I have spent the last fortnight in Namibia completing a cull hunt of the sick, lame and geriatric antelope on a ranch near Grootfontein. I flew there from Heathrow with Ethiopian Airways and give a qualified endorsement for that carrier in a separate thread.
Total door-to-door travel time from Devon to Grootfontein ranch was circa 32 hours. Fairly knackering, but worth it. Namibia this time of year is pretty darn hot: daytime temps must have hovered around 40℃. By night, I slept on top of the duvet with the windows open. The rains had arrived a bit early, and so the heat was often attended by high humidity. Hot and clammy on some days.
The quarry species were all selected by the PH responsible for managing the respective animal populations. In many cases the candidates were in poor condition , broken antlered
, poor genetics 
or problem animals. [e.g. one of the Impala was constantly fighting rivals through a fence and causing damage to infrastructure] 
The format for the stalks on the 10 000 acre ranch usually followed a similar pattern:driving around on the grid of dirt roads to locate herds, study them at distance with optics, select a candidate at distance and then stalk in on foot. The stalk often required a detour to optimise wind in our favour.
I used my .375 HH fitted with 4x scope. Closest shot was 60m, longest was 247m. All shots taken off quad sticks. The eagle-eyed might spot that some shot placement appear sub-optimum. In all bar one case where the shot appears to be too far back, it was a quartering shot and the projectile either entered or exited the shoulder on the opposite side.
The environment was awesome. There were a fantastic range of vibrantly coloured birds, insects
and plants. Sunrises and sunsets that dazzled. Frogs choirs that rattled the rafters in the early evening and ardvarks that snorted into the night. The cacophany of guinea fowl that erupted at any time of day could startle. The rains had brought fresh green grass, and all animals were getting into the swing of spring. The collared doves at the water holes were working hard at making the next generation. The females barely having time to drink without amorous attention from the males.
Impala and Springbok young not seen in the first two days were suddenly present in the days following the rains. Like our domestic Roe, some African antelope use diapause to drop young at optimum time. On one stalk in knee high brush, we could see a herd of Springbok over the top of the foliage. But we did not see the crop of young till our stalk allowed a grass-free view to their position in a clearing. There sat at the feet of the herd were a myriad day-old young, their huge ears resembling a bed of flowers in tight rows. Magical.
To be continued...
Total door-to-door travel time from Devon to Grootfontein ranch was circa 32 hours. Fairly knackering, but worth it. Namibia this time of year is pretty darn hot: daytime temps must have hovered around 40℃. By night, I slept on top of the duvet with the windows open. The rains had arrived a bit early, and so the heat was often attended by high humidity. Hot and clammy on some days.
The quarry species were all selected by the PH responsible for managing the respective animal populations. In many cases the candidates were in poor condition , broken antlered
, poor genetics or problem animals. [e.g. one of the Impala was constantly fighting rivals through a fence and causing damage to infrastructure] The format for the stalks on the 10 000 acre ranch usually followed a similar pattern:driving around on the grid of dirt roads to locate herds, study them at distance with optics, select a candidate at distance and then stalk in on foot. The stalk often required a detour to optimise wind in our favour.I used my .375 HH fitted with 4x scope. Closest shot was 60m, longest was 247m. All shots taken off quad sticks. The eagle-eyed might spot that some shot placement appear sub-optimum. In all bar one case where the shot appears to be too far back, it was a quartering shot and the projectile either entered or exited the shoulder on the opposite side.
The environment was awesome. There were a fantastic range of vibrantly coloured birds, insects
and plants. Sunrises and sunsets that dazzled. Frogs choirs that rattled the rafters in the early evening and ardvarks that snorted into the night. The cacophany of guinea fowl that erupted at any time of day could startle. The rains had brought fresh green grass, and all animals were getting into the swing of spring. The collared doves at the water holes were working hard at making the next generation. The females barely having time to drink without amorous attention from the males.Impala and Springbok young not seen in the first two days were suddenly present in the days following the rains. Like our domestic Roe, some African antelope use diapause to drop young at optimum time. On one stalk in knee high brush, we could see a herd of Springbok over the top of the foliage. But we did not see the crop of young till our stalk allowed a grass-free view to their position in a clearing. There sat at the feet of the herd were a myriad day-old young, their huge ears resembling a bed of flowers in tight rows. Magical.
To be continued...
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