Namibia II kudu and impala

With Wildebeest under our belts our plains game attentions were redirected to Impala and Kudu with SMJ Safaris in the remote Namibian interior. We had all settled in really well at Stephan Jacobs farm in the Northern territories and already made a good bond with the PH’s, Jacob van der Merwe, Douw Schoonbe and CJ Steenkamp. It’s funny whenever you go on holiday with a group of friends there always seem to be a theme that runs throughout the trip, here it was Chutney Puffs!

Douw had picked us up at Windhoek airport, we were starving so he stopped off at The Spar, yes they have Spar in Namibia and bought some puffed wheat snacks flavoured with Chutney. That was it, three packs later and we were now know as Chutney Puff hunters, I’ve been called worse.

EARLY START

I digress, I had always wanted to shoot a Kudu and Stephan’s farm is renowned for the quality of these beasts. However recent years of rabies in Namibia had really affect seriously reduced the herd. However various concessions of SMJ Safaris could sort out my long time wish. Julian Savory also wanted to shoot a trophy Impala, my favourite plains game animal so I tagged along also.

After a great evenings food over the fire pit of Wildebeest steaks, no veggies here and Windhoek beer, I slept well but woke promptly at 5.30am for a light breakfast today as there was a lot of walking involved. Jacob van der Merwe and Douw Schoonbee were are PH’s again and after our success on Wildebeest we could not wait. The mornings are really nice and cool in May, just right although our Bushman trackers were all wearing heavy coats and balaclava’s, to them it was mid winter!

We drove in Jacobs Toyota pick up deep into the interior and parked up and then dismounted and proceeded on foot; Jacob up front then me, Julian, and Douw and Joseph the bushman tracker bringing up the rear. Again thick thorn bushes impeded our way and this is when I cursed my 6ft 2 inch frame as even bent low I was still tall and I seemed to snag and lose my hat every other step, the Ph’s stalked through like ghosts, that’s what you are paying for.

FANTASTIC QUARRY

Impala are fantastic animals, smaller than most plains game; I kind of think of them as a big roe deer but are considered medium game in Namibia due to smaller duiker and Steenbuck. Aepyceros melampus, Impala are plentiful and make a superb trophy and animal to stalk as they are not easy, especially as they are found in herds and many eyes make getting close tricky.

Usually females (ewes) and their offspring are accompanied by a mature ram so to us English eyes an immature Impala ram (male) can look large until you see a big ram that is. Their horns are lyre shaped hence the genus name Aepyceros and big rams have wide and swept back well ridged horns that straighten at the tops. They are both browsing and grazing animals and due to the size of the herds encountered the mature rams usually have a short live span as its hard work fighting off other horny youngsters.

Life is a bit easier for the hunter as only rams have horns; a lot of African game species sexes both have horns which can confuse a non savvy hunter. That’s where your PH is worth their weight in gold. Both Jacob and Douw were superb , no other word for it, not only did they point out other game and flora of interest and relate history of the area you were in but in the blink of an eye a beast is spotted assessed and instantly weighted up whether it is suitable to shoot or leave for another day.

At SMJ Safari’s they are quality animals, a product of a good management by Stephan, make no bones about it you will be offered the best beast you can get close enough too and without trophy fees and one fixed rate per species you as a hunter are not worried about shooting the wrong animal.

IN CLOSE

After an hour of careful stalking and Jacob sneaking in close and then rejecting unsuitable rams we back tracked and tried a more open area from which some Impala tracks were instantly picked up. Now Julian came up front with Jacobs Ruger 300 Win Mag and I dropped back as we skirted yet another thorn bush!

The sticks were suddenly deployed and the Ruger was up and rested as a small group of Impala came to our left through the scrub. First a ewe, then another, immature ram, ewe, I could see Jacob mouthing to Julian “wait, wait” and then a lovely Trophy ram emerged through the gap and the Ruger shot in unison with Jacobs YES! A lovely beast with wide spread and good length, Julian’s first and another trophy in the bag, I love Namibia.

KUDU BOSS!

Now it was my turn, Kudu are one of those animals that captures the imagination and best symbolises Africa to me. Tragelaphus strepsicerus are big animals at 400-700lbs weight for males and 50-60 inches at the shoulder with a grey pelage and vertical white striping. ‘Grey ghosts’ is an apt name as they literally blend into the background and we had a good morning’s stalk with Jacob and Douw at Stephan’s farm but as said the rabies had made suitable animals scarce and beast’s eluded us.

Re grouping we went on the move to a neighbouring farm, owned by Stephan’s wife’s family. Bloody hot, it was now midday and 30° + in the shade but nice open vistas and some hilly topography. Douw was up top on the Toyota spotting whilst Jacob and a local tracker scanned the sands for tracks in the sand. How do they do it, it was a mish mash of hundreds of tracks from differing species but they could not only pick out a trophy bull Kudu but know how long ago and where he was going!

However, Douw spotted a herd of Kudu 600 yards off so Jacob, myself and local tracker changed track and slowly stalked up a small hill weaving between bush, scrub and taller trees, which were a welcome change due to the shade for me!

30-YARDS AND CLOSING

Jacob got us to 30 yards of the group, bloody hell he’s good. All cows, big ears like radar and Jacob explained the bull was at the back and we had to get through them, ah! They had other ideas however as the Kudu cows walked right up to us and then realising that thorn bush was a bushy Englishman legged it snorting in alarm. That’s hunting and I love it when you get that close.

Final try before dark a new area; SMJ have some land I can tell you! Here lovely lush, comparatively speaking arable fields with big blocks of woodland between and as it was the rut the Kudus bulls were with their cows and using the trees as cover during the day. We sneaked on in up a track with the wood to our left and no wind so we had to be careful. Again after 400-yards stalking the cows were up front milling around the trees, some bedded some browsing but no bulls.

Gently passing through the wood to a small track on the other side we were just about to cross to another wooded area when Jacobs’s elevated hand indicated a Bull, 180 yards in the wood. He had been there behind the cows again and sharp eyed Jacob spotted him as he flicked his big ears.

STICKS!

Up went the quad sticks but there was a lot of broken branches and small scrub in my line of sight so we eased slowly along the tracks edge for a better sight line. When rested on the sticks at a better position the Kudu bull was facing away to the left of me so a rear quartering shot. A muted muzzle report broke the silence but no meat shot sound, “reload, again” Jacob said , I duly did and due to the moderator the bull had no idea really what the disturbance was so offered a better shot broadside as he tried to ascertain the location of the noise. Whop! A hit as the Barnes Vor-Tex 180-grain bullet struck the upper leg, not my best shot! He turned and a second bullet was on its way into the vitals instinctively. Animals in Africa are big, I have learnt shoot and shoot again to make sure.

He disappeared so we ran to the top of the track and looked down the field edge, he was down but head up so Jacob said neck him to make sure so the Ruger barked again and there he was my first and beautiful Kudu bull and a life’s dream fulfilled. By the time we got to him the light was failing so the pictures were taken quickly. It had been a long long day’s hunting in some real heat and some tough, for me terrain. Balanced by really superb stalking will quality Ph’s who got you on to game all the time and succeed in getting me a trophy Kudu bull that scored a bronze medal when taken to the taxidermist, even better.

We sat down and I drunk gallons of water and of course Chutney Puffs! As we laughed and re told the tales of the day which is all part of the experience of any safari made especially good by SMJ Safari’s expert staff.

Next we hunted Red Hartebeest and then we travelled to the Kalahari after Springbok and Oryx.

CONTACT:
SMJ Safari’s
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +264811288053
Landline: +26367232678
Website: smj-safaris.com
English Agent: Charlie Harriman, 07702 886137