Leopard hunt!

Thanks for the nice comments guys. Don't tell her she's pretty out loud. Last thing I need is a wife with a big head haha. I did go back and double check that picture and those appear to be her pink sneakers, or in this case her pink running shoes.

You should have seen her face 2 weeks later when we caught a big male on a game camera hitting another bait. You could tell she was itching to get another cities permit. Maybe in her next lifetime huh? now daddy's got the leopard bug hahahahaha!

Originally Posted by tap

Thanks for the nice comments guys. Don't tell her she's pretty out loud. Last thing I need is a wife with a big head haha. I did go back and double check that picture and those appear to be her pink sneakers, or in this case her pink running shoes.

You should have seen her face 2 weeks later when we caught a big male on a game camera hitting another bait. You could tell she was itching to get another cities permit. Maybe in her next lifetime huh? now daddy's got the leopard bug hahahahaha!

If I shot a leopard like that you couldn't fit my head through the garage door!

Congratulations on the leopard hunt. Thanks for the update and pics. It sounds like it's time to start planning the next one.

I am planning another leopard hunt. Just can't find an outfitter that has big cats. Seems like they all tell me the same thing and that leopards at and over 170lbs are rare and that big cats can't be found but once in a life time. Surely there has to be at least one outfitter out there that knows how and where to get big cats that aren't canned. I'm willing to pay good money for one but not for just any ol leopard.

So yes you are right. I have already started planning for my next hunt. It just sounds like everyone Ive talked to wants me to shoot 1 and 2 year old cats and I'm not in to shooting anything. I want to hunt weeks on end and hopefully take one old tom regardless of his weight. Give me a big ol head and I'm gonna be estatic. I figure it took me a year to find a legit sable hunting property with wild sable that were big. I figure my leopard quest may take as long if not longer.

I look forward to the day I take my leopard.

You may consider John Sharp, Shaun Buffee, or Brent Hein on Bubye Valley Conservancy. They are probably sold out until 2013.

There are some big leopards coming out of Tanzania. Mark Young can give you some more information concerning Tanzania but you are looking at $50K plus all in to hunt a top notch area in Tanzania for leopard.

No matter where you hunt you will pass up plenty of cats and may make multiple trips before you kill a 170 plus pound leopard. Skull measurements and overall length is important and to me is a better indicator of a cats size.

Originally Posted by tap

Seems like they all tell me the same thing and that leopards at and over 170lbs are rare and that big cats can't be found but once in a life time. Surely there has to be at least one outfitter out there that knows how and where to get big cats that aren't canned. I'm willing to pay good money for one but not for just any ol leopard.

First it was a 200 lbs leopard. Now it's a 170 lbs leopard. If weight is so important, just buy a dead, fat male from a zoo and mount him.

The leopard, hunted properly, is the trophy, period. The successful hunt (for a male) is reward enough. Big skull, heavy cat, old cat, long cat . . . those are just bonuses if you are extremely lucky. As we have demonstrated on this site before, anything over 150 is big. 160 is really big. 170 is huge. 180 and up is epic.

That said, the biggest cats on the continent (that you can import) are in Tanz and SE Zim.

Also, no PH can tell you what a cat weighs from a pic. I shot a cat two weeks ago that the PH thought was a 140 lbs leopard based on a trail cam pic. We shoot him, and he weighs 160. Also, ten pounds of meat in the belly makes a major difference. That's why weight of cats is irrelevant to trophy scores.

Forget the weights. Just hunt.

As Mike said I would recommend you to hunt in the Bubye Conservancy with Shaun Buffee.
I hunted with him last year in this conservancy and hunted a really nice old cat.
There is a post open in this forum talking about a leopard hunt with Shaun in this area. There are a few pictures uploaded in this post, have a look on them.
Shaun Buffee is a super PH.

Brent Heim and John Sharp are superb PH... never hunted with them but I met them hunting in the Bubye. There really nice people.
If you want me I can send you his private email address. Just send me a private message.

Do not hesitate on booking any safari with one of those 3 PH...

tap,

First a big congratulations to you and your wife. That is a very nice leopard that she shot. Second I couldn't agree more with Safari-lawyer that any mature male leopard killed legally is a trophy. If you go on another leopard hunt and pass on a cat the size of the one your wife shot your likley will go home empty handed in any place I know about.

Places like the Bubye and Save Conservancies in Zim that consistently produce huge leoaprds still only produce a couple of monsters once in awhile. I have a client that killed one of these monsters but he spent 54 nights in blinds and turned down several smaller cats to get this giant. There is no place that can in good conscience offer you a 70%-80% chance of succes which is very good on leoaprd of 170#. If they do you have found an incredible honey hole or..............................

Last point and I think and important one is the safari was yours and your wife's not the PH's. A good PH might have gritted his teeth a little but he would have kept right on being professional. Clients choke, cough, talk too loud and a 100 other things but a real PH does not give up and take a nap. This is not accetable and totally unprofessional.

Originally Posted by Mark H. Young

Last point and I think and important one is the safari was yours and your wife's not the PH's. A good PH might have gritted his teeth a little but he would have kept right on being professional. Clients choke, cough, talk too loud and a 100 other things but a real PH does not give up and take a nap. This is not accetable and totally unprofessional.

I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. When I missed my second Springbok and I thought my PH was disapointed I told him it wasn't his fault I blew it, that maybe I wasn't ment to get a Springbok and he told me we were not giving up yet we still had a few days to go. From a man who lives and love to hunt and may never get to hunt a leopard Your Wife did Damn Good.

Very nice tap!! Congratulations to the missus too!

If I may be permitted a general comment not directed at anyone: It appears that some hunters do not care to register qualifying trophees. Now, I am not really familiar with SCI, I am more familiar with Rowland Ward. In my view registration in Rowland is aimed not at celebrating the hunt or the hunter, it is aimed at celebrating the Animal. For that reason horns of an animal that has died a natural death and are picked up in the veld, may be registered. I think we as hunters owe it to the animal kingdom to register qualifying trophees.

Regards,

Gerhard

Picked up animals can be registered with most of clubs...SCI, Boone and Crockett...etc.

It definitely is meant to honor the great animal....and the fact no hunter harvested them.

Thank you enysse.

I therefore urge hunters not to be reluctant to register their trophees.