ZIMBABWE: Zim Isn't For Sissies! Leopard

[mark-hunter]

EVERY one of my friends gets this same advice. NEVER go on a leopard hunt. ALWAYS go on another dangerous game hunt (Buffalo, Hippo, Elephant) and ALWAYS have an emergency fund to cover a leopard trophy fee. The reason being is that leopard hunting causes grown men to cry, if that was your ultimate goal you're statistically likely to fail several times. I got my leopard on the 4th trip to Zim. It was a wonderful gold medal animal, but the journey to get that success truly sucked. The only solace I had is that my failed leopard hunts were actually bolt-ons to successful elephant hunts.

I will confirm what Rookhawk is saying, and I am one of those who got his advice.

My first encounter with a leopard in the rifle scope was last year (after the buffalo hunt), and it was a female. No shoot.

This year, after the elephant hunt, I had a leopard in scope again, but we did not manage to identify was it male or female. The days were running short, close to my return flight home, and I did not get him the next day. and after that, I flew home.

From literature: Craig Boddington hunted a leopard three times, till he got one on third attempt.

At this stage, I am not sure I will go exclusively to hunt leopard. It is unpredictable, to all that I know.
I am still in the research phase on this. Most likely, it will be to go on a buffalo hunt again and add a leopard, hoping for luck. In that way, dangerous game day rates will not be wasted for nothing. Some say, hunting a leopard with dogs will get a better chance, a higher success rate. But as stated, I am still researching.

 

[buck wild]

Your report reads like 80%+ of other leopard hunts do. I don't think you did anything wrong or the operator based upon your report. That sadly is the nature of leopard hunting.

EVERY one of my friends gets this same advice. NEVER go on a leopard hunt. ALWAYS go on another dangerous game hunt (Buffalo, Hippo, Elephant) and ALWAYS have an emergency fund to cover a leopard trophy fee. The reason being is that leopard hunting causes grown men to cry, if that was your ultimate goal you're statistically likely to fail several times. I got my leopard on the 4th trip to Zim. It was a wonderful gold medal animal, but the journey to get that success truly sucked. The only solace I had is that my failed leopard hunts were actually bolt-ons to successful elephant hunts.

I will never hunt another leopard, I've been up through the night in freezing temperatures way to many nights to have any further interest.

I recommend you go back to Zim and enjoy a successful DG hunt. Always try for leopard half-ass as a side plot and it will eventually come together.

I hear what you’re saying. Alrhough not exactly the same, I already had a South Africa vacation and light hunting trip booked when this offer popped up. I decided to take a chance since I was already over there and the dates fit perfectly with my already scheduled trip. Had this been my only endeavor, maybe it was have stung a little harder

 

[Green Chile]

Here we had a large female...but females in heat bring in males

Here we passed on an immature male as we knew what the large male looked like...

Here is the target that we ran out of time on...

 

[Green Chile]

From literature: Craig Boddington hunted a leopard three times, till he got one on third attempt.

Craig told me it was over 60 days hunting before he got his first leopard...62 or 67 days...something like that. He has NO patience for sitting so I'm sure it was quite the ordeal. I'm switching to dogs and no ranch cats on the next attempt. Also switching countries to Moz.

 

[mark-hunter]

60 days hunting

60 days... of day rate... nightmare... I can sit in a blind, when needed, but it is the last of my favourite ways to hunt.
If there is anything in hunting about luck, it is about the leopard.

Thanks for the comment!