Van Brunt hunted with Traut last year (Report ID 8299) and again this year (Report ID 8719), hunting two of his Caprivi concessions and one of his plains game areas near Windhoek. Van Brunt says he previously hunted with Traut about 10 times when he was with Eden. Every hunt, he says, was better than the last.
This past May, Van Brunt hunted Traut's Kwando Concession in the central Caprivi near Katima Mulilo, where he reports killing a big leopard in full daylight. He says Traut, like many Namibian operators, is very limited in the number of leopard permits he receives, which translates to very careful selection of older males. Traut pre-baited and had multiple active baits on Van Brunt's hunt. Van Brunt says they simply selected the bait with the biggest tracks, allowing the leopard to visit the bait several times before building and sitting a blind. He was successful the first day.
He also hunted elephant, tracking and approaching numerous bulls on foot. He was looking for a 60-pounder, but only had opportunities at a 50-pounder. He saw a 70-pound jumbo, however, that had crossed into another concession where they could not follow it.
Elephant numbers in this area vary with the season, Van Brunt says. He was there too early, hunting during his partner's available dates in May, but he........(continued)
