Hunting lions

[GuggaOn]

Hello everyone, I have just got confirmation to be able to do a lioness for my first safari in may. I’m very lucky as I’ll be going on this trip when I’m 22. That being said I’ve only hunted North America animals mainly whitetail, what are some things to expect when hunting lions. Any tips or stories I would love to hear.

-best regards Zach

 

[DieJager]

Depends on the hunt. You do a wild lioness hunt in Zimbabwe or a CBL, tracking hunt in SA?

The first you bait the lion. Waiting till she is on the bait and you take your shot.

The second you will track her on foot until she stops and/or makes a stand. The latter is the more thrilling and dangerous type. Let's forget for the moment what people think of CBL and the hunting of them.

Make your first shot count. Be prepared to take the shot while you are under pressure and the situation can change fast. The chance you will get charged on a wild lion hunt is much less than on a CBL hunt. But the wild lion hunt has the hunting part that you will not know if you will even get one. On a CBL hunt is is somewhat 100 % guaranteed. The lion is in a fenced area, so it will be there.

 

[BeeMaa]

I would highly recommend learning from a professional and taking a course like the ones offered at FTW Ranch. Hunting NA whitetail will be nothing like taking on a lioness other than the act of pulling the trigger.

Make sure you have a reliable rifle, premium ammo, proper hunting equipment for the task and most importantly...know how to use it. Practice from sticks, standing (unsupported) and kneeling at distances ranging from 75 yards to 10. Preferably on a target moving towards you.

You could also set up multiple targets (say 4), starting at 75 yards, then 50, then 25, then 10...shooting them farthest to closest in rapid succession with a hit on a 3"x3" target being the goal on the last three targets. I'd be looking for a 1" bullseye on the first shot at 75 yards.

Highly recommend a RDO if you don't already have one. The other option would be a scope that's lowest magnification setting is true 1x for "both eyes open" shooting. Also like to see that scope mounted in QD rings. Not that you will have time during a charge to remove it, but if the lioness were to run away after the first shot, you could take it off for the tracking and followup shot.

Practice and then practice more. Dry fire practice at least 10x more than you live fire. Get to know your rifle and create muscle memory of how to reload. Strap on all your kit and practice taking cartridges off your belt and reloading. Do this over and over until it's second nature. Your efforts will be rewarded.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

My favorite African dangerous game to hunt, is wild lion.

Tips:
1) Use a hippopotamus or a zebra for bait (the smells of hippopotamus meat tends to draw lions towards the bait from noticeably greater distances than other bait animals).
2) Use a salt rub in order to aid the bait in lasting longer.
3) A telescopic sighted magazine rifle (not too high magnification) of at least .300 Magnum caliber firing premium grade heavy-for-weight soft points at a minimum velocity of 2300 FPS is perfectly suited for body shots on lions hunted over bait. I personally prefer the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum which is the legal minimum for hunting lions in most African countries, barring Cameroon (where the legal minimum is .354 caliber) & Zambia (where the legal minimum is .300 caliber).