I found this surprising, but didn't say as much, keeping my thoughts to myself. At some point along the way, word again reached us that the buffalo was on the farm. We went on like this for the first couple of days, passing many opportunities at nice game, but I had come for buffalo and wanted to make a nice bull my first African kill.Īround mid day the third day we received word that a buffalo was seen near the farm, so we made haste to get there while the spoor was still fresh. Views from the high points were incredible, allowing one to see into the middle of next week.Īnimals were in abundance, with wart hog, gemsbok, zebra, blue and black wildebeest, among others. We loaded up in the crisp morning air, the light jacket I brought coming in handy as we set off to find the edge of the clear, cloudless sky and hopefully, buffalo.Īway from the farm the country became quite hilly, with steep draws and high ridges where the road snaked up and down and through the thorn bushes that, as it turned out, would tear ones clothes from ones body if not careful, along with bits and pieces of skin and flesh. Breakfast was eggs, bacon, toast, jams, juice and coffee before heading out to find buffalo. Morning came all to soon after the long flights, great food, and much needed sleep. Leaving my bags in the room, I went to the main house where I was served an excellent gemsbok stroganoff, vegetables, bread and fine South African wine. The room was cozy, clean, and as nice as one could want or need. We finally arrived at the farm late and after unloading, I was shown to my room. Come to find out, the farm is on the opposite side of Windhoek by another hour and a bit. It seemed like we had been driving about an hour when we came to a city that turned out to be Windhoek. By 7:30 that evening I had almost decided Bwana Jim had misunderstood my arrival time and perhaps thought I was due in at 2:30 AM, but he finally arrived and we loaded my luggage and headed for the farm. What I really didn't understand were the occasional sly smirks I thought I detected at times.īwana Jim was to meet me in Windhoek at about 2:30 in the afternoon when my plane arrived. It was only after that conversation that he became more available and he seemed genuinely concerned to the point of almost acting like he felt sorry for me. He seemed really surprised once I told him this was a once in a lifetime deal for me, and that I had been saving up for nearly 9 years for just such a hunt. Bwana Jim was initially very elusive, difficult to get in touch with, and sometimes downright rude when I could contact him, but with much persistence I finally got him to respond. I decided to make the best of what I was certain would be a horrible trip if not an outright scam, so I went ahead and made the necessary arrangements for my first hunting trip to Africa. I felt like I had really been had, and with 75% down and no recourse, what was I to do? Try as I might, I could not come up with ONE reference. It was only after I got home and was able to do a bit more internet research that I realized no one seemed to know Bwana Jim or had ever even heard of him. That is, until AFTER I put a 75% non-refundable deposit down. Again, I had never heard of such things, but not having been to Africa, I reluctantly accepted his explanations. I had never heard of buffalo being in that part of Africa but Jim explained that they were stragglers from free ranging herds of yesteryear or strays from game ranches. Every question was met with enthusiasm and explanations about how his hunts were different, even when I asked about buffalo in the arid, rocky hills southwest of Windhoek. When I met Bwana Jim in Dallas, he seemed a nice enough fellow but there was something that didn't seem quite right. Turns out my initial thoughts weren't as bad as I thought. That was a lot less expensive than any of the other hunts I had looked at. I was a bit skeptical about this safari due to the cost - $5,000 – for buffalo, 7 days, all inclusive. Never having been to Africa I didn't know quite what to expect, but I must say this hunt was way different than anything I could have ever imagined. Just got back from a buffalo hunt in Namibia with Bwana Jim Discount Safaris.
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