First Safari- Namibia Plainsgame Hunt

Hunter: Jason Johnson
Observer: Michelle Johnson
Dates: September 9 through September 21, 2010

Otjandaue Hunting Safaris
Omaruru, Namibia
PH Roy van der Merwe

Travel : arranged by Steve Turner, Travelwithguns.com

Rifles: Remington 700; 300 Ultra Mag ; Bullet: 180 grain Barnes TSX
Kimber .22 Win Mag Rimfire

Animals Harvested: Kudu, Blue Wildebeest, Steenbuck, 2 Gemsboks, Mountain Zebra, and Warthog

Being my first trip to Africa, some of this will be old news to a lot of readers, but bear with me. On Sept. 7 we flew from Detroit, Michigan to Atlanta . While in Atlanta, my wife and I met JudgeG who invited us to relax in the Delta Skyroom as his guests while we awaited our next flight. The Judge is a really nice guy and was a pleasure to visit with. Our next flight was to Johannesburg. Upon arrival in JNB we collected our luggage and rifles and went to the Southern Sun Hotel to relax for the evening and get some much needed rest. The Southern Sun was clean and quite comfortable, I would not hesitate to stay there again.

The following day, Sept. 9, we flew to Windhoek, Namibia, collected our gear, met Roy and proceeded to the lodge. The next morning we went to the range to check the rifles and then went hunting. Being my first African hunt I was shocked by the amount of game we saw everyday. We drove in the cruiser, stalked on foot, and sat at blinds near waterholes for the eight days of hunting. Roy is an excellent guide and hunter and knows his ranch like the back of his hand. Of the game we hunted the Hartman Zebra was probably the most difficult to get a shot at, but after a couple days of zebra hunting and a few blown attempts by me, I finally harvested a zebra. On the next to last day of hunting we spotted a caracal, the second caracal in as many days, which I proceeded to miss three times. I could make excuses like : it was quite windy, or I was not sure of the distance, but the bottom line is that I was really excited and it happened really fast and I REALLY missed. Maybe next time! I harvested all of the game I had hoped to and had a wonderful time hunting, so for me the hunt was a success on all levels.

Accommodations
The guest house is clean, comfortable and well furnished with all the comforts of home. The food was always good and plentiful and the lodge is nice and efficiently run. Roy and his wife, Janet, are great hosts and make you feel more like friends than clients.

Side Trips
After our eight days of hunting we made two side trips. The first was to Etosha National Park, which is a great trip that I would recommend to anyone visiting Namibia. We saw many lions, elephants, black rhino and a plethora of plains game. We stayed at the Okaukuejo rest camp while in Etosha and it is a very comfortable resort style camp. Our other trip was to Swakopmund, on the coast. Swakopmund is a resort town with nice hotels and dining. It also offers shopping, both on the street at wooden markets and in shops throughout downtown. While in Swakopmund, we rented quad bikes and rode in the giant sand dunes and it was a fun afternoon.

Summary
The trip was a success on all levels and I don’t know how things could have gone any better. I think the only thing I would change if I could would be to have hunted 14 days instead of 8.

TROPHY PICTURES

ETOSHA PICTURES

Regards,
Jason

Posts: 144 | Location: sw Michigan | Registered: 19 February 2009

safari-lawyer

One of Us

posted

	View $GS_USERNAME's Public Profile
	Add $GS_USERNAME to my Buddies
	Add $GS_USERNAME to my Ignore ListRemove $GS_USERNAME from my Ignore List
	Invite $GS_USERNAME to a Private Topic
	View Recent Posts by $GS_USERNAME
	Notify me of New Posts by $GS_USERNAME

Quick Reply to: First Safari- Namibia Plainsgame Hunt
Guest Name

Close \| Use Full Posting Form \| Quick Quote

ACCURATERELOADING.COM AFRICA HUNTING REPORT FORUM