Weather and insects in Namibia

bsterns · #1 05-22-2006, 10:01 AM

Can anyone on this forum play weatherman and give me some idea of the weather in Namibia for the last half of June? Also is there a problem with the infamous biting flies that time of year? What type of insect repellent is best and suitable for airline travel. I think aerosols are forbidding on planes.

Bob

Duffy · #2 05-22-2006, 01:37 PM

Well, it doesn't look like it will be too hard to predict June's weather in Namibia, though I wasn't able to find anything too specific.

A number of sites are available on the country which may help however, including http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/...k/geos/wa.html and http://www.namibian.org.

Have fun!

bsterns · #3 05-22-2006, 09:46 PM

Duffy, that was really helpful. There was a lot of info on those sites. Seems like the weather should be very nice. It will be starting winter at the end of June. Hopefully not as hot. I was wondering what to wear that time of year. Cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon and possibly cold at night. I wonder about the malaria possibility. Mosquitos? Deep Woods rub-0n probably will come in handy.

John Duarte · #4 05-23-2006, 03:28 AM

Bob,
About three weeks ago my wife and I visited Etosha Park which is in the Northern part of Namibia. We had to take anti malarials for 10 days. If your hunting will be in the southern or central parts of the country you shouldn't need malarial protection. We have never needed anything in the five years we've gone there, except as mentioned. Accutally there are very few bugs. In June it should be cool in the mornings and evenings. I used a sweatshirt for those times.
You'll be there at a great time for hunting. Good luck.
John

bsterns · #5 05-26-2006, 12:44 PM

John, I believe we are going to go to Etosha Part for the first week of hunting. One of our group is going northeast from there to hunt Cape Buffalo and perhaps look for wounded buffalo. I will not be going. Two reasons, 1. I cannot afford that particular animal at this time and 2. taking a wounded one at a lower fee sounds suicidal to me. I cannot imagine purposely searching for Cape Buffalo other hunters have wounded. Actually I would love to do it but not much chance that I will go. They charge an extra $1000 just to tag along. What is it and where do I get this anti-malarial drug?

John Duarte · #6 05-29-2006, 03:46 AM

Bob,
The anti malarial we used is called mallarone. You take a pill a day for three days prior to entering the malaria zone, and a pill a day for seven days after leaving. We experienced no side effects. I believe mallarone is the drug of preference. Have your doctor write a perscription.
Will your PH be taking you through Etosha? If so see if he will take you out through the west gate. The western side of the park is off limits to the non - guided public. We found a herd of twenty elephants after we entered that side .
Who will the other party be hunting cape buffalo with? I've never heard of a hunt for wounded buffalo. The PH involved should have cleaned up the wounded ones after they were shot.

bsterns · #7 05-30-2006, 11:11 AM

John, I do not know anything more than I mentioned about the Cape Buffalo hunt. The only thing I remember about it was the fee was $5000 to shoot a wounded one and $10,000 for a healthy one. I have never met the party hunting the buffalo since he is an out-of-town friend of the friend that invited me along. I know very little about what is in store for me. I did get an answer back from Reiser's Taxidermy. The price list was reasonable, I think. He spoke highly of you. I will look into using them. My PH probably has connections with a certain taxidermist there. I should know more about all this but my local friend has done the communications with the PH and I have not actually communicated directly with the PH but I was sent a copy of emails that were corresponded between my friend and him. Hopefully all will go smoothly. It will be a great experience. I will email him about the anti-malarial drug.

John Duarte · #8 05-31-2006, 02:59 AM

Bob,
Have a great trip. Cape Town will be a pain, but you should have enough time to get your bags and guns rechecked through to Windhoek.
As far as taxidermists go, you can insist on using Reiser or any other you wish.
I've got to ask my PH friend Fred about those buffalo hunts.
John

bsterns · #9 06-05-2006, 10:16 PM

John, Mallarone is about $5 a pop. I got 50 Doxicylcine tablets for $9.95. They kill or render the filaria or protozoans ineffective. You take them 2 days prior to, daily during, and daily for 28 days after you leave the exposure area. Side effects are rare and it is good for a number of other possible infections.

grayghost · #10 06-09-2006, 01:15 PM

Might want to consider this: If hunting with friends, you can share the cost of shipping your raw trophies back together. Average cost for a container shipped home is $1,600. Divide this with 2 friends and you come out a lot cheaper. Ship 5-8 mounted game heads home could run you $1,600 by yourself. Be sure you check into all the details, after all, it's the details that get us. I have a friend that hasn't received his mounts, and it's been over 18 months now. I checked into having my skins tanned in Africa and shipped home. I thought maybe I would save on shipping weight. However, I discovered two concerns: they would be chrome tanned and dry when received (loss of elasticity or stretch) and shipping charges are based on total weight OR dimension; which ever is greater. In other words, I pay what ever costs more. My Taxidermist uses wet tanned skins to allow for correct stretch. You don't want a Kudu to have a neck that looks like it belongs to a Giraffe. Do your homework while you can. Good luck on your hunt, grayghost

bsterns · #11 06-10-2006, 10:43 PM

Grayghost, what are the shipping costs to send skulls and skins home that are to be mounted in the U.S.? Does it still cost the same for a crate or is there a significant difference in crate size from that needed for finished mounts and skins or what? That is my biggest question at this point. I am packed and ready to go, I leave on tuesday.

John Duarte · #12 06-12-2006, 01:56 AM

Bob,
You are charged for the size of the crate. It should be a lot cheaper to send skulls and flat skins than shoulder mounts. The taxidermy may cost significantly more in the USA. In the end it may be cheaper overall to have the work done in Namibia.
Good luck. The trophy quality is good right now due the increased rainfall over the last few years.
John

BradC · #13 06-12-2006, 11:11 PM

Hey Bob,

While it is true that you are charged according to size, a reputable taxidermist should ship your trophies in a box designed for your mounts. I picked my six mounted heads up in Atlanta and there was a box right beside mine containing raw capes and skulls with no difference in the size of shipment. The way those guys at Taxidermy Africa design and package shipments is amazing.

BC

bsterns · #14 07-04-2006, 05:42 PM

John, I got back Sunday, July 2nd. Had a very good trip. We hunted south of Mariental about 30 miles. I killed kudu, gemsbok, black wildebeast, springbuck, and steenbuck. All except the springbuck were exceptional trophies according to the PH. They were culling the springbucks so I shot 5 of them, all rams. The longest horns were only 13 1/2". The kudu was 52", the gemsbok was a 41" cow. I wanted a bull but the PH said this one was exceptional and encouraged me to shoot it. The black wildebeest had a score of 76" and over 72" was supposed to be good according to SCI or Rowan Ward. I really don't know much about it. The Steenbuck had 4 1/2" horns and was good for that area I was told. Glad to be back. The Kalihari had a lot of grass this year from all the rain. We spent 3 days in the mountains west toward the ocean near the Namib desert and Sesseous Vlei. We shot some Kudu and Klipspringer. It was very cold. I thought we were going to Enosha Park but we didn't. All in all it was a great time and quite an experience. The PH recommended a taxidermist in Windhoek and he was closed when we got there. His prices were discounted to us so we probably will use him. The taxidermist is called Nyati Taxidermy.

John Duarte · #15 07-05-2006, 01:59 AM

Bob,
Sounds like a great trip. It's hard to get a 40+" bull gemsbok, the longest horns are usually on the females. The rains have made hunting more difficult in Namibia due to the bush being thick and the grass high. Did you hunt on a farm or concession?

How did the transfer through Cape Town go? I'm thinking of doing a hunt in the RSA next year, and was wondering about firearms entry.
John