I've been seeing ads for this type of hunt and its seems interesting to me.Has anyone done this kind of hunt?I hear a charge can be expected when you catch up with Chui.Sounds a little more exciting than hunting over bait.Do you think this is a "sporting" hunt?

I have never been on such a hunt, but I cannot understand how people who will hunt a puma in the US with hounds consider it unsporting to kill a leopard like this...
It is true that the success rate is up there at 100% on most of these hunts, but that doesn't mean every leopard chased is caught, just that on a 10 day hunt a successful pursuit is going to happen eventually...

Our local vet has just moved back to Australia from Zimbabwe (his wife's family had a cattle farm).I have a Ridgeback and I was chating to him about them being used over there for hunting. He told me that to take out cattle killing leopards the farmers still use Ridgbacks. Pete said that 3 dogs would go in and tear the cat apart. Out of those three, one say, would survive. Tough dogs and tough cat!

Nothing to do with your post, just thought I chime in

Bakes - I'm sure your Vet is correct. Our family has owned a two Ridgebacks & I know a few people that own them now. We must not have very gamey Ridgeback blood lines here in the states. Most of these ridgeback couldn't tear up a housecat.

I own Catahoula Curs, they are breed for boar & cattle work. They'd be o.k. on a bay-up but I wouldn't think they'd survive a fight.

You might enjoy this site: http://www.baydog.com/

I think I'd want a few Argentine Dogos for that work as they were breed for Cats.

CAPSTICK,



I'm sure that leopards with dogs is a real thrill and it has to be quite an adventure. I just think that if you haven't shot a leopard over bait with no lights in the traditional manner you have missed an important part of the safari experience.



Regards,



Mark

After 6 days of getting up at four in the morning and checking every possible riverbed for fresh tracks,we found the tracks of a Tom that to our opinion could make 80 kg and it was not older than a hour.
It was already 10;00 am in the morning and with the heat setting in, a bit risky for the dogs sake.Beagles are tough dogs, but the Namibian sun is no joke.
We put in the lead dog and he went nuts, confirming that the track was wurth chasing, so we threw in the other six hounds.The houndsman had a radio to keep contact with us while we tried to cut the direction of the chase by driving down a riverbed.
After about 30 minutes the radio came on and the houndsman said that the dogs definitely got sight of the Leopard, because they are going nuts and barking as to the normal howling.He gave us some directions and we sat off on foot to catch up with them.
a Few minutes in, he called again and said that he will send the tracker to get us, because the cat is in a tree.
By the time we reached the tracker we could hear the dogs and he said the dogs are tired and that we must hurry.
The houndsman was waiting for us in a dry riverbed and explained that the Leopard saw him and jumped the tree, but the dogs warmed him up again and it took to the next tree.One of the dogs was with him, it lost an eye.
After showing us the tree from a safe distance he made for cover.
That tree was shaking and the cat was throwing insults so hard that you could not hear yourself thinking.
To get the client in position without the Leopard jumping the tree is one thing, but to get the client to take a well placed shot at a Leopard that is not sitting still for one second, is something else.
He got himself together and dropped the Leopard from 15 paces.Now the dogs were all over that cat and only the houndsman with a few thunderclaps with his whip could get them off.
Nice old 68 kg Tom and atleast one pair of dirty underpants.
This hunt was quick and without to much fighting, but do not be fooled, you may spend all day running and end up with only injured or dead dogs.

Weidmannsheil !

I have never leopard hunted by any means, but I have watched a video of a leopard hunt with hounds & I was rooting for the leopard! I know for myself, when I do get hunt leopard or mountain lion, it will not be with hounds. To me it's kinda like a canned hunt, much like the lion attack video that was posted awhile back. I don't hold any ill feelings for anybody that does, just not my cup of tea.

Regards Mike

I've never hunted game with dogs. I've also never technically baited any animal.

I say "technically" because when you come right down to it, luring animals in with calls mimicing wounded prey seems to be a sort of baiting to me.

I would use hounds on leopards and I would bait them. I see no distinction between the "sporting" aspects of the two methods. I can't see how one would make a case for one being more "sporting" than the other.

Sounds like the theme for a new raffle. Winner goes for an X amount of days and tries to take a Leopard by each method.

After he's done he has to write a 2,000 word essay on Mr Spotz.



Rick

pow,
I agree with you 100% that you can't make a case as one being more sporting than the other. I had the pleasure (and I am being sarcastic) of going with my husband on a 1991 mountain lion hunt in Idaho using dogs. We treed 4 different lions before my husband shot one. The hunt is exciting, but it is very noisy and hectic. The hunt involved a tremendous amount of climbing and running. The best part was being able to let the mountain lions go that were too small or females.

In 1994 we were in Zimbabwe for leopard over bait. Much more like the hunting we are used to, quiet going in and coming out of the blind. Checking baits and tracks.

Each type of hunt has it's pros and cons and each hunter must choose what is right for him or her.

Kathi

kathi@wldtravel.com

Capstick, I have personally shot 6 leopards with hounds and have watched several of my clients take leopard with hounds. it is one of the most exciting hunts you would ever do, and by no means is this anyway even close to being a canned hunt. The leopard has free range and can get away from the dogs and a lot of the times does. But as mentioned above, during a 10-12 day hunt, the odds are with you that eventually you will get a shot at a leopard, either in a tree or on the ground fighting the dogs. It is not an easy shot as the leopard is always moving around. If the leopard is on the ground fighting the dogs, 9 x out of 10 the leopard will jump through the dogs and come at you.

I was actually the one who started the dog hunting in Zimbabwe back in 1997 and there was an article written about us in SCI at the time, as far as i know we had the only pack of dogs at that time, but they caught on quickly and in 1998 or 1999 there were a couple of guys using dogs. I bought the original pack of dogs from Wade lemon in Utah and he personally took the dogs over there and made sure that they would make the transition from Mountain lion to leopard. The first day we tried them, we took a 7'8" leopard. Ever since then the dogs have done extremly well. After about 2 years though I ended up selling the dogs to one of the guys over there in Zim and he has done great with them.

You can hunt leopards with dogs, in Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. I can highly recommend this exciting hunt.

Yes, baiting leopards is exciting as well especially in Tanzania where you can shoot them in daylight, but do not think that there is any difference in baiting a cat than there is running it with hounds. You have more of a chance at getting charged by a leopard with dogs than do with one on bait. So, do not let anyone tell you it is not sporting, as they have more than likely not even tried this hunt. It takes a lot more walking and energy chasing the dogs than it does sitting in a blind. A lot of people will say this is unethical hunting, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but they have not tried it and are just making a statement without any experience of the hunt. The same people that have told me it is unethical have no problem with hunting Bongo with dogs!!!

Go do a leopard hunt with dogs, and you will not regret it. Hunting the small cats in South Africa with hounds is also very exciting. You can hunt the serval, caracal, wild cat etc. and is also exciting.

I met a man once who has hunted leopard twice using dogs. He said it is much more exciting than over bait and the success is much higher. Another friend of mine also recommends hunting with hounds if your young and able. It is much more exciting and bit more dangerous. If I were to go for leopard, I probably would use hounds as well.

What caliber rifle is recommended for a hunt like this? Are irons preffered over a scope? Does anyone know if a lion hunt can be conducted like this (without being canned)?

Sevens

BossK
I was speaking to a Zimbabwean dog trainer at a dog seminar a few weeks ago (I posted a topic about him in this forum) He told me that the Ridgebacks he's seen in the US and Australia are not the same animal that is still hunted with in Africa. There is a breeder in Queensland that is breeding them for hunting, but most are for the show ring.
I took my big fella out pig hunting once, at the age of 7 (First time he's seen a pig) He chased the pigs but didn't know what to do with them. My next ridgy I'll take out with me from an early age.

Since I have never hunted any type of Big Game with dogs,I think I would like to try it for Mr. Spots .Anyone have any idea who would be the best outfit to hunt with?What time of year?