Sounds like a very interesting hunt.

I am with kamaatu on this. I think that the use of a vehicle under any but EXCEPTIONAL circumstances is abhorrent and should be spurned by any hunter that dares to call himself such. If you are a shooter on the other hand then it doesnt matter where you are. Vehicle/150 hectare high fence???
Regards shooting from a blind...hmmm...now theres a sticky issue.
Have you ever shot a leopard from a blind Russ?
Its not just quite as cut & dried as you imply.

D, I reckon it sounds like you have the opportunity to do the leopard hunt of a lifetime. From the skepticism expressed by other postings here I think you would be well advised to do some thorough checks on the outfitters making the offer & all the paperwork & permits. Very thorough checks...

If you are lucky enough that all checks out and you get the go-ahead. I sincerely hope that you insist on the final approach on foot - which is not easy when your guts start churning, the sweat breaks out again and your heart misses a loop as you realise the moment of truth has come.

If you do the approach on foot I would almost guarantee that you will enjoy possibly the most exciting & rewarding leopard hunt imaginable. I have never done this type of hunt but have heard many fireside tales of it. The trackers are incredible, the experience unforgettable and the adrenalin at the moment of truth is said to be unbelievable.

Take a gun you are really happy & comfortable with. Get lots a snap shot practise in at the range. I would recommend a semi-auto/pump shotgun that you really trust, or a lever action rifle if you can find one in a suitable calibre - I am not too sure what models & calibres you can get in lever action as they were not too common where I come from.

Me and some mates would practise shooting tyres rolled down a hill toward us - start facing away from the direction the tyre is coming from, or at right angles or something. You will hear when the tyre is headed towards you, but rather have a friend stand behind you to call the shot. That way you really have to react quickly, and if you do it often enough you get to the point where you will shoot instinctively rather than using your sights. When you reach this level - you are ready

Obviously you might have to work hard to find a range/site where shooting like this is possible and safe for everybody. We had a quarry not far from my place so it was perfect as the guy rolling tyres could drop into a hole at the top of the quarry to avoid ricochets etc...

You also get really fit from pushing tyres back up! Might even get so fit that you could run with the trackers!!

Now wouldnt that be the hunt of a lifetime and a story for the grandchildren

Very interesting posts above and everyone with a different experience or opinion. I do not want to get in the middle of everyone's opinion and simply just want to answer the question and give my advise and experience to help whoever wants to do a Kalahari leopard hunt.

I have done several of these leopards myself and have been with several clients on their hunts as well. So, for whatever it is worth this is what my experience and suggestions are.

1) I would really do your homewrok on any outfitter that offers the leopard hunt as a side or extra! Most of the leopard hunts that I know of are booked as leopard hunts with plains game!

2) These leopard hunts can be very long and very frustrating at times, as the leopard is very smart and you will never see him until the last minute. Even when the trackers are close and the leopard starts doing figure 8's around you, you will never see him! On one of my own leopard hunts we had been tracking this one big leopard for 3 straight days going 15 miles a day and the leopard staying just ahead of us. On the 4th day of tracking this leopard we picked up his fresh tracks about 10 miles from where we left the tracks the night before, so this leopard did a lot of traveling and we were lucky that he crossed the road for us to cut down on time. Once we picked up the fresh tracks we still tracked him for 4 hours before the trackers turned and ran back to the truck and yelling to let the dogs out as one of the trackers almost stepped on the leopard as there was a grunt from the leopard. The dogs were let out of the truck and all hell broke loose! All you could see and hear was the hip high grass moving and dogs jumping around yelping and the leopard growling. Anytime you are that close to a leopard fighting dogs and hearing the leopard, it will make your hair on your neck stand straight up, no matter who you are. The excitment at that time is nothing you can explain. On this leopard we did get out of the truck and start running towards the dogs as they were about 50 yards in front of us and we wanted to get there in a hurry before the leopard broke away. We got to within 10 yards of the dogs fighting the leopard and we could not see the leopard at all due to the grass, but the noise at that close distance is something else!!! We walked slowly forward still trying to get a glimpse of the leopard. The car followed us very close and was right on our heels in case we needed cover, but at 10 yards, there is no time for anything except a perfect shot. At about 7 yards we could see the dogs finally jumping back and forth and barely saw the leopards tail as it jumped forward trying to get a dog. I decided that there was no way of winning this battle like this as you would almost have be right in there with the dogs to get a shot! So, I backed up to where the car was about 2 yards behind us and stood up on the front bumper to get a better view. As soon as I stood up on the bumper just giving me the extra 3 feet of height, I could see the leopard very clearly crouching down and turning very fast as it fought off the dogs. I still could not get a shot off as the dogs were too close and did not want to shoot any of the dogs. The leopard finally noticed that I saw him and jumped forward trying to get through the line of dogs and when he jumped forward the dogs jumped back and gave me about 1 second and took the shot with my open sighted .375 and the leopard just fell. I had put the bullet down through the leopards shoulders and the bullet went through the leopard into the ground which made for a clean shot and no danger of the bullet exiting and hitting a dog. VERY EXCITING!!!

3) I would never use a shotgun on this hunt at all!!!! I would use an open sighted rifle as the leopard will either be fighting the dogs and you do not want to hit any of the dogs, or you will see the leopard in front of you at 50 yards, and only a rifle will work at that distance. Your PH will be the one that will have a shotgun and no need for the client to have a shotgun at all and may hinder your shooting more than anything.

4) I do not know of any client nor most of the PH's that even think about possibly keeping up with the bushmen trackers when tracking the leopard at a jog all day long, let alone if the tracking goes on for several days! Yes, it is nice in theory to do everything on foot with the trackers, but will guarantee that you will not be able to do it for long. You have to follow the trackers in the car if you are serious about getting a leopard. Now whether you stay on the car for the final moments when getting in close to the leopard is all up to the PH, the client or the situation. Most of the grass where I have hunted and send my clients is grass that is knee high to hip high, and there is plenty of bush and thorn trees in the Kalahari. There were some places the car could not even get through it was so thick, but most of the country is open grass and thorn bush.

5) These hunts are usually very successful if you concentrate on the leopard hunting and dedicate your time to it until you are successful, but is not 100% as these Kalahari leopards really know how to travel and run. If you think you are going to just hunt leopard as a side hunt that will be very hard to do.

6) This can be a very dangerous hunt and once the leopard is pushed hard enough and tired, he will charge and will be very close range and it does not matter if you are in the truck as he will get right in the back with you or come right over the front of the car. I have seen on two occassions where the trackers have been mauled and on one occassion where the leopard came over the front of the truck and we had to radio for another car due to the bullets taking out the front radiator fron the client and PH.

This is just my opinion and what my experience has been and hope that it will help you when deciding on your future hunt.