All three of my dangerous game hunts in Zimbabwe have taken place late in the year, usually in September and October. This has proven very hot and dry but with several offsetting benefits, including:

• Less vegetation, so movement over the ground is easier, as is improved visibility of game what with the reduction of leaves on trees, etc.;
• Fewer waterholes, thereby concentrating and moving game to more easily predictable locations; and,
• Fewer insects given the reduction of standing water - though this doesn't seem to lesson the profusion of tsetse flies and mopane bees.

On the other hand, in addition to the sometimes oppressive heat, the drier conditions make movement noisier for hunters, and there are those that say that hunting at season's end means that some of the better trophies have already been taken.

As I contemplate my next safari – with leopard on the menu for the first time (along with plains game) – I was wondering what some of our more experienced members may think regarding the best time of year for such a hunt. What month would you choose to hunt leopard in Zim and why?

Go in May.
The temperatures are more pleasant, your leopard baits will last longer and the extra cover will encourage your cat to be more confident approaching the tree.
Good luck ( I'm off in five days time !)

Kim,

With leopard as your focus even as early as late March would be fine. Terry Anders shot a monster leoaprd near Bulawayo a full month ago. The cover can be heavy depending on where you hunt making buffalo and plains game a litte more difficult.

Mark

Many more experienced leopard hunters will comment, I'm sure, but I've tried for leopard twice. Once in October, once in March. The baits were rotten too quick in October. May sounds like a good suggestion to me.

I'll second the vote for May if ol' spots is the main focus of the safari... of course late April or early June will work as well. I shot my cat in mid-May with Chifuti and I know Martin Pieters has a leopard hunter in camp now. The things that make late season so good for buffalo work against you in cat hunting. Green grass and ample water spreads game and makes harder hunting so cats are attracted to bait more easily. At least thats the theory...

May, June, or July.

Two leopards in two tries in the Save, one in June and one in July.

I love July as an all-around hunting month. Weather is great and enough leaves have fallen off to make hunting for buff and PG more enjoyable and doable.

Will try this year in July, next year in June.

June

July

Is not August still a good month? I figured any time before the baby warthog start showing is a good time still and August is not all that hot yet. What do you guys think of August for a buff and leopard hunt?

quote:

Originally posted by nube:
Is not August still a good month? I figured any time before the baby warthog start showing is a good time still and August is not all that hot yet. What do you guys think of August for a buff and leopard hunt?

August is still plenty good and a good all-around month.

For Hammmond and ARDA, specifically, Thierry got my leopard at end of July, and took one more cat on Hammond - ARDA in the second part of August. He also had several males photographed on baits in August. In fact, this past year, the May hunt was a bust and the first leopards were not killed til July and August.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
May, June, or July.

Two leopards in two tries in the Save, one in June and one in July.

I love July as an all-around hunting month. Weather is great and enough leaves have fallen off to make hunting for buff and PG more enjoyable and doable.

Will try this year in July, next year in June.

June

July

Good advice and cracking Leopards. They have been well composed by the PH for the photographs.

Best months in Zambia (next door) is June - August as a general rule of thumb.

Do those months change any if you are further south on the Limpopo or in RSA?

SSR

I took this one in August in Makuti. The month was ideal in 2007.



Best regards, D. Nelson

Good luck Rob. I understand they had a nice male lion feeding on the last hunt. Pete, I have not been in May, but June is a wonderful time. We leave June 2.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
May, June, or July.

Two leopards in two tries in the Save, one in June and one in July.

I love July as an all-around hunting month. Weather is great and enough leaves have fallen off to make hunting for buff and PG more enjoyable and doable.

Will try this year in July, next year in June.

June

July

Good advice and cracking Leopards. They have been well composed by the PH for the photographs.

Best months in Zambia (next door) is June - August as a general rule of thumb.

Awesome!!!

Andrew, I aasume the Luangwa kitties will measure up? No pressure though mate!!!

Jeff

In the lower Zambezi I prefer April-May-june. Bush is thick and lots of standing water around which spreads the plains game out. A hungry time for both cats. The result is that when they get on bait they are less likely to be picky, or go off and make their own kill. With that said, we have taken good cats every month of the season, but early is the best time.

I'm not one of the "more" experienced Leopard hunters you queried, but based on my "limited" experience, I certainly recommend the cooler months of May-July in Zimbabwe.

My first Leopard attempt was in February in Namibia. Had a great experience - saw some fabulous country, got several large plains species and probably a dozen or more Warthogs for bait replinishment in the summer heat. No Leopard though.

My second Leopard attempt (fourth African hunt) was on a fabulous hunt with Ade Langley last June in Zimbabwe. The focus was on Leopard, but travel placing and checking baits also allowed opportunities and ultimate success on both Sable and Buffalo. Finally connected on the kind of Leopard I was looking for on the 14th night. Believe me I know I beat the odds on that cat. An "experienced" African hunter was over a couple of weeks ago and measured the skull at 17 inches even...



That Zimbabwe experience was so enjoyable that I have detoured off my long term plan of hunting a different country each trip - less than three weeks from now, I'll be in Zimbabwe hunting with Ade again. No Leopard intensity this trip, but we'll look for another Buffalo, possibly a Bushbuck, and more large plains game...

Emory

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
They have been well composed by the PH for the photographs.

Excuse me while I blow my own trumpet just a while!

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
They have been well composed by the PH for the photographs.

Excuse me while I blow my own trumpet just a while!

What's the rule-of-thumb, the clients the length of a football field behind the leopard?

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
They have been well composed by the PH for the photographs.

Excuse me while I blow my own trumpet just a while!

What's the rule-of-thumb, the clients the length of a football field behind the leopard?

I tried to get 100 yards away, but I hit the Mozambique border and had to stop. Alas, I was only 93.7 yards into the background.

Shame.

Will: That's why, to dispel any doubt from the naysayers, you put them up on your shoulders like this: Or you hold them up yourself:

That always looked like a good way to get ticks to me.

SSR

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Will: That's why, to dispel any doubt from the naysayers, you put them up on your shoulders like this:[IMG] Or you hold them up yourself:[IMG]

that is one big friggin leopard.

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
They have been well composed by the PH for the photographs.

Excuse me while I blow my own trumpet just a while!

What's the rule-of-thumb, the clients the length of a football field behind the leopard?

I tried to get 100 yards away, but I hit the Mozambique border and had to stop. Alas, I was only 93.7 yards into the background.

Shame.

Excellent big mature toms, big head and thick neck and heavy jowls, and the photos look great set up in the sand. Often the prone shot is obscured with grass and other debris.

UEG,

That is an absolute beauty and you should have taken many more pictures of that beast. What did the skull measure?

Scriptus,

You are excused.

fairgame: we took a butt load of pics, but those are just a couple for illustration. The skull measured 17 2/16". Will:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Will: That's why . . . you hold them up yourself:[IMG]

Indeed!

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
fairgame: we took a butt load of pics, but those are just a couple for illustration. The skull measured 17 2/16". Will:

Exceptional trophy. Must say Zim is one Africa's hot spots for truly big Leopard.

Will,

Awesome brute and great photo. You do not see many of those. Well done.

the best time for me to hunt ZIM is when Aubs458 say's Hook come on over and we'll go out and kill some shit with me!!!!! OR when daddy say's come on son let's go hunting again

Failed once in June (21Days) failed another time in October (21days) and finally success x2cats in October(21days) took the cats on day 14 and 16. My advice, never give up !

Kim-
The conventional wisdom, as explained to me, is that it's easier to get a leopard to feed on bait earlier, as when water holes dry up, prey is more concentrated at remaining water, making it much easier for predators to kill. That is, hunting is harder for them when there is more water, so they are hungrier. I have been told early June ar before.
I will be going to Dande for leopard/tuskless in April, 2013.

Boys, those are some very nice leopards but Vaughan and Will yours are absolute pigs!

quote:

Originally posted by safari-lawyer:
May, June, or July.

Two leopards in two tries in the Save, one in June and one in July.

I love July as an all-around hunting month. Weather is great and enough leaves have fallen off to make hunting for buff and PG more enjoyable and doable.

Will try this year in July, next year in June.

June

July

I never get tired of looking at those big cats of yours, Will!

Hopefully after my hunt I'll have my own pictures so I don't have to photoshop my face over yours!