The wrap-up: research, training, preparation, and “how bad do you want it?”
Why hounds over leopard? Simple. I’m a busy-body and I’m honest with myself. I know my own strengths and weaknesses. I always knew I was going to hunt leopard, and I knew, furthermore, I didn’t have it in me to be trapped in a blind staring at bait lashed to a tree. I’ve hunted mountain lions in Utah with hounds and, everyone who reads this should understand that
treeing a hundred mountain lions will never equal one leopard hunt with hounds. Ever. It’s not the same game. Hell, it’s not even the same sport.
The draw for me was, well, the challenge. Anybody with a brain intuitively knows that there is an elevated level of danger with a hunt like this. It’s fast, physically demanding, expensive, and success or failure is parked squarely on your shoulders alone. Physical and mental preparation is paramount for this hunt. Knowing and understanding terrain and conditions should guide the decisions you’re going to make in selecting everything from your weapon to your footwear.
Researching your PH/Houndsman and following his advice and instructions implicitly is also in your best interest. When I contacted Adrian I told him I wanted only an area that had a lot of cats with the highest chances of success and I only wanted him as my PH/Houndsman, and I was willing to pay for it. That sounds like a lot of gas, and I don’t mean for it to. But my wife and I approached this effort like it might be our only chance. So, if I was going to dress for the game, I was going to swing for the fence. Going cheap whether on a PH, area, bait or expenses was not an option. I like to win and if I were going to hire someone, I wanted to hire another person who likes to win just as much. And Adrian was overqualified to help me achieve my goals. Contracting Adrian was the smartest decision I ever made in my hunting career.
Training:
I don’t carry a lot of extra weight, in fact, I’m a short and skinny fella. So, at least I have that going for me. But I trained very hard daily. Mostly calisthenics, cardio, weighted burst training, weighted running, deep breathing techniques and a lot of walking. I’m glad I did. It paid off.
Rifle training: here’s where I overthought things and, ultimately disposed of what I thought I’d need for the hunt for what rifle was best for the job at the last moment.
I really wanted to take my Remington 7600 for this hunt. But, things just weren’t coming together well for the two of us. The 7600 was a finicky little fucker. Fine for whitetail. Not for a dangerous cat.
A couple months before leaving I bought a Dakota 76 .375 H&H from
@Wildwillalaska
I love every .375 I’ve ever owned, I’ve always been very good with them and the new Dakota I bought was love at first sight-in. For the caliber it proved to be an absolute laser with my Swaro 3-10X42.
Talking with
@Mtn_Infantry on conditions he was experiencing during his leopard/ele hunt in Zim and listening to my PH’s on conditions in Nuanetsi all contributed to my ultimate decision to divorce myself from my wants and focus on my needs. I needed to bring the weapon I was best and most confident with that provided the power and reliability to punch through heavy cover and still have enough velocity to anchor the animal while using a bullet that would hold together well enough if it had to go through branches before impact. So, Bonnie (the .375’s name) got the ball and was charged with closing the game loaded with 300gr. TBBC’s.
How bad do you want it?
A week before leaving I was transferring some new kitchen cabinets on my skid-steer to a rental house I’m remodeling. I was tracking up the road for a couple hundred yards and suddenly found myself in a ditch facing the opposite direction of my travel and looking at the remains of a blue car. Realizing that I just got hit, I got out of the machine and was shocked by pain in my ribs and sternum.
No! Please! Not now! A quick trip to the ER revealed a popped rib, bruised knee, elbow and neck and a bruised scalp.
View attachment 768980
There was no way in hell I was going to miss my safari. I told my PH’s and assured them I was both coming and would not let this be an excuse to half-step. My advice to others: if you get fucked-up in an accident and want to heal quickly, go to Africa hunting. 10/10 every time.
Well, that’s about everything fellas. This report was a lot of fun and I really hope it helps others.
Oh! One last thing! I’d also like to thank a couple certain forum members for taking time to answer questions over the past year before this safari:
@Scott CWO @Philip Glass @Hunt anything and
@Hunter-Habib
Cheers!
