My wife and I just returned from a great trip with Jamy Traut Safaris in Namibia. We flew from Atlanta to Frankfurt on Delta and Frankfurt to Windhoek via Air Namibia. The first priority in Frankfurt was to shower. We booked a day room at the Sheraton on our first trip. We used the showers in the Crown Room on our second trip. We found a cheaper alternative on this trip. Terminal 2 has public showers in the gate area (6 euros or $8). The layover in Frankfurt is lengthy, so we decided to catch the train and visit Rudesheim on the Rhine River. We hit the showers again after our day trip, and boarded Air Namibia for the long flight in.

The flights were uneventful and all of our bags arrived in good order (except for a spare Zeiss Conquest scope with loose internal lenses). The Air Namibia flight lands at 0500 and we were out the door a little after 0600. We arrived at Jamy's Panorama Ranch after a pleasant 1.5 hour drive. We dropped off the bags in our tent, ate lunch, and sighted the rifle in.

Days 2 through 4 were spent looking for a mature eland bull on the main ranch and on another ranch about 60 miles North. The ranches have a variety of terrain including grasslands, red sand dunes and hills. I killed a springbuck and a gemsbuck for camp meat while we were looking for my eland. Spot and stalk was the hunting technique of choice.

We made a new plan and headed north to Mylpaal Game Reserve near Grootfontein. Dawn, Jamy, his wife Rentia, son Nicky, and I made the 7 hour drive to the new location. Mylpaal is owned by Jamy's friends Tobie and Lizelle Englebrech. The main lodge is very nice and has several varieties of citrus growing in the yard. The Englebrechts are excellent hosts and serve delicious meals. The hunting can be very challenging due to thick blocks of thornbush. The reserve also has some year round natural water holes.

The dense brush mandated a tracking style of hunt. Tobie and Jamy sent me out with PH Emile Kirscher and local trackers. We cruised roads until fresh tracks were spotted and then began the long trek. We saw eland several times, but only after they spotted or smelled us first. Long walks were followed by crashing brush and thundering hooves. Days 5 and 6 followed this pattern. We ended day 6 by dragging the roads to prepare a fresh canvas for tracks.

Day 7 began with a 0500 wake up. We began searching for tracks at first light. We spotted fresh spoor after about 15 minutes and the hunt was on. We were within 50 yards of 4 mature bulls on three occasions, but they spotted us first each time. Tobie and Jamy made a new plan. Three trackers entered a very thick block while Emile and I waited in an clearing at the opposite end of the area.

We had waited for about 20 minutes when we heard what sounded like a rapidly approaching freight train. Our eland were on the way! We determined that the eland were going to enter the field several hundred yards south of our position. Emile and I sprinted for probably 250 yards and set up again. Two bulls burst into the field about 150 yards from us. Emile said to take the rear bull. I led the bull about 2 feet and touched off the Sako 375 H&H. The bull slowed a bit and Emile shouted to lead him more. I increased the lead to 4 feet and fired again. I was thrilled to see the big bull go down with the shot. I ended up placing a final finishing shot in his chest to end the fight. The 270 grain Triple Shocks performed well as usual and were not recovered.



Day 8 was spent driving back to Panorama. We returned on day 9, but managed to have a bonus hunt before we left for the airport. Dawn brought her trusty old 12 gauge Ithaca 37, so we decided to look for doves and sand grouse at a water hole. We only had about 30 minutes of shooting, but she managed to bag a few of each species.



To sum it up, we had a great time. The company, facilities, and food were outstanding. I have already began to plan my next hunt with Jamy.

Sounds like you had a great hunt, thanks for sharing. Nice eland!

Congrats.

Nice bull thanks for sharing. Always great to have a good African hunting report, no matter which country.

If anyone going to Namibia and flying into Windhoek, right across the road from the airport exit road, is a ranch, which has facilities for sleeping and a great kitchen, etc. This is owned by Volker Grellman, who'd the head of the Namibia hunters association. There may be some new development going on near the airport now, as was planned when I was there in 2009, but the gate to the farm was directly across the road from the airport exit road..so not hard to find. I'll see if I can find the name of it, as great place to stay.

Thanks tisha, I will be flying into Windhoek from Luanda on August 2nd, but don't plan on staying very long as my PH is picking my girlfriend and me up right away.
That is good information to have though, as one never knows what will happen during travel.

Very Nice eland--and good shooting. Knocking a running bull down with just two shots is outstanding. Congratulations!