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July 19, 2003 - Hunt Day #6
I guess you could say today was kind of an "equalizer" day. I
returned to the python blind for a chance at a trophy tusker. As
usual the action at python was fast and furious. Kudus were kicking
up dust and the swirling wind sent it sandblasting into our eyeballs.
We saw a few wart hogs early this morning then at 9:50 am, a large
boar with long, heavy tusks trotted into the mud. He had a partially
broken left tusk but Everett felt he was still "a good one" despite the
broken ivory so I decided to take him. The big pig arrived solo and
was unusually spooky. He would run to the water's edge, take a quick
slurp then run back into the bush. He repeated this three times.
The last trip out, he stopped at sixteen yards and I tripped the release.
The shot was high and the warthog disappeared in a cloud of dust.
We reviewed the video and consulted an African shot placement guide to
guesstimate where the arrow may have hit. We agreed the shot was
two inches above the arteries and vitals. In hindsight, I didn't
compensate for the close-range yardage and in slow motion, we could see
the wart hog duck prior to bolting. Crap!
The trackers followed the hog over three miles. They found my
arrow two miles away. Unbelievable, partly because the pig ran so
far but mostly because the trackers could follow it for that great of distance!
I swear these African trackers have supernatural ability. How they
can follow a specific animal through a plethora of animal tracks and stay
on the same spoor through miles of dry rocky terrain is absolutely beyond
me. One of the guys wounded an ostrich, and had I not been in camp
I wouldn't have believed this; they found the ostrich four miles away!
Give me a break! Everett figured my wart hog was not mortally wounded
and that it would probably show up in a few days. Moral to
the story: Never shoot at wired-up game -- always wait until they are relaxed
(this was a three hundred dollar mistake. Yikes!).
Just at dusk, a colossal giraffe moseyed toward the water hole.
He stopped thirty yards away and started feeding in the treetops.
Another giraffe appeared down the valley and fed in the tall scrub.
Before long, two more giraffes sky-lined themselves on the horizon.
We watched them perform a neck swinging courtship ritual forty yards from
the blind. Their towering images silhouetted against the brilliant
African sky burned a vivid memory into my mind. Awesome.
July 20, 2003--Hunt Day # 7:
Our last hunting day in the Namibian plain found me sitting in a hide
called the "veggie garden." This blind was similar to jackal.
It was a concrete bunker bricked with natural cobble rock with dry grass
woven between wire bands. The soil in this particular area is unusually
red and a sandy, red perimeter surrounded the water hole for a hundred
yard circumference.
Veggie garden has the only water in this part of the country; which
makes this a hot bed of animal activity from minute one. A group
of waterbucks, with their unique circled rump patch drank early.
While I was busy tinkering with my video camera, a large wart hog snuck
in and was on his way out before I could get my ducks in a row. He
was a brute and I cussed myself for not paying better attention.
Numerous groups of small boars and sows with litters watered, then at 11:00
am, "boss hog" swaggered in.
The bristly gray boar drank with a group of sows and piglets so I had
to wait for them to clear before shooting. After yesterday's fiasco,
I didn't want to shoot high and pay for another wounded pig so I forced
myself to pull the twenty-yard pin to the bottom of his chest. Twang!
A huge red cloud of dust blocked my vision momentarily then I saw another
dust bowl billowing sixty yards out, then all was still. My "beautiful"
wart hog was lying motionless in the sand. With all of the commotion,
I couldn't tell where the arrow hit so it was a $300 relief to see him
lying there in the red dirt!
Everett and the trackers came and we took a roll of film and loaded
the pork into the Toyota. Another hunter had bagged a baboon this
morning so we stopped on the way back to the ranch to help him find it.
Baboons are such menacing looking creatures with their fang-like incisors
and aggressive behavior. They usually travel in large bands and are
extremely wary. They send in a "scout" first to check for danger.
If the coast is clear, the scout baboon will call out to the rest of group
and they will all come in to drink. Taking a baboon with a bow, without
getting busted, is quite a feat.
Later that afternoon, I went to the windmill hide. It is a ground
blind camouflaged with tall native grass and is a great spot to see a host
of game. I was in the blind by 3:00 pm, and by 4:00pm there were
kudus, hartebeest, and waterbucks milling around. Two large ostriches
also drank in front of the blind.
It's almost cartoon-like to watch them scoop up water into their bill
and then try to swallow--their neck bulges out as the muscles push the
water down their throat. At 4:30pm, a herd of wildebeest came marching
in. They slashed in the water and crowded around the salt block with
a group of elands until dusk. I was dialed in for springbok
and just before dark a handsome looking springbok circled the blind but
never presented a shot.
The blazing sunset was all but gone when four coyote-looking jackals
trotted past at sixty yards. Soon, it was too dark to shoot so I
climbed out of the blind. The expansive African sky was brilliant.
As I waited for the truck, I stargazed into the night sky watching falling
stars and the multitude of twinkling constellations.
That night at dinner, we toasted a great hunt, our superb hosts and
awesome accommodations. The Ombengu staff sang us traditional Namibian
songs as we sat around the crackling campfire. It was truly magical.
A bowhunting adventure to Africa encompasses more than just a "trophy
list" or a head count. It is a total sensory experience. Everyday
in the field offers new sights, new sounds and a lifetime of memories.
My Namibian bowhunting adventure was thrilling; much like hitting a game
winning home run in the bottom of the ninth. It doesn't get much
better than this!
Information About the Hunt
We flew on a Delta Airlines red-eye from Salt Lake City to Atlanta then
onto Johannesburg, South Africa via South African Airways. It's a
good idea to join a sky miles program before leaving because you can accumulate
22,000 miles on this round trip. The grueling overseas flight took
18 hours. My friend, Dr. Dave Samuel, told me that I would hate the
flight. He was right. There were plenty of movies and a good
book to help pass the time. From Joburg, we connected onto Windhoek,
Namibia. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to connect.
We supposedly had 4 hours to make the connection from Joburg to Windhoek
but our flight was 2 hours late leaving Atlanta so we missed our connecting
plane to Windhoek by 30 minutes. Fortunately, we were able to catch
another flight 5 hours later. Luckily, I was able to contact our
guide at Windhoek airport to let them know of the delay.
All ended well but it was a hassle. Be prepared to open your bow
case often to "prove" that you are carrying archery gear and not
firearms. Archery gear is much easier to get through customs
than firearms but the process is still timely.
Our guide met us at Windhoek and then we drove another 5 hours to Ombengu.
When we finally arrived at camp, we had been "on the road" 40 hours. The
accommodations at Ombengu are fantastic. The camp is located in the
rolling Namibian hills. They have beautiful thatched roof bungalows
to sleep in; complete with showers, bath and all the comforts of home.
The main lodge is an open-air patio with traditional African décor.
Numerous trophy mounts adorn the walls. The dining area overlooks a waterhole
and we watched kudus and other animals as we dined. The Ombengu gardens
and rock-terraced grounds are absolutely gorgeous. Lighted stone
pathways lead from the bungalows to the lodge. Every amenity is included.
The camp chef and kitchen staff prepared delicious gourmet meals each night.
The staff also took care of our laundry and our clothes were folded neatly
in our closet every day.
Our hunt was a 7-day safari. We paid a daily rate plus additional
trophy fees for the animals we harvested. They also took us to Etosha
National Game Park one day for a break in the action. The terrain
in this part of Namibia is varied. Wide vast plains extend into rolling
foothills and scrub-covered ridges.
We found game on all parts of Ombengu. The morning weather was
a little cool-- in the low 40's. I wore a light jacket and switched
to a short sleeve shirt by afternoon when the temperature rose to the high
70's. The weather reminded me of September in the Rockies. An added
bonus is that the bugs are nonexistent this time of year. Perfect.
Before going to Africa, be sure to study an African shot placement guide
and practice shooting 3D targets in the shoulder. The vitals on African
plains game are positioned much farther forward than North American big
game. You want to aim straight up the front leg and a third of the
way up the body. This is an "iffy" shoulder shot on an elk but a
perfect 12 ring on a bull kudu. It takes a little retraining to instinctively
place the pin there.
Another thing to remember is African animals are extremely tough.
Even a textbook shot can end in a frustrating tracking job. As mentioned,
you pay for all wounded animals; however the Ombengu trackers are beyond
description. They also use a jack terrier dog named Eclipse.
He was "broke in" as a 6 month-old pup trailing wounded leopards and he
has brought much relief to many an anxious hunter.
Since returning home, I have often been asked, "What was it like hunting
in Africa?"
Well, the best way I can describe this is to take your best day of bowhunting,
ever, and multiply that by seven. I had more shooting opportunities in
one week in Africa than I will probably have in next 10 years hunting around
home. Africa is indeed a bowhunter's paradise and it really isn't
too expensive, yet. Considering all the game you will see and the
total overall experience, the price can't be beat anywhere in North America.
If you are thinking of going on an African safari, all I can say is:
Do It! Start making plans now. Once you go, I guarantee you
will be making return plans on that grueling flight home. Come to
think of it, I don't remember the flight home?
BACK TO THE BEGINNING
OF THE HUNT: Part One
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