ZIMBABWE: Elephant & Leopard In Zimbabwe - Cancellation Hunt Report

[Rare Breed]

You have a gift both for hunting then writing about it!!! Well done!!!

 

[Green Chile]

Thank you! Very kind. Like a lot of you, I just love the hunt and don't get enough of it.

 

[Sideshow]

Are you going to import the tusks @Green Chile ? If so it will be interesting to see what the weigh when you have them on a more reliable set is scales.

 

[Green Chile]

Yes they will be imported.

 

[lionofluangwa]

Great read! very informative and entertaining at the same time. congrats on the tusker and the big eland. good luck on your next safari for a leopard.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I just read this again. That was an amazing hunt. Unbelievable trophies

 

[Green Chile]

Thanks Jay. I had a lot of good luck on this hunt. Just wasn't my time for the cat.

 

[mark-hunter]

What a great report!
One of the best reports I have read on this forum!

The details explained about preparations and leopard hunting set up, was truly educational for me despite that I have read some books on it. This is first hand experience.
Elephant, kudu, eland, just amazing and unique trophies!

Congratulations, whole heartedly!

 

[Green Chile]

Thank you. I wanted to write this report in a style that was helpful and informative. You can learn a lot on these hunts whether you get the animal or not. Cats are a very unique hunt…like a chess match.

 

[Rare Breed]

So, you do all the hard work of getting setup for the right leopard...all of the myriad of details to work through...like an interesting game of chess thinking ahead to what the animal might do...and then you sit...and sit...and wait. As the PHs said, we did our part and now he has to do his part. So we waited all night in the sleep blind...twice we heard eating through the headphones and went forward to find a brown hyena on the bait. Nothing else the first night.

We knew no mistakes had been made and we were in the right place. Also, we checked the other bait cameras and he didn't hit any other baits BUT the younger male came in again on the same ground bait. We talked briefly but stayed the course and remained focused on the bigger male.

We sat another night...no movement. We have one more night, so we sit again...nothing. We sit there looking at each other. One of the PHs says man...in 9 years that's only the 2nd time I haven't gotten the cat. I look at him and say, this was one of the best hunts I've ever had. The goal was to come and learn as much as I could about leopard hunting and I feel successful about that!

Hunting isn't about guarantees. It's about learning and experiencing things you would never see back home. I had tremendous luck on this hunt...a large ele (and we still need to discuss that ivory)...a monster eland...monster duiker...cool kudu and good shooting on bait animals...and we came up short on the cat. The best we could figure is he made a kill on the way to meet us at the bait and it broke his pattern. Somewhere he killed a cow or impala and didn't need to come back to us. Maybe another day or three...or maybe not. Cats are interesting...and random!

Here's something I didn't expect from this hunt...I know I love ele...and I like buffalo too...but I thought I would come to hunt a cat and feel like I was done with that itch. I don't think I am. I think the riddle of figuring out what a cat will do and getting there ahead of him is growing on me. I don't think I'm done with cats. I really loved hunting them and don't regret the decision we made to focus on the big alpha male instead of shooting the younger adult male. I came expecting a challenge and wasn't disappointed. What do you think?

More to come on that ivory and some thoughts on bullet performance on this hunt.

Thank you so very much for to me was an outstanding teaching post!!! Worth saying again OUTSTANDING !!!

 

[PARA45]

@Green Chile, I believe this is something similar to what I had suggested. There are many options. I reread this report. What an experience. Thanks!

 

[Green Chile]

Interesting. Any idea what that costs? I would like some version of this as I've always loved that the ele ear is the shape of African continent.

 

[PARA45]

Interesting. Any idea what that costs? I would like some version of this as I've always loved that the ele ear is the shape of African continent.

Unfortunately, I do not know. Maybe whomever is working on your elephant might know.

 

[Green Chile]

I don't have anyone working on the elephant skin/ears yet. We were focused on the ivory permits.

 

[Racer00]

A quick google search shows the Africa map on an elephant ear on Northeast Taxidermy Studios of CT website. I assume a quick call to them would provide a price.

 

[Rare Breed]

I don't have anyone working on the elephant skin/ears yet. We were focused on the ivory permits.

I would reach out to Collets in Zim. They will be doing my ear and tusks

 

[Green Chile]

I would reach out to Collets in Zim. They will be doing my ear and tusks

I should do that. What are your plans for that?

 

[Sideshow]

Gut drags

One critical aspect to hunting leopards is to drag the bait EVERY time you visit it. No exceptions. It doesn't take much time but it's really important. Your PH is probably already doing this but if not, just ask them to do it. It doesn't hurt anything and a lot of pros say it makes a difference. This requires having a gut bucket (matumboos) on the back of the truck. Yes, you WILL get sick of it but it's the grease that makes everything work better at the bait. Check out my tracker slinging it everywhere! Then he will drag it from the bait out towards wherever he thinks the cat will walk into it.

Did you tip him in soap? @Green Chile

 

[Rare Breed]

I should do that. What are your plans for that?

I am having an African map done on the ear and simple floor mounts for my tusks

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Not sure how I missed your report before but excellent writing. Looking forward to hopefully hearing more about the hunt in person one of these days