Leopards!!!

I was looking at some of the Outfitters and photos. There
were a couple there that really caught my attention.
A couple of blokes were holding up leopards they'd bagged
and I was amazed at the size of these things when diplayed
against a human. What I know about leopards I could write
on the head of a pin in large letters. Are there any PH and
fellow hunters that can tell me more about these amazing
animal?, e.g: Habits, size, ferocity..etc.How about sharing
your experiences trying to bag one of these magnificient
cats.

The most illusive and in my opion the most prized trophy you can get. They are very unpredictable and the best leopard hunters learn something new every day ! There are two options of hunting leopard. by bait and blind or with hounds. Some countries only allow day hunting . Some countries do not allow hound hunting.

Success rate can vary alot. There are many hunters out there that tried leopard many times without any success. The success cannot be guaranteed by any outfitter but there are some with better success than others. We operate bait and blind hunting. I would say 90 % of the success of such a hunt is determinedv before the client gets to camp ! If there is no cat on the bait by day 1 of your hunt you already have a 50/50 chance !

I suggest you do good research ! The Internet is a great tool ! We use trailcams to get a better idea of what we have on bait ! This has really made a big difference in leopard hunting. it is easier to determine what you have on bait and the routines teh cats have ! You can also identify different cats ! I have had as many as 7 different ones on one bait !

Good luck with your quest ! Be sure it will be your most precious trophy ever !

Wayne1, get a copy of a book written by Wayne Grant called ''Into the thorns". It's brilliant! It'll give you a huge amount of info on Leopards and Leopard hunting.
I have taken probably around 30 Leopard over a 20 year period. I have never done a dog hunt for them though. I have taken them in broad daylight whilst they're sunning themselves and off baits at 2.30 in the morning, and very other time in between.
They will, in my humble opinion, be the last of the big cats to survive. They can be smart, brave, bold and terrifying! A friend of mine living in Kariba some 25 years ago had a Leopard come in through an open door into his lounge and take the Fox Terrier off the carpet in front of them!
I'm sure there re lots of people who'll share on this thread in due course!

Many Thanks Richard, I had no idea they were that elusive. Thanks

Thanks Ole Bally. I'll see if I can get a copy. I have read the works written by Jim Corbett (Maneaters of Kumoan), the leopard of Rudrapyrang is the only one that he really gets into the mind of. I was looking for actual individuals (undeceased) who've had experience with these cats. I'm told that if they were the size of a tiger, they would be a very formidable and ferocious cat. Thats why God probably left them the size they are.

Originally Posted by wayne1

I'm told that if they were the size of a tiger, they would be a very formidable and ferocious cat. Thats why God probably left them the size they are.

..they ARE formidable and ferocious as they are. Trust me, there is nothing more intense than a follow-up on a wounded leopard..!

..hence, the tombstone "HERE LIES DEAR DEPARTED BROTHER DAVE, WHO CHASED A LEOPARD INTO A CAVE.."

docman or ole bally maybe you can recount a story clive lennox told me, as it was a quite a few years ago and i cant remember the full details, about an incident at gwayi river involving a leopard chainsawing numerous people who tried to follow it up when it was wounded.

Originally Posted by DOCMAN

..they ARE formidable and ferocious as they are. Trust me, there is nothing more intense than a follow-up on a wounded leopard..!

..hence, the tombstone "HERE LIES DEAR DEPARTED BROTHER DAVE, WHO CHASED A LEOPARD INTO A CAVE.."

docman i agree 100 percent on that. i have only been on 4 leopard follow ups on hunts i booked for people, but intense it is!! i would presume its similar to when you know you are most likely walking into a military type ambush, just where and when....luckily they were all found dead, but it most surely makes time slow down.

Anyone got a rabid ferret? Man you blokes had got guts.

I use to be a forward scout in the australian army and have been trained in ambush techniques, suffice it to say, what you guys are describing is a living nightmare. Jim Corbett said of following up a wounded cat, "dreaded by all and wanted by none."

Originally Posted by spike.t

docman or ole bally maybe you can recount a story clive lennox told me, as it was a quite a few years ago and i cant remember the full details, about an incident at gwayi river involving a leopard chainsawing numerous people who tried to follow it up when it was wounded.

..yup, I know the story. Read this account, by one of the finer PH's to have made tracks in the dust..

This should whet the appetite of any aspiring Leopard hunter..!

Into the Thorns is, indeed, an exceptional book and will give you a good look at leopard hunting in Zim by one of the more successful PHs over the last decades. I killed mine in Namibia with Nick Nolte in '08. He is one of the great current specialists. As Bally suggests every country is a bit different. When I was in Namibia, shooting after dark by light was legal. We would enter the blind sweating at 4 pm and leave it at midnight half frozen. And indeed, it is very much like counter-guerilla ops. To stretch the metaphor, the cat is also very good at laying a counter-ambush if you blow the initial one. I shot mine at 9:30 pm at eighty yards over a ground bait. Coming out of recoil, he was gone. We waited about fifteen minutes and then eased out of the blind with Nick calling up the truck. We took a good ten minutes to ease down to the bait. Sign indicated a hit, but the cat had taken off up a small dry stream bed with banks three feet high and overhanging acacia. There was just just room for Nick and I to ease up it sidexside with the tracker immediately behind us with large flashlight held in front of us between our shoulders. No moon. It was like creeping down a thorned tunnel. The creek made a sharp twist after about 30 yards and a very dead cat thankfully was lying in the middle of it. Have not been that on edge since Iraq.

Did cause one change in my armament. Nothing is quite so useless as a scoped rifle in a DG follow-up - particularly a leopard. My .338 would have been a more useful club than a riffle on that follow-up. Now, all of my rifles that go with me to Africa have dismountable rings, and I practice with the open sights. Hope you make it over there. A leopard is, indeed, a trophy of a lifetime.

Originally Posted by DOCMAN

..yup, I know the story. Read this account, by one of the finer PH's to have made tracks in the dust..

This should whet the appetite of any aspiring Leopard hunter..!

yup thats the one, you cant help but laugh at parts of it though... i was at lusulu with with someone who i booked with clive, and i remember him calling it the battle of the gwayi then.

Originally Posted by Red Leg

Nothing is quite so useless as a scoped rifle in a DG follow-up - particularly a leopard. My .338 would have been a more useful club than a riffle on that follow-up.

..indeed. Although I've never tried a 'riffle' ..I always had a 12 gauge pump very, very close at hand..!

Originally Posted by DOCMAN

..they ARE formidable and ferocious as they are. Trust me, there is nothing more intense than a follow-up on a wounded leopard..!

..hence, the tombstone "HERE LIES DEAR DEPARTED BROTHER DAVE, WHO CHASED A LEOPARD INTO A CAVE.."

OR followup a wounded spotted cat into heavy bush!!

Wayne have a look at this video.

Leopard Attack- Zimbabwe

Originally Posted by BRICKBURN

OR followup a wounded spotted cat into heavy bush!!

Wayne have a look at this video.

Leopard Attack- Zimbabwe

Like he said "Leopards not for the feint of heart."

Hi Ole Bally. It took a little time last night, but I found a copy of the book and have ordered it. Looking forward to reading it. Many Thanks Mate. Wayne

Thanks Red Leg. A great story. The hairs on the back of the neck stood up. I've got a Ruger African in 9.3x62 which has the Ruger mounts that can be detached in minutes. The scope I've got on it is a Vortex 1.75 x 6 magnification, but I thought about quick follow-up shots if necessary and I've started using open sights. A very good point you've illustrated by your experience. Thanks Mate.

Amen Brother. "Peace through superior fire power."

Hey Docman, I saw that video. To say that I was astounded would be an understatment. I had no idea just how violent such a situation could be become. There is only one other animal that can wreck your day totally; and that animal is your woman!!!!! She can tear strips off you in a minute. Charge from cover in a second and completely gut in a statement. Nahhh, I think I will hunt leopards, it's safer.