I know I read it here, but I cannot locate it. You know the one -- client arrives, PH says to come quickly because they have treed a great leopard. Client shoots, leopard falls, PH says to wait becasue it is dangerous. Never get leopard because it was frozen and goes back in the freezer for next client.

Does anyone have the whole story? I searched and found a reference but not the details.

I don't recall that story but I'm sure it could happen.

Sounds like an SA thing because I've seen a definite lack of leopard sized freezers in true DG camps.

Kyler

I do believe SA was the purported locale.

The story is a Zim one, and the PH got caught and lost his license. Early 80's.

Basically, PH had a good reputation for delivering big cats (still has, eventually resat the exams and got his license back). Client books with him especially for a leopard. On night 9 of a ten day hunt they still have nothing worth shooting visiting any of the baits. PH has a brainwave and throws up a bait and new blind in a diferent location close to a farm house. Checked all the other baita and sat at one until late. Arround midnight He and client sneak back to the new blind, the light goes on (a rheostat model) and a jaws leopard can be seen in the tree. Client shoots and the leopard falls. PH tells client he thinks the leopard wasn't killed instantly and they must wait for daylight (5-6 hours away) before going forward as a follow up might be necessary. The story now varies as to why the client ignored the PH and ran forward to see his leopard ( He was sure of his shot / he was leaving fairly early the next morning and wanted to see his leopard before he left - whatever.) Client did more than throw his toys. He took photo's and sent in a complaint to the association. PH lost his license.

Thanks Ganyana. Was this supposedly a repeat offender?

I Don't think so - the repeat offender bit has been aded as the story has grown.

A local farmer had shot the leopard about a month earlier, and the PH had seen it- ( a massive 200lb cat), bought it and asked the farmer to throw it in the blast freezer against a rainy day when he needed to make a plan.

Thank you very much sir!

Frozen or not frozen, I remember that in one of Robert Ruark´s works, The Honey Badger I believe, very much this same story appears. He was presented with a stone dead leopard in India
by his outfitter and discovered the plot.

Reminds me of a joke all of us working for the electric utility would tell regarding our line crews repairing an electrical outage. The crews would always claim a squirrel had crossed the conductors on the top of the pole-mounted transformers causing a fault. We always joked that sometimes when they "found" the squirrel, it was still frozen.

quote:

Originally posted by nainital:
Frozen or not frozen, I remember that in one of Robert Ruark´s works, The Honey Badger I believe, very much this same story appears. He was presented with a stone dead leopard in India
by his outfitter and discovered the plot.

Yes, I saw a reference to that when I was searching the 'Net for the story. And of course there is another famous frozen leopard in literature...

Interesting stories. I am sure that things like this go on from time to time.

OK, so who IS this PH...since his license was re-issued????