How long will a cat keep coming to a bait? A few weeks? Or will he keep coming and checking even if bait is not there at all times?

I've only hunted three, and I've baited a dozen or so. That said, some have eaten once and never returned while others have come again and again until the meat is gone.

Generally, the young cats and females ate til the meat was gone and the mature males returned less frequently.

Also, all of these experiences were in the Save. It could vary from area to area.

Finally, I ain't no expert on anything.

EVeryone knows I am not an expert, but I do have some time in with baiting leopards. Most of the PH's I have hunted with have agreed that if you get a mature Tom on bait regularly he will stay 4-7 days, then he is likely going to go for a walk about and check his territory. Then he will likely be back and that may take a few days or a couple of weeks. You may be able to get him going again at the same site.

Obviously this is all inexact, but I saw it happen in Dande with Buzz (cat had been on bait almost a week and then he disappeared for 8 days, but came back). The cat I shot last year in Moz had been on bait 5-6 days, and everyone was really worried he was going to take off for a long walk at any time. We were lucky and got him our first morning.

I agree with Will that females and young males seem to really get comfy and stay on bait a lot better...

Chuck,

All of the above is why pre baiting can be very effective. If in that pre baiting period you get a big cat that starts feeding your cat hunt can be a short one.

Mark

YES to what Mark said...I think prebaiting is smart money spent...

What is considered good pre baiting? How many baits up and how far in advance to you showing up? I plan on a days worth of baiting before I go which should be around 4-5 baits I would think and would give me a good start. Hopefully a day or 2 before the hunt starts I think would be best would it not?

hunted leopard 7 times no expert but I have hunted with some experts.
I think it depends on where your hunting, what time of year, how smart the cat your hunting in the area, say ranch leopards, big toms, one and done.
That said prebaiting is not a bad idea. In Zambia hang 6 baits have 5 leopard feeding.
Good luck that is the most important thing.

Is that serious? 3 baits for leopard and 2 for a lion? Man - that is a lot of $ to shell out hoping to kill a lion off of just 2 baits! I am not saying it is wrong, but it sure seems to hamper success on a very expensive hunt. Is this a guideline, a law, a PH association rule, or what?

Helped with many baits last year and it was a mixture. We had cats that came every second day, cats that came every day, and then some that only came once a week. I really think it has to do with the number of Toms in the area. No expert though.

Are there similar sections in codes of ethics of other PH associations?
Limits on numbers of baits, and timing of baiting limited to the safari?

pre-baiting is smart money spent , you may have a cat on bait and kill him the day you arrive , the baits that are set prior to your hunt may not get hit at all but in my estimation with cats and baiting the more the merrier and its truly a numbers game , the more nights that you can have baits in the trees the better the chances - that said i would rather have fewer very good and well thought out baits than just a bunch of baits hung anywhere -

often at the start of a hunt , even in an area i know well i will have as many baits as i can and then within a few days that often narrows down to a few that we really like and we drop the less likely ones !

pre baiting is a great thing - especially if you're the one doing it. you get to shoot a bunch of stuff and send the bill to somebody else

Having hunted leopard one time I am certainly now an expert.

We had 5 leopards feeding on eight baits including the one I shot.

The young male and two females fed everyday until they ate everything. We had one big male hit a bait once and never came back. The one I shot made the mistake of coming back the second day.

I did not pre-bait nor will I in the future. For me baiting is a part of leopard hunting that I want to participate in.

I have hunted them 3x21days and I can only speak for myself...you can never learn how a leopard thinks...

Is it a waste of time baiting periodically? Let's say you start baiting now, just to get cats in the area. Will a big cat come back every so often and check to see if there is bait available? Or is it, once the bait is gone he's gone?

quote:

Originally posted by chuckmaxman:
Is it a waste of time baiting periodically? Let's say you start baiting now, just to get cats in the area. Will a big cat come back every so often and check to see if there is bait available? Or is it, once the bait is gone he's gone?

Leopards are territorial creatures and with that will return to the tree where they once found a bait. It may happen, though rarely, that a male "in transit'" may hit a bait, feed once or twice and disappears never to be seen again (in all likelihood to avoid a confrontation with the resident male).
It is also a fact that most PHs will bait trees that produced a feeding male the previous season which was not taken for whatever reason.

I think that it is very dependent on whether or not the preferred prey species is abundant. Mating cats are also pretty unpredictable.

There is definitely a pattern of preferred bait sites in the areas I have hunted and been in with Cat hunters.

My personal opinion is that a cat hunter has to be prepared for the cat to do "exactly what it isn't supposed to do"!!! Just how many times have you Cat hunters left a blind/bait area, completely perplexed!!!