Eric Zelanko
AH senior member
- Joined
- May 20, 2016
- Messages
- 52
- Reaction score
- 99
- Location
- Pennsylvania, USA
- Media
- 7
- Hunted
- SA, Namibia, Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, USA
Plains Game Hunting with Khomas Highlands Hunting Safaris
May 2016
Looking to return to the country where we began our African hunting adventures, my brother and I considered many outfitters in Namibia before selecting Professional Hunter Philip Henning and Khomas Highlands Hunting Safaris. After reviewing his web site and Facebook page, the final decision was made after an early Sunday morning Skype session. After only a few minutes of conversation, we knew Philip would offer us an excellent hunt.
Arriving in Windhoek, we finally got to physically meet Philip. With his red hair and sleeveless shirt, he was easy to identify in the airport. After initial greetings, we headed to his rig to begin our hunting excursion. We soon found our gear being loaded in the truck with assistance from his tracker Hendrik. In a hushed whisper, I told my brother I think we had made an excellent decision in hunting with Philip. The next eight days only served to reinforce our initial perceptions even more.
Knowing we had hunted in Africa before, I’m sure Philip was a little apprehensive about our expectations. If so, it never showed. Throughout our hunt, Philip met our desires as we did game drives and numerous stalks. For those who like to put boots on the sand in chase of free range game, Khomas Highlands would be an excellent choice.
For our hunt, Philip had us hunting two different locations. The first several days, we searched for a mature eland bull in the mountains and savannah east of Windhoek at Okambara, the Elephant Lodge. While we saw plenty of game, including elephants, zebra and giraffe, the only eland we spotted were females or young bulls. After harvesting a gold medal springbok, we decided to head west to Philip’s Farm Heusis to hunt the other animals on our list. If time permitted, we’d return to Okambara to continue our quest for the eland.
The first evening at Farm Heusis, we made an excellent stalk on a mature black wildebeest. The next morning we successfully hunted the mountains for a Hartman zebra stallion. Anyone wanting an exhilarating hunt should pursue these stripped racehorses in the mountains of the Khomas Highlands. Later that afternoon, we made another successful stalk on red hartebeest.
Not only do the mountains of Khomas Highlands hold plenty of zebra and other game but it also has some of the largest kudu we’ve ever seen. Passing over the many mountains and valleys, we saw numerous kudu bulls and cows. With a shot from a ridgeline to the valley floor, a beautiful kudu was put in the salt. A management gemsbok and black wildebeest finished out our third day at Farm Heusis.
With hard hunting, we had managed to take six animals in three days. Except for the management gemsbok, all met the SCI gold medal standard. Stalks ranged from a few hundred meters to several kilometers. Shooting distances were from 100 meters to 300 meters with an average of around 200 meters.
With several days remaining before heading back to the States, we returned to Okambara in search of our elusive eland bull. It seemed each time we hunted, we were getting closer and closer to finding him. With seeing so many females, it was only a matter of time until a bull was located. On our last full day of hunting, we found him. After a stalk that had us in the middle of the herd at times, we finally caught up to a mature eland bull. A well placed shot to the front shoulder found our list complete.
Whether a first-time Africa hunter or a seasoned veteran, Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris offers an excellent African experience. We found the terrain, game, Philip and his staff to be first rate. We look forward to returning again.
May 2016
Looking to return to the country where we began our African hunting adventures, my brother and I considered many outfitters in Namibia before selecting Professional Hunter Philip Henning and Khomas Highlands Hunting Safaris. After reviewing his web site and Facebook page, the final decision was made after an early Sunday morning Skype session. After only a few minutes of conversation, we knew Philip would offer us an excellent hunt.
Arriving in Windhoek, we finally got to physically meet Philip. With his red hair and sleeveless shirt, he was easy to identify in the airport. After initial greetings, we headed to his rig to begin our hunting excursion. We soon found our gear being loaded in the truck with assistance from his tracker Hendrik. In a hushed whisper, I told my brother I think we had made an excellent decision in hunting with Philip. The next eight days only served to reinforce our initial perceptions even more.
Knowing we had hunted in Africa before, I’m sure Philip was a little apprehensive about our expectations. If so, it never showed. Throughout our hunt, Philip met our desires as we did game drives and numerous stalks. For those who like to put boots on the sand in chase of free range game, Khomas Highlands would be an excellent choice.
For our hunt, Philip had us hunting two different locations. The first several days, we searched for a mature eland bull in the mountains and savannah east of Windhoek at Okambara, the Elephant Lodge. While we saw plenty of game, including elephants, zebra and giraffe, the only eland we spotted were females or young bulls. After harvesting a gold medal springbok, we decided to head west to Philip’s Farm Heusis to hunt the other animals on our list. If time permitted, we’d return to Okambara to continue our quest for the eland.
The first evening at Farm Heusis, we made an excellent stalk on a mature black wildebeest. The next morning we successfully hunted the mountains for a Hartman zebra stallion. Anyone wanting an exhilarating hunt should pursue these stripped racehorses in the mountains of the Khomas Highlands. Later that afternoon, we made another successful stalk on red hartebeest.
Not only do the mountains of Khomas Highlands hold plenty of zebra and other game but it also has some of the largest kudu we’ve ever seen. Passing over the many mountains and valleys, we saw numerous kudu bulls and cows. With a shot from a ridgeline to the valley floor, a beautiful kudu was put in the salt. A management gemsbok and black wildebeest finished out our third day at Farm Heusis.
With hard hunting, we had managed to take six animals in three days. Except for the management gemsbok, all met the SCI gold medal standard. Stalks ranged from a few hundred meters to several kilometers. Shooting distances were from 100 meters to 300 meters with an average of around 200 meters.
With several days remaining before heading back to the States, we returned to Okambara in search of our elusive eland bull. It seemed each time we hunted, we were getting closer and closer to finding him. With seeing so many females, it was only a matter of time until a bull was located. On our last full day of hunting, we found him. After a stalk that had us in the middle of the herd at times, we finally caught up to a mature eland bull. A well placed shot to the front shoulder found our list complete.
Whether a first-time Africa hunter or a seasoned veteran, Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris offers an excellent African experience. We found the terrain, game, Philip and his staff to be first rate. We look forward to returning again.
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