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What camera did you use?

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My wife and I leave in 16 days for our first trip,

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Originally posted by ramrod340:
My wife and I just got back from a great trip to Namibia. We stayed with Jan and Marie’ Visser at the Klawberg game ranch www.namibiahunting.net. I won’t go into detail about the living facilities except to say that we felt more like we were in a five star resort than a game ranch. Three and sometimes 4 great meals a day and during our stay not a single meal was repeated. The pictures on their site don’t do their home (yep we stayed in their home) justice. Our laundry was done daily along with fresh sheets and towels.

One of the major reasons we went with them is they have only one group on the ranch at a time. They can handle up to eight hunters but will not book more than one group. So we had the ranch to ourselves. They also try and limit to 35-38 hunters a year. We had elected their 5 game special with an observer. Depended on what animal we were tracking as to who was hunter and observer.

Jan picked us at the airport in Windhoek and drove us the 35 minutes to the ranch where a late breakfast was waiting when we arrived. After unloading and relaxing until about 2pm we were asked if we wanted to sight in our rifles. We grabbed them and our camera per his suggestion drove to the 100yd range. I went first and had a 2 shot group just under 1†1.75†high taken from the seat of the truck laying the rifle over a bag on the rail. Then my wife showed me what the week was going to bring. Her little 7x57 stuck two touching actually between my 2 shots. Jan and the tracker both looked at her in a new light. They asked her how far she was comfortable shooting and she said she had practiced a lot from sticks out to 200. Past that would depend.

We then drove around until dark. The tracker pointed out leopard tracks about 5 minutes before we heard it. Never did get to see it but heard it several times over the week. We saw everything from Giraffe to Steenbok and most everything in between.

Went back had a nice meal and Jan pulled out the target area pictures. After asking my wife what she was going to hunt and was told Oryx and springbok he told her those were two of the hardest due to long range on the springbok and shot placement on the Oryx. She looked at me and said you never told me that. Reminded us to be ready to shoot a second time that often an animal that dropped wasn’t dead.

First hunting day: We focused on Kudu the first several days. Would get up and have coffee and a roll or pastry and head out trying to catch the Kudu leaving the waterholes heading back up into the hills. We saw several each morning usually a shooter or two. Two things worked against us. The plant they called the “kudu bush†had turned yellow but had not dropped their leaves making it hard to see on the hills. Plus the steep hills (5300ft+ elevation) were far easier on the Kudu than people from sea level. So around 10 we would head back for breakfast. Then usually hunt from 11-2 looking on the flats for other game and then have a big lunch. Dinners would be a light meal. Since we had 8 hunting days we normally hunted easy and spend the evening in a blind taking pictures.

Hunt day 2. Same hunt until 10 for a Kudu and no luck. After breakfast he asked if we were up to a couple hour blind stalk? That we would go with a tracker across a large area with several water holes hoping to walk up on something. So we started walking. About an hour later Fredric spotted some Springbok. He saw then with the naked eye and I could barely see them with my glasses. So off we went from one bush to the next. After about 30 minutes we were still 4-500yds away. We started the “low walkingâ€. Gave a new name to back pain for me. LOL Since it was my wife’s shot he told me to stay and they left on all 4s. Can’t show that picture of my wife under fear of major pain. LOL He tried to set the sticks up for a kneeling shot but they kept slipping so they crawled to another bush so she could stand. I heard one shot never saw which of the 30 animals she was aiming at but heard her work the bolt and ask if she should shoot again. He said it’s dead. They went back and forth about 4 times about a follow-up shot each time he would grin wider and say dead. So we started walking. I had forgotten my range finder so counted the 310 steps. Later converted that to 260 yds. So she had a nice one shot kill on a Gold metal Springbok. Her issue was the bullet placement which caught the front of the shoulder took out the lungs, top of the heart and other shoulder and exited. Great results for a 7x57 140gr accubond. I asked why she was unhappy, she said it was about 4†in front of where she aimed. I had never troubled her with windage so I had to try and explain the 10-15mph cross wind. After going online and showing her numbers back in camp she felt a littler better that it wasn’t her “poor shootingâ€.

That evening (actually mothers’ day) we went to a blind. After about 30 minutes I saw a white spot that wasn’t there earlier and after much looking we determined it was a mother cheetah and three cubs eating a springbok. Real hard to pull a yellow cheetah from behind a yellow bush but you can at least see her.

Hunt day 3. On the way back to the truck I looked 100 yds up the hill and saw a nice Kudu. Horns were turned to the front. They left it up to me. After moving back and forth several times to find a hole in the brush to reach the shoulder I fired. I heard the impact and thought he went down. The tracker ran up the hill looked around and shook his head and walked back down. He had forgotten his radio. He said he tracked it 10 yards saw no blood but that the hill was very rough and covered in brush. We elected to go for breakfast and the 3 trackers would go look while we ate. It was a long drive back to camp as I played the shot over and over in my mind. As we sat down to eat the tracker called in and they had found him after only 50yds. The shot had destroyed the near shoulder went over the top of the heart took out the lungs and broke the top of the off shoulder. The 160 accubond still had 70% of it’s weight. No exit wound and with the impact on the lower shoulder not a drop of blood was found. They had just tracked his foot trail. So I had my first kill a nice Silver metal Kudu.

Then that evening as we were talking pictures this nice Kudu walked up the hill and stopped for pictures.

Hunt day 4. Oryx time. We headed out looking for Oryx to setup for a stalk. This was just the few of a group about a half mile away. So we drove on by and got off at about 8:30am and started walking. I went along to watch and maybe see an Impala. We walked until around 11. Total of several miles and several hills. My wife set up 3 times and twice couldn’t get a shot and once the tracker said too small. So we were just about to stop and he heard something. We didn’t but he did. Told me to wait in the shade and “NOT STAND†so off they went with the low walking and crawling. Seemed like and hour but only 10 minutes later I heard the shot. The once again the quick discussion about a follow up shot. He kept saying leg shot he is dead and grin. My wife kept saying it lifted it’s head should I shoot again. Wish I had the video camera. This time my range finder said just shy of 250yds up on top of the hill. The bullet hit exactly where she had been told to shoot. Took out the leg cut the heart almost in half and broke the leg on the other side. So here she is with her GOLD Metal Oryx. The tracker said that he had to move the sticks and she set up and fired all in less than 10seconds.
Walking up the hill was our only problem during the trip. The hill was covered in rocks from softball to basketball size. My wife stepped on one and it turned. She went down and her rifle slide off her shoulder and I heard it hit. Key piece of info here guys. Make sure you ask if your wife is OK before you ask about the rifle. We later took it to the range and her Leopold would no longer hold zero. Jan offered a scope to mount but she had the two animals she wanted.


Next day was a shopping trip to Windhoek. At our travel agents suggestion we had packed an extra empty bag. It came in handy on the way home.

Hunt day 6 my turn looking for an Impala or old Red Hartebeest to use as a rug. We had been out about 10 minutes driving to where we were going to hunt. Looking for an old Oryx bull that we had seen the day before to get some close pictures. We stopped as we were taking pictures a group of Impala almost ran us down. There was a decent ram so I jumped from the truck. Walked about 5 yards into the brush and saw him about 30 yds away. Quick shot both shoulders and lungs were gone and I had my Impala. Oops just shy of Silver. So if you are counting my wife has two golds and I have a silver and bronze. LOL

Since we were done early we decided to go to the blind during the day. Saw Kudu, Eland, Impala, warthogs and then the baboons arrived. Three groups in all about 50-60. The last group actually tossed stuff on the blind.

Hunt Day 7. We spent all morning on 3 stalks for Red Hartebeest. Each time we got close some other animal would spook them. I found out just how bad a Waterbok smells. I also found out that being partially colored blind made it hard to pick up the reddish brown coat. Numerous times while driving they would say there I had no clue until my wife would point and I looked down her finger. We really wanted a real old dark bull for a nice dark rug. We finally found the one we wanted at about 400yds. A real open field and each time we tried to get closer he would walk away. We got back in the truck and went way around coming in from a different direction. We were still a good ways off after doing some crawling of our own we got to 300 yds. Got set up and he started walking away. I had the scope on him hoping he would turn. He did turn and gave me a slightly better than quartering shot. I took it and the 160Accubond from my 280PDK dropped him on the spot. He raised his head and dropped. Shot was behind the near shoulder blew the heart apart and took out the off shoulder and exited. A little lower than my plan because I estimated 275yds and it measured closer to 325. So the old bull had worn off his horns so they called him a “conservation metalâ€.

So we spent the next day and a half taking pictures. Still going through the 700 plus files. What better hunting partner to have gotten 2 golds than your wife. I asked her is she wanted her rifle reblued to cover the scratch on the barrel. She said nope it was a memory. Just fix the scope before deer season.

If you want a nice hunt for plains game we could not recommend them more.

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Originally posted by ramrod340:
Thanks we were very happy with how the pics turned out. Wish I had a little more lens for the Cheetah but can't have everything. All our hills were rock covered and all the valleys were nice sand. So easy walking as long as you were climbing a hill.

Her rifle is based on a factory Daly barreled action. I was going to rebarrel but the darn thing shoots so well she won't let me touch it. The throat is so long that I can't get close with 140accubonds but the oal is set as long as the bullet will allow. R&P brass, rem std primers and 49grs RL19. In her 22" my Chrono reads 2750. When she shoots from the bench the first 3 will touch and number 4 will usually open it up to .75-1" as it heats up darn good for a light taper cheap factory barrel.