NAMIBIA: My Leopard Hunt Begins

[thi9elsp]

Johnny - we're lovin' the updates and feeling like we're there with you. Another great trophy. John

 

[Royal27]

Th

Thanks buddy. Has a slightly deformed horn but just adds character to an already ugly guy lol.

Agree on the character!

And that is just one animal you have to see in person. It actually ended up being my wife's favorite antelope.

Keep it coming!

 

[johnnyblues]

Agree on the character!

And that is just one animal you have to see in person. It actually ended up being my wife's favorite antelope.

Keep it coming!

Will do buddy. Tomorrow after checking baits we are going to hunt hard for oryx and eland. They will complete my " wish list " of plains game on this hunt. Now if only the leopards would cooperate this would make it a perfect safari

 

[gillettehunter]

Thanks for the updates. We love being kept in the loop. Gotta ck a couple of times a day to see what has been added. Good luck on Mr. Spots. Bruce

 

[bluey]

nice hartebeest , johnny
be sure and eat some of him mate.
it was my favourite meat , in Limpopo ,on our first African adventure .....
tomorrow night will be the charm , with your leopard, I hope

 

[BWH]

@johnnyblues its totally going to happen..... It's just a test. Focus on the other PG, next thing you know, you will be posing with Ol' Spots! We are all pulling for you buddy!

 

[LivingTheDream]

This why you book 14 days, lol. You will get him, and it will just add to the story. It would be anticlimatic if you got it early in the trip.

Good luck and hoping one starts hitting the baits!

 

[Redruff]

Great Hartebeast Johnny! Keep it up with the daily updates. Feel like we are all around the fire the end of the day swapping tales.

R.

 

[harden]

Johnny Blues dream, of your leopard tonight.
Sleep Oh Johnny, things work out right.
The bait gets hit, by a Tom this night
The next time he 's there, he's in your sights....

Shoot straight Johnny !

 

[johnnyblues]

bit of a deniro ,looka like there johnboy........

I've heard that for many years. Lol

 

[BRICKBURN]

I've heard that for many years. Lol

Get to bed man.

 

[johnnyblues]

Get to bed man.

5/22 rise and shine!

 

[Bivy]

Truly enjoying your daily updates! Every time you post something I flash back to my own first safari in May.

Enjoy those Africa sunsets and sunrises, and if I can give one word of advice...don't countdown the days until it's over like you did the days until it began. Focus on the moment at hand, the game that might be around the next bend, and breathing that African air!

We are all pulling for you!

 

[ActionBob]

Wow Johnny you have some great trophies already! What a way to start off with that Kudu... Loving the reports and best of luck on getting that Leopard. You have lots of time yet and it will be all the sweeter when you do get him. Keep the gun handy, you never know when you might just find one walking down the road... At least you have a tag...

 

[thriller]

@ActionBob I'm apparently using the wrong roads when I drive around.

 

[Nyati]

Pretty good so far, keep it up !

 

[thi9elsp]

@ActionBob I'm apparently using the wrong roads when I drive around.

I don't know Thriller. I'm thinking it's their pet spots. Look at the tire tracks. The drove away from home, now he's hanging his head because he knows he has to walk back!

 

[ActionBob]

@ActionBob I'm apparently using the wrong roads when I drive around.

I don't know Thriller. I'm thinking it's their pet spots. Look at the tire tracks. The drove away from home, now he's hanging his head because he knows he has to walk back!

We were hunting back in there and there was a farm site so it was a somewhat commonly traveled road... A truck or two per day? But we were in and out 2x/day for a few days. The first day my wife spotted a young leopard in the tall grass. We got a decent enough look and the PH stated that was a once in a lifetime! To see a leopard in the daytime. Then the night before that picture, we saw a big male along the road prowling in the ditch. Got a good show from him and lots of pics. The PH was beside himself that you just don't see big Tom's like that, much less leopards just casually without real effort.

And then the next morning we see this guy strolling down the road! Now the PH is almost turning inside out... "I don't care that I said it was once in a lifetime"... "This is once in 3 lifetimes!"

Of course we had no permit or tag for leopard

 

[johnnyblues]

Hi guy's midway point of the hunt and not much has really changed. We did have a cat on the fathers farm hitting bait several days ago waiting to hear if he is still coming in. If so we will leave here and over there Monday.

We saw a big eland bull yesterday morning on the road just off the brush at about a half mile. We tried to stalk but all we could do was follow his spoor for quite a long ways. The only glimpse we did get after several hours was him busting thru the brush at 40 yards and then he was gone. Interestingly we found a black wildebeest yesterday laying out by their dip and pack facility that had been killed by a leopard and somehow managed to escape. You could see all four teeth marks on his neck. We assume once he got loose and ran towards the buildings he got scared away. Quess we will never know for certain.

For certain is this , they are not hitting bait. Our only options are to find spoor or a recent kill or to sit by one of the several waterholes here where spoor had been found. Problem is we find spoor daily at one hole it gets hit than it then nothing for several more days. This is the secenario at most of the watering holes. So it's a guessing. Dark moon is in effect hopefully it will stir something up. We've been battling strong winds to compound the already difficult plains game hunting. Let's hope the next 6 days left are good ones.

 

[Red Leg]

Best of luck. Hope you get something working a bait soon. Trying to ambush a cat at a watering hole is, obviously, a real long shot. A zebra quarter can at times work when nothing else will - particularly in the dry area you are hunting- they won't dry out nearly as quickly as an antelope. I would certainly take one if you get a chance in the next day or two. Also, nothing like trying to get a free range eland. Most are earned with a lot of shoe leather and thorn scratches.