NAMIBIA: Leopard Deal That Turned Into Eventually 11 Days

[ChasingHemingway]

Keep it coming...

 

[Christina Nyczepir]

I don't know whether to laugh my head off or cry for you. Hahahaha! (Oooops.....) But please...don't stop!

 

[CAustin]

This is turning out to be a good hunt!

 

[BnC 04]

It does seem to be making a turn for the better CAustin. Keep it rollin' Drew416.It's a great read thus far.

 

[ROCKET]

I want to see that spoted cat again fellows.....!!!!!

 

[drew416]

With baits out on all the major hotspots, that were/ are showing signs of cat activity, we found time to cram in some more plains game hunting during the daytime.

On day Roy suggested that we sit in one of his Custom made blinds on his large dam out the back, and see what comes in during the day. ( Otjandaue also caters to bowhunters as well as traditional rifle men). We saw alot of wildlife that day, including over 200 head of Gemsbok.

We were specifically looking for a nice trophy Gemsbok Bull for a shoulder mount. Even with the huge number we saw, not one stood out or took Roy's fancy. All we succeeded in doing was basically a tally count and created more work for Roy as we seemed to see a few Oryx that could do the herd in general a favour if they were culled out.

As it got later, the steady stream of animals coming in dried up like my throat. It was getting hot and even I was starting to feel it too! We both came to the mutual conclusion that it was time to retire to the house for lunch.

Instead of taking me back the direct route Roy pointed the old Land Cruiser into the dry river that runs past the lodge, but we entered the river way upstream, near the dam we were sitting on.
Again many Kudu cows/ young bulls, Impala, Boons and Oryx were found taking refuge from the soaring midday heat of this November day. We round a sharp bend in the river and behold a immature bull standing with a much older bull in the middle of the sand bar. I dismount the old Cruiser and start to follow. They don't run far, only to the safety of the shaded bank, which had a slight incline up. Roy instructed me to shoot the one on the right. My remington came up, I put the leupold crosshairs just forward of his front on side shoulder( as he was standing facing us slightly quartering towards) and sent the 250gn Woodleigh on it's way.

I saw the animal sway as the bullet impacted. The facing front shoulder instantly blew up the size of a football. The bull spun around on the spot and started to try and run off on the 3 good legs he had left.
I casually opened the bolt, pulled it back, took the empty cartridge out and placed it in my pocket. As I was about to replenish the chamber with a fresh round I heard another thud!. "Can you see him?" called Roy. " No he hobbled up the bank and I lost sight when he went over the rise" was my reply. "I'll let the dog out and he'll pick up the trail" Roy said.

I had already started walking toward the spot where he was shot and spotted him about 20m away, just as the dog ran past me. Good dog that one, he ran straight to the spot were the gemsbok bull lay. The thud I heard was it falling down, and slightly cracking the tip of the left horn.

Again not the biggest set of horns BUT a mature bull and the best specimen we had seen all day, and believe me we had looked at literally hundreds that morning. Nice thick bases, nice ringing half way up, same dark colour from base to tip.( no soft/ undeveloped horn here). The cows do have longer horns than the bulls. But the bulls rub theirs against termite mounds to sharpen them for mating duels. Of coarse the bulls horns bases are thicker that the cows.

We then heard a tractor and Roy said that we were about 300m from the house! A quick call on the radio and 2 minutes later we were surrounded by farm hands to help load the bull and take him back to the butcher shed for the pot and for much needed Leopard bait.

Kobus, the sort of farm manager- who also happens to be Janet's uncle, helped the guys quarter him up. And brought me back my only ever 8mm 250gn Woodleigh recovery( they usually go straight through). "You f#cked him up pretty bad" Kobus said in his broad by dry Afrikaans accent. It was nothing but mince in the front chest cavity. Bonded Woodleigh stayed together, went through and smashed the front left shoulder, took out everything inside the chest cavity, and was found on the off side of the bull(right hand side) lodged in the second rib back. The rib was broken too! Only 177gn left out of 250gn.

 

[bluey]

your reeling off a great yarn drew , this hunt is taking shape .
loving the photos , bloke.
you wouldn't want that woodliegh tearing through ya.
nice gemsbok, congratulations

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Thanks for sharing. Waiting in anticipation.

 

[peras]

This is getting better and better!

 

[baas303]

I like the way you are telling your story, feels like I am there with you. Would like to read some more, keep it up.

 

[James.Grage]

well it looks like you are blowing the rust out of your lost rifle...

the tails of the lost Aussie hunter so to say...

 

[ROCKET]

Good.....very good.....!!!!!

 

[gillettehunter]

Some well earned trophies. Good for you.f hope we get to read about a leopard soon. Bruce

 

[Bobpuckett]

It looks like Roy is doing you right Congrats on some fine trophies so far. looking forward to the rest.

 

[BRICKBURN]

……………….
View attachment 33427
... A quick sniff..... and gone....These are the only trail camera photo's of this Cat.

Looks like he sprayed the tree in the second picture.

Good tale…..

 

[Red Leg]

Curious how this ends up. Couple of years ago Nick Nolte and I helped follow up a wounded cat on Roy's place. Argentine client had nicked him, and we spent a very long and scary morning following Nick's dogs through some awful brush trying to close. Leopard wasn't hard hit, and we were probably lucky not to catch up with him before the heat burned away the scent. Roy is a heck of a fine fellow and PH with a beautiful stretch of country near Omaruru. It is a country of broken rocky hills, brushy flats, and, oh yes, it is crawling with big cats. He also has one of the highest concentrations of Damara Dik Dik that I have ever seen.

Drew that is a beautiful kudu and gemsbok and they will make wonderful mounts!

 

[drew416]

Red Leg: I believe that Roy told be that story too. The good wounded Leopard tracking dogs actually belong to Nick's brother.
The farming community out that way is pretty tight-knit. Everybody looks after each other. I never met Nick, he was out with a client too, but Isabelle Nolte visited Otjandaue on one occasion during my stay.

Damara Dik-Dik you say..... Are you reading my mind,

With my spell of bad luck a distant bed memory, I was starting to believe that, with things improving ( weather and luck), that the chances of getting a good Cat were pretty good. Fresh tracks were always being found in new locations. Bait was being nibbled on, trail camera's had taken some photo's. Hell I'd even managed to bag some fine animals.

One afternoon Roy gets a phone call from George and Leonard over on Kassandara Farm. They tell Roy that one of the baits we moved a couple of days ago has been hit and nearly all gone. Now they tell us this in the afternoon. They can't go out in the mornings and check. They can't tell Roy, by looking at the tracks what has hit the bait or which way the animal came in and left. Was it only the one animal???

We decide that we must drop everything we are doing ( I can't for the life of me remember what it was), rush back to the house, get some fresh bait and spare trail camera and drive out to George's place. This is over a 90km return trip. We start out for the house when we spot this bloke in the thick bush to our left. I jump out and after a quick game of hide and seek... I am rewarded.

Dik-Dik was always on the menu and yes Red Leg you are correct- Roy does have more than his fair share of them. They are even found in the late afternoon and early evenings in the river banks not even 50m from the campfire in the front of the thatched roof dining room. Simply amazing to watch from your chair whilst sipping a cold green can (Windhoek Lager).

Though in abundance on Otjandaue, a permit is still required for them, being a nocturnal animal. Only 2 per year issued per farm. I got the last one. Luckily I stated my intentions to try for one before I left. This gave Roy the time to lodge the application and receive the permit before I arrived.

I did see my fair share if Dik-Dik's on Otjandaue, but this the best one Roy has seen for a while.
AND NO, HE WAS NOT SHOT AT THE HOUSE OR AROUND THE CAMPFIRE.
He was taken out in the paddock and given fair chase on foot.
I simply love him and can't wait till Janet full mounts him. He is going to be the center piece in my Mum's lounge room. Just so that when one of her do-gooder, anti-hunting old biddy friends visits, it is the first thing they see!

I think that I have now got the bug to try and take more of the miniature species, they are quite a challange.

 

[Red Leg]

Beautiful old Dik Dik my friend. He'll make the book. Nick and Isabel are wonderful people. I'll go back to shoot another cat with him one of these days. And you were in great hands with Roy.

Roy and Nick Nolte.

So on with the rest of the story!!

 

[drew416]

O.K. The spur of the moment trip to George's is delayed till next morning.

We must go on the road back to Omaruru, go through town, turn right and continue on for another 25km. Once at the turn off to Kassandara there are no less than 4 locked gates one must go through before reaching the house complex. George has had a bad experience with burglars, now everything is under lock and key.
Roy used to be able to take the corner off the triangle be going through his back fence, going through the neighbor, then coming onto Kassandara through a side fence. This can't be done anymore as the neighbor has some excuse, so we have to now go the long way around.

main street of Omaruru- you should see how packed the place is day after payday!

Just as well that's Namibian $- the cost of living in Omaruru! This is the 2nd grade Diesel!

I just love the "don't hit the warthog" signs.

We get to the very flash and brand new house, workshop and lodge complex of Kassandara Station/ Farm. We are greeted by Leonard and his father George. Really nice people with a sense of sincerity one can pick up with a shake of their hand. Just like Ziggy's place, George only now allows Roy exclusive rights to shoot Leopard on his Farm.

We talk about the new location of the bait, tracks?, the possibility of blind position, weather, wind, light, the price of cattle and so on.... Before we drive down to the baited area we are shown last nights trail camera images.

People, I have literally dozens of trail camera photo's of what Roy believes are no less than 3 different cats hitting the same bait from 2110pm through to 0410am in the same night. Do any of you good people want me to upload them all and display them all as full images?

 

[enysse]

I'm sure the hunting fools on this site would be fine with it Drew, but I'm ok with just a few.