Having started our trip in a hugely positive manner at Bergzicht Game Lodge in Namibia, will our luck hold and what is in store on the next few days of conservation hunting? Read on to find out…
Day 4
Whilst you would normally have the whole of Bergzicht to yourself (no matter the size of the group, it is always exclusively yours), the team asked if I wouldn’t mind if they had some family friends to stay, en route back from the coast and if I would like to join them on a meat hunt to see how the locals hunt.
Initially, we decided to climb the big hill (or small mountain according to my legs by the time I got to the top) to check out the sunrise and fly our drone out to see what was on the other side. What became apparent was that across the boundary, where the land was used for cattle, the wildlife density was practically zero. Compared to the thriving ecosystem managed for hunting at Bergzicht, plus one that still produced a huge amount of meat, and I knew which I favoured.
After a morning acting as a spotter with Obed and learning more about his role at Bergzicht and with the truck full of good eating animals (young poor males or females that were past breeding), we headed back to the butchery to drop them off to be prepared for the meat packs their friends would be taking with them to stock up.
After a coffee, we grabbed our gear and set off to the furthest end of the hunting area to see if we could locate an Impala ram, one of the most iconic African animals and a must for any first timer. We were joined by Markus, one of the youngest trackers on the team who was enthusiastic at the chance to put his skills to test. I asked Steph what training the trackers have, to be told that it is inherent as their tribe keeps many goats and cows and they have to be able to locate them and guide them from a young age, thus building up their tracking skills naturally. Once they show aptitude, they are given the chance to go out with a more experienced tracker to learn from them (such as Franz or Obed) before they are signed off to go out on their own. Markus proudly told me that one day he hoped to take Obed’s place as head tracker and that we would find many good animals today!
That day we did indeed see even more animals than normal, from Golden Wildebeest to Red Hartebeest, Duiker and Zebra. It appeared that every species was spotted during our drive. A particular highlight was spotting a group of giraffes who allowed us to get very close and watch them for half an hour, despite having young with them. Having got some great photographs, we left them in peace and continued past a small village and out to a flatter area where many of the Impala resided.
It did not take long to start spotting animals, first being a group of magnificent Sable including one bull that Steph proudly told me was the biggest in Namibia. He is their prime breeding bull and has many years of service ahead before he will come under threat!
After some time watching and photographing the incredible variety of game we were now seeing, a group of Impala were spotted and we discussed a plan of action to loop around them into more favourable wind, then approach them from the rear through a group of trees, hoping that they wouldn’t have moved in the meantime.
Luckily, we soon spotted them again, not too far from where we had seen them from the other side, slowly feeding across in between a group of trees. After glassing them for some time, a particular male was pointed out as a suitable one to remove from the herd. He was nice and mature and had done his job and with several more strong contenders in the group, he would not be missed. We crept slowly from tree to tree, always keeping something in our path in case one of the many impala turned to watch us. Eventually we closed the gap to around 200m and out came the sticks. The male had at this point fed under a tree and was totally in the shade. Gently I lined up the shot and squeezed off a round. He was hit hard and broke off to the right, following the rest of the group.
We decided to wait for him to expire and then go and locate him having marked the tree to start the trail. As it turned out, this was to be the start of a long afternoon.
On reaching the tree, there was no blood and we started to wonder about the shot. However, both Steph and I thought it was good and we saw a firm reaction along with the tell-tale connection noise. Perhaps we had the wrong tree?
We walked back and checked from our shooting position; no it was the correct one.
It was now Markus’ time to shine. He set off on what he felt were the correct tracks from the multitude of Impala tracks visible from the herd. These soon took him into some thick vegetation and we looped round to try and cut off the impala if he broke out the other side, just in case he was wounded and not dead.
Time seemed to slow and I started to worry that I had messed up the shot or we had read the situation wrong. We needed backup, so the Franz was called in and he arrived with extra manpower to cover the ground and check for spoor we missed.
After much deliberation, it was decided we had been following the wrong tracks and the impala had actually gone in a very different direction. It took a lot of hard work from the team to decipher the tracks and find him, but finally, he was located in a horribly thick and thorny patch where he had run to expire. Following a group effort, we finally had our impala. Without the great skills of the trackers, we would not have found that one and it was only right that all the team joined me for a photo. Steph also told me on the way back that they would all be given extra meat from this animal that night in thanks for helping us locate it, something that went down very well, after all, who doesn’t like steak!
Day 5
Another stunning sun rise, another day in hunting paradise. Over breakfast, Steph suggested that we go over to the new lodge they had just finished to check it out as well as scope out a golden oryx that had been spotted the day before looking unwell.
Finally with enough coffee consumed (the coffee is very, very good, no instant coffee here!), we set off to a new location that we hadn’t hunted in yet. On our way we spotted a huge amount of game with herds of both black and blue wildebeest, plains zebra and a never-ending stream of ostriches to count but a few.
We also saw the golden oryx that luckily seemed to be in much better condition than had been reported, probably just the result of a fight with another male over territory. Steph mentioned that the golden variant usually come off worse in a fight with a normal colour phase and where possible they try to keep them separate by localised hunting of one or the other, to ensure the health of the animals and consistent breeding. Something easier said than done over such huge areas!
Having made it to the new lodge, it was immediately clear why this position had been chosen. Located up on a hill, you could see for miles, almost back to the home lodge. Whereas the home lodge was homely and more traditional, this one was very modern with a glass front, an infinity pool and individual sleeping lodges for each couple or family unit. Whichever option you choose in the future, luxury is guaranteed, it is just which style you prefer!
At the new lodge, I stood on the deck admiring the panoramic view thinking how nice a spot it was for glassing the surrounding land. With that in mind, I grabbed my binoculars from the truck and had a scan of the vista laid out before us. There was a dark blob visible in the distance, certainly over a kilometre away. I trained my binoculars on the spot and beckoned Steph over. “That’s an oryx alright and it shouldn’t be there” came the reply after looking for himself. It was a normal coloured oryx and possibly to blame for the poor condition of the golden one we saw earlier. We ranged it with my GPO rangefinder binoculars, and it put the distance at just over 1600m. A good walk, but luckily there was plenty of cover between us and there, mostly small trees and large bushes.
The heat was getting up and by the time we reached approximately where we thought we should be able to see out into the plain beyond, we were getting quite hot. Still, the anticipation kept us going. We crept ever closer to the end of the cover, scanning in both directions to see if we could spot anything. Nothing was visible. Had the oryx moved on? Had we got it wrong and walked off course?
Just as we were starting to question ourselves, Steph locked onto something to our right and before I knew it, the sticks were up. A quick distance check and my rifle was on the sticks and I settled in and slowed my breathing. The oryx was a bull, past prime, with secondary growth at the base of his horns and evidently still determined to hold his territory against all newcomers. It was time for him to go. With the decision made, the trigger was squeezed off and he acted like he’d been hit with a truck. There was no mistake this time, the bullet was placed straight into the shoulder, making sure he was going nowhere and would expire quickly and ethically.
Giving him time to pass on to the other side, we watched as a golden oryx appeared from the undergrowth some 400m further up, standing there watching us intently. Even as we approached our downed bull, he stood there watching silently, only moving off when Obed arrived with the truck. Whether in contemplation of the fate that befell his fellow resident or whether in thanks for removing a thorn in his side, we will never know, but it was striking to see him standing there in judgement of us.
It was quite a journey back to the lodge as we were on the other side of the hunting area and it was dark by the time we got back. The journey did provide us with the chance to spot some of the nocturnal residents of the land though, including bats, foxes and a mongoose.
On our return, the oryx was passed on to the skinning crew who immediately located the bullet in the opposite shoulder. This had thoroughly done its job and Steph gave it back to me later in the evening having weighed it. It has kept over 95% of its weight yet taking both shoulders and the vitals. Truly an impressive round.
Another incredible day was finished with a traditional braai or BBQ, overseen by Steph, the grill master of Bergzicht! A special shout out must go to the cheese filled sausage (CheeseGriller) which is possibly the most moreish item in the world. It is worth going just for that!
Day 6
After several days of intense hunting and aware that we were only covering half the story, we elected to stay at the lodge as I wanted to visit the slating shed and the butchery and learn more about the animals’ final destination.
Firstly, was the salting shed, this is where all the skulls and hides from the animals culminate to be prepared for shipping to the taxidermists. Whilst not every hunter takes both hide and skull, both are prepared here as if they are not needed, they go into either the interiors market or to taxidermist’s stocks to replace damaged hides on other hunter’s mounts. A good skin is not a thing to be wasted. Indeed, waste in general is abhorred at Bergzicht, this is something that was repeated and proven to be true, across the visit.
As part of our exploration of hunting in Africa and the conservation benefits it brings, we will be producing some short videos explaining what to look for a in past prime male, something the Namibian hunting organisation promotes as the best animals to be hunted, with the tag line “Age over inches”. Keep an eye out for these which will be out soon on our socials!
What followed was one of the most interesting parts of the whole trip. The butchery was already alive with activity when I arrived, a much bigger enterprise than I expected. As well as the skinning and hanging of the carcasses that I had seen from the other side when we dropped the animals off, the main block housed butchery rooms, an office and even a packing room! Marie-Louise guided us through the whole process and explained that as well the prime cuts which are supplied to restaurants, the lodge itself and in private mail order meat boxes, every part of the animal is used. The lesser cuts are used in mince and sausage meat that provides an incredibly important yet reasonably priced source of protein for over 60 local school and 2 hospitals! Beef is relatively expensive and not within the budget of many institutions, so this game meat is very important for the health and diet of the local populace. We also got to see how some of the awesome snacks we had been feasting on were made, from the biltong that was a constant companion to our evening beers to the various sausages they make.
The team in the butchery has grown rapidly and now employs 11 full time and produces over 2 tonnes of meat products each week. Its reputation has grown to the point whereby other local (local is a loose term in Namibia) outfitters also drop off their animals for processing as they can do a much better job here than elsewhere.
It was great to know that our animals were benefitting so many people, whether the team and their families at Bergzicht, the local school children or even those in the local hospitals and that nothing from the animals would go to waste.
Having fully recharged, we had a couple of days left to go and two more species to hunt. Find out more in Part 3, coming soon.
Bergzicht Game Lodge : https://www.bergzichtgamelodge.com
