This leopard we called Jack showed up on camera on day one of my safari. Nathan had another truck running baits as well as our truck as we hunted Buffalo and plains game.
By day 6 Jack was consistent for 2-3 mornings in daylight and most days in daylight in the evening as well. Nathan said there are bigger leopards in the area and we had plenty of time if I wanted to see what the other bait would bring. I wanted to sit for Jack and Nathan said we would do so in the morning of day 7. (I think Nathan would have liked me to wait as he knew there were bigger cats in the area.)
We arrived in the darkness on day 7 and were settled in the blind in the dark. This was my first leopard hunt and sitting in that blind waiting for daylight with a consistent cat really makes you over analyze every little thing in and outside the blind. I have heard many times you hunt a leopard with your brain and it’s a rollercoaster of emotions but you cannot comprehend the feelings until you experience it.
Daylight came and the bait was clearly hit the night before but no activity yet. We wait, about 8:30 am (Which Jack was consistently feeding 8 am each morning) I am puzzled as to what has caused him to leave or not return? Nathan slowly lifts his binoculars to peer out the 4” hole around the bait tree and terrain. I sit motionless or as motionless as I can. I can tell in Nathan’s body behavior he has spotted an animal as his movements have gone from slow to a crawl.
Nathan says “Lions” without a sound as he looks at me. I remain as still as I can, he peers again in the binoculars and slowly turns to me. “There is a lioness and two half grown lions sleeping on a Boulder at the base of the bait tree! Nathan says I have to run them off and puts his Bullet belt on his waist, opens his Merkel 470 NE and confirms it is loaded. Nathan exits our blind and picks up a rock about golf ball size. The young lions run away as soon as they see Nathan, the lioness on the other hand simply lifts her head from the rock and stares at him.
As Nathan approaches she stands up, he throws the rock and the lioness runs out of my view temporarily. Anyone who has heard a lion running and grunting will understand how chilling that noise is. The lioness however is running away from Nathan as she grunts and growls.
Nathan gets back in the blind and we have a silent laugh. Nathan says “It’s all fun and games now but try that in the dark, you can’t tell for a few seconds which way they are running!” We settle back in and Nathan tells me the young lions were small enough to get in the bait tree but doesn’t think the lioness fed. We confirm this on the camera later.
We settle back in and decide to sit for another hour or so just in case. About 20 minutes later the lioness and juveniles come walking back right at the blind! Nathan says “Hand me that water bottle” which is by my feet. He says “Cover me, if she charges or jumps on me do not shoot her. Just shoot the ground in front of the blind”. This is wild Africa for sure. Nathan exits the blind and chases the trio a little further than the first time and throws the water bottle at the lioness, coming surprisingly close to her.
Nathan returns, we have a laugh. Discuss the lack of fear and radio the truck to come get us. We did not see Jack again the next 7 days of my safari. Nathan kept that bait going and the lions did not return either. We did wind up taking a leopard from the same blind and bait tree on the 14th morning of my safari! I’ll try and get a picture up in this thread.
As I read back through my journal before I typed this I realized each day really was an adventure and those memories are worth every penny I spent on this Safari.
Nathan is a top notch PH, I wouldn’t pick him for my soft ball team but would trust him with my time and money on any hunt he is selling.
