Well here goes.
The beginning of the hunting report instalments for the Ozondjahe expedition.
Exactly 24 hours to departure.
Jerome could provide lessons to anyone on how to manage a client centered business. I intended to show up and take it as it came. Excited to get there, but going to go day to day. It helps to completely trust the guy in charge. (Oh yeah, perhaps having visited Namibia before leaves me pretty certain I will enjoy the country.)
Anyone booking a hunt needs to spend time communicating with the people directly involved in your adventure. You learn so much about them and their style.
Granted I know J from AH. That is a different relationship.
Communication is second to none. If I have a question it is answered and more questions are solicited actively. I know the PH's, Guides, trackers, etc.
When I asked a question(s), I got sent a link to an exclusive information page that answered it all. NO dead links, all relevant information. For a guy who researches as much as I do that is saying something, to be able to answer my questions that quickly and thoroughly.
Enough said. I am so comfortable about the arrangements and how seamlessly this has gone about the Safari portion.
You know the airline firearms permit portion from the other thread.
http://www.africahunting.com/before-after-hunt/9899-return-5.html
Well calm and cool was all blown straight to HE*L! after a skype meeting with J.
All nonchalant and then we start talking about the Hyena baiting and everything is just fine. A Brown Hyena euro mount will make my wife's day.
Then it dawns on me to ask; "Will a Leopard come into the baits? I'd love to get a picture up close." "I'd also love to get some pictures of Cheetahs." J immediate response is about a lot of Cheetah activity has been occurring lately. Just what I wanted to hear.
Hunting Cheetah with the "Big White Gun". This nick name was provided by Kemp Landman at Leeukop Safaris during my safari in 2011. I got to "hunt" Leopard with it. What an incredible experience to watch a mated pair and on a subsequent day to actually film an entire stalk on a Bushbuck. No kill. Never forget it. So to see a Cheetah in action I can hardly wait.
"Oh, a Leopard Permit has come back". At least that is what I heard. The sun finally rose on my consciousness and I finally had a flash or realization; He said Leopard Permit!!
"Really?!" I believe J had to repeat himself twice. If you want to do this we have to get working on this right now.
I have had the debate with numerous people about cat hunting along with watching cat hunting debates on the net. I knew the issues that needed to be resolved so I began to learn.
I participated in a Leopard Aging study and I recently ran into the published results. Since I had my own results, I compared them to the rest. I am not to bad, considering I have never actively hunted a Leopard. (Mom said studying helps you learn.)
After reading up on cat conservation and CITES, CIC docs and all the Leopard books and every last hunting report I could find along with videos of actual hunts I had come around on hunting Leopards.
By the way, this did not just happen in a moment. It has taken at least three years to complete that process.
One very important tidbit I have learned from all my wanderings on AH and reading the advice about "taking trophies of opportunity" when providence shines on you, is that you do not look gift horses in the mouth and that hot iron needs to be struck. I have watched it happen with regularity with hunting offers on AH and low and behold it happened right in front of my eyes.
Yes, I am going Leopard hunting to start "the return". Plains game just got shifted to Dangerous Game.
Thanks J for the opportunity to hunt this incredible animal.
Eric who started the education long ago with one of his hunt reports that just rang true and Ses for reverberating the same advice. Great advice and I just took it. Thanks
The beginning of the hunting report instalments for the Ozondjahe expedition.
Exactly 24 hours to departure.
Jerome could provide lessons to anyone on how to manage a client centered business. I intended to show up and take it as it came. Excited to get there, but going to go day to day. It helps to completely trust the guy in charge. (Oh yeah, perhaps having visited Namibia before leaves me pretty certain I will enjoy the country.)
Anyone booking a hunt needs to spend time communicating with the people directly involved in your adventure. You learn so much about them and their style.
Granted I know J from AH. That is a different relationship.
Communication is second to none. If I have a question it is answered and more questions are solicited actively. I know the PH's, Guides, trackers, etc.
When I asked a question(s), I got sent a link to an exclusive information page that answered it all. NO dead links, all relevant information. For a guy who researches as much as I do that is saying something, to be able to answer my questions that quickly and thoroughly.
Enough said. I am so comfortable about the arrangements and how seamlessly this has gone about the Safari portion.
You know the airline firearms permit portion from the other thread.
http://www.africahunting.com/before-after-hunt/9899-return-5.html
Well calm and cool was all blown straight to HE*L! after a skype meeting with J.
All nonchalant and then we start talking about the Hyena baiting and everything is just fine. A Brown Hyena euro mount will make my wife's day.
Then it dawns on me to ask; "Will a Leopard come into the baits? I'd love to get a picture up close." "I'd also love to get some pictures of Cheetahs." J immediate response is about a lot of Cheetah activity has been occurring lately. Just what I wanted to hear.
Hunting Cheetah with the "Big White Gun". This nick name was provided by Kemp Landman at Leeukop Safaris during my safari in 2011. I got to "hunt" Leopard with it. What an incredible experience to watch a mated pair and on a subsequent day to actually film an entire stalk on a Bushbuck. No kill. Never forget it. So to see a Cheetah in action I can hardly wait.
"Oh, a Leopard Permit has come back". At least that is what I heard. The sun finally rose on my consciousness and I finally had a flash or realization; He said Leopard Permit!!
"Really?!" I believe J had to repeat himself twice. If you want to do this we have to get working on this right now.
I have had the debate with numerous people about cat hunting along with watching cat hunting debates on the net. I knew the issues that needed to be resolved so I began to learn.
I participated in a Leopard Aging study and I recently ran into the published results. Since I had my own results, I compared them to the rest. I am not to bad, considering I have never actively hunted a Leopard. (Mom said studying helps you learn.)
After reading up on cat conservation and CITES, CIC docs and all the Leopard books and every last hunting report I could find along with videos of actual hunts I had come around on hunting Leopards.
By the way, this did not just happen in a moment. It has taken at least three years to complete that process.
One very important tidbit I have learned from all my wanderings on AH and reading the advice about "taking trophies of opportunity" when providence shines on you, is that you do not look gift horses in the mouth and that hot iron needs to be struck. I have watched it happen with regularity with hunting offers on AH and low and behold it happened right in front of my eyes.
Yes, I am going Leopard hunting to start "the return". Plains game just got shifted to Dangerous Game.
Thanks J for the opportunity to hunt this incredible animal.
Eric who started the education long ago with one of his hunt reports that just rang true and Ses for reverberating the same advice. Great advice and I just took it. Thanks
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opcorn:
I am just green with envy. Looking forward to more story and pix. Your weather looks just like ours here in the NW corner of WA state!
