Looking for country and operator suggestions from those that have already killed their leopard.
Looking for next year as we already have a hunt coming up in 45 days.

If any outfits have a package please PM info and if you will be at SCI next year.

Thanks in advance.

Alister Norton in Zambia.

Dave Langerman in Moz.

About anyone in the Selous.

Plenty of daylight cats in Zambia's Luangwe Valley.

Don

I have shot plenty of leopards in both Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

There is no guarantee.

Down to your luck.

You might have leopards hitting 6-8 of your baits daily.

And never get a shot, as they might be female, or only feed at night.

Or you might be putting bait up.

See a leopard walking, take the bait down and drive down the valley and put it ahead of the walking leopard.

Make a very rough blind, come back next morning and shoot it.

Or yiu might be checking a bait mid morning.

See the leopard in the grass, and a few minutes later shoot it on the bait.

Leopards are like that.

Same goes for lion.

You can track them all day.

Get nothing.

Or as happened last year, out of nowhere one decided he didn’t like us.

He actually stalked us.

Then came on full charge from 20 yards.

Easiest lion ever.

quote:

Originally posted by TNTBR:
Looking for country and operator suggestions from those that have already killed their leopard.
Looking for next year as we already have a hunt coming up in 45 days.

If any outfits have a package please PM info and if you will be at SCI next year.

Thanks in advance.

I'll second Ongwe. Alister Norton is (was) 100% on Leopards. And when I say 100%, it's typically not a "last day, last sitting" kind cat.

His ability to understand when to sit, why to pick a certain bait, where to put a blind are almost like he himself is a Leopard.

I have 2 Leopard and one Lion with him. those three cats are a GRAND TOTAL of 7 sittings.

Steve,

Alistar learned from some of the very best in Abe and Johnny du Plooy. Johnny is still 100% at getting the cat in tree for you to shoot. Most leopards are taken in the first few days of the hunt. It's just not a grind.

Mark

PM replied to.

Appreciate the suggestions from those who replied.

Dave Langerman Niassa or the Conservancy

Brink grobelaar is tge best i have used , great areas , plenty leopards

Lower Luangwa and just took a monster cat in 3 days and you would be looking at 80% on a really big cat and maybe higher on an average Leopard

Hello,
I have a fair priced leopard in Namibia. Good succesrate and better price then in a big game concession.

Best Regards,
Dennis

Mike Fell is probably killing the biggest leopards in TZ at Maswa on a regular basis but there is a wait list and they don't come cheap.

Depends on whether you want a mature male, or to target a really big one.

If a mature male is the goal, I'd go somewhere really wild & have a nice full(ish) bag safari including at least one buffalo: Luangwa Valley, Niassa in Moz, Selous Reserve, other spots in TZ.

I got a really huge one with Wayne Van Den Bergh's Nyamazana Safaris in the Zim Lowveld. At Bubiana Conservancy. I hunted with Scott Bailey and that dude knows cats. Downside, there wasn't a lot else going on there for PG, no buffalo, etc.

Going for a mature male somewhere really wild is what I would pick. But I got a good cancellation deal and really can't complain about the result!

Roger Whittal Safaries in Zim would be a top choice.

Leopard are always a bit touchy. Saeed has it right; that's my experience as well.

I've seen them in a tree during daylight when not hunting them in Zambia with Muchinga/Johnny DuPlooy. Lots of leopard there.

I also had my pick of 3 to shoot in the Selous (MH3).

I agree that Alister Norton is an excellent cat guy, as is Brian Van Blerk in Zimbabwe.

Lots of others as well, but I've hunted cats with both of them.

To me, location is #1, then PH. But it's close...

One thing to note is different places have different rules. In some lights are allowed, in others daylight shooting only. Daylight reduces success rate, but is the "purer" hunt.

Dog hunts have higher success, but are rather rare now.

Usually the places with a wait list and higher prices are that way for a reason... Maswa (where Mike Fell is hunting) is expensive for a good reason. I hunted there once, don't think I could afford it now...

quote:

Originally posted by bwanajay:
Mike Fell is probably killing the biggest leopards in TZ at Maswa on a regular basis but there is a wait list and they don't come cheap.

A monster of a Leopard measuring 8' 7" was taken a few days ago in one of the Burko concessions, Masailand, Tanzania by an American client guided under the Fell/Miller duo.

That must be a brute. But Pics can be deceiving!

quote:

Originally posted by reddy375:
That must be a brute. But Pics can be deceiving!

Yours was a similar comment I made ("great cat and good photography") when I received the photos though the trained eye of someone who knows Leopards can appreciate the size for what it is and "adulteration" of the photo notwithstanding, it was a veritable monster.

There are numerous photos of trophy animals floating around that do not require having to pose at a distance behind the animal to make it look bigger than what it is, but it is done anyway.