Pound for pound, the most dangerous animal in the world when wounded, drawing a deep respect from all who have hunted this magnificent creature.

Elusive and dangerous are the first thoughts any hunter should have when leopard hunting…!

HHabits

Leopards are usually solitary, holding and protecting a large territory which is roamed in its entirety on a regular basis. They are extremely shy animals with excellent senses and camouflage. The perception that leopard are few is testament to this fact. Males are larger bodied with a broader head and generally a darker, yellowish-orange tinge to their coats, especially along the top of their back.

Leopards are thought to date back as far as 2 million years which is testament to their perfected ability in all aspects. They are the perfect predator, opportunistic hunters and massively strong for their size. In their heart lies the knowledge of this inner strength not often exhibited unless wounded or cornered, and they always prefer flight over fight. Lion do take them as competition and will readily kill and eat leopard if they can get at them.

They are largely nocturnal and hunt a wide variety of prey from medium-sized antelope down to frogs and mice. They are extremely adaptive and are able to live in a variety of terrain, making them widespread throughout Africa.

Leopard are not really known as man-eaters although there are cases in Africa and India where these cats have turned into impressive human predators - the Leopard of Panar, shot by that most famous of cat hunters, Jim Corbett - killed over 400 people.

The hunt

Due to their secretive nature it would be very difficult to successfully hunt leopard on a 14 day safari without baiting or dogs. Baiting is the most popular method, lying in wait at dusk from blind 50 or more yards away. Quality optics with strong light gathering capabilities is necessary. Take note of how the leopard is sitting on the bait and listen to your PH's advice as to where to aim for. The older hunters believe "If you can hear the cat hit the ground, it has been shot well ". The most common mistake is to miscalculate the angle of the shot as you are shooting up into a tree and usually you need to aim slightly lower

They frequent easy travel corridors, such as riverbeds and hunting roads. Thick cover or rocky outcroppings provide them with secure daytime hangouts and good ambushing points for hunting leopard. Due to the animals reclusive nature successful leopard hunters will book a minimum of 14 days on the ground in the hunting area. Available meat is strategically secured to a climbable tree in an area the leopard frequents. The scent of guts and stomach contents, along with blood and decaying flesh attract the cat to the bait. The bait is typically in the dense area or thicket, close to his favourite travel routes. The dense bush helps the cat to feel secure and encourages him to feed in daylight hours. A blind is built on active bait and the wait in on! Blind location is dictated by terrain and wild direction. The approach to the blind is also very important. We take great care to look after all these important details. Shots are typically 50-70 yards and are from a set position. Accuracy is very important for leopard hunting. You will have one shot. More often than not, a wounded leopard will charge. They are very fast and can cause a hunter a lot of stitches in a very short amount of time. Trophy size is dictated by skull size. Weights of the cats fluctuate greatly and are often exaggerated by hunters. Overall length of a cat is often discussed by hunters and is not usually reliable information. Leopard are CITIES I animals and are allowed to be imported to the United States. Hunting quotas are strictly issued and a limited number of tags are available for leopard hunting.

General Leopard Information

Size: Shoulder height 30 inches, male weight around 150 lbs. Size can vary depending on the area. Females are typically 20% -40% smaller than males.

Color: Ground colour is off-white to golden, with black spots on the legs, shoulders, head and hindquarters, and irregular, light-centred 'rosettes' scattered profusely over the back and sides.

Potential Longevity: 21 years (5- 10 years shorter in the wild)

Most Like: Leopards are most like the Cheetah, but the leopard is heavily built and has no tear marks from corner of eye to corner of mouth. The leopard's main body markings are rosettes and not solid spots like those of the cheetah.

Habitat: Leopards have a very wide range of habitat tolerance, from rainforest to semi-desert, including savannah, mountainous areas and rocky hills. Leopards naturally occur in most parts of the African subcontinent and many parts of Asia. Leopards lead a solitary lifestyle. Males inhabit territories of 5 to 40 square km, which may overlap with the territories of several females. They are very defensive of their territory and urinate around the boundaries of their territories to warn off intruders. They are most active between sunset and sunrise. Leopards often take their kills up into the safety of tree branches, to avoid the attention of hyenas and lions. They are incredibly strong and are capable of lifting carcasses three times their own body weight, placing them on branches over 6m high. There have been several reports of leopards hauling young giraffes into trees.

Diet: They have a number of prey items, including gazelles, antelopes, monkeys, jackals, duiker, eland, impala, insects, wildebeest, rodents, hares, peacocks, snakes, sheep and goats. Leopards can live independently of water for long periods of time, obtaining liquid from their prey.

Reproduction and Gestation Period: The Leopards gestation period is between 90 - 100 days (3 months).

Lion hunting...

Of all Africa's animals none are better known than the mighty "King of the Beasts" immortalized in many Hollywood movies and adventure hunting novels. The lion exudes majesty and power, always a breathtaking sight to any hunter and rightly so.

No hunter can ever forget the gaze of intent yellow eyes calculating from within dense thorn scrub, the earth shattering roar or the crunching of bones in the darkness. Try hunting a hungry lion that has no fear of man, on foot, in dense vegetation...you'll come away with a new perspective on life...

Habits
Lion are widespread throughout Africa occurring where water and food is adequate. They are the only social cats and live and hunt in prides sometimes reaching up to 30. Resting in the daytime, they hunt from dusk, stalking prey downwind before the final rush. Common prey are herding animals such as zebra, wildebeest and buffalo, where confusion and panic can be caused. A 200lb Lioness will think nothing of tackling a 2000lb buffalo bull. Lion tend to follow big herds and it is not uncommon to find Lion spoor when on the track of a herd of buffalo. Although not always successful, Lion are extremely efficient hunters and opportunists, often robbing prey and young from cheetah and leopard.

The hunt
In most countries Lion are hunted with baiting, with the hunter lying in ambush from a constructed blind about 30-50 yards off. The procedure is to first hunt bait, usually buffalo, hippo, zebra or any other large trophy taken, and to then hang or fasten the carcass to a tree in a likely area where Lion would occur. The bait is then checked every day until there has been a hit or strike. A large spoor or long hairs with black tips on the bait signal the building of a blind, on the ground or in a tree nearby where the hunter and PH will lie in wait usually from mid-afternoon or early mornings. The time spent in the blind waiting for the Lion is one of the most interesting and exciting of the chase. Here you have to remain absolutely still and silent, with other game and often the Lion passing so close to you, you can hear them breath.

The best shot to take is on the shoulder blades at the vital organs. Due to the mane, head and neck shots are not recommended. Sometimes the "Texas heart shot" is very effective as lion are not heavy bodied.

It is illegal to hunt with the aid of a light in most countries. In Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia special permits can be obtained.

Calibre
Lion are soft-skinned animals not requiring large bore calibres and solids. Anything from a .300 Magnum upwards with a heavy grain soft-nosed bullet is more than enough and shots are never at a great distance.

Trophy
To the hunter, the ultimate quarry is a large maned lion even though the SCI Measurement is based upon the size of the skull. Mane does vary according to habitat with lion in open savannah or desert-like regions growing larger manes than those found in thicker bush. Often large-bodied Lion do not sport a mane of significance and hunters often mistakenly keep trying until they eventually get "The King".

Elephant hunting...

In theory the Elephant started it all, African hunting that is..... those great recounts of Selous, Burton, the Muirs in Nyasaland, even Livingstone, their travels into the vastness of an uncharted continent after the riches of ivory. They still linger in our memories and provoke that excitement we all feel when we think of Africa, toting a double rifle over your shoulder and taking on a beast the size of a London bus!

An Elephant bull with heavy ivory topping 100 pounds is considered by many as the ultimate African trophy and hunters dream of the day they can relive one of Africa's oldest hunting traditions. Despite their size, Elephants are worthy of their status and offer one of the most arduous challenges available today.

Most people believe Elephant hunting is illegal and become annoyed with anyone who suggests the contrary. Elephant hunting is allowed in African countries where their populations are stable, adequately protected and well managed. Perhaps of all endangered species, African elephants are the least likely to disappear because of what they are - they are the last surviving mega fauna of the world and the biggest threat they face is human encroachment into their habitat, not from trophy hunting.

There are no sub-species listed for record purposes although there is a difference between the savannah and forest Elephants; the latter living in the sub-tropical rainforests of central and west Africa. The Forest elephant is smaller-bodied and their lighter ivory has a orangey-pink luster to it. They are very bad tempered, possibly due to living in dense forests where they cannot see very far and stampede at the slightest sign of danger.

Habits

Elephants once roamed the African savannah in their thousands forming vast herds which followed the seasonal migrations. Beginning in the 16th century, they were hunted commercially for their ivory. Their slaughter culminated in the 1980s when their number had been reduced almost by half. Since then, active legislation and a worldwide ivory ban has resulted in a stabilization and increase in the Elephant population in countries with sound conservation policies.

Today the largest problem facing the Elephant is its large appetite and the shortage of habitat mostly due to human encroachment. They are continual feeders, resting during the heat of the day and are destructive to their habitat if confined to certain areas, often destroying hundreds of trees only to browse a few leaves off one branch. Their impact extends to the destruction of the habitat of other species as well thus creating a serious dilemma for conservation.

Elephants live in herds, with a matriarch as the leader. Older bulls break away from the herd and often form small bachelor groups, with younger bulls acting as "askari" for the older males. They travel great distances in search of food, and often follow a seasonal route covering hundreds of miles. They have to drink water every day, often chasing other game away in times of drought although they are often the first to dig for water in dry riverbeds creating pools for other species.

The hunt
Elephant hunting is done mostly on foot by following promising fresh spoor until the animal is sighted. It is then determined if the tusks are of satisfactory trophy size. Usually this type of hunting involves hours of walking only to be disappointed by a large bodied small tusked bull.

Generally older larger bulls will have younger, more alert bulls in attendance and they often raise the alarm or cause problems by always seeming to be in the way of the path to the larger bull. In most cases, an Elephant hunt is a psychological battle of endurance, patience and persistence with many blisters, sunburn and exhaustion.

The shooting part of the hunt is fairly quick, usually a brain shot is recommended at close quarters with heavy grain solids from a large bore caliber. When facing the Elephant a frontal brain shot is aimed at the third or fourth wrinkle below the center of the eyes. With a side shot, aim for the area between the eye and the ear hole or directly in front of the ear hole where the hairy knob juts out. A heart shot is a better bet when it is difficult to get in close to the elephant, placed lower down, directly behind the shoulder

CITES PERMITS
African Elephants are listed  both under Appendix I or II of CITES depending in which part of the continent they occur. At times their listing is rather confusing and is concerned more with actual commercial ivory sales (from legal culls) than with hunting trophies.www.cites.org

More information can be found at the US fish and wildlife website (www.fws.gov) or at the SCI Washington DC website (www.sci-dc.org)

Caliber
The minimum is the .375 Magnum which is a legal requirement in many countries. Most hunters prefer something heavier starting from .416 or .458 Magnum upwards with heavier double rifles being the best choice.

A good set of tusks must protrude from the skin flap for at least a meter, usually much more depending upon the thickness. Remember a considerable portion of the tusk is hidden in the skin and skull bone, probably at least a third. The thickest part of the tusk is usually at the lip.