Kalahari hunting in Botswana?

[Nevada Mike]

Looking to locate a top drawer outfitter for Northern Kalahari hunt in Botswana. NOT looking for a lodge or fenced hunt.

Mike

 

[spike.t]

Looking to locate a top drawer outfitter for Northern Kalahari hunt in Botswana. NOT looking for a lodge or fenced hunt.

Mike

What animals are you looking to hunt?....probably help to know this

 

[WAB]

Get ahold of Len Taylor or Frans van der Merwe for ele/buff. If 130,000 acres fenced for plains game would suffice, get ahold of Werner Lombard.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Kalahari classic - Gemsbuck.

 

[Buffalo1]

Are they larger in Botswana than in Namibia?

 

[BourbonTrail]

Top shelf, in Bots…I would say dig deep and contact Johan Calitz. He’s known for big tuskers, but his outfit is all about the bespoke.

Check out Scott’s elephant hunt from last year:

BOTSWANA: Elephant Hunt With Johan Calitz Safaris In June 2021

I’m on my way home to Colorado after the first flight of four to get home. I have some long layovers so thought I would file a report. June 4th - Left the ranch for the Denver Airport. Took quite a while to check-in with American Airlines due to the firearm requirements for my connecting...

www.africahunting.com

 

[Tanks]

Looking to locate a top drawer outfitter for Northern Kalahari hunt in Botswana. NOT looking for a lodge or fenced hunt.

Mike

Dating yourself. I had to look up the definition of "top drawer" when I had to read a book published in the 30s for a US history class in college almost 40 years ago.

 

[Doug3006]

We old guys…err….mature guys…need phrases to set us apart from the young and inexperienced. “Top drawer“ is one of my favorites. “Tall cotton“ is another.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Dating yourself. I had to look up the definition of "top drawer" when I had to read a book published in the 30s for a US history class in college almost 40 years ago.

You may think of me as a classicist.

 

[M McDindi]

Just a couple of things to note. In Botswana all registered game private farms are required to be enclose by high fence. Only govt concession areas are exempt from the high fence requirement. The govt concession areas are primarily for elephant, buffalo and leopard on limited quota. There normally is very little PG included in the concession quotas.

When driving/touring in Bots last year, we did basically what I call the "great circle tour" Started out in Gaborone, and took the Trans-Kalahari Highway NW up to Ghanzi, Maun, Kasane and then back down SE via Nata, Francistown, Mahalapye and back to Gabs. The major thing we noticed along the entire drive was the total lack of any game species, not even warthogs, along the roads S of Ghanzi and then again S of Nata. All we'd see were goats, donkeys and a few cows. N of those cites was pretty much all National parks. In this part it was game and elephants galore. The lands outside of these areas could be private regular farms or govt lands. The reason given to us by MULTIPLE people we talked to about the lack of game along the roads was the same - poaching. Did we see ALL of Botswana? No. However, in the 30-days driving around, and talking to a lot of people and seeing a LOT of National Parks and asking the same questions and getting the same answers all the time........... When driving around most of Namibia, you'll see game along from the roads.

I've hunted Namibia a LOT and the Tuli block in the eastern side of Botswana several times. I've driven over and around most of Namibia and spent 30-day last year driving around Botswana. From what I have seen and experienced if you are after a 40"+ free range, fare chase gemsbok, your best bet is NW Namibia, S of the Etosha NP in the mountains between Outjo and Kamanjab. That area sees relatively little hunting pressure and produces several bulls in the 40"+ range every year.

 

[Nevada Mike]

M McDindi​

Thanks for your considered and experienced response. My PH is offering Gemsbok hunts in Northern SA - but it's a fenced area with a lodge. Not my idea of a 'safari'. I've long wanted to see and hunt the Kalahari.

 

[M McDindi]

The "Kalahari" is a HUGE area that runs from the Atlantic Ocean in western Namibia, east into RSA to the eastern side of Bots from the Tuli block S.

The only place you're likely to find true free range fair chase gemsbok is going to be Namibia. The vast majority of private, registered game farms there are low fence operations. By low fence, that means the wire is several runs of round high tinsel strength that is that's about a meter or so high. Solid posts of some sort every 10-15 meters with "spreaders" every few meters between the posts. The idea is that cattle will mostly "honor" the fence but it is low enough and springy/flexible enough the elephant can step over it or push it over enough to get over it without tearing completely down. Private registered game farms here are NOT required to have high perimeter fences. There are high fence operations in Namibia but they are the exception unlike some other countries.

 

[375Fox]

If you’d consider Namibia, You should look into Jamy Traut Safari’s Kalahari area in Namibia. They conduct wild lion hunts there as well so definitely not a game farm hunt. You may also consider looking into hunting gemsbok in/near Namib Naukluft park in Namibia. It is supposed to have huge gemsbok and would be a unique experience.
Here is a photo of my best gemsbok. It was 39.5” from Kaokoland in NW Namibia, west of Etosha, but they were not overly plentiful in that particular area from what I saw.

 

[M McDindi]

375Fox - the Nauklouft Park is in and around the Swakopmund/Walvis Bay area and inland. It is a highly restricted area and NO HUNTING. There are only a few limited permits for even tourist operations there. Requires a special permit to transit thru in small groups in 4x4's.

We've been there several times and taken the quadbike tours out into the park and also the 4x4 tours out of Walvis Bay out thru the dunes to Sandwich Harbor. Spectacular scenery along the dunes and coastline.

The area is particularly rich in mineral and gemstone deposits. Some areas of the dunes develop a black surface crust from the salty sea air oxidizing the iron ore. Along the beaches, you'll see red streaks in the sand for hundred of meters. The red is from sand grain size particles of granite. If you scoop up a little sand and look thru a jeweler's loop, you can see fine sand grain size bits of diamonds mixed in. Just S. of there is where they do the diamond dredging just off the coast. Several million carets worth a year.

That's a grand old bull - huge bases too! Well done!!

 

[Nevada Mike]

Great suggestions! Thank you. That's a great Gemsbok.

I corresponded with Jamie Traut in 2019 about a buff hunt in Namibia and but chose Tanzania instead. He seems to offer good hunts on his concessions.

Thanks.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Consider Namibia for gemsbok (it's their national animal-all over the place, except the caprivi.) Maybe stay in a tent with Himbas? Many PHs to choose from that have access to many concessions, both public and private, and even by horseback. PM me if you need some contacts. Plenty of Kalahari there! Hartmann's Mtn. Zebra, damara dik-dik-other endemic species ('got a 41" in the NW similar to the above). If I were going to Botswana, it'd be for lechwe and sitatunga by makoro in the Okavango, and/or DG! I've driven through Bots and looked at it (BIG elephant, leopard, buff, crocs!) every day on several safaris in Zim, Namib, and RSA.

 

[375Fox]

375Fox - the Nauklouft Park is in and around the Swakopmund/Walvis Bay area and inland. It is a highly restricted area and NO HUNTING. There are only a few limited permits for even tourist operations there. Requires a special permit to transit thru in small groups in 4x4's.

We've been there several times and taken the quadbike tours out into the park and also the 4x4 tours out of Walvis Bay out thru the dunes to Sandwich Harbor. Spectacular scenery along the dunes and coastline.

The area is particularly rich in mineral and gemstone deposits. Some areas of the dunes develop a black surface crust from the salty sea air oxidizing the iron ore. Along the beaches, you'll see red streaks in the sand for hundred of meters. The red is from sand grain size particles of granite. If you scoop up a little sand and look thru a jeweler's loop, you can see fine sand grain size bits of diamonds mixed in. Just S. of there is where they do the diamond dredging just off the coast. Several million carets worth a year.

That's a grand old bull - huge bases too! Well done!!

I edited my post. I’ll need to confirm with my PH there. We talked this option over during my last hunt in Namibia.

 

[375Fox]

375Fox - the Nauklouft Park is in and around the Swakopmund/Walvis Bay area and inland. It is a highly restricted area and NO HUNTING. There are only a few limited permits for even tourist operations there. Requires a special permit to transit thru in small groups in 4x4's.

We've been there several times and taken the quadbike tours out into the park and also the 4x4 tours out of Walvis Bay out thru the dunes to Sandwich Harbor. Spectacular scenery along the dunes and coastline.

The area is particularly rich in mineral and gemstone deposits. Some areas of the dunes develop a black surface crust from the salty sea air oxidizing the iron ore. Along the beaches, you'll see red streaks in the sand for hundred of meters. The red is from sand grain size particles of granite. If you scoop up a little sand and look thru a jeweler's loop, you can see fine sand grain size bits of diamonds mixed in. Just S. of there is where they do the diamond dredging just off the coast. Several million carets worth a year.

That's a grand old bull - huge bases too! Well done!!

Here is an article on hunting gemsbok there

Namib sands

Larry Weishuhn, wildlife biologist and outdoor writer, shares tales of his time hunting gemsbok oryx on the red sand dunes of the Namib…

blog.hornady.com

 

[M McDindi]

Thanks for the article. I did read it. I think maybe Larry conflated the Namib Desert NP with the Naukluft NP and the Naukluft area in general. He wrote as if they were the same and they are not. He's writing about several different places within the Namib Desert which is the western most part of the Kalahari near/along the Skeleton Coast. While anything is possible in Africa, to have a hunting permit within the confines of the actual Naukluft NP would be highly unusual especially considering the way the govt restricts even general access there.

 

[WAB]

M McDindi​

Thanks for your considered and experienced response. My PH is offering Gemsbok hunts in Northern SA - but it's a fenced area with a lodge. Not my idea of a 'safari'. I've long wanted to see and hunt the Kalahari.

Mike is shooting you straight. I’ve made some of that drive and have spent some time in the concessions and on private ranches in Botswana. There is more plainsgame than you might think in the concessions, but not the numbers you will see in Namibia. The biggest ranch I am aware of is Bokamoso at 130,000 acres. Werner Lombard is managing it now. Werner is an experienced elephant hunter and I trust his judgement when he tells me that it is a truly wild hunt. As mike says, it is high fenced by law, but that’s an awfully big high fenced area.