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I have just returned from another great adventure to my favorite country. I have done most of my international hunts by myself so this was a nice change of pace. I had a group of 7 hunters including my 13 year old son going with me to Namibia for the first time. We flew from SJT-DFW-ATL-JNB-WDH which included three airlines and the usual incompetence that goes along with flying with guns. This long journey got us to Windhoek the capital of Namibia at 9:30PM. Thankfully it is only about an hours drive to our first destination Kalakwa Lodge. Even though we arrived late Gysbert and Danene van der Westhuzen had a wonderful meal ready for us. I can not adequately describe the quality of the lodges at Aru. They are absolutely over the top incredible! We hunted three days there and this area is characterized by rocky mountainous terrain. My son Jasper and I hunted with Gysbert our PH, dear friend, and owner of Aru.
The first day was typical and included much stalking and glassing for Hartmans Zebra which Jasper was hunting. In case you don't know the Hartmans mountain zebra is one of the most challenging animals to hunt in Africa. After many miles driven and walked the sun was getting ready to set when we found a lone zebra on a steep rocky hill. As we stalked in its direction a young waterbuck busted us and we had to just cool it for a while and let things quiet down. We made the final approach and Jasper made a fantastic shot with his Blaser 7mm. After the shot the animal turned and we all saw blood. A perfect lung shot! The mountain zebra went no more than 30 yards and of course I was very proud of my son on his first African animal.
The next day we were determined to find a giraffe bull and we left the lodge early and began our pursuit. There are actually lots of giraffe here but still finding an old bull to take is always a challenge. We found the right animal and he was on the move to a herd. Our group hurriedly worked to get into position for what was going to be about a 180 yard shot. Two heart shots with my .375 Ruger and the giraffe was on his way down. At first glance I had noticed something strange about the bull's mouth but kept it to myself as we were all tense with the situation. After the skinning was done it was noticed that this animal had his jaw broken very badly at some point but was still living. It was definitely the right old bull to take!
Next it was my turn to try for a black wildebeest. After a failed stalk for a blue wildebeest that we located we kept walking to a clear grassy area where there have been black wildebeest seen recently. My PH puts me on one and I make a bad shot (later we found out my gun was off) and the long, long, long followup commences. After over 5 miles of a forced march through deep sand and then up steep rocky hills we found the animal finally slowing down and the opportunity for a finishing shot was at hand. I had to work for this one and will certainly appreciate it for years to come.
Day 4 we jump in a charter plane for a day trip to Sossusvlei. The pilot flew low for the hour flight and we got to see lots of Namibia close up! We landed and were picked up by a tour guide and we were off to the dunes. Words can not describe this place and photos still don't really do it justice. What a fun day we had playing in the sand and getting to see the many hundreds of years old dead trees in the famous Dead Vlei. We had lunch at Sossusvlei Lodge and hopped back in the Cessna plane and headed for Veronica Lodge. There is so much game on Veronica someone must chase the animals off of the runway and the pilot makes a pass to see that everything is clear to land. We arrive at yet another of the most fantastic lodges you will ever stay in on a hunt. Veronica is sandy and has no rocky hills. Our first morning we headed out for Jasper a red hartebeest. We get a herd located, get the wind right, and Gysbert gets us in very close to these wily animals. We were in there long enough I just knew we were going to get busted but a mature bull is just to the right of the others and Jasper gets set up for a shot. It was quartering away and he made absolutely the perfect shot and the bull is down! We recover the 7mm Barnes TSX and as many of you know the performance is perfect and predictable. I am really a Barnes fan after my recent experiences with four different calibers.
Day 6 finds me after a blue wildebeest and there are many here on Veronica but finding that old bull proves challenging. Gysbert, as usual, gets us on a bull that afternoon and I get a shot. This is when we are certain my gun is off and what should have been an easy one and done takes a few shots to get the job done. It happens but it is terribly frustrating when something goes wrong on a hunt.
We spend the rest of the hunt looking for a big kudu for Jasper and along the way he gets to do some warthog culling. Bang down, bang down. Thats my boy! I am so proud of him and how well he shoots a big gun under this kind of pressure. He is happy to get to give the meat to some of the people that live there and they are happy as well.
If you haven't experienced Namibia please check out Aru Game Lodges. It is an experience in so many ways. Their professionalism, kindness, quality of accommodations, quality of food, and just overall care for the client just can't be beat.
Regards,
Philip
The first day was typical and included much stalking and glassing for Hartmans Zebra which Jasper was hunting. In case you don't know the Hartmans mountain zebra is one of the most challenging animals to hunt in Africa. After many miles driven and walked the sun was getting ready to set when we found a lone zebra on a steep rocky hill. As we stalked in its direction a young waterbuck busted us and we had to just cool it for a while and let things quiet down. We made the final approach and Jasper made a fantastic shot with his Blaser 7mm. After the shot the animal turned and we all saw blood. A perfect lung shot! The mountain zebra went no more than 30 yards and of course I was very proud of my son on his first African animal.
The next day we were determined to find a giraffe bull and we left the lodge early and began our pursuit. There are actually lots of giraffe here but still finding an old bull to take is always a challenge. We found the right animal and he was on the move to a herd. Our group hurriedly worked to get into position for what was going to be about a 180 yard shot. Two heart shots with my .375 Ruger and the giraffe was on his way down. At first glance I had noticed something strange about the bull's mouth but kept it to myself as we were all tense with the situation. After the skinning was done it was noticed that this animal had his jaw broken very badly at some point but was still living. It was definitely the right old bull to take!
Next it was my turn to try for a black wildebeest. After a failed stalk for a blue wildebeest that we located we kept walking to a clear grassy area where there have been black wildebeest seen recently. My PH puts me on one and I make a bad shot (later we found out my gun was off) and the long, long, long followup commences. After over 5 miles of a forced march through deep sand and then up steep rocky hills we found the animal finally slowing down and the opportunity for a finishing shot was at hand. I had to work for this one and will certainly appreciate it for years to come.
Day 4 we jump in a charter plane for a day trip to Sossusvlei. The pilot flew low for the hour flight and we got to see lots of Namibia close up! We landed and were picked up by a tour guide and we were off to the dunes. Words can not describe this place and photos still don't really do it justice. What a fun day we had playing in the sand and getting to see the many hundreds of years old dead trees in the famous Dead Vlei. We had lunch at Sossusvlei Lodge and hopped back in the Cessna plane and headed for Veronica Lodge. There is so much game on Veronica someone must chase the animals off of the runway and the pilot makes a pass to see that everything is clear to land. We arrive at yet another of the most fantastic lodges you will ever stay in on a hunt. Veronica is sandy and has no rocky hills. Our first morning we headed out for Jasper a red hartebeest. We get a herd located, get the wind right, and Gysbert gets us in very close to these wily animals. We were in there long enough I just knew we were going to get busted but a mature bull is just to the right of the others and Jasper gets set up for a shot. It was quartering away and he made absolutely the perfect shot and the bull is down! We recover the 7mm Barnes TSX and as many of you know the performance is perfect and predictable. I am really a Barnes fan after my recent experiences with four different calibers.
Day 6 finds me after a blue wildebeest and there are many here on Veronica but finding that old bull proves challenging. Gysbert, as usual, gets us on a bull that afternoon and I get a shot. This is when we are certain my gun is off and what should have been an easy one and done takes a few shots to get the job done. It happens but it is terribly frustrating when something goes wrong on a hunt.
We spend the rest of the hunt looking for a big kudu for Jasper and along the way he gets to do some warthog culling. Bang down, bang down. Thats my boy! I am so proud of him and how well he shoots a big gun under this kind of pressure. He is happy to get to give the meat to some of the people that live there and they are happy as well.
If you haven't experienced Namibia please check out Aru Game Lodges. It is an experience in so many ways. Their professionalism, kindness, quality of accommodations, quality of food, and just overall care for the client just can't be beat.
Regards,
Philip
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