What is your success rate as a client hunting leopards?

[Hunter-Habib]

8 leopards between 1976 (first leopard) and 2021 (most recent leopard). For some strange reason, I'm being unable to upload any photos onto the forum today from my smartphone. Regardless, some of them may already be seen on my "Media" page.

Hunting leopard on bait (as done in Zimbabwe) is quite a straightforward affair. Just select an accurate telescopic sighted magazine rifle (not too high magnification) loaded with lead cored heavy-for-weight soft points. Aim for any of the rosettes behind the shoulder and that leopard is yours.

Hunting leopard over hounds and formerly bushmen trackers (as done in the Kalahari) is more challenging. But in my humble opinion, far more of an adrenaline pumping thrill. You might not always be successful in bagging the leopard yourself, but you'll have one hell of a time.

 

[Green Chile]

Hunting leopard over hounds and formerly bushmen trackers (as done in the Kalahari) is more challenging. But in my humble opinion, far more of an adrenaline pumping thrill. You might not always be successful in bagging the leopard yourself, but you'll have one hell of a time.

That last sentence is what has kept me from using dogs for leopard..."you might not bag it yourself"...the idea of someone shooting it instead of me just doesn't feel right. Yea it charged and we all shot but the guy on the right killed it. I get it but don't like it. I have NO problem if someone else kills a wounded cat on follow-up with me...that's just common sense...but I want to hit the cat first. That's my job.

By the way, nothing wrong with a single shot rifle for leopard. You only get ONE shot. We aren't talking follow up on a wounded cat but the first shot over bait.

 

[7mmFan]

one for one for me in Namibia in 2019. I hunted with Nick Nolte as well.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

That last sentence is what has kept me from using dogs for leopard..."you might not bag it yourself"...the idea of someone shooting it instead of me just doesn't feel right. Yea it charged and we all shot but the guy on the right killed it. I get it but don't like it. I have NO problem if someone else kills a wounded cat on follow-up with me...that's just common sense...but I want to hit the cat first. That's my job.

By the way, nothing wrong with a single shot rifle for leopard. You only get ONE shot. We aren't talking follow up on a wounded cat but the first shot over bait.

In regards to your first paragraph, I agree. That's why, for a first time client hunter pursuing leopard... I always recommend a baited hunt.

In regards to your second paragraph, I also agree. As long as it's not an open sighted side by side double rifle, you're good to go. Actually, your odds are even good if you're using a telescopic sighted over & under double rifle.

 

[Green Chile]

Always respect your experiences @Hunter-Habib! I have wondered if I might want to do a dog hunt for leopard on a 2nd or later leopard...maybe so. I think the first one should be on bait for me. If I take others, I'm open to more options.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Always respect your experiences @Hunter-Habib! I have wondered if I might want to do a dog hunt for leopard on a 2nd or later leopard...maybe so. I think the first one should be on bait for me. If I take others, I'm open to more options.

@Green Chile

You definitely must try this, someday. Just not for your first leopard. That must be a baited hunt so that you have a relatively larger window of time to place an accurate shot and can familiarize yourself with the vital organs & key shot placement on a leopard as a reference point for future hunts.

And when you do choose to hunt a leopard over hounds, you will benefit from using a double rifle for this application. Wide V backsights, uncovered ivory bead foresight, double triggers, non automatic safety. Any good caliber from 9.3x74mmR to .500/416 Nitro Express.

 

[Green Chile]

I can definitely see a reason for going for a 2nd leopard with a completely different method and approach. That makes sense to me. Baiting and dogs are vastly different approaches that I would like experience with.

I've got some baiting experience but no kills yet. Isn't it ironic that you see bait all the time and then when you really need one, you can't find it! When it's hot (October) and most of your baits are impala, you're going to be shooting a lot of impala. We put up 12 of those...couldn't hardly find a zebra but finally got one of those, which was what we should have had up MUCH sooner...just couldn't find one. Impala in the heat won't keep a dominant cat interested for long and a big tom can pretty much smash it in one meal. Then he's gone looking for something different.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I can definitely see a reason for going for a 2nd leopard with a completely different method and approach. That makes sense to me. Baiting and dogs are vastly different approaches that I would like experience with.

I've got some baiting experience but no kills yet. Isn't it ironic that you see bait all the time and then when you really need one, you can't find it! When it's hot (October) and most of your baits are impala, you're going to be shooting a lot of impala. We put up 12 of those...couldn't hardly find a zebra but finally got one of those, which was what we should have had up MUCH sooner...just couldn't find one. Impala in the heat won't keep a dominant cat interested for long and a big tom can pretty much smash it in one meal. Then he's gone looking for something different.

In humid areas, please tell your white hunter to treat the bait with a salt rub in order to ensure longer preservation. I learnt that in Tanzania in 1978.

 

[ActionBob]

Ah, Leopard. I love them as an animal and as quarry. I have not been a lucky Leopard hunter but have still managed to take several after many days of hunting, countless baits, lots of patience, and effort over decades. Luckily I enjoy peacefully watching other wildlife while sitting motionless in a blind avoiding even scratching harassing insects. Do not get me wrong i love long hard tracking stalks after Buff and other challenging animals. Placing and checking baits over vast territory is hard expensive work which I do not have done in advance. The choice of baits and careful placement of them is interesting work. Checking baits can get tedious, unless you are lucky. Some folks are lucky. The late Rory Gallatly and I worked hard shooting, placing and checking baits on one of our several Zambia hunts and were unsuccessful. He drove me to a primitive dirt landing strip after a thirty day safari to meet my charter plane and pick up an Italian hunter. Driving back to campi they spotted a big Leopard on one of my baits, killed it while the new hunter was still in street clothes. It was his first safari animal and he had not fired his rifle beforehand. Rory claimed the Italian wanted to go back to the landing strip and take my charter homeward. Such is African safari. Do not feel sorry for me I have taken my share of Leopard and enjoyed every minute. Except for the time I was mauled.

Miles you need to write a book!

 

[Green Chile]

I actually feel sorry for the Italian guy who shot a cat off your bait in street clothes right after landing. That's no experience at all. His reaction shows what kind of person he is...not a hunter.

 

[Tanks]

Second day. Hit the bait the evening we put the bait up.

 

[ActionBob]

I took my Leopard in Mozambique with dogs. Then sat with @Just Gina in a blind over bait in Tanzania so got to participate in that experience also. Both were great fun experiences!

Gina got hers with Sherdell O Sherdell of Mwatisi Safaris in Tanzania. Day 4 of 21 days. @Royal27 and @Wheels were on that hunt as well, 3 PH's, 3 leopard down, and 2 lions. Sherdell is an amazing cat guy! And his area is crawling with big cats.

I would not hesitate to recommend the dog hunt with Conraad Sheepers using the Botha dogs, the late Thinus Botha, who's wife maintains the dog business and Conraad is the handler and guide I would pick. He carries a spear for self defense so no worries about him shooting your cat

I don't know what kind of circumstances a dog hunt would be conducted under where you would not shoot your own cat. Let me tell you how the discussion went in camp before we started the hunt. There was another Outfitter/PH in camp who was asking questions. At least he had questions, all I had were open ears because I didn't even know the questions to ask So here are some of the questions and answers.

1. I heard that when a leopard is treed by dogs, as soon as he sees a White man's eyes, he comes straight for him!
Answer; Bull Shit! Stop going to bars in South Africa and listening to such BS.
2. Yea but I'm shooting that leopard if it comes out of the tree!
Answer; Do not shoot! The dogs will be under the tree and the only thing the leopard will want to do is run. So do not stand in a game trail or out in the open. Stand behind a tree and if a leopard comes out of a tree or runs near you, the dogs will be right on his ass and he will run right past you! If it comes out of a tree you will hear a thump as it hits the ground, stand behind a tree and let it go. The dogs will tree it again and we will get another opportunity at it.

DO NOT try to shoot a running leopard because you are not going to hit it but you might hit one of the dogs and they are very expensive and you will pay for it!

3. Why are worried about baiting when we are hunting with dogs?
Answer; The dogs need a track to follow. The best way to find a track is to get a cat on bait and then follow it. We will also check for tracks as we drive roads between baits but we need a fresh track that the dogs can catch up to the cat in reasonable time and early enough in the day.

4. How early do you want to start?
Midnight. We have a big territory to cover and I don't want to put the dogs on a track later than just before sunrise because of the tsetse flies. They will kill the dogs. So we need to plan for an early dinner, get to bed very early. Take a nap late morning or early afternoon.

How I got my cat is another story But I had a great hunt, in spite of the resident PH feeding us dinner way to late, not enough sleep,, getting up too late, not many cats in the area, poor maintenance of trucks, etc.

I would definitely hunt with Conraad again. And I would do a baited hunt again in the right area with the right PH.

 

[Green Chile]

Sounds like @Just Gina had a great hunt. These hunts sometimes get a bad rap and there is a lot of BS that floats around. Having said that, I have seen videos where it was obvious that the client didn't shoot the cat. If you bay one in the rocks and it comes at the men, all bets are off. That's not unusual.

 

[ActionBob]

Sounds like @Just Gina had a great hunt. These hunts sometimes get a bad rap and there is a lot of BS that floats around. Having said that, I have seen videos where it was obvious that the client didn't shoot the cat. If you bay one in the rocks and it comes at the men, all bets are off. That's not unusual.

Gina's hunt was a baited hunt where she shot out of a blind. Sherdell made it seem very easy

My dog hunt 5 years earlier was a very fun, interesting, and exciting hunt. Chased that cat 12 kilometers total. Treed it twice. The other PH and I had been told to stay about 400 yards behind, which wasn't difficult as Conraad was running behind those dogs for 7 kilometers before It went into a cavern in the rocks, dogs went in after it and the dog guy went in after the dogs. He has a heavy pack on his back and lays down when the cat runs past him. Which it did and then treed in a small tree overhanging a cliff on top a large kope. Just as we got to the top, it jumped and I heard the leaves rustling and saw a streak of spots and we were off on another 5 kilometer jog.

It treed again, this time in a very large and tall leafy fig tree. Of course this was Africa so the radio batteries were dead, Conraad got to the cat way ahead of us. Then thought we had returned to the truck to he ran off at an angle that way while were actually just a couple minutes behind him and met the trackers standing back about 100 yards from the tree. Conraads very calm, experienced tracker quietly explains that the leopard is in a tree (as evidenced by much barking and periodic load growls), it is a male, it is big, and we may go shoot it! My resident PH, Mr. White Eyes, is wide eyed every time that cat growls, but he is a licensed dangerous game PH. So I said, let's go shoot it! He just replied "F#$k Bob, that cat comes out of that tree, I'm shooting it. He was standing behind about a 6" diameter tree... I explained to him that if he shoots that cat I'm not paying for it, and then reminded him what Conraad had explained about standing behind a tree.... to which he replied "f#$k I'm getting a bigger tree!" Then got behind about a 2' diameter tree.

About then Conraad showed up and we went in and shot the cat.

Hunting with Conraad in an area such as Mark Haldane's i would not fret a bit about someone else shooting my cat.

 

[ActionBob]

Sounds like @Just Gina had a great hunt. These hunts sometimes get a bad rap and there is a lot of BS that floats around. Having said that, I have seen videos where it was obvious that the client didn't shoot the cat. If you bay one in the rocks and it comes at the men, all bets are off. That's not unusual.

Sounds like too many men involved and too many guns

 

[Green Chile]

I have no doubt there are some dog operators that are better than others and the experiences vary a lot...just like any other subject. I think if you put several guns on a cat, the odds are going up that more shots will be fired. Just common sense. Your experience sounds pretty good.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

There used to be a real wizard in Namibia at hunting leopards over hounds, by the name of Mr. Roy Sparks. I wonder if he is still guiding.

 

[ActionBob]

There used to be a real wizard in Namibia at hunting leopards over hounds, by the name of Mr. Roy Sparks. I wonder if he is still guiding.

Maybe someone who knows for sure can pipe in but I was told that the only legal way to use dogs on leopard in Namibia is to follow up a wounded cat. Cannot use dogs to initiwlly hunt leopard, only as a last resort follow up.

My info is not recent so hope someone can verify or explain the current situation.

I'm unsure of rules in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Hopefully we can hear from @Tokoloshe Safaris on Zimbabwe.

Not legal as far as I know in Tanzania. Is legal in Mozambique.

My take is if you want to be successful on leopard, go to the right area, hunt with a reputable outfitter and experienced PH with track records near 100%. Book at least 14 days. And if you don't like sitting in a blind go to Mozambique and hunt with Conraad or someone as good. The guy has been chasing leopard 150 days per year for a long time now, he knows his business He is not an Outfitter but can arrange or recommend an area. I stay in contact with him on WhatsApp.

 

[Green Chile]

8 leopards between 1976 (first leopard) and 2021 (most recent leopard).

That was 8 leopards in how many hunts? You have taken more than most clients.

 

[sureshot375]

I’ve never been the trigger man for a leopard, but I’ve been on a reasonable amount of hunts with friends, family, or while spending time with outfitter friends.

So far I’m batting a thousand.

3 in Zambia.

1 in RSA

1 in Zim.

I must be good luck.