ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The Caprivi Strip in Namibia offers some incredible big game hunting opportunities including Hippo, Elephant, Nile Crocodile and Cape Buffalo hunts.

The plains and grasslands can support thousands of Buffalo which cross the Chobe River from Botswana to graze on the floodplains. Plains game antelope such as Impala and Chapman’s Zebra, named after the famous explorer James Chapman are also in abundance with Red Lechwe slowly beginning to make an appearance.

Cape Buffalo in the Caprivi, while being “hard bossed” have an average horn spread of between 37 and 40 inches with some remarkable bosses recording the scars of previous hard fought battles.

Outfitters hunting these concessions are focused on restoring the quality of the bulls and as such do not hunt Buffalo over 40 inches.

Cape Buffalo hunting in these conditions are challenging, as while they are abundant with some fantastic Dagga Boys, getting “up close and personal” is tricky due to the flatness of the grasslands and in many instances there literally is “nowhere to hide”.

This African hunt was for a non-exportable buffalo bull and the quota was allocated in terms of the Namibian drought relief initiative.

We were fortunate to have this Dagga Boy cross over from Botswana and circling from behind the reedbeds of the river, we bumped into this stunning Buffalo bull at about 20 yards.

The faithful Verney Carron 500 NE loaded with 570 grain expanding bullets brought him down at the edge of the water channel, being the border between Namibia and Botswana. As it was a double lung shot, we did put a second shot into him as we did not want the Buffalo to possibly cross the water back into Botswana during his last moments.

Cape Buffalo hunting, while extremely exciting certainly is a privilege with every hunt being different. It is humbling to be able to assist with conservation efforts.

For this specific African hunt, we decided to experience the beauty of Namibia during the dry season. The change in terrain is so dramatic that it is “like pulling out a bath plug”.

This Hippo hunt took place during an extreme drought which due to the poor rainfall in 2023/2024, has been the worst drought in over 100 years.

After a few days covering many miles, we came across a Hippo bull and cow in an estuary which was estimated at being a few meters deep in the middle channels and roughly a mile long.

Tamlyn and her professional hunter were ideally wanting the Hippo Bull out of the water, but only a few “head shots” were presented. It is exceptionally difficult to take the “perfect” shot on a Hippo.

Hippo hunting is challenging as only a small part of the head is visible for a few seconds, and every time the Hippo surfaces, it is in a different location. Patience and precision shooting, with a high velocity bullet being designed to penetrate the thick bones of the head into the brain. The decision to shoot or not has to be made quickly.

Making the Hippo hunt even more of a challenge is being able to distinguish between the bull and the cow, given that only a small portion of the head presents itself. This is when having done your research pays off and of course it helps if you have an experienced and knowledgeable PH.

After spending a few hours in very hot conditions, Tamlyn made a superb shot at roughly 60 yards anchoring the bull.

When Hippo hunting, the dry season is highly recommended.