Antonie picks up my trophies, I settle into the blind. Four more red hartebeest bulls come in, one with very unique flared horns. I am tempted to take him, but decide against it. After they walk off, a group of waterbuck come in, including a wonderful male, definitely a shooter. However, already having one on the wall, I simply enjoy watching him walk around in his stately manner.

At noon, four waterbuck venture in. One female, two calves, and one excellent bull, the best I have seen here. They drink and mill about. I have one on the wall, and could use the trophy for other game, so I am content to watch.

At 12:20, I see five zebra working their way over. This gets me going. Zebra are one of favorite things to hunt, and I won’t pass up an opportunity to harvest one if I can. However, they hang up at about 75 yards in the brush, watching the waterbuck and warthogs. Then for some reason known only to zebra, they wheel about and trot off. The remaining animals simply look up and watch them trot off, then resume milling about.

Warthogs come and go throughout the next hour, some with quite impressive tusks. Even the females are wearing nice teeth. The combination of heavy rain last year along with a milder winter seems to have done them well. I have not much to compare them too, but as far as I can see, this is the best group of warthogs I have experienced. I consider drawing on a few, but hold out, as we have plenty more time to hunt. I have a nice one in the bag, and one more to take, so I can be selective.

At 1:20, another group of waterbuck come in, including a male who eclipses the other one in horn size. Now I have 12 waterbuck around the waterhole, as well as pigs coming and going. Very entertaining!

Not 30 minutes later, with the waterbuck contingency still around, a group of three kudu come in. Two cows and one nice bull. It is good to see them, especially the bull, with all the damage rabies have inflicted upon the herd. He is fun to watch, with his head bobbing gait and long neck. He never looks hurried. He surveys the group around the waterhole, then eases in to drink. They seemingly part away in his path, and he and his cows drink well. He then saunters off out of sight. Should there not have been a moratorium on kudu, he is one I would gladly have arrowed.

Around 2:45, I see a giraffe coming in! I love these animals, as do many, and always look forward to seeing one. This is a large, old, black “stink bull”. I have no time to react before he walks right by my elevated blind at ten yards and heads to a water source about 75 yards to my right. I ready my bow and watch closely, hoping he will return.

Over the next 45 minutes, as the big bull mills about out of range, eight other giraffe come in. Some females, cows, and a couple other nice bulls. But none of them have the dark color that signifies an old plains warrior. I decide I will hold out to see if I get a shot at the brute. I will not settle for one of the other majestic creatures.

Time goes slowly and I strive to keep my heart rate under control. The bull begins to walk. He has been 24 yards away for the last 30 minutes, screened by a tree and quartering to me, offering no shot. There is no time to lose; he begins to clear the tree and walk behind my water hole. My bow has been in my hand, and I am in a good stance. I have ranged the distance earlier on another giraffe, guessing if he were to come by, that is the path he would take. As he crosses in front of me at a mere 24 yards, he hesitates for a split second to allow a giraffe in front of him to move. I release my arrow and see it hit just where I aimed.

As the bull runs off, I see what looks like inferior penetration, but then I see the blood spurting out of the arrow wound. Hoping that the arrow penetrated to the other side and bounced back, I watch the her run in an arc, slowing down and stopping in a stand of trees 120 yards out. As they stand and walk slowly about, I scanned the area with my binoculars. Although I can see bits and pieces of giraffe, nothing is definite. I take it as a good sign that the herd has hung around. After about 15 minutes, they wander off.

Forty minutes later, Antonie and I begin our search. There is a tremendous blood trail, it looks like a heart shot. In the stand of trees we find him where he crashed down, taking a few tree limbs with him. What an experience. It has been a great day.

Dinner tonight was pea soup with game meat, salad, brown rice, vegetables and gemsbok lasagna. Dessert was crepes with sugar, cream and jam. I will not lose weight on this trip. Still a little cool outside for a fire, but overall warming up. Tomorrow is another day.

I head out for northern Namibia in 10 days, so I'm following your thread with great interest. I'll be hunting quite a bit west of you, nearer Etosha, so hopefully the kudu population wasn't effected as much as where you are. Keep up the excellent post.

July 20, 2012
It is our fifth day of hunting, and we are having a great time. Today was a new blind for me. It was a pit blind with a water hole 20 yards away. I like pit blinds because they keep your scent down, but I enjoy raised blinds because of the view.

On this morning, the air was noticeably warmer. Over the course of the day I saw some nice waterbuck, including a bull that will be real nice in a year or two. Six nice gemsbok came in, four females, and two males, all pretty good. The wind was fickle throughout the day, and they never got close enough.

Again, I saw plenty of warthogs, including a nice male I was tempted to take, but passed as I still have five days left. Right at dusk, four giraffe came in and drank. It is funny to watch how they squat down, bending their front legs to reach the water.

Antonie and Mike came to get me and as we were leaving we noticed a caracal coming down the path. I thought it would run, by instead it crouched down in a tire rut along the trail and stood still, trying to hide. Unbelievably, the cat crouched there as I quickly knocked and arrow took aim and released.

The only shot I had was the right front shoulder, as he was quartering to me. The arrow blew right through him, breaking the front shoulder and actually sending some bone chunks into the air. The cat darted into the brush, but didn’t go far. The arrow eviscerated it on the way out, but I should be able to make a nice full mount of it.

Dinner tonight was great. They had a big fire going, and put a big steel plate over it and let it get hot. We then got some raw blue wildebeest, gemsbok meat, onions, peppers, pineapple, mushrooms and cabbage and put it on the steel plate, then add some rice. It was like an African stir fry! Dessert was ice cream. All in all another awesome day in Africa.

July 21, 2012
I have noticed that despite my best efforts, I still am making quite a few grammatical and spelling errors on this report. I apologize. I actually can read and write with proficiency. It could be trying to type in a blind or late at night, but either way, shameful.

We had a blackout after diner before bed last night. Not a big deal, we have a generator, but they didn’t bother as it was so late. This morning they fired it up and I could charge my computer up a bit. They just got electricity here a few years back, so it’s all good. Before, the generators ran a bit each day, and you got used to doing things without it. As a matter of fact Melinda still cooks with a beautiful old wood fired oven and stovetop. She has it down and nothing burns or cooked incorrectly. I get a kick out of it.

This morning after eggs, cereal, toast and bacon, we were off. I went back to a stand I was in a couple days ago, and hoped I would have better luck today.

The morning was slow until around 11 am. A group of 6 gemsboks came in to drink, and a female impala joined them. They wandered over to the sun and lay down with one keeping watch. A nice herd of 7 red Hartebeests followed them. One was a pretty nice bull. As I have come to expect, there were plenty of warthog sightings, which was great. Some of the sows had three piglets, attesting to how they have been thriving here.
While all that was going on, three make kudu came in, one with beautiful 50+ inch horns. Good to see some nice ones still around.
The wind shifted and the whole place cleared out pretty quick. It quieted down and I only saw a few more impala and some warthogs throughout lunch.
Around 1:30, four giraffe came up to about 75 yards, but held fast, not liking something. It could have been the shifting winds. They stood there for about 20 minutes then turned and went back in the direction from which they came.
The rest of the day was uneventful with no other animals coming in. Dinner tonight was gemsbok burgers with all the trimmings. Dessert was pudding. I had a great opportunity to talk at length with Antonie and Melinda after dinner. They are such great people, and have done an excellent job of running this place while balancing it with raising a family. Tomorrow looks to be warming up even more!

July 22, 2012

Today was a good day to be hunting, but aren’t they all? I was situated in a pit blind that worked well with the South wind we were having.

At 9:30, a nice group of impala came in, about 15 ewes and one ram. The ram actually mounted one of the ewes on the way to the waterhole. As they were milling about 3 kudu came in, one cow and two young bulls.

The Impala ram got nervous when the kudu came in and kept bouncing around. I was trying to film the shot, but kept having to move my camera to keep up with him. It was the first impala ram I’d seen and I really wanted to take him.

He was moving off and stopped by a salt lick about 25 yards away, He was quartering away a bit steep, and when I let the arrow go, he jumped the string and twisted, causing me to shoot him high and forward. On video I am even unsure if I got the arrow into the vitals or if it just skimmed the inside of the hide.

We looked and looked, even after dark that evening using flashlights. We saw some blood, some of it pretty good, but we finally gave up. We are going back tomorrow to see if we can find him.

As anyone who has had this happen can tell you, I am just sick about this. I could kick myself for not being more patient and waiting to see if a better shot developed. It’s not even the trophy fee, it’s failing on my part to place a humane shot to the animal and limit any suffering. This will be a tough night to sleep.

Getting back to the day in the blind. After the impala incident, I only saw 2 sow warthogs until 2:15. I got some reading done in that stretch. At that time, a strange herd came in consisting of 2 young male kudu and I waterbuck. At 3:06, a decent male gemsbok came in. I am looking for something 40 inches or more, so I let him pass.

At 4:22, my streak of seeing giraffe every day continued when 6 came in. They stayed by the water for almost 20 minutes, then wandered away and began feeding where I could still see them. Finally at 5:00 pm, a warthog sow with 3 piglets came in.

Dinner tonight was gemsbok and waterbuck steaks, vegetables, rice, Namibia free range chicken, salad and chocolate cake for dessert. Here’s to hoping we find that impala tomorrow

I love following this post and getting updates from the field. Very enjoyable to follow. Cannot wait to see pics. Cannot wait to hear the rest of the story. Good luck. Travel safe.

July 23, 2012
I am back in the pit blind known as the zebra blind. The wind is not good now, but Antonie feels as it warms up the wind should shift. At first light a couple trackers headed out to see if they could find my impala, but we haven’t heard from them yet.

Despite the wind at around 9:30, six young gemsbok come in. They are not savvy enough to run at my scent, but it only takes them a minute or so before they begin to get edgy and finally run away.

Later on two mature gemsbok come by, but stay away from the water. Late morning several waterbuck come in, drink, and then lay down in the shade. Three kudu cows warily eye the water for an hour, before finally coming in around noon.

I see a very big male warthog with nice tusks, but still I hold off as we have a few more days yet.

Nothing much happens until a little after two, two young male blue wildebeest come in. I was looking for a female to make a rug of, but these guys have nice coats and should look good. I set the camera on him as he stands broadside, and send an arrow through both lungs. He and his companion run off, but he is down within sight. Antonie comes to pick him up and I settle back into the blind.

While I was waiting for Antonie, the wire hook holding my bow bent, dropping my bow to the floor of the blind. I was seriously worried about the bow, in light of earlier issues I’d had. After gathering up the wildebeest, I shot at a clump of grass, and felt it was still shooting pretty well. Tomorrow morning I will check it at the range to make sure it is spot on.

The impala was never found. I am very disappointed in myself. I do not wish to let that happen again. On brighter notes, our party spotted their first eland when Mike saw 2 prime bulls and two cows. And John took a beautiful zebra from his elevated blind. He was very nervous, as it took them 20 minutes to come to water. He also shot another great warthog.

Dinner tonight was gemsbok steaks cooked over the fire. Absolutely delicious, they were thick and cooked to a medium. We also had cauliflower with cheese, rice, soup and salad, Dessert was the chocolate cake Melinda made yesterday along with ice cream.

Wow, what a great hunt and descriptions. I'm off to Namibia on Sept.3, also via jo'burg, for my first African hunt (although with rifles) and surely enjoyed your account.

And I look forward to hearing Bud Meadows' report from his hunt. I'll be hunting north of Waterberg and south of Otavi and sure hope the kudu are still there.

Thanks. -WSJ

WSJ: There's one less kudu there in Namibia now. Here's a 55" bull I shot the fourth day of my hunt- full report to follow

Wow! Congratulations on that one!