May 2019 hunt with Khomas Highland Hunting Safari
First my apologies to Philip for the long delay in finally getting around to my hunt report. Work and dealing with back issues kept me occupied. Now that I’m recovering from spine fusion surgery, I am finding time to get it done.
I want to thank a few people for their help in making the decision to book my first hunting trip to Africa with Khomas Highland. Paul (Velodog), Roger and Adrian you were key to that decision and spot on.
As far as Khomas Highland goes, Philip, his crew, and wonderful farm I could not have made a better choice. Thanks to everyone there, My PH Adab, his assistant Charles, the house staff and cooks. Adab’s wife heads the cook staff and I will say everyone at the lodge never had a bad meal, simple outstanding. Thanks to Jan, Roy and Ralf you were wonderful company at dinner and around the evening fire.
Gareth, Peter, Paolo, Alejandro, and Doc from Houston I could not have asked for better companions in camp to share my experience.
I was on the ground ten days and hunted eight. The weather was perfect, if not dry due to the terrible drought they are suffering in Namibia, but it didn’t affect the hunting as far as I could tell. There was plenty of game and I was amazed at every turn at the variety of wildlife. For some reason I was particularly fascinated with the bird life, I saw Kori Bustards, francolins, sand grouse, guineas, all manner of song birds and birds of prey. Not to mention the grey lourie, they were very ubiquitous and noisy but I would have hated not to have been around them. If one is a bird hunter Africa should be on your places to visit.
As far as the country I hunted it reminded me of central Texas where I have spent a fair amount of time hunting. Needless to say, I felt quite at home. I currently live in northern Colorado and the elevation was just about the same and I had no trouble with the altitude. It is hilly and ankle turning rocky country. Adab made walking this country look like a stroll in the park while I tripped and slid and stepped on the flat rocks laying about making them sound like dinner plates clattering together when I lifted a foot. Texas mesquite has nothing on all the acacias, everything has thorns.
The minutiae of each hunt/stalk have faded but the entire experience stands out as a grand adventure. Fortunately, I was able to take all the animals on my list, never putting a tape to any of them just taking what Africa offered and I was pleased. In all I got my Red Hartebeest, Warthog, Hartman’s Mountain Zebra, Impala (at the Okambara Lodge), Oryx and Kudu with a guinea hen thrown in on the last day. The days ran together but they passed far too quickly. I had been hunting successfully and overcoming my initial jitters about performing, when one day about midway through the hunt, I was riding in the high seat coming back to the lodge when it occurred to me, “By God I am an African Hunter”. Something I had dreamed about for most of my life.
There was plenty of other game to be seen; Blue Wildebeest, Steenbok, Springbok, Jackals and even a Honey badger. On Philips private reserve I saw Sable and Red Lechwe, there are also Giraffe that I did not see. While at Okambara I saw Eland, Burchell’s Zebra, Giraffe, baboon, Waterbuck, two Cheetah and Elephants on the ground at 40 yards. To say I way stunned and in awe is an understatement.
While not the greatest or most experienced hunter I’ve always thought I was pretty good at spotting game, but for some reason Africa was different. What Adab could see as plain as day I struggled to find, even Kudu standing in the middle of a ranch road. I’d like to think it was because I had just blown two shoots at two kudu (one truly magnificent) and was rattled as well as irritated with myself. This is where I should say that even though my shooting could have been better, the practice I did in the three months leading up to the trip did pay off in the end. Practice off of sticks. It is a must in my opinion.
For those interested, I took two rifles: a .35 Whelen on a commercial 98 Mauser action and an Interarms Mark X in .270 Win. Both in a Boyd’s laminated stock. They performed well. I took everything except the Impala with the Whelen shooting Barnes 225 grain TSX. In the .270 I was shooting Hornady 150 grain SP Interlocks.
I flew on South African Airways out of JKF and returned through Dulles. Domestic flights were on Delta and United. I can recommend contacting Jennifer Ginn with Travel Express to make your travel arrangements. She was invaluable when Delta cancelled my red eye route from Denver to JFK. She was able to reroute me through Salt Lake City to JFK with the properly coded flights to ensure my guns were checked straight through to Windhoek. It is cheaper to hire brains than grow them.
I hope you all find this report helpful and once again thanks to all who helped to make this trip a hunt of a life time. Of course, they say once you’ve been to Africa you will go back. I don’t when that will be but three days after I got back, I bought a Safari Grade Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H, just saying.
First my apologies to Philip for the long delay in finally getting around to my hunt report. Work and dealing with back issues kept me occupied. Now that I’m recovering from spine fusion surgery, I am finding time to get it done.
I want to thank a few people for their help in making the decision to book my first hunting trip to Africa with Khomas Highland. Paul (Velodog), Roger and Adrian you were key to that decision and spot on.
As far as Khomas Highland goes, Philip, his crew, and wonderful farm I could not have made a better choice. Thanks to everyone there, My PH Adab, his assistant Charles, the house staff and cooks. Adab’s wife heads the cook staff and I will say everyone at the lodge never had a bad meal, simple outstanding. Thanks to Jan, Roy and Ralf you were wonderful company at dinner and around the evening fire.
Gareth, Peter, Paolo, Alejandro, and Doc from Houston I could not have asked for better companions in camp to share my experience.
I was on the ground ten days and hunted eight. The weather was perfect, if not dry due to the terrible drought they are suffering in Namibia, but it didn’t affect the hunting as far as I could tell. There was plenty of game and I was amazed at every turn at the variety of wildlife. For some reason I was particularly fascinated with the bird life, I saw Kori Bustards, francolins, sand grouse, guineas, all manner of song birds and birds of prey. Not to mention the grey lourie, they were very ubiquitous and noisy but I would have hated not to have been around them. If one is a bird hunter Africa should be on your places to visit.
As far as the country I hunted it reminded me of central Texas where I have spent a fair amount of time hunting. Needless to say, I felt quite at home. I currently live in northern Colorado and the elevation was just about the same and I had no trouble with the altitude. It is hilly and ankle turning rocky country. Adab made walking this country look like a stroll in the park while I tripped and slid and stepped on the flat rocks laying about making them sound like dinner plates clattering together when I lifted a foot. Texas mesquite has nothing on all the acacias, everything has thorns.
The minutiae of each hunt/stalk have faded but the entire experience stands out as a grand adventure. Fortunately, I was able to take all the animals on my list, never putting a tape to any of them just taking what Africa offered and I was pleased. In all I got my Red Hartebeest, Warthog, Hartman’s Mountain Zebra, Impala (at the Okambara Lodge), Oryx and Kudu with a guinea hen thrown in on the last day. The days ran together but they passed far too quickly. I had been hunting successfully and overcoming my initial jitters about performing, when one day about midway through the hunt, I was riding in the high seat coming back to the lodge when it occurred to me, “By God I am an African Hunter”. Something I had dreamed about for most of my life.
There was plenty of other game to be seen; Blue Wildebeest, Steenbok, Springbok, Jackals and even a Honey badger. On Philips private reserve I saw Sable and Red Lechwe, there are also Giraffe that I did not see. While at Okambara I saw Eland, Burchell’s Zebra, Giraffe, baboon, Waterbuck, two Cheetah and Elephants on the ground at 40 yards. To say I way stunned and in awe is an understatement.
While not the greatest or most experienced hunter I’ve always thought I was pretty good at spotting game, but for some reason Africa was different. What Adab could see as plain as day I struggled to find, even Kudu standing in the middle of a ranch road. I’d like to think it was because I had just blown two shoots at two kudu (one truly magnificent) and was rattled as well as irritated with myself. This is where I should say that even though my shooting could have been better, the practice I did in the three months leading up to the trip did pay off in the end. Practice off of sticks. It is a must in my opinion.
For those interested, I took two rifles: a .35 Whelen on a commercial 98 Mauser action and an Interarms Mark X in .270 Win. Both in a Boyd’s laminated stock. They performed well. I took everything except the Impala with the Whelen shooting Barnes 225 grain TSX. In the .270 I was shooting Hornady 150 grain SP Interlocks.
I flew on South African Airways out of JKF and returned through Dulles. Domestic flights were on Delta and United. I can recommend contacting Jennifer Ginn with Travel Express to make your travel arrangements. She was invaluable when Delta cancelled my red eye route from Denver to JFK. She was able to reroute me through Salt Lake City to JFK with the properly coded flights to ensure my guns were checked straight through to Windhoek. It is cheaper to hire brains than grow them.
I hope you all find this report helpful and once again thanks to all who helped to make this trip a hunt of a life time. Of course, they say once you’ve been to Africa you will go back. I don’t when that will be but three days after I got back, I bought a Safari Grade Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H, just saying.
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