Best Bait For Lion?

Huntforever

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What’s the best bait for a lion hunt? I’m just curious on people’s thoughts and opinions?
 
They're particularly fond of wildebeest and warthog.

The bait should be rubbed with salt, if the hunt takes place in a humid region and the lion is expected to take a while to come to the bait.
 
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Hippo
 
Hippo. It must be a very large bait because if they eat it all they won't come back. It is amazing how cats will eat rotting meat with maggots in it!
 
I had a PH on the Luangwa tell me he would not do a cat hunt without taking a hippo for bait. He claimed to be 100% on leopard and one missed shot shy of 100% on lion. Based on the cat sign we saw I tend to believe him.
 
As others have said, Hippo and Zebra . .
 
Hippo. It must be a very large bait because if they eat it all they won't come back. It is amazing how cats will eat rotting meat with maggots in it!

That's interesting as in Australia the government agencies etc say that cats won't eat carrion. No comparison to Lions of course but it's interesting to me.

I'm talking feral cats that are just large housecat gone wild and found widespread across the Australian landscape.

I have seen cats eating roadkill myself but when I was doing biosecurity work and pest management we did not have any approved baiting options for cats based loosely on the research that says they don't take a bait.
 
That's interesting as in Australia the government agencies etc say that cats won't eat carrion. No comparison to Lions of course but it's interesting to me.

I'm talking feral cats that are just large housecat gone wild and found widespread across the Australian landscape.

I have seen cats eating roadkill myself but when I was doing biosecurity work and pest management we did not have any approved baiting options for cats based loosely on the research that says they don't take a bait.
The same has been said here of bobcats but it is untrue. They prefer eating their own or a very fresh kill. But There are instances where they eat stuff that has been dead a while. I do NOT believe any NA cats would eat what I've seen African cats eat!
 
Caracal in Africa will not eat carrion....you can only "bait" them ontheir own kiĺl.

When baiting for lion but especially laopard in hot Oct rub the bait with a salt paste.....there has to be water availible close by for leopard if not dig a small hole insert bucket and provide water.....this will help keeping it on bait.....
 
Zebra, hippo,Giraffe.
 
In Tanzania we had a lot of bait sites going as we planned (and succeeded) to take two lion and 3 leopard. Buffalo hunting was very difficult that season and hippo didn't happen as there just were not many around. We used a lot of zebra as well as anything else we could get including wart hog. sable and Roan. I think we even used hartebeest. About the only thing off the list was reedbuck as that was people food:)

It all worked just fine.

However I would agree hippo and giraffe would be great for lion if available. Nice big baits for big cats;) Buffalo, zebra, wildebeest of course are very natural things for lions to eat. And cats seem to really like zebra so to @spike.t point, horse would certainly work.

In Mozambique for leopard we used baboons and sable. The successful bait was a blown up stinking baboon that had fallen off the sweeping tree we were pulling down the road!

But it's hunting. You do what you can with what you are given;)
 
Hippo and giraffe. Read my recent report about lion/hippo from Tanzania.
 
I had a bear on an elk carcass (trail cameras) once that would come every day just to eat the maggots. After 4-5 days of maggot eating he and another bear finally starting into the meat. Sorry for the derail, but it loosely fit
 
Seems as though hippo is one of the best. I’d guess that hippo is also a great bait because if you are close to them, it won’t take a great length of time to get one down.
 
Another advantage using a long lasting huge hippo bait is the hunter does not need to be spending a lot of time hunting bait animals for replentishing bait. Hippo also provides smell a long way.
 
Another advantage using a long lasting huge hippo bait is the hunter does not need to be spending a lot of time hunting bait animals.
I thought of that as all part of the hunt and fun;)
 
I thought of that as all part of the hunt and fun;)
Very true. Howvever, I recall a Zambia trip i was busy spending time hunting some other important critters as well as lion.
 

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Grz63 wrote on x84958's profile.
Good Morning x84958
I have read your post about Jamy Traut and your hunt in Caprivi. I am planning such a hunt for 2026, Oct with Jamy.
Just a question , because I will combine Caprivi and Panorama for PG, is the daily rate the same the week long, I mean the one for Caprivi or when in Panorama it will be a PG rate ?
thank you and congrats for your story.
Best regards
Philippe from France
dlmac wrote on Buckums's profile.
ok, will do.
Grz63 wrote on Doug Hamilton's profile.
Hello Doug,
I am Philippe from France and plan to go hunting Caprivi in 2026, Oct.
I have read on AH you had some time in Vic Falls after hunting. May I ask you with whom you have planned / organized the Chobe NP tour and the different visits. (with my GF we will have 4 days and 3 nights there)
Thank in advance, I will appreciate your response.
Merci
Philippe
 
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