I decided that l did not wish to take any risks when hunting an animal as dangerous as a leopard . I did not want to use my Ishapore Arms Factory 12 bore shot-gun , as l knew that a mis-fire at the most unfortunate of moments could possibly lead to my demise , or worse , my client's. Seeing that this client was a great , personal friend of mine , l asked him for something which l dared never ask to any other client , as it would be an act of insolence. " Shahib " l asked " May l use your shot-gun ? My own has been missing fire lately quite a bit " . My client immediately replied " It would be suicide going after dangerous game with a gun that jams . Of course , you may use it ." And thus , l handed my Ishapore Arms Factory 12 bore shot-gun to Rishi and l took my respected client's 12 bore Astra side by side shot-gun , loaded with LG cartridges ( each contained eight pellets ) . I also took four spare Eley Alphamax LG cartridges for added precaution. I kept two cartridges in the breast pocket of my cotton poplin half sleeve shirt and l kept two cartridges between my fingers.
My client had his magnum .375 bore model 70 bolt operation rifle , which was freshly loaded with four Winchester silver tip cartridge .Jeddiah and Rhidoy began to track the spoor of the leopard , as my client and l eagerly followed.
Upwards of one hour had passed , as Rishi finally whispered " Kawshik Bhai , oije ! " ( Brother Kawshik , there ! ) . He had spotted the leopard with a pair of binoculars . I took the binoculars from Rishi and eagerly , had a look . Indeed , it was a very large leopard and clearly a very heavy one. Rishi , my client and l slowly began to creep within one hundred yards of the leopard. When we were within a suitable distance from the leopard and within an acceptable range , l advised my client " Shahib , wait until he has his side fully exposed to you. Then place your aim correctly to pierce his two lungs " . However , my client was a seasoned hunter. He smiled and took aim with his rifle . The leopard was standing perfectly side ways to us. The client fired , and it was a good shot . However , no matter how proficient one is , sometimes , luck does not favour one in the Shikar field the way , we would prefer. In the fraction of a second before the trigger was fully pressed , the leopard moved at an angle and the bullet , while hitting him , did not get placed perfectly. The leopard roared and disappeared into the foliage. I immediately became alert. All of a sudden a perfect and enjoyable Shikar had now become a struggle to track and contend with a wounded leopard in thick foliage. And any professional Shikari will immediately tell you how much they loath having to contend with a wounded leopard in thick vegetation. Make no mistake . A wounded leopard in thick vegetation is almost thrice as dangerous a
unblemished leopard on open area.
My client , being a brave and honorable man , immediately operated the bolt of his magnum .375 bore model 70 to get a fresh cartridge into the breech and said " Let us finish this " . Keeping Rishi behind us , my client and l cautiously ran into the dense bushes. The blood trail was relatively thick . I had already guessed that at least one lung had been pierced . However , a leopard with one pierced lung is still very much dangerous. All of a sudden , we heard a sound behind us which made our blood run cold. As he turned , it was the leopard rushing towards us . I immediately fired the left barrel at him , at a distance of eight feet or so. Those eight .36 caliber round balls of lead certainly hit the beast in the head , and that stopped the charge. Perhaps , it killed the beast too , but l will never know . Because , at very moment , my brave client fired at the head of the leopard at a distance of three feet . The leopard never moved after that.
View attachment 310676
Happy client and l with our Puroshkaar ( trophy )
The epilogue will follow with on more photograph.