What is your success rate as a client hunting leopards?

[Green Chile]

Wow…that’s wild. You could rent yourself out as a good luck charm.

 

[rookhawk]

This question isn't directed to the outfitters and PHs on the forum but you can answer of course. I'm asking this of the regular forum member who is a client in Africa. If you have hunted leopard, how many times have you gone and what is your success rate? There are many factors but primary would be going to a good area with an experienced cat PH.

So far, this is the one species that has eluded me in several ways. 20 odd years ago, there were permits in RSA for leopards. I booked a hunt and the permit never came through. So old Spots skunked me before I even got on the plane! Most recently, I did a 2 week hunt last year (cancellation hunt actually) in Zim for a cattle killing leopard specifically. Hunt report was posted here...we found him but couldn't keep him on bait...passed up on female cat obviously and also a young adult male. So I'm zero on success even though I have hunted with experienced PHs. Curious about the rest of you? I know some are successful very early in their leopard hunting but there are many stories of multiple attempts to take 1 leopard...and some of you have taken multiple leopards.

Hunted exclusively leopard for 12 days. Fail.

Puttered with leopard and other DG on two hunts. Couldn’t get a suitable male on bait during daylight. Didn’t much care, since it wasn’t the primary objective.

Went on a purpose built leopard hunt with the best outfitter I could find. Success on an 18 day hunt with prebait. I believe I got it on about the 6th day if foggy memory serves me.

The general rule of thumb is it takes 28 days to get a leopard. For most people, that’s 2 hunts. It’s much harder today than it was ten years ago because you usually can’t hunt at night any longer, you can’t kill females, nor can you kill males younger than about 5 years old.

A tremendous amount of time is spent analyzing photos of cats to assess age, then going back to intercept him on a subsequent feeding. Years ago, they’d just have shot a big cat if one came to the bait and called it good.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Based on recommendations from @Red Leg and @Manny R, I booked a 2025 leopard hunt with Nick Nolte.

I was thinking @CAustin would have chimed in by now. Charlie is 2 for 2 with his Namibian outfitter and one of his leopards was a record book kitty as I recall.

 

[Cecil Hammonds]

Great choice, and I also highly recommend Nick Nolte and Isabel. You'll be in great hands with them!! My pics are from my hunt with them in 2023. Best of luck to you!

 

[ActionBob]

I’ve never been the trigger man for a leopard, but I’ve been on a reasonable amount of hunts with friends, family, or while spending time with outfitter friends.

So far I’m batting a thousand.

3 in Zambia.

1 in RSA

1 in Zim.

I must be good luck.

Obviously the OP needs to make friends with you

 

[thriller]

View attachment 627703
I got mine three hours into my first sit with MJK Safaris in Zimbabwe's Makuti Safari Area

Damn I was on day 2 with the same guys. Makuti is a special place

 

[cknwax]

I’m one for one. Hunted with Nyamazana Safaris in 2022. I chose to prebait and while I was hunting hippo in RSA Wayne sent me pics of a big cat on the bait. I was chomping at the bit to get to Zim after my hippo hunt. By the time he picked me up in Bulawayo it was late. We got to the site and hung a fresh bait. Next morning we checked and he had hit it. Built a blind and went back around 3pm for the hunt. About an hour after dark he jumped the tree and the rest is history. I was back at camp drinking a brandy and smoking a Cohiba by 10:30PM.

 

[Green Chile]

Damn I was on day 2 with the same guys. Makuti is a special place

Makuti is where I took my first ele hunting with CMS 20 years ago. Cool place.

 

[Green Chile]

Hunted exclusively leopard for 12 days. Fail.

Puttered with leopard and other DG on two hunts. Couldn’t get a suitable male on bait during daylight. Didn’t much care, since it wasn’t the primary objective.

Went on a purpose built leopard hunt with the best outfitter I could find. Success on an 18 day hunt with prebait. I believe I got it on about the 6th day if foggy memory serves me.

The general rule of thumb is it takes 28 days to get a leopard. For most people, that’s 2 hunts. It’s much harder today than it was ten years ago because you usually can’t hunt at night any longer, you can’t kill females, nor can you kill males younger than about 5 years old.

A tremendous amount of time is spent analyzing photos of cats to assess age, then going back to intercept him on a subsequent feeding. Years ago, they’d just have shot a big cat if one came to the bait and called it good.

Great points. I think one of THE biggest helps to leopard hunting has been the game camera. To be able to pull a card (most areas don't have a signal) and make a plan after that has been a monumental step forward. We've been able to see good sized male tracks but the camera showed us it was a youngish male so we moved on and didn't waste time, etc. I say that as an unsuccessful cat hunter but it's a big time saver.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I’m 1:1 on Mountain Lion - Wyoming

I’m 0:1 in Zim while targeting another primary DG species. 14+ Days running 8-12 baits a day, plus 3 days of pre-baiting. Couple females and young males on bait but we were also hunting in November with peak temps for the season, during a drought where there was plenty of natural bait dying from lack of water.

 

[LivingTheDream]

Based on recommendations from @Red Leg and @Manny R, I booked a 2025 leopard hunt with Nick Nolte.

I was thinking @CAustin would have chimed in by now. Charlie is 2 for 2 with his Namibian outfitter and one of his leopards was a record book kitty as I recall.

When are you hunting? I am booked for 2025 with Nick Nolte as well.

 

[CAustin]

This question isn't directed to the outfitters and PHs on the forum but you can answer of course. I'm asking this of the regular forum member who is a client in Africa. If you have hunted leopard, how many times have you gone and what is your success rate? There are many factors but primary would be going to a good area with an experienced cat PH.

So far, this is the one species that has eluded me in several ways. 20 odd years ago, there were permits in RSA for leopards. I booked a hunt and the permit never came through. So old Spots skunked me before I even got on the plane! Most recently, I did a 2 week hunt last year (cancellation hunt actually) in Zim for a cattle killing leopard specifically. Hunt report was posted here...we found him but couldn't keep him on bait...passed up on female cat obviously and also a young adult male. So I'm zero on success even though I have hunted with experienced PHs. Curious about the rest of you? I know some are successful very early in their leopard hunting but there are many stories of multiple attempts to take 1 leopard...and some of you have taken multiple leopards.

Green Chile I tried to do a Zim hunt in 2016 with a former sponsor of this forum. Three weeks before the hunt was to take place I got the call that the place in Zim wanted the trophy fee in advance. If no leopard taken chances of getting money back was ZERO. So scratch that hunt. I was booked to Hunt with Pieter Delport in 2020 but the pandemic hit and there was no way to get to Namibia. As shots for
that damn flu became available I got mine and rescheduled with Mr. Delport in 2021. As reported here I got an amazing toad of a leopard on the last day of the hunt. Then the opportunity presented itself to hunt again this year with Pieter Delport owner of Eintracht Jagd Safaris. I went there May 1st and took a very good leopard on day seven. So on actual hunts I am two for two and I owe it all to Pieter.

2021 leopard

2024 leopard. Same jacket different shoulder.

 

[CAustin]

When are you hunting? I am booked for 2025 with Nick Nolte as well.

Posted three minutes after you posted this! Ha.

 

[sureshot375]

Obviously the OP needs to make friends with you

My services are available. I’ll keep you stocked up on bait. I do however keep the tenderloins for the grill and the back straps for biltong. Can’t go putting the good stuff to rot in the tree.

 

[Wheels]

I'm pretty fortunate on leopard hunts. Two for two, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Offhand I doubt I have spent two hours total in blinds which includes turning down a leopard much to the trackers chagrin 30 minutes after they had built the blind, that the PH thought was about 6'8" long,

 

[Hmaxwell]

Alister Norton - Makasa in Zambia. 2/2 for leopard and 1/1 for lion. Cat whisperer.

 

[Green Chile]

I'm pretty fortunate on leopard hunts. Two for two, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Offhand I doubt I have spent two hours total in blinds which includes turning down a leopard much to the trackers chagrin 30 minutes after they had built the blind, that the PH thought was about 6'8" long,

2 for 2 and only 2 hours in blinds while turning down a 3rd tom?!? That’s nuts.

 

[CAustin]

I'm pretty fortunate on leopard hunts. Two for two, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Offhand I doubt I have spent two hours total in blinds which includes turning down a leopard much to the trackers chagrin 30 minutes after they had built the blind, that the PH thought was about 6'8" long,

Seeing the one you shot convinced me to go after a leopard.

 

[Green Chile]

I'm pretty fortunate on leopard hunts. Two for two, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. Offhand I doubt I have spent two hours total in blinds which includes turning down a leopard much to the trackers chagrin 30 minutes after they had built the blind, that the PH thought was about 6'8" long,

What was the reason for turning down that tom?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

That was 8 leopards in how many hunts? You have taken more than most clients.

Eight between 1976 and 2021, @Green Chile . One in 1976, one in 1980, one in 1984, one in 1991, one in 1999, one in 2008, one in 2015 & the most recent one in 2021. I retained the hide from the first one and had it tanned.

Ever since my first African safari to Kenya in 1974, I've always been trying to go on Safari at least once every three to five years. My two most recent safaris were fortunately within a span of just two years (2021 & 2023). God be willing, I hope to be back to the Dark Continent in 2025. Perhaps even for another leopard over hounds in Botswana, although I'd really like to try and take my life's first rhinoceros (since I've always dreamt of hunting one since my youth but it's the one member of the African Big Five which continues to elude me until this day).