Several threads have had questions about loeaprd hunting so I thought I would post a few photos...thisis probbly a perfect bait tree. Off to the left (out of view) is a small brushy ridge with plenty of cover on the route to the tree, there is water near-by, the area between the bait tree and where we put the blind is open but there is natural brush in front of the blind which was placed about 50 yards from the tree, and the was facing east making the leopard look into the afternoon sun if he looked toward the blind. There was a road about 50 yards away and there was a big curve near the blind. That meany we could walk the road, out of sight of the tree, until we got almost to the blind and then there was some brush we could walk thru to the blind. The area directly under the tree was fairly open so we could "read" the tracks of any leopard that hit the bait.

Close up of the tree showing the bait being pulled into position...note the nice slanted branch to make it easy for the leopard.

Actually securing the bait. Note the brush put over the bait to keep buzzards away. That's the PH Brian van Blerk with his back toward the camera. Other fellow is ass't camp manager. We had dragged bait from 2 different directions to this tree and although there were leopard tracks after the 2nd day the bait was up, it wasn't fed on for 5 nights.

DB,

Why did you have to go and ruin everything for us by adding the 2nd and 3rd photo?

We were happily explaining to someone here that you were covering all angles, by having one bait on the tree and one on the ground.

The person we were explaining all this too was asking all sorts of questions, and Walter was telling him you have to have two baits, one on the ground and one in the tree "...so the mommy and babies eat the one on the ground.."

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saeed@ emirates.net.ae

www.accuratereloading.com

Will a cat circle the periphery of the baited tree before coming in ? I have heard of bears doing this and was wondering if it happens with Leopard and Lion's as well ?..........thanx........10

I think there are two types of leopards in Zimbabwe....those that live on concessions where no one lives and those that live on ranches and farms.

My first hunt for leopard was on a ranch and although we had some sporatic activity on several baits we never had a cat hit the same bait on consecutive nights so I found myself sitting over bait that had not been hit,,,not good. We did however have some action as the leopard seemed to know we were there...we even used the old trick about taking more people into the blind and having some leave...didn't work. We kept finding leopard tracks around our blind that were made after we left. We tried building a second blind that we could sneak into after we left the first but that didn't work as we found tracks "inside" the second blind after we built it. On my last night in the blind we could actually hear the leopard but we couldn't tell where the noise was coming from. This was a very large cat that had a distinctive footprint that I was told came from a trap that didn't work. There are the kind of cats hunters never shot.

Cats that live in concession, while very wary, I don't think are quite as savvy about avoiding hunters. Of course I may be prejudiced since I got my cat in a concession area and struck out on the ranch.

I sure there a lot more experienced leopard hunters than me on the forum maybe they will provide some insight.