Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.


I seriously doubt that this is anything new -- I'm betting that the big cats have had to put up with scavenging native Africans since the beginning of human history. I also would guess that, from time to time, the cats get tired of the thieves and have the natives over for dinner.

On my forst hunt in Zimbabwe in the OMAY some locals stole one of my leopard baits out of the tree.

On my leopard hunt, we hung a bait the afternoon of day 1. The leopard fed that night and we tracked the leopard the next day. Decided to build a blind and sit on the evening of day 2. That night we shot the leopard. The next morning we went in to tear out the blind; the trackers took what was left of the bait back to camp for meat. This was in September, temps during the day were warm. All I can say is that they have to have cast iron stomachs.

My last hunt in Zimb (last July/Aug), I had to continually replace one leopard bait that kept disappearing due to human theives. The PH didn't charge me the bait fee costs for so doing.

The farm we hunted in 2001 told an amusing story of the poor man who attempted to pinch the leg of whatever they intended for leopard. Seems the leopard came after the miscreant tripped the treadle and by the time morning came and the trap was checked he was happy to go to a real jail. Old spots was so incensed he stayed all night trying to find a way to get into the trap and settle up with the "baboon" stealing his meal. Terrorism self-inflicted!