NAMIBIA: We Are Back! Namibia Hunt With Elandpro Safaris

[sestoppelman]

Just got home a few hours ago, too pooped to blab much at the moment. Most things went very well, added some new stuff I didn't have, boy did too. Travel pretty much trouble free, just brutal. More later on our trip with the "Desert Fox", Gerrit Breedt.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I do hope the report includes your eland!

 

[cpr0312]

Look forward to it!

 

[CAustin]

Glad you made it home. Looking forward to your report!

 

[billc]

welcome back and hope all went well. Looking forward to seeing your trophy eland bull.

 

[johnnyblues]

Welcome home. Looking forward to your report.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Good to hear you are home safe.


We await the report.

 

[Wheels]

Looking forward to hearing about the hunt SES.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Welcome home! My excitement builds waiting on your report! Rest well!

 

[sestoppelman]

Thanks guys, report soon....

 

[Erny]

Looking foward to report with lots of pictures.

 

[sestoppelman]

OK, getting started. Not going to bore you with all the little nitty gritty details. Had a good hunt with a very able, hard working and hard charging PH, Gerrit Breedt. Bears a distinct resemblance to Erwin Rommel, thus my nickname the Desert Fox. He is 53, I turned 64 this trip, thus following him thru the brush was decidedly not an easy task but I worked hard to keep up. Area was many fenced properties, but only border fences were at all high and the critters either went over, under or thru them at will. There was lots of game of the species he carries, though rabies had wiped out a large portion of his kudu so these were sparse, and we only saw a few bulls that were close to being shooters. I was not looking anyway so not a concern. In fact on the first or second day Nathaniel shot a cow staggering just off the road that was afflicted with the virus. Gerrit asked for a head shot and got it. We called it a 'zombie" kudu, the way it was staggering around was reminiscent of the Walking Dead. First evening in camp I had seen a lone springbuck male limping just outside camp and next morning we spotted it on the other side of camp still limping (broken shoulder from fighting), I had already told Gerrit about it so he wanted it put down so Nate got some shooting in and dropped it with one shot from his .284 Win. The rest of the first day was spent in thick thorn bush stalking eland bulls. Now Gerrit may be the best tracker of unseen animals I have worked with but perhaps for a couple of black trackers. He is in short, phenomenal, owing to a lifetime of bush living. We hunted hard all day staying on the tracks where there were no tracks and then picking it up time after time. Being my first day in Africa I am more worthless than normal and that's saying something! Being dehydrated, sleep deprived, jetlagged and tired at the beginning of every trip, I shouldn't in reality be allowed anywhere near any dangerous devices like rifles but there I was. Then things got interesting....

 

[MarkD]

Keep it coming

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Wake up @sestoppelman! I'm at work on a Saturday and needing some good break time reading!!

 

[sestoppelman]

LOL, working on it...

 

[sestoppelman]

OK Phil, are you ready for this?? First the pix, then the story. Notice anything different about this bad boy besides how big he is??

 

[cpr0312]

Ooohhhh nice looking eland!! Congrats!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

OK Phil, are you ready for this?? First the pix, then the story. Notice anything different about this bad boy besides how big he is??View attachment 199242 View attachment 199243

Hmm, I think you've got me. I do see a wound on his belly, that would certainly not have been the kill shot, but possibly a follow up. But the location almost makes it look like it's self inflicted by his left rear hoof. Like he's been scratching at some of those gosh awful tics those poor eland are normally covered in. Outside of that I don't see anything except a darn fine bull.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Oh, I do see what could be some scratches on his backside from predator attacks.
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Wait a minute.....the wound on the belly upon further inspection of the pics, might could be an abcess?

 

[cpr0312]

@sestoppelman ,

I notice some faint striping, is it a Livingstone??