best area for big leopards?

Hi All,

I am considering a leopard hunt, and I am looking for some advice on areas, I have already looked at the woodlands consession in Zim, but maybe some of you have any advice, of course the price is also important, so I am of course trying to get a fair priced hunt also.

hope someone can give me advice.

regards
Rasmus

Interesting question, there is definitely a difference between forest leopards and cattle country leopards. The cattle country leopards are BIGGER in size but are probably more tougher to hunt, unless you have dogs.

I've got an operator in Mozambique that took the full quota of four leopards last year...all in daylight hours. He has one cancellation/opening if you are interested in 2013.

Have you seen this?

GREAT DEAL ON A LEOPARD PLAINS GAME HUNT FOR 2013 ZIMBABWE

Rasmus if interested I have a friend in Zim that offered me a 10 day safari for Leopard last year including trophy fee for $10,000 he and his bother have 3 areas to hunt and get 7 quota a year for all three if interested let me know and I will see if he is making the same offer this year. Bob

I think Southwestern Zim is the best for big cattle killers. I hunted there a few years ago and it was the best hunt I have ever had. I think Wayne Van Den Bergh currently has a hunt there posted on this forum.
I hunted with Wayne Grant who wrote a book called "Into the Thorns" about leopard hunting in that country. I would give either guy a serious look if you want a chance at a big leopard.

I would never disregard the top quality cats coming out of the Waterberg in SA they compare to any low veld Tom in Zim, Namibia also has some top quality cats.......

Good luck
My best always

Originally Posted by Raseni

Hi All,

I am considering a leopard hunt, and I am looking for some advice on areas, I have already looked at the woodlands consession in Zim, but maybe some of you have any advice, of course the price is also important, so I am of course trying to get a fair priced hunt also.

hope someone can give me advice.

regards
Rasmus

Would this be Woodlands in the matetsi region??

My best....

Originally Posted by Jaco Strauss

I would never disregard the top quality cats coming out of the Waterberg in SA they compare to any low veld Tom in Zim, Namibia also has some top quality cats.......

Good luck
My best always

i have to agree with Jaco ! I mostly have experience of Limpopo and Waterberg cats and there are some monsters .... We took 2 last season 16 1/2 " and 17 3/8 " skulls. The most important issue is to hunt with someone with ample experience and a good success rate. Unfortunately some of these do not always come cheap. As Jaco mentioned Namibia and Zim also has some great Cats .

In my opinion the most prized trophy in Africa ! Good luck with finding that BIG TOM !!

Jaco speaks the truth. There are always big cats coming from those areas. There are also a lot of big cats on the north side of the Soutpansberg Mountain range along the river systems and cattle farms. Safari Afrika sums it up well. Good luck with your hunt where ever your going.

Originally Posted by Jaco Strauss

I would never disregard the top quality cats coming out of the Waterberg in SA they compare to any low veld Tom in Zim, Namibia also has some top quality cats.......

Good luck
My best always

I have certainly seen some incredible cat trophies from all three areas.

This is great info because I am also interested in hunting leopard, hopefully in the next couple of years. Is hunting leopard in SA any different than in Zim or Tanzania?...over bait or with dogs??

Originally Posted by 1ObsessedHunter

This is great info because I am also interested in hunting leopard, hopefully in the next couple of years. Is hunting leopard in SA any different than in Zim or Tanzania?...over bait or with dogs??

South Africa is mainly hunted over baits. Strictly according to the law it is possible to hunt leopard with dogs although the authorities are reluctant to issue permits for hound hunting. Trail cameras have made an enormous difference in the outcome and approach of leopard hunting. Many moons ago we use to set an alarm clock with fishing line around the batteries to dtermine when the cat came in .

With trail cameras now we realise that there might be more than one cat. A lot of these baits might be in areas that track identification is virtually impossible . I have had up to 7 different cats on one bait . 5 differnt ones in one night !!!!

No one will ever know everything about leopards.... Just when you think you know everything you realise you know very little . This is why I think leopard is such a prized trophy.

I am sure everyone that has hunted leopard will agree.

Zim leopard are hunted with hounds quite often . They also do bait hunting . Someone else might shed more light on Zim leopard .

Good luck to veryone that intend to take on these amazing cats !

Happy Hunting !!

Originally Posted by Safari Afrika

South Africa is mainly hunted over baits. Strictly according to the law it is possible to hunt leopard with dogs although the authorities are reluctant to issue permits for hound hunting. Trail cameras have made an enormous difference in the outcome and approach of leopard hunting. Many moons ago we use to set an alarm clock with fishing line around the batteries to dtermine when the cat came in .

With trail cameras now we realise that there might be more than one cat. A lot of these baits might be in areas that track identification is virtually impossible . I have had up to 7 different cats on one bait . 5 differnt ones in one night !!!!

No one will ever know everything about leopards.... Just when you think you know everything you realise you know very little . This is why I think leopard is such a prized trophy.

I am sure everyone that has hunted leopard will agree.

Zim leopard are hunted with hounds quite often . They also do bait hunting . Someone else might shed more light on Zim leopard .

Good luck to veryone that intend to take on these amazing cats !

Happy Hunting !!

Couldn't agree with you more Richard! Yes, just when you think you've figured out all their tricks they come out with a new one... And these Limpopo cats are VERY clever!

Best,

I would say Northern Namibia Ugab Teracces .cattle country. Their diet is cattle and therefore the bait used unborn calves. Success rate 80% last year.
All tags sold up to 2014.Only change if tags comes available say from August to November because off cancellations and hunters not getting there leopard trophy with some outfitters.If I have your name you will be added to my list for that.

thank you all for the replies, and to Jaco, yes woodlands is in the Matetsi region.

cheers
Rasmus

Rasseni, check on that due to the high concentration of Lion in the area it makes Leopard hunting very difficult... Successful hunts are had but I would not consider it to be an outstanding Leopard area.... A Leopard hunt here should be conducted early season as the size of the area itself and the continued Buffalo hunting and hunting pressure directly influences Leopard movement on the block.

The same guys have an area in Chewore Makuci (sp). which is much larger and would be my preferred Leopard area if I was looking for a hunt..

Not trying to be negative but think that you should be aware of this..

My best always

Originally Posted by Raseni

Hi All,

I am considering a leopard hunt, and I am looking for some advice on areas, I have already looked at the woodlands consession in Zim, but maybe some of you have any advice, of course the price is also important, so I am of course trying to get a fair priced hunt also.

hope someone can give me advice.

regards
Rasmus

In regards to big leopards in Zimbabwe the low veld areas will yield bigger cats than the Zambezi Valley area. Buybe Valley Conservancy is one of the best bets for a big cat. The Save Valley Conservancy can be very good also but there are issues there that must be sorted. Do not hunt Savuli in the Save as it was stolen this past year. AH's Wayne Van Den Bergh takes some good leopard from his area and is reasonably priced.

I have hunted leopard only once, on Omay South with Martin Pieters. The leopard I shot weighed about 130 pounds, a good valley cat, (small compared to the BVC cats) it was an excellent hunt, done in the daylight. Depending on the area you may be able to hunt at night which will increase your chance of success. Most hunts are done with bait, far less are now hunted with hounds.

In regards to the Woodlands, the property was taken from its rightful owner and is hunted by an assortment of individuals of which I would not associate. We must each make our own moral and ethical decisions, but the Woodlands is an area I would not hunt, and it is not the great of an area for leopard.

As with anywhere in Zim, book with a reputable Zimbabwe outfitter and you can only legally hunt with a licensed Zimbabwe PH. Make certain the PH is in good standing with the ZPHGA.

Mike I am fully aware of this I was purely referring to the realities of hunting leopard in matetsi, the low veld has way better cats than the valley true.

There are also some other reasons why I would rather not hunt matetsi.
Also fully aware that the area was taken from Larry who still resides in the falls, I do however not believe that the hunting public is aware of the fact that Cabelas are booking their clients onto some of these areas....

Interesting.....

On the Leopard....I maintain as first commented that the waterberg cats in Limpopo and some of the regions in nam are just as good as the Zim lowveld
Have a good one and as always my best.

Jaco,

I thought you would be aware of the situation, as I was answering the original question.

As to the Matetsi Units, at one time they offered some of the finest hunting in Africa. Today I would only hunt Unit One or Unit Three. If I am not mistaken, Cabelas was booking in to Unit Two which is now a giant mess. Jaco correct me if I am wrong, but have not the Matetsi Units been safari areas "managed" by parks. The operators may have been changed, but it has been government owned prior to the land takeovers. The Woodlands, separate from Matetsi, was owned by Larry C.

In regards to other areas, with Botswana and Zambia closed, Tanzania out of reach for most, that leaves Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique. You guys covered South Africa well. I bet Mozambique holds some promise for big leopards.

BTW, it was good meeting you in Dallas. I enjoy talking to operators that are as passionate about their profession as you are. One day, when Katherine and I hunt SA, hopefully it will be with you.