Cecil Hammonds
AH veteran
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2016
- Messages
- 128
- Reaction score
- 795
- Location
- North Texas
- Media
- 83
- Member of
- DSC, NRA, SCI
- Hunted
- Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, Poland, Zambia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Greenland, Spain
We just returned yesterday from a truly memorable and amazing hunting trip in Namibia. We hunted with Nick and Isabel Nolte near Omaruru, Namibia. The primary focus of the hunt was leopard, but we also hunted some plains game as well. I can't say enough great things about Nick and Isabel's operation. Everything was top notch from the accommodations, food, and hunt quality to the way you are treated as part of their family the entire time you are there.
We flew out of DFW on American Airlines to Joberg and then connected on Air Link to Windhoek. One thing we learned in that experience, both coming and going, is that if you have a checked bag in Joberg that is not checked all the way through to your final destination, you must stand in line to "enter" the country, recover your checked luggage and recheck on your new flight, then stand in line again to "exit" the country. This was not a big deal, just a bit of time-consuming hassle that can be avoided.
Once we got to Windhoek and were met by Isabel, it was about a three hour drive to their lodge. We started hunting the next day and took a Black Wildebeest and a cull Blue Wildebeest for bait. We hunted hard for the leopard and finally got him on the 12th day of a 14 day safari. In between that we also took a nice Nyala and a gold medal Springbok. This was my first time hunting Springbok, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it quite similar to hunting Pronghorn back home.
This was our second time hunting with Nick and Isabel, and I couldn't be more pleased. I give them my highest recommendation. I learned so much from Nick on this trip. He truly is an excellent PH on leopard. He knows their habits, behaviors, and patterns. He really works hard to get you on a leopard. He was getting a bit frustrated because we had large leopard tracks at four of our baits, but they weren't hitting the bait. Finally, on the 12th day, our luck changed. We checked the bait in the morning, and a big tom had hit it. We decided to sit there that evening, and it sure paid off. Not long after we got in the blind, we heard baboons near us. Nick was very happy about that because he knew they would alert us when the leopard was in the area. Sure enough, right about dusk a big male baboon started loudly barking, and it wasn't long after that the leopard was on the bait.
Two days later we started the long journey home, but we are already yearning to return. Here are some pics of the game we took.
We flew out of DFW on American Airlines to Joberg and then connected on Air Link to Windhoek. One thing we learned in that experience, both coming and going, is that if you have a checked bag in Joberg that is not checked all the way through to your final destination, you must stand in line to "enter" the country, recover your checked luggage and recheck on your new flight, then stand in line again to "exit" the country. This was not a big deal, just a bit of time-consuming hassle that can be avoided.
Once we got to Windhoek and were met by Isabel, it was about a three hour drive to their lodge. We started hunting the next day and took a Black Wildebeest and a cull Blue Wildebeest for bait. We hunted hard for the leopard and finally got him on the 12th day of a 14 day safari. In between that we also took a nice Nyala and a gold medal Springbok. This was my first time hunting Springbok, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it quite similar to hunting Pronghorn back home.
This was our second time hunting with Nick and Isabel, and I couldn't be more pleased. I give them my highest recommendation. I learned so much from Nick on this trip. He truly is an excellent PH on leopard. He knows their habits, behaviors, and patterns. He really works hard to get you on a leopard. He was getting a bit frustrated because we had large leopard tracks at four of our baits, but they weren't hitting the bait. Finally, on the 12th day, our luck changed. We checked the bait in the morning, and a big tom had hit it. We decided to sit there that evening, and it sure paid off. Not long after we got in the blind, we heard baboons near us. Nick was very happy about that because he knew they would alert us when the leopard was in the area. Sure enough, right about dusk a big male baboon started loudly barking, and it wasn't long after that the leopard was on the bait.
Two days later we started the long journey home, but we are already yearning to return. Here are some pics of the game we took.
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