I'm "toying" with the idea of a leopard and/of buff hun in Namibia in 2008. The reason I'm looking at Namibia vs Zim is twofold; one, our church supports an orphanage there, and two, the hunts seem to be less expensive.
Sooooo.....I'm counting on the VAST RESOURCES of knowledge on this forum...as I usually do, to weigh in with particular opines.
I had a great time in SA and Zim on plains game and buff this past Aug/Sept, but want to further my horizons.
Thanks in advance.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer

I guess I should have said that I would actually VISIT the orphanage while in Namibia...pardon my mental lapse.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer

If I was interested in Leopard I would not hunt them in Namabia unless I was using dogs. I learned the hard way. You can only hunt Leopard over bait until dark which really handicaps you, but if that is OK with you go for t, it is cheaper. If you hunt with dogs the pricing will be about the same as Zim.

I suspect that you'd like to take both the leopard and the buffalo in the same area, in which case your options in Namibia are limited to the Caprivi. I did a leopard/buffalo hunt I the West Caprivi strip in 2003, and was lucky/fortunate on both animals taking a nice/old leopard and a smallish but cool old buffalo - but it is not the easiest combo location especially for the cat.

The concessions and conservancies have been [and still are] in a state of flux lately, but there are at least two resident Booking Agents who could possibly help you here (Wendell Reich & Mark Young).

The other option is to hunt buffalo in the Caprivi, then move to a different area (a farm perhaps, and possibly w/dogs as DOJ suggested) to hunt the leopard, although you won't be able to use the buffalo for bait and again IMO your odds will not be as good as one of the prime "big game" concessions in Zim (or Botswana/Tanz/Zambia, but which are all pricier). But it is an option, and one can do this too in Zim which is likely a bit cheaper then a 14-day hunt in a DG area.

Weigh the pros/cons including your desire to visit the orphanage, talk w/others, and good luck with whatever you decide!

PS: Of course, you could fly to Windhoek then up to Zim (or vice-verse), noting the gun reg's in both countries are pretty relaxed and this SHOULD be no problem but you'd need to check into this further.

PSS: The most expensive hunt is the one you have to do twice. Many guys pay several times to shoot a leopard (for me it was lion), so if you REALLY want one, a few thousand more the first time could be money very well spent.

One of the few outfits that can offer you both leopard and buff in Namibia is www.fultonclassicsafaris.com

I hunted this year with Gert near Etosha and took a leopard over bait, then transferred to the Caprivi for buff with Vaughan.

My thoughts are...

The most important thing to consider with leopards is the PH. A good cat man is worth his weight in gold.

Second, while you probably won't see a lot of buff in the Caprivi, and there won't be many monsters, you will have a great experience.

Thanks, gents...good ideas all. I'm taking my 15 year old son to Reno in January and will talk to a few of the folks....and some others. I may actually go the Zim route for both as I am finding out that it seems to be one of the better deals going. I did the hunting area shuffle this last trip and you do lose a couple of days in the bush. DG hunting is addictive and I really would like another buff to go with Mr. Spots.

Thanks, again.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer

Garby,
I would NEVER hunt Namibia if my goal was a Leopard!! I hunted Namibia for 18 days and never laid eyes on one! This year I hunted Zim's Lowveldt and got my cat on the 5th night. I had 8 cats feeding on 10 baits.
Namibia is great for P-game, but noted for difficulty with Leopards. To me, the terrain was totally different, and no comparison with tracks, sign etc.
I think some of the PH's there put leopard on their game list to entice you, knowing that your odd's are not too good, and you would be real lucky to get one.
Just my 2 cents, but I have been to both places.
I will give you my PH's info if you want a cat.

GarBy

I have to agree with the others that the most bang for the buck on a leopard/buffalo combo is available in Zim. $12750 in total daily fees for 15 days gets you a 90% opportunity on leopard, buff, sable, waterbuck and all the rest on the Save with Barrie Duckworth. Zambia and Tanzania offer great combo hunts too but the prices are higher by quite a bit.

For a traditinal baited hunt for leopard Namibia would never be my choice. Too many stories of lots of expensive baits going up in the trees and not even a leopard track being seen in two weeks. Now a tracking hunt with Bushman is a different deal.

Mark

Garby...take a look at my cat I just posted titled
John Hunt Leopard &Plains game

Gary,
if you need any help you are welcome to contact me.
Regs Kamaatu

GarBy,

I think I was a slow learner because I didn't get the leopard until the third hunt.

I have hunted and book for outfitters in Namibia, South Africa and Zim, and I recommend Zim too.

It would be straight-forward to set up your trip to visit Namibia on the way to hunt, and you could finish off the jet lag before your hunt.

jim

leopard can be one of the most damning animals to get, especially if you're holding out for a nice big male. going to places where they are, beats going to places where they aren't. I believe I spent 54 days hunting mr spots before finding a big one, and that time was spent in places where they are.

I took my leopard in Namibia. Nice cat. There are outfitters in Namibia that do a very good job with cats. We hunted with Paul and Ingrid Meyer of Safari West(meyer@iafrica.com.na). They do the leopard hunting a bit differently. They cut tracks, put an excellent tracker on the tracks and follow until they find the leopards own kill. They may then sweeten the laopard's own kill with more meat. The cat is much more likely to come back to his own kill in daylight than to just some bait hung randomly in the trees. Makes sense to me anyway. Paul is passionate about his leopard hunting. We saw or were on the tracks of 3 or 4 other leopards on our 8 day hunt. Another couple of PH's that worked with him were Felix Marnewecke(camelthornsafaris@iway.na) and Willa Liebenberg(newdays@iway.na). Willa was the PH that sat with me in the blind and he did a great job with silent communications and when to take my shot. Felix is good with dogs and I think he has his own pack now. It sounded like a very exciting way to hunt them. When you get one cornered he will come for you. You have to shoot quick and straight or you will get yourself or someone else scratched.

It was very dry there and consequently no buffalo. Good luck.

D Hunter,
There is a story in this issue of SCI magazine about the same kind of hunt...are you the author?? If so, what did your cat weigh, mine looked exactly the same size.
Back to Namibia and the original post, I'm sure that you can get your cat there, but in my opinion, I would go where my chances are best, and that would be Zim.

Sorry, gents....just made it back to the computer.
I thank all of you for your information. I have been told that Zim IS THE place to go for the combo hunt I am looking at.
Mark, went to your link...very nice. I assume you'll be in Reno.
Kamaatu...I may contact you to get further info.

Thanks, again to all replies....I'll post when I book....I wish someone had told me DG hunting was as addictive as a drug.....maybe I wouldn't have gone for that first buff....YEAH, RIGHT.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer

Wolfgar I am not the author. My cat wieghed in at 57 kilos. Not a monster but a good mature male. I agree that Zim is likely the best place to do that combo hunt. Good hunting.

D,
Did you post the pic's of your cat, I would like to see it. Who did you hunt with in Namibia? Bait or dogs?