The planning and build-up were done, but the anticipation was heightened when we met Max at Johannesburg airport and set off on the road trip to Botswana. We were surprised during our drive to the camp to see the Kalahari transformed into a sea of long grass by an unusually wet season, during which about a 1000mm of rain had fallen. I feared that the odds had been heavily altered in favour of the quarry.
At the camp we settled around the fire with appropriate refreshments to discuss how the hunt would be conducted as this was a new type of adventure for Max. This hunt would be different from the normal leopard hunt where a bait is used to lure the cats. The wily Kalahari leopard in the KD6 area do not come to bait!
Adrian explained how his dogs operated, the different scenarios that could happen and how we would need to deal with each eventuality. He pointed out that the scent holding ability of the dry Kalahari sand is very low and makes it difficult for the dogs to work.
It was therefore necessary for us to traverse the vast area by checking all the cut lines and sandy roads in an attempt to find the fresh tracks of a large male leopard.
