Has anyone hunted with Christies Adventures this year? I am seriously looking at booking with him for my family and friends for 2009. I have had excellent responses from references, and Christy has personally been fantastic at responding to questions, and sending photos pf recent hunts. Does anyone have any new reports?

Len - PM'd you, check your e-mail

I hunted with them this year and had a great time. Haven't had a chance to post a report with pictures but I went eight for eight on animals and caught some pretty good fish on the coast as well. Good facility, lots of game, nice people.

Wanderer,
Did you hunt for leopard there?

One in our group with Christie missed a good male last June. Excellent place!

That's too bad, tell us more about it please.

WHERE DID HE HUNT THE LEOPARD?

I hunted with Christie in May. I didn't hunt leopard, but I widh I would have. Many of his areas were FULL of leopard sign. If you have any questions please feel free to PM me.

I hunt with Christie every year. (Missed one year as I was sick and had to turn back at Frankfurt) He really is the nicest of guys ... lots of fun and a great guide and hunter. He was 8/10 on leopards this year (2007) if I remember correctly with one chap passing on two female leopards ... and the other chap not getting a chance. He wasn't there all that long apparently. I believe that 8 out of 10 is for people that got the shot at the leopard. Not all 8 were put in the salt. It is still up to the hunter to put the slug in the right place. I would recommend him without reservation.

Wolfgar I didn't hunt leopard but another guy was there at the same time hunting specifically for leopard and he shot a nice male. They had a couple of other leopards hitting baits as well. It certainly wasn't the ideal time of year because it was pretty hot and the baits didn't last long. I was impressed with the amount of work that usually goes into leopards. A guy did shoot one at a waterhole the week before I got there, just lucky.

Hey fellas, the reason I asked is that I know a guy who hunted there a few years ago for 3 weeks and never even got his chance. He also said that the baits were not reliably hit either, and that the Leopard area was a 2-3 hour drive from the ranch. 3 weeks is a long time to not even have an opportunity, so either this guy was very unlucky, or maaybe you PH got some new areas, or learned a bit more about his game.
What do you think??

Well, from talking to Christie while I was there, I know that he lives to hunt leopard, and works very hard at it. If the area is the same one I am familiar with, yes it is about 2 hours from his farm. As for not getting a shot, hunting is hunting. I have heard of people getting their leopard in the first hour of their first night hunting them, and others who took months (over the course of many safaris) to finally seal the deal in very good leopard areas with very good PH's. When we discussed leopard hunting, Christie told me the best times were during the dark phase of the moon and later in the year after most of the animals were done dropping their young.

I think maybe the guy was unlucky. The leopards hitting the bait were on Christie's property or right next to it and the leopard shot at the water hole was on Christie's property. The leopard the guy actually took was on a neighboring farm, it had killed an Eland calf and they shot it over the kill the following night. It wasn't that far from Christie's, maybe an hour but not two or three. I actually hunted with another PH, also very experienced on leopard, and he didn't have any problems with Christie's methodology. We checked baits a few times and they seemed to be well placed. I also sat in a blind overlooking one bait that was hit, didn't see a leopard but did seem a couple of nice Damara dik diks, should have shot one. I would have been happy taking a shot on a leopard at the bait from the blind.

I'm very seriously thinking about going there for leopard in 2009 if I can get the right dates.

I am not sure about the guy hunting for three weeks and not getting a chance. In 1996 I hunted on the Humani in Zimbabwe with Clive Hallamore ... his dear old dad wrote the book, ' Chui' ... At that time I doubt if the 21 year old kid had ever even read the book .. Although the area was crawling with leopard tracks .. we only had one female hit a bait in two weeks... And Clive put on the light before the cat had started to feed - it slipped off the trunk of the tree and disappeared. (I never did see it...) If I was low on leopards (and I really am not any more) and had a choice between the famous Humani (and it is really expensive there now I have been told ..) and Christie de Sousa's hunt - I'd pick Christie ... knowing full well that leopard hunting is not a slam dunk operation ... and I just might get skunked again ... odds are good that I would put one in the salt .. as long as I hunted for two weeks and carried my lucky rifle with me ...

I wont pretend to know about leopards and success rates, but I do recall Boddington saying he sat for more than 60 nights in a leopard blind before taking one. Now, he is a guy that surely has put in the time and with his connections, I am sure would be in the best places, times, etc. Sometimes it just doest come together. 3 weeks and no leopard...well....it just didnt come together for the gentleman.

forgive my poor English

Are You talking about this Christy?

The madam opened the brothel door and saw a rather
dignified, well-dressed, good-looking man in his late forties or early
fifties. 'May I help you?' she asked.

'I want to see Christy,' the man replied.

'Sir, Christy is one of our most expensive ladies. Perhaps you
would prefer someone else,' said the madam.

'No. I must see Christy,' he replied.

Just then, Christy appeared and announced to the man that she
charged $5,000 a visit. Without hesitation, the man pulled out five
thousand dollars and gave them to Christy, and they went upstairs.
After an Hour, the man calmly left.

The next night, the same man appeared again, once more demanding
to see Christy. Christy explained that no one had ever come back
two nights in a row -- too expensive -- and there were no discounts.
The price was still $5,000.

Again the man pulled out the money, gave it to Christy, and they
went upstairs. After an hour, he left.

The following night the man was there yet again. Everyone
was astounded that he had come for a third consecutive night, but he
paid Christy and they went upstairs.

After their session, Christy questioned the man. 'No one has ever
been with me three nights in a row. Where are you from?' she asked.

The man replied, 'South Carolina.''Really' she said. 'I have family
in South Carolina.'

'I know,' the man said. 'Your father died, and I am your
sister's attorney. She asked me to give you your $15,000 inheritance.'

The moral of the story is that three things in life are certain:
* Death,
* Taxes, and
* Being screwed by a lawyer.

DH