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I hunted in northern Namibia with Westfalen Safaris in October and November 2016. I was hunting leopard, damara dik dik, and klipspringer primarily. On the first day we spotted elephants, mountain zebras, giraffe, gemsbok and other game. The drought has raged on for two years in this part of the country and there was NO GRASS! In fact it was not uncommon to see animals dead or dying near the water points. This along with the 100 degree heat did not make for very good leopard hunting.
I was a bit disappointed that their main camp was shut down with plans for renovations. My PH and I bunked at the owner John's home. It was a comfortable place for the most part but certainly lacking the beautiful view of their Elephant Camp. If you visit northern Namibia I hope you like gemsbok steaks because that is what they eat 90% of the time! We did enjoy some lamb chops one night and that was a nice diversion.
Days consisted of hunting zebra and gemsbok for leopard bait then checking and setting baits. One of the highlights of the boring baiting was meeting a neighbor named Luigi. Luigi is a retired Ferrari mechanic and salesman who once managed their entire South African operations. He enjoys baiting and hunting leopard for clients and is an incredible person to meet and visit with. It is funny some of the people you meet in remote places. My PH was not the best english speaker and was a little short on personality and patience for client hunters. That said we did have the same taste in guns and that was nice.
Struggling with leopard we began to keep a sharper eye out for a nice klipspringer or a "big" Damara dik dik. Even without the grass the small animals can be hard to hunt. We routinely saw dik dik but finding an old male proved to be a task. About halfway through the hunt I got my chance at a very nice dik dik. A gold medal trophy that will likely make the record book. I suppose that is just my luck. The one animal some folks would not bother to measure and it goes in the book!
After a miss on a quick shot through some bushes we sprint up the rocky hill after a pair of klipspringers. Without the ideal shot I had hoped for and the little ram just a jump from being gone for good I pulled the trigger. My freehand shot with a 300gr Northfork Solid hit the mark. He was quartering away and I aimed as far back as I dared and it was just the best that could be hoped for. You see these little antelope have quill like hollow hairs that come off easily and there will be a bald spot wherever it is hit. Our tracker skinned him and put him in the cooler and off we went. We continue to shoot bait and camp meat with several zebra and a dozen or so gemsbok falling to my .375 Ruger.
Late in the hunt we left early and took the track on a herd of eland. What amazing scenery there was to see here. The Mopanes and thorn bushes just putting on leaves showed hope for this dry place. We would climb the rocky hills and glass then proceed to the next koppie as they call them. Locating the herd we waited for a steady wind that we could rely on then proceeding to a better vantage point. My 200 yard shot was on the mark and my big bull eland was down in a matter of feet.
As we were continuing to be eluded by the darn leopard the hunt continued but without much hope. One night the strangest and most unfortunate accident would befall us as we drove back to camp. It was well after dark and I was dozing after a long day when my window was shattered and so was my face. For some unknown reason a big vulture flew into the window of our vehicle and thus into me. Bloody and bruised badly I was thankful the vulture did not end up in my lap! We got out, inspected the damage to the vehicle and shook the glass out of our hair. I had to sit in the back seat to get away from the glass and by this time it was getting cold. I held my coat in front of me while pressing my shirt on my face to stop the bleeding. Back at camp I clean up my cuts and shower the rest of the glass out of my hair and go to bed. I laid my head on my pillow (hoping the bleeding had stopped for good) thankful to God that it was not a Kudu that jumped into my window.
There are many leopards in this area and we saw tracks everyday. The problem is they are educated because this is livestock country and you can't go far without seeing domesticated animals. The best bet for a leopard hunt here is going to be August/September and hope for an actual kill of theirs to hunt over. We will all have to pray for rain for them as they will be years getting over this drought when ever the rains do come.
Regards,
Philip Glass
I was a bit disappointed that their main camp was shut down with plans for renovations. My PH and I bunked at the owner John's home. It was a comfortable place for the most part but certainly lacking the beautiful view of their Elephant Camp. If you visit northern Namibia I hope you like gemsbok steaks because that is what they eat 90% of the time! We did enjoy some lamb chops one night and that was a nice diversion.
Days consisted of hunting zebra and gemsbok for leopard bait then checking and setting baits. One of the highlights of the boring baiting was meeting a neighbor named Luigi. Luigi is a retired Ferrari mechanic and salesman who once managed their entire South African operations. He enjoys baiting and hunting leopard for clients and is an incredible person to meet and visit with. It is funny some of the people you meet in remote places. My PH was not the best english speaker and was a little short on personality and patience for client hunters. That said we did have the same taste in guns and that was nice.
Struggling with leopard we began to keep a sharper eye out for a nice klipspringer or a "big" Damara dik dik. Even without the grass the small animals can be hard to hunt. We routinely saw dik dik but finding an old male proved to be a task. About halfway through the hunt I got my chance at a very nice dik dik. A gold medal trophy that will likely make the record book. I suppose that is just my luck. The one animal some folks would not bother to measure and it goes in the book!
After a miss on a quick shot through some bushes we sprint up the rocky hill after a pair of klipspringers. Without the ideal shot I had hoped for and the little ram just a jump from being gone for good I pulled the trigger. My freehand shot with a 300gr Northfork Solid hit the mark. He was quartering away and I aimed as far back as I dared and it was just the best that could be hoped for. You see these little antelope have quill like hollow hairs that come off easily and there will be a bald spot wherever it is hit. Our tracker skinned him and put him in the cooler and off we went. We continue to shoot bait and camp meat with several zebra and a dozen or so gemsbok falling to my .375 Ruger.
Late in the hunt we left early and took the track on a herd of eland. What amazing scenery there was to see here. The Mopanes and thorn bushes just putting on leaves showed hope for this dry place. We would climb the rocky hills and glass then proceed to the next koppie as they call them. Locating the herd we waited for a steady wind that we could rely on then proceeding to a better vantage point. My 200 yard shot was on the mark and my big bull eland was down in a matter of feet.
As we were continuing to be eluded by the darn leopard the hunt continued but without much hope. One night the strangest and most unfortunate accident would befall us as we drove back to camp. It was well after dark and I was dozing after a long day when my window was shattered and so was my face. For some unknown reason a big vulture flew into the window of our vehicle and thus into me. Bloody and bruised badly I was thankful the vulture did not end up in my lap! We got out, inspected the damage to the vehicle and shook the glass out of our hair. I had to sit in the back seat to get away from the glass and by this time it was getting cold. I held my coat in front of me while pressing my shirt on my face to stop the bleeding. Back at camp I clean up my cuts and shower the rest of the glass out of my hair and go to bed. I laid my head on my pillow (hoping the bleeding had stopped for good) thankful to God that it was not a Kudu that jumped into my window.
There are many leopards in this area and we saw tracks everyday. The problem is they are educated because this is livestock country and you can't go far without seeing domesticated animals. The best bet for a leopard hunt here is going to be August/September and hope for an actual kill of theirs to hunt over. We will all have to pray for rain for them as they will be years getting over this drought when ever the rains do come.
Regards,
Philip Glass
