dates: november 11-21/09
couontry: namibia
outfitter: karl stumpfe/ndumo safaris
agent: l david keith/gray ghost safaris
hunted: lion, red hartebeest, caracal
rifle: weatherby .375 h&h
ammo: 300 grain federal nosler partition

i would like to report on my november 09 lion hunt with karl stumpfe. remember, this was not a trophy lion hunt but a numbers management hunt--this is so i will not be roasted to death for not much mane!!!
i left texas november 9 from houston, arrived frankfurt on nov 10, then on to windhoek, arriving nov 11. karl picked me up, then on to his house to change vehicles and then a drive down south, ending up at the kalahari game lodge, located northeast of gochas right on the namib/botswana border. we set out two donkey halves for bait that evening.
the next morning after sighting in the rifle, which needed a few tweaks, we went out to check the bait sites. no hits or tracks of anything (actually, nothing ever hit the baits during my whole stay there--donkey is not good bait????).
we drove along the border fence looking for tracks,scared up a fat cheetah, chased him down for some pictures, then on down the track. a lioness was spotted under a tree, so we stopped for some pictures. as we then drove by, she came out and joined up with two males and another female, which were out of sight about 100 yds up the dune ridge. we piled out of the truck to chase the males, as one of them was my selected target. it was about atwo mile chase, with one part spent chasing ghosts before finding the track again. after cresting yet another red dune, the trackers spotted the two males holed up in a bush.a the two females had peeled off separately during the chase, leaving just the two males. this took over an hour. karl said to shoot the one on the left. all i could see was the face, outlined by branches. so i shot him between the eyes. he rolled over dead at least. i heard karl say, "you shot hime in the head." i answered that that was all i could see from my viewpoint ( i must mention here that there will not be a lot of skull for a trophy mount), as the shot was from about 10 yards.

unfortunately, this took place before lunch on the first day of the hunt so now what to do!
we took him back for the skinning, which i watched with interest. the bullet was not recovered from deep in the neck.
we went out that afternoon for red hartebeest, but i missed a somewhat rushed shot at about 260 yards and we never caught up.
the next morning we went out for hartebeest again, looked over several groups and then found 4 bulls together, one of which karl said was very good. i took a shot at about 240 yards, adn hit too far back. fortunately, the group decided to walk away, allowing a second shot which hit just below the spine and dropped him. he meaured about 27 inches. whatever, i am happy with him. he can join the lichtestein hartebeest from tanzania on the wall.

i did want a caracal, but understood that getting one would be difficult. as i thought my hunt was pretty much over, i took a wallin the afternoon, taking pictures around the camp area. karl and the trackers took a drive out to the west end of the property and saw a caracal on the move. they rushed back and picked me up and back we went to the area. we found a caracal holed up. since i did not think to bring solids with me, karl lent me his .450 rigby to use, which was not unpleasant to shoot, compared to my .458 lott. i am not sure there was that much less damage, but i was able to get a caracal. i find that i have not put a picture on photobucket to post so maybe later.
now my hunt was really over, on the second day . we spent one more day just cruising and taking pictures, then headeed back to windhoek. i spent another day in karl's guest quarters, then with his help, got a trip to etosha park for the last 5 days set up. the next day, i drove up to the park in a golf chico city (think geo metro without the steroids). i spent a very enjoyable time there photographing both during the day and at night at the okaukuejo water hole. when i get some of these up i can post them later.

i had a very good time. i have never had a hunt end so quickly, usually having to hunt to the very last. the food and accomodations were very good in all aspects. the trackers were excellent. i could barely make out dips in the sand as tracks, but they kept us on course. i experienced no problems in communication or lack of success in expectations with karl as a ph. i would hunt with him again. if i win the lottery, then maybe i can do a trophy lion hunt and elephant.
the funniest experience i had actually occurred very early one morning. i usually wake up between 2-4 a.m., due to 25 years of delivering babies, and being over there was no different. i find it very odd that i still wake up at 2-4 a.m., even though the time is 8 hours different. anyway, i was thirsty as the kalahari is much drier than south texas, so i went to get a drink. i remembered where the glasses were, found one in the dark, found the tap and filled the glass. as i was drinking, something was touching my lips and tongue, so i thought a piece of thatch had fallen in the glass from the roof. i turned the light one and instead, there was a 2 inch scorpion floating in the water. it is a good thing i did not gulp the whole glass of water down
for anyone going to namibia, i strongly recommend etosha park as a destination before or after the hunt. i took over a thousand pictures while i was there, which after thinning, is still over 500. everyone i show them to is in love with the animals.

Congrat's on a good hunt.
I think that Trophies are not all about the mount on the wall, but the memories behind them and I think you have plenty of these.
Well done.

seems to me a very nice lion

Congratulations on a successful hunt!

Brett

Sounds like a great trip - Congratulations. Be sure and let us know when you post your Etosha pics on photbucket.

Very nice trophies.......all hunters tend to pass on animals which suit their goals just because they came too early in the hunt or came with little effort. We forget the time and effort spent in preparation and discount the role of "luck." Congratulations on your preparation, your luck ,your hunt and your good sense in taking the lion when opportunity was presented. You will have ample opportunity to hunt to the bitter end and go home exhausted and empty. Isn't hunting grand?! Jim

Congratulations on a fine lion and a monster red hartebeest!

thanks for all the comments. i have posted the first installment of the etosha picures on photobucket under hunterkbd for those whjo expressed interest. more will come over time.

congrats,that is a rather big "Harty"(beest) though.well done

Congratulations !!!

You've done a fine job. Thank you for sharing the photos.

Kevin, Great to hear. I'll be there in late April for the same hunt with Karl.

Kevin, I think your lion is way better than some of the full-maned cats I see in the taxidermy shops without a scratch on them.

Yours looks like a real lion to me. Congratulations on taking a beauty!

T'S BECAUSE HE IS A REAL LION AND NOT A "CANNED" SPECIAL.

Kevin, congrats again on your successful hunt. Your Lion, Caracal and what a toad of a Hartebeest! I would flip over a bruin like that. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your hunt and sending the pics. Your Lion pic is included in my latest brochure. I'm planning on joining Karl in October. May get to hunt Elephant with him.
Cheers,
David

Kevin's fine Caracal Lynx

Great hunt
I will be with Biebs on the same hunt but Biebs we go in May the Jumbo hunt is in April.
I will send you all the information.
Larry

thanks all. i am posting a new picture of the lion, a frontal shot. the entry wound is above and a bit medial to the left eye.

you can see why the back of the skull is missing.

A very fine safari indeed and three very fine animals!!!

Congrats,

congratulations on a great hunt

Great Lion

well done

Kevin,

Congratulations on a fantastic and most memorable hunt...a WILD lion

Great pic of the lion frontal...

Very nice..looks like a lion of Tsavo

Well done and congrats on the nice animals. Luck is just as likely to find you on the first day as it is the last, good job on recognizing it. I can't count the number of times I've had ducks circling around the decoys, in range, and after several passes where I'm waiting on them to drop their feet on the final pass, they turn tail and decide they have somewhere else to be.

Well Done!
Fine photos over at photobucket as well- great trips!

I read somewhere, that a small maned lion would still kill you and eat you if the opportunity arose. You know this one was wild and taken fair chase. That beats all of the big maned pen raised ones combined. Even the esteemed Craig Boddington stated that real wild lions are the only thing that flat scares him. Even the ones in zoos give me a little case of the "shakes" when I can get up close enough to smell them.
We are on their food chain, y'know?

Beautiful trophy,

Rich

Rich, I'll be on this same hunt with Karl in May, after a management Ele and Hippo up in the Caprivi..... can't wait.

Congratulations with a nice lion!!

Congrats on a nice lion and an awesome safari. I was glad to read that you enjoyed Etosha, as I have a few days planned there after a September PG hunt.

Jason

i just received the trophy shipment last week. here are some pictures. i had to glue five pieces of the lion skull together with the main piece to get this. the entry site is medial to the left eye orbit.

Kevin I think that lion skin is Awesome, good head shot to remember him by. Congratulations very few hunters ever get such a grand opportunity!

Great looking skins Kevin. If you have problems with the skull, most Dentist's can use dental epoxy to fill in missing areas. Some are quite skilled at it. Congrats again and thank you for hunting with us.
Cheers,
David

GREAT HUNT CONGRATULATIONS.Juan

wonderful trophies.

First, I would not repair that lion skull any further. Making it "perfect" with dental epoxy or whatever will damage the memory that exists every time you look at that bullet hole.

I also really REALLY like the simple tanned lion hide. I think people are way too obsessed with full mounts and doing what they think "the animal deserves". Just like a skull mount or a simple rhino horn mount with a pair of binos hanging from it or a leopard rug, I think a simple tanned lion hide has AMAZING casual elegance. Drape him lengthwise over a long sofa table and enjoy!

Again, congratulations!!

Yep, nothing quite like a $35,000 sofa throw.

...or a $50,000 coat rack, but that is exactly what I would do with a rhino. Understated and simple. I would also have a really nice collection of Rhino hide cowboy boots made.