I’ve been back from a great Zimbabwe hunt with Ade Langley and Mazunga Safaris for over a month now. Part of the price one pays for a couple of weeks off is lots of catch up activity at work and on the home front after an excursion…

I had a great hunt, and on the 14th night of a shortened hunt succeeded in getting a rather nice, and I think, well earned Leopard. This was an 18 day hunt (paid) for Leopard, Sable and Buffalo that I had to shorten to 16 days because of work commitments that pinched both ends. That automatically lessoned the chances which I fully understood from the time I booked through Keith Atcheson late last year. Actually, work squeezed my previous Leopard attempt in Namibia from 14 down to eleven days, but with the two attempts I can assure I have worked intensely for 25 days for a Leopard. Incidentally, the only Leopard I have seen in daylight was while hunting Elephant in Botswana…

Shortly after committing with Keith, I contacted Ade by email and phone to start a dialogue about the hunt, expectations, experience base, firearm and load selections, etc. I’ve done that on my last three hunts and highly recommend that kind of early introduction and direct communication.

I make it a practice to pack so I can personally carry everything in one lift if necessary – including up or down stairs. On this trip, I actually had that requirement in Houston as opposed to some airport half way around the world. Connected via Delta from Atlanta through J’berg during the height of the World Cup with no problems whatsoever. Spent the night in Afton House, then took SAA to Bulawayo the following day on another no hassle leg of the trip. I travel rather blandly, and doubt most, if any, take me for a hunter. I’ve noted on a couple of trips that it’s kind of interesting seeing who winds up at the firearms collection area, and on the van to Afton House. Some are so obvious they might as well be wearing signs. Others have totally surprised me on my last couple of trips. The four of us who closed the Afton bar, did so discussing that observation – no right answer, just observing… Did note that the four of us up late were in the, “not obvious” category.

Following day met Ade (along with Paul and Richard – his two superb trackers) at the Bulawayo airport then continued our introduction during the four hour drive to the Nengo camp on the Bubye Conservancy. Leopard was my clear priority so we agreed that focus would generally shape the hunt for as long as necessary.

During the first four days we covered several hundred kilometers collecting bait Impala and one Zebra, checking sign and hanging bait. Those 6-8 setups were all placed keying off locations where we found large male tracks. Here’s a track we saw many times and I’ll tell more about later – it’s about 3 ¾’ long.[IMG]http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp236/jep211/Zimbabwe%2

After getting initial bait setups, we started diverting when Sable or Buffalo opportunities presented – generally figured we would spend up to half a day tracking those, then revert to Leopard unless the trail was piping hot or something really looked good. Lots of greenery still up so we were having to get rather close to even get glimpses. I opted not to spend similar effort on some of the Eland opportunities we could have pursued.

Wound up connecting on a good representative Sable a week into the hunt and I think that was fifth time we had trailed a group. As many of you well know, good trackers have skills that are almost unbelievable. I had that demonstrated time and again, mostly on tracking, and also on the Sable recovery. There’s a reason I have Paul and Richard in this photo instead of my rifle - and it wasn’t that I made a great shot - ‘nuff said on that.

The weather was cool enough at night so the baits were staying relatively fresh, but by the mid part of the hunt we were feeding several female Leopards, a Honey Bear, some Civet Cats, etc. Lions quickly became nuisances to the point of ruining some of the stations. We moved a couple of baits because of Lion persistence and added a couple more briefly reaching 10 total. Two of those sites were selected just because they looked right even without tracks. Both of those soon had females feeding. I shot another bait Impala and we started talking about another Zebra.

Finally on night eight a large male virtually devoured one of the early baits. We got to that station in the afternoon because of a long Buffalo trailing session that morning - had to hustle to get the bait replenished with our contingency Zebra shoulder, then set up a blind for that evening. We got settled later than desired and shortly afterwards with the sun going down, temperature rapidly dropping and still damp from earlier exertions, we slipped on all the extra clothes we had – Ade first, then me.

Not 15 minutes later, we heard three deep rasping grunts to the left rear of the blind. My guess was the Leopard could not have been more than 25 to 50 feet away. That was the only sound we heard from the cat, but for the next half hour birds stayed extremely agitated and noisy in a pattern that essentially circled the blind. By the time they quieted down night noises were taking over, and it quickly turned black dark. Hearing no discernable noise from the bait tree, we left the blind after 10PM. It probably took us 20 min to follow compass headings to get back to the trail and call Paul, Richard and the game scout to start driving our direction while we walked. We converged about a half mile from the site - with the relatively close Lion noise we heard while walking, the Landcruiser was a welcome sight.

The following day we moved another bait (because of Lions) as well cut short our normal bait circuit by skipping the pair that required a long detour. That allowed us to get to the active bait early enough to get settled well before dark. The trail cam showed that a few minutes after we left the blind the night before, a large male had gone up the tree and right back down. He did not stay long enough to trigger a second photo with the 10 second delay between pictures. The trackers confirmed he was the only one in the vicinity and had only been up the tree just the one time that night.

We settled into the blind with all extra clothing already on so for the first couple of hours we had to had to tolerate the heat - at dark that changed quickly enough. After it got dark, Impala started a chorus of warning barks; initially a pretty good distance to our left front. Later they picked up closer and to the right front. Around 7:30 we thought we heard a brief noise at the tree. After a period of silence, Ade slowly turned up a rheostat controlled automobile taillight bulb to examine the bait. He had told me that enough light for him to confirm the cat’s sex provides enough illumination for shooting purposes with the right kind of scope. The first night in camp Ade had me try my two scopes at the distances and lighting conditions we expected to encounter and I went with my illuminated 1.5x5 VXlll. Now looking at the bait, I could see how my illuminated reticule appeared against the shimmering leaves and tree branches. It was challenging to quickly discern what I was seeing, but the illuminated reticule was reassuring. This part of the hunt was very close to the new moon so the lowest setting worked best in almost total darkness.

Not seeing anything we waited in silence another hour and a half before thinking we heard another faint noise. We went through the slow illumination process again with the same negative results. I have to admit there were a few times I found myself almost fading out but probably didn’t actually go to sleep – sort of like some meetings back in the office… Some time after 10PM we slipped out again and met up with the trackers and game scout shortly before 11 for the drive back to camp.

We reversed our bait checking circuit the next day and got to the blind site mid morning. It clearly had been hit but not much meat was eaten. Richard and Paul determined a large male had been up the tree several times. They also found female tracks in the dry stream bed between the bait and the blind. The trail cam showed a large Leopard went up the tree six times between 7PM and 5:40AM. Most of the trips only recorded one photo so it apparently was in the tree for no more than 10 – 20 seconds each trip. On most of the photos he was looking in the direction of the trail cam and blind. We concluded moving the blind was required, and started debating whether or not to let the site cool for a night. We also started to think this cat may have been sensitive to the IR flash from the trail cam.

In any case, we checked out the rest of the circuit concluding with the two remote baits we had skipped the day before last. One of the baits had female tracks all around the tree and had been lightly eaten. The last station had large male tracks around the tree and the bait was simply gone. We had a trail cam at that site and it showed a large male had gorged himself two nights prior. Nothing other than a Honey Badger and Civet Cat had showed up since. I had one bait Impala still on quota, but now that we wanted one, we hit a 3 hour stretch where it seemed they were extinct. Early in that Impala dry spell we opted not to shoot a Zebra. A couple of hours later Zebra went on the menu then they too disappeared. Finally got my last bait Impala close to dark and we were able to get meat back on the tree in hopes the male would come back.

The next day nothing had disturbed the fresh Impala, the several intermittent stations had either continued female activity, too much Lion sign, or were not touched. The bait we had watched for two nights had only a few female tracks at the base of the tree and no indication the bait had been further disturbed. The trackers had found the fresh male track on one of the close trails so we decided to set up a new blind in a dense clump of brush about 90 degrees from the original blind location. We also decided to get another Zebra.

While looking for Zebra, I mentioned that we had only seen Buffalo from the road on one occasion very early in the hunt. Less than five minutes later we saw many dozens a couple of hundred yards to the side. We drove well past, then stopped and hurried back on an intercept course. Like with the earlier herd, we had no expectation of finding the kind we wanted, but I certainly agreed with Ade that it was good to get close and just “watch Buffalo” with an opportunity like that. We didn’t see anything of interest and ultimately had some cows get too suspicious and they spooked the rest. Think that was also the day we must have seen a hundred Eland in a one mile stretch. Zebra proved elusive but we finally got another nice one to solve the potential bait requirements, and to provide the only other rug I could rationalize needing.

Late that afternoon we settled into the blind. The prevailing wind was not quite as favorable as the earlier spot, but the new location was much better for an entry/exit route standpoint. That was total cloud cover along with a new moon so when night fell, it was totally black. Right at 7PM we heard a single loud whack that I could not figure out. I thought about Elephant or Black Rino breaking a
large limb because there was plenty of fresh sign from both. Some time later Ade eased on the taillight bulb and I went through my scope checking routine – just shimmering leaves in the tree and background, and a totally different look to the limbs from the new direction. Shortly afterwards, we started to hear periodic heavy noise in the brush to our front. It seemed to me a large animal was slowly coming through the brush right toward the blind. Our camouflage left only small portholes through the leaves with almost no lateral or up/down visibility. The movement stopped a few feed in front of the blind. After about five minutes of silence, the noise continued, detouring around the right side of the blind and finally getting behind it. That probably took another 5-10 minutes. The noise then continued and became more steady as it headed away from us until out of hearing range. Ade was pretty sure what it was, but it took daylight the following morning to confirm it was a Leopard dragging the Zebra shoulder. No other activity that evening, so we left around 10 again.

The following morning (day 13) we consolidated a couple of baits, maybe refreshed a couple and got back to the only one we had sat around noon. What had happened the night before was as clear as an interstate highway in daylight. A large female had gone up the tree and when she jiggled the bait the male had worked several time a couple of nights earlier, the metal clip holding the security cable had released and caused the single loud impact we heard around 7PM. She dragged the shoulder within 6-8 feet of where we were sitting and ultimately stopped about 200 yards behind us. She stayed on the ground for quite some time and ate some of the meat there. When we walked out we probably passed very close to where she was still laying. In any case, she took the shoulder about 20 feet up a close tree and ate everything but the bones. We decided to bait that tree and let the site cool that evening. We put up a trail cam but did not turn it on.

By this time I was certainly aware we could come up empty, but no one on the “team” was easing up at all. And in any case, I’d learned a lot more about Leopard hunting, had some fascinating experiences, made great friends, and had shared some damn good laughs. I had called my wife a couple nights earlier and mentioned Leopard chances were looking tough. Her reaction was, if you are enjoying the hunt it’s a good one, and if you don’t get a Leopard, book for next year… Sounded good to me.

Day 14 we were out even earlier than usual and started with the long ride to check the other bait that had had a male hit. Nothing there except lots of Lion tracks. Continuing the bait check, we found two good Buffalo tracks with fresh dung in the road. As we followed, these were meandering tracks that separated from time to time but after a couple of hours, we could clearly tell we had closed the gap. We were generally in cover where visibility was rarely over 20-30 yards and I had put solids in both barrels of my 450/400. Ade had whispered that when we saw them, or more likely only one of them, they would likely be alerted and we might have only a few seconds to assess and shoot. When Paul stepped aside, crouched and pointed to our left front, Ade also crouched and motioned me beside him and down. Following his point I could make out a Buffalo’s right shoulder and upper leg about 30 yards away. His head was low and almost stuck in some leaves. I could see his nose, one eye and tell where the boss was. Even kneeling I had to crouch a little lower to shoot. My first shot was at the point of the shoulder and the right leg seemed to collapse; he almost bounced up and in less than a body length disappeared in brush to the right. I could hear both Buffalo crashing through the small Mopane trees and brush. When one came back across the lane a few seconds later I had no idea which one it was and didn’t risk shooting what would have been the third shot. When the noise settled, we moved back about 10 yards back into a small clearing to get a little more disdance between us and heavy brush.

Obviously we were hoping to hear a death bellow. Instead we could hear periodic wheezing that became more frequent and relocated to the left and became quieter at one point. After a few minutes we cautiously moved through the fairly heavy cover and in less than a hundred yards saw he was on the ground facing away. After the finishing shots, the guys went for the truck while Ade and I, had a delayed egg sandwich breakfast and strategized on Leopard. By noon we were heading back to camp with both halves of the Buffalo plus tripe, liver, etc., and a large quantity of potential bait enhancer somehow all squeezed into the back of the Landcruiser…

We got to our primary bait by early afternoon. First look was not encouraging because the bait had only been lightly touched and the few tracks around the cleared area at the bottom of the tree were of a large female. While the trackers started a more general examination I wandered back to the blind site from two nights ago then came back down the shallow dry streambed to join them. There were smiles all around as they showed me last night’s tracks of our large male, including where he had leaped from outside the cleared area and scrambled up the tree. We had a new blind setup within an hour. This one took advantage of a thick clump of small Mopane and was closer to the bait than the earlier two for better detection – that works both ways of course. We left the trail cam off.

Around 2PM we left the area and drove about two miles to have a late lunch, or maybe dinner, as we were planning to stay all night if needed. I had not shot my 338WM since the last Zebra so I wanted to confirm the zero. I fired one shot at a dot in the middle of a 6”x6” piece of paper set up against a warn down termite mound. That shot was right on, so we ate, took care of all the nature calls we could force, dressed warmly, and shortly after 3PM Paul dropped us off to slip back to the blind.

All was fairly quiet until dusk and the then night noises set in along with temperatures dropping. It occurred to me again one of the very few things I neglected to bring was a watch cap. The heavier of two brimmed hats I had was good early and late most days, but not really as handy, or warm as a watch cap in a blind.

By 9PM I was struggling to stay focused. It was another cloud covered sky so I literally could not see the hand in front of my face. I thought I heard a slight noise and almost simultaneously Ade tapped my knee. With that I was on hyper-alert. After a minute or two of intermittent faint noise, I could see Ade was starting to ease the taillight bulb on. Possibly another minute passed then Ade gave me the signal that the cat was OK to shoot.

The Leopard was still and I had some difficulty being certain of his orientation until his tail clearly moved. This probably took only 5-10 seconds, but by then I suspect Ade was concerned we were risking not getting the cat. At the shot I was temporarily blinded by muzzle flash. Looking through his porthole, Ade saw the cat jump straight up then break a dead limb on the way down. I couldn’t see, but the thump when the Leopard hit the ground sounded right. A few seconds later I heard an exit through the brush to the left front that put an instant damper on my feelings.

We waited in silence for a few minutes then donned headlamps, switched on the Surefires and moved cautiously down to the bait tree. From there we followed tracks and blood about 20 yards until the brush thickened even more. We went back to the tree and call Paul. When he arrived he turned off the trail and followed the dry streambed down to the bait tree vicinity. Within a few minutes Paul and Richard were crouched side by side on the track, with Ade and me side by side right behind them. We followed the tracks about 10 yards further than before and realized we were converging on the dry streambed. We decided to go back and get the Landcruiser to take advantage of it’s height and powerful hand held light. My Leopard was lying dead just a few yards from the point we turned around. Distance from the bait tree was a paced 34 yards. Needless to say there was elation all around!
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Next morning we got a slightly later start than usual. After cleaning up the blind and bait site, we drove the two miles to the place I had made the confirmation shot the day before to pick up the only piece of brass from either rifle I had failed to recover. That was also a good place for Ade to shoot my double. When we got there, we found my Leopard tracks on the termite mound backstop, along the trail, and all around the place Ade and I had eaten lunch…

My Leopard measured 7’ 4” nose to tip of tail and the green skull was 17 3/16 “. There was no way to weigh him, but I found it was much harder to hold him up than it was to hold up my “weighed” 168 pound son the weekend after I got back to Houston.

With my two trips, I feel that I have done a whole lot more Leopard hunting than if I had shot one the first night before dark. But, if that kind of opportunity presented itself on the next trip, I would take it without a qualm.

Oh, though I don’t need to go back for a Leopard (for now), I have already booked through Keith for another Buffalo and plains game hunt with Ade, Paul and Richard for next year…

Good hunting,
Emory

Looks like a couple of the pictures didn't make it.

I'll try again on the track.


And a picture immediately after recovering my Leopard.

Beautiful Trophies! A huge congrats...

Nice report. Cat hunting can test a man's endurance and patience ........but the rewards! Beautiful leopard.Too few reports brom the Bubye...thanks. Jim

Congratulations on a fine leopard !

Great cat. Thanks

One of the better leopard I have seen on this sight in a while. Congrats.

Ben

Very nice Leopard
Congratulations!

Forget "rather nice leopard." That is a very big leopard, my friend!

Great report, wonderful leopard and glad to see a trip report from the Bubye, a truly wonderful, game rich area.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

Will,

I'll admit my, "rather nice" was a little tongue in cheek...

Regards

Wow great cat !

Very nice report and a great Leopard, congratulations.

Beautfiul trophies, congrats.

wonderfull adventure and great trophies ,thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks for sharing Emory! Good looking trophies!

Well done, beautiful leopard.

Wonderful trophies-Thanks for sharing!

Excellent report! And your leopard was certainly well deserved and hard earned. Congratulations.

Beautiful cat. Congrats on a great hunt.

Emory,

Congratulations on a fine leopard. Sounds like you had a great hunt. It was good to meet you on the way in and a pleasure to share your camp fire for a couple of beers.

David

Love the leopard and sable!

Great pictures and fantastic report!

Great leopard and sable

Emory, good meeting you at Dustin's yesterday. The W-R is a beauty. Congratulations on your hunt. Bob