Namibia bound!!!!

[Uncle Sauce]

Congrats and good luck! Sounds like a great hunt!

 

[meigsbucks]

Sounds like a great time. I enjoyed Namibia in ‘18.

 

[Carrie]

@gizmo!!!!! Soooooo excited!!!!!!!

 

[Velo Dog]

Hello Erik,

Thank you for booking with Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris.
You are going to have a huge time.

Regarding Kudu, do not worry about the past drought or the rabies outbreak.
Since The Khomas Hochland Highlands is not technically a desert, it did not suffer anywhere near as much as many other parts of Namibia did, particularly the low lying parts of the country.
It is a Mountain Bushveld Eco System.
It is covered with grass and scattered trees.
We have large ponds that hold water year around.
Likewise, the last time I asked Philip about the rabies / kudu situation, he said it had not been found on or near his place.
I presume this is at least in part due to the fact that his land is not holding kudu in a tight spot via a game fence and neither is there a small plot game fenced kudu population anywhere nearby.
Nothing wrong with high game fences.
But when they are encircling too small of a space, that holds a large amount of animals, disease sometimes wreaks havoc.

The other side of this coin is that because of the truly wild kudu up there, you will likely have to put a lot more kilometers on the hunting buggy and on your hunting shoes, than you usually would in a high fenced game farm, to locate a good bull.
However spread out they may be, the kudu are there and I am betting that you will get a good one.
No doubt you will notice some geographical similarities to the “Texas Hill Country”.
One more factor in your favor is that, this Covid thing has resulted in very sparse hunting pressure up there.

I am with others here who rate the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra very high up on the list of African game species.
I am also curious what you will have to say about their status in regards to flavor and texture of the meat.
Yours truly finds this particular sub species of zebra comparable in flavor to N. American elk.
It’s perhaps even milder if that is even possible, as IMO elk is tip top table fare for sure.
Likewise, I found Mountain Zebra slightly more tender than the elk I have enjoyed many times.

Well anyway, congratulations on your booking.
I am already looking forward to reading your report as you are one of the most gifted writers in AH here.
Take a million pictures.

Kind Regards,
Paul.

 

[Northland]

Gizmo, you will have a great hunt at Philips place! I've been there twice and I really liked the people and the place a lot, the highlands is great! I got the trophies from the safari in 2019 a couple of weeks ago and they are up on the walls. Regards from northern Sweden.

 

[Northland]

....regarding big Kudus, I got a 57" in the Khomas highlands at Philips place in 2018 and I also had a fantastic hunt on Hartmann zebra that safari, could be the best hunt ever, we followed, walked up and down in valleys and runned and tracked and more up and down and finally I got a good chance and took it. I attach a picture of the Kudu trophy in my trophy room. I'm really longing to be back in Khomas highlands!

 

[Royal27]

Enjoy Botswana!

 

[gizmo]

It always feels good to get a hunt booked. Congratulations!

True that, with the last RSA cancellation due to covid it has literally about killed me. Namibia is open and we are Africa bound!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gizmo]

Hello Erik,

Thank you for booking with Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris.
You are going to have a huge time.

Regarding Kudu, do not worry about the past drought or the rabies outbreak.
Since The Khomas Hochland Highlands is not technically a desert, it did not suffer anywhere near as much as many other parts of Namibia did, particularly the low lying parts of the country.
It is a Mountain Bushveld Eco System.
It is covered with grass and scattered trees.
We have large ponds that hold water year around.
Likewise, the last time I asked Philip about the rabies / kudu situation, he said it had not been found on or near his place.
I presume this is at least in part due to the fact that his land is not holding kudu in a tight spot via a game fence and neither is there a small plot game fenced kudu population anywhere nearby.
Nothing wrong with high game fences.
But when they are encircling too small of a space, that holds a large amount of animals, disease sometimes wreaks havoc.

The other side of this coin is that because of the truly wild kudu up there, you will likely have to put a lot more kilometers on the hunting buggy and on your hunting shoes, than you usually would in a high fenced game farm, to locate a good bull.
However spread out they may be, the kudu are there and I am betting that you will get a good one.
No doubt you will notice some geographical similarities to the “Texas Hill Country”.
One more factor in your favor is that, this Covid thing has resulted in very sparse hunting pressure up there.

I am with others here who rate the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra very high up on the list of African game species.
I am also curious what you will have to say about their status in regards to flavor and texture of the meat.
Yours truly finds this particular sub species of zebra comparable in flavor to N. American elk.
It’s perhaps even milder if that is even possible, as IMO elk is tip top table fare for sure.
Likewise, I found Mountain Zebra slightly more tender than the elk I have enjoyed many times.

Well anyway, congratulations on your booking.
I am already looking forward to reading your report as you are one of the most gifted writers in AH here.
Take a million pictures.

Kind Regards,
Paul.

First and foremost I owe you an apology Paul, I did not realize that you were Philip's rep. Had I realized it I would have visited with you beforehand. I actually didn't know about that until today when I was talking to Bob and he pointed it out to me.
Thank you for the information and I do very much appreciate it. As always you are welcome to PM or call me anytime. I would love to visit with you in more detail.

 

[gizmo]

Enjoy Botswana!

 

[chashardy]

Congratulations Gizmo! My first African hunt was in Namibia when it was still called Southwest Africa in 1987. I hunted two different game ranches--one north of Windhoek and one south. Hartmann's Zebra was the most fun hunt I had, along with a nice kudu, gemsbok and western hartebeest. Have fun!

 

[ArmyAV8tor]

Congrats Gizmo. I'll be right behind you. Booked with Qatar for MAY 31. Eland is top of my list along with a springbok, duiker, baboon and warthog. I will be hunting with Ritter Safaris, 3 hrs northeast of Windhoek. Taking my mother along to show her the Caprivi / Vic Falls. Good luck!

 

[Ragman]

I totally get what you’re saying about the ‘beests. Out of the 15 African plains game I’ve taken, my blue wildebeest and red hartebeest are in my top five favourites. They are just so cool and fun to hunt. I just need a black one now!

 

[fish hunter]

I’m so jealous! You are going to have a great time. Zebra is an absolute and by my opinion the best on the brai! Your in good hands and will have the hunt of a lifetime. All the best and look forward to pictures and a report.

 

[gizmo]

Zebra is no doubt the best eating animal out there. I’m 100% with y’all on that.

 

[Philip Glass]

Ethiopian Air

Route? Look forward to the report. Have fun!

 

[Philip Glass]

I'm a zebra nut and went to Namibia twice for a Hartmanns. Iconic animal and only found in Namibia. Common knowledge, there are two sub-species of the Mt Zebra, the Hartmanns Mt. Zebra and the Cape Mt. Zebra.
I have my Hartmanns and will head to SA one day for the Cape.
If you're in Namibia, a Hartmanns is a unique animal to take. They do have some great Eland and Kudu, although the Kudu have suffered due to the drought and rabies, so a big bull may be a little more difficult to find.

We may never get USFWS to allow import of the Cape Mountain Zebra. If this election goes our way, maybe.

 

[AZDAVE]

Erik so very happy for you guys you will have a blast. Look forward to your hunt report. We will be in Namibia in August so your report will be additional motivation.

 

[Velo Dog]

First and foremost I owe you an apology Paul, I did not realize that you were Philip's rep. Had I realized it I would have visited with you beforehand. I actually didn't know about that until today when I was talking to Bob and he pointed it out to me.
Thank you for the information and I do very much appreciate it. As always you are welcome to PM or call me anytime. I would love to visit with you in more detail.

No apology required Erik,
But thank you for the kind thought anyway.
Yeah, if using a smart phone and / or some other portable gadgets these days, the Khomas Safaris advertisement at the bottom of my posts doesn’t show, unless you turn the screen sideways.
This proves once more that computers really do dislike me personally LoL.
Anyway, I will PM you within the next few days.
This weekend is dodgy with company inbound and other entanglements.
But I’ll reach out no later than Monday or Tuesday.
Cheers,
Paul.

 

[gizmo]

Route? Look forward to the report. Have fun!

DFW to Dulles to Windhoek