Great character! If he were alone, he would be going down.

quote:

Originally posted by David Hulme:
They look like Zambezi valley maneaters. I know there is going to be a twist here, but I say boom, and if the tag is there, boom again! Ja, now contrary to what I wrote on the leopard thread, I reckon they should start shooting more female lions in Zim's Zambezi valley and give the males a break.

These lions are what I always imagined the maneaters of Chimutsi dam to look like.....

I do not pretend to be a lion hunter, so anything I have to say can be taken as a guess!

I don't think any one of those signs is definitive to judge age, but a combination of those tells me he may be a younger Nomad. IMO mane size is the least reliable sign of age in some areas! Some old lions suffer from alopecia and have spotty noses. In this case and in most cases I would yield to my PH’s judgment!

I agree with David, and have been saying all along the one of the things that can be done, and not totally stop lion hunting is hunting dry females to give some relief to the males for a while. On bait it is easier to judge age, but in tracking prides the females are more dangerous IMO, than the males. The males will usually split from the females when pressed, and the females stay together. With the females you stand a greater chance of getting a charge, and many time a multiple charge, so a real danger is there, if danger is your game!

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

When i first saw photo one I guessed about a four year old but having seen a number of photographs and indeed some excellent video of this male responding aggressively to another I changed my mind and added a couple of years. Therefore he would be a taker once removed from the pride.

This paragraph says it all Andrew...watch until you have enough info (plus or minus trail cam photos) and make your decision.

He may be six years old but he isn't my dream lion by any means.

465H&H

NO WAY TO KNOW IF HE IS OLD ENOUGH UNTIL I SEE HIS DENTAL XRAYS AND PSA LEVEL( IN LEU OF A PROSTATE EXAM). UNLIKE DAWNROAR, I WOULDN'T JUST SHOOT BECAUSE MY PH TOLD ME TO- AFTER ALL, I KNOW AS MUCH AS THEM. OH THAT'S RIGHT- HIS OPINION CHANGES DEPENDING ON WHO IS PAYING HIM

quote:

Originally posted by 465H&H:
He may be six years old but he isn't my dream lion by any means.

465H&H

Each to his own. I will never shoot a trophy lion myself, but I would much rather have a crack at this one in the lower Zambezi than one of those with the neat hairstyle on the open plains....


Boom

quote:

I would much rather have a crack at this one in the lower Zambezi than one of those with the neat hairstyle on the open plains....

+1

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:

quote:

I would much rather have a crack at this one in the lower Zambezi than one of those with the neat hairstyle on the open plains....

+1

+2

quote:

Nose colour is not an age indicator in Zambia.

That's strange!
Dr Paula White claimed as recently as 2009 that it was!