- Joined
- Jun 14, 2015
- Messages
- 8,043
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- Location
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Media
- 274
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- 5
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- NRA, DSC
- Hunted
- Nam, Zam, Zim,RSA (Eastern Cape & NW), Canada, NZ, Alaska, TX, LA, MO, OH, MT, ID, WA, WY
Halfway through my leopard hunt, I thought I would get started with a report.
Travel started with a short United flight to Houston and a 5 hour layover. A 10 hour flight on Lufthansa to Frankfurt was next, followed by a 13 hour layover. I got a day room for 6-7 hours and then made my way to the Lufthansa lounge. There I met a couple of guys decked out in hunting attire and it turned out they were doing a PG hunt with Nick Nolte. The 10 hour Discover flight to Windhoek went well. The customs and immigration process was slow. I was one of the first persons to get to the baggage carousel. Checking my AirTags, I could see my rifle case arrived, but my duffel bag was still in Frankfurt.
I checked with the generic help desk and they directed to a QR code for a website to file a “delayed baggage claim.” Despite filing the claim, follow up phone calls and emails, including telling them the approximate location in FRA Terminal 1, it is now day 8 and I still don’t have my bag. It did make it to the Windhoek airport this morning, so now the adventure begins to see how long it takes for the airline to deliver it to me, 125 miles away.
Luckily, I had a change of clothes with me and a fleece jacket. One of the other guys had an extra jacket and loaned it to me. Instead of my 338 WM, which arrived but no ammo, I have been planning to use the PH’s rifle.
Seven days of hanging baits and/or checking baits, so a lot of road time in the Land Cruiser. There were several baits and cameras already out, prior to my arrival. I am hunting with a PH named Nicolas Van Zyl. I have been very impressed with him. We have 9 different baits spread out over about a 20 mile radius. We can check half in the morning and half in the afternoon.
Nick and Isabel Nolte explained that this has been a difficult year so far for leopard, all across Namibia. Namibia received an unusually high amount of rain earlier in the year, and the grass is waist deep everywhere. One of the theories is with the tall grass for concealment, leopards are more successful stalking prey. So they aren’t coming to baits as readily.
Hopefully, I get my bag in the next day or so, and also get to sit in a blind and wait for a big Tom to appear. A couple of baits have been hit, so we are making a plan. Stay tuned!
Travel started with a short United flight to Houston and a 5 hour layover. A 10 hour flight on Lufthansa to Frankfurt was next, followed by a 13 hour layover. I got a day room for 6-7 hours and then made my way to the Lufthansa lounge. There I met a couple of guys decked out in hunting attire and it turned out they were doing a PG hunt with Nick Nolte. The 10 hour Discover flight to Windhoek went well. The customs and immigration process was slow. I was one of the first persons to get to the baggage carousel. Checking my AirTags, I could see my rifle case arrived, but my duffel bag was still in Frankfurt.
I checked with the generic help desk and they directed to a QR code for a website to file a “delayed baggage claim.” Despite filing the claim, follow up phone calls and emails, including telling them the approximate location in FRA Terminal 1, it is now day 8 and I still don’t have my bag. It did make it to the Windhoek airport this morning, so now the adventure begins to see how long it takes for the airline to deliver it to me, 125 miles away.
Luckily, I had a change of clothes with me and a fleece jacket. One of the other guys had an extra jacket and loaned it to me. Instead of my 338 WM, which arrived but no ammo, I have been planning to use the PH’s rifle.
Seven days of hanging baits and/or checking baits, so a lot of road time in the Land Cruiser. There were several baits and cameras already out, prior to my arrival. I am hunting with a PH named Nicolas Van Zyl. I have been very impressed with him. We have 9 different baits spread out over about a 20 mile radius. We can check half in the morning and half in the afternoon.
Nick and Isabel Nolte explained that this has been a difficult year so far for leopard, all across Namibia. Namibia received an unusually high amount of rain earlier in the year, and the grass is waist deep everywhere. One of the theories is with the tall grass for concealment, leopards are more successful stalking prey. So they aren’t coming to baits as readily.
Hopefully, I get my bag in the next day or so, and also get to sit in a blind and wait for a big Tom to appear. A couple of baits have been hit, so we are making a plan. Stay tuned!
