Leopard Perfect Shot

20 July 2018, 22:46

Aurelium Fitch

Where should you aim on a leopard ideally? I have seen on some videos PHs prefer to aim for the shoulder and on other they ask the client to aim for the heart/lung area.

21 July 2018, 00:08

crbutler

Depends on the angle, but so far aiming to break the off side shoulder has worked for me.

21 July 2018, 00:20

drongo

I have only shot one leopard. So, I'm no expert. The heart is a little farther back on the cats than on the antelopes. My PH told me to shoot behind the shoulders, midway up on a broadside shot. It worked; dead under the tree.

You should follow the instructions of your PH because, after all, he will have to do the follow-up if you wound it.

21 July 2018, 00:41

buffybr

My PH told me to shoot my Leopard on the shoulder. I did and it worked perfectly.

21 July 2018, 00:53

BuffHunter63

I was told to aim at a spot and let er rip. LOL
Just kidding.

BH63

21 July 2018, 01:17

Saeed

Imagine a tennis size ball between his shoulders.

Aim for it, regardless of angle.

That is what I do, and all my leopards died with one shot.

Look at my hunt report at the top of this forum.

That is the leopard I shot last year.

21 July 2018, 03:02

doctari505

The answer to your question is well-covered in my book The Perfect Shot and its revised edition PSII.
The high shoulder/spinal shot will kill a leopard instantly if placed correctly with a quick-expnding type bullet in any calibre from 7 mm and upwards.
With the right quick expanding or better still disintegrating type bullets the high heart/lung shot will sometimes also kill a leopard instantly due to a massive release of hydrodynamic energy with can 'switch off' the refined nervous system of these spotted felines. Use a better quality bullet for such shots and the leopard will run off while grunting - and this means you and the PH will have to go and find it. In low light / darkness having to look for a wounded or dead leopard is an extremely unpleasant experience. To prevent such situations, use the right bullet/caliber combination and shoot it through the shoulder blades. You'll then find it under the bait tree. The PS has detailed diagrams of where to place such a shot.

21 July 2018, 03:53

Poyntman

Welp....
You just got the answer from the authority and author of the perfect shot!
Buy the book or the flash cards...to me it’s a must own (although Kevin I would honestly say some spots are too far forward simply because of margin for error left and right...but hey...it is called the Perfect shot)

21 July 2018, 04:46

Frostbit

Right there.

21 July 2018, 06:40

Saeed

Make sure you hit a black spot!

If you do not, you are going to have a terrible following game!

22 July 2018, 03:00

AnotherAZWriter

quote:
Originally posted by doctari505:
The answer to your question is well-covered in my book The Perfect Shot and its revised edition PSII.
The high shoulder/spinal shot will kill a leopard instantly if placed correctly with a quick-expnding type bullet in any calibre from 7 mm and upwards.
With the right quick expanding or better still disintegrating type bullets the high heart/lung shot will sometimes also kill a leopard instantly due to a massive release of hydrodynamic energy with can 'switch off' the refined nervous system of these spotted felines. Use a better quality bullet for such shots and the leopard will run off while grunting - and this means you and the PH will have to go and find it. In low light / darkness having to look for a wounded or dead leopard is an extremely unpleasant experience. To prevent such situations, use the right bullet/caliber combination and shoot it through the shoulder blades. You'll then find it under the bait tree. The PS has detailed diagrams of where to place such a shot.

Both my leopards died quickly, but the last one did run about 20 feet and my PH found him behind a rock.

Fulvio once told me he would rather look for a wounded leopard in the dark simply because their eyes light up when hit with light. I shot an African wildcat at night just because his eyes lit up, and once saw either a mountain lion or bobcat in the Grand Canyon when I was hiking well before dawn and checking for cats with my headlamp.

It isn't rocket science; aim where Frostbit's wife is pointing and you won't have any issues. You will be shooting off a dead rest so you can't hardly miss unless the leopard moves right when you shoot.

I would recommend checking your zero at exactly the distance you put your blind. I did that with lots of game I had to shoot at close distances but with precision.

22 July 2018, 03:24

scruffy

All good advice, for sure. If you can, be cool! Two guys that I know totally missed their leopards. Never mind putting the slug through their shoulders.

Another person had guides shouting (quietly) shoot ! Shoot! Shoot! One was at a leopard facing the hunting party in a tree.

Both cats were slightly wounded, refused to fight on the follow up, and while no one was hurt thank goodness, the hunter was broken hearted and out many thousands of dollars.

I knew one guide that would advertise some things like … got 6 cats for 8 hunters last year. Meaning 6 got a shot but usually a couple or several were missed or wounded and not recovered.

Good luck! Leopard hunting sure beats the hell out of whacking most of the cloven hoofed ilk .. IMO

22 July 2018, 11:32

Saeed

This is something I have always wondered about!

How the hell can on miss a sitting animal at such a close distance??

One is normally sitting in a blind, with his rifle on a rest, has been sitting there resting for while, so no heavy breathing due to running etc.

I suppose I should not say anything, as I have missed a hippo at less than 50 meters!

Right in the open too!

22 July 2018, 18:00

Aaron Neilson

quote:
Originally posted by Saeed:
This is something I have always wondered about!

How the hell can on miss a sitting animal at such a close distance??

One is normally sitting in a blind, with his rifle on a rest, has been sitting there resting for while, so no heavy breathing due to running etc.

I suppose I should not say anything, as I have missed a hippo at less than 50 meters!

Right in the open too!

I completely missed a honey badger - from a blind, at only 40 yards?!

But at least it wasn't a hippo!

22 July 2018, 20:05

Jan Dumon

quote:
Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
quote:
Originally posted by Saeed:
This is something I have always wondered about!

How the hell can on miss a sitting animal at such a close distance??

One is normally sitting in a blind, with his rifle on a rest, has been sitting there resting for while, so no heavy breathing due to running etc.

I suppose I should not say anything, as I have missed a hippo at less than 50 meters!

Right in the open too!

I completely missed a honey badger - from a blind, at only 40 yards?! But at least it wasn't a hippo!

Yes you did....

In all fairness Aaron , Lions are a slightly bigger target also ...

22 July 2018, 22:09

scruffy

I never tell the PH about horrendous misses that I have made in my life - until the safari is over and the guy is driving me back to the airport. I suspect that it is easier on their nerves.

23 July 2018, 01:01

Aaron Neilson

quote:
Originally posted by Jan Dumon:
quote:
Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
quote:
Originally posted by Saeed:
This is something I have always wondered about!

How the hell can on miss a sitting animal at such a close distance??

One is normally sitting in a blind, with his rifle on a rest, has been sitting there resting for while, so no heavy breathing due to running etc.

I suppose I should not say anything, as I have missed a hippo at less than 50 meters!

Right in the open too!

I completely missed a honey badger - from a blind, at only 40 yards?! But at least it wasn't a hippo!

Yes you did....

In all fairness Aaron , Lions are a slightly bigger target also ...

Ya, but I did get 2 porcupines with 1 shot Jan!

23 July 2018, 02:01

AnotherAZWriter

I am sure I have told this story before, but it is worthy of mentioning again.

On my very first safari in Namibia we crawled to about 80 yards of some gemsbok in a pan. I was lying prone; as I got into position I took my safety off the Rem 700 I was using. Unbeknownst to me at the time, if you adjust the trigger on a 700 too light and take the safety off with your finger on the trigger (not pulling, just touching) the rifle will go off, which is exactly what happened. Dust flew a good 10 yards in front of the gemsbok and they all took off running. The look on the PH's face said, "This is going to be a long safari..."

I explained what happened, but I am not sure he believed me. I redeemed myself by hitting a running jackal less than an hour later and things went well after that, but I will never forget the look on that PH's face.

23 July 2018, 02:50

Tim Ferrall

My wife Vicki shot a beautiful cat just two weeks ago in Dande North with Buzz. We personally watched his near-fanatical attention to details when setting up the blind and prepping her for the shot. Everything was done to ensure a perfect broadside presentation, with a good background and noiseless pre-shot preparation. He also did a great job of talking her through the shot. I think that most of the problems with misses or poor shots are due to overly eager hunters who see their dream trophy for the first time, and either rush the shot or focus on the animal, not the crosshairs. Buzz' success rate on good leopards over the last 20 years speaks for itself.

23 July 2018, 04:58

Blair 338RUM

quote:
Originally posted by Saeed:
This is something I have always wondered about!

How the hell can on miss a sitting animal at such a close distance??

One is normally sitting in a blind, with his rifle on a rest, has been sitting there resting for while, so no heavy breathing due to running etc.

I suppose I should not say anything, as I have missed a hippo at less than 50 meters!

Right in the open too!

A hippo at 50?

From the man who dropped an eland at 500 yards in front of a friend of mine.

I missed an arse shot on a running impala at 30, because the bloody PH was screaming SHOOT, SHOOT at the tops of his lungs, the lunatic

23 July 2018, 05:02

Blair 338RUM

Another friend who has shot over 20 leopards for control purposes swears by the 8X68 with the RWS H-Mantle load. He's says it has never failed him.

23 July 2018, 05:34

twobobbwana

With a record of having fired one shot at one leopard I applied the same shot I do on all four legged animals.

Centre shoulder shot on side on animal. Otherwise it'd be an angle to break the offside shoulder.

23 July 2018, 06:37

Aaron Neilson

quote:
Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I am sure I have told this story before, but it is worthy of mentioning again.

On my very first safari in Namibia we crawled to about 80 yards of some gemsbok in a pan. I was lying prone; as I got into position I took my safety off the Rem 700 I was using. Unbeknownst to me at the time, if you adjust the trigger on a 700 too light and take the safety off with your finger on the trigger (not pulling, just touching) the rifle will go off, which is exactly what happened. Dust flew a good 10 yards in front of the gemsbok and they all took off running. The look on the PH's face said, "This is going to be a long safari..."

I explained what happened, but I am not sure he believed me. I redeemed myself by hitting a running jackal less than an hour later and things went well after that, but I will never forget the look on that PH's face.

John - I could tell you stories as a guide for 25 yrs that you would NEVER BELIEVE!

23 July 2018, 21:46

Saeed

No one can beat Walter in having an absolutely unique hunt.

He loves to shoot zebras and pigs.

My wife brought a zebra blanket with her to Zimbabwe.

We made a frame, and put the blanket on it next to a water hole one morning.

She also brought stage blood!

We took WALTER to that waterhole in the afternoon, and ROY did a grand job of guiding him to the zebra.

He shot it twice!

And I ran over and put blood on the bullet holes!

23 July 2018, 22:29

Frostbit

quote:
Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
quote:
Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I am sure I have told this story before, but it is worthy of mentioning again.

On my very first safari in Namibia we crawled to about 80 yards of some gemsbok in a pan. I was lying prone; as I got into position I took my safety off the Rem 700 I was using. Unbeknownst to me at the time, if you adjust the trigger on a 700 too light and take the safety off with your finger on the trigger (not pulling, just touching) the rifle will go off, which is exactly what happened. Dust flew a good 10 yards in front of the gemsbok and they all took off running. The look on the PH's face said, "This is going to be a long safari..."

I explained what happened, but I am not sure he believed me. I redeemed myself by hitting a running jackal less than an hour later and things went well after that, but I will never forget the look on that PH's face.

John - I could tell you stories as a guide for 25 yrs that you would NEVER BELIEVE!

Like the time you used a white truck tailgate as a Pronghorn decoy?

24 July 2018, 07:25

lavaca

Not much experience with leopard, but like 'em like everything else. Quartering to. Hit anything other than an elephant at the point of the near shoulder with 400 grains and they die quickly. Broadside on leopard and it's too easy to hit too far back (as I did once; still dead within 30 feet) or too far forward, either of which could be bad. JMHO. Listen to Doctari.

24 July 2018, 09:16

Michael Robinson

It’s a big target. A third to halfway up from the brisket, and anywhere from the middle of the shoulder to a third of the way back equals dead cat right there.

28 July 2018, 00:36

Acer

I executed a perfect heart, lung, brain shot on one in Namibia. Guess at the last second it turned it's neck to look behind and the 260 grain pass-through smacked it in the noggin. Killed it so dead it didn't even slide off the branch for (what seemed like) a couple of minutes.

So wait for that presentation...

28 July 2018, 16:13

retreever

Pass the bullet thru chest case closed, nothing fancy.

Mike

30 July 2018, 03:14

fairgame

quote:
Originally posted by retreever:
Pass the bullet thru chest case closed, nothing fancy.

Mike

I would agree and the shoulder shot does not allow margin for error. Double lung a cat and in the centre of his vitals is my way.

02 August 2018, 23:51

Aurelium Fitch

Thank you all for your replies. I am waiting right now at the Madrid airport for my flight to Africa. Very excited.

03 August 2018, 08:34

Saeed

quote:
Originally posted by Aurelium Fitch:
Thank you all for your replies. I am waiting right now at the Madrid airport for my flight to Africa. Very excited.

Have a great time, come home safe, and tell us all about it.