Should I get a permit and take it with me before the hunt or wait and see if I get a leopard, then get the permit? How do I get a permit? As you can see I don't know anything about this and need some help.

Leopard is CITES appendix 1, so the country to which it is exported, should give you a permit first, then you apply for a permit from your host country.

Get your cities after you are sucessful. Once you return home and have taken your leopard you will have ample time to obtain your cities here in the states and send a copy to Africa. It only takes a few weeks to get the cities and you can be sure they won't need the document in africa quicker than that for sure! Also it saves you $100 if unsucessful and sorry to say the odds are in favor of not taking your leopard.

You need an application from:

US Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700
Arlington, VA 22203
1-800-358-2104

The form no. is 3-200-19 (Rev. 6/2004)

Allow plenty of time!

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
sorry to say the odds are in favor of not taking your leopard.

No worries, I'm going to have fun if I get a cat it'll only make the trip that much better.

Mark

Get it ahead of time and save yourself some potential hassle. Any good Africa oriented taxidermist should have the current application forms on hand and be able to send you one.

I'm afraid I don't agree with Die Ou Jagter. I think with a little proper planning that the odds of getting a good leopard are excellent and in some areas success is 90% or better.

Mark

Ditto what was said earlier. Last year I got the CITES permit and no Leopard. I spoke to Coppersmith and that is what they also recommend, wait til you get back. Good luck, I going to try again this year, too.

i'd wait it only takes a couple of weeks to get

Wait until you return home, unless you are not fond of $100 bills. If that is the case then just send a few of them to me.

Good luck, hope you wind up needing a permit.

Get the permit once you return successful. Good luck on the hunt. Wish I was going.

Do you need a gun bearer????

I received a permit two years ago, but never had an opportunity for a leopard. That was hard earned $ down the drain.

Mark, what you say may be true in a good area (aren't they all prior to the hunt) but I still think Leopard is the hardest of the big 5 to complete.

Die Ou Jagter

Everybody's experience may be different and I agree leopards are not a slam dunk. On the other hand I've killed 3 while sitting in the blind a total of 6 times. Yes, I've been lucky but good areas produce good results. I think if a hunter plans his/her safari to focus on the leopard your chances of success should be very high in selected areas of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania. Another thing to consider is just because a rancher offers leoaprd on his property doesn't mean he knows how to hunt them. Not every PH is a great cat guy.

Mark

Mark

I've shot only one leopard and I had to wait only 30 minutes in the blind.
I have taken (and paid) my Cites in advance because I'd have sworn that it's mandatory to have one prior to hunting. Sure I am amazed.

Jean

Congratualtion on such a successful leopard hunt. I guess I'm anal because I like to have things organized as early as possible and being able to leave a couple of copies of my CITES with the safari operator at safari's end just makes me more comfortable. Messing with the CITES after the fact and sending it to Africa sounds like it could be a problem that I don't need to have.

Mark

quote:

BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU AVOID J.B. TAXIDERMY, LAYALTA, ALBERTA, CANADA

Mark, A bit off topic but if you don't mind my asking what type of problem did you have with J.B. Taxidermy? The reason I ask is that a friend on mine and I had three bear rugs and skulls done by them and I would highly recommend their services. Prices and shipping were as quoted and work was excellent. I would certainly consider using them again unless you have some information that I am not aware of. Thanks.

It is not mandatory to obtain a Cites permit from the United States before taking a leopard. It is mandatory however, to have one issued before it is EXPORTED into the US. Wait until you return since the process over in Africa is slow enough that you will have time to obtain it before it ships, especially if you are having it taxidermied there.

A person spends 25K (daily rate & trophy Fees) for a leopard hunt and cuts corners on the Cites permit($100)? Why would somebody want to leave the Cape & Skull in Africa for 2 months extra while US Fish and Wildlife Service processes the permit? Or am I missing something?

After talking to the outfitter I hunted with in Namibia last year It's my understanding that his ranch leopard hunts have a 30%-50% success rate. One of the reasons for the low success rate is most hunters hunt primarily for plains game with Leopard being a added bonus. If you booked your hunt at the right time of year, and focused exclusively on Leopard you can expect a 50% + success rate. Ranch hunts offer hunters a chance to affordably experience leopard hunting, sometimes you only have to pay a trophy fee if you are successful. Most people do not realize how smart ranch Leopards are! Ranch Leopards have been poisoned and or shot on sight on many ranches for many years. Leopard ranch hunts are affordable, but success rates are low.

If you want the best chance of success look for government hunting concessions in or around national parks. But expect to pay $10,000-$15,000

I'm with AKA on this one. It's stepping over a dime to pick up a penny. Leopard skins are a dleicate affair and the quicker you get them to the taxidermist the better. jorge

Great thinking Jorge and AKA!

I do not understand why your hide and skull would stay in Africa 2 months longer if you applied for the CITES permit after returning home. After application, it wonly takes a few weeks to get it and most outfits won't be in a position to ship your trophies prior to that.

Mark is right about a lot of the Ranchers not being cat men. I think they throw in leopard at no additional costs as a come-on.

Jeez I thought the cities permit was 25 bucks. When did they go up? I got mine in 1997.

After you shoot your Leopard, come home and in the week after you are home, apply for your import permit. You will have it in your hands before 90 days. Usually quicker.

Your trophies (usually) will ship more than 3 months after you return home. Some are quicker, if that is the case, then you just wait until you have you permit to ship them. Worst case, 3 months. Not too bad.

Trophies out of Zimbabwe have been well over 3 months before they ship, some over a year.

CITES permits are good for 12 months, then, you have to have it renewed for another $100. That is why I would never get a Leopard CITES for a hunt in Zim before I went, no matter what the odds of success are on the Leopard.

Point is, there is enough time to get it after the hunt in 95% of the situations.

Make that in 99% of the situations.