Leopards are solitary, shy nocturnal animals and a challenge to hunt. They are smart and have incredible senses and are likely to charge when wounded. Hunting Leopards is like playing a game of cat and mouse, you being the mouse and trying to outsmart the Leopard. Rarely do you find a Leopard to shoot during a traditional walk and stalk hunt so you need to spend time baiting (even pre-baiting) “Mr Spots” to get him to come to you. Leopards, being a highly adaptable water independent species can be found anywhere in the country that has a suitable food source. Leopards cover huge home ranges which increase in size according to the aridness and prey availability of the region. When not searching for food, both males and females spend their time marking their territory and are always on the move. For this very reason baiting efforts need to be spread over large distances, so be prepared for some travelling when checking your baits. The Namibian Leopards tend to be smaller than other African Leopards having to adapt to their harsh semi-arid lifestyles. According to many outfitters, Leopards reputedly have a preference for Zebra meat as their preferred bait. Leopards can be hunted over most of the interior mountainous regions. The best Leopard hunting areas are the north-eastern Kalahari and central southern ranges of the north-western Erongo Mountains. Camera traps are readily used whilst baiting Leopards and at waterholes. This exercise serves a dual purpose in both aiding the outfitter age and sex of a cat, as well as ecologists to monitor the country’s Leopard population density upon which an annual quota of CITES Leopard tags are issued to Namibia. Classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, CITES permits are required before the commencement of your hunt and only fully mature males may be hunted.