All,

Thanks for the opinions/comments/recommendations. 14 days is not a problem as I am a consultant with my own company - me. With a hard focus on leopard, could one expect to take 5-6 other head of plainsgame (Eland, Gemsbuck, Kudu, Zebra, Springbok, & warthog) of good, representative quality in a 14 day period? Not looking to re-write the book, just take good mature animals. I have seen so many glowing reviews of Vaughan Fulton's operation here, could the trophy problems outlined here be a fluke? Being a first timer, I definitely don't need ADDITIONAL headaches. I'm hoping to use airline miles for the airfare, it sounds like the general agreement is stay away from RSA if possible.

Thanks again for all replies,

1st Timer, stopping at JoBurg is NOT a problem on the way to Windhoek as long as: 1. You check your baggage all the way to Windhoek and, 2. You do not leave the "In Transit" area which is a waiting area with shops, bar etc. If you have to spend the night at a hotel or for any reason leave the "In Transit" area then you get into problems but if you simply have to wait a couple of hours to transfer to your new connection for Windhoek you will be AOK.

Vaughan has reported on this forum that he has improved his operation and is getting a hunters' trophies to the shipping agent much quicker and hopefully that is so.

You should be able to get some good plainsgame species as you will probably not be hunting during the daylight hours for leopard. As Mark has said, find the time when there is no moon glow. May is a good month as the Kudu are in rut, the vegetation is thinning out, animals come to waterholes and the temperatures are very nice! Have a fantastic hunt!

John

Don�t get me wrong, Vaughan was a great guy to hunt with and we really enjoyed the time we spent with him. But based on our experience he lacks follow through with his �service after the sale�. You can call it a �fluke� if you like but the fact remains it is now been 14 and 1/2 months since our hunt with him and we still don�t have our horns and skins. The last e-mail I got was in mid-August promising me they were at the shipping agents and asking me not to go public with this, I told him I�d give it 2 weeks. Well, its now been 3 months since his e-mail, I haven�t heard a word from him or his shipping agent. I keep hoping he�ll do the right thing and we�ll get our trophies but so far, in 14 and 1/2 months, he hasn�t come through. I think he�s too busy making money off new clients to stop long enough to take care of this problem. Also, don�t think I�m the only one who is waiting for last years trophies, I�m just the only one to bitch about it on this board. I�ve got several e-mails in the last few months from other people but for some reason they don�t want to talk about here. Do I have a axe to grid?? DAMN right I do.

1st timer you need to understand that leopard is a specialized hunt. You might get a little plains game in addition but don't count on the PH putting a lot of time and effort into the plains game part. He will be concentrating on MR Spots. He might but don't count on it. Leopard can be a concentrated, intense hunt as I understand it and several people I have heard go home empty 2-5 trips before Mr. Spots gives up a coat. If this is what you want then go for it. Remember that you only get one, "First trip to Africa" . If you go for leopard I would think you need to be emotionally prepared to go home empty the first time around. 14 days is in your favor as opposed to 7-10 days which is the usual entry level hunt. It is a roll of the bones. Have a good time. "D'

1st timer,

I did as you are contemplating just last May. The deal I arranged was for a leopard / plains game hunt in Namibia. I was paying plains game daily rates. I paid up front for the trophy fees on selected plains game and the leopard, as well as for pre-baiting.

I had a great hunt, but was unsuccesful on the leopard. We saw fresh leopard tracks by the baits daily, but no hits. I don't know if it was due to the skills/lack of skills of the PH, the fact that the gemsbok were calving and there were baby warthogs everywhere, or what. I did plan for and hunt the dark of the moon. Namibia is known as a tough proposition for leopard, but I knew that going in. In any event, I was refunded my leopard trophy fee, but got to enjou the experience of at least trying for a leopard. I also collected fine speciments (five gold medals) of kudu, gemsbok, warthog, Hartman's zebra, dik-dik, duiker and stienbuck. It can be done and it can be done fairly inexpensive. Just be prepaired to go home without a leopard.

PS The next hunter who wasn't even after leopard, shot a tom in the afternoon, during broad daylight, at a water hole.

PSS My trophies, and those of 30ott6, were received at home by August. 30ott6 even has his kudu, gemsbok, hartebeast and warthog back from our USA taxidermist and hanging on the wall!