Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Dark Continent => Topic started by: Siewho on October 02, 2009, 08:08:00 AM
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Hi All, As a way of introduction I wish to share some pics of my recent hunting trip to Namibia. I was fortunate to have taken 4 species using my homebrewed take down long bow. All were one arrow kill. Two were complete pass through. The owners of Agagia game farm are extremely helpful and I have nothing but full of praise for them. Hope you enjoy the pics.
They are Oryx, Warthog, Oryx with the youngest PH & trackers, Blue Wilderbeast,and Black Wilderbeast. Cheers.
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0099-1.jpg)
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0088-royx-min.jpg)
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0274-1.jpg)
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0115-1.jpg)
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0237-1.jpg)
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0186-1.jpg)
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Welcome to the site Siewho
looks like you had a great trip mate, congrats on some fine animals :clapper:
how about some specs on that bow of yours
cheers Andy
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Congrats! Looks like you had a terrific time.
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Great pictures, What was your setup?
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Great pictures! Congrats on a successful hunt!!!
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Hi All, Thanks for kind words. The bow was built from West Australian Jarrah & Tasmanian Blackwood. Limbs were Myrtle and bamboo wedge. 57# @ 28", 62"NTN. Arrows: GT 7595 650gns (200gns single bevel two blade BH and weight inserts). Built this bow 3 months ago specifically for the trip. The game farm owner Tielman a compound shooter was very impressed with the effectiveness of Trad bow. He is now the pround owner of this bow!! Guess I have a good reason to build myself another. Cheers.
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Very nice animals! Thanks for sharing and welcome to Tradgang! ;) :thumbsup:
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Again, well-done, Siewho!
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Thanks Nigel & Ben. Always a pleasure to be in the company of like minds! Happy Bowhunting.
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Congrats!
Bisch
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Thanks Bisch. Just yearning to return there soon!
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Very nice pictures and beautiful animals. I recently also had the pleasure of hunting Namibia and I believe that it gives bowhunters a great experience that is affordable, safe, reliable and achievable. Clearly you had a great time. How about some more details about the operation there such as: was hunting out of ground or elevated blinds, what other animals did you get to see etc.
Steve
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well done congrats
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Thanks Steve. You have just summed up pretty much about Namibia bowhunting. It is simply magic. On this occasion I hunted below ground blinds. Shooting at chest level and narrow gaps certainly possess another set of challeges - at least for me anyway. Other options include tree stands and walk & stalk if one chooses. There were other game species like Zebra, Red Hartebeeest, Eland, Kudu, Water Buck, Sabre, Steinbuck, Oryx, Black & blue Wildebeest, warthog etc. The folks at Agagia bowhunting Lodge are excellent host. We get to sample everything that we shot. Their home cooking, services and accomodation are simply 5 stars! I even get to putting together a DVD for them! Hope it will come out OK. Will try to post more pics of other games shot with my camera. Their web: http://www.agagia.com/hunt.htm if anyone is interested. Which one did you go with Steve? What about some pics and specs of your bow etc?
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More Pics
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0513-1.jpg) Red Hartebeest
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0379-1.jpg) Waterbuck
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0065-1.jpg) Warthog
(http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy210/Siewho_2009/Agagia-Namibia/DSC_0296-1.jpg) Kudu Bull
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Thanks Buff. Before my trip I actually watched all of your videos you have so kindly posted on the web. I have thoroughly enjoyed your videos! Cheers.
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That website didn't take me to where I wanted to go. Is it correct?
I went to Makalaan near Groenfontein in the north east. I shot a Wes Wallace longbow 62" 57# with cedars and 2 blade Magnus. Actually, I have put a very long and wordy version of the trip on Bowsite. I would repeat a little here but it was exhausting the first time, getting pictures up here is a little more complicated. give it a look then come back and we can talk
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I didn't mean that rudely. Sorry if it came out like that. Please give it a read and then we can exchange experiences if you would like.
Steve
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http://www.agagia.com/hunt.htm
I am sorry Steve and anyone who tried the link. I have now corrected with right link. I will read your post than get back to you.
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Just read your story Steve. Very impressive array of games you got there. Looks like you had a great time and nice trophies. Any plan of going back to Nam?
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Siewho,
Thanks for taking the time to read the story. I think that I got a little bit carried away, and from the looks of the limited comments it was not that interesting for most guys. A bare bones approach seems to draw more interest. I was trying to share something more than the go kill some big animals idea as that was what I wanted out of this last trip and did get it. The game there was good quality and plenty of healthy specimens. I could certainly have taken more but there are those realistic constraints from space at home, budget, and of course why not leave something for another time. This ranch did not have the smaller antelopes to speak of and no terrain for springbok which I had been interested in. I could have traveled for a day to a neighbor's place, but I was having so much fun where I was that I just passed on it. I would love to go back: what could be better than 10 days of nice weather, unpressured and succesful hunting and charming hosts with nice accomodations. Sadly, although if I was single I would have already rebooked for same time next year, I have to be fair to the family and wife and spread the time and money around a little bit. I am hoping with good luck and good health that I might go in 2011. I still have a interest in bushbuck, springbuck, and maybe going ahead and shoot that old male eland that I passed on this year. I do find black wildabest interesting although the brown don't do a thing for me. I have to admit to an unhealthy fascination with kudu and would certainly get a kick out of pursuing "the big one" even though I did take the 2 that I posted pictures of. I guess if guys can have a wall of whitetails, why not a few kudu?
Steve
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Steve, I dont really think that you have got carried away. You were excited and wanted to share your joy with fellow trad hunters. I am sure for every one that have posted their response there would have been dozens that would have read and apprecited your story and effort in posting on the web for all to enjoy. I certainly love those pics and your sequential narrations.
Very well put regarding the desire to go back to Nam and the obligations that we face. On this trip my wife came with me. We spent a total of three weeks in Nam. The first 7 days was at the ranch - me hunting, wife almost bored to tears! The second two weeks we went on a camping safari/explorer tour around Nam with a tour group. Very hard work pitching tent every evening and taking it down every morning going from place to place. I know where I would rather be! Nevetheless it was still enjoyable. Out of the 7 days of supposed hunt I really only hunted the first two days. The rest of time I was trying to capture some video for the DVD.I enjoy almost as much videoing a hunt.
Just out of curiosity you mentioned in your story that you opted against a TDLB. Was there any particular reason? Yes my next trip would be 10 days or more I hope.
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Siewho,
My (second) wife has known that I was a hunter since day one and she vowed never to say I couldn't go (although at times she gets a little testy). She absolutely refused to go as she thought that she would be bored to tears and I am sure that she would have been after the first day or so waiting all day just "hanging out". As it worked out, I have to honestly say that it was probably a better trip for me because I had absolutely nothing to worry about or feel guilty about other than the pure selfindulgence of eating, sleeping, hunting and meeting new people. I did feel that the country was safe enough and interesting enough that at some time in the future I would like to tour the more scenic areas with her and not for hunting.
I have never been a video guy , but I do love in my very amateurish manner to try to get nice still photos. The reality is that shooting from blinds immediately gives you that artificial angle and makes the picture "unnatural". In addtion, how many pictures of the same types of animals can you take before it gets a little ridiculous. I guess that you could just keep snapping away until you get the "perfect picture" given that digital photos don't cost anything more than the electricity to charge the battery.
Funny, I had forgotten all about the takedown issue. Actually the story is like this: I have takedown recurves and they were always more convenient to travel with. Before the current insanity, I can remember even carrying one onto a plane with me as hand luggage with no problem at all. Now I shoot longbows, and except for a single one that I got used and never take apart, they are all single piece bows. I have a long case which has traveled to the western US, Canada, and even Africa in 2002 without the slightest problem besides getting a little more beaten up each trip. Because of that, I never really had any incentive to buy a takedown for its "convenience". Last year however, I went up to Canada to hunt bear along with some friends from Arizona, and we ended up in this "camp" with 3 other guys. It worked out great (another story) but one had a new Wes Wallace takedown that he had put in his suitcase to travel with. He was crazy about the bow, so when I got the hots to have another bow made for the special occasion of this trip I of course thought about a Wallace takedown which I would then put in my suitcase and then not have to worry if one of my bags didn't show up: the perenial worry of all hunters doing to Africa. However, after finding out the measurements of the parts of the bow after it is taken apart, I recognized that it would not fit in my 30" bag. It might have fit in a 32" bag, but not only did that mean a new suitcase, but that technically excedes the airline current restrictions AND if my "other" bow was going to be a one piece and require a full size tube to travel in it just didn't seem to make any sense and how much extra luggage fees can one pay before it gets ridiculous. My other bow was going to have to travel in the long tube anyway so I just went with a single piece bow which of course is a little lighter, a little less expensive, and one thing less to break.
Fortunately, my bags all arrived without any problem. My host led me to believe that it is unusual for bags to not arrive, unlike flying to Johannesburg.
Oh well, a long answer to a short question.
Thank you again for reading my saga and encouraging me to believe that others might have read it too. I wanted to share the excitement of the country, the place, and remind people that it is not all just dead animals and hero pictures that make the memories.
Steve
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Thanks Steve for your comprehensive answer. Now I understand your rationale for not picking the TDLB. I thought your reason may be "technical"! Like you I had to take the broken down length of my 62" TDLB into consideration and made specifically this bow for the trip. It fitted nicely into my 28" suitcase. Now that this bow no longer in my possesion I am actually halfway making another almost identical bow except shorter (60" NTN) and a bit more grunt (70 #). Well it was not intentional. If I had not made the blunder of cutting it an inch too short (over confident and not double checking -Silly me!) it would have been 62" NTN and around 60#. Not finish yet but was able to have a few quick shots today. Very fast and quiet. Not sure if my elbows will like it though! I am going to gently ease into it and see.
Again Thanks for sharing your stories on here and at Bowsite. I absolutely agree it is not just killing shot after shot but the whole adventure of being there and be one with our surrounding.
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One last comment for anyone reading this. Much to my amazement and hours of trying to get my bag weights under the limits, I ended up with NO extra fees. I will tell you that my carryon very much exceeded the weight limit although not size, my bow case was over in length, and my single suitcase was under going but not returning. Lufthansa and Namibia Air were VERY nice about this (as opposed to the obnoxious attitudes of the US carriers) and will certainly get my business again.
It has been great talking to you. Best of heatlh and good fortunes
Steve
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All the best Steve.
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I love all these Africa post and pics, thank you guys for taking me on your adventures.
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Great post and thanks for sharing. I can't get enough stories about trad hunting in far away places!
the chef
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Thanks fellas. Half the fun is sharing our excitement, the joy of the hunt, the wilderness and of course many a time the sinking feeling of seeing one's arrow missing the mark! I supposed it is the like mindedness that draws us to this site.
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Heading back to Agagia in Namibia this July. Will try to harvest different games and plenty of videos and pics hopefully. Building a new bow - Recurve this time for the trip. Really looking forward to great time :archer2:
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Goodluck! And definately keep us posted!
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All the best, Siewho!
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Thanks Rushlush & Ben. Sure to keep you guys posted.
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looking foward to pics mate !
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Sure do Ben! Would have love to fling an arrow or two with the boys in August...may be next time. All the best with the seminar and sambar hunt.
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Siewho,I have just seen your thread:congratulation,very nice game you have taken there.Thanks fo sharing.
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Thanks Cacciatore. Always a pleasure to share with like minded people. Cheers.