The Spotted Trespasser

Thank you for the story, Panther Shooter, I really enjoyed it.

That panther was a beautiful animal !
 
Ridge Walker
This is quite true . The only person in my entire life , whom I have seen that actually enjoys going after Hunting Leopards, is Major Poton Khan Sir . He is a person , who has not changed even the slightest in the last 50 years . He literally jumps in excitement , if you tell him right now that you have a Hunting Leopard for him to shoot . I am not even joking .

There was an incident on this February . We were celebrating the Major’s 80th birthday in his house . It was a huge barbecue party and more than 40 people had attended . The Major and his servants were tending to all of us , and we were all having a good time . Suddenly , the Major got a telephone call from an officer in the Maulvi Bazaar Forest Department . There was a man eating Hunting Leopard , which needed to be disposed of .

And that was that . The Major forgot about everything else , the minute he realized that he had an opportunity to shoot a Hunting Leopard . He told his servants to tend to us and feed us , while he packed a small suit case with a spare set of clothes and toiletries . He then took his old Belgian shotgun and a satchel full of cartridges , got into his Audi and literally just drove away ; leaving all of us inside the house . On that very day . The birthday boy left the birthday . The scary thing is that five days later , we all learn that the Major successfully disposed of the man eater , singlehandedly . With a shotgun . At the age of 80 . At night .

Oh , and he took down another man eating Hunting Leopard a couple of weeks ago . On foot . At night . With nothing , but that old Belgian shotgun .
My dear friend Panther Shooter
Our friend Ponton could not have had a better 80th birthday. To be surrounded by friends is a blessing but to be able to go on a shikar after h hunting leopard as well is to be doubly blessed. I pray that if I get to that age to still be able to hunt..
Your humble reader and friend
Bob
 
Another great story of skill and courage but I do have one question why did you use your 12 gauge on the Nilgai instead of your .375?
 
Shootist43
I am honored that you have enjoyed it . I owe my success only to the Double Rifle . For quick instinctive shooting in quick quarters , the Shikari benefits from using a Double Rifle which handles quickly like a British game gun .

Regarding my servants , please allow me to explain to you how this works . All of my employees were my father’s beloved workers , who had been working for us prior to 1972 . They all were critical of the Wild Life Protection Act - 1972 . I also kept them all extremely well fed , with game meat shot from my nocturnal poaching activities .
The fact that I was protecting them from man eating Hunting Leopards ( a regular visitor at the Jolpaiguri Tea Estate ) , was merely icing on the cake . They not only kept quiet about my nocturnal poaching activities , but they frequently were party to it .

I did have one new worker in 1974 , who had attempted to extort me and my family . He threatened to tell the Jolpaiguri Forest Department about my nocturnal poaching activities , unless I paid him a disproportionately unreasonable amount . My solution was to call Major Khan Sir , over to Jolpaiguri . The Major still did not have his facial reconstructive surgery done , at the time . So he looked extremely imposing with the stitches and all that . On top of that , the 1971 War Of Independence had only ended three years ago , and practically everyone in Jolpaiguri still had fresh memories of the tabloid news papers about the Major’s actions during the war . Both heroic and ( for lack of a better word ) horrifying . They were terrified of him . The Major took my worker to one side , took out a large Filipino Hand Made butterfly knife and then , casually threatened the rascal at knife point . The Major threatened to castrate him and feed him his testicles . Knowing Major Khan Sir’s reputation , the worker immediately apologized to me . The next day , he quit working at our Tea Estate and never returned .

In India , I still have contact with several of my friends who commit poaching ( not the greedy , commercial kind .But rather , the small scale kind like I used to do ) . The only reason that they can get away with it , is because they have dozens of other people to aid them in covering their tracks ( who secretly oppose the 1972 ban on Shikar ) . I would ask some of them to join AH forums . However , since they still live in India now and are still poaching , anything they write on the internet could potentially be used against them in Indian courts ; should they ( God forbid ) ever get caught . I myself was extremely hesitant to join AH forums initially , for this very reason . Even though I did all of this 44 years ago , and I have thankfully left India .
I only joined AH forums as a poster , after my daughter taught me how to pixelate my face on photographs . It is practically impossible for an average citizen ( or rather , “ Subject “ ) in India to acquire firearms , as it is . If these people share their stories on AH forums , then chances are that ( even if they are not caught ) the tyrants in India will amp up their draconian firearms laws , even more than what it already is .
My dear friend Panther Shooter
Our friend Ponton sounds like he was a man not to be taken lightly by scoundrels whilst being a very gentle an dignified man. It is a crying shame that India be allowed to continue in the decimation of it wild life by financial poachers.
Poaching to feed your family and friends because of draconian laws that stopped a thriving method of conservation is completely understandable. These people are not going to be indiscriminate killer but only take what they need and conserve the game.
Your humble reader and friend
Bob.
 
Mr. Panther Shooter,

I've very much enjoyed reading your content, as well as Major Khan's. I saw in the news yesterday that a massive cyclone slammed into parts of India and Bangladesh; I hope that you and yours, and the rest of our members in that part of the world, are alright and would like to express my sympathies for those affected. I look forward to reading any more stories you have to offer. :)
Same here my friend. I pray you are all well and have not suffered to much damage. Our sympathy and prayers are with those affected.
Bob Nelson
 
Thank you for the story, Panther Shooter, I really enjoyed it.

That panther was a beautiful animal !
Nyati
Thank you very much for enjoying it .
 
Another great story of skill and courage but I do have one question why did you use your 12 gauge on the Nilgai instead of your .375?
Art Lambart II
Thank you very much for enjoying it and deeming me to be a courageous man ( while the reality is that half the time , I was completely terrified out of my mind ) . I actually get asked this question , quite a lot . In order to understand the answer to this question . I would implore you to read my previous entry :
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/my-first-man-eater-with-the-375-holland-holland-magnum.55889/ It shall detail the circumstances under which I had acquired that .375 Holland & Holland Magnum . I only used my .375 Holland & Holland Magnum for hunting man eating Hunting Leopards and man eating Spotted Leopards . In retrospect , I really wish that I had purchased that .375 Holland & Holland Magnum from the original owner before I left India to immigrate to Bangladesh . It would have really been a fine weapon to use , now . I mean , I do enjoy owning and using my 7 millimeter Remington Magnum very much . However , that .375 Holland & Holland Magnum was the most marvelous Double Rifle which I have ever crossed paths with , in my life .
 
Art Lambart II
Thank you very much for enjoying it and deeming me to be a courageous man ( while the reality is that half the time , I was completely terrified out of my mind ) . I actually get asked this question , quite a lot . In order to understand the answer to this question . I would implore you to read my previous entry :
https://www.africahunting.com/threads/my-first-man-eater-with-the-375-holland-holland-magnum.55889/ It shall detail the circumstances under which I had acquired that .375 Holland & Holland Magnum . I only used my .375 Holland & Holland Magnum for hunting man eating Hunting Leopards and man eating Spotted Leopards . In retrospect , I really wish that I had purchased that .375 Holland & Holland Magnum from the original owner before I left India to immigrate to Bangladesh . It would have really been a fine weapon to use , now . I mean , I do enjoy owning and using my 7 millimeter Remington Magnum very much . However , that .375 Holland & Holland Magnum was the most marvelous Double Rifle which I have ever crossed paths with , in my life .
My dear friend Panther Shooter
As I said previously you should never have purchased it. After what that low life despicable V did to you you should have just taken it. Oh well the folly of youth.
Your humble reader and friend
Bob
 
Thank you for telling us about your hunts! It is this exact type of writing and history that I love to read about.
 

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