NAMIBIA: First Timer & Seasoned Vet With Kowas Adventure Safaris

[Ridgewalker]

Some fine trophies for certain! Thanks for sharing your first Africa adventure with us. It is always great to see a father passing his hunting enthusiasm on to his family! Good job K-man!

 

[Cam300]

Really enjoyed reading this. Congrats on a great trip!

 

[mcaustin]

Great report, and congrats on a great hunt! We hunted with Kowas in February and I'm pretty sure I went to the same mountainous area for my kudu and the same area for my hartebeest as well.

There was a pregnant female meerkat that was very tame and followed us around camp. She also let pet and hold her.

 

[MAdcox]

Glad you two had a great trip. Kowas is a special place.
And believe me, I feel for you keeping up with Matheus when he goes into that duckwalk. It does seem like he shifts gear when he crouches down. I am just a hair shorter than you and have a full knee replacement and we did that duck walk for 30 or 40 minutes with some Hartmann Zebra last October. But he always seems to get you on the shot.

 

[buck wild]

fabulous report thus far

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Great report, and congrats on a great hunt! We hunted with Kowas in February and I'm pretty sure I went to the same mountainous area for my kudu and the same area for my hartebeest as well.

There was a pregnant female meerkat that was very tame and followed us around camp. She also let pet and hold her.

@mcaustin
On of the cleaners where we were had a pet meerkat. They are an amazing little critter, very curious. This one love sitting on your shoulder and trying to get any insects out of your hair. Would love to have one.

 

[K-man]

Well here's a bit more to add. As discussed, I wasn't exactly looking for a duiker on this hunt. But when you see a really great one just about a hundred yards away, it's go time! Matthieu had probably already seen it, but not paying attention as it wasn't one of our target animals. When I spotted it and pointed it out, he said "Do you want a duiker?" I said, "I want THAT duiker!! " after a short stalk and a quick 75yd shot, he was mine.
One of the animals I really wanted to add on to a hunt in Namibia was a mountain or Hartmann's zebra. It is just one of those classic animals from the area. And as Mattheiu said, there's a reason they are called Mountain zebra. We spent most of the day up and down in the mountain areas looking first for kudu then after lunch began searching for Zebra. Saw several likely groups but the first one didn't have a good stallion in it. We got within 50 yards of another group but the swirling wind caught us before we could find the stallion. As the day began to wind down, we all spotted another group about a mile away on the side. We drove as far as able, then began to stalk. The mares went around the side and we followed, looking for the stallion, usually at the back of the herd. The brush was tall enough to hide an animal with just brief glimpses in small openings. We finally identified him at about 160 yards as he began to climb up to the mares. Matthieu was intently glassing and I whispered, "get me on the sticks" but I don't think he heard me. It was getting dusk, and I felt the stallion would come out on a bench on the hillside the same way the mares went. I urgently whispered, "get me on the sticks!!" So the he did. I think his reluctance was partly due to the steep hillside and the coming darkness. My son brought his rangefinder, and called out 225 yards. I thought it was a bit further, so I held 6 inches high and when he stopped to look around, I sent the Barnes. The zebra spun, and dropped within 4 yards. We scrambled to get to him and get pictures before dark. We were able to get him posed and then covered with a tarp weighed down with rocks. Matthieu was anxious to get us off the mountain before full dark. That experience was new to me as most places the animal would be gone before morning. The lack of large predators made that possible. Before we came down, we ranged the shot at 270 yards. Probably the longest shot have taken in Africa. More common here in the states to shoot 300 yards. The shot was just a couple inches back of the Sargent stripes but the exit was directly through.

 

[K-man]

I forgot to go in order - after my son got his oryx it was my turn. They decided to take one male and one female, so I was up for a female. Matthieu was his usual self, looking over probably a hundred oryx over a day and a half before spotting a worthy female. After seeing so many, I was starting to understand the difference he was seeing. We made about a half mile stalk on a good dry female. When the sticks went up, she was quartering toward me so I put the shot in front of the close shoulder. It exited behind the off shoulder and the oryx was down within a few yards.

 

[K-man]

On this property (and probably most) jackal are always on the hit list. Back home, coyotes are a favorite instant grab-the-gun and go shot, so here was no different. The first one we saw got shot offhand quickly at about 60 yards. I would have enjoyed a jackal skin, but the 180 grain Barnes nicely opened the back side. Still a fun diversion.

 

[K-man]

Steenbuck were a part of the initial package and since my son had already shot "mine" - the one I spotted the first evening- we were watching for a quality old male. The third day one was found and after a short stalk, this was in the salt. Not as old as my son's but still quality. Not that it is a competition....

 

[WMU05]

Outstanding report and trophies. Congratulations!

I'm here at Kowas now with my family on my first safari...I never want to leave!

 

[K-man]

Just a last thought or two. Kowas is a special place. The abundance of game means they actually export many animals a year to other ranches. It is a joy to enter a property and not see a fence - even a low one- for the next five days. It really is a pleasure to see your son hunt Africa for the first time. When your partner makes great shots and good decisions in the field you get a bit of pride. The renovations and new building will make the camp even more comfortable. A great place for both a first time hunter and a "seasoned" hunter. I guess that's a better term than old fart...

 

[DHH45]

Outstanding report.. My son and I hunted with Kowas a number of years back. Will always be grateful to the Strauss family for our first hunt in Africa . Nothing to equal their hospitality.

 

[Mike B.]

That steenbuck

 

[Jörg Krüger]

Wow, what a nice report. Thank you for sharing so far. Great trophies taken. Those springbuck are really awesome.

 

[mcaustin]

@mcaustin
On of the cleaners where we were had a pet meerkat. They are an amazing little critter, very curious. This one love sitting on your shoulder and trying to get any insects out of your hair. Would love to have one.

They're funny critters for sure!

 

[AZDAVE]

Nice report, glad to see you joined and posted a report. So where are you taking your dad next?

 

[K-man]

Nice report, glad to see you joined and posted a report. So where are you taking your dad next?

He will be "taking" me off the deck about 200 yards to the decoy spread for waterfowl in a couple months. He furnishes the decoys and dog and blinds. I just pull the trigger....

 

[Younggun6632]

Yes! On to waterfowl season!

I very much enjoy big game hunting, the last decade I've devoted more time to waterfowl and dog training. I participate in several hunt test organizations as well as AKC field trials with my two labs. We chase the ducks and geese come winter. Blessed to have easy access to plenty of lesser geese in the central flyway and I take it easy on dad and let him shoot a few.