African Adventure Part 2

Africa Adventures Part 2

We went to a Ranch about 2 hours from the airport to hunt  for the animals that we won’t see while we are at the other camp. We thought that was a great plan since our gun should arrive any time. On our way to the hunting lodge we were driving down the dirt road we hit this huge bump the smacked our heads on the roof of the truck bounced some luggage out. Scotts head went numb for a while. I had a nice bump on my head. Not sure how we kept the skinner in the back of the truck. We then arrived at Omujeve Safaris. This was a 100,000 acre ranch. We were shown our rooms which were very nice. We even had our own rooms.

We dropped our bags and we were off to shoot one of the PH’s guns since our guns weren’t there yet. We shot well and off we went to start hunting. As we were driving I just could believe that we were in Africa hunting. We started seeing a few warthog run across the road and a few other small animals. We stopped and started walking towards a good watering hole. When we got down there we seen saw few springbuck and a few wildebeest watering. Scott was ready as he followed the PH and put the gun on the sticks. The PH picked out a good Wildebeest to shoot. Boom. The shot rang out. I was watching through my binoculars and I thought I saw a good hit. We were excited. The animal ran off and so the tracking began. We went down to where we thought we saw the animal went. Nothing. We went back to find blood. We could not find anything. We were getting worried. If you shoot something and find blood but cannot find the animal you still have to pay for it.

 So we search high and low for the beast. Luckily no blood or trace. We thought he was hit but maybe he wasn’t. It was getting late in the afternoon and we had word that our guns had made it to the airport. So off we went to go get them. What a sight and a relief it was to see the guns and ammo sitting there in the police station in the airport. So much time and money was wrapped up in having those guns with us. It felt really good to have them in our possession. Now the real hunting can begin.

We were up early the next morning. They fed us really good each meal. For breakfast it was eggs bacon and toast. We were then off hunting.  There was a good herd of Blesbuck that wasn’t far from the lodge that we started after. Scott and Phillip the PH was dropped off to put on a stalk for them. I was back at the truck waiting for the shot. It didn’t take too long and Bang. We waited a bit then Bang again. That time we heard a whop behind the shot. We knew Scott had connected. So Herman the PH and I drove over to where they were. I got out and congratulated Scott and Phillip tells me there is a nice buck not 100 yards away that I could shoot. At first I didn’t want to shoot a Blesbuck but they told me they were cheap and he was a good buck. So I got the gun on the sticks and Bang. I hit the buck and he went down. So now we had 2 Blesbucks down. It was the only time we got a picture with both our animals together. What a great way to get things going and to break the ice. We were close to camp so we took the animals over there where they processed them.

So back hunting we went. It was a lot of fun driving down the road and not knowing what animals will be over the next ridge or around the corner. We started seeing more Wildebeests, warthogs, Ostrich, Impalas, Waterbucks and Red Hartebeest. When we saw the hartebeest the hunt was on for Scott. He made one long unsuccessful stalk and the new saw another group that he connected with. He hit this hartebeest perfectly where it ran it a tree and fell in a hole.

We packed up the hartebeest and went back to camp for lunch. After lunch we headed out and it was my turn to have the gun and ride in the back of the truck. When riding in the back your higher up and can spot animals so much easier. We cruised around for a bit then spotted a group of impala and baboons. I had no interest in a baboon so Herman and I got our and went on a nice stalk on the Impala. We had to go up a ridge and into a ravine to get the wind in our face. Once we were on top of the Impala we crept over the ridge. Herman put the sticks up and told me to take the far right one. The Impala had no idea we were there. I took aim and squeezed the trigger and Boom. I hit him and Herman told me to reload and shoot again. We were very caution to make sure the animals go down so we don’t lose them. I shot again and the Impala was mine. I was thrilled.

We put the little impala in the truck and off we went hunting again. Scott was at the trigger so off we went down the road. We came upon this big group of wildebeest. I took a gun along just in case one offered me a shot. We made a long stalk just following these animals along. There was a mix of Blue Wildebeest and black wildebeest. We stalked up on top of a ridge where the wind was perfect and the animals had no idea we were there. The PH’s were looking over the animals to pick the biggest one out. Scott had him aim on one animals and just about when he was about to fire the guides said hold up a really big bull walked out from a tree. Scott took aim at the BIG ONE and BOOM. One shot and he dropped in his tracks. Perfect shot. He didn’t move from there. We went down to take a look at him and he was a beast. A black Wildebeest is a really pretty animal with is hors that go out front of him. We took some great pictures and loaded him up.

We started the drive back to camp looking at other animals as we went. It was getting cold as the sun was going down. We finally spotted some Kudu just as it was getting to dark. We let them be hoping they would be there in the morning. It was a beautiful sunset to a very exciting day.

The next morning started off early as we made plans for our last day hunting at Omujeve. Our PH’s decided to split up to be able to cover more ground to find Kudu. I told my guide that is what I wanted most. So we could skip over all the other animals out there and concentrate on Kudu. So Scott went with Phillip and Herman and I went off in the other direction. The wind had been blowing hard for the past couple of days and it finally let up. It was calm a clear that morning. It didn’t take long and we were spotting Kudu. We had seen a bunch of cows and immature bulls but nothing worth taking a second look at. I had seen some cows head down a ridge so I told Herman let’s take a look over this ridge and do some glassing from here. So we pulled over and started glassing. We spotted a nice bull about a ½ mile away. He looked like a shooter. He was two ridges away. So we made a plan to get over to him with a little breeze in our face. As we were going down the first hill we scared a bunch of baboons out of there. We were hoping they didn’t go toward the Kudu. As we were side hilling the next ridge I looked over to my left and on the opposite ridge there were 10 giraffe feeing away in the trees. I had to catch my self-thinking Holy Cow I’m in Africa and I’m on a stalk for a Kudu.  As we were rounding the hill we stated going ever so slow from one bush to the next. There was Herman me and the tracker ad Skinner all in a single file sneaking up the hill. Just as we were about to the top of the hill Herman Stopped put up the sticks and said “there he is”. He was maybe 100 yards away.  I see him clear a day. I’ll never forget the picture my mind. Those big Spiral horns sticking up over his head looking at up at us. I put the .375 H&H up on the sticks and centered the cross hairs right behind his shoulder and fired. Whack is what I heard next. I knew it was a good hit. We walked up to where I shot him and walked right up to where he was laying. He didn’t go maybe 20 feet from where I shot him. He was magnificent. A very beautiful animal. It was a thrill to put my hand on those horns. There is not a better feeling when the PH shakes your hand after each animal and says “Well done “or “Nice Shot”. The guide and tracker and skinner left to go get the truck. I got to stay there and just relish the moment and soak it all in. From where I was I was watching the giraffes and spotted Zebra in the distance also. What a great feeling. Does it get any better than that?

I was back at the lodge when Scott came in from his morning hunt. He shot a nice Blue Wildebeest and seen a nice kudu but he was on someone else’s property.

We made a plan for our last evening hunt. We wanted to get Scott a Kudu. Kudu was the main animal for both of us. I really wanted to be there when he shot his Kudu. I was a little disappointed that he wasn’t there when I shot mine. So off we went. We drove around and drove around all afternoon. I was starting to get a little nervous because we weren’t seeing any Kudu and it was getting late in the afternoon. We finally drove down in this area where the brush was very thick. Next thing we know Phillip spots a Kudu in the trees. He was a nice young bull but not quite big enough to shoot. So we started to drive again and then we spotted more kudu. There was a very nice bull in this group . He went up and over the ridge. Scott and Phillip got out and went off. I was thinking they were going to follow the big one that went over the hill. The just went over a little way from the truck and sat and watched the animals on the other hill side. There were Kudu all over in the thick brush. Them a herd of Eland was coming through. There was a nice Kudu just below where the Eland were. I see this Kudu step out and then a Bang! Scott takes a nice shot at 200 yards at this Kudu. He runs and then lies down in a bunch of brush. So off we go to find his Kudu. We find him right off the bat. A very nice bull. He is about equal to the one I shot.  We had to clear the brush so we could get a good picture. Then we loaded him up and broke trail to get back on the road. There is no packing an animal out. You drive the land cruiser as close as you can get to them. It makes it real nice. So spirits are high as we finish off our hunt at Omujeve.

The next day was a travel day. We went about 8 hours from Omujeve to our tented camp in the north end of Namibia. We literally drove to the middle of nowhere. The landscape was basically the same all the way along. It is very vast and open. When you get down into it there are animals everywhere.

We finally made it to camp where we were met by the camp staff. They treated us so well while we were there. They cooked, cleaned and took are of anything we needed. They even washed our clothes while we were there. They would iron our clothes with an iron that had hot coals from the camp fire in it. the camp was self-sufficient. Now power at all yet we had power for an hour or two at night while the generator was going. We had hot shower and flushing toilets. It was set up real nice. When it got dark it really was dark. At night the stars were so bright. Namibia is one of the darkest places on the planet. There are no city light with in a 1000 mile of where we were. So pretty at night. The sounds of the critters were amazing. We were off to bed early. It was freezing cold the first night. About 5am every morning I was woken up by the lions roaring about ¼ mile away. I thought it was the coolest thing I have ever heard. Not at any time did I feel scared while I was there. We were in the real wilds of Africa.

The next morning we ate our breakfast early and we were off at 630am. We started our drive/hunt heading out to the middle of nowhere. As we drove we spotted all kinds of animals. We’d see giraffe, Gemsbuck, springbuck, Zebra and all kinds of smaller animals. We saw lots of elephant tracks but no elephants. We also saw a lot of Lion and leopard tracks. We knew they were there but we never did see one.

We drove 7 hours from our camp looking for animals. Scott made a couple of stalks on Gemsbuck and Springbuck but had no luck. We came upon the small villages that we passed through. They were as poor as poor.  We also came upon the Himba tribe. They are the tribe that put red clay on their skin and hair. They also had very little of clothes on.

For lunch we stopped at a real Oasis. Palm trees and all.

After lunch we headed in to the prime hunting land. This is where it gets good real fast. We came upon some Zebra not far off the road. Scott jumps out and shoots. The Zebra goes down. We take pictures and they start field dressing the Zebra. We went off with Herman and take a look off an overlook of a dry river bed. Next thing we know a big Bull Gemsbuck jumps up. Scott Shoots and he goes down. Then too our left a nice Springbuck Ram jumps up. Scotts Shoots again and he goes down. Within 15 min three animals go down. We took lots of pictures and had lots of work before us.

At that point where we were we will have been the farthest away from home as we will ever be. We are 8 hours from camp. 8 hours to an airport. 2 hours on a plane to the international airport in Johannesburg. 20 hours to Washington Dc. 4 hours to Salt Lake City and 1.5 hours to drive home. We are a long way from home.

On our way back to camp we stopped by the small village that we passed by earlier and dropped off the Zebra so they could eat it. They were very grateful for the meat. There were a bunch of kids that we gave candy to. We got some great pictures of them. It was probably one of the highlights of the trip.

The next day it was my turn behind the gun. We drove out of camp looking for Zebra and Gemsbuck. We came upon a lot of Giraffe and Eland.  We finally came to a spot where the trackers see two really nice Gemsbucks. We stopped and Herman and I tried to put a stock on them. They went up and over the ridge so we drove down to the bottom of the ridge. We stopped and got out and went just a little ways from the truck. Herman put the sticks up and said “there he is about 300 yards away. I took aim and fired. I had hit him but he was still moving. I shot again and he went up in the bushes still moving. We couldn’t tell where he went because of the trees. We thought we seen him again at 400 yards. Herman said shoot. It was a high angle and I shot and the Scope bit me. I had a little blood above my eye. I missed so up the hill we went. When we got to the top I heard this loud push of air like a horse would do. It was the Gemsbuck I had shot heading down the hill. I took aim and shot. It hit him. He stopped and I shot once more and he was down for good. What a relief.

When we got down to him I couldn’t believe how big his horns were. We also found it to be a nice cow and not a bull. The cows generally have longer horns but not thick. This one had thick and long horns. I couldn’t have been happier. The horns measured 40.5 and 41 inches.

We were not gone to long from camp when we came upon this herd of Zebra. Phillip and I bailed off the truck and it kept going. We sneaked down this river bottom to get closer to them. We got within 150 yard of this nice Zebra. Phillip said shoot the one on the right. I aimed for the shoulder and bang. Off he ran with the others. We went over to the area I had shot him. The tracker was with us so he started his job on finding blood. I found a speck of blood then we started to follow it. We lost it for a bit then picked it up. We knew we had to be getting closer as the blood trail was really good now. I looked up beyond the trail and the Zebra was up under a tree. What a relief. It’s stressful yet exuberating at the same time. It was a nice fat Zebra mare. It had a really nice skin. It will make a nice rug.

Our day wasn’t over yet. We went with Herman out to a leopard stand in a big tree overlooking bail. We tried to call in a hyena or Jackal. We didn’t have any luck that night.

The next day we were up for our last day hunting. I was done with all my animals I wanted. Scott wanted one more. That would be an Ostrich. We drove all day and cover miles upon miles. We did stop at this one village where we dropped off my Gemsbuck to them. We were on the boarders of Estosha National park. I wish we had time to go there.  So we drove and drove and finally found one lone Ostrich out in the middle of nowhere. We put a chase on him in the truck. Scott Got a few shots off on him and slowed him down. We couldn’t find him for a moment. We thought we had lost him. Then we came upon him again and they finished him off. Scott now has shot the biggest bird in the world.

So now the long ride back to camp. Just as it was getting dark we came upon this really nice giraffe bull. The PH’s had Scott talked into shooting him. Luckily for the giraffe it got too dark. We had him in our sights.

So back to camp we went and got ready for another night of hyena and Jackal hunting. We went out and drove around and tried to spot light the animals. We say lots of small cats but still no Hyena or jackals. We got back into camp at 2am.

Our hunt was done and we packed our bags for the very long journey home. We drove back to Windhoek and spent the night in a hotel and then caught our flight to Joburg and then the long dreadful flight over the Atlantic to Washington Dc then to Salt Lake City. Everything went as planned as we came home. All our luggage and guns came with us.

Now that I’ve been home for a few weeks now and reflect back on this adventure. I can really appreciate the things that I have seen and done. To have come back with so many memories and to have done it all so safely. I really do appreciate Kim for letting me do this. So many wives would have said no way. I really do have a very good and understanding wife to let me have this opportunity. I’m also very grateful for a good friend in Scott who let me tag along with him. We have seen and done things that have bonded us for life.  Two week is a long time and I’m glad to be home but still think of Africa every day and wonder when I will be able to go back. Everybody says a once in a lifetime trip but I’m hoping its not.

African Adventure Part 1

African Adventure 

Going to Africa has always been something I’ve always wanted to do. I have always thought that it was just a dream and that I would probably not go until I was old. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I just had and to have had an adventure to see parts of this world that many will not ever experience.

This story really starts back in April when my friend Scott and I went to a Pheasants forever fundraising banquet. At this event there was an African Safari up for auction. Scott's wife was there and they decided that if the price was right they would bid on it. Alright it was probably more Scott's idea than Lindasue's. Well Scott bid on it with his wife's permission and he won the bid at a great price. The package included a 7day hunt, 1 hunter, 1 observer and $1,000 towards trophy fees. The plan was for us to take our wives and go. When we started to get serious at setting dates and finding out what the hunt really entailed things changed. The wives changed their minds when they found out that this really was a hunting trip and we would be shooting animals. Plus we would be gone for a long time. Also Scott and his wife found out they would be expecting a little one. So Luck would have it that I would be able to go.

It was not an easy process to try to convince Kim in letting me go for two weeks. I had to do some serious negotiating. She did end up with her dream 5th wheel in this process. All kidding aside she really was very gracious in letting me have this opportunity. I know it wasn't easy for her in all of this. I’ll be in debt for a long time to her.

So the planning continued and we contacted the outfitter who suggested the place to hunt and the time to go. We thought we would be going in 2012 but she said if you can come this August. The rains have been good and there are allot of animals. So we decided why wait and let’s go now. So the planning and preparation stated. We took a couple of trips to Cabelas. We had to go to the airport to get the guns and expensive items claimed for customs. I read as much as I could about Africa. We shot the guns as much as possible. We talked to people who have been there. I tried to do all the research I could to get as prepared as we could. I guess you could say it consumed my life for a few months and now that I'm back it still does.

Skip ahead to August 17, 2011 we fly out heading to Africa. It was very hard to leave the family. There was that unknown feeling between all of us. We didn't know what to expect. We did everything we could to prepare to leave. We wanted to be as safe and secure as we could be but still we prepared ourselves to leave and hopefully return safely.

Our plane left at 730 am so we left our house at 4am. We wanted to be early especially checking in guns. Everything went really smooth and we were off to Washington DC. We had a 5 hour layover in Washington. We were trying to mentally prepare ourselves for the 18 hour flight ahead of us. Not sure if there is anything that can prepare you for that. I tried to sleep, read, watch movies and just endure. My butt was pretty numb by the time we landed in Johannesburg. We did have one stop in Dakar Senegal to fill up with gas. I don't remember much of that as I was trying to sleep. Once we arrived in Johannesburg we got our luggage thinking that we were good to go and then we tried to find out where we pick up the guns at. We were met by the people we were going to overnight with at their house. They said to Scott that they would help him get his guns and took me off with one of them to the house. As we drove through Joburg I was thinking about how all the houses had bars on the window and thinking to myself I'm in Africa now. We had to drive through a security gate and then into a compound where the house was. It was surrounded by a 20,000 volt electric fence. Not to keep the animals out but to keep the not wanted people out. I felt safe. I was wondering when Scott would show up. It took him 2 hours to get there. He didn't have the guns. They did not show up. Scott was on the phone to different people for the next hour or so. We finally had enough of that and ate our Steak dinner and went to bed. We were 7 hours different time wise than back home. We tried to sleep as best as we could to get adjusted as fast as we could. The night went by quickly and we were up and going early in the morning as we had to catch our flight to Cape Town.

We got to the airport and these porters surrounded us and one just took us to where we needed to go. As we were checking in our bags we had to claim the ammo we had. We had to take the ammo box to the police station so they could check it in. They wouldn't check it without the guns. We tried explaining that he guns have not arrived. It did no good. We ended up having to leave the ammo at the police station in the airport. We had pretty much bid it good bye feeling that we wouldn't see it again. So at this point we were kind of discouraged about this whole process. We got on the plane to Cape Town hoping it gets better.

In Cape Town we were met with a sign say Barfuss / Monson. What a great sight. We were met by our tour guide Leslie. She was great right off the bat. She took us in the Cape Town and we told her what was going on with the guns and ammo. Right away she got on the phone and was making calls.

We checked in to our hotel The Commodore. It was a really nice place. It was right on the pier or ocean front.

We had a great room with a great view.

After we checked in and got settled we were off with Leslie for our tour of the Cape. We drove from the city toward Cape Point. Along the way we stopped at a African Penguin Sanctuary. How often can you say you've seen wild penguins? We stayed there for a short time and took a few pictures of the cute little black and white birds.

We then continued our trek towards the cape. Here are the sights that we seen on the way.

Cape point was one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. When I walked over to an overlook it took my breath away at the steep drop off. It was an amazing sight.

The Cape of Good Hope was just a beautiful.

We then headed down the coastal road. I’ve seen the coast of California, Oregon and Hawaii. The Coast of South Africa has got to be some of the prettiest sights I’ve ever seen. It seemed that there wasn't much tourism there. It was as natural and beautiful as it has ever been.

We got back to our hotel and were hungry. We headed over to the pier front to find something to eat. We ate at the Ocean Basket. We figured we were so close to the ocean why not sea food.

The next day we got up early to catch our ride to head off to our Shark Dive. The dive spot was a 2 hour drive from our hotel. We had to pick up a few other people on our way. We picked up 5 guys from South Africa and one girl from Poland. We made a stop at one area to take in the sight and to watch the whales.

We finally made it to the dive shop to get everything we needed for the dive. We got on our big orange boat and headed out to Seal Island.

They said that they had 7 or 8 sharks on the morning tour. So our hopes were high. We got there and put the anchor out and waited for some action. We sat there for almost 2 hours with nothing in sight. The captain called another boat in the area and he said they had sharks by him. So we loaded up and went over by them. Right when we pulled up we saw the sharks. WOW!!!!! Now I was a little nervous. We weren't there long and they had up getting in the cage. Scott and I were the first ones on the cage. We had 7mm we suits on. As i got in the water I was shocked at how cold the water was. We weren't in the cage long when the crew told up to go down as a shark was coming by. My first sight of a shark under water was unreal. I wasn't scared but was in AWW on how big they were. There was this one time that the shark came within inches of the cage. My first thought was to touch it. But common scents said I had probably not. We were in the cage for about 20-25 minute sharks came by up about 7-8 times. it was amazing. When we were done another group took our place. It was just as amazing seeing the sharks from the boat as it was being in the cage. We tried to get pictures from in the water but the water was murky and we didn't have enough hand to keep us down and to click the camera. We did get some great shots.

After the lst group was done we headed in to shore and then had the long ride back to our hotel. The drive there and back was really pretty. We went through some wine country and in and out of mountainous areas. I was surprised at how much it looked like Utah in some of those parts.

The next morning we were off early again to catch another plane that took us up to Windhoek Namibia. This flight was only 2 hours. We still did not have our guns with us and did not know where they were. We did hear from someone that they got sent to Los Angeles instead of Washington DC. Probably some animal lover sent them the wrong direction. When we arrived at the airport in Windhoek we were met by our Professional Hunters (Guides) Phillip and Herman. These guys were our age and right off the bat we knew we were going to have a good time with them.