Hello everyone

What would be the absolute best time of the year for Leopard in the Zimbabwe lowveld?

My 2011 calendar is already filling rapidly and I would like to book a hunt with the best chance of success for one of those huge Zim cats. I understand that success on these beautiful cats has many more ingredients than time of year and location, but those are the parts that I can start planning!


Thank you
Mike

Dogs or bait ?

If I was going to the lowveld again for cats it would be in June/July.

I shot my Lowveld leopards in June 2009 and July 2010. My 2011 and 2012 leopard hunts are booked for July and June, respectively.

May is reported to be good as well, though I've not personally done it.

8.30 pm

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
8.30 pm

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
8.30 pm

Local time?

Is that daylight saving time ?

MPV: I don't believe that there is one time of the year that gives you a better chance at bagging a leopard, over another time of the year. Any good PH will be able to sell you on the advantages of the time slot he has open. There's always advantages and disadvantages depending on the factors and variables. (What the hell did that mean?)

Trust your PH. Any good one will be able to kill a leopard pretty much any time of the year. It's not a perfect science despite the experts claiming it to be.

I went Lion hunting in Masailand once in November. All of my buddies called me a fool, and said I'd be lucky to even see a lion. I shot a grand lion on the 8th day. All those buddies who called me a fool headed to Masailand next November to try to find his brother and father!

Then there was a time I went leopard hunting in June. I was the second client in camp that season. Everybody, those same buddies from above, said I'll get my leopard no later that day three. It took me 13 days.

Moral of story: Don't trust your buddies.

Moja,

You are wrong my friend. Generally early season when it is cool and there is lots of grass cover is very good for Leopard. Your baits will also last the duration of the safari.

I find that Leopard move quite freely during this time and walk long distances to hunt their territories and therefore more likely to discover your fresh bait. They are bold in dense cover and will come in during the daylight hours.

As you have stated a lot depends on your PH and area but combine that with prime time you should get your Leopard.

I recommend May-August with mid May through mid July being excellent. Keep in mind a Leopard is always there so you must consider avoiding a time when there are young if the year around (lambs/piglets) or the weather is too hot. Your choice of area is excellent.
LDK

Thank you all!

I agree that great Leopards are taken all year.

There is typically a great time to hunt any species which become a complex combination of vegetation visibility, food supply, water supply, mating season, etc.

Is there a difference in preferred month for baited hunts vs. hounds?

And the 8:30pm reply cracked me up!

Mike

Mike,

The time of year to avoid is when the plains game of the particular area are lambing for the obvious reason and the best person to tell you about that will be the PH.

As whether you bait the cat or use hounds..... that's a subject that people will never agree on. Baiting is a chess game and not everyone enjoys the mental challenge of that.

Hounds is a very different kettle of fish and Zim is one of the few places in Africa where it's either not illegal or not frowned upon and has a voluntary moratorium on at the very least.

If you want to know more about what to expect during a baited hunt, you might like to read article #14 here: http://www.shakariconnection.c...unting-articles.html

quote:

You are wrong my friend. Generally early season when it is cool and there is lots of grass cover is very good for Leopard. Your baits will also last the duration of the safari.

I find that Leopard move quite freely during this time and walk long distances to hunt their territories and therefore more likely to discover your fresh bait. They are bold in dense cover and will come in during the daylight hours.

As you have stated a lot depends on your PH and area but combine that with prime time you should get your Leopard.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by MPV:

Is there a difference in preferred month for baited hunts vs. hounds?

Mike

Best time to do a dog hunt in some areas in the lowveld would be in my opinion late June, only because early in the year the roads have lots of grass therefore making it harder to find leopard tracks on the road to work with.


And you can hunt with dogs in Zim/Bots/Moz with top outfitters..

quote:

Originally posted by mboga biga bwana:

quote:

You are wrong my friend. Generally early season when it is cool and there is lots of grass cover is very good for Leopard. Your baits will also last the duration of the safari.

I find that Leopard move quite freely during this time and walk long distances to hunt their territories and therefore more likely to discover your fresh bait. They are bold in dense cover and will come in during the daylight hours.

As you have stated a lot depends on your PH and area but combine that with prime time you should get your Leopard.

+1

But what do they know? It's not like they're PHs.....oh wait. Well it's not like they're sucessful PHs.......oh never mind.

Brett

The Good Gentleman FAIRGAME writes:
-----------------------------------
Moja,

You are wrong my friend. Generally early season when it is cool and there is lots of grass cover is very good for Leopard. Your baits will also last the duration of the safari.

I find that Leopard move quite freely during this time and walk long distances to hunt their territories and therefore more likely to discover your fresh bait. They are bold in dense cover and will come in during the daylight hours.

As you have stated a lot depends on your PH and area but combine that with prime time you should get your Leopard.
------------------------

Andrew I considered all of the above but respectfully disagree with you. Here's a different way of how I'm spinning it.

So if Mr. MPV books with you during so-called "prime time" what does he get? Is he giving himself a better chance to see a leopard in daylight during shooting time, and can you guarantee MPV more hits at one of the bait sites?

Just how does he benefit by coming during prime time? I'm guessing you're saying he gives himself a better chance, because the PH's chances are higher of luring the cat in the tree correct?

Please define for me what you mean by "early season." And please guess-timate to what extent the client improves his chances by coming in the early season, i.e. 10%, 15% or maybe 20% higher.

As a PH who I greatly respect, can't you say you've beat the odds many times, and that the percentages haven't worked in your favor an equal amount of times. And oh, how about that feeling Andrew, when you know you've tricked that cat's ass, and got him in the tree, when everyone else is saying, "it's not the right time for a leopard." Come on man, there really is no right or wrong time!

And in the end my friend, wouldn't you like to see clients invest more time in shooting, practicing, becoming more intimate with their rifle, becoming proficient at low light shooting conditions etc.

I just want the initial poster to know that a good PH is likely gonna get a cat in a tree, at sometime during his safari. That in itself, and I'll address the gentleman again by his username, Mr. MPV---that in itself doesn't guarantee you a leopard.

YOU then must do your job, and I hope you concentrate on that function and make your investments in that regard, as equally as trying to book the trip during a time that supposedly gives you the best chances of seeing a cat.

Hey by the way Andrew, Happy Thanksgiving to you over there. Go shoot a spurwing for me, roast it, and tip one with that pretty wife of yours at sundown. Congrats on a great season.

quote:

The Good Gentleman FAIRGAME writes:
-----------------------------------
Moja,

You are wrong my friend. Generally early season when it is cool and there is lots of grass cover is very good for Leopard. Your baits will also last the duration of the safari.

I find that Leopard move quite freely during this time and walk long distances to hunt their territories and therefore more likely to discover your fresh bait. They are bold in dense cover and will come in during the daylight hours.

As you have stated a lot depends on your PH and area but combine that with prime time you should get your Leopard.
------------------------

Andrew I considered all of the above but respectfully disagree with you. Here's a different way of how I'm spinning it.

So if Mr. MPV books with you during so-called "prime time" what does he get? Is he giving himself a better chance to see a leopard in daylight during shooting time, and can you guarantee MPV more hits at one of the bait sites?

Just how does he benefit by coming during prime time? I'm guessing you're saying he gives himself a better chance, because the PH's chances are higher of luring the cat in the tree correct?

Please define for me what you mean by "early season." And please guess-timate to what extent the client improves his chances by coming in the early season, i.e. 10%, 15% or maybe 20% higher.

As a PH who I greatly respect, can't you say you've beat the odds many times, and that the percentages haven't worked in your favor an equal amount of times. And oh, how about that feeling Andrew, when you know you've tricked that cat's ass, and got him in the tree, when everyone else is saying, "it's not the right time for a leopard." Come on man, there really is no right or wrong time!

And in the end my friend, wouldn't you like to see clients invest more time in shooting, practicing, becoming more intimate with their rifle, becoming proficient at low light shooting conditions etc.

I just want the initial poster to know that a good PH is likely gonna get a cat in a tree, at sometime during his safari. That in itself, and I'll address the gentleman again by his username, Mr. MPV---that in itself doesn't guarantee you a leopard.

YOU then must do your job, and I hope you concentrate on that function and make your investments in that regard, as equally as trying to book the trip during a time that supposedly gives you the best chances of seeing a cat.

Hey by the way Andrew, Happy Thanksgiving to you over there. Go shoot a spurwing for me, roast it, and tip one with that pretty wife of yours at sundown. Congrats on a great season.

Moja

I don't know if I have ever seen a poster say so little in so many words.

505 +1.

MV, There is a gentleman who's specialty is killing the monster toms of the Matopos. His name is Wayne Grant, and he wrote the definitive book on hunting them, Into the Thorns. Highly recommended reading.

Wayne states early season works best, April and May being the prime months. Some months he will not hunt them at all, something like October/November.

Most operators have a limited quota. Wayne had something around 4-6 per year. He will schedule them back to back, or even two at a time during the best months. It works really well, as much more ground is covered. With these cats, the more territory you can bait, the better.

These cat men probably won't shoehorn you into any available time frame either. They are very focused on the task. They want to succeed as much or more than you.

That's not to say cats cannot be killed any time of year, but according to Mr. Grant, there are certainly better dates than others.

If leopard is your primary animal, you might want to focus only on that hunt. The big toms in the lowveldt have been hunted hard for the past 100 years. They are educated. It will take a dedicated hunt to increase your odds.

Good luck!

Moja,

I think the above post answers some of your question.

Note I speak of Zambia only and the hunting season starts in May after the rains. We are now getting into our winter which ends July. For me this is prime time especially for those who want a crack at a really big Leopard. The bigger the more wary in my book. The bush is thick and water is everywhere therefore the game is scattered and scarce. Hunting is hard for these cats and a bait is a welcome addition to their diet.

I find that the more hunting activity and disturbance in an area will quite often send these cats into hiding. Therefore the first couple of hunts almost guarantees success. As stated the cold weather makes these cats more active - they come in early and stay late. Baits remain fresh and juicy.

Move to the other end of the temperature scale and into September onwards you will experience problems with baiting especially a hot valley such as Luangwa. You will be lucky to get two days out of your bait. Trophy fees are expensive in Zambia and to secure large amounts of bait can be a costly exercise. In addition the warthog and hartebeest have calved in late August and the hoards of impala follow suit in October. This is easy pickings for Leopard who generally like their steak rare not over cooked. I find the constant heat also makes these cats lazy and they often feed late evening or very early morning.

I agree with you that good cats are taken throughout the year however your chances are much improved with the conditions I have mentioned.

By the way there are many who are better qualified than I to comment on this subject.

Lou Hallimore, John Sharpe, Wayne Grant, Richard Bell Cross are just a few who excel in the hunting of these finicky cats.

You know my stance on hunting Leopard with hounds so I will not go there.

And Happy Thanksgiving to you and the rest of us.

The very best time to shoot a "big" leopard...that is the easiest question I will answer all day...whenever you see him...preferably through a scope with cross-hairs on his chest.

Anytime someone posts a question about leopard hunting, out come the theories etc, describing our own (as PH's) experiences. What can be determined from these experiences?

One thing for certain - there are NO constants !

For me, after 20 years experience hunting these cats, I can confidently say hunting them in the cooler time of year (May - Aug) has been more productive than the hotter times of year (Oct - Nov). We have tried to understand the reason, but can only speculate.

If I sell Leopard hunts, I honestly try for the earlier months of the year.

Thank you all for the information!

Now I can move into finding the right ph and blocking off the calendar!

MPV

The only time a leopard will change its feeding habits is when the piglets, impala foals, etc start appearing - this change of menu tends to turn them into reluctant and erratic 'bait feeders', but feed they will.
The hotter months will inevitably cause bait to putrefy quicker but isn't a reason for a leopard not to feed on decaying meat - in fact they relish it when its well hung (not so for lion).
So to answer the question the less desirable period would lean more towards the foaling rather than the climatic (IMO).

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
The only time a leopard will change its feeding habits is when the piglets, impala foals, etc start appearing - this change of menu tends to turn them into reluctant and erratic 'bait feeders', but feed they will.
The hotter months will inevitably cause bait to putrefy quicker but isn't a reason for a leopard not to feed on decaying meat - in fact they relish it when its well hung (not so for lion).
So to answer the question the less desirable period would lean more towards the foaling rather than the climatic (IMO).

fujo,

Very logical answer!

Might I add or when mating......

I'll agree that the ranker the bait, the more they seem to like it.

Another big problem is that Mr Spots never read the friggen book?

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:
Another big problem is that Mr Spots never read the friggen book?

Ain't that the truth..... always expect the unexpected with Mr Spots!

Didn't Inspector Clouseau say something like that!

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Moja,

I think the above post answers some of your question.

Note I speak of Zambia only and the hunting season starts in May after the rains. We are now getting into our winter which ends July. For me this is prime time especially for those who want a crack at a really big Leopard. The bigger the more wary in my book. The bush is thick and water is everywhere therefore the game is scattered and scarce. Hunting is hard for these cats and a bait is a welcome addition to their diet.

I find that the more hunting activity and disturbance in an area will quite often send these cats into hiding. Therefore the first couple of hunts almost guarantees success. As stated the cold weather makes these cats more active - they come in early and stay late. Baits remain fresh and juicy.

Move to the other end of the temperature scale and into September onwards you will experience problems with baiting especially a hot valley such as Luangwa. You will be lucky to get two days out of your bait. Trophy fees are expensive in Zambia and to secure large amounts of bait can be a costly exercise. In addition the warthog and hartebeest have calved in late August and the hoards of impala follow suit in October. This is easy pickings for Leopard who generally like their steak rare not over cooked. I find the constant heat also makes these cats lazy and they often feed late evening or very early morning.

I agree with you that good cats are taken throughout the year however your chances are much improved with the conditions I have mentioned.

By the way there are many who are better qualified than I to comment on this subject.

Lou Hallimore, John Sharpe, Wayne Grant, Richard Bell Cross are just a few who excel in the hunting of these finicky cats.

You know my stance on hunting Leopard with hounds so I will not go there.

I have to agree with Andrew on this one! Zambia is my favorite place in Africa to hunt,and especially the Luangwa Valley. I like to hunt in the months of June, or early July, and every time I've been in the valley in those months I've seen leopard walking around in broad daylight. I like those months because it is cool, and though I'm not a leopard hunter,IMO when you see three or four in daylight in 10 days, you know they are not lazy and are working for a living. IMO, for every leopard you see in daylight there will be twenty you never see except at first or last light or not at all so there are pleanty of them in the Valley. The Lunagwa gets hotter than hell in September, and baits go bad very quickly. You don't see these cats at that time so much, but you see their tracks in your tire marks from the night before. They are there you just don't see them moving in daylight in the hottest weather.

If you want to avoid going at the worst time...just figure out when I am going to hunt leopard, and go any other time. You should be good !

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
If you want to avoid going at the worst time...just figure out when I am going to hunt leopard, and go any other time. You should be good !

As Scriptus states some Leopards have not read the book.

Tim,

Your circumstances are a little different than the average hunter but generally speaking if you book a leopard in the best leoapard areas you'll have an excellent chance of success.

I think the biggest mistake leopard hunters make is trying to book something cheap. They then don't get a leopard and come home saying how difficult leopard hunting is. If you book the right area with a real cat guy at a good time of year your probably going to get a leopard. If you book with a guy you really liked on your previous hunt and he's offering you a really good "deal" don't expect much. If a guy tells me he can't AFFORD X cat hunt I ask him how many cat hunts can he AFFORD to do.

Mark

Leopards are like any other game. Go to where there are lots of leopards. Then you get to pick which one you want!

Shot over country is the surest way not to get one. Imagine that!

Mark....my response was a joke obviously...I had a good cat hunt this year, I just didn't put it all together on my end in an imperfect situation...

I agree 100%...if you want to kill a cat, go with a good cat guy, in a good area and at a good time and you should expect to be successful. I very much agree that you will probably get what you pay for and better to do one good higher priced hunt than 3-4 cheaper ones. It is like guys from back east elk hunting. They will go on CO easy draw or over the counter DIY hunts for 5 years in a row because they can go elk hunt for $2500-3000. Half of them never see an elk. If they would take $5000-7500 and do one good hunt on a good piece of property, they could expect to kill a good quality bull...

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
Mark....my response was a joke obviously...I had a good cat hunt this year, I just didn't put it all together on my end in an imperfect situation...

I agree 100%...if you want to kill a cat, go with a good cat guy, in a good area and at a good time and you should expect to be successful. I very much agree that you will probably get what you pay for and better to do one good higher priced hunt than 3-4 cheaper ones. It is like guys from back east elk hunting. They will go on CO easy draw or over the counter DIY hunts for 5 years in a row because they can go elk hunt for $2500-3000. Half of them never see an elk. If they would take $5000-7500 and do one good hunt on a good piece of property, they could expect to kill a good quality bull...

+2. Thanks men for bringing up that very important point.

I went a 2 "bargain hunts", which turned out to be neither. I would rather go on 1 successful hunt than 2 cheaper, non successful camping trips.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Herald:
Mark....my response was a joke obviously...I had a good cat hunt this year, I just didn't put it all together on my end in an imperfect situation...

I agree 100%...if you want to kill a cat, go with a good cat guy, in a good area and at a good time and you should expect to be successful. I very much agree that you will probably get what you pay for and better to do one good higher priced hunt than 3-4 cheaper ones. It is like guys from back east elk hunting. They will go on CO easy draw or over the counter DIY hunts for 5 years in a row because they can go elk hunt for $2500-3000. Half of them never see an elk. If they would take $5000-7500 and do one good hunt on a good piece of property, they could expect to kill a good quality bull...

Ding!

So who are the good leopard guys? I'll throw a couple out there, the lads at Chifuti and John Sharp. How about you guys? jorge

I personally think a late season hunt. When the leaves are off the trees and game is harder to put the sneak on. Also an area where there is little pressure on the local cats. PVT has a perfect batting average on chui since 2006. All leopard hunters' went home smiling, me included.

Mike

jorge,

Statistically it would be hard to beat the Du Plooy's/Muchinga Adventures average of 100% shot opportunity on mature leoapards on the Luangwa. We've never had a failure with them.

In both of our Masailand areas and LU5 in the Selous we've averaged 90% on leopards. Adam personally has never failed to get a leoapard in the tree for his client.

The Duckworth boys/Mokore Safaris on the Save have a year to year average of 75%-80% on those big lowveld cats. I have had two clients fail on this hunt but they just happened to be the unlucky ones. At one time Neil Duckworth's personal average was 90% on dead toms. Pretty impressive!

Mark