Jaguar vs leopard: similarities and differences in hunting behavior

[Chryss]

Hello everyone,

I'm an experienced hunter living in Bolivia, and I'm currently facing a unique challenge. One of my clients has offered me the opportunity to hunt a jaguar on her property, as several big cats are responsible for killing livestock.

After watching several videos and reading hunting reports on leopard hunting in Africa, I'm aware of the danger and intelligence of these big cats. I'm wondering if any experienced hunters have already hunted jaguars and if they have any advice to share.

Specifically, I'd like to know if the jaguar has a similar behavior to the leopard. Is it also known for being a very cunning and dangerous animal, especially when wounded?

I'd appreciate any advice and experiences from hunters who have already faced this challenge.

Thank you in advance for your responses!

 

[deewayne2003]

Do you need a special permit to hunt Jaguar in Bolivia?

I thought they were protected?

 

[Hunt anything]

There is several books out there dealing with hunting Jaguar, I’ve seen a couple but haven’t read them. Don’t know if any would be available where you live. Good luck! If you’re successful post some pictures!

 

[Chryss]

Do you need a special permit to hunt Jaguar in Bolivia?

I thought they were protected?

I'd like to clarify that the jaguar hunt in question is not a recreational hunt, but rather a necessary control measure to protect the livestock and the safety of the property's personnel.

In fact, the jaguar in question has been identified as being responsible for several attacks on the livestock, causing significant losses for the property. Furthermore, the presence of this animal in the area poses a risk to the safety of the personnel who work on the property.

In this context, the jaguar hunt is tolerated and even encouraged by local authorities, with the aim of protecting the property's interests and ensuring the safety of the people who work there.

 

[ACE (in CT)]

WOW, Good luck!
If you are successful, Please be sure that you take a LOT of pictures and please post them here. You should probably make sure that you are not smiling in these pics, you know just to be safe.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Good morning. I lived in Bolivia for 5 years and did quite a bit of hunting while I was there. I killed two jaguar and had government permits for livestock predator control both times. Forget about exporting them and I would advise against pictures as well. Used a calf to bait one and a goat for the other. Shot both at night from a blind. I loved my time in Bolivia and had Evo and MAS not taken over, I would probably be living there still.

Safe hunting

 

[Hunt anything]

@SFRanger7GP, are you advising against pictures due to public backlash? Just curious. Since he lives in Bolivia I wouldn’t think posting pictures here would hurt. But it may be better to be cautious and not invite any backlash.

 

[Chryss]

Good morning. I lived in Bolivia for 5 years and did quite a bit of hunting while I was there. I killed two jaguar and had government permits for livestock predator control both times. Forget about exporting them and I would advise against pictures as well. Used a calf to bait one and a goat for the other. Shot both at night from a blind. I loved my time in Bolivia and had Evo and MAS not taken over, I would probably be living there still.

Safe hunting

Thank you very much for your response and for sharing your experience of jaguar hunting in Bolivia. It's really interesting!

Can you give me more details about your experience? In which area of Bolivia did you hunt? What type of gun and ammunition did you use? How long did you wait before shooting?

What was the weight of the jaguar you killed? Was the animal killed instantly or wounded? If it was wounded, was it aggressive?

Thank you in advance for your answers. It's really useful for me.

 

[Chryss]

@SFRanger7GP, are you advising against pictures due to public backlash? Just curious. Since he lives in Bolivia I wouldn’t think posting pictures here would hurt. But it may be better to be cautious and not invite any backlash.

Yes, unfortunately, corruption is rampant here. Foreigners are often targeted for extortion, especially in industries like natural resource extraction and agriculture

 

[SFRanger7GP]

@SFRanger7GP, are you advising against pictures due to public backlash? Just curious. Since he lives in Bolivia I wouldn’t think posting pictures here would hurt. But it may be better to be cautious and not invite any backlash.

Killing a jaguar is really frowned upon and any number of NGO's, Greenies and other unwashed liberals love nothing better than to make someone's life miserable if they dare kill one of the "few remaining" jaguars on the planet. No pictures: you can lie, deny and make counter accusations.

When I was there I was in a position to do more or less anything I wanted. Even with that, when I was asked to kill a jaguar I made sure we had plenty of documentation to cover our actions. For the record, I did not personally kill them. As always, I was merely there to train, assist and advise as needed.

Safe hunting

 

[TheGrayRider]

Good book from a few years back.

 

[Hunt anything]

Sounds like India where even killing a man eating tiger or leopard brings on hate and ridicule from the uneducated.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Thank you very much for your response and for sharing your experience of jaguar hunting in Bolivia. It's really interesting!

Can you give me more details about your experience? In which area of Bolivia did you hunt? What type of gun and ammunition did you use? How long did you wait before shooting?

What was the weight of the jaguar you killed? Was the animal killed instantly or wounded? If it was wounded, was it aggressive?

Thank you in advance for your answers. It's really useful for me.

Both on ranches; one in the Beni area west of Trinidad and the other a few hours NW of Puerto Suarez.

Trinidad area: SIG AMT .308 with a night scope using Rem 180gr CL. Old female, skinny, 120lbs?, 1 shot, killed on 2nd night.
Pto Suarez area: M14 with night scope same ammo. Big male, fat as a butterball, 180lbs? 3 shots. If I recall we were there about a week.

Neither one went far and both did the "dead cat break dance" acrobatics. Both were shot at around 25-35 yards. It was farmland so the hardest part was deciphering all the locals intel/gossip and finding a good place for a blind. The locals thew a party and ate them.

I saw a lot of puma and several jaguar during my time in Bolivia. I had the most fun hunting the brocket deer, javali and birds.

Safe hunting

 

[Chryss]

Both on ranches; one in the Beni area west of Trinidad and the other a few hours NW of Puerto Suarez.

Trinidad area: SIG AMT .308 with a night scope using Rem 180gr CL. Old female, skinny, 120lbs?, 1 shot, killed on 2nd night.
Pto Suarez area: M14 with night scope same ammo. Big male, fat as a butterball, 180lbs? 3 shots. If I recall we were there about a week.

Neither one went far and both did the "dead cat break dance" acrobatics. Both were shot at around 25-35 yards. It was farmland so the hardest part was deciphering all the locals intel/gossip and finding a good place for a blind. The locals thew a party and ate them.

I saw a lot of puma and several jaguar during my time in Bolivia. I had the most fun hunting the brocket deer, javali and birds.

Safe hunting

I know the Trinidad region well, having spent time there fishing. Interestingly, the ranch I'll be visiting is located near Puerto Suarez. The M14, by the way, is a rifle that's commonly used in Bolivia

 

[steve white]

The jaguar will hunt in water, will even break a caiman's neck.
Jaguar will kill for the hell of it, sometimes not eating at all.
Never heard of a jaguar stashing meat in a tree.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

The jaguar will hunt in water, will even break a caiman's neck.
Jaguar will kill for the hell of it, sometimes not eating at all.
Never heard of a jaguar stashing meat in a tree.

I have never heard or seen them stashing a kill in a tree. All the kills I have seen were above ground. If you go by what the locals say, they have the power of King Kong and a T-Rex along with a Romulan cloaking device.

Have you had to deal with any? The National Parque behind our house here in Colombia has pumas and bears on the trail cams from time to time. The Quimbaya Parque outside Pereira (about 3o miles from us but going down towards the valley) get hits from jaguars regularly.

Safe hunting