NAMIBIA: Leopard Hunt In Namibia

[Mnovak]

Congrats on a beautiful leopard!

 

[Scott CWO]

The day of the leopard…..

We had a bait that a large Tom was hitting every day. The trail cam photos showed him arriving about 4am and leaving just about sunrise. So we built a blind and came back at around 2am to sit him out.

Around 3am, another leopard was sawing behind us. Werner said he didn’t think it was our cat. It is sure an eerie feeling knowing an apex predator is nearby in the dark.

Like clockwork our Tom arrived at the bait at 4am and started to feed. He fed and lied down alternately for the next hour or so. He made a big mistake not leaving before legal shooting time. I was amazed how big he was. We had hung the bait about neck high. When he stood, his head was above the top of the bait. I waited for him to stand on all fours and shot him high on the scapula. He dropped to the shot.

He weighed 150 lbs on the farm scale and was 6’ 8” in length, nose to tail tip.

As you would imagine, I’m one happy hunter.

A proper leopard, Sir! Congratulations on one of the trickiest to get trophies in the world. It will make a beautiful mount.

 

[7mmFan]

Congrats on a great safari! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Altitude sickness]

Beautiful cat congrats !

 

[Frederik]

Thanks for sharing guys what a TOM well done and great hunt.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Congratulations on a great leopard. Weidmannsheil indeed! It appears that you have harvested several other nice animals as well. I very much like the Hartmann's Mountain Zebra.

Probably could find a good beer without trying too hard.

A good beer, maybe. But he really needs to transit Bavaria to find ein richiges Bier! Perhaps next time, try routing via Munich.

Namibia had their best rainfall in years and the grass was 2 ft tall, it made hunting the small antelopes quit a challenge. Hunted for a steenbok first and spent the day spotting their horns sticking above the grass only to have the vanish upon approach. As the sun was getting close to setting an old springbok ram step out into a clearing in front of me, the PH threw up the sticks and I quickly positioned my rifle. “Click” rather then bang was the noise my gun made, I had not chambered a round. I had just enough time to work the bolt and sent a round through the front of the brown stripe as Werner had suggested. Back in camp that night my first springbok had been named “Click.

Good recovery; I'm sure it made the Springbok taste just that much better!

 

[Jeff505]

The following day I set out for another chance at a Steenbok, the PH commented that It looked like I had enough gun for this creature. I brought one rifle a Winchester model 70 in 375 HH, I was shooting Barnes 300gr TSX which should not open on a small antelope and should just make a whole straight through. I told the PH that the last thing I wanted to do was follow a wounded steenbok into the long grass. Was able to get both a steenbok and Duiker that day.

 

[CAustin]

Dougs leopard.


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Congratulations on a beautiful leopard.

 

[Nyati]

That is a great leopard !

Congrats to both of you on your hunt

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Congrats gents on a nice mix of PG, but especially to Doug on the leopard!

 

[BJH65]

Congratulations! Well done, awesome leopard!