FARM GARIB So. 23º08.085’ E 17º37.938’ elevation 4,817
We were up at 7 a.m. Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the euro-usual of 5 pound bread, white bread, jams, scrambled eggs, lunch meats, cheeses, bananas, and coffee. I ate up. It is always really good food at Farm Garib. We loaded up in the various vehicles to go to the shooting range and check our rifles zero. My rifle was a bit off to the right, two clicks left and then a sub M.O.A, group so I am good to go. Dax shot well and moved his scope down a touch. Bounty Hunter 6 did not have to move his scope at all. Dax and I cut cards to see who was going to shoot first. I drew a 10 and he drew a 5 so I was first up.
We saw several oryx but couldn’t get a close enough stalk to get a shot. The wind seemed to swirl a lot and we just couldn’t get a clear shot. We went on three different stalks without results. About 1:00 p.m. as we worked our way back to the farm house on back roads and trails we spotted a bat-eared fox that was sick. He was hanging around the water trough, but would not drink. Sigi though he had rabies. Sigi was getting out a tire iron to go end the fox’s misery when I offered to shoot it. Sigi said OK if you want. I shot it with the .338 Win. Mag. at 50 yards and it was real dead -- quick. First animal taken on the trip a rabid bat-eared fox.
On the last of our journey to the farm house we spotted a lone oryx bull. He was on a side hill about 232 meters away. He could see us but didn’t think we were a threat. He was quartering away from us and I asked Sigi if I should shoot him? Sigi replied but I can’t remember what he said as I was already taking up the slack on my 2.5 pound trigger off my bi-pod resting on the roof of the truck. The boom went off and the oryx slumped. He was hit hard and staggered around the rise of the hill and laid down. Dax and I walked over to check things out and the oryx was laying there with blood coming out of his mouth and nose. I took careful aim at 50 yards and shot him again in the head. Now it was official -- oryx down. He is a good trophy. We took some photos and loaded the oryx into the back of the truck with the help of William our tracker.
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| So. 23º93.351’ E 17º36.307’ elevation 4,912 |
Back to the Farm Garib main house for lunch. The food is awesome here. We have oryx sirloin tips in gravy over pasta noodles, home made breads, cheeses, green beans, and tossed salad. Dessert was various fruits and melons cut up and served with a pour over vanilla custard. The food here is always very delicious and wholesome. Nap time follows and I am ready.
Back to the main house patio to make a plan of attack for the afternoon hunt. My GPS had not been working but I got it going for future use. I am having trouble hooking on to the internet with my phone at Farm Garib.
Dax, Sigi, William and I go out trying to find something for Dax to hunt. We tried a couple of stalks but were busted by the wind. {The animals have a sense of smell maybe 60 times greater than us humans.} I would travel with the group then stay back as we approached game so I would not make noise nor create additional scent. No luck for us. We drove on deeper in to the farm and we saw springbok, red hartebeest, meerkats, steenbok, cow kudu with calves, and a few oryx. We traveled over to the Valley of Death where Dax and Sigi made a stalk up the hill to the top for outlook over the entire valley. William and I stayed back from the summit of the hill waiting for the shot and then we would join the others. 30 minutes of waiting and no shot so I eased my way up to within 15 yards of the hunter and P.H. They were watching some 10-12 oryx cross through the Valley of Death. Dax was after a meat oryx {non-trophy}. Dax and Sigi watched as two oryx worked their way across the bottom of the valley. I lazered the oryx at 348 yards, a do-able shot. No shot. The oryx fed closer still and I lazered them at 300 yards and even better shot, I just knew Dax would shoot. No shot. When the meat oryx were at 213 yards Dax fired a single round and took one of the two oryx down. William and Dax walked down the hill face to the downed oryx. I went with Sigi to the truck and drove around the foot of the hill to within loading distance of the meat oryx. The sun was just going down. I was proud of my boy. He is a better hunter than me. We took some photos and loaded the animal into the truck for transport to processing. It was about 2 years old and an excellent meat animal. We drove back to the farm house.
Jule, Sigi’s wife and daughter of Hans Peter and Frauke, and her boys Janne and Xander came to dinner tonight with all the hunters and the guides. So nice to see Jule. Dinner was the usual German fare -- cold cuts, cheeses, good bread, tuna salad, and a few grapes. It was nice.
After the meal, I gave the boys the T-shirts I brought for them. Janne got the Ninja Turtle one and Xander received the robot critters one. They both like the shirts a lot. Janne put his on immediately over his other clothes. He wore it for several days thereafter. I gave Jule the Native American necklace I had brought her. It is made with silver and turquoise. She thanked me but doesn’t seem to be the ‘jewelry’ type girl. I gave Sigi a stainless steel thermos bottle shaped into the image of a 12 gauge shot shell. I don’t think he was impressed. He thanked me. We sat around a fire just off the patio after dinner and talked to each other.
I got to know the other P.H.s some. Jorn is a German guy who has been in Namibia for 40 years. He is about 55 years old and single. He was married once but his wife took him to the cleaners in a divorce so he is a dedicated bachelor now. He and Sigi go way back as pals. Jorn was in the Namibian army and was an infantry Lieutenant for about 8 years. Ben, the P.H., is about 38 years old and has a farm to run but loves hunting. He is a P.H. and very kind and tries to help out all the time. Ben always does more than his share of any task at hand. He impresses me.
Real hot today maybe 85º+ couldn’t seem to get enough water. Pealed off a layer at 11:30 a.m. then some better. I wish I would have brought some gator-aide powder. Next time. Overall a 7 out of 10 day. Back at my room I had a shower and wrote this down. I will sleep well tonight.
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