I just received an interesting hunting story from Thierry's girlfriend Suzie and thought you might enjoy it. I do not believe the hunter is an AR poster, but if so, my apologies for letting the cat out of the bag.

Thierry was to begin another leopard & buffalo hunt on Hammond and ARDA on Friday, August 6. Thierry and his prior buffalo hunter finished up a buffalo/sable combo some early and Thierry elected to do some prebaiting.

He retrieves the leopard hunter from the Senuko airstrip on Thursday, the day before the hunt even begins. It must have been midday or later as they elected to check the pre-baits to see if anything had found them.

One of the baits had been hit and there was a good track, but it was only one hour before dark. Rather than make a big commmotion setting up the blind etc, they elect to find a spot to sit and see if the leopard returns early.

Well, you guessed it, the leopard retured, Thierry verified it was a male, and the hunter made the shot, killing the tom. Turns out it was a 7 foot cat weighing about 130 pounds. Whether this was done in the daylight or after sunset was not part of the story, but my impression from Suzie's message was that the leopard returned during the daylight.

Now the real kicker. The hunter was on his FIRST safari and this leopard was his FIRST African animal and he shot it on his FIRST day in Zim after sitting for what sounds like ONE HOUR or less.

What a start for this guy and what a streak for Thierry who I believe is now 22 out of 25 on leopards.

Congrats to Zambezi Hunters, Thierry, and the unnamed hunter.

Soinds like Sango is crawling with the buggers and that Thierry has their number!

I surely know who I'm calling when I get the spotted fever.

quote:

Originally posted by Scottyboy:
Soinds like Sango is crawling with the buggers and that Thierry has their number!

I surely know who I'm calling when I get the spotted fever.

This was on Hammond or ARDA, which is their "bad" leopard place.

This was on Hammond or ARDA, which is their "bad" leopard place.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like a bad spot to hunt leopard.

Holy moley! Congratulations to the hunter!

Deep down inside, you have to hate guys like that. At least a little...

It took me a week of twelve hour days to get close enough to my Cape Buffalo to hear those two magic words: "Jake, sticks".

Rich
DRSS

That is amazing luck. Good for him.

We baited for about 18 days in the same areas last October and never got a male on bait. I think the place is crawling with leopards. However, after it gets hot, I think it becomes far more difficult.

Wow- My buddy has 20 days in on leopards, 10 over bait and 10 with dogs and still no cat. Hope he appreciates how lucky he is.

Congrats to the first time hunter.

It took us several dates to get a male leopard on our baits although we had two with females feeding within a couple of days. My PH woke me up after sitting on the bait with the male leopard. We were in the hide less than 30 minutes. Now that is luck!

465H&H

That beats my record. My two buffalo were taken on: #1) day 0 - fly in day of my first African hunt, also it was my first animal taken, ever, that didn't have feathers on it, and #2) 11/2 hours into day 1. Both were 40 inches in the Okavango delta. Guess I'm just lucky, so far, on buffalo.
Given how much tougher it is to get on a leopard than a buffalo, this guy wins.
Congratulations who ever you are.

He's spoiled now. A cat like that so quick. Now he's been bit bad and has the disease for sure!

Agree with Tracker... he is spoiled! Wow, that's amazing

Great story!! Good piece of luck.


My first African animal was a Cheetah 30 minutes into the first day.

I know congratulations are in order, but in a way it is a bit of a tragedy. Most of the value of anything in life comes from the effort and this leopard just won't have the memory currency that is usually earned from many long waits. Don't get me wrong I'd have done the same thing of course, I'm just saying that we should be careful what we wish for when it comes to success.

Will maybe we can get the other Will to hunt chui with Thierry. If I remember correctly Will spent to many days in leopard blinds and shot his cat while crossing a korongo while checking a bait.
A first he gets to shoot a leopard from a blind.

Mike

Whoever the hunter is, I hate him.....

On my leopard hunt in Namibia, I came very close to an opportunity to shoot a leopard within 15 minutes of taking our first ride around. If I had, I would have missed out on the leopard hunting experience of hanging baits, dragging guts, days of riding the road looking for tracks, being stalked myself, and ultimately going into the brush to find the cat after the shot. But, on the other hand, I only sat in the blind two times. But, I'm glad I didn't shoot on the first day. So, I don't know if he was all that lucky after all.

quote:

but in a way it is a bit of a tragedy

G.L., good point...it's almost like he got cheated out of a hunt. Like a 10 year old who goes out on his first hunt and shoots a 195 Whitetail....probably spoils the future expectations of hunting a bit.

Most things worth doing are difficult.

Besides making me sick, this story says to me that the hunter was not only lucky but also good. Just got off a couple airplanes, and makes the shot. Congrats to him.

quote:

Originally posted by G L Krause:
I know congratulations are in order, but in a way it is a bit of a tragedy. Most of the value of anything in life comes from the effort and this leopard just won't have the memory currency that is usually earned from many long waits. Don't get me wrong I'd have done the same thing of course, I'm just saying that we should be careful what we wish for when it comes to success.

Very well said. I have been ripped in the past for saying this, but I will say it again: I would rather score on the last day than the first.

I can't imagine shooting a leopard means much while half dazed with jet lag.

Just think how much more wonderful it would be if the hunter had been on twenty leopard hunts, sat in blinds all night long for 280 days and then past on the shot on the last day of the last hunt.

Oh, yeah!

I agree it's kind of a shame. The value of a trophy is proportional to the effort put into taking it. The ones that really stir the memories are the one you had to sweat and bleed to take.

You have to remember, however, that this was a leopard hunt. The main reason for spending significant monies and flying across the pond was for the opportunity to shoot a leopard on any day of the hunt.

Sure, we all like to shoot later in the hunt after we've worked for it, but in my experience, you are wise to take opportunities when they present themselves.

Honestly, would anybody tell the PH, "No thanks. No leopard for me tonight. I've just gotten here and I need to get some sleep."

Please.

quote:

Honestly, would anybody tell the PH, "No thanks. No leopard for me tonight. I've just gotten here and I need to get some sleep."

Will, for sure....I would have shot it in an instant and then worried about the remorse later as I watched it being skinned!

That is wild. I wish I had that luck.

Wisdom always dictates taking advantage of an opportunity when the opportunity presents itself.

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:

quote:

Honestly, would anybody tell the PH, "No thanks. No leopard for me tonight. I've just gotten here and I need to get some sleep."

Will, for sure....I would have shot it in an instant and then worried about the remorse later as I watched it being skinned!

After waiting 54 days to shoot one I must agree with you Biebs !

And this just proves men ARE from Mars.....

I shot my tuskless the first hour of the first day. One shot kill. I was HAPPY!

I shot my leopard in the daylight on the first sitting. One shot kill. I was HAPPY!

No, most hunts don't happen like that. I'll take 'em like that any day though!

I was wondering how long it would take for the "ANGRY BIRDS" to show up on this thread. Give me a break. You would have shot that leopard just like this guy did.

Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining!

Will (both of them) are right on!

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
You have to remember, however, that this was a leopard hunt. The main reason for spending significant monies and flying across the pond was for the opportunity to shoot a leopard on any day of the hunt.

Sure, we all like to shoot later in the hunt after we've worked for it, but in my experience, you are wise to take opportunities when they present themselves.

Honestly, would anybody tell the PH, "No thanks. No leopard for me tonight. I've just gotten here and I need to get some sleep."

Please.

Safari Lawyer

No doubt you have to take them when they offer a shot, weather the first day or the last. I know I have taken many of my trophies on the first day. But they are much more memorable if you get a chance to hunt them before you shoot them.

Todd
There is really no need to cry. No one said the leopard should not have been shot, only that I would not call it "lucky" to shoot a leopard before I had a chance to "hunt" for one. A truly lucky hunt would be one where you got your trophy after a week or two of memorable hunting.

Think of it this way: the "lucky" hunter did not do much more than pull the trigger. Could he have been less involved in the hunt? Only if he had shot the leopard from his seat in the charter aircraft....

I've had about the same kind of deal on elk.
As a 15y.o kid, first yr with my rifle shot a nice bull.
Shot 13 cows since and never had a chance at another decent bull yet in over 20yrs. At least half of those yrs I ate tag soup too.

Take 'em when you get the chance and be happey knowing how lucky you were as you'll surely pay the price in the future if you keep going for more.
George