NAMIBIA: Kowas Adventure Safaris 2021- Finally!

[MAdcox]

Thursday, Sept 30th
This morning we headed out together again, looking for a Kudu for Bobby and maybe one for me or a Hartebeest as well. We took a lunch as we were headed over 40 miles away to the big, rough mountainous ranch that Bobby and Jacques had hunted on day two. We climbed another rocky little koppie and glassed a big, brushy valley area. We saw Oryx and Hartebeest scattered through the area but we had been there for thirty minutes or so when Jacques whispered something to Michael and he headed down off the hill to the truck and quickly back with our water and gear for a stalk. Jacques told us that they had been watching a very good Hartebeest, planning a stalk but had then spotted a big Kudu bull way out. As big Kudu are much harder to come by, that's where we headed. Again this is Bobby's hunt and story, but I have to include a part of it from my perspective that was too interesting to skip. The stalk through this broken terrain, full of other animals was long and tough but I'll leave that to Bobby. With Matheus' incredible ability to put us where we needed to be, we came to an open area an hour later and Matheus just froze. There was nothing in sight but somehow he knew we were close. No one had seen this bull for over an hour, but he knew. He had me fall out to minimize the movement. So I just laid down in the trail right where I was. He and Bobby began easing very slowly and quietly up to the next cover. Not 30 yards from me they froze and I saw Matheus set the sticks! This started the weirdest 5-10 minutes I have ever witnessed. Bobby was on the sticks and looking through the scope as Matheus made his "whope!" call I knew he used to stop an animal. But nothing happened and he did it again. Then he clapped his hands, then he yelled, then he started the "whope, whope" again. For several minutes this went on. I could not for the life of me figure out what the heck was going on. I was picturing a Kudu bull milling around the bush with Matheus trying to stop him in an opening or something. Bobby wasn't moving, Matheus wasn't shifting or re-setting the sticks. It was just weird. Then I saw Matheus ease up to whisper something to Bobby then he stood straight up and moved out to the side of Bobby. Immediately there was a shot and I raised up to my knees to see a huge Kudu bull trying to make the next cover, obviously hit hard. The bull had been bedded and refused to get up. That was the weirdest thing I had ever seen and I joked with Bobby that I though I was going to have to move up and remind him where the trigger was after watching he and Matheus for almost 5 minutes yell at this Kudu bull. Sorry Bobby for stealing some of your story.

It was hot and we were miles from camp, so we went to the ranch house and took care of Bobby's meat and hide then found a shady spot to eat our lunch and rest the hot part of the day. Elizabeth had made a sort of sandwich from a traditional frybread and filled it with the Eland goulash from the night before. It was OUTSTANDING! Jacques climbed a large mountain while we napped and read in the shade. After an hour or more of glassing he returned and said he had seen nothing but some young Oryx and Kudu cows for miles around. Around 4 we where back at another koppie overlooking the same valley from the morning from a different angle. Jacques immediately picked up the big lone Hartebeest bull from that morning. He was a long way off and angling away from us, so we took off at a hard walk to try and intercept him. After a long fast walk, we started to spot him at intervals through the trees. He was still walking steadily away but we had closed to within 250 yards. He was going behind a big, downed acacia tree and Matheus had us almost in a run to close the distance while the cover was between us. As we cleared the cover, he was not there! We eased around and spotted his horns lying under another tree in the shade. We got low and got within 100 yards and Matheus got the sticks set and I got ready for him to stand up. I didn't know he stepped back and told Bobby to film this. He then told me to be ready because Hartebeest would probably stand and face up to the noise and leave quickly. I centered right on his horns and waited. Matheus said "whope" and he stood quartering hard to me immediately. I put it right on the point of his shoulder and squeezed. He went straight over backwards and began to kick up dirt. I was pleased but should have known something was off because Matheus immediately and excitedly said "reload and move up quickly, when he gets up shoot!" I was moving and ready but never expected him to get up. But about 60 yards away he jumped up and shakily began moving away. Matheus was right there with the sticks and I fired and knocked him down for good. As we got to the spot I first knocked him down there was blood everywhere and Matheus kneeled down and picked up a big piece of bone and handed it to me. I was amazed that he had gotten up with that much shoulder bone missing when I realized it was a tooth! I didn't realize Bobby was still videoing or I would have tried to watch my language a little better as I said "I hit him in the mouth? What the...!" Matheus had known by the way he went down he wasn't hit properly. Luckily my second shot had anchored him or we might not have ever found the old guy. I had hit him right in the bridge of the nose. Bobby and Matheus thought he had moved his head in line with his shoulder just as I squeezed, and maybe he did, but I was not happy. This was a huge, old gray-faced bull and he deserved better performance from me. Luckily my follow up was good and we had a great bull. But I needed to check my rifle again, so we had a great evening after another wildly successful day and made plans for me to take the rifle back to the range tomorrow.

 

[Nyati]

Congrats, nice trophies !

Eland steak

 

[BJONES]

Man... I knew I should have gotten around and written my hunting report first! This is gonna be hard to follow...

 

[Rare Breed]

Congratulations on your first eland. They are definitely my favorite animal to hunt and eat in Africa.

Awesome animals. Co gratulations! 1+ on Eland best African animal to eat

 

[MAdcox]

Friday, Oct 1
Bobby and I headed out with Matheus in search of a Waterbuck for Bobby. We concentrated on the mountains behind camp where we had seen a lot of cows and some promising young bulls all week. We spent several hours driving and glassing without seeing much. We climbed another high spot to glass and Michael spotted something in the valley far below us. After several minutes of study we picked out a small group of Blue Wildebeest with at least a couple of bulls. This was also high on Bobby's list so we baled off the hill and went in pursuit....

After Bobby's Wildebeest hunt of the morning we headed to the rifle range for me. My shot on the Hartebeest had felt good and not been where I thought it should have been and it was making my brain itch. I am as susceptible as any one to pull a shot or just flub one, but I generally know when I've done it. That shot felt good and wasn't. My Kimber 300WSM has been my main rifle for 15 years and it just fits me. I shoot it very well and the 180gr A-Frame load I was using has been extremely accurate. Consistently grouping less than 3/4 of inch from the bench and 2-3 inch groups from sticks at 100 yards. I used the ballistic bags at Kowas' range and my groups were 3 inches plus off the bench. We checked the scope screws and everything was tight. We checked the barrel bedding with the forearm and nothing was touching. I still haven't figured it out completely, but the only two things I can figure is a copper fouling problem that just happened to become a problem in Africa, or (and I can't believe I would do this as careful as I am with my reloading) I could have loaded a 165gr load in my 180gr rounds. But whatever the voodoo, a 3-4 inch group off sand bags turns into a 6-10 group off sticks at 100-150 yards for me. With Springbok being my last definite animal, I had no confidence in my 300. Luckily my new 375 was printing 1/2" groups off the bags. So I cased the Kimber for the rest of the week and carried the new Ruger.

We headed back to the high, brushy plain where Matheus and I had valiantly fought and killed the mouse snake days before in search of Springbok. Early in the afternoon we got into a small group with an exceptional ram, but it was heavy cover and swirling winds and we couldn't get the approach. We backed out and Matheus said we'll try this group again later as they spread out to feed in more open country. We looked around some more and climbed another windmill tower and located another old ram that looked good. But Matheus was hung up on the ram from earlier and didn't want to shoot anywhere close to him. So we headed back to the area we had seen him and started a slow stalk through the edge cover hoping to pick up tracks or spot them. After a half hour or so in the heavy thorn cover, Matheus found a very small, very flimsy, 12 foot tree and climbed it like a little kid. From his perch in the top of this swaying little tree, he immediately spotted the ram and a couple of females in a clearing just ahead of us. We advanced to the edge of the heavy cover and Matheus got down near the ground and peeked around the brush. He pulled back very quickly and said "when I set the sticks you must step there and shoot quickly. He is facing straight away but looking back at us. You must shoot him behind. He is going to leave and you aren't going to get another shot." I said "Behind?? You mean in the ass?" He said "Yes, base of the tail, you aren't going to get another shot. He knows we are here." He set the sticks from behind the bush and I stepped to them and immediately saw this ram's butt and his face staring straight back at me. Bang, down at 80 yards. It might not have been the most heroic shot placement, but with the 375 it was dang sure effective! And as we approached I realized why Matheus had been so excited about this ram. I'm not trying to be a braggart, but the pictures don't do this ram justice. He is huge and ancient. His bases are so heavy and so long it is unreal. And as his horns top out and make that beautiful heart-shaped curve, they have inches of length worn off smooth on both sides. He is a fantastic old Springbok.
Upon seeing him back at camp, Danie said he had no doubt he would be the biggest of the season!

 

[MAdcox]

Saturday, Oct 2nd
Our last hunting day. It came way too soon on such a great trip. We split up today as Bobby still had three animals on his wish list and I wanted to try some more for a special Kudu. The bull in my avatar is a very special bull to me and came on my first trip to Africa. He was a 25 year dream come true for someone who had dreamed of hunting Africa and especially Kudu since I was 10. He has beautiful, heavy curls that finish into a third curl with good ivory tips. I love this bull! He has pretty tight curls and measures somewhere around 52". I had shown Jacques and Matheus many pictures of him and discussed what I was looking for. I knew they had bulls that were in the high 50s and take the magical 60 incher occasionally. They both knew I only wanted a bull that improved on what I had. And I wanted a pretty shape, regardless of inches. It would take a special bull and we only had a day. A tall order for sure.
We went back to the big valleys where we had stalked the two good bulls several nights before and went to work. We climbed the hills and bounced up the rocky roads. We glassed for hours and climbed hills until I though my legs would fall off. We definitely put the work in. And we saw Kudu, lots and lots of Kudu. We saw Waterbuck, Hartebeest, Oryx, Springbok, Black Wildebeest, Giraffe, Steenbok, and Warthog. It was a truly great day.
Around noon we had seen a ton of cows and young bulls, but nothing to go after. Then we spotted a lone bull climbing out of the valley and up the mountain ahead of us. My heart jumped in my throat, as even from a distance I could tell this bull was good. We got to a spot we could glass him and I knew a stalk was coming. This bull had heavy, wide curls and finished with long straight points above the second curl. He was beautiful. Matheus studied him for a long time. But finally he turned to me and shook his head. He said that bull is very nice, but he is very nearly the same exact size as your bull. We hunted on around the mountain and an hour later caught him coming over the other side down to us again. After watching him for another 15 or 20 minutes, I had nearly talked myself into going after him anyway. He was just beautiful. But I had swore I only wanted to take one if it improved on what I already had, so again we watched him ease off.
That afternoon we saw 12 mature Kudu bulls, including the big boy again and the two bulls we had stalked earlier in the week. But none of them were better than the big bull we had now seen and passed three times. We finished our evening and my time in Namibia without finding that "special" bull. What a perfect reason to have to go back!

 

[MAdcox]

Conclusions

Travel-
Lori and Jennifer @TRAVEL EXPRESS kept us updated every time our booked route cancelled or changed through two years of COVID. I can't imagine going anywhere out of the US without using Jennifer in the future.
We spent nearly 48 hours on a plane or in an airport! We saved considerable money traveling this route compared to overnighting in JoBerg. And the travel time was the same except we could have spent about 10 of those hours in a hotel bed in JoBerg instead of an airport or plane. It is a decision we will have to give thought to next time. But originally, our flight was supposed to be direct into Windhoek and Qatar changed it this summer and routed it through JoBerg. I will say that Qatar was the best airline I have traveled with. They checked our guns all the way through to Windhoek, avoiding SAPS, and let us know at every stop that the rifles had made it on the next leg of our trip. The planes were clean, comfortable, and the staff were very gracious.
My one hiccup was that our checked suitcases had obviously been opened when we arrived in Namibia. Nothing was moved much but we could tell. I forgot about it by the time we left and upon arrival in Dallas, found my suitcase had been ransacked and a rifle sling and several other small knick-knack items were gone. I feel I know where the blame lies and its not with Qatar, but as I didn't handle the bags between Airlink and Qatar, can't prove anything. Lesson- lockable suitcase and/or pay the $10 in JoBerg to have it wrapped tight.

Kowas Camp and the Strauss family
I don't have room on this forum to tell you all of this. By night two, Bobby said it felt like we were in hunting camp with family and old hunting buddies instead of people we had just met. We already knew Jacques and Elleni, but getting to watch baby Joshua learning to walk and looking with wonder on every animal we brought in was great for a couple of dads like us. And Danie and Ansie were the greatest people to share a camp with you could have. We just couldn't have had it any better.
Our rooms had big sliding glass doors that opened to our own little porches overlooking a waterhole 100 yards away. The waterhole stayed lit all through the night. Every time I woke up I found myself grabbing binoculars and checking out something new on the water. Our dining area was open air and overlooked the same waterhole, so we ate every evening watching Waterbuck, Impala, Zebra, and Kudu drinking. The food was out of this world. We did not have one meal that was not perfect and nothing can compare to those Eland steaks right off the fire!
The fire circle and lapa area were perfect places for snacks and drinks, reliving the days hunt, or listening to Danie tell about his experiences in Namibia- as well as watching the RSA Springboks beat the New Zealand All Blacks (my first rugby match)!
It was really just a perfect place to call home for a week.

Rifles
I thought it would be a pain in the butt to carry two rifles over there. Harder in the airports, and hard to decide what to carry any given day as we never knew what we would end up stalking and both my rifles were suited to the animals on my list. I nearly decided to leave the new 375 at home and just take a single case and my trusted 300WSM. Boy, I am glad I didn't. That rifle will probably never let me down again and I will always take it. But it sure was a good feeling when I soured on it to know I had a good rifle that I knew was hitting where I wanted it handy. Both rifles will go each time in the future.

Wildlife
Jacques and Matheus were expert at putting Bobby and I on old, big animals. I was amazed at the amount of wildlife we saw how these two kept putting us on old, past-their-prime, big bulls. We just could not have asked for better stalks, better days spent in the field, or better trophies. We had a fantastic week.
Namibia is a very special place and I cannot wait to return. Hunting over 400,000 acres of unfenced or low livestock fenced country was a real treat. We saw animals in abundance, but Danie told us he thinks they are still only at about 40% recovered from the awful droughts of 2018 and 2019. If that is the case, I can't wait to see what its like when I am there next!

 

[cpr0312]

Congrats on the hunt and thanks for sharing it with us!

 

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Congrats @MAdcox and thank you for trusting in us!

 

[MAdcox]

Congrats on the hunt and thanks for sharing it with us!

Thanks Charles. I’m looking forward to you and Michael’s reports. Tanzania is a dream of mine too.

 

[375Fox]

Nice report. Did you ever determine the issue with the groups with your rifle?

Edit: I see very clearly now you didn’t determine the cause. Hopefully your gunsmith can come up with a solution.

 

[gillettehunter]

My Kimber 300WSM has been my main rifle for 15 years and it just fits me. I shoot it very well and the 180gr A-Frame load I was using has been extremely accurate. Consistently grouping less than 3/4 of inch from the bench and 2-3 inch groups from sticks at 100 yards. I used the ballistic bags at Kowas' range and my groups were 3 inches plus off the bench. We checked the scope screws and everything was tight. We checked the barrel bedding with the forearm and nothing was touching. I still haven't figured it out completely, but the only two things I can figure is a copper fouling problem that just happened to become a problem in Africa, or (and I can't believe I would do this as careful as I am with my reloading) I could have loaded a 165gr load in my 180gr rounds. But whatever the voodoo, a 3-4 inch group off sand bags turns into a 6-10 group off sticks at 100-150 yards for me. With Springbok being my last definite animal, I had no confidence in my 300.

I would suggest that you may have a carbon ring or the copper fouling can do that in some barrels. A good cleaning and then checking with a borescope to make sure everything is out would be a good thing to try.
Congrats on your hunt. Sounds like a great time with some fine trophies. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.
Bruce

 

[MAdcox]

Nice report. Did you ever determine the issue with the groups with your rifle?

Edit: I see very clearly now you didn’t determine the cause. Hopefully your gunsmith can come up with a solution.

I am planning to load 5 rounds of my 180gr A Frame and shoot off the bench. If they are grouping at 1/2 or 3/4 inches I’ll know I screwed up my hand loads and probably loaded my info off the wrong page of my book- 165gr Barnes most likely.
If it doesn’t group then I’m going to clean the crap out of the barrel and get all the copper out.

 

[buck wild]

great report so far

 

[MAdcox]

 

[AZDAVE]

Congratz on a nice hunt and thanks for taking us along on your adventure.

 

[Jeffrey Masters]

Wow, Congratulations on a great hunt. Namibia looks just as good as you said it was, and the hunting sounds incredible. Kowas is on my list for my next hunt. What a great bull Eland! Love the coloring and mop.

 

[flatwater bill]

Love that Hartebeest...............................nice report...................'grats and thanks for posting.....FWB

 

[MAdcox]

Wow, Congratulations on a great hunt. Namibia looks just as good as you said it was, and the hunting sounds incredible. Kowas is on my list for my next hunt. What a great bull Eland! Love the coloring and mop.

Thanks Jeff, you can't go wrong with Kowas and your wife would love it. Namibia is very nice.
That Eland was a great hunt and what an awesome animal. Working around that herd, watching those huge blue bulls mill around through those cows was incredible. And hands down the best eating of any animal I've taken. But you already know that from your huge bull!

 

[VertigoBE]

Thanks a lot for sharing and congratulations on a great hunt!