Just got back from a leopard hunt in Namibia with Helgaard van der Vuyver near Okahandja. For those with good memories I was looking for a partner to go on this hunt a few months ago as my wife couldn't make it. I ended up hunting with a great fellow from British Columbia who was on his first safari. As this was my seventh I reckon that we both might have had different expectations.... I suspect that whatever the expectations might have been - they were met. Everything was first class!!! Helgaard is extremely knowledgeable although only 27!! Lots of game with some very fancy kudu in the area. I passed one up that might have been the finest African trophy that I ever had a chance had. (personal thing) We each got a leopard and with his regular rate being only 150 euros a day ----- heck of a lot better deal than my other leopard hunts in other countries - especially with the end results!!!

Richard...tell us more about the hunt. Bait or tracking. Details and photos please?

Congratulations Richard! Your partner stopped by my house the other day to drop off some souvenirs I ordered, and he is still a few feet off the ground. I am glad you two had such a good time and great hunting. He told me about the kudu too. Sounds like it was a dandy! Did you get it on video at least?

Looking forward to seeing some pictures and hearing some stories.

Canuck

I have sent off some photos to my amigo George Samaras of far off New Jersey. He'll scan and send them to me and I'll post them as soon as they come in. We did the bait/blind routine (never charged us for baits???!!!) and like most leopards - things were not easy .... When I get a few minutes I'll post the story .... Extremely exciting with a potential for lots of hurt people.... (And not necessarily from the cats!! Ha! Ha!) They are Wildfarm Felseneck (Pvt) Ltd,
Tel/Fax 00264 62 503 545. No web site. I have their e mail somewhere if anyone is interested. My partner turned out to be a good guy to go into the long grass with after the cat. That quality is not always around, I reckon....

Here is a preliminary version of a webpage with Richard's photos.

When he sends me some captions, I'll include them.

Namibia2002

George

Richard,
Very nice trophies!
Thanks George and I can't wait to here the story of the chase!

Cograts again
Greg

Yes, please tell the story.

Great photo's Richard. Thanks for posting them George.

That's a dandy Tom you got! And a nice piggie.

Billy H. looks pretty happy too.

Don't be shy with the stories, guys!

Canuck

I'll let my amigo Bill tell the saga of his leopard... I will just say that he made the most amazing rifle shot that I have ever heard of - on a safari. My leopard came about the 7th day. There were lots of cats in the area - and the baits had been regularly hit - until we parked our pale Canadian faces in the blinds ... And then the varmints became shy... On the afternoon of the seventh we drug a long deceased swine down a lot of trails hoping that something would follow it into a bait.... Considering the cats already knew where the dang baits were - it was at least an effort to try something different. Sundown was about 5:30 p.m. and while coming out of the place we ran into a herd of gemsbok... We made a stalk but just as I was going to let drive - they got us visual and vamoosed.

Eventually with only 10 minutes left until darkness we started for camp. Suddenly the PH asked if I wanted to whack a jackal? (rabies in the area - not fond of jackals). I'm not low on the little fellows so I asked Bill if he wanted one? While Bill was pondering this ol'Helgaard went nuts!!!

'It's a cat!!! Richard, shoot it!!' This was repeated often and with great gusto!! I promptly (about 1/12 of a second to Helgaard's dismay at my tardiness) threw down a back pack and peered down the long long trail to try to see whatever kind of cat he was talking about!!! I didn't know if it was a cheetah, leopard, caracal, brown or whatever???

It was so far away... The next day the PH took his Leica rangefinder (these dudes had the best of everything) and found out that it was 280 meters.

The big tom had come out of the long grass ... picked up the drag mark ... followed it for twenty or thirty yards, found a piece of rotten pig that had fallen off, laid down facing us and started to eat... (Trolling for leopards) The rest was perfect but it was getting dark. I put the 4x crosshairs above the cat's head and on its body and squeezed... Whomp!!! A huge sound and this cat goes five feet straight up .. hits the ground running and into the tall grass...

We were soon at the spot and Helgaard looking at the tall grass as the last of the light disappeared said, 'I'm sorry, Richard. I can't go into that!'

My comment was, 'Well, you sure don't look stupid!'

We all got into the back of the vehicle and drove about 30 meters into the grass but were stopped by a big stump... We drove back to camp. That night the PH phoned a friend who uses fox terriers to hunt wounded leopards. We had a two year old pitbull/weimeraimer (sp?) in camp named Axel. Helgaard phoned his buddy to ask his opinion on this. The friend said Axel would be killed instantly. He would attack the cat and that would be that...

I never slept well... The next morning we headed back ... the tracker (superb tracker in my estimation) had a big coat that he was going to toss at the leopard if it came for him... I had my 8 Mag, Helgaard his Mossberg defender type with buckshot, Aaart an FN modified (don't ask), Bill had his 300.

I hugged Axel on the way out there. I didn't want to see that beautiful dog killed in front of me just 'cause us Canucks are sorry shots with a rifle. At the scene Helgaard decided not to use Axel.

After about 30 meters or so the tracker was asked how it looked...'Running hard ... no blood.'

Thirty or forty yards later .... just 30 or 40 feet from where we had stopped the night before (on the left hand side of the vehicle) ...the beautiful leopard was laying down facing away from us in a little clearing. Head turned a bit to the left.... He was warm .. and his eyes were moist ... It had taken twelve hours for his 9 lives to run out .... The 200 grain partition had entered his left shoulder, into the body cavity and had lodged in his back leg.

25 years ago I shot my first leopard ... a big old Tom in the Northern Transvaal with John Coleman... two weeks later I was having lunch with his sister and his mama (my cook back in '77 - she was 65 that year) in White River, R.S.A. . and I told them of my great leopard... man, but I love hunting ....

Richard,

That is a great story. I only regret that I didn't hear it while sitting around a (insert favorite african hardwood) fire with a sundowner in my hand.

Perry

Great story Richard! Thanks.

Canuck

Hello
Those are fine photos indeed. It sounds from the tone of the post that the safari was primarly focused on the leopard. As opposed to one of these "many species" hunts. Was that the case? If so, could you please post the details and contact information? I am primarily a predator hunter. The thought of a leopard is strong indeed., much moreso than a lot of the plains game.

If you do not want to post this on an open forum, I understand, maybe you could email me at JManes2021@aol.com

Thank You

E mail is on the way. I am heading off to Dawson Creek tomorrow to chase moose around the muskeg a bit. When I get back, if you need any more info just sound off ... Cheers! (By the way, they have a big Tom hitting the baits over there right now ... barely back and I'd like to return ...)

Joe,

E mail won't work ???

fels-eck@iway.na ..... yup, I went to hunt leopard.

Just got an e mail from the PH's wife. The next client in (from British Columbia who is a good buddy with the chap I hunted with) whacked a big tom... This Namibian leopard hunting is not to be despised!!!

I figured lucky George would connect. Good on him. Richard, you can take full credit for two happy British Columbians as neither of them would have gone there if it weren't for you! I will benefit indirectly as I had heard all their old stories already. The campfire tales will be much more interesting this fall.

Canuck

Canuck, If you haven't heard the 'Iceman' story from Bill please let me know. I've heard it so many times I can now tell it - or if need be - correct ol' Bill. Ha! Ha! Talked to a German chick in this area where we went for Mtn. Zebra. By then I had a wicked cold - and when we were leaving she looked at us and said, 'I'll always remember you two guys ... You found the 'Iceman' and you ... you .. (she looked at me) ... you were sick!'

I've got a pretty good handle on the "Iceman" myself. It is a great story! Nonetheless, i am looking forward to some fresh Leopard stories around the campfire this fall, since I tend to do most of the listening. I must be a lousy story teller, cuz Bill's eyes glaze over soon after I start talking.

Canuck

Hell, I thought Bill had cataracts!!!?? Ha! Ha!

Great story Richard. I forwared it to Pintail.