16 June 2017, 21:34
Phillip SmytheIvory Trail Safaris - Leopard #2
Area - Black Rhino Conservancy (Kwekwe)
PH - PHILLIP SMYTHE (IVORY TRAIL SAFARIS)
Rifle - .300 Win Mag
Species - Leopard, odds and ends
Dates - May 2017
If its big cats you are after and you like a bit of a challenge, Kwekwe is for you. These notorious cattle killers are renowned for being some of the smartest cats in Zimbabwe, BUT some of the biggest.
Off we went specifically for a 'Big Boy' and what a safari we had.
I love 'free spooling' cats - it really gives you a sense of what these cats do with their kills. Needless to say we used this technique and after following a drag mark from our bait and some monster leopard tracks beside it we found the bait on a small ledge on the edge of a cliff... not the best place to build a blind thats for sure.
Quickly assessing where he took the meat and where we could place our blind, we chose a spot that was ideal...but close... very close! 24 yards to be exact.
The blind.... close but well concealed.
A little genet arrives at 0530, pleasant to watch but not what we are here for.
Finally at 0130 in the morning, a crunch of a bone... he is here. All signals in the blind are exchanged and the light goes on and sitting there beautifully is this amazing cat. Big head, small ears, heavy shoulders ... my breath was literally taken away with being so close to one of these cats. Undisturbed by the light he kept feeding and when he finally moved into the best position available it was Pauls turn!
Paul took the shot and a troop of baboons roosting nearby took great fright and you could hear them jumping out of the trees and hitting the ground behind us.
Well done Paul for taking an amazing creature and making the shot count.
Here he is!
Some other neat critters we took on safari.
Happy hunting
16 June 2017, 22:02
Tim Heraldanother fantastic hunt- congrats!
17 June 2017, 15:01
Guy WhittallCongrats Phil well deserved.
17 June 2017, 21:43
Ahmed SultanGreat Leopard, well done. I like this kind of hunt for big toms.
18 June 2017, 15:26
Phillip Smythequote:
Originally posted by Ahmed Sultan:
Great Leopard, well done. I like this kind of hunt for big toms.
Saw your sons leopard... BEAUTIFUL, what a brute!
18 June 2017, 21:15
HogbreathWell done! Nice trophies and a beautiful cat!
18 June 2017, 23:14
L. David KeithExcellent trophies Phil, well done
Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris
http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333
Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com
NRA Benefactor
DSC Professional Member
SCI Member
RMEF Life Member
NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor
NAHC Life Member
Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer
Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added
http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#926103994110 days in the Stormberg Mountains
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017
http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson
Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running......
"If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you."
18 June 2017, 23:20
SliderVery nice trophies congrats!!!
19 June 2017, 20:45
bwanajaySON!!! That's a stud Leopard. Thanks for posting.
19 June 2017, 20:58
FishN4EyesGreat cat, Phillip.
What a brute, congrats and well done.
"Free Spooling..."
That sounds like a very interesting way to hunt leopards. Congratulations to all!
24 June 2017, 19:49
Andy Buchanan. Film AfricaThat's a brute.... well done Phil
25 June 2017, 21:24
Bud MeadowsGorgeous cat and awesome wartie. Well played sir!
