Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Part 1 Namibia 2021 with Kowas Adventure Safaris

Namibia trip September 2021

Locations and Cast of Characters

Kowas Adventure Safaris both the Dordabis location and Muhungo Camp in Bwabwata national Park locales
Jacques Strauss PH and President of Kowas.
Humphrey and Peter trackers
Wayne the chef
George Fairs old guy and hunter
Various game scouts


Calgary 13:00 September 1 2021

As I sit in the Calgary International Airport 4 hours and 20 minutes prior to my departure time it seemed a little reflection was appropriate.

This trip has its genesis with my retirement and the death of my father. Both as a way to mark significant events.

The original plan for this trip was for my wife and I to travel to Namibia for about a month, a week of hunting and then 3 weeks of touring. The Covid kicked that plan to the curb. This trip was originally booked for June 2021, due to Covid travel issues it was pushed back into early September and trimmed down to a hunt only trip with only myself going.

The final decision to go forward , based upon vaccine availability and easing of travel restrictions , was made in June with a revised date of the first week of September. At least once a week there was a new obstacle to overcome. Need for Covid Insurance before I was allowed in Namibia, ever changing timing of required Covid testing, etc. resulting in over $1000 of Covid related expenses before I find myself sitting in the boarding area of YYC (Calgary International airport) facing flights to Frankfurt, Windhoek and 12 plus hour drive and then finally a week of hunting. But first the need to sort out my Eurowing seats in Frankfurt.

Frankfurt 19:40 September 2 2021

Today was a day of walking, taking naps and failing to have any success with upgrading seats with Eurowings, the issues appears to be as an airline which is only a week and a half old things are not fully sorted out. Supposedly I have a window seat with no one sitting beside me, we we’ll see how that sorts out.

All covid doc were closely looked at before we were allowed to begin boarding.


Muhungo Camp 17:00 Saturday September 4


Yesterday and today were travel days. The flight from Frankfurt to Windhoek was not as restful as the previous flight but not bad, I did get the window seat with no seat mate.

Arrived in Windhoek to a series of Covid screening, another check of documents for insurance and negative tests, a temperature screening from about 15 feet away with what looked like a fancy camera. It was the same system that was used previously with an Ebola scare. Grab your bags and another line to check documents, get the rifle from the police and find Jacques.

Off to Kowas (near Dordabis just outside of Windhoek) for the remainder of the day. We did a game drive where saw; warthog, ostrich, gemsbok, kudu, zebra, giraffe, duiker, steenbok, Lechwe and I’m sure others. In my room was a gift box with a buck folding knife with my name and Kowas engraved in the scales.

Up the next morning early so we could be on the road for 5:00. We got underway at about 5:45. It was a long drive , the early part of the drive we saw a few animals, once we got into the more settled areas it was the abundant and ubiquitous goats, cattle and people wandering the highway and its verges.

We had a rear left blow out which was rather exciting for a bit.

Once we entered the park we saw; giraffe, kudu, cape buffalo, zebra and warthog. Lion and hippo were in the dark making their presence known throughout the night. Accommodations are the semi-permanent wall tent common to hunt camps attached to a permanent washroom with shower.

The plan is to sleep in until I awake tomorrow and take the day from there.

Muhungo Camp 19:00 Sunday September 5th

The best laid plans of mice and men…. I woke up about 3:00 to the sounds of wildlife and never got fully back to sleep; hippo, buffalo, elephant, lion, and baboon were some of the beasts I heard, as well as the Impala (?) wandering around my tent.

I saw the sun come up over the Kavango River highlighting hippo, buffalo, lechwe, warthog, impala, ibis, egret, storks and tiger fish surface feeding.



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After breakfast we went for a drive to see where the buffalo are. We saw in addition to buffalo, hippo, tsessebe, impala, bushbuck, kudu, blue wildebeest, roan and reedbuck.


We sighted in the rifle (Weatherby Vanguard DGR in .375 H&H with a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10 x 42 using hand loads with 270 grain Barnes LRX and 300 grain Woodleigh Hyrdo solids) ) in the PM, despite being disassembled and reassembled it was bang on.

We once again saw this very old buffalo, Jacques figures close to 15 yers old, I’m sure he will figure in our future plans.

We saw several hundred buffalo in the early evening. Plans have changed slightly, two “own use” tags have become available with the meat from the buffalo being dedicated to creating
protein packs” to give to farmers adjoining the park who have suffered losses to due elephants and other animals leaving park onto their lands. This gives me two buffalo for the same price as a single trophy buffalo, the downside is that I will not be able to bring the skulls and horns home with me. There may be an option for a resin casting of the skull and horns to replace the “lost” trophy”. As well the own use animals must be old bulls which are no longer considered to be trophy animals, while still having enough muscle mass to fill the need for meat. In essence I am trading trophy quality for additional experiences.


Muhungo Camp 13:35 Monday September 6th

We started off the day early, coffee and rusks at 5:30 wheels rolling at 6:00 to detour game scout.

We headed south and passed a spot where african hunting dogs had killed an impala, stomach and blood stain was all that was left. We then headed to the south border and drove looking for evidence of where we should begin our second walk about. On a broad low relief creek bed we saw a solitary buffalo bull with a bad rear leg, upon further examination snare wire around his neck was noted. A phone call was made to the park office by the game scout to see if they wanted the animal put down, we were given the go ahead, but to end the animals suffering and reduce the risk to people in the park.

We observed where the bull moved to, drove across the creek bed and parked where wind was in our favour.

We headed into the bush single file; Humphrey the tracker, Jacques the PH, myself, Peter the tracker, and Albert the game scout. Humphrey very quickly spotted the bull, however Albert had broken ranks and was far off to the side almost as far forward as Jaques and spooked the buffalo.

He ran off and joined a herd of about 300 buffalo. We tracked, sneaked and peaked and twice more bumped the herd. They did not have good idea what we were as they did not go far. The tracking and sneak and peak continued.

We again located the herd and after considerable glassing Jacques and Humphrey were able to confirm the location of the bull with the snare wire around his neck. Forty yards of hands and knees crawling got us to the last piece of available cover, which had us 101 yards away from the buffalo who was bedded in front of a tree.

The sticks were set up for seating shooting and we waited for the all to stand up. In not too long a period of time he stood up facing directly towards us, Jacques advised waiting until turned, Jacques predicted a turn to the right. After a minute or so he turned to the right and took a step becoming fully broadside. I shot him just above the “elbow” in the lower rear portion of the “vital triangle”, Jaques estimated a heart shot. When I came out of recoil he had moved a few steps forward and stopped, I had a steep quartering away shot but could see both front legs, Jacques advised not shooting as the shot had looked perfect and he was badly hurt. In a few tens of seconds he fell down, I kept him in the crosshairs but only had the near hip as a target, he then stood up, I was advised not to shoot, the bull fell down, rolled onto his side and kicked twice out to the side. No death bellow was heard.



We gave him a few minutes and and went to inspect him, fully dead of course. The wire around his neck was just starting to create a wound, however the wire around the leg had created a truly ugly wound and if it was not already septic and or gangrenous it very soon would be. Due to his condition the game scout determined that the meat was not suitable for consumption and the buffalo was left for the scavengers to feast upon. Jaques estimated the bull at 12 plus years.



The 270 grain Barnes LRX from my .375 H&H had completely penetrated the chest of the bull and stopped against the hide on the far side.



Back to camp for lunch and then off in the afternoon looking to fill the two buffalo tags I have in hand.

Congrats. Nice bull. I would consider it a "trophy".