Baiting, tracking and hunting a leopard in Namibia is one of the most sought after hunting experiences in Africa. A leopard hunt is different from any other hunt as they are known to be extremely smart and elusive. A leopard hunt takes a lot of skill and careful planning, usually, a few months before the actual hunt commences.  

It would be very difficult to hunt a leopard without baiting. Baiting is normally done a month before your arrival to increase your chances of taking home a trophy. 

What you need to know about Leopard Hunting in Namibia

At Otjandaue Hunting Safaris we believe in conservation and try to take out the older cats and give the younger leopards a chance. That’s why we bait a month ahead of time. Many outfitters won’t do this because it’s a costly way to do it, but we like to do it the right way.

Is Leopard Hunting legal in Namibia?

Leopard hunting in Namibia is legal, however, only free-roaming, self-sustaining and adult male leopards may be hunted as trophies with a minimum skull measurement of 32cm. It is ILLEGAL to hunt a female leopard. Hunting leopards with a bow in Namibia is also strictly forbidden!

Every year the Namibian government issues a limited number of permits for leopard hunting. These permits are issued based on a few factors namely: 

• The size of the hunting area.
• The success rate of hunts in the past years.
• The estimated leopard population in the area. 

Most countries require a CITES permit for importing a leopard hunting trophy, which should be applied for before the leopard hunt commences.

How long does a Leopard Hunt take?

We strongly recommend a minimum of 14 days for a leopard hunt as there are so many variables that can go wrong with a cat hunt. We bait our cats a month ahead of time and we have trail cams installed on all the baits, which allows us to see what their feeding patterns are and the size of their territory to determine the size of the cat.

A leopard can hit the bait like clockwork and then suddenly just disappear. The reason for this is there could be another male or a female in heat in his area, which disturbs his feeding habits for as long as a week, sometimes even longer. If the leopard has a fresh kill, depending on the size of the kill, it can keep him away from baits as well. As mentioned, leopards are very elusive, a leopard can approach the blind from the wrong direction and pick up on your scent and he will be off. 

The size of the territory also plays a part, the larger the territory the better the chance of a bigger male in our opinion. You can gauge it by the time it takes them to hit the bait again after the last hit, some cats take six days and some can take nine days.

Some hunters are very lucky and get a leopard in the first week, some on the last day and for some hunters, it can take more than one trip. That’s what makes leopard hunting so much different from any other hunt. 

Best time to Hunt a Leopard in Namibia?

The best time to hunt a leopard in Namibia is between June and November. The Namibian hunting season starts on the 1st of February and ends on the 30th of November.

Recommended Caliber

We recommend a 30-06 caliber for hunting leopards. The average shot is about 80 m (87 yards) to 100 m (109 yards). 

Read more on Hunting Oryx in Namibia

How much does a leopard hunt package in Namibia cost?

A leopard hunt at Otjandaue Hunting Safaris in Namibia costs $19 000.00 per trophy, which includes:

• Pre-baiting of 3 weeks ahead of hunt,
• Baiting during hunt,
• Tag Fee,
• Trophy Fee,
• Accommodation,
• Airport Pick up & return,
• 14 hunting days.

If we don’t get a cat then the trophy fee will be deducted.

This does NOT include flights and rentals.  

Book your Oryx Hunting safari at Otjandaue Hunting Safaris

We offer one to two leopard hunts a year and our success rate is very good due to the way we bait and monitor the cats. Otjandaue Hunting Safaris is located in an area that is rich with leopard activity due to its topography of the landscape. Our area features granite rocks and dry river beds with thick shrubs which is an ideal habitat for leopards. Also, we have a private game reserve bordering us and I thus have a high influx of leopards entering our ranch as they get pushed out of their territory by younger males.