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Our Kalahari Hunt
by Dennis Duncan
(Phoenix ,Arizona,USA)
We left the Transvaal (South Africa) for a more exciting hunt in this south-eastern part of Namibia. Driving many hours, we were like a bunch of excited children going on a holiday and the time went quickly.
We passed through the Mata-Mata border gate as it opened that morning, entering SWA (Namibia) in our VW Caravelle and trailer.
There were four of us, George, Dennis, Dennis and David.
We arrived at the farm to a very friendly reception by the owner and his wife and were eventually introduced and escorted by our two guides. I felt a little apprehensive as our guides seemed quite young, but decided it was no problem as they had grown up in the area and were familiar and accustomed to it.
Our camp consisted of a lapa area and cottage type tents.
We set up, checked our weapons etc and were collected to do our final sight-in shots at a few hundred yards. We returned to camp and left that afternoon to do some hunting.
I may add that some of the finest springbok were shot at random out of the herd, giving me two out of two springbok going well into Roland Ward. I was pleased with my results so far, and didn't let onto our two young white guides as to the extent of hunting which I had done in the past.
My companions all fared pretty well and we all returned to camp and at sunset started drinking a few OB's around the fire.
The trackers who had just finished skinning came over and started to chat and we learn't that a few Kalahari male lions had left the adjacent Kalahari Gemsbok Park (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park nowadays) and were captured on the Ranch just a day before we arrived.
We all were in awe and decided to have an extra bit of fun.
Our two young "Great Hunter Guides" were staying in a tent not far behind us. We reversed our VW Caravelle so as the rear was facing their camp's direction and opened all doors and windows including the rear. We let the dust settle and watched them from the dark for a while.
The only solid structure was an outhouse close to their tent. They had a little fire going and were cooking something on it, sitting next to it on their haunches.
We had hold of the tape "Calls of the Wild" or something named similar which starts with a male lion sequence of roars which we inserted and pushed the play button with this huge sound system's volume turned up high.
We had quietly gathered around in the dark watching them as the vehicle's tape player started the Roar and then silence.
These young guys ears picked up and one said to the other, "@#%*,.. Flip het jy dit gehoor?" ( @#%*, Flip did you hear that? ) and then suddenly another roar boomed out and that was enough!
The guys charged for the only solid structure which was the toilet and they ended up in a struggle, both trying to get into the door at once.
We couldn't contain ourselves with laughter and all of us (including the trackers) ended up rolling around in the sand with laughter.
They obviously then knew it was a joke, these two guys with all that pride and attitude earlier that day... and now they sheepishly came to investigate and we all ended up laughing it off.
We went out the next morning, took a few nice Gemsbok and had the best hunt of our lives. There may be a few stories passing around about this, but this is the original.
I have since left my country and long for these special times.
Nothing compares to Africa. I have hunted and guided on both continents and fished Alaska but dearly miss home and moments like this every day. Hope I win !
Groete (Greetings)
Den
Phoenix, AZ (USA)
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Did you know? Pangolins have poor sight and do not have any external ears, although their hearing is very good. Their sense of scent is well developed and they locate ants nests by smell. |
Uitspan Hunting Safaris is registered with the Namibia Tourism Board as a Tour and Safari Operator, holding the registration number TSO01055.
Meaning of "Uitspan"
'Uitspan' is an Afrikaans word that means place of rest.
When the Boer settlers moved inland in Southern Africa in the 1800's, they used ox carts. When they found a spot with game, water and green grass, they arranged their ox carts into a circular laager for protection against wild animals and stopped for a rest.
They referred to such an action of relaxation for man and beast, as Uitspan.
(Picture above of our ancestors.)
Did you know? Greater Southern Kudus are famous for their ability to jump high fences. A 2 m (6.56 ft) fence is easily jumped while a 3 m (9.84 ft) high fence is jumped spontaneously. These strong jumpers are known to jump up to 3.5 m (11.48 ft) under stress. |
to read about my experience...
Did you know? Some animals have one sense more than man!The flehmen response is a particular type of curling of the upper lip in ungulates, felids and many other mammals. This action facilitates the transfer of pheromones and other scents into the vomeronasal organ, also called the Jacobson's Organ.This behavior allows animals to detect scents (for example from urine) of other members of their species or clues to the presence of prey. Flehming allows the animals to determine several factors, including the presence or absence of estrus, the physiological state of the animal, and how long ago the animal passed by. This particular response is recognizable in males when smelling the urine of a females in heat. |