Judging Leopard

[safari-lawyer]

What do you think this cat weighs? FYI, I weigh 250.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I have no idea how much that cat weighed safari-lawyer. But it had better been awfully big to call your better half out of bed for a picture!

 

[tap]

I'm guessing your gonna say 160lbs since he's a cat I would shoot and looks big and probably doesn't weigh much right? Whatever he weighs I really don't care. With a head neck and shoulders like that would get his spotted little butt shot with me.

Lets just say he weighs enough to shoot lol.

 

[Mike70560]

What do you think this cat weighs? FYI, I weigh 250.

I do not know about the weight, but you definitely took a distant third in the beauty contest.

BTW nice looking leopard, off the Save??

 

[sestoppelman]

A fine looking leo there!

 

[safari-lawyer]

Yes, Mike, my first SAVE cat.

Tap: He was 155 with a 17 inch skull. 8 or 9 years old.

Don't get too caught up in the weight of your (or your wife's) leopard. Get a mature male on bait and you've done the hard part. As for weight, 200lbs leopards are rare as 400 inch elk. A handful are shot each year on the whole of the African continent. Most mature leopards are 130 to 150 lbs with a very rare number of leopards topping 170 or 180.

Leopard hunting is about the chess match of getting a mature male on bait, building a blind, and waiting. I have about 80 hours of waiting in the pictured leopard. That, of course, does not include shooting and hanging baits, building blinds, etc. IMHO, if you fly into camp and shoot a pre-baited leopard in the first few hours of your first evening in the blind, you've missed out on leopard hunting altogether. Sure, you have a leopard, but you've missed out on the hunting aspect.

 

[Rastaman]

Nice cat. In the instant you get the shot it would be hard to say....."no he is not 170 or better lets pass." I have shot a 200 but only because that is what came in. Ive shot a 140 also,which was the better of the two hunts. I think when you pick a magic number, be it inches or pounds, you set yourself up for disappointment and frustration but I completely understand that some people prefer goals.

Safari-lawyer---I can just the conversation...."Honey get up and come out in the cold here so you can see my dead bloody cat."

 

[enysse]

Safari-lawyer, that is a very beautiful leopard, congradulations, I agree guys...sometimes the numbers don't add up (lol)...the memories of the hunt and how it was carried out should mean a lot in the end. I can understand someone wanting a huge leopard...but unless you spend a ton of time in the bush it probably won't happen. And it really can be the luck of the draw, being in the right place at the right time.

 

[Nyati]

Beautiful cat.

Numbers, I couldn t care less, as long as it s a nice, mature animal, and there has been excitement in the hunt.

 

[tap]

Well I'm no leopard judge. I just assume that when you see a head and shoulders like that you are dealing with a 200lb leopard. I can judge a mule deer and elk but I obviously have no clue how to judge a leopard. You should see me trying to tell my ph what kinda of eland I want. I describe him by calling it an antelope as wide as a buick with the neck of a brahma bull and the ugliest color blue you have ever seen. I don't even care if he has 34" horns as long as they are massive and the bull is huge. I just like big blocky animals. And to me it would make sense that the largest bodied leopards of 200lbs are the only massive cats that are being killed. However it appears as if I stand corrected. Kinda wish we had a trophy judging forum in here. That appears to be one of the most badly needed discussion areas in here that doesn't seem to exist. Anyone else feel this way as well?

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

tap, We actually already have quite a few threads in the forum pertaining to Judging Trophies, these articles can also be found in the Judging Trophies article section of the site by clicking here.

Since safari-lawyer's post stimulated lots of interests, I pulled his post into it's own thread...

 

[PaulT]

Wonderful cat Safari-lawyer, massive head (the cat, that is) !

Did that shot on the point of the shoulder end it all ?

What did you take him with ?

A story/report would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Paul.

 

[tap]

thanks jerome. This site seems very thorough. You have a wonderfully built site and thanks for all your help.

 

[classicsafari]

Id say he's killed the odd calf in his time.. Those old buggers don't come out too early that's for sure.
Congrats.

 

[DOC-404]

She's lovely..the cat's not too shabby either..! What rifle? Which ammo?

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Applicability of Age-Based Hunting Regulations for African Leopards
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0035209#s1

 

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