ZIMBABWE: Leopard Charge My Nightmare In Zimbabwe

[Britt Beck]

Holy crap. That's crazy. Hope Scotts heals quickly. What a story.

 

[siml]

@Philip Glass , congrats on your leopard. You gents did a fantastic job under pressure. A trophy to remember for a life time.

 

[PARA45]

Oh crap, what a story, that I am sure you will never forget. Hope Scotts heals quickly and without any complications. Prayers for his quick recovery.

 

[kathy]

A little close for comfort, glad it turned out with out anyone getting killed. Forrest

 

[enysse]

Congrats on the leopard! Hopefully Scott heals quickly without complications!

 

[duckman90]

So random question, am I the only one that thinks that when following up on leopard it would be a good idea to have a guy with a 12ga loaded with OO buck for just such an occasion?

Not trying to nitpick, just curious. I am glad everyone is alright!

 

[Red Leg]

So random question, am I the only one that thinks that when following up on leopard it would be a good idea to have a guy with a 12ga loaded with OO buck for just such an occasion?

Not trying to nitpick, just curious. I am glad everyone is alright!

General consensus among a lot of experienced leopard hunters is that buckshot penetrates very badly. And the whole impact effect is far more Hollywood than real life. Also, shooting the cat off your buddy is no longer an option.

 

[Edge]

Any update on contributing to Scott's medical bills? If it is posted somewhere else I apologize, but please post a link here.

Edge

 

[Philip Glass]

So random question, am I the only one that thinks that when following up on leopard it would be a good idea to have a guy with a 12ga loaded with OO buck for just such an occasion?

Not trying to nitpick, just curious. I am glad everyone is alright!

We were not following up on a wounded leopard. We were on a hound hunt and had every expectation of me getting a decent shot and my .375 Ruger putting the cat down. I never got a shot. He was on a full charge when I got the first shot off.
Some PH's like a 12ga with 3 1/2" buckshot for follow ups on a wounded leopard and others say they don't work.
Regards,
Philip

 

[duckman90]

We were not following up on a wounded leopard. We were on a hound hunt and had every expectation of me getting a decent shot and my .375 Ruger putting the cat down. I never got a shot. He was on a full charge when I got the first shot off.
Some PH's like a 12ga with 3 1/2" buckshot for follow ups on a wounded leopard and others say they don't work.
Regards,
Philip

Thanks for the clarification... I haven't had the chance to hunt leopard yet. Yikes! Glad no one was killed. How is Scott doing?

 

[petrusg]

the hair on my back stood up reading that! Those Leopard come so quickly!

 

[Pheroze]

@Philip Glass I am wondering if at some point you could offer any advice on reflection. I thought it would be instructive to get your thoughts on what went right, and what you would suggest should be done differently. And, believe me, I am not suggesting anything was done "wrong". I just meant that this experience may be an excellent opportunity to help those thinking of a leopard hunt.

 

[jacques smith]

Philip
Just now catching up after personal issues. First off from one cowboy to another yee haw!! Now that is a great hunting story. You and your pard Scott are welcome to hunt with me anytime. Sounds like he will be fine and girls love scars. Congrats on your leapard. Each one is different and truly special. Ready to laugh yet?
Regards Jacques

 

[tarbe]

Well done to both of you!

Very grateful to our sovereign God for the outcome.

Tim

 

[V.Veritas]

Philip,
Hats off to you and Scott. A truly spectacular hunt. I hope Scott will recover quickly.
We've lost already too many brave PHs this year.

I'll second @Pheroze on his question. Any new lessons you could share with us from after this experience? (For now I'm convinced that I'll take my double 450/400 if I'm chasing or looking for any wounded DG).

 

[Philip Glass]

@Philip Glass I am wondering if at some point you could offer any advice on reflection. I thought it would be instructive to get your thoughts on what went right, and what you would suggest should be done differently. And, believe me, I am not suggesting anything was done "wrong". I just meant that this experience may be an excellent opportunity to help those thinking of a leopard hunt.

Certainly. After two failed attempts I Decided to change tactics and organize a hound hunt in Zim. I am a life long hunter, shooter, and have lived on a ranch most of my life. I've attended SAAM Safari Shooting school which is a 4 day intensive DG hunting school taught by ex military snipers. I've read The Perfect Shot II over and over in detail. Although I didn't book with him I met Mark Butcher at SCI and had extensive discussions with him about the hound hunts which he pioneered. He told me that when the leopard sees you he is coming for you. This advice also prepared me for the intimate nightmare scenario. I was prepared, as prepared as a person could be. On day 7 of a 10 day hunt we were eager for our first chance at a leopard. Maybe our only chance due to circumstances. My PH said that we went in too soon. We were too exposed and needed a better position to shoot from where the leopard might not focus on us but keep occupied with the hounds. That's hunting and the facts in the ground do not come out of a text book.
Thankfully I made a good shot but frustratingly couldn't get the second shot off in time. I shot the cat in the mouth on a full charge. My PH, Scott Bailey shot the cat in the HEAD at close range but didn't hit brain. What else could we have done under the circumstances? 700 grains of lead and the cat didn't so much as blink! Basically the fact of the matter is that on a charge the animal must be brained or else disaster awaits you.
I would just want hunters to know that DG hunting is dangerous! Really dangerous! It's not just a title it's real and you may not come back home from it. If I didn't have a smart, tough, SOB like Scott Bailey as my PH I may not be here to tell this story. He saved my life, period!
You know the term Professional Hunter is not given as much respect as it deserves. I hope that will change knowing stories like this one.
Regards,
Philip
PS: and I have lots of respect for @Martin Pieters Safaris booking me on this hunt with Scott. Martin knew Scott would take care of me and he did!

 

[IvW]

So random question, am I the only one that thinks that when following up on leopard it would be a good idea to have a guy with a 12ga loaded with OO buck for just such an occasion?

Not trying to nitpick, just curious. I am glad everyone is alright!

Great to hear a positive outcome for both Philip and Scott and well done in keeping calm under the conditions. It happens so fast and can go wrong so quickly, especially with leopard. The speed at which it happens cannot be understood until you have seen it first hand.

@duckman90

A SxS shotgun, with 2 triggers with relatively short barrels is a great tool for use on leopard only if a charge is imminent or you are following up on a wounded leopard(which was not the case here).

However the use of buckshot of any size is not a good idea. Buckshot is spherical in shape and thus the "balls" have a very bad SD which affects the penetration badly. They have some degree of effectiveness when used at point blank rage but there are too many unknown variables when hunting leopard to justify their use. As mentioned by Redleg, once the cat gets hold of somebody you basically have a ineffective bat in your hands.

If you use a shotgun slugs are the way to go and I would use only Brenneke slugs as I have used them to great effect in the past. Penetration and knockdown power is exceptional.

The reason I switched to a SxS shotgun with 24 inch barrels is that during a follow up situation and if a charge happens you most of the time do not have time to re-load a bolt. I could not afford a double rifle hence made this "poorman's double". Light, fast handling, two shots and very effective. It has served me very well.

The main lesson learnt here for me is the fact that both Philip and Scott remained calm under huge pressure and with things happening at lightning speed. Could have been very nasty if they did not.

The speed at which a leopard attacks is mind boggling to say the least, it can inflict damage to 2 or 3 people before anybody can react. It is something nobody in their right mind would want to face willingly.

It takes real courage and cool head's to handle the situation the way Scott and Philip did, hat's off to both of you, and I wish Scott a speedy recovery.

 

[Philip Glass]

Philip
Just now catching up after personal issues. First off from one cowboy to another yee haw!! Now that is a great hunting story. You and your pard Scott are welcome to hunt with me anytime. Sounds like he will be fine and girls love scars. Congrats on your leapard. Each one is different and truly special. Ready to laugh yet?
Regards Jacques

Yes!

 

[Philip Glass]

Philip,
Hats off to you and Scott. A truly spectacular hunt. I hope Scott will recover quickly.
We've lost already too many brave PHs this year.

I'll second @Pheroze on his question. Any new lessons you could share with us from after this experience? (For now I'm convinced that I'll take my double 450/400 if I'm chasing or looking for any wounded DG).

My PH Scott is already thinking of getting a double rifle. He hunts elephant most of the time and really needs one.
Philip

 

[cpr0312]

Thankfully I made a good shot but frustratingly couldn't get the second shot off in time. I shot the cat in the mouth on a full charge. My PH, Scott Bailey shot the cat in the HEAD at close range but didn't hit brain. What else could we have done under the circumstances? 700 grains of lead and the cat didn't so much as blink!

Still impressed and amazed at this! And still glad for a positive outcome and that Scott is doing better!