john.d.m
Well-Known Member
After longest shot,how close threads I remember thing happened to me few yrs ago.
I was in Zim on freeby Buff hunt and had shot Buff and few baits for clients arriving in few days and generally had a ball.
After checking baits one day we found Hyenas had been hitting one bait and the P.H suggested we better have an early morning trying to sort a few out,so we built a blind about 100m away, cleared all our tracks, worked out a way into the blind and we were set for the next morning.
We were up and out v v early next morn (coffee and roll ups for breaky).
We were slowly and quietly creeping towarss the blind from about a K away when we disturbed a troop of Babboons and they made hell of a racket, we thought weèd messed up so we just walked into the blind and sat waiting for daylight.
As it was getting light we could see something on the bait, as it got lighter we made out a Leopard, a real cracker Pete said if you want it, take it they had the paperwork for it(and Elephant if I wanted)
We think the Hyenas had kept him off the bait, so thats why he came when it was getting light.
Well, we sat and watched this old boy for 1 hour 5 mins!! was amazing, seeing him rip lumps off the Buff carcass I had shot day before, cleaning himself,we could hear him crunching on the bone,something bit him he didn`t like that, he cleaned himself like a domestic cat (and I hate them with a vengence)
Pete kept on, telling me I didn`t realize the oppurtunity I had (Oh I knew), and he thought it was one which had been taking stock in the area.
All this time I was doing sums in the sand, hmmmm, 2,250us$ to pull the trigger,working out what I had on me and I hate owing anyone anything and won`t do it usually etc etc,,,,decisions decisions, then Pete said, wont be a problem, you can pay when you get back to uk (which would be a mnth later as I was off to RSA after Zim)
I shot, I`m sure the Leopard took off, he must have went 8/10 ft in the air and was bouncing around I shot again and missed, then it went quiet,hmmmmm,now I began to think, we could have a situation here, I always said and always will I`d go on follow up on any wounded animal of mine, it`s just my thing, If I cocked up, I`d help sort it out,and Pete was happy with that, he`d seen me shoot Buff at 15/20'and was happy with my shooting and competance.
Anyway we approached the bait, slowly and carfully, and we saw him dead as a post.
I do wish I`d had a video camera with me and videoed that hour and 5 mins,if I hadn`t pulled the trigger I would still have had a great experience alot of people will never have in their life,but I did pull the trigger!
I was in Zim on freeby Buff hunt and had shot Buff and few baits for clients arriving in few days and generally had a ball.
After checking baits one day we found Hyenas had been hitting one bait and the P.H suggested we better have an early morning trying to sort a few out,so we built a blind about 100m away, cleared all our tracks, worked out a way into the blind and we were set for the next morning.
We were up and out v v early next morn (coffee and roll ups for breaky).
We were slowly and quietly creeping towarss the blind from about a K away when we disturbed a troop of Babboons and they made hell of a racket, we thought weèd messed up so we just walked into the blind and sat waiting for daylight.
As it was getting light we could see something on the bait, as it got lighter we made out a Leopard, a real cracker Pete said if you want it, take it they had the paperwork for it(and Elephant if I wanted)
We think the Hyenas had kept him off the bait, so thats why he came when it was getting light.
Well, we sat and watched this old boy for 1 hour 5 mins!! was amazing, seeing him rip lumps off the Buff carcass I had shot day before, cleaning himself,we could hear him crunching on the bone,something bit him he didn`t like that, he cleaned himself like a domestic cat (and I hate them with a vengence)
Pete kept on, telling me I didn`t realize the oppurtunity I had (Oh I knew), and he thought it was one which had been taking stock in the area.
All this time I was doing sums in the sand, hmmmm, 2,250us$ to pull the trigger,working out what I had on me and I hate owing anyone anything and won`t do it usually etc etc,,,,decisions decisions, then Pete said, wont be a problem, you can pay when you get back to uk (which would be a mnth later as I was off to RSA after Zim)
I shot, I`m sure the Leopard took off, he must have went 8/10 ft in the air and was bouncing around I shot again and missed, then it went quiet,hmmmmm,now I began to think, we could have a situation here, I always said and always will I`d go on follow up on any wounded animal of mine, it`s just my thing, If I cocked up, I`d help sort it out,and Pete was happy with that, he`d seen me shoot Buff at 15/20'and was happy with my shooting and competance.
Anyway we approached the bait, slowly and carfully, and we saw him dead as a post.
I do wish I`d had a video camera with me and videoed that hour and 5 mins,if I hadn`t pulled the trigger I would still have had a great experience alot of people will never have in their life,but I did pull the trigger!
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