NAMIBIA: 4 Weeks In Namibia With Ongariwanda

[gillettehunter]

Great start. Don't like the sounds of the rifle tho. You'd think a premium rifle shop would do better than that. Then and again I've also had problems with a custom rifle too...... Bruce

 

[dory]

Monday the 8th of june dawned fine and clear again , the day of reckoning .We were up at 430 am lighting the fire in our accom to boil the kettle for tea and coffee before breaky in the main homestead .This turned into the daily routine for me and Debs as my fear of sleeping in never eventuated as I had not brought an alarm clock . I have never hunted with anyone else much , let alone a guide , this was going to be all new to me and I did not know how I would react with people watching me shoot ! After a fine breakfast of to much food , which I realised was going to be the norm all trip , we were finally loading up the truck with guns , videos , cameras and me and Debs . My wife ended up hunting with us every day except one and loved every moment . I told her a couple of times to take a day off and relax , but she was scared she might miss out on something .
630 am we are on our way in the cool morning air . It was actually bloody cold on the back of the truck and was glad that we both had a good pair of gloves with us , and a good warm jacket . Im still getting my shit together when Johnnie taps the cab of truck for Anton our tracker to stop . He has seen a good bull Oryx down one of the fence lines and asked if I want to have a go and stalk it with Anton .
Shit , we have just left the yard , I thought we would be searching all day giving my nerves time to settle down ! This is it Dory , go and show these guys what you've got , Yea right !
Off the truck , gun loaded with one in the spout and one in the mag and we are off , Anton then me then Debs . 15 minutes later and I still havnt seen anything when Anton whispers to me to use his shoulder as a rest and shoot it when it walks into the gap in the scrub . What bloody oryx , and what gap , is this guy for real ? Yep you guessed it , just like he said this flaming great bull appears out of nowhere 30 ft away walking quietly from our left to our right broadside on . He has absolutely no idea we are there , Amazing , im dumb founded . How did Anton get us so close without the bull knowing ? Im still blown away fast it all happened , onto Antons shoulder with the 308 I took a gamble on the gap he was looking at , looked through the scope and there he was , no time to think as he was still walking I squeezed the trigger . Anton took of after it but only went 20 ft

and turned around with a huge smile , he's down . Now I am not a person to shake hands after a kill but when Anton rushed back to shake my hand I think I tried to tear his arm off , then I rushed over had a look at the oryx taking his last breath then rushed back and tried to tear Antons arm off again . Overwhelmed ? You bet , what a start to the day . Debs was blown away with the whole scenario , all the waiting for this moment , was it wort it , you bet !
It didn't take Johnnie long to find a rout to the oryx load it on the truck and back to the homestead . Total time since we left this morning was just over an hour .

 

[dory]

Great start. Don't like the sounds of the rifle tho. You'd think a premium rifle shop would do better than that. Then and again I've also had problems with a custom rifle too...... Bruce

Cheers mate .
The rifle was an absolute pig , But it was nice to shoot and bloody accurate .
I think I even shot better as I had to make the first shot count . It will be a machine by the time I go back .

 

[dory]

We decided to wait for a while before we carried on hunting as the sun was in full swing and it was getting real hot , it was for us anyway , everyone else thought it was quite cool , but for us southern Kiwis it was real hot . And so began the saga of the Zebra . We wanted to hunt 2 at least as Debs just adores the skins and wanted to get some neat furniture made for home . It was not going to be as easy as we thought as it worked out . 230 pm we are off again to a big grassy area that the zebra love to haunt . We parked far enough away so as not to spook any thing and sneak in . Oryx everywhere , what a sight .
The whole time at Ongariwanda we would see trophy herds of these amazing animals everyday . But no zebra . As the day is rolling on we decide to wait as Johnnie is convinced they will show up before dark . No such luck but just before dark this monster oryx bull walks over the rise and taunts us . While Im trying to get a video of him all I can here is OH ! OH ! OH ! He is a beauty from Johnnie . Funny how the rifle replaced the camera in a flash .What to do ? I have already shot my bull for the trip . Johnnie whispers take.... , now somewhere between the take and him the gun went off and that neat whack sound was heard . He ran out of sight but we could hear him on the granite pan do a couple of circles and collapse . Johnnie reassured me the house was short of meat so the first oryx would not count . Now thats my sort of man ! And what a bull . A neat end to an outstanding day .

 

[dory]

Sometime during the night the wind picked up and it blew really hard . There was no let up in the morning so it was decided to stalk a riverbed out of the breeze . What a beautiful place to hunt , the trees were a lot higher here with a lot a different varieties .The game obviously liked it to as sign of different animals were everywhere , man did we get close to some oryx and a couple of groups of unsuspecting warthogs . It was great fun but although the zebra had been there we could not find them . We drove walked and sat at some water all day but no go . No zebra today , might be the wind ?
We decided to give the zebra a miss the next day as we had seen a few Kudu the day before coming into a waterhole and Johnnie suspected a good bull was in the area . Now apart from seeing a few oryx in the cool of the morning it was a kudu day all right . First a single female leaving a waterhole then mrs Dory saw another female from the truck , she was getting good at this , stopped the truck and counted 6 in the group but no mature bulls . 10 minutes later more Kudu with 2 nice young bulls . Then fresh zebra sign so change of plan , off the truck and we are zebra hunting again . Following Anton for a few hours was amazing . He knew what sex they were , how old they were , how many , now there was old and new sign everywhere , he did a great job but they were always just in front of us . No zebra today ! It was bloody hot now so Johnnie took us to a nice cool waterhole in the shade for lunch . Pigs came and went and a nice bull turned up but johnnie said we could do better . Im not very good at sitting waiting for animals and nor is Debs . We really had itchy feet and rely wanted to go walking when Johnnie got that tone in his voice again , one I learnt not to query during the trip , If he went quite and said good animal you new it was game on . Kudu bull ! Im now at full alert and there out of the scrub this Beautiful bull just seem to appear and glide to the water , man they are a truly majestic animal . I had him lined up for a full chest shot when Johnnie said wait till he turns broadside . Now at this stage I was still quite calm but that was about to change .
Debs was sitting right behind me and could see I was loosing it . The longer I had those horns in the scope the more I told myself to calm down the more I started to shake . He finally turned and gave me a shot , But the sight picture was all over the place . I hadn't been like this since I was a kid . Enough was enough was so as soon as I was on his shoulder I fired .
I didn't squeeze the trigger I just pulled it when the scope was full of Kudu . A solid whack and the bull leapt into the air .
Man was I relieved . But Johnnie said he wasn't hit hard . Shit ! Now , when I fired , my finger had hit the mag release and my spare bullet was on the ground somewhere . Im still a mess , and now Ive got a wounded bull and no ammo . At that he walks over a mound about 50 yards away and looks around as if nothing is wrong .Johnnies saying shoot him again quick !
Okay for him , Im still a quivering mess next to him trying to thumb a round into the breech . Sanity finally prevailed and I somehow managed to pump a round into his breadbox knocking the stuffing out of him . A second later he peels over and its all over . Man was I relieved . What the hell just happened ? An adrenalin rush I havnt had for years ? Guess what , Im still human . Deb said it looked real funny , dont you love them .

 

[dory]

It was that cold the next morning Debs dressed up like we do at home . So far the sun had been well up by the time we started walking , so we would get rid of the warm stuff and star walking . This morning we had not gone far before fresh zebra sign was spotted so off the truck and away . It was still quite cool so Debs left all her gear on . I just never realised how much she had on . A couple of hours later the heat finally got to her and she looked terrible . We called the truck up and got rid of most of her gear , She never noticed the heat getting to her . Lesson learnt , we are not used to the heat and needed to be a bit careful . We had been chasing Zebra again all morning and we actually saw them a couple of times and heard them a couple more , but it wasn't a happening thing .Yip , no zebra today . This was turning into a bit of a mission ,our zebra were becoming a real challenge and it wasn't going to get any easier . It was while we were walking back to the truck in a day dream , that Johnnie burst into action with those words Big Kudu Bull Shoot , What , where ? There in the shade , sure enough there it was , now I could not see his head gear but geez his body looked huge . Up with the rifle and not wanting to make the same mistake twice put scope on his hump , then lowered the cross hairs until they sat just in front of heart and squeezed , all in one motion . Another solid whack , neat , This time Johnnie just smiled , so did Anton ? They couldn't see where the bullet hit but by the sound and reaction of the bull they Knew he was done . Wish I was that confident , especially after the bull yesterday . Sure enough 50 yards away there he is stone dead . The 150 gr Razor Back had preformed perfectly and was later recovered from under the skin on the opposite shoulder . A perfect cloverleaf with minimal weight lose . What an awesome bull This looked bigger than my first one and we loved his big spread . Wicked ! This bull had an almost blue head skin which even though he was aged at around 8 yrs old was almost flawless . We never intended to do any full mounts this trip as we really don't have the room at home , But ! Shit ! It would be a crime to not mount this chap . ( message to self , house extension needed QUICK .)

 

[dory]

The bush was a lot thicker here where we had shot this bull . Getting him out was going to be a problem right ? Wrong , another one of those radio calls to the troops and along comes the Calvary In the bigger cruiser , in no time at all a main highway has been cleared and said truck backs up too the bull . In no time at all its back home hanging up . Dont you love the way they do things in Africa . My hardest job that afternoon was pulling the tab on a Windhoek Lager , and did that taste good .

 

[dory]

We had Kudu fillet steak for dinner that night and it was outstanding . All the meat we tried was to die for , as my wife keeps telling everyone . I fell in love with Oryx , Every way Jennie cooked it for me from soup to stews to t bone steak , all 5 star food . It is something we have both missed since being home , all the wild game . Even the restaurants we dined at had game on the menu , springbok dishes were quite common and they were all good . Looking at the meat hanging in the meat safe and the chiller just made the mouth water .
Absolutely no meat was wasted , even the bones and all the offal got used for something , our so called civilized western world could learn a lot from these people . A lot of them did not have much but they all seemed happy with their lot in life .

 

[Nyati]

Nice going Dory, an Oryx was also my first african animal !

 

[JGRaider]

Really enjoyed your pics and story! Congrats on a great Namibian hunt. Oryx is my favorite as well.

 

[johnnyblues]

Great start, very nice trophies sir.

 

[gillettehunter]

Those are some good looking trophies. I gotta give a lot of credit to your PH for not charging you for the 1st Gemsbuck when a bigger one turned up. That is a class act! Bruce

 

[dory]

Two good Kudu bulls in two days . Johnnie told me later that he only allows hunters to shoot one bull per trip , understandable as Kudu seems high on most hunters list . As I had enquired very early on that I would like to hunt two bulls in the course of a three week hunt , he agreed to let me take two if the chance arose . We never saw another good bull the whole time we were there , so Im pleased I took the opportunities when offered , sometimes it's only a split second to decide to take an animal , if you get it take it , Im real glad I did .
The wind was back the next morning , but not as strong as it had been a couple off days ago , so we were soon off chasing zebra again .
Now this is the 5th morning we have begun by looking for zebra . Although we had not been successful yet we had managed to take the other animals during the day . But the zebra were really turning into a mission . Once again we were on fresh sign this morning , Anton said they were Hartmann with six in the mob . I cant remember how long we tracked them but the wind was all over the place , it just didn't feel right . Sure enough , the radio went off and it was Johnnie saying we had spooked them and they had crossed the road in front of the truck while he was sitting waiting for us . We needed a change of tactics in this wind .
It was decided to check the water where they love to drink . No zebra but a small mob of hartebeest were seen heading to the water for a drink . They were not high on my list before I finally saw one . They sort of grow on you the more you see them , so when asked would I like to try for one , I jumped at it .
The stalk in with Anton went well and he soon had the sticks up . I snuck around Anton and got on the sticks . This was not a happening thing , the sticks were much to high for me and and struggled to get the bigger male in the sight picture of the scope , To make matters worse they were all looking straight at me . I tried to squeeze off but I just was not steady enough and fired over his back . You dont get a second chance at these buggers so it was game over . Anton turned around and said you missed ! Now Anton hardly spoke all trip as he did not speak much english . But his YOU MISSED came out in clear precise english . I think he had practiced this sentence for blokes like me . At least it was a clean miss , not a wounded animal .
I would not take another shot unless I was totally happy with it .
We came back later and sat at this bit of water on dark as the zebra had been here . What a neat evening ! Oryx , steinbok more pigs , more oryx , Then about 20 or so Hartebeest turned up . The sound of their hooves and the clouds off dust that covered everything , filled your eyes and blocked your nose , it was really something to experience .
Johnnie picked out a good male for me .They looked all the same to me and I was worried I might shoot the wrong one . every time I was ready to shoot Id get the wait! from Johnnie as there would be one behind it , one in front or one getting to close to the male . The first chance I got I took , he was standing quartered away from me , not my favorite shot but he was hit hard and folded up within 30 yards .
These Winchester Razor Backs were preforming well . I never tried the Federals until my last animal on the trip . If things are working and working well , why change .
Darkness beat us in the end and still no zebra , but what a neat day with neat people !

 

[BRICKBURN]

"I would not take another shot unless I was totally happy with it ."
Very good lesson to learn that quickly.

That flight description has me feeling a little less hard done by about my flights. Won't stop me whinging though.

Enjoying your write up.

 

[huntermn15]

Great start, with another 11 days I believe to go. Looking forward to the rest of the report!

 

[dory]

Saturday the 13 June saw us up extra early as Jennie and the kids had asked Debs to go with them to the kids school sports which is held every weekend . Johann the eldest boy is a rugby union nut while the eldest girl Danita is mad on netball , and the two youngest girls , well , they just love causing trouble as 5 and 6 year old kids do . This is big country out here and nothing is close . It was only 5 hours drive there and back , play all the sports for the day , water and feed all the troops , Keep everyone happy , then come home and feed me an Johnnie . Debs said she was buggered . But for Jennie it was just another day in the life of `! Now , Jennie and Johnnie and the grandparents do this every weekend , and the sports are not always so close . Well done guys !
Debs putting the kettle on for an early brew .

 

[dory]

Once everyone left for the sports it was time to saddle up the truck and go chase some zebra . That would be a change ! Now I don't know how many different mobs of zebra , Burchell and Hartmann we had tracked since we got here , but it was a few . There are a lot of zebra on johnnies , but for different reasons we were just not having an ounce of luck , and sometimes that is all it takes to be successful when hunting wild animals .
Today was to be no different , fresh sign everywhere . We saw a good mob while driving , jumped off and stalked them for a couple of hours then lost them . Snuck around the scrub after another mob , almost got a shot at one but got busted and they bolted . Man was this getting frustrating , we were so close so many times but it just wouldn't happen . We stayed out all day and I must admit I was getting a bit buggered when Anton stopped mid stride and quietly put the sticks up , Zebra ! I snuck up and got on the sticks and got comfortable . Anton had the binos up but he seemed to be looking at the grass about 40 yards away . Then I clicked what was going on . It was a good pig but he could only see one tusk . I tracked him in the scope for a minute until he finally turned enough to see his other tusk .He's good Anton whispered so I squeezed off . Click , shit , work the bolt Click ! , Shit , Shit , work the bolt , Click ! . Shit , Shit , Shit . Reload Bang !!! Finally one dead pig hit on the top of the head with a Razor Back , which were actually designed just for piggies .
What happened ? Well , after the first misfire instead of ejecting the shell , I just worked the bolt thinking the shell might fire if I tried again . When it stilled misfired I just reloaded it again , still no go .
All the time I was having all this fun the pig had not even blinked , but Anton did ,He had that what the fuk look on his face .
After the last misfire I ejected the dud shell and pushed a fresh one in . Now the extra noise got mr piggies attention and he stopped his afternoon tea and looked straight at me Giving me a perfect shot .
He died in his tracks . Man that was fun , not , more gun trouble , shit what next .
Mr piggy was not the biggest but it gave me a break from the zebra . Wrong . Anton just put him out of the sun and we were off hunting zebra again .
When we finally got to a track Johnnie picked us up and we were off , he had seen a mob cross a road a mile away . When Johnnie drove the truck you held on , trying to stop cameras , guns and bodies flying around . When we arrived at the spot Johnnie and Anton got out and had a pow wow in that that wonderful lingo which I had no idea what they were saying . Before I come back to Africa again I intend to learn a bit of this lingo as I would love to know what they are saying some days , I think ? They changed places and Anton drove with Johnnie on the back with me . We had not gone 5 minutes when Johnnie tapped the cab and there on the edge of the scrub were 5 or 6 Hartmann , the ones Johnnie had seen . Off the truck on the sticks , but this time although the sticks are good not . I just can't hold steady and they look a long way off in the scope . Johnnie says to take the stallion on the right . I try to hold steady but I think the range and my excitement ganged up on me . It felt good when I fired but something I had learnt with these Winchester , they make a real whack when they connect and that didn't happen . To excited ?? Probably . End result they walked into the bush , Reappearing another 50 or 60 yards further down the scrub edge . Because of the silencer I hadn't really spooked them at all . We needed to get closer , so off we went . We tracked them till dark , Got real close a couple of times , but they wouldn't hold long enough for a shot . We walked to dark but they back tracked and we lost them . I don't mind admitting I was stuffed , it had been a long hot day . Disappointed ? Yes and no .
Im the one that fluffed the shot and it was not an easy shot . These zebra are teasing me, my luck had to change . Glad I'm not here for 7 or 8 days only . Then I would be stressed .
A few beers and wines that night and a couple of oryx T-bone steaks for tea and some top company with plenty of laughs about the day and I'm good to go again . . Day off tomorrow to recharge then bring on Monday . !
Anton said if I got lost he would just follow the blood trail . HA! .

 

[dory]

Great start, with another 11 days I believe to go. Looking forward to the rest of the report!

Good luck buddy .
If you have half as much fun as I did you will have a ball .
How long you going for ?

 

[rinehart0050]

Great report. Looking forward to the rest!

 

[dory]

Sunday is a day off from hunting at Ongariwanda , so a sleep in was in order , yea right .
Up at 5 fire lit and kettle on . Who wants to spend a sunrise in bed when you are in Africa ! Pissed the wife off when I woke her up at 6 and handed her a cop of tea .? Couldn't understand her really , if I done that at home she would think I was after something !
Spent the day stripping the rifle . Managed to get the mag working okay , somehow the internal steel box had slipped causing the ammo to stick . The misfires and tight head space would have be fixed at home . Back to the range , definatlly going better .
We both ate to much and drank to much today , but hay , we are on holiday . Bring on monday !!