Zebra!

Prior to this trip, I really wanted to shoot a Hartmann's Zebra. It was at the top of my trophy list. People may think shooting a zebra is boring, but a Hartmann's Zebra is really cool. It is also called a Mountain Zebra, because they live in the hills and the "thick stuff." They are extremely wary and quite rare, even here. Also, Hartmann's Zebra are only found in Namibia, which I think is very cool.

Well, miraculously, today I got one. I have been looking high and low for my entire time here with no luck, but today was different. While driving slowly through a thicket, Johnny, the tracker, yelled "Zebra!" I was off the truck in half a second, ready to fire. Because they are so skittish, once we found them we knew we'd only have a brief moment of opportunity, so we quickly bolted after them, sneaking through the brush, and I took the shot as soon as I could. It happened so fast, and was the most exciting part of my hunt.

I made a very good shot and my zebra was down. It was the perfect trophy—an old, battle-scarred stallion. We only shoot very old animals, and this zebra was so old that his teeth were worn down to the gums. Had I not shot him, he would have most likely starved because he couldn't eat anymore. I am absolutely delighted with my zebra trophy!

I had good luck today, also shooting a nice impala ram. We stalked after the herd for some time, and I finally got a good shot in at 200 yards, which is a pretty considerable distance. I took an extra shot to make sure he went down, and that bullet punched right through a thick tree branch before hitting it. It was also a very exciting moment.

Today I (CheyAnn) went to the local school with my family. Sarah is a great musician, and wanted to play for the children. These schools are very sad to be in. These children have nothing, but they are the happiest kids I have ever seen. One thing they love is their photograph being taken. Most of them have never seen a photograph of themselves, so when we pulled out the cameras, it was a blast. I took hundreds of photos, so I'm going to print them all off and send them to here to be delivered to the school. I was told it's the best gift I could give them. I have learned a lot from all these children, the staff and teachers are so dedicated and even though they live in the worst conditions I have ever seen, they have bright eyes and big smiles all day. It was a great day all around.

I can't get enough of the these pictures. Love them.

My much sought after Zebra.

CheyAnn wanted a Zebra just as bad, and was very excited.

A good impala with thick, heavy horns.

She was walking for long time, so we picked her up and drove her to where she needed to go.

The preschool building. So tiny! 45 kids are taught here from ages 3-6

The beautiful preschool teacher and her new baby. Teaches 45 kids everyday. She is incredible!

The girls handing out oranges and homemade cookies to 150 kids. They loved it.

Sarah singing hymns to all the children. Then they sang back. An amazing experience.