lfdgodfather
New member
So this is the story/report of my first trip to Africa;
Approximately 18 months ago, I was invited by a good friend (Phillip) to come on with him and some other friends on a Hunt in Africa. Neither my friend or I had ever hunted in Africa before. Our original trip was planned for May of 2024, but the group had decided to add a few days for tiger fishing in the Okavango Delta. This moved our trip back to September 2024 and coincidentally, my 50th Birthday! By the time September had rolled around our group of 4 had become a group of Five. Two newbies (Phillip and myself) and three seasoned African Hunters (Kent-5th trip to Africa, Jason- 9th Trip to Africa and Justin- I think he said 14th time....). Jason took the lead on finding our outfitter and scheduling our days. Jason found @NKWE SAFARIS through a friend over there and they seemed to have the animals we wanted. Deposits were made and flights booked. Phillip and I took American Airlines from DFW-LHR-JNB while the other three flew Delta DFW-ATL-JNB. We had departed on the evening of September 12th and arrived in Jo'Burg on September 14th early morning. Our travel buddies arrived the night before and picked us up at the airport. We all arrived without any major incident and spent the night at the Witwater. If you have a night to spend in Jo'Burg, highly recommend this place.
Sunday September 15th we all head back to the airport after a night of good food and drinks to jump on a flight from JNB to Maun, Botswana. We flew Airlink and found the flight to be pleasant and even was served a small meal on our hour and a half flight.
Customs was pretty straight forward and for the guys that had brought their own weapons, as easy as all the other customs stops. We were greeted just outside of customs by Abrie and Joop. Joop quickly scooped up all our bags and belongings and loaded them into one of the buggies and after everyone was loaded up, we headed to the camp near Ghanzi. After getting out of Maun, I was quite surprised at the quality of the road to Ghanzi.
We stopped about half was to relieve ourselves and grab some liquid refreshment at a pretty spectacular Baobab tree.
We arrived about the time the sun was setting at camp and got to meet our PH's. Our five PH's were Jaco (Owner and PH), Lampie ("Lumpy"), Abrie ("Aubrie"), Athur ("Arthur") and my PH Gilbert. Our 8 days of hunting would begin in the morning after some target shooting to make sure everyone's weapons were still sighted in correctly. We sat around and talked, told stories, jokes and had some great food. The bet was made that night, Largest Kudu taken at $100 a person with the proceeds being awarded to the PH of the winning hunter!
I know everyone is here to see what animals were taken, but let me say this at least one time..... THE FOOD WAS AMAZING!!!!! Shout out to the camp Chef Godfrey for some pretty amazing meals and also to Jaco for making liver that I not only could stand to eat, but I actually went back for seconds!! The sleeping accommodations were nice and had all the amenities we needed for our hunt.
Day 1 of Hunting
Gilbert and I start the hunt by traveling to a nearby ranch in search of my Kudu.
Picture of our team taken on the last day
We start off riding around the trails trying to locate the right Kudu based on my requests and likes in a horn spread. It takes about 5 minutes to start seeing animals. I do not have any experience hunting Kudu anywhere else, but I feel safe in saying that the Kudu numbers are very good here. The quality of the Kudu is even better!
After passing on several good Kudu's, we finally spot the bull that we have been looking for. After a little stalking through some of the meanest country, I have ever hunted....
Disclaimer... I am 6'4" and weigh in at 275 lbs. I make most animals look smaller than they are.
This Kudu was 57" Kudu. Not the 58"+ Kudu I had told myself I would not settle for anything less, but when we saw him, I knew he was a great bull and had zero regrets for taking him. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for my Gemsbok. Saw several good ones, but not the one I wanted.
Day 2
First off, if you like a little spice on your food, find this stuff!!
OK back to the same area as yesterday but on the other side of the road, in search of a trophy Gemsbok. We spend most of the morning spotting and just not finding the right animal. We decided to return to the same area we started at yesterday and keep looking. We finally spot a group of two about 700 yards away and head out on foot trying to close the distance. We stalk for a couple of miles, catching up and then bumping them before we get a chance to take a shot. Between the terrain, brush, walking in sand, and miles we are walking..... I realize I should have been practicing shooting less and walking more!! The good news was I didn't fly halfway around the world to whine and we just kept pressing on. We eventually abandoned the stalk and returned to the buggy as we lost the wind. We press on and finally find a solo Gemsbok heading to a watering hole. We quickly race to a good ambush point and get the shot we need.
Yes Gilbert is standing up and I am kneeling ( I already told yall I am a big man!) And the Gemsbok measured right at 43"
Day 3
Our first day hunting at the main camp location. Due to a drought happening this year in Botswana, they have offered a special on additional Zebra taken after your trophies are fulfilled. We start off looking for Impala but have zebra on our minds too. My wife has raised my quota from one Zebra to five Zebra if possible. Tall order to fill but Gilbert seems up to the challenge. This seems like a good spot to insert some valuable information. Our scouts are Kalahari Bushmen. When they say "Spot and Stalk", they mean we will see whatever animal you are searching for tracks in the sand eventually, we will then follow them to the first pile of skat we find, based of the temperature and color of said skat, we will either head back and keep driving or try to catch up to the herd from there. It is the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. They can tell you how many animals are in the group, if other animals have joined their pack or if they split up. They possess a skill that has to be seen in person to truly appreciate it. That also means you better be ready to do some walking across a variety of terrains. We averaged five miles a day and on the hardest day put in eighteen miles. I do not mean to say this in a discouraging manner. This was the hardest hunting I have ever done. I polled the experienced african hunters in our group and they rated it as a 10 on a 1-10 scale. I would not have wanted it any other way. It made every trophy that much more valuable. I feel they could easily lower the agility required based upon the hunter's needs.
Tally for the Day- Zebra number one and two in the salt.
Day 4
We are headed out in search of Eland. We had eland the first night of camp and I am aiming to make it happen again. Was the best meat we ate in camp in my opinion. We had seen several large herds of eland while hunting zebra. Finding a good cow to help with some wildlife management was our plan. It took us most of the morning to catch up to the herd but were fortunate enough to take this beautiful cow. Even looks to have a little Livingston blood in her genes (faint white stripes on her back)
Day 5
In search of Zebras three, four and five.
Results, many miles walked while stalking the herd, but no more Zebra's in the salt today.
Day 6
Zebra Challenge continues. no3 in the salt today
Can't help but admire the patterns and shadow stripes.
Finished the evening at another ranch in search of a warthog and possibly a second Kudu.
Saw a decent boar, but the tusks were not what we were looking for so we passed on him. We were traveling towards a watering hole and spotted some Kudu bulls by the tank. We get out and work our way up to the field. Gilbert slips closer to get a better look. He waives us up and we sneak our way through the brush as best as we can. We make it almost to Gilbert when they bust us. they scatter. Gilbert informs me that there was a 60" Bull in the group. Well, sadly that's hunting sometimes and we press on.
Day 7
Zebra number four goes down early in the day and the five Zebra challenge seems to be within reach.
Afternoon we spend in search of warthogs and impala. We found both, just nothing that we were willing to pull the trigger on.
Day 8
Zebra number five goes in the salt by lunch.
We are headed back to see if we can find a worthy Warthog or that huge Kudu from Day 6 at the other ranch. We never get another look at the 60" Kudu from last trip, but we do see a good Warthog. He sees us first and scurries off into the bush. We give chase but never get caught up enough to get a shot. The sun sets on our last day of hunting and we head back to camp for supper and drinks. This trip not only served as the best 50th birthday anyone could hope for but also an unforgettable experience that has changed me. I pushed myself harder than I have ever before hunting. I learned so much watching Gilbert and my trackers working on a trail. Trying new foods and meeting new friends. This trip turned out to be everything I had hoped it would be.
Day 9-12
We said our goodbyes to many of our new friends and traveled from Ghanzi to Shakawe.
Its about a six hour ride and the road from the Ghanzi highway to Shakawe is pretty rough. All part of the experience. We arrive in fish camp in time to unload into our rooms and head out on a sunset boat ride.
Seems we have timed this trip just right to catch the Boba catfish run. Basically these catfish spawn up stream and run in schools. they stick to the side of the banks where the reeds are growing. Their tails hit the reeds making a popping like sounds. Pretty unique experience. So I need to give another disclaimer. I am not an avid fisherman. I like to fish, but I am not a fishing fanatic, But when in Rome......
We saw tons of Hippos, Elephants and Croc's. the fish did not seem to want to cooperate with our plans. We caught a few tigerfish and a few boba catfish. No monsters ended up in the boat, But we had an amazing time and seeing the Okavango Delta from a boat was worth it. We met so many amazing people on our trip. I could not even start to name all the animals we saw while in Botswana. I will return again to Botswana and hunt again with NKWE Safaris. If you are looking for monster Kudu to add to your collection... look no further than NKWE. Jaco and all his staff took great care of all of us. I think the final count for all of us was as follows-
4 Kudu ( Kent won the Kudu bet with a 60" bull. Landing his PH Athur nice bonus!)
11 Zebra
4 Eland
1 Warthog
1 Ostrich
3 Blue Wildebeest
4 Gemsbok
2 Duiker
1 Waterbuck
1 Steenbuck
Approximately 18 months ago, I was invited by a good friend (Phillip) to come on with him and some other friends on a Hunt in Africa. Neither my friend or I had ever hunted in Africa before. Our original trip was planned for May of 2024, but the group had decided to add a few days for tiger fishing in the Okavango Delta. This moved our trip back to September 2024 and coincidentally, my 50th Birthday! By the time September had rolled around our group of 4 had become a group of Five. Two newbies (Phillip and myself) and three seasoned African Hunters (Kent-5th trip to Africa, Jason- 9th Trip to Africa and Justin- I think he said 14th time....). Jason took the lead on finding our outfitter and scheduling our days. Jason found @NKWE SAFARIS through a friend over there and they seemed to have the animals we wanted. Deposits were made and flights booked. Phillip and I took American Airlines from DFW-LHR-JNB while the other three flew Delta DFW-ATL-JNB. We had departed on the evening of September 12th and arrived in Jo'Burg on September 14th early morning. Our travel buddies arrived the night before and picked us up at the airport. We all arrived without any major incident and spent the night at the Witwater. If you have a night to spend in Jo'Burg, highly recommend this place.
Sunday September 15th we all head back to the airport after a night of good food and drinks to jump on a flight from JNB to Maun, Botswana. We flew Airlink and found the flight to be pleasant and even was served a small meal on our hour and a half flight.
Customs was pretty straight forward and for the guys that had brought their own weapons, as easy as all the other customs stops. We were greeted just outside of customs by Abrie and Joop. Joop quickly scooped up all our bags and belongings and loaded them into one of the buggies and after everyone was loaded up, we headed to the camp near Ghanzi. After getting out of Maun, I was quite surprised at the quality of the road to Ghanzi.
We stopped about half was to relieve ourselves and grab some liquid refreshment at a pretty spectacular Baobab tree.
We arrived about the time the sun was setting at camp and got to meet our PH's. Our five PH's were Jaco (Owner and PH), Lampie ("Lumpy"), Abrie ("Aubrie"), Athur ("Arthur") and my PH Gilbert. Our 8 days of hunting would begin in the morning after some target shooting to make sure everyone's weapons were still sighted in correctly. We sat around and talked, told stories, jokes and had some great food. The bet was made that night, Largest Kudu taken at $100 a person with the proceeds being awarded to the PH of the winning hunter!
I know everyone is here to see what animals were taken, but let me say this at least one time..... THE FOOD WAS AMAZING!!!!! Shout out to the camp Chef Godfrey for some pretty amazing meals and also to Jaco for making liver that I not only could stand to eat, but I actually went back for seconds!! The sleeping accommodations were nice and had all the amenities we needed for our hunt.
Day 1 of Hunting
Gilbert and I start the hunt by traveling to a nearby ranch in search of my Kudu.
Picture of our team taken on the last day
We start off riding around the trails trying to locate the right Kudu based on my requests and likes in a horn spread. It takes about 5 minutes to start seeing animals. I do not have any experience hunting Kudu anywhere else, but I feel safe in saying that the Kudu numbers are very good here. The quality of the Kudu is even better!
After passing on several good Kudu's, we finally spot the bull that we have been looking for. After a little stalking through some of the meanest country, I have ever hunted....
Disclaimer... I am 6'4" and weigh in at 275 lbs. I make most animals look smaller than they are.
This Kudu was 57" Kudu. Not the 58"+ Kudu I had told myself I would not settle for anything less, but when we saw him, I knew he was a great bull and had zero regrets for taking him. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for my Gemsbok. Saw several good ones, but not the one I wanted.
Day 2
First off, if you like a little spice on your food, find this stuff!!
OK back to the same area as yesterday but on the other side of the road, in search of a trophy Gemsbok. We spend most of the morning spotting and just not finding the right animal. We decided to return to the same area we started at yesterday and keep looking. We finally spot a group of two about 700 yards away and head out on foot trying to close the distance. We stalk for a couple of miles, catching up and then bumping them before we get a chance to take a shot. Between the terrain, brush, walking in sand, and miles we are walking..... I realize I should have been practicing shooting less and walking more!! The good news was I didn't fly halfway around the world to whine and we just kept pressing on. We eventually abandoned the stalk and returned to the buggy as we lost the wind. We press on and finally find a solo Gemsbok heading to a watering hole. We quickly race to a good ambush point and get the shot we need.
Yes Gilbert is standing up and I am kneeling ( I already told yall I am a big man!) And the Gemsbok measured right at 43"
Day 3
Our first day hunting at the main camp location. Due to a drought happening this year in Botswana, they have offered a special on additional Zebra taken after your trophies are fulfilled. We start off looking for Impala but have zebra on our minds too. My wife has raised my quota from one Zebra to five Zebra if possible. Tall order to fill but Gilbert seems up to the challenge. This seems like a good spot to insert some valuable information. Our scouts are Kalahari Bushmen. When they say "Spot and Stalk", they mean we will see whatever animal you are searching for tracks in the sand eventually, we will then follow them to the first pile of skat we find, based of the temperature and color of said skat, we will either head back and keep driving or try to catch up to the herd from there. It is the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. They can tell you how many animals are in the group, if other animals have joined their pack or if they split up. They possess a skill that has to be seen in person to truly appreciate it. That also means you better be ready to do some walking across a variety of terrains. We averaged five miles a day and on the hardest day put in eighteen miles. I do not mean to say this in a discouraging manner. This was the hardest hunting I have ever done. I polled the experienced african hunters in our group and they rated it as a 10 on a 1-10 scale. I would not have wanted it any other way. It made every trophy that much more valuable. I feel they could easily lower the agility required based upon the hunter's needs.
Tally for the Day- Zebra number one and two in the salt.
Day 4
We are headed out in search of Eland. We had eland the first night of camp and I am aiming to make it happen again. Was the best meat we ate in camp in my opinion. We had seen several large herds of eland while hunting zebra. Finding a good cow to help with some wildlife management was our plan. It took us most of the morning to catch up to the herd but were fortunate enough to take this beautiful cow. Even looks to have a little Livingston blood in her genes (faint white stripes on her back)
Day 5
In search of Zebras three, four and five.
Results, many miles walked while stalking the herd, but no more Zebra's in the salt today.
Day 6
Zebra Challenge continues. no3 in the salt today
Can't help but admire the patterns and shadow stripes.
Finished the evening at another ranch in search of a warthog and possibly a second Kudu.
Saw a decent boar, but the tusks were not what we were looking for so we passed on him. We were traveling towards a watering hole and spotted some Kudu bulls by the tank. We get out and work our way up to the field. Gilbert slips closer to get a better look. He waives us up and we sneak our way through the brush as best as we can. We make it almost to Gilbert when they bust us. they scatter. Gilbert informs me that there was a 60" Bull in the group. Well, sadly that's hunting sometimes and we press on.
Day 7
Zebra number four goes down early in the day and the five Zebra challenge seems to be within reach.
Afternoon we spend in search of warthogs and impala. We found both, just nothing that we were willing to pull the trigger on.
Day 8
Zebra number five goes in the salt by lunch.
We are headed back to see if we can find a worthy Warthog or that huge Kudu from Day 6 at the other ranch. We never get another look at the 60" Kudu from last trip, but we do see a good Warthog. He sees us first and scurries off into the bush. We give chase but never get caught up enough to get a shot. The sun sets on our last day of hunting and we head back to camp for supper and drinks. This trip not only served as the best 50th birthday anyone could hope for but also an unforgettable experience that has changed me. I pushed myself harder than I have ever before hunting. I learned so much watching Gilbert and my trackers working on a trail. Trying new foods and meeting new friends. This trip turned out to be everything I had hoped it would be.
Day 9-12
We said our goodbyes to many of our new friends and traveled from Ghanzi to Shakawe.
Its about a six hour ride and the road from the Ghanzi highway to Shakawe is pretty rough. All part of the experience. We arrive in fish camp in time to unload into our rooms and head out on a sunset boat ride.
Seems we have timed this trip just right to catch the Boba catfish run. Basically these catfish spawn up stream and run in schools. they stick to the side of the banks where the reeds are growing. Their tails hit the reeds making a popping like sounds. Pretty unique experience. So I need to give another disclaimer. I am not an avid fisherman. I like to fish, but I am not a fishing fanatic, But when in Rome......
We saw tons of Hippos, Elephants and Croc's. the fish did not seem to want to cooperate with our plans. We caught a few tigerfish and a few boba catfish. No monsters ended up in the boat, But we had an amazing time and seeing the Okavango Delta from a boat was worth it. We met so many amazing people on our trip. I could not even start to name all the animals we saw while in Botswana. I will return again to Botswana and hunt again with NKWE Safaris. If you are looking for monster Kudu to add to your collection... look no further than NKWE. Jaco and all his staff took great care of all of us. I think the final count for all of us was as follows-
4 Kudu ( Kent won the Kudu bet with a 60" bull. Landing his PH Athur nice bonus!)
11 Zebra
4 Eland
1 Warthog
1 Ostrich
3 Blue Wildebeest
4 Gemsbok
2 Duiker
1 Waterbuck
1 Steenbuck
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