Leopard on opportunity, during Plains Game hunt?

[mark-hunter]

I never saw any hunting report describing this situation.

Providing that leopard tags are available, has anybody taken a leopard as a trophy of opportunity during PG hunt?
Considering that there was no prebaiting, does the price goes cheaper?

Any such experiences?

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Any particular country your talking about?

In Zim to be able to take a leopard we must do the following if we have quota:
1. Apply for a special permit from ZNP. $100.00
2. Apply for a TR2
3. Obtain a ZNP game ranger @ $50.00

You would be charged at DG rate & defuct plains game hunt.

This may change from country to country. Some operator may charge plains game plus leopard daily rate since they are two seperate hunts.

Lon

 

[PeteG]

Doubt it would be possible.
Most areas would hunt leopard on a specific package with daily rates to suit.

 

[375Fox]

I’ve never tried but I’ve been offered twice. Once late season on a trophy leopard. Once early season on a problem leopard. If you book end of season hunts you might get less opportunity than you planned but you might get offered a lot more as well.

 

[BRICKBURN]

You will need permits in hand before you will be able to legally hunt a Leopard.
Just happening upon Leopards while hunting PG, I’ve done it multiple times. Only hunted them when the permits were in place already.

 

[Red Leg]

I never saw any hunting report describing this situation.

Providing that leopard tags are available, has anybody taken a leopard as a trophy of opportunity during PG hunt?
Considering that there was no prebaiting, does the price goes cheaper?

Any such experiences?

In 2008 when I went on my first Safari to Namibia, I hunted with Nick Nolte. I booked the 10-day hunt for my son and me through Jack Anderson Jr, and he suggested adding a "leopard option" for a fairly nominal fee. At that time, I had no idea who Nick was and no idea, or even plan, about hunting a leopard. As a typical first timer, I was focused on several plains game species but a chance at a leopard seemed smart to even my uninformed mind.

We hunted a couple of days with Dirk Debod for impala and blue wildebeest, and then headed up to central Namibia to Nick's concessions. We shot kudu, mountain zebra, hartebeest, and warthog, hanging quarters from the warthog and zebra for leopard. Within a day or two, we had cats hitting baits and we sat twice without a shot, though one walked around our tent blind at sunset sniffing deeply perhaps six-inches from my knee.

The next morning a neighboring rancher called that a calf had been killed. We headed over in the afternoon and set up over the calf. The cat came in and I quickly had my leopard on my third day of hunting one.

Sadly for us, though, in fairness, not for the outfitters, acquiring a permit and a leopard has become far more complicated and expensive.

 

[mark-hunter]

@Red Leg
This is exact answer on my question. Much appreciated!

I had an offer for Leopard during pg hunt, from one outfitter on reduced price.
I am not a fan of sitting in blind over a bait, and certainly this to me sounds good.

I am also aware that leopard is not exactly a day animal, but I have seen the tracks, and i was shooting for bait (for next incoming hunter) during one of my previous safaris. Of course, I never saw a leopard.

So, i was also questioning myself, is a daylight hunt (or opportunity shot) really possible, even on a chance encounter.
I am also aware, that chances are less then small.

 

[7mmFan]

I had a very similar experience as @Red Leg. Booked a plains game hunt through Jack Atcheson and Sons to hunt with Nick Nolte in Namibia. I was told by my Uncle who had hunted with Nick previously that he was one of the best leopard men in the business. My hunt was in 2019 when there was a horrible drought going on. When I arrived in Windhoek I was presented with an updated price list for the species available and the prices had been lowered significantly as most ranches had already done heavy culling due to lack of forage. When I saw the price for leopard I commented that had I known it was that affordable I would have booked a leopard hunt. I was informed that due to my late season hunt (October) that they had a leopard quota that was going to go unused and the landowners were motivated to make a deal. We made a U-turn and drove to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism office and got me a leopard license. On the last evening of my hunt I had a leopard in the bag along with some great plains game.

 

[dogcat1]

Depends on the country and the deal and the quota.
It is extremely rare however.
If you want to hunt leopard, then book a leopard hunt.

Two big issues - outfits charge a much higher daily rate for cats, so you would have to pay up from $400 per day to $1500-$2000 for a cat. Second - quota - if it is on quota, then the outfit is aggressively selling it. If is safe to say that there are over 5000 plains game hunts available each year in sub=Saharan African. Most in RSA and Namibia, so, plainsgame is one kind of hunt and cats are another.

If you want a cat, book, pay for it and go do it.