Leopard Success Rates

[mark-hunter]

No cancellations where my odds are less because I can’t pick prime dates or the moon phase. No areas without a specific density, number of tags, and proven history of success. Buy once/cry once

Damn it.
Those late season, cancellation hunts look so attractive!

The question now is this.

1. What is good success rate?

2 What is prime time of year or prime season for leopard?

 

[migrabill]

Are success rates higher when hunting with hounds than they are with bait and sit hunts? Are they more $?

 

[revturbo9967]

Damn it.
Those late season, cancellation hunts look so attractive!

The question now is this.

1. What is good success rate?

2 What is prime time of year or prime season for

It depends on the location. I was told the sweet spot in Dande is late June into mid July if you want a leopard to really get on bait. I don't remember the exact reason they gave, but that's why I booked that window. Doesn't bother me at all though, it's also the nicest time of year to hunt Zimbabwe.

 

[Betterinthebush]

Are success rates higher when hunting with hounds than they are with bait and sit hunts? Are they more $?

1) with the right houndsman/PH your odds improve.

2)see @Mtn_Infantry post

It’s the record and recommendations of clients and (more importantly) other respected PH’s that should guide your vetting process for a houndsman. This might be the single biggest decision of your hunting career. Choose wisely and be meticulous in your process.

Second it’s the area that houndsman/PH has access to.

Good luck in your search. If you do your part it might well be the most exciting and rewarding experience you’ll ever have.

 

[SStomcat]

I don’t intend to digress, but I keep wondering about something, are African leopards significantly different from those found in the Indian subcontinent?
I regularly see reports from India about leopards coming out of national parks and forest reserves into surrounding villages and sometimes even into large cities,in search of food. They seem to have become remarkably adept at living alongside people and, in some cases, preying on domestic animals, particularly dogs.
Is this primarily a difference in habitat and available prey, or are there meaningful behavioral or physical differences between African and Indian leopards?
If legally allowed these Leopards could be easily hunted.

 

[Russ16]

I don’t intend to digress, but I keep wondering about something, are African leopards significantly different from those found in the Indian subcontinent?
I regularly see reports from India about leopards coming out of national parks and forest reserves into surrounding villages and sometimes even into large cities,in search of food. They seem to have become remarkably adept at living alongside people and, in some cases, preying on domestic animals, particularly dogs.
Is this primarily a difference in habitat and available prey, or are there meaningful behavioral or physical differences between African and Indian leopards?
If legally allowed these Leopards could be easily hunted.

It isn’t unheard of in Africa. I remember reading a story years ago about a leopard that had lived undiscovered in the sports stadium in Johannesburg. But also maybe the fact they are hunted in Africa makes it less frequent.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Damn it.
Those late season, cancellation hunts look so attractive!

The question now is this.

1. What is good success rate?

2 What is prime time of year or prime season for leopard?

Prime time will vary by the area and hunting style. Tanzania will be different than Namibia or Zim or Moz but the general consensus is June-early August. A cancellation in that window might be a great deal but late season cancellations are tough and IMO should be treated as a hunt for something else with the potential opportunity to shoot a cat (leopard or lion).

Early Season can be very good because the cats have been unpressured so long BUT you’re rolling the dice on rain/wetness and getting them to find bait sites. The grass/bush is thick and seeing/spotting game (especially bait) is tough. There’s water everywhere so animals don’t need to concentrate at water sources, which means leopards cover more ground hunting. Temps are warm, humidity is high which means baits spoil quicker and you might run into issues collecting bait or accessing typical bait areas PLUS you’ll incur a higher bait bill.

Winter (June to mid August) is typically considered prime time for cat hunts. Temps have cooled, it’s starting to brown up and improve visibility. Ground is dry so you’re not spending time burying trucks, digging out, or burning up a winch. Burning gets started and can be used to move or push game around. Water is starting to dry up concentrating game, which concentrates areas leopards frequent (to hunt). Baits last longer, dogs and can run longer, scent stays on the ground better.

Late season is tough especially if there’s a drought. Plenty of natural bait weakened or already down because of dehydration. Very limited water sources, in mountains/hills the leopards will find and frequent little pools and seeps and springs you and your outfitter won’t know about targeting smaller species like hyrax and not traveling far to conserve energy. Too hot for dogs, scent doesn’t last. Bait once again spoils quick.

Are success rates higher when hunting with hounds than they are with bait and sit hunts? Are they more $?

They can be significantly higher success with the right hound hunter.
They are more expensive in Zim since you’re required to buy a special Hound Hunting Permit. I suspect but can’t confirm the really good ones also upcharge a bit because their success rates are higher so they’re not selling 3 or 4 Leopard Hunts on 2 tags or whatever. Hound hunting is typically more popular in the cattle areas where the leopards are persecuted more by the locals. You also need to avoid areas with tsetse flies because their bites transmit sleeping sickness and will kill domesticated animals like dogs and cattle.

I know with 100% certainty there are a couple blocks of Private Land and Communal areas that either don’t allow hound hunting for the above reason, or charge a premium to offset the difference in days they have a paying hunter in the area. Everything comes down to quota and how many days an outfitter needs to hunt to cover their concession fees + make a profit.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I don’t intend to digress, but I keep wondering about something, are African leopards significantly different from those found in the Indian subcontinent?
I regularly see reports from India about leopards coming out of national parks and forest reserves into surrounding villages and sometimes even into large cities,in search of food. They seem to have become remarkably adept at living alongside people and, in some cases, preying on domestic animals, particularly dogs.
Is this primarily a difference in habitat and available prey, or are there meaningful behavioral or physical differences between African and Indian leopards?
If legally allowed these Leopards could be easily hunted.

Agree with @Russ16 it’s not unheard of and happens. I know of multiple leopards killed in villages this year. Normally they’re shot as problem animals by PH’s or Apprentices. The cats that get close to villages either get killed, or learn to avoid people. Many are often young cats, injured or old cats that are struggling to hunt

 

[mark-hunter]

I don’t intend to digress, but I keep wondering about something, are African leopards significantly different from those found in the Indian subcontinent?

Asiatic leopards have vey high death toll on humans, which is almost double then tigers
African leopards do not attack people.

In India there is common leopard, cloud leopard, Himalayan leopard. And common leopard varieties would be village leopard, and forest leopard, each with different behavior

 

[Gemsbok45]

Asiatic leopards have vey high death toll on humans, which is almost double then tigers
African leopards do not attack people.

In India there is common leopard, cloud leopard, Himalayan leopard. And common leopard varieties would be village leopard, and forest leopard, each with different behavior

I would say it’s not very frequent but African leopards do attack and kill people. Unwounded!

 

[mark-hunter]

I would say it’s not very frequent but African leopards do attack and kill people. Unwounded!

This is Zimbabwe statistics on human wildlife conflict (no leopard casulties):

 

[Gemsbok45]

Reported in Zim. Sure. There was a ranger in Kruger that was attacked and killed by a healthy leopard.

 

[CloudySkies]

This is Zimbabwe statistics on human wildlife conflict (no leopard casulties):

View attachment 795312

The frequency of reporting in Africa for leopards might be at play here. Granted, its not of the order of the subcontinental leopards, but heck there was that story a couple of years ago about the two guys being attacked an air force base in RSA, and a child was killed in the 2010s. So I'd say its non-zero, but less common (probably because of hunting).

 

[Wildwillalaska]

Damn it.
Those late season, cancellation hunts look so attractive!

The question now is this.

1. What is good success rate?

2 What is prime time of year or prime season for leopard?

And I’m about to buck the system and do a quasi-leopard hunt during what is almost worst time of year. Wheels up in about 2-weeks. I say quasi-leopard hunt since I was already hunting for other species for apps 12-days and they had a leopard tag unfilled from July. Had cats on bait, but hunter was after a specific one of those hitting and ultimately passed on a couple respectable toms waiting for that one which happen. I have to respect that and especially for a hunter that’s taken other cats holding out for an old scarred up, broken tom.

So when the tag was offered and only cost me two additional days, even when I say I don’t like sitting blinds, I couldn’t say no. It’s the most pain free way for me to discover if I really hate sitting blinds as much as I might think. If a tom is feeding, seeing that cat, which could become mine if I sit…well, I might just change my mind altogether. If I don’t, then no harm in learning for sure and first-hand…worst case scenario a sit a time or two, learn what running baits is all about in reality, travel around some gorgeous country in so doing, and increasing odds of cutting some good tracks on my primary target in the meantime.

So even if I sat a couple times, or if no tom fed at all…I’m invested two extra days in a place I wouldn’t mind staying an extra week or two. I mean talk about threatening me with a good time…I’m all in. It’s going to prove a great time even if I don’t see a leopard track the entire time…which I find unlikely. I guess the real worst case scenario is I find I like sitting blinds and get the itch to hunt more cats. While I also find this somewhat unlikely…I can see it as possible. I don’t hate the idea of leopard hunt when you have it combined with something like buffalo or elephant or some other tracking species where one sort of compliments the other.

All speculation on my part at this point…I’ll have to readdress once I have a little real life experience. Hope to report back by early November.

 

[Frontier3006]

If you have hunted SA twice you have only stuck your toe in the Ocean called Africa! It is time to dump SA including the PH and at least get wet to the waist! Hunting DG in Wild Africa is taking a swim in what Africa has to offer! Hunting Leopard is hard and it take a lot of patients! My first leopard hunt was less than 3 hours, my next one was 16 day grind without success, great buffalo and PG but no chance at a Cat. Had really smart cats on game cameras essentially every day both day and nite pictures. Several within 10min of us driving away or leaving the blind. In some countries (Namibia as an example) night hunting is prohibited, which really limits opportunity. Cats are night predators.

Prepare by reading several of the books on Leopard hunting. My favorite "Chui" by my friend Lew Hallamore! Talk to several PHs about how they hunt them and their area. And above all take a rifle that you have practiced shooting a dime at 20-100 yards in daylight, dusk and with minimal back lighting. buy some cheep leopard print material and practice in those conditions shooting one specific
Leopard SPOT. The last thing you, your PH or trackers ever want is a wounded leopard.

The preparation for a leopard hunt should be as intense or more so than any other DG hunt!

I was going to take your advice and read Mr. Hallamore’s book. The cheapest copy I found was $197.50 on Amazon. I was looking for a book to read not a colllectors item. I’ll keep looking.

 

[SStomcat]

If you have hunted SA twice you have only stuck your toe in the Ocean called Africa! It is time to dump SA including the PH and at least get wet to the waist! Hunting DG in Wild Africa is taking a swim in what Africa has to offer! Hunting Leopard is hard and it take a lot of patients! My first leopard hunt was less than 3 hours, my next one was 16 day grind without success, great buffalo and PG but no chance at a Cat. Had really smart cats on game cameras essentially every day both day and nite pictures. Several within 10min of us driving away or leaving the blind. In some countries (Namibia as an example) night hunting is prohibited, which really limits opportunity. Cats are night predators.

Prepare by reading several of the books on Leopard hunting. My favorite "Chui" by my friend Lew Hallamore! Talk to several PHs about how they hunt them and their area. And above all take a rifle that you have practiced shooting a dime at 20-100 yards in daylight, dusk and with minimal back lighting. buy some cheep leopard print material and practice in those conditions shooting one specific
Leopard SPOT. The last thing you, your PH or trackers ever want is a wounded leopard.

The preparation for a leopard hunt should be as intense or more so than any other DG hunt!

This reminds of a book written by Jim Corbett, the "The man eating leopard of Rudraprayag" a terror unleashed in the Garhwal mountains of Northern India for a period of eight years covering 500 square miles. The Leopard a big male accounted for 125 human kills though unofficially they put the number much higher.
Tracking a man eating Leopard, alone with no trackers,where you are your own PH, speaks volumes of the Genius of a man that was Jim Corbett.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Another great book on leopard hunting in the Dark Continent. I wonder if the author is still alive and still guiding??

Good luck this season and happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

View attachment 795400

Another great book on leopard hunting in the Dark Continent. I wonder if the author is still alive and still guiding??

Good luck this season and happy hunting to all, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

The author is still alive. He left Zim for RSA and ultimately went to the UK for a bit and now is back in Zim.

The area a majority of the hunting in this book takes place on, is the area I hunted this year. In fact I stayed at the same homestead he used to stay at, as a guest of his business/hunting partner/Brother in Law/RLI mate/childhood friend. Unfortunately the once sprawling farm was broken up and a vast majority of the land was seized in the land grabs. The camp Wayne used to hunt out of is no longer part of the farm and was seized by a war veteran, but was visible from several areas. What was even cooler was going through some of their old hunting logs with them and seeing how many leopards they hunted and killed each year going back to at least the 90’s and seeing Gage point out where they killed different book leopards including multiple over 18” and one that went 18.5”. To have him at the Leopard Party and hear all the stories was an experience in itself and extremely enlightening.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Are success rates higher when hunting with hounds than they are with bait and sit hunts? Are they more $?

One thing not discussed and I’m not saying this is or isn’t you …. Is fitness and physical ability.

Hound hunts require the hunter to be in significantly better shape. You might need to go a couple hundred yards or you might need to sprint a mile or two up a mountain once the hounds have their target bayed and it’s your responsibility to be able to do so. Once the bay happens the only thing calling them off is you, so you need to get there quickly so the hounds don’t get torn up or killed. It’s especially true with leopards because many don’t tree, and the dogs will often be in there fighting with the Leopard in the rocks or cave where it decided to stand and fight.

In addition to this you need to be in shape enough, and competent enough with your equipment enough to make a perfectly precise shot on a spotted chainsaw, despite being out of breath from the sprint up, over and through all sorts of terrain and brush. You’re likely shooting through thick cover/vines/branches, often offhand or at a weird angle/position; at an agitated and deadly predator. You need to do so with minimal risk to you or anyone else’s lives, including the dogs.

I’ve never hunted leopard with hounds like @Betterinthebush but until recently I would’ve said i was borderline in shape for it, despite being a pretty avid western hunter. If you can’t close that distance quick, there’s a very likely chance the leopard escapes but only after tearing up a few dogs while you’re taking a breather. Heard about a hunt earlier this year where they ran the same cat multiple times, treed it multiple times, and only twice was the hunter able to get within seeing distance of the leopard and on neither occasion was the hunter able to take the shot despite being 20-30yds away.

 

[Betterinthebush]

“ If you can’t close that distance quick, there’s a very likely chance the leopard escapes but only after tearing up a few dogs while you’re taking a breather.“ @Mtn_Infantry

Thank you. Yes. This is fact. Hunting over hounds a hunter needs to be training in his boots. Walking isn’t enough. Hunters need to be doing some kind of cardio that involves a lot of burst exertion. And concentrate on breathing. Especially through your nose and expanding the diaphragm with that breathing so that the oxygen exchange is maxed.

I was in excellent shape for my hunt. I went into the final 30 yards of the hunt after a 1mile+ run. after my cat completely calm. Because of the training I put into my breathing. I wasn’t gassed.

A hound hunt for leopard is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. Mostly because I focused hard on doing the right thing by the leopard, the hounds, all the trackers and both PH’s by training everyday like that day was “the day”