Stalking tips

[Idahoeyes]

I will be going to Africa for my first "once in a lifetime hunt" in June.  I plan on spending up to 40% of my time stalking.  Having read everything there is on bowhunting in Africa I have learned that stalking is, well, "challenging", to say the least.  So...I would appreciate any stalking tips from anyone who has shot an animal in Africa in this way.  Oh, I will be going to Namibia, if that helps (hurts??).

[dirtyleg]

when in june are you going and where in idaho are you from? i am going to melorani june 11 and moved to south texas from soda springs in 2002. i am elk nut and hope to also stalk kudu during the rut.....tom

[Idahoeyes]

I am going to Namibia, leaving Boise on June 25.  My hunt is for July 1 - 10.

[8th Dwarf]

Here's what I have found on stalking.  First, I wait until there is a windy day.  The game is really nervous when there is wind and the water hole blinds are no where as productive as a no-wind day.  The advantage to stalking in the wind is that the bushes are moving and you are less likely to be seen as you move slowly along.

I would rarely stalk without a tracker.  If you are going to Ha Nore, you will have real Bushmen as guides and their stalking skills are unreal.  Your "tracker" will lead and help you spot game that you would probably not see.  Then you stalk in....

Trust your tracker.  They are phenominal!

Too Short

[Don Thomas]

Be up front with your PH about what you want to do. You have to have the right terrain, and he'll be doing some thinking about where that might be. While a lot of Nambia is very open and difficult, there's plenty of suitable stalking terrain along riverbeds and in the hills, depending on where you are. If you are hunting Ha Nore, enjoy the Bushmen and try to get inside their heads... its an amazing experience. But remember that they approach the problem very differently than we do. They will be focused on the ground, and you may well see game at a distance before they do. (It won't be what they are tracking though.) Use your ears. Lots of African game animals including kudu, eland and bush pig, to name a few, make quite a bit of noise as they feed, and in thicker cover you can often pick them up that way. Remember that the game density there is so high, you'll have a lot of encounters, so don't get discouraged. Have fun. Don

[dirtyleg]

thanks for the tips don...tom