Sacred morning

A quick photo of our recent trip with our friends the Pegg's and Hygnstrom's from Nebraska. We hunted and traveled to the coast and Etosha. It was wonderful to see old friends, and adventures were many. Stay tuned for more details!

Our hunt with a professional hunter, Claude Thorburn, was an exciting experience in a beautiful area of Namibia, near Kamanjab. I was fortunate to get this nice kudu bull early one morning in an accessible area (after walking miles through much less accessible areas). Claude zipped back to camp to get other hunters and the ladies to help load this beast in the truck. It was a great opportunity for a group photo of a moment I'll always remember. Fortunate to share it with such good friends.

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A quick story about this kudu...Claude, Scott, Tristan, and I woke early to be at a waterhole at 5 a.m. It was Tristan's first morning (ever) to sit with me while I hunted, and we were a bit nervous about his ability to hold still. He was motionless, perhaps asleep, for about an hour. As day broke, I felt a tug on my sleeve. "Dad, can I go to the bathroom?!"

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"Not now!" I whispered.

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Claude leaned over and asked him quietly, "Do you need to pee?" Tristan nodded and Claude told him to walk softly behind us and return quietly. As soon as Tristan left, out stepped the kudu. The kudu was walking slowly, so Claude whistled at it, to make it briefly stop. Didn't work, so he yelled. Kudu stopped and I shot. It was a heart-shot and the kudu dropped quickly.

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That is the story from my perspective. Here it is from Tristan's: "I leave quietly, like Claude told me. Then, I hear Claude whistle and shouting, which I thought was odd--because he told me to be quiet. Then, BANG! I forgot about going to the bathroom..."

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I enjoyed the morning with Tristan and was grateful that Claude was accommodating and so nice to him. It provided a perfect opportunity to talk with Tristan about hunting. We both spent time with the dead bull, as I do with each animal that I shoot. Killing an animal is not something to be done lightly, and the sacred moments that follow the kill are not easily talked about. It is always an honor to realize one's place in nature and to reflect on the value of life and death.

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Participating in sport hunting in Namibia gave me a chance to experience ecotourism first-hand, and I'm sure I will reflect more on this in the future with other stories. The meat from our hunted animals, including intestines, tongue, and many organs that would be discarded in the States, is processed and eaten by the farmer and the 4-5 families of native Namibian workers that live on the farm on which we hunted.

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In this case, Tristan learned that things can happen quickly during a hunt!