Looking at a plains game hunt in the Kalihari. One of the bits of spice is a chance at a leopard with trackers. As I understand it you follow the trackers with the vehicle until they tell you he is getting very tired. Then you just ease along until you spot him and get a quick shot, or he sees you and charges. Pretty good chance of getting a charge. What gun(shotgun or rifle)? Open sights or scope? Advice from those who have been there and done that? Thanks, "D"

I havenot been there or done that... but I have seen a couple of videos on that type of hunt. The hunter used a shot gun. If I was going to do that type of hunt I would use my wifes drilling [12x12x30-06] or buy a 12x12x9,3x74R drilling. That way if you had a shot out of shotgun range the rifle bbl would be instantly available.

You should take a PUMP shotgun or a Double (you will probably need the second shot) with an IC or Mod choke, heavy buckshot. I have been there, done that, and the leopard will come for you, on the ground or on the vehicle, makes no difference to him. When cornered, he will go for whomever makes eye contact with him, and that, by definition, is you. ]

This is by far more interesting and exciting than hunting from a blind over bait. Also more successful.

Where are you hunting?

Damn that sounds very exciting. I read many articles in ManMagnum stating a shotgun didn't have the required penetration to kill leopards efficiently? Any experiences to the contrary?
Also, does the hunter never join the tracker on foot, or is the heat/distance just too much?

There are several outfitters we are looking at that have this as an option if tracks of a big one are cut. We do not have a decision yet. Still talking out the details.
As for going on foot with the trackers, I understand it is a longish jog. 15-25 miles. I think you better be clear headed and ready for action when the action finds you. You might need all the reaction time you can get. I personally might lose a bit of both after running the desert equivalent of the Boston Marathon in soft sand.
The reason for the post is the article mentioned. If I remember correctly it questioned adequate penetration of buckshot at any significant distance. At short range the buckshot will all be in one pile, hitting as a single projectile anyway. May as well use a big bore rifle. I assume that there is a distance intermediate where the scatter effect may get you a hit and still give decent penetration. How likely is the charge to start from 100 yards away as opposed to 100 inches? Who knows? Rifle or shotgun? Yep a driling might be the ticket but I don't happen to own one. Hmm excuse for a new gun purchase? Still, most of the drilings I have handled are a bit on the chunky heavy side, and not that light quick birdgun feel.
Anybody else with this particular piece of adrenaline under their belt? Shotgun or rifle, open sights or scope? "D"

I haven�t done it but I guess you should pack the gun you feel most confident with. A double rifle would seem logical.

My wifes Drilling is a Sauer. It handles and feels MUCH better than my Browning O/U. It also has a scope in claw mounts.
On the hunts I have seen on tape the leopard was killed with a shot gun at fairly close range. Looked like it might be pretty exciting.

There was a segment in a hunting video I used to have that showed one of these hunts. The leopard holed up in some brush and as the truck came up it actually charged the truck and chewed and clawed up the front of it. Interesting to note the leopard was missed twice on the way in (with a shotgun) but the fellow managed to wound it when the cat ran back to the brush it had been hiding in. All I remember after the cat chewing up the truck was a lot of shooting ...from the truck ....and they finally got the cat.

Bet it would be some hunt on horseback.

Here�s my opinion on hunting leopard in the vast open plains of the kalahari. Note that hunting leopard in thick bush is a lot different.
Take something in the range of a 30-06 or similar.
Leopards are not that tough that you need a big bore.
Open sight, easyer to throw in a quik shot!
Hunting with dogs is quite good. As long as the leopard concentrates on the dogs, he dosen�t know where the real danger is coming from untill you are close. He�ll go up a tree and concentrate on the dogs till it�s too late. Having trackers on the spoor makes it more difficult. He�ll know what�s coming up.
Another aspect why I wouldn�t use a shotgun is that you have to be close to place a deadly shot. (Closer than 40 meters) Who knows how many chances you�ll have to pass up `cause of him chasing off before you get into shooting distance with a shotgun.
Another very important aspect from my point of view:
If your first shot doesn�t kill and he gets off, your shotgun will be useless. The cats are quik and before you�ll have a chance of shooting, he will be out of shooting distance for a shotgun. Not so with a rifle. There have been a lot of accidents because of the fact that no rifle was at hand when the cat took off and could have been brought down before vanishing into a thicket. For the final coupe de grace the guys had to get closer and that was when the $hit hit the fan!
Anyway, the PH will have a shotgun close bye in any case and when it could be of usage, he�ll have it ready!

Almost forgot,
every PH has his own opinion of what to do when it becomes tricky and dangerous. Some have knifes tied to their wrists, others have a handgun, some take shotguns with buckshot and some simply use their preferred rifle.
Leopards don�t really charge as long as they think they could sneak away. Charges out of the blue are very seldom. The story becomes different when he�s had a shot and feels cornered!

D Hunter,

I'd be interested to learn which outfitters your talking with about this option. I could only find the opposite. That being those that would book the much more expensive leopard tracking hunt, and have an option of adding plains game.

I have to go along with NE 450 No2, on the drilling! The only thing I would do differently is I wouldn't use Buckshot for anything! Since, as someone above said, the shot will hit as a single bullet at the ranges they would be used, I would use Brenneke Slugs in the shot barrels, and a 165 gr Nosler partition, if it will regulate, or the 180 gr NP if it will not, in the rifle barrel.



I would test my shot barrels with the Brennekes at 35 yds, 20 yds, and 8 yds, to see how close they would regulate to the iron sights. If they hit within 5" of each other, at 35 yds, and closer together as the distance gets shorter, then they would be a .58 caliber double rifle, for all practicle purposes. Brenneke slugs are real killers on 300 lb Russian bore, and those boys take a lot of killing, when wired up with adrenalin. The drilling is, to me,for Leoaprd on the ground, the one place where a double rifle is bested, by anything, for a close charge! Haveing the rifle barrel and the QD scope is an asset as well, IMO!

http://www.natron.net/waldeck/index.htm
But, hunting is only done on foot!!!!!!!!

I've done this and I wouldn't recommend a shotgun. A shotgun is fine for backup, but you'll be the primary shooter. Take a rifle you're comfortable and familiar with. I'd use anything from a 7mag to a 375. I shoot better with a low power scope than open sights, but use what you're comfortable with. Shots might be 75 yards or at the end of your barrel.

My experience has been that the bushmen get on a track early in the day and don't really get close to the leopard until early afternoon. As the leopard tires he will go from tree to tree to rest in the shade or find a hole to crawl into. We had bushmen on horseback on some days also. They were there to keep the leopard from outflanking us.

You might get a glimpse of the leopard out in front of the trackers or as he circles back. When you really push him, he'll start doing figure 8's taking you back over your own tracks. At this point you probably won't "easing along" but moving rather quickly. The trackers will call for the dogs at some point and then you're off to the races.

The dogs are barking, the trackers are running to get on the truck and you're hanging on for dear life. The driver will use the truck to push the leopard. If everything works out well, the leopard will be backed into a bush by the dogs and you'll get an "easy" 10-20 yard shot. You might get a 50 yard shot or you might get a charge. In almost any event, things will be moving fast.

When I did this, every dog and almost every tracker had scars from a leopard mauling. You'll learn to read the trackers for clues as to how close you are to the leopard. When you get close the trackers will be getting excited and will try to stay close to the truck. Your PH will be zipping-up his jacket not matter how hot it is. The dogs are not there for the tracking, but rather to distract the leopard so the trackers can get out of the way.

This is not always the case though. Clive Eaton, and maybe some other PH's, have real tracking dogs. But the rest of them are scrawny mutts that will only push a leopard so far. When you see some of the dogs running for the truck, you'll know a leopard is right behind them.

You should try to stop the leopard with a clean rifle shot. If you miss or wound him and get a charge, there will be plenty of rifles, shotguns, pangas and tire irons joining in the fray.

I don't think this hunt is likely to be an incidental opportunity that might arise on a plains game hunt. It's a tougher license to get and requires some specialized teamwork.

The area where I have permits available is the Eastern edge of the Central Kalahari Reserve near Ghanzi, and there may be a tree of some size every mile or so but it's pretty much 100% scrub, skinny little trees, and brush. (The hunts actually take place IN the reserve, which is miles and miles and miles of nothing in every direction. An experience in itself, and a very exclusive one at that.)

On the Namibia side, the terrain is a little different, with dunes and "strate" (dry watercourses). These watercourses support larger trees.

Hunters are free to shoot from the ground if they wish. They can also walk (run at times) with the trackers if sufficiently fit. The vehicle is used to force the leopard to turn once he is spotted, also to get the dogs out of the picture. Following the leopard entirely on foot might involve a lot longer chase. I don't see using the vehicle as a whole lot different than shooting tigers from elephants.

You are correct in the sense that the success rate on these hunts is very high (this operator has 100% hunter success rate although 20% of tracks never yield a leopard because you run out of light), but that does not make them unsporting. Most of the leopards charge when hunted this way, and they fully intend to rip you to pieces when they do.

Unsporting (and much less certain) is sitting in a chair with rifle aligned at the bait tree, and then shooting them with a light.

Kind of like the difference between bait dunking for trout and using a dry fly to provoke a rise. Both methods work, but one is more elegant (and enjoyable) than the other.

Gents,

Here are some facts in response to various questions:

1. The tracking could well go on for ten miles or more. Up to you as to whether you walk or ride. Most walk some (it's very interesting to follow behind the trackers to test your skills...makes you humble) and ride some.

2. The vehicle provides a good shooting platform, and is also used to move up on the leopard at the end. If you don't rush him, he keeps going, or the dogs get there first and in the Kalahari, there are no trees. So the dogs get maimed or killed.

3. The vehicle does not offer any protection. The leopard can and will jump straight at you over the hood of the vehicle.

4. This is not my opinion, but the practice of a man who has killed more lion and leopard (well into three digits) than almost anyone alive.

5. A shotgun is best for this method, and it does kill them stone dead. The reason you use a pump is so you can get at least two shots off. I've seen hunters miss (wonder why) with the first shot. (The Brits make a shell called LG, for Lion Gauge, I think there are 6 pellets in each, and it worked for them.) The shotgun also keeps the leopard's head in one piece, something that you can't be sure of when snapshooting with a rifle. It's OK to have a rifle handy, but you won't even see him in a scope if he charges. Most leopards, when run this way (the trackers whistle and call to each other as the spoor is picked up and lost), annoyed by dogs, and then chased by a vehicle, will charge. In some cases, he is spotted when still trying to escape, and it is possible to shoot him with a rifle, but he will be a fast-moving target moving through brush at that point. You are better off provoking the charge and taking him at spitting distance. When he turns, he is usually under a bush or in a hole, and he won't sit there for long, making a rifle shot dubious.

For a hunter who wishes to try this first hand with the person alluded to above, we have just heard that he has been awarded two additional permits for 2004 and these are being offered as part of a package including the leopard hunt, three species of plains game (your choice), and ten days hunting for $12,500 all in. Next year, there is one permit available, and the price is going up to $15,000 for the package.

There are at least 2 PH's offering this hunt as an add on to plains game for just the trophy fees. There may be no leopard on the place for all we know. This may be agressive marketing. They say otherwise. Time will tell. I will post contact info after we are booked. Good hunting. "D"

Not to be argumentative, but a full choked gun prints a 9" pattern at 10 yards. Open choked gun doubles that, actually 20". At 20 yards, the numbers are 16" and 32". That's per Gough Thomas.

Russ, I have to disagree with you in some point!
I�ve hunted the Kalahari a lot of times and know the terrain fairly well. You will be amazed how many trees there are. The Kalahari by definition is a desert, yes, you also get vast open plains with no trees at all, but I would say that in 90% of all cases, you will have a big acacia tree within 200 meters.
As I said, a leopard charge his highly unlikely! You might well spend your time and provoke him until he charges, but from my point of view that has more got to do with stupidity than with having a fair chase.
(Talking about a fair chase, using the vehicle as a shooting platform says it all. That is not hunting. Sadly, most so called hunters take everything that mankind has invented to simply kill an animal. Hunting is one of our oldest instincts and if I am not able to use those instincts for �bagging a creature� , I might as well leave it. Paying a $hit load of money for it doesn�t make it any better. Sitting on the back of a pick-up because I am too unfit for the �game�, having a cooler box with soft drinks close by, chasing animals around with a vehicle in sandy terrain with nice-faced trackers, leaves no chance for the leopard to escape. You only have to concentrate on the shot and that�s your part of it. I don�t think that�s worth the money I worked for!
Anyway, I could go on and on and on, but the topic discussed here is a different one and I will share my view of hunting in another thread.)

As I already said, every PH has his own theory of how to get his client within shooting range and what to do when it comes to a show down. Most of my buddies tell their clients to use a simple rifle for hunting leopard. You�ll have more success with it! The leopards I shot are proof it and I wouldn�t have gotten them by using a shotgun.
Regards Kamaatu