I have been back from Africa for almost two weeks but this is my first opportunity to share my adventure with the rest of the forum. Originally I was reluctant to do this because I am not a great story teller and my hunt is no where near as exotic as some of the adventures that I have read on this board. However, since I have learned so much from the stories and knowledge shared by everyone else it seems like the least I can do. No pictures yet but I will work on it.

I hunted in northern Namibia near the village of Kamanjab with Helmke Sartorious von Bach or Kamanjab Trophy Hunting. He and his wife Dagmar own a small hunting business and take clients (usually one at a time) during the months of June-September. The hunt was booked through Harry Hunter (aka Mims Reed). I have known Mims for several years and we have worked together quite a bit on the annual RMEF banquet committee back home in Texas.

My wife and I flew from Newark to Atlanta to Joburg to Windhoek and then took the 5 hour car ride to the hunting area. Needless to say, we were beat when we got to the ranch house. The ranch is roughly 30k acres with cattle and goats as well as lots of game. The property is also part of a 600,000 acre (approx) conservancy called Loxodonta Africana Conservancy.

To keep this somewhat structured I will use the day by day format for describing the hunt. Otherwise I may go on writing indefinitely.

Day 1-The first hunting day is also my wife's birthday. First we have breakfast at 7:00 am. We were allowed to sleep in to catch up on sleep after our long flight. Every other day breakfast was at 6:30. After breakfast we load up in the truck and head off for the range. After I shoot a couple of rounds at the target Helmke seems to feel much better. We have a conversation about what my outside range is, am I comfortable shooting from sticks and so forth followed by me moving into a number of different shooting positions and confirming that this position is good or not good or whatever. Helmke is very thorough in this regard and I have no problem with it. We talk about some different shooting scenarios and how I might react to them and then head back to the truck to start the hunt. We start the hunt by sitting at a waterhole for a few hours and see lots of game but not what we want. A bronze medal Kudu bull wanders into view but I pass because "It's the first day". I will remember that later in the hunt. Later a silver medal warthog offers a shot but I pass on him for the same reason. No animals today but a good start. The wind was favorable for most of the day. At dinner Dagmar presented a very nice birthday cake to my wife. She was surprised to say the least.

Day 2-The weather is cooler today...in the 50's. We eat breakfast and head out early. Within 20 minutes my tracker Pente (Kovango) spots six bulls but the wind is wrong and they pick up our scent very quickly and disappear. We went to sit in a blind after that but after 30 minutes the wind changed again so we had to move. On the way out of the blind Helmke spotted two Gemsbok bulls and we made a short stalk but eventually passed because the largest one was not big enough (bronze medal bull). Later in the day we made stalks on a Kudu bull and a Hartbeest bull but with no luck. The wind was changing direction frequently and we also ran into some Baboons in the area that were very vocal about our presence. At the end of the day I had a possible shot (not the best shot, but a shot) on a Springbok but passed again because he was too small. No game today but I saw the Southern Cross tonight for the first time. You cannot believe how many stars are in the sky this night. Almost no moon.

Day 3-The pressure builds...the winds are changing frequently and the weather is geting colder. There was frost on the ground this morning. This is not typical but as Helmke says "It's winter". We hunted hard today but never really had a shot at anything. We did make a stalk on a nice Kudu bull but I never really was in a position to make a shot. My PH is working very hard to create opportunities for us but they have not come today. Dinner was Oryx Cordon Bleu and it was excellent.

Day 4-I am now officially trigger happy. Helmke has been coaching me to stay relaxed and upbeat despite our lack of success. I still felt good about things (I had several opportunities already) but am ready to shoot something. We head out in the truck and within 15 minutes Pente spots a group of Gemsbok bulls. We stop and dismount. Then get ready to begin our stalk (that means make sure that everyone has water-major rule-don't leave the truck without water). We are approximately 1000 yards away from the bulls with quite a bit of bush and a dry river bed between us and them. The first several hundred yards weren't that tough but the last 200 yards or so was spent duck walking from one shady spot to another to get us to the river bed. Personally I am not much of a duck walker so a little bit of that goes a very long way. In any event, we got to within about 200 yards and set up for a shot at a good bull, but he decided to walk directly into the bush instead of the other way into the clearing. No shot. The bulls started to drift about 200 yards give or take to the left of where we were so we had to assume the position (love the duck walk thing) and waddle in their direction but parallel to them so we could get a better view. Finally Helmke spotted another two good bulls and told me to pick one. As soon as he said that one bull stepped behind a bush. No decision here. The bull was at 200ish yards quartering away when I fired. I was standing up using Helmke's shooting sticks. My heart was POUNDING. This shooting situation is not my favorite and I wanted to make sure that I didn't make a mistake but after 3 plus days it was now or never. I finally squeezed off the shot and all but collapsed afterward from being so nervous. I saw the other bulls scatter so I wasn't real sure that I hit the thing. I looked at Helmke and he said "He's down". My first thought is "Down where. I don't see a thing". We waited a few minutes then walked slowly in the direction of the bull. He was "Dead right there". Never took a step (not like I knew). Helmke was beside himself he was so happy. I am not sure who was more excited, me or him...and I was PLENTY excited. This was my first African trophy and the biggest trophy that I had ever killed. What a day! Helmke went throught the "last bite" ritual and congratulated me on my trophy. Then loaded the bull onto the truck and took him in so the skinners could do their thing. After we made sure that the bull was being taken care of by the skinners we headed out to another hunting area. We spotted another Kudu bull from the truck and made a decent stalk on him but he never came out of the bush to give me a clear shot. After that we headed to another water hole area and waited for at least 4 hours to see what may show up. Plenty of animals were there-Kudu cows, Warthogs, even 3 Damara dik diks showed up. But we're looking for a Kudu bull. After sitting in the blind for the entire afternoon the wind shifted and we had to move again. I was not happy. It seems that we fought the wind throughout the entire hunt. It continually changed direction and always at the wrong time. Today the direction shifted just slightly , however, so we moved about 300 yds (maybe less) to the right of the blind which was right at the end of the tank dam. I got set up on an embankment laying on my stomach and stayed there for about 30 minutes. Then we started hearing a funny barking/honking noise that sounded like a cross between a Kudu and a Donkey. Hartebeest!!! and fairly close. Helmke spotted them first. Three bulls at about 250-300 yards. They started to come in to the water hole very slowly. Helmke told me to take the one on the left when they got a little closer. About that time they must have gotten a burst of energy because they came running in, kicking and jumping and carrying on like rodeo stock. By the time they were through I had no idea where the "bull on the left" was. I couldn't say anything to Helmke and he couldn't talk to me because the bulls were too close. Time for a crash course in Red Hartebeest horn judging. Since I had only seen a Hartebeest in real life twice before then (yesterday and the day before) I really didn't have a clue as to which bull was the best. But I did know that the bull in the middle looked big to me and was looking directly at me from roughly 100 yards away. It is very quiet now except for the loud thumping inside my chest. I have felt this sensation before...and recently. My rifle was in position already so I slowly eased the safety off and squeezed off a shot. BOOM! Immediately there was a HUGE cloud of dust and out of the corner of my eye I saw at least one bull run into the bush. Ok...so I'm thinking "I shot a Gemsbok this morning and missed a Hartebeest this afternoon. Funny how things can change so quickly. And it wasn't really a difficult shot to boot. Helmke is telling me about the big dust cloud that I made and I have no idea where my bull may be. Then he starts to laugh and points to the edge of the water hole. The bull is stone dead right where I shot it. I am relieved to say the least. We go to the bull and he is very big...and the right one. I am extremely happy. What a beautiful bull! I stay with the bull while every one else goes to get the truck. Once Helmke gets back with the truck we load up the bull and head to the ranch house. The sun is setting on the way back. I will never forget this day.

to be continued...

Good report. Now waiting for the rest of the report and pictures.

Great report. And you said you're not a good storyteller????

Looking forward to the rest of the hunting and photos. Also add some about the facilities and general impressions on the operation.

Phil

This is great stuff! Nice shooting, which rifle and caliber were you using?

Gabe

Ah, jealousy and reminscense. I hunted with Helmke last July and had a great time and a great hunt. Like you, I passed on a shot on a very nice kudu on our arrival day (with serious jet lag) as I was wasted and not inclined to rush. This was by far the best kudu we saw and Pente thought I was crazy to watch this animal and not take him. My last animal was a very nice kudu taken after many stalks on other animals. Not the biggest, but I earned him. Can't wait to see your pictures. Bob

Very well told. I especially enjoy the fact that you were willing to pass until the right time and animal acome together for you. Waiting for he next installment.
Frank

Well done Cowboy!! Keep the stories coming.

Tell us what rifle, caliber and ammo you were using.

John

I look forward to the next installment - with photos

Congrats!

We are waiting (im)patiently for your pictures!

Thanks for the report part one.

Great reporting, look forward to the rest of the hunt.

Very well written...One can just imagine the swirling wind and the frustration..But that's hunting...

Mike

CONGRATULATINOS A NICE ARTICLE,CAN YOU POST PHOTOS ,WHAT ARE THE TROPHY FEES AND THE DAILY RATES.JUAN

Photos are coming...will probably be tomorrow before I get them posted. The daily rate was $250 per day plus VAT and my wife was included in that price. I think that they charge extra for an observer now but Harry will have all the facts on that. He is the booking agent for this PH. I booked the hunt two years ago so my rates were from 2003. Trophy fees: The current rates are: Kudu-$750 Gemsbok-$550 Hartebeest-$595 Hartmann's Zebra-$700. Warthog and Springbok are $350 each, I believe. To be honest, my trophy fees were slightly less because I booked the hunt some time back. The http://www.Hunters-HQ.com website has the most updated info on fees if you want to get the most current info.

Pictures added at the end of the continuation of the report here.

I hunted with Helmke last year and had a fantastic time. This is the most hunt for the money I have taken.