What is your success rate as a client hunting leopards?

[txsouthpaw]

One and done on day 9 of a 14 day hunt. The area was in the Zim Insiza District, south of Bulawayo. That’s the home of some big livestock killing, very wary leopards. The hunt was a few years ago in May with Lindon Stanton/Mbalabala Safaris…7’11”, 170 lbs.

 

[Cme1983]

One and done on day 9 of a 14 day hunt. The area was in the Zim Insiza District, south of Bulawayo. That’s the home of some big livestock killing, very wary leopards. The hunt was a few years ago in May with Lindon Stanton/Mbalabala Safaris…7’11”, 170 lbs.

Monster cat

 

[Green Chile]

That's a huge cat. Congrats! Old cattle killers aren't easy cats to kill.

 

[K-man]

Well I don't know how to figure my success rate. I think 125%. I'll explain. My first hunt in Africa we spotted a female and an attending male on top of a Koppie one afternoon. Cool but not part of my hunt. My next safari we were tracking an Eland and a big obvious male sauntered down the road in front of us at 60 yds for almost 5 minutes. He didn't care we were there. I wanted to put a bullet in him sooo bad but the P.H. only had one leopard tag left and the hunter was arriving in ten days. I handed my gun to him and told him to hit me over the head with it so hard I wouldn't remember what i had seen. I booked a leopard hunt with him which was over two years away because his quota was sold out. Went on that leopard hunt, had 22 baits up with 17 leopards on bait within 4 days. all but 2 were young males or females. The best leopard was on a three day schedule, and we set up on him on day 9. He was close - we could hear the baboons going off then a pride of lions camped out under the bait tree trying to get the bait and we never saw him again. Returned later that year (at no day fee) and killed a great leopard on day 5. So figure my success rate however?

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

2023-2024 100% 2023 1 permit 2024 1 permit = 2 hunts.

Some Safari co. may sell the permit more than once and claim a 100% kill record.

One old PH I know when asked at one of the shows what are my chances of taking a leopard is his reply will be “ you either will or you will not.

I will day the more people in the blind the worse your chances such as:
1. PH
2. Hunter
3. NP ranger
4.Campfire ranger
5. Camera man
6. Wife

Scratch 4,5,6, much better chance of taking leopard.

Lon

 

[Green Chile]

I agree Lon...more than 3 in the blind is pushing it. 2 would be ideal...PH and client. I had 2 PHs and me in the blind. One of them kept falling asleep and snoring...but we were in a 2nd blind WAY behind the shooting blind...at least 100 yards behind it listening to the bait with a microphone head set. I liked the concept of a listening blind behind the shooting blind. We could walk barefoot very quietly on the swept path between the two.

 

[BOSSGobbler]

I will be hunting with Nick the first half of July 2025. My non-hunting wife will be with me. After that, she'll head home and I'll head to the Caprivi for a buff hunt with Karl Stumpfe and @ndumo HUNTING SAFARIS. I was thinking about doing one hunt one year and the other the following year, but figured I could save on the air travel and do both hunts back to back.

I am excited to see all those that have hunted or will hunt with Nick Nolte. My wife and I are booked for October 2026