Huntinamibia - My Namibian Adventure - Like tree trunks with ears
The cheetah is one of the few species that cannot be guaranteed in spite of all attempts to improve the success rate for its hunts. But Namibia is the one African country where the trophy hunter has a reasonable chance of bagging a free-ranging cheetah.
Can you guarantee a cheetah on a 10-day hunt? No! I might be able to show you one, but you’ll have to be quick. They normally see us first, run for 100–200 yards and then stop broadside on to look back, giving you a wee chance to shoot, before they disappear into the bush.”
“What was your success rate on cheetah last year?”
“I was lucky. All the hunters wanting cheetah saw one, but only 60% managed to take one.”
We hunt on several farms in Namibia, many of which are cattle farms, where most of Namibia’s free-ranging cheetah roam. Professional Hunters estimate that there are between 8 000–9 000 cheetah in Namibia, the highest population in the world.
Helmut took the opportunity to come and hunt a cheetah with me. The year before he opted for leopard and landed a big tom on the second day. We had looked for large tracks, followed them until we found the kill and put up a blind. Just after sunset the tom was there.
Helmut, who is about 68 years old, is a very good shot. We checked for spoor at cheetah play trees, which are normally frequented by male cheetah. We looked at game trails where cheetahs wander from one farm to another. We searched at waterholes, where the chances of finding cheetah are rather slim, as they don’t need water when they kill regularly. We followed fresh tracks in the hope of finding a kill while the cheetah were still around, but each time they had moved onto hard ground and we lost the spoor.
On the fifth day we found two big tracks at a play tree. At last there was some light at the end of the tunnel! We prepared a blind and waited until dark, but without a sight or sound of a cheetah. The next day we discovered that the cheetahs had returned during the night. We followed the tracks and looked at the surrounding waterholes, but found no sign of a kill, only some spoor. The tracks all lead towards the mountain, where the surface is rocky and hard, reducing the chances of spooring successfully. All we did was drive around, trying to hunt on sight. Then suddenly, it was 10:30 in the morning and quite hot, we froze in our tracks. Tracker Jo had seen two cheetah tracks on the road. Could it be those two large males? Yes, I decided. “Helmut, let’s try one more time before we break for lunch.”
After a mile or two the tracks veered left off the road and through the bush, across a small dry riverbed and up a hill. We kept our eyes open and scanned ahead. Jo had to try and keep on the track. Every 50 metres or so he showed us some sign on the ground, so it seemed we were still on track. Then we came onto a place where the signs indicated that a struggle apparently had taken place. Rocks had rolled out of their original position and there were drag marks on the ground. “Mista, daar’s mos die vleis!” (Sir, there is the meat!) The remains of a young kudu bull lay in front of us, and there was almost nothing left of the carcass. When cheetah have eaten a lot, they become lazy and don’t wander far from the kill. They look for a shady spot where they can rest and digest their meal. Even if they were to spot us, they’d probably not run away that fast.
By this time sweat was running down our faces and backs. “Helmut, are you okay?” “Yes, of course!” We stopped and looked around, scanning the hills, under the trees and the shady spots. If cheetah are sitting in the shade of a tree, they look like tree trunks with ears. For twenty minutes we looked around. No cheetah to be seen! Then Jo eventually had figured out which direction they’d gone. It could only be towards the shade further down in a small, dry riverbed. We sent Jo there alone, so in case he should spook them, we could shoot at the cheetah when they ran up the hilly slope on the other side. We prepared ourselves. Jo disappeared into the bush, down the slope and around a bend. Still no cheetah. But the tracks were clearly visible in the soft sand. We went down into the riverbed too, to be close to Jo. The tracks led out of the river to the right.
“There! Cheetah! Under that big shady tree.” “Where?” “There. That ‘trunk’ under that tree is a cheetah – shoot!” I quickly put up the shooting sticks, when the two cheetahs already ran off, fortunately up the hill. Behind some shrubs one of them stopped broadside on, the shot rang out, and it was a solid hit. Nevertheless, the two ran off again. I quickly threw a shot at the first one, before it could disappear behind the hill, as I was under the impression that this was the one Helmut had fired at. Once again we could hear the bullet strike but they still went on. Then I saw the second cheetah starting to circle and go down.
“Waidmansheil! You have your cheetah!”
Before we reached Helmut’s cheetah, the driver had already arrived with our fox terrier on a leash. He had heard the shots and had come as quickly as he could to help find the cheetah and bay it with the dog, should it only be wounded. Helmut’s cheetah was dead. A perfect shot. But what about the other one, the one I first thought was the one Helmut had fired at? By now the foxie was over the crest of the hill and suddenly started barking loudly, seemingly having brought to bay the wounded cheetah. This was a great help, as I could now easily finish it off.
You see, in this way it can happen that a Professional Hunter also sometimes shoots himself a trophy.
The cheetahs weighed in at 65 and 68 kilograms. A big cheetah normally weighs 45–50 kilograms. They had had the feast of a lifetime on the kudu and Helmut had downed a cheetah the size of which most hunters only dream. by Paul Meyer
