Weather and insects in Namibia - Page 2

bsterns · #16 07-05-2006, 02:09 PM

John, the entry through Capetown is not the same as Johanesburg. My hunting buddy had his rifle and shotgun passed through without checking in Joburg. He stayed in transit to Namibia. I had to check the gun on arriving and again on departing CapeTown. Very similar to the arrival into the states in Atlanta. I would recommend not going through Capetown. Direct into Namibia or through Johannesburg is best. Saps form 520 can be downloaded and filled out ahead of time just in case you are checked on entering RSA. The Namibian police form for rifle import/export is very simple and can be down loaded from NAPHA website. I hunted on a farm. I had opportunities to go on two additional farms but did not have transportation to do so. I could have killed warthogs and ostrich for free. I did shoot my Gemsbok on a farm next to the one I was hunting on since we could not find one early on. I did see a good bull later after the fact. I will try to post pictures here if I can figure out how.

John Duarte · #17 07-06-2006, 01:53 AM

Bob,
I had the same experience in Cape Town that you had. I was wondering if the procedure was as complicated as I've heard. The year we passed through Cape Town form wasn't too long and we had to sit with our baggage until it was time to head for Windhoek. Next year I may go to the RSA and we will go through Cape Town. Do you think a clearing service would have been helpful?

I'm curious as to the lack of transportation to nearby farms. Could you have taken the big bull gemsbok if you wanted? You're allowed two on your license.
John

grayghost · #18 07-08-2006, 01:37 PM

I leave on Monday for SA and we decided to hire Hunters Support to expedite our firearms permits; help with Customs and escort us through all the procedures and our departing flight on to P.E. Their fee was very reasonable and they answered all of my questions and kept us informed via email. Our temp firearms permits are all ready to go and when they meet us at the airport, it should be a smooth walk through. I'll be able to give you an update when we return in a couple of weeks. HS emailed us a package that contained all forms needed for entry into SA. We filled out the info, obtained our Customs paperwork, copied necessary documents and forwarded this to HS. You can download this info off the PHASA website, and they can assist you as well. You probably are aware of all of this but I'll post my experiences when I return. Glad to hear you had a great hunt Bob. Good hunting, grayghost

John Duarte · #19 07-09-2006, 10:00 AM

grayghost,
From what I understand getting hunting rifles into the RSA is tedious. Namibi is a piece of cake. I'll be looking for your report on your experiences. Have a great hunt.
John

bsterns · #20 07-09-2006, 04:41 PM

John, the initial point of entry into Africa as here in the U.S.A. will check the guns upon arrival according to the Capetown police. When you check your baggage to continue after clearing customs then you must check the guns again. I cannot speak for Johannesburg since I only went through Capetown but one of my hunting partners did not have to check or recheck any luggage or guns through Johannesburg entry. He waited in-transit and the baggage including his rifle and shotgun was sent on to Namibia without a problem. Capetown required me to check and recheck everything. If you have the South african import/export form filled out(SAPS form 520) then it is not a big problem getting through the police check in and out. There may be no ammo shipped with the case and one of the policemen in Capetown told me that the bolt must be separate from the rest of the rifle. The Namibian police form is brief and they were very easy to work with.

RE the transportation to other farms, we did not have access to transportation for those items I mentioned but we did get a lot of extra hunting including kudu and springbuck without charge. The bull we saw would have been an extra expense for me since I had already gotten my Gemsbok. I am happy with the one I got. The total trip was 19 days and my total cost minus taxidermy fees was $7000 including airfare.

John Duarte · #21 07-10-2006, 03:11 AM

Bob,
As you saw hunting in Namibia is a great deal. Where did you put your ammo? I carry mine in a locked metal box in the bottom of my Tuff Pak. The TSA likes the ammunition locked up and you can't lock your check thru luggage anymore except the gun case.

When going to Namibia it's easier to transit through Johannesburg as your luggage is sent through. Cape Town has no locked storage facility that's why you have to pick up your baggage and recheck it. It sounds like entry into the RSA shouldn't be too bad if you have the SAPS form ready and all your ducks in a row.
John

bsterns · #22 07-11-2006, 10:56 AM

Yes that is correct, ducks in a row is the secret. I had no problem with ammo. I had it in my bag with other gun accessories in my regular suitcase. They wanted it in a regular box and not loose. Otherwise there was no concern other than the amount I was carrying, not to exceed the permitted limit. American airlines made me sign a piece of paper that said my gun was unloaded. They did not even check it coming back. Going over the gun was checked but the ammo was not an issue in any of the checks that I had. One Capetown policeman made me remove the bolt in transit but that was not a problem with domestic carriers. If you fill out the forms ahead of time you should not have a problem. When you are in Africa you carry your passport and your import/export gun permit with you at all times. You need your permit to buy ammo in Namibia as well.

grayghost · #23 07-26-2006, 05:25 PM

Hunters Support/Air 2000 was worth every penny. They met us at the J'burg Int'l airport and walked us through every step of the way. We had our guns checked and registered but this was a smooth transaction. Our "guide" knew every step and assisted us with each movement. No problems at any station. We were delayed 5 hours in arriving due to having to refuel on Costa del Sol Island instead of Dakar, so we missed our flight down to P.E. They took care of the details and had us on the next flight which was only a short layover. They stayed with us until we departed. Upon our return to J'burg, we were once again greeted by a representative of H.S. He assisted us with gun departure and all went smooth. Key element was: Have your ducks in a row! Gun permits should be ready, along with your passport and airline tickets. My hunting partner forgot to take his permit out of his pants one night and they were washed the next day. Fortunately for him the serial numbers were still legible or he would have been in trouble. Thanks again to our HS rep; he helped us get through a sticky moment....TWICE! These folks are A-OK to us and we are going to use them again next year when we return. I wouldn't be without them. Even though I've been through the procedures once, I trust them to make it a smooth ride again. As mentioned before, their fee is very reasonable; almost cheap! Our 10 hunt in RSA was outstanding. I took 16 animals and my bud took 12. It is my understanding that all of them will score in SCI and some Roland Ward. I don't know, and don't care. I had a fabulous time and can't wait to return. Our PH's (Bowker Safari Co.) were unbelievable hosts and superb Professionals. We hunted with Denham and Meyrick Bowker. Both could field judge game with outstanding accuracy. Advising us on "shoot" "don't shoot" within seconds in some cases. I'll post my hunt later and hopefully post some of the great pictures they took for us. Good hunting, grayghost

bsterns · #24 07-27-2006, 05:07 PM

Grayghost, welcome back. I am glad you had a great hunt. Give us rundown of the game, gun performance, etc.

grayghost · #25 07-27-2006, 08:18 PM

Thanks Bob; I'll start a new thread shortly and see if I'm able to post pics. If I run into a snag I might give Petey a call for guidance. Your info on RSA was on target. We had no problems getting into the country. Since I was hunting in RSA, they checked our SAPS form and registered our guns coming in and leaving. It was made very simple since we contracted with Hunters Support. Others doing it on their own took a little longer, but generally had no problems. I had my ammo (.223 & .280; 80 rounds each in separate boxes) enclosed in two gallon zip lock baggies. Both were stored in my check in bag between clothes. No problems. Hopefully, I'll start my report tonight. Good hunting, grayghost

bsterns · #26 07-31-2006, 11:01 PM

Grayghost, I am thoroughly impressed with your thread about your 10 days in RSA. I posted a couple of pictures over there and I should have put them on this thread instead. I have been trying for awhile to figure out how to post the pictures. This time I got them to work somewhat. Hopefully you will forgive me for putting them on your thread. Your stalking sounds a lot more exciting than my pickup shooting. The kalahari probably doesn't allow as much stalking as other areas. The black wildebeast that I took measured 76 and the SCI record book lists 72 and up as trophies. I shot him broadside at about 150 to 175 yds. It was the only easy shot I had in my 16 days of hunting. I am going to do a European mount on him and maybe use his horns for a rifle rack. As you can see in the picture the rains they had in Namibia kalahari produced a rare crop of grass.

grayghost · #27 07-31-2006, 11:42 PM

Congrats on a very nice bull. If you have Photo Shop or any other editing program on your computer, you can reduce the image size and it will download faster when folks look at it. Any excess portion of the picture can be cropped also. good hunting, grayghost

bsterns · #28 08-01-2006, 11:45 AM

Thanks, I will try the programs that I have on my computer. Obviously I know next to nothing about posting pictures on this type of forum.

bsterns · #29 08-01-2006, 01:35 PM

I have about figured out the cropping and resizing problem. I have edited all the pics. Thanks for the help.

bsterns · #30 08-01-2006, 02:07 PM

My springbok was my longest shot ever on any animal. We had sighted the guns to zero at 200 meters due to the fact that Springbok hunting from a rattling old pickup chasing across the Kalahari requires very long shots. They seldom wait long enough for you to find them in the crosshairs no matter what the distance. The PH had a Swarovski 4 to 12x scope with built in laser rangefinder. That proved to be very helpful to identify the rams from the ewes and the distance. The ewes have horns as well as the rams so it was difficult, to say the least, to identify a ram at long distance. The PH told me which one to shoot and after several attempts at standing shots I decided to try to take him on the run. I shot over his neck near his head. The 139gr. Hornady 280 remington bullet caught him through the chest behind the shoulder. This amazed everyone since the distance was 365 meters. That is close to 400 yds. I had some luck on that one.