Leopard Attack Zimbabwe

Yes it is mate and I've paid for it. And I agree. I've already lined up a PH in SA. Nice bloke very obliging and I can't wait, but there's alittle bit of work to do and I don't bloody mind! I'm really looking forward to the whole experience. I have the lay the blame on you bastards in the forum. You blokes started this.

While I've got you mate. Which airline did you take to Africa? How did you go taking your firearms on board? I've got a hold of Customs and they've given me the info I need to Import/export my firearm & ammo, so I'm set there. What else do I need to take into consideration?

Any Aussies reading this post your info and assistance would be appreciated. Thanks All.

Wayne
I travelled with Virgin last time, qantas this time. Whichever airline your with let them know your intentions & they will likely issue a letter of approval to carry your firearm & ammunition as checked baggage for the period of travel. Handy to have when your going through customs at the airport. The rest is Restricted Goods Permit, Export Declaration Advice, Customs Client ID & the Import permit to bring the gun back into Oz. Sounds a bit daunting but it's not really. Your RGP is only valid for 28 days so don't apply for it to early before you go.
I used a 375 on my last trip ...all plains game & never felt over gunned....the 9.3 will be fine.

Jon
 
Thanks Very Much for the info messmate. I want to take one of those new fangled head cams with me and film the hunt. She be a laugh and a hoot. Will post them when I get back and add a story to it.
 
It's sad I know, but it's too late, I'm already old and crabby. My wife calls me L.O.B.(lecturious Old Bastard). What ever does she mean????
They are funny over here Diamondhitch about taking firearms on aircraft. Some will,some won't. I believe South African Airways has no problem with transporting firearms & ammo.

My PH has selected what I believe is a good selection of trophies for me to go after: Cape Kudu, Cape Springbuck,Impala,Duiker,Blue Wildebeest.

I don't know about the Duiker. I'm only taking 1 gun; a Ruger African in 9.3x62mm Mauser. Might be overgunned for the little critter, probbaly turn him into red mist...hee..hee.heeee. (One flash and your'e ash).

Got to get out to the range with some shooting sticks. Probably make my own. Probably just go for a bipod rather than a tripod setup. Whatdo you think Mate?

Sounds like a winning bag. My advice, even if you are on a strict budget is to learn about all the animals that you may come across and memorize the price list. That way if yu come across, say a Gemsbok and you are instantly enamoured you will know that you can afford it if you axe the Wildebeest (or whatever you choose). Either way those are all animals that epitomize Africa and look great on the wall.

Dont pass on the Duiker, they are cheap and the tiny guys are really cool. i have talked to several who had no interest and passed, the common thread - they all regretted it. Im sure your PH will tell you anyway but shoot the Duiker in the stomach, DRT and if it blows a hole it is not in the cape. I found that my .338 Lapua was putting smaller holes than my .257 WBY so I would guess your 9.3 will be fine anyway.

Bipod is great if you are used to it but practice on the sticks as well. So many times the bipod will be useless in grass/brush and you want to be proficient off of the sticks. Find out if your PH uses 2 or 3 legged sticks and practice with ones similar to what you will be using when you are there.
 
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After reading all the posts - I can firmly say and not embarassed either that I would be screaming and shooting as well. You never know how one will react in these situations....glad to know all were fine and were able to laugh afterwards! What a story to tel....
 
spike.t

You might have a point. Not sure what caliber this guy had. And perhaps it was Zimbabwe. He was going to southern Africa, but which country I don't recall. Didn't realize the UK embargos that country.

And as for it being the pistol team, yes, I should have specified. Their pistol team has to leave the country. Pretty ridiculas, but that's the UK for you. I was there in 1999 working on an archeological diving expedition. Took part in a six diver team from my volunteer organization here with the UK groups, which included the government's archeological diving unit. The Brit volunteer who was leading the expedition "Operation Man-O-War" was a rather wealth leadeing citizen in the community of Ramsgate. I was at his quite lovely mansion, which he had turned into a high-end nursing home (for wealthy families apparently) and in his office I saw several machine pistols on the wall. They were all obviously non-functional with the huge gaping elongated holes through the barrel and receiver made by a torch. I said something like "Nice machineguns." I then said I had heard about their handgun ban a couple years earlier and asked if it effected him. His response was immediate and he was pissed.

"Don't EVEN get me started on that!" He then later told me he'd received, like everyone else, a letter from the government, listing his six collector piece handguns, worth a total of 6,000 pounds sterling (about $10,000 at that time), by description and serial number. It then informed him he had "X" number of weeks (I think it was three), to turn them in to his local Constable's station for destruction or he would be "arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law." Two short paragraphs, very abrupt, very curt, and threatening him with arrest if he failed to comply.

This is a man who was no criminal, and in fact was a well-known leader of the community and whose background was completely checked because he was receiving government payments for operating his nursing home.

They took his guns claiming he would be "fairly compensated." He said he received 1,800 pounds, or 30% of the actual value of the firearms. That's $3,000 for $10,000 worth of guns. He took a 70% loss. And he said he was lucky because most of the people he knew who also lost their guns got zilch... NADA... for their guns. There was a huge complaint and law suit over it going on at the time, but he didn't expect it to result in anything. It seems I recall in the news later the courts judged against the guns owners saying the nation was in debt and they weren't guaranteed anything, so too bad. I can't swear to that being it's been quite a while now, but I do recall the finding did NOT make my colleagues in the UK happy at all.



if a country is on the arms embargo list of the uk govnt such as zimbabwe then no they dont let you take your guns there. i think it is only the pistol team that cant practice in the uk, but shotgun, rimfire rifle and fullbore rifle shooting are enjoyed by many people.
 
il capo a friend of mine who lives in london waited till the last day to take his handguns to his local police station, and said, to make me feel a bit better tell me this will make a difference. the policemans answer was no it wont make the slightest difference at all. you think your friend was pissed!! we are still allowed handguns and military semi-autos here (hopefully for a longtime.....), but the local newspaper has a shit stir every so often. maybe google www.jerseyeveningpost.com, and then put in the search box ,guns in jersey, then scroll down the page approx 3/4 , there are a couple of inaccurate bits of stuff . the police actually contacted the various gun clubs and apologized for what the paper had written, as in the total was for anything you needed a license for even humane killers for vets. we have a club from the uk that comes over a couple of times a year just to shoot all the military stuff they cant have anymore. you lot over in the usa need to make sure you dont get more and more legislation, as it must be great to be able to go and buy what you want when you want. :daydreaming:
 
I don't know how anyone can call a guy lucky that just got picked out of a group of several people and get mauled by a wounded leopard. Pound for Pound Leopard seem to be the badest of the bad. An animal that weighs not much more than a man that can carry a kill up into a tree. Amazingly strong, aggressive, beautiful and extraordinarily dangerous.
 
Wow.
Great hunting adventure with happy ending.
Witold

This adventure is remembered for a lifetime.
Witold
 
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Interesting. I wouldn't have thought of using a shotgun on cats for just this reason. And I would think slugs would be a must in any case. I also wouldn't use a semi-auto, although I'm of the understanding semi-autos aren't allowed in many African countries anyways, yes? I, for one, am for pumps. In fact, I have two pump-action rifles too. For fast and reliable actions, they can't be beat. @ Ole Bally. Thanks for the come back. I was only guessing being I have no experience in that kind of hunting. It just struck me as being logical. And regarding courage, that's what I meant by having big brass ones! It's one thing to KNOW what to do, but a whole other ball game to actually DO IT! : )
I've had stoppages / jams in two separate leopard incidents with semi auto's ( both Remingtons ) one old Sportmaster and the other a newer model. Both jammed after the first shot , one with buckshot / LG the other with Remington 2 3/4" slug. Was not a good experience either time. The buckshot incident my backup departed but left behind a mini Ruger 223 in the dust which I grabbed and managed to finish the job with. The other with the slug my backup stood firm and saved the day with a well placed 7.62 round from an FN SLR. I have no good reports from my own experience on the use of buckshot for leopard - and I have had plenty opportunity to witness it first hand. Totally unreliable performance. If you want to use a shotgun because of fast quick handling go the slug route and go S/S or O/U as the chances of getting off more than two meaningful shots on a charge by a leopard are very unlikely. Don't shoot when they are to far out , let him come to the barrel !

Personally a good fast handling rifle you can shoot well with a good soft point bullet is my choice. My favourite is my 375 H&H 20 " barrel with a hot load for the 250 grain SGK.
 
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Ontario, the problem with the (shotgun) multiple projectiles is that in reality they are pretty small and lack the weight and velocity and very directed ...I dunno what to call it technically...force that a rifle bullet does. Hence their poor down range knock down /hitting power!

Sorry I didn't notice the age of this thread

Here in Alaska it is common to use 00 buck and slugs alternating for bear defense, slugs are certainly more deadly but I have never heard of poor penetration by buckshot. Usually it is quoted as overpenetrating for home defense use however when used against a bear the goal is massive damage and not the instant stop needed on a crazed kitty.

For a quality semi auto try Beretta 390 series guns, I have purposely shot over 3000 rounds without cleaning one of mine without any malfunction, during a busy sporting clays week. Also only use 2 3/4 slugs to hold more rounds in magazine, first shot can be a magnum, buckshot using 3" gets you 3 more .30 pellets per shot so magnum rounds are good.
 
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(I believe these are copies of the original video posted)
Just seen this clip. In 2013 I was told about this and taken to the very spot where the mauling occurred. The PH with me said the guy's hand was severely damaged, and he was in hospital for a long time due to the puncture wounds in his chest. This occurred out in the Omay area in Zim.
 
(I believe these are copies of the original video posted)

On my fist safari in Zimbabwe, after two days in the blind, I shot a leopard very late in the afternoon, it came down the tree like a sack of potatoes then...got up and ran. It was getting dark so we approached the spot where the cat went down very slowly holding two shotguns loaded with OO buck shot. We found plenty of blood so we had to decide weather to follow the spoor into the thick or call it quits. My PH Monty, from Zabesy Safari, told me how dangerous these animals are especially when wounded so we decided to go back to camp and come back in the morning. I was up most of the night thinking about the leopard and weather or not we had made the right call. Six o’clock the following morning we headed out for the bait site again armed with two shotguns, we got to the spot and after about 20 minutes of meticulous work by the trackers we found my leopard dead. I was lucky because the animal probably died right away less then one hundred yards away from where I shot it and the Hyenas didn’t get to it. Thinking back I believe my PH made the right call regardless of the outcome because, as you can see from the video, these beautiful animals can be quite deadly.
 

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