All I can say is "Wow. what a great experience!"

First timer in Africa and I can't think how it could have been better. OK, I could have shot better a couple times, but nothing got away and some of the shots were good. Wonderful, personable, knowledgable PH, spectacular scenery, tons of animals everywhere we went, everything I'd hoped to hunt and shoot got shot. Of everything we hunted, I really wanted a gemsbok because it was Namibia, a kudu because it was Africa, and an eland because it's the biggest. Did that and more.

Spent the first 6 days on Dirk's low fence property (~40K acres) north of the Waterberg Plateau and managed to shoot a gorgeous eland and very old warthog on day 1 (nice way to start, huh?). Eland was part of a herd of maybe 70 animals that crossed in front of us and we got a bit lucky to get into them in the thorn a few hundred yards from the truck. The shot was maybe 65 yards and he ran about 350 before going down. Good blood trail, with blood coming out both sides, plus the tracking dog's encouragement.


Dirk's dog, Bruno, goes with him on every step of every hunt on the farm, even up into blinds. He blood trails anything hit and had absolutley no fear, jumping right in on top of the downed eland and wildebeest. The little guy's all scarred up from battles with warthogs and at least 1 leopard.


That evening we sat a waterhole blind for warthog and this elderly gentleman wandered in after watching who knows how many sows, pigs and younger boars. I was hesitant when Dirk said it had a broken tusk but he was insistent I really must shoot him. Glad I did.


Hunted the next 2 days chasing gemsbok, blue wildebeest, and kudu without connecting, although we saw all three plus plains zebra and eland every day. Finally got on a small herd of bachelor gemsbok bulls in the evening, having to work around a cow herd of red hartebeest that we semi-spooked, to get a shot, which I made (one of the good ones). Dirk was not happy with the animal ("damn, kind of young, too much bark") and insisted we would get a better one. As you can see from the pic, I couldn't have been happier, regardless.


Next morning we were headed out so see what might be spotted when a medium sized herd of blue wildebeest started crossing in front of the truck. We were between the front and back of the herd and I piled out and got a chance at this mature but not old bull. After chasing them through the thickets for the last few days, I was tickled to get the chance to shoot one.


We then hunted for a better gemsbok and kudu but only got within shooting range of cows and young bull kudus. Spotted a small herd of 5 gemsbok that had 2 nice bachelor bulls in it and made a nice stalk through the thicket to get into range. I was calm and steady on the sticks while Dirk was telling me "shoot the bigger of those 2, no shoot the one with the slight bend to the horns, etc." Hell, both looked great to me and I didn't care a fig which I shot. And then a mature kudu bull half jumped out of the thicket and into the open, maybe 30 yards from us, which caused Dirk to say "kudu! good one! shoot that kudu!" after which I got the worst case of buck fever I've had since I was 14 and the kudu disappeard back into the thorn. Gemsbok were alarmed and moving into the brush but only maybe 60 yards away (yeah, really) so I took aim and promptly flat missed the one with the bigger horns. And then I fumbled the reload while Dirk was saying "reload quick, that kudu's going to reappear!" which it did, standing broadside within 40 yards while I was strugging with Murphy's Law and my Ruger. Naturally it left without incident by the time I got reloaded. Sigh. The whole incident was bad enough but Dirk kept laughing and suggesting my lethal range was sort of narrow - more than 50, less than 100, not too much visibilty, etc.

That evening he said we needed to change scenery and go hunt with Luigi Viglietti (Viglietti Hunting) up in Damaraland, about 3 hours northwest of there, for mountain zebra and some different kudu and gemsbok. Although I was worried about my knees being able to take that kind of terrain, he graciously convinced me by repeating "come on, you'll be fine, Africa is not for sissies." Serious motivation, that.

Long story short: What an absolutley wild place to hunt. We saw gemsbok, kudu, zebra, klipspringers, gray duikers, Damara dik dik, and elephant while hunting. We'd climb a koppie and look and there'd be something, somewhere, to see and maybe hunt almost every time. And I made a long shot on a beautiful kudu (not perfect, but OK), a horrible shot on a mountain zebra stallion in the afternoon after a lengthy stalk (probably 1 1/2 miles from where we were when we spotted him to the place from which I shot him) that I thought we were lucky to find the next morning despite the pro's insisting that he was mortally hit and that we'd find without problem, and a good shot on a solitary bull gemsbok that's a real trophy that ended the hunting for me despite having a couple days to hunt and not having taken a shot at a red hartebeest. I just couldn't imagine how it could get better than that second gemsbok and didn't want to spoil it by making another poor shot.

The upside of the zebra was watching Luigi's tracker, Hildebert (sp?) work tracking the wounded zebra. I found the first blood and Dirk and I followed it quite a ways before losing it amongst other zebra tracks at the top of a flat koppie. Then Hildebert came up and sorted it out in a few minutes and we trailed on until it got dark, finally jumping the zebra but not getting a shot right before dark. Hildebert led, mostly following tracks and confirming with occasional blood, the other 2 following and fanning out to pick up the trail when necessary. I tagged along at the rear to mark the last blood. Same deal next morning, with the addition of the skinner, Toy (sp?). Those fellows trailed that zebra faster than I could comfortably walk in that terrain and we found him before it even began to warm up. I counted myself lucky to get the zebra and to watch that kind of tracking work.

I'm petting the kudu in this one and thinking how lucky I was to be there and actually hunt and kill a kudu. Really.


This not terribly old stallion was all scarred up from fighting and, as he was alone when we spotted him, probably ousted from his harem by another male.

The pros.




Finally, some scenery from Damaraland, including klipspringers. I have a nice pic of a pair of Damara dik dik on the other camera and may post it later.




Thanks to all here who offered encouragement and advice to actually go and do an African hunt. I can't believe it really came off and I'm struggling to believe that it's me in those pictures! More on the follow-on tour with my spouse-equivalent later (also great, and she's already talking about going back, bless her heart). -WSJ

Driving back along a trib to the Huab River in Luigi's Land Rover with the second gemsbok.

The EXCITEMENT in your report tells me you had GREAT time...good on you folks!

Looking forward to more of your report and pics...Super job

Great job.

A safari from start to finish.

All animals recovered and accounted for, all should be a good.

Trophy's taken are what you wanted and you held your line i wish i could.

Thank you for sharing your safari with us.

A few edits later, I think I've now got all the pictures showing! SOB, I'm flashing back to that kudu and the fumbled reload . . .

Thanks, great report.

Great report and it looks like you were having fun.

Nice job, Scott. Glad you enjoyed the Baakerie in Outjo. Did you make it to Joe's Beer House??

First time hunt looks like a good one.
Congratulations
Your hooked!!!

Congrats! What caliber is your #1?

Congratulations.
Thanks for the report and pics

Very nice! Love the look of the hunting area! Congratulations on your first safari!

The smile on your face in pic #1 says it all.

Thank you for sharing!

Congratulations! What a great first safari. Really enjoyed your report.

quote:

Did you make it to Joe's Beer House??

Nope, although Kimberly made it there after I left (the wench!). We got back into Windhoek about 6 after a long drive from Walvis and I was leaving the next day. We decided we were just too tired to venture out too far to eat. Next trip . . . .

quote:

Congrats! What caliber is your #1?

9.3 x 74R, Nikon ProStaff 2-7x32 scope, 285gr Lapua Mega factory loads that shot so well I decided not to even fool wth reloading the Hornady 286gr Interlocks I got for it. How'd the Mega's perform? Seemed like pretty good, as no bullets were recovered from anything, including the first gemsbok which was shot at the base of the throat and the bullet exited the right ham (exit wound is visible in the photo). The PH hadn't seen one before and wanted to shoot a feral donkey in the chest for leopard bait just to see what the penetration would be like. The donkey got lucky and left before the experiment could be concluded. I told Dirk it would probably exit though.

I was not really well set up with that combo for Damaraland with the longer ranges. The kudu was about 260 yards from the koppie I was on and the longest shot I've ever tried on anything not a prairie dog (we range findered it with Luigi's Zeiss rangefiner binocs after loading the kudu).

In this picture I shot from the top of the koppie with the white tree on it in the background and I'm standing where the kudu was when I shot.


My other rifle, a Remington 700 CDL in 35 Whelen with 225 Accubond handloads and 3-9x40 scope would have been better suited but arrived with the scope DOA - focus boogered up and internal adjustments gone. Gee, where have I heard to bring an extra scope? Next time I'll bring one rifle, a spare firing pin assembly, and 2 scopes. And if I hunted that area exclusively I'd use the 8 Rem Mag that I always thought would be the rifle I'd take to Africa if I went (but I do so like shooting and carrying the Whelen).

Fine report on a hunt in a country I'm in every year. Good pix, too.

Expect you'll be back.

Regards, Tim

Congratulations on your hunt!

Some pictures of a pair of Damara dik dik, Farm Orpa (Orpa Hunting Ranch) and Piccola (Viglietti Hunting):







Orpa Hunting Accommodations and Lapa


The Waterberg sandstone outcrop to the south of Orpa. Leopard country. We went here to see it and to hang some leopard baits and bird a bit (especially Kimberly). The farmhouse and accommodations are on the far horizon, but not visible from here.


Accommodations at Piccola (Viglietti Hunting) and background.



From the porch at Piccola.

Congrats on an excellent safari and welcome to the addict club! There is no way I would have passed up a Damara dik dik. One of those will certainly be at the top of the wish list when I make it to Namibia.

Congrats!

Oh yeah, I was addicted decades ago, just could never get there. And now I've got to figure out how to get back without planning on a reincarnation or something.

Glad to see you had a great hunt, and good to see Bruno is doing ok. I have been on two hunts with Dirk and can't wait to make it a third time.

Great to see the reports of first time African hunters. It helps all of us recall the similar emotions we felt on our first trips. Congratulations!

Brilliant! Thanks for the pics. I am headed to Damaraland next August. I can hardly wait!

Nice trophies.Well done.
We are so happy that you enjoyed hunting in an great area of Namibia that not many have been to.

Looks like a great hunt, I love that #1 9.3X74. Have always enjoyed hunting in Namabia.

Congratulations on your first time safari. Memories forever, we'll done and fine shooting.


Mike

Enjoyed the additional pics! Post more if you have others!

Thanks for sharing!!.

Great report.

Love that Ruger #1 in9.3X74. It is deadly medicine on Zebra. I also used it in Zim on Bushbuck. Great hunt enjoyed the report.

Congratulations on your first safari and far from being your last! Great report and pics!

Best regards, D. Nelson