Hunting in Kaokoland?

[BenKK]

Like most, I’m dreaming about better times ahead someday...

I’d like to learn about options and information for hunting in Kaokoland. The landscape intrigues and fascinates me.

I would be interested in zebra, kudu and gemsbok - possibly eland. And I should also think about springbok as they are a little different there (I think).

Is this area more expensive than the highlands closer to Windhoek? How many outfits operate there? Recommendations?

Has anyone hunted there? Last night I saw a wonderful movie on YouTube about a leopard hunt there, with @Jamy Traut Hunting Safaris (a sponsor here) - I’m dying to know if they got the leopard and / or lion! And a recent article by Phil Massaro in Sports Afield, again hunting with Jamy, about zebra with his .300H&H, was very exciting and interesting to me. So Kaokoland is on my mind.

Thank you in advance for the learning.

Ben

 

[375Fox]

I hunted there with Jamy Traut Safaris in October 2018 and couldn’t have had a better trip. They operate on 4 conservancies. My PH said sometimes you will see game and sometimes you won’t because they are free to move between the conservancies. My timing was really lucky and the animals were there. I took 2 springbok, 2 gemsbok, 1 eland, 1 ostrich, 1 kudu, 1 steenbok, 1 Hartmann zebra, 1 red hartebeest in a week and really great trophy quality. We had much longer days and a lot of late nights back into camp because of the long distances we traveled compared to a normal plains game hunt, but I really enjoyed it. We saw wild lions and elephant bulls and leopard tracks everywhere at water. In addition to what I shot, we also saw klipspringer, giraffe, burchell zebra, black face impala, honey badgers and jackal. The springbok are basically the same except the ears are much longer from what I saw. It is same prices posted on their website as for their other areas, but because it’s conservancy the government issues quotas and have been cut a lot since I was there.
I will post pictures if you would like to see?

 

[BenKK]

Thank you, Sir! That is gold information and I’d love to see your pictures!

 

[Ridgewalker]

I’d love to see your pictures!

+1

 

[Dr Ray]

+1

Okay we’re all looking forward to your hunt and photos.

 

[Hannay]

I hunted there in 2017 with Thormählen and Cochran, in the Anabeb Conservancy. I hunted Gemsbok, Springbok, Greater Kudu, and Hartmann's Mountain Zebra. While out hunting, I saw plenty of ostrich and giraffe (but wasn't hunting them) and a single elephant.

I've tried uploading a photo of the springbok. There is a more extensive account of the hunt online elsewhere. I'm not sure what the etiquette is here regarding posting URLs to other hunting forums.

(And, yes, this is my first post here.)

 

[BenKK]

Thank you,Hannay! And welcome!

 

[375Fox]

Here are some of my photos from Oct 2018. I blurred my face in the photos, please respect I am uncomfortable putting my face on a public forum, but I want to help where I can here. The big gemsbok and eland were really exceptional, 39.5 inches on longer horn on gemsbok and 37.5" on the eland. You'll notice the really long ears on the Kaokoland springboks if you take a look.

 

[BenKK]

Thank you heaps! Absolutely brilliant animals in a spectacular land!

 

[Ridgewalker]

WOW! Some fine trophies! Congratulations!

 

[CAustin]

Like most, I’m dreaming about better times ahead someday...

I’d like to learn about options and information for hunting in Kaokoland. The landscape intrigues and fascinates me.

I would be interested in zebra, kudu and gemsbok - possibly eland. And I should also think about springbok as they are a little different there (I think).

Is this area more expensive than the highlands closer to Windhoek? How many outfits operate there? Recommendations?

Has anyone hunted there? Last night I saw a wonderful movie on YouTube about a leopard hunt there, with Jamy Traut (a sponsor here) - I’m dying to know if they got the leopard and / or lion! And a recent article by Phil Massaro in Sports Afield, again hunting with Jamy, about zebra with his .300H&H, was very exciting and interesting to me. So Kaokoland is on my mind.

Thank you in advance for the learning.

Ben

I think we must have watched the same YouTube video. The scenery was beautiful but my comments about the video were not favorable,. 45 minutes into a 47 minute video before they ever got into a poorly built Leopard blind and then no leopard seen. Now that is probably more like leopard hunting than any would like to admit....heck some hunters try several times before seeing much less shooting a leopard. I was just disappointed watching the whole thing thinking from the title there would be a leopard not just tracks in the thing. I guess they should have put something at the end about.....To be continued.......same leopard channel .......same lion time!
Anyway like you I did think the area being hunted was very interesting!

 

[CAustin]

I hunted there in 2017 with Thormählen and Cochran, in the Anabeb Conservancy. I hunted Gemsbok, Springbok, Greater Kudu, and Hartmann's Mountain Zebra. While out hunting, I saw plenty of ostrich and giraffe (but wasn't hunting them) and a single elephant.

I've tried uploading a photo of the springbok. There is a more extensive account of the hunt online elsewhere. I'm not sure what the etiquette is here regarding posting URLs to other hunting forums.

(And, yes, this is my first post here.)

very nice Springbock sir. Welcome

 

[BenKK]

I loved the video because it portrayed magnificently the immense difficulty and uncertainty of the hunt, and that being there surrounded by utmost majesty in terms of landscape and scenery is the ultimate reward.

 

[Tra3]

My son, father and I hunted in Kaokoland with Jamy Traut safaris in the summer of 2018. I’m booked to go back this June.
Louw Lotter was my PH, excellent guy, excellent outfit. The experience was so superlative that my son and I booked a second hunt with them and included my wife and daughter this time.
The landscape is amazing. They have over a million acres to hunt up there. It was an outstanding adventure. I would be happy to share more details with you. Check out their website, the photos link will give you a good idea of our family hunt in 2018.
@Jamy Traut Hunting Safaris should chime in.

 

[Dirtdart]

I have spent several weeks in that area hunting in three different conservancies. Sesfontein, Anabeb, and Otjkondavirongo if memory serves. This was around ten years ago when a different outfitter held those three concessions. I can't recall exactly which conservancies I killed what animal in as the area is so vast. We took mountain zebra, gemsbok, springbok, ostrich, giraffe, klipspringer, baboon, steenbok, and kudu. On one trip I saw a black mongoose that had just caught a rare riverine rabbit. We spooked him and he let go of his catch and the rabbit got away. That is a rare sighting indeed. My outfitter lived in Swakopmund so I would fly into Walvis Bay and we would drive up the skeleton coast to the camp in Sesfontein. It is a full day of driving but thinking back I am glad that I made the road trips.
It doesn't get any more "free range" than Koakoland. I doubt there is a better place for hunting big springbok, gemsbok, and mountain zebra.

 

[Philip Glass]

It’s a dream of mine to hunt all the different parts of Namibia. I’ve been to quite a few places but not the NW area past Etosha. I will likely wait a few years for various reasons including the dry conditions that have persisted but are now getting better.
A dream hunt as you guys have posted here!
Philip

 

[BenKK]

My son, father and I hunted in Kaokoland with Jamy Traut safaris in the summer of 2018. I’m booked to go back this June.
Louw Lotter was my PH, excellent guy, excellent outfit. The experience was so superlative that my son and I booked a second hunt with them and included my wife and daughter this time.
The landscape is amazing. They have over a million acres to hunt up there. It was an outstanding adventure. I would be happy to share more details with you. Check out their website, the photos link will give you a good idea of our family hunt in 2018.
@Jamy Traut Hunting Safaris should chime in.

Thank you. And speaking of ladies, what are the facilities / camps like?

 

[Tra3]

It is a nice tent camp in Kaokoland with hot showers, flush toilets and very good food. It is many miles out into the bush, so for a remote experience it was awesome.
We also visited Etosha and then the coast at Swakopmund. The lodging at the coast was very nice. Shark fishing from the shore was a great adventure too.
We finished our trip at Panorama, which is around 100,000 acres, excellent hunting there, very comfortable lodging.
For our return trip we are going to Caprivi, then Kaokoland and Waterburg. I really want my wife and daughter to see Kaokoland, it is a unique place.

 

[WAB]

It would seem that you could combine a trip to Kaokoland
With a visit to the more remote part of the skeleton coast.

 

[375Fox]

It is a nice tent camp in Kaokoland with hot showers, flush toilets and very good food. It is many miles out into the bush, so for a remote experience it was awesome.
We also visited Etosha and then the coast at Swakopmund. The lodging at the coast was very nice. Shark fishing from the shore was a great adventure too.
We finished our trip at Panorama, which is around 100,000 acres, excellent hunting there, very comfortable lodging.
For our return trip we are going to Caprivi, then Kaokoland and Waterburg. I really want my wife and daughter to see Kaokoland, it is a unique place.

I hope your trip works out for you this year. I hunted kaokoland/Caprivi in 2018 then Caprivi/waterberg in 2019. Both equally great trips. I think I like the Caprivi best. I will hunt with them again, still need to see kalahari.