CALL ME crazy, but four expensive, frustrating and ultimately unsuccessful leopard hunts in the recent past still weren’t enough to put me off – I just wasn’t ready to let that ship sail. This time, I was off to that most magical place, the fantasyfilling, iconic Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania.
I was still, however, gripped by a nagging, negative mindset. The last hunt saw me whack a large tomcat in Namibia and the sound of that bullet finding its mark was undeniable. Failing light, though, meant a follow-up into hideously thick sickle bush was postponed until the following day. And – you guessed it – the cat made it to an adjoining concession and got away.
Should I listen to the mantra, “if at first you don’t succeed,…