Written by Enayet
“ Winter was coming , and my engineering college’s second semester had come to a close . I was free for the rest of the year , and so decided to spend my time hunting in the beloved forests around my family home . I would dedicate some of my time , watching Mother’s bakery . The rest of my time was dedicated to doing what I loved best .
One evening , I told my parents that I was going out to bag a lovely Kakar deer , for our dinner . However on that day , one servant was going to be accompanying Mother to the bazaar . The other servant was needed at home to tend to the main gate . My parents were both a little bit reluctant about letting me go off into the forests , alone . However in the end , they did not think much of it . They knew that I was always an extremely cautious young man , who neither ever took any unnecessary chances , nor attempted to tempt fate in any way . I got up on my Harley motorcycle , and packed my flashlight , my Baikal and a dozen hand-loaded 3 inch 00 buckshot shells , before departing . I also packed my Buck 110 lock-back folding knife , a coil of para-cord , a hurricane lamp , some wax paper , a box of matches , a flask of cold coffee ( my favorite drink ) and some chicken liver pate sandwiches from the bakery . I then departed into the wilderness .
Within 40 minutes or so , I reached a spot which was dense with gooseberry trees . Knowing that Kakar deer would regularly frequent this area to feed ( on the goose berries ) , I decided to “ stake out “ the place . I lit the hurricane lamp and hung it from the branch of a goose berry tree . Then , I lay down on my stomach amongst the thick bushes on the green grassy ground - Baikal in one hand , flashlight in the other . I was roughly 5 meters away from the tree , which had the hurricane lamp hanging from it . The trick was to keep myself concealed from my quarry’s line of sight , for as long as possible . Far off into the distance , I suddenly heard 2 gunshots . However , I thought nothing of it . This part of the forest , was an extremely popular hunting spot . No doubt , the 2 gunshots which I had heard were simply the works of other local Shikaris in a nearby area .
Roughly 75 minutes passed before I finally began to hear some movement amongst the bushes . I could see a sizable Kakar buck , slowly making his way towards the gooseberry trees . The animal ( just as my experience had taught me ) came towards the hurricane lamp , curious as to what brightly glowing object this might be .
As he raised his head upwards to look curiously at the suspended hurricane lamp , I leapt up ( having decided to waste no more time ) . Snapping my Baikal up to my shoulder , I instantly pulled the trigger . The left barrel went off , loudly and the charge of copper plated 00 buckshot blew clean into the Kakar buck’s neck and shoulder . It dropped to the shot , on the spot . It had been hit by 8 of the 15 copper plated 00 buckshot pellets .
I immediately approached the slain buck and took out my Buck 110 . Opening the stainless steel Bowie style blade , I resolved to make the venison “ Halal “ . Reciting the customary line of “ Bismillah Her Rahman Er Raheem “ , I proceeded to slice the Kakar buck’s throat ( right down to the spinal column ) in order to ensure that it completely bled dry . In the mean time , I went back to where I had parked my Harley ( which was roughly 5 minutes away , from where I had shot the Kakar buck ) and retrieved my snacks from my bag-pack . I sat on the motorcycle’s seat , while I drank a cup of cold coffee and ate a chicken liver pate sandwich .
I then , decided that it was time to go and retrieve my Kakar buck . I casually strolled back to the area , where the hurricane lamp was hanging . In the mean time , I opened the breech of my Baikal and took out the empty shell from the left chamber . I replaced it with another hand-loaded Eley Alphamax Magnum 76 mm 00 buckshot shell , before closing it again . When I reached the sight of the slain Kakar buck , I saw that it had properly bled out . I used my Buck 110 to cut off a few pieces of para-cord which I then , used to lash the fore legs and the hind legs of the Kakar buck together . I carried the buck all the way , back to my Harley and I tied the slain animal securely to the top of my motorcycle seat .
I then , returned to the area where I had shot the Kakar buck , in order to retrieve my hurricane lamp . However when I reached the site of the gooseberry trees , something was amiss . I heard quite an unforgettable noise . It sounded a bit , like the growling of a dog . But not quite . It sounded far more aggressive than a dog’s growling . I looked cautiously at the bushes , from which the noise was emanating . My Baikal was in my hands , as I pulled closers towards the bushes . I wondered what the animal causing this noise , could be . A wild jackal , perhaps ? Must be . Wild dogs and jackals were known to frequent this part of the forests . And then , it happened .
The jackal propelled itself out of the bushes , with the speed of being shot out of a catapult . My reaction was purely instinctive. I acted in self defense . Whipping my Baikal up to my shoulder , I took aim at the lunging creature and pulled the trigger , when it was less than 5 meters away from me . The left barrel went off and the concentrated charge of copper plated 00 buckshot took the jackal full on , in the cranium . The animal dropped to the ground . Dead . I turned on my flashlight and shone the light over the dead jackal . You can imagine my level of shock when it had dawned upon me that what I had shot , was no jackal .
It was HUGE . About the size of a large calf . It was covered in black spots ( or rosettes ) . The face had whiskers and looked nothing like a dog’s . On it’s paws , were sharp talons . I suddenly realized that I had just shot and killed a Hunting Leopard . A Hunting Leopard which had stalked and charged me . For a few seconds , I tried my best to compose myself . All species of leopards were legally protected by the laws of Bangladesh - One simply is not legally permitted to kill a leopard , unless if :
1) It is a man eater
2) The person who killed the leopard , acted either in self defense or to protect the lives of other human beings .
I did not want to get into any trouble with the law and thus , I began to weigh in my options . I could dig a hole in the ground and quickly bury the slain Hunting Leopard , in order to hide what I had done . Or I could simply try explaining to the Boda Upozila Forest Department , that I had genuinely acted in self defense . I decided to opt for the latter option . All of the locals ( including forest department officers ) knew Father , extremely well as a respected Doctor and member of the local community . The forest department officers also knew me as a completely harmless and law abiding young man , who always hunted legally and with police permission . They knew me long enough ( since my childhood ) to be well aware of the fact that I never even shot a Teal , without taking the requisite police permission ( where necessary ) . They also knew that this area was one of my frequent haunts , and that I would normally hunt around here during this time of the year .
The more important question was this : What was a Hunting Leopard doing over here , in the first place ? Father and I had been hunting in this part of Panchagarh for quite a few years . And we had never come across anything more dangerous than a Bengal bush boar . Granted , there were other parts of Panchagarh which were frequented by Hunting Leopards . But no one I knew had ever seen or even heard of a Hunting Leopard coming to this part of the forest . It , truly was strange .
Far off into the distance , I could see half a dozen Boda Upozila Forest Department officers , cautiously rushing towards my direction . They were all armed with their standard issue Lee Enfield bolt action rifles , chambered in .303 British which were loaded with 215 grain Remington expanding ammunition . I gulped in nervousness . Was I going to be thrown into prison ? Was I going to have my Baikal confiscated ? Was I going to be penalized with a fine ? It was difficult to say . “
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The Baikal 12 gauge ( 76 mm Magnum ) single trigger box-lock side by side with extractors and 24 inch choke-less barrels