How close???

Nothing quite like a canned hunt is there. :evil: :evil: :evil:


Leopards take a little more than 1 hours hunting unless they are drugged or fenced or both. Also they are nocturnal so they are only going to attack if trapped or wounded.
Never hunted one but might have been hunted by one :confused: judging by the spoor .
Sad :( :( :(
 
Well guys, I wouldnt be too sure that this is a canned hunt.

I think i know the PH in the clip, if I am right this was shot in Namibia. But I might be wrong, as I am not 100% on this.

Tracking Leopards with dogs is undertaken quite a lot in Namibia. Leopards are hunted all day long using this method, and eventually if the dogs manage to tree the cat you get a chance at a shot. But it is not uncommon for the Leopard to turn the tables and charge, which appears to be the case with this cat, although it appeared to be already wounded, which with Leopard and Buffalo in particular will really P--s them off.

In Botswana until a few year back all Leopard were hunted on foot using Bushmen to track, they were getting some problems with Leopard taking out the clients, and some even jumping into the backs of Landcruisers. These were hunted all day and you slept on the tracks and started the next morning tracking again. Like all cats you will find it extreamly hard to creep up on them, they are well aware of human prescence long before you see them.

This piece of film appears to be a genuine Leopard hunt with dogs.
 
Hi Sika

I defer to you greater knowledge on the leopard.
We had quite a few round us on the farm in Botswana this year and they were pretty big. I spent a lot of time scanning the overhanging branches on the Limpopo at dusk just in case one felt like dropping on my head :)
success047.jpg


Mark
 
Hi Mark,

I am not saying I am right on the above Vid clip. As I have said before it does appear to be a Leopard hunt with dogs. I think there are a few people doing this in Zim, but I know that it is a favourite way of hunting Leopard very succesfully in Namibia, and a 12 day hunt with dogs is reasonable money; well by general standards with anything connected to any of the Big 5 species.

They also use the same methods to hunt Caracal, and it is not unheard of to get both cats within a week, much depends on luck and who's dogs you are using.

The PH in the clip looks like Dannie Van Ellewe, who I know reasonably well, but the quality of the image is not great. He has taken a few clients of mine, and he is a very ethical and professional PH.

What part of Botswana were you in? I hunted it many years ago along the Caprivi Strip near the Savuti River, before I flew down to the Khalahari, we were with Gordon Cundells crew out of Kasanie, although he died some years back he was operating under Hunters Africa.

I also got to meet Fannie Pretorious near Vic Falls, who three years previously had been badly mauled by a Lion near the Hawangie National Park. They did a programme on channel 4 about him, but this was back in the 1980's. I have some marvelous memories of that hunt. Ah I can smell the Mapone wood fire now, and the chink of ice in a tall glass as you enjoy a sundowner round the fire.

Great stuff.

Cheers Sikamalc
 
Its nice to hear your safari memories Malcolm and Mark. I'm just uneasy about the way the Leopard was shot. I'm sure that it was wounded and the guy put quite a few extra bullets in it.
I don't know, i suppose its not my cup of tea. I always thought that hunters tracked a big cat to its last kill and waited for it to show up! Or is that just in Stewart Granger films? :D
Talking of 'Big Game Hunting', I phoned the old chap I've been nagging to let me shoot on his land. And he wants me to get down there as soon as possible and shoot some muntjac! They are ruining his garden and veg plots. When I asked before, he said that using Jayes fluid on the plants kept the deer off! Now he knows better!
I've perscribed 100 grains of soft nosed projectile, administered with a 243 T3 Tikka. I prefer the homopathic, alternative medicine.

I bet the venison tastes of Jayes fluid!!!! :evil:
 
Steve, Leopard when wounded are formidable adversaries, you will notice that when the cat charges it goea for the PH first, then diverts to the client.
This is typical Leopard, they will take on everyone around them when cornered and wounded. Unlike a Lion which will go for just the one target, and stick with it.

When following up a wounded Leopard the favourite weapon is a cut down pump action 12 gauge with 00 buck shot, as you can see they fired a number of rounds before they stopped the cat.

My other good PH friend who started his clientel base in the UK with me, has had two close shaves with Leopard. Leopard are not hard to kill, a great many clients use a 270 or 30.06, although they maintain minimum calibre is 375H&H, its just sometimes they take them too far back, and then the fun begins. I think from the clip you can see that the cat is dragging its back leg, sure sign the client has hit the animal too far back.

Elephant and Buff are bigger targets as well, although all of them will ruin your day if you get on the wrong side of them.

Marty, how do you know Danni, I spoke with him about 3 months back, and he stayed with me and another friend whilst we were in Seattle USA two years back at the Pugget Sound Chapter, we had a great time in the local bars!!!
 
Yeap, I can understand that Malcolm. Like most things, not knowing the whole story; its easy to jump to conclusions!
Like being accussed of stalking deer during F&M restrictions, by a-holes with no knowledge of the situation! :(

What's the best tasting animal you have hunted? I'm always thinking about food! :D
 
Relax Mr B. he cant hurt you now :lol:

I hunt on a 25,000 acre farm on the Tuli block but have got to the stage I'm allowed out without a PH. About 2 months ago I was allowed to cull 16 trophy impala in 4 days. We got dropped off about 5 km from camp without a vehicle and then walked home shooting as we went. At camp we retrieved the vehicle and collected the impala. Fantastic hunting no PH telling you what to do :lol:
success056.jpg

success006.jpg

Sunday was an amazing tracker, we had a great time.

Mark
 
Quality Mark H! You certainly know how to live life! It amazes me how people like you and Malcolm and others on this site can have experienced so much and be so grounded and willing to share your knowledge and adventures.
During my eleven years at sea I saw some fantastic things! Killer whales playing volley ball with the carcasses of sealions. Tigersharks, Blue Whales, some very weird creatures that i still don't know the name of! But I'm still facsinated to hear other peoples experiences. Its a pity the world got so tame!
Hopefully Malcolm's going to put me through my paces in Scotland this winter, with these Sika. I'm feeling all John Macnab! At the thought of it! :D
 
Botswana is certainly a great country to hunt, but now very expensive compared to some other African countries. Glad to see and hear you had a great time Mark, well done, some wonderful memories for you.

I would have liked to go back to Zim, to hunt Buffalo again but the whole place is a mess, and the UK has an arms embargo against Zim.

Steve, you are always thinking of your stomach? Most game in Africa is good eating, but my favourite is either Kudu back straps or Eland. The most unpalatable is Lechwe, although Reedbuck is not that good either, Oh and Elephant. Its like eating a spare tyre!!
 
Malcolm said:- Elephant, its like eating a spare tyre!

Yes but at least there plenty to go around and we could all have seconds...Yeppeeee! :lol:
 
You could try this. I dont know if Waitrose keeps Elephant trunk in stock or what the 'food miles' are. :D :D :D .
This is taken from a SA hunting site:

"Elephant Ragout
Calamity JaneIngredients
± 2kgs skinned elephant trunk (sliced into 6 cutlets ± 3cm across.)
250g streaky bacon plus additional
2 green peppers (sliced)
2 red peppers (sliced)
4 sticks of celery (sliced)
6 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)
2 - 4 chillies (de-seeded and chopped)
2 x 450g tins of tomatoes or 10 fresh tomatoes (peeled)
1 small can of tomato puree
1/4 cup orange concentrate or juice of whole orange
1 grated orange rind (fine)

Considering our focus on the elephant, it is appropriate to consider how to cook one. Anybody who has ever tried will know that it's not easy to produce anything that doesn’t have the taste and texture of a DunlopTM truck tyre. The trunk though is different. It is the ‘Chiefs Portion’ in almost all African cultures, and can, in fact form the basis of a meal ‘fit for a king’.

Step one in preparing this meal is covered earlier in the issue :- first shoot one large elephant, Loxodonta africana, the rest is given below.

Serves up to six people. Use a cast iron pot if you have one.

Heat the pot until very hot, and add ± 1/2 cup of cooking oil (olive oil is great).
Allow the oil to heat up, and become very hot.
Lightly flour the cutlets and season with pepper.
Lightly brown the trunk "cutlets" very quickly, then place them to one side.
Fry half the onions, celery, peppers, garlic and chillies until golden.
Add the remaining onions, celery, garlic and chillies. Place meat in the pot.
Add tomatoes, orange juice and rind. Season with herbs to taste. (Recommended herbs - basil, thyme, oreganum, mixed herbs).
Add sufficient water/stock or wine to just cover.
Bring back to the boil - slow it down to a very gentle simmer. Leave to cook ± 2 hours. Meat should just be getting tender - check seasoning.
Take off the heat and leave to cool down. Skim off any fat.
Reheat very gently - often best to wash or change the pot before reheating.
Serve with potatoes, rice, pasta or sadza.
Bon Appetit!"
 
Cheers Mark, I shall forward the recipe to Mr Stones and Dewhet in SA. I shall keep an eye open in Waitrose, Tesco etc for Elephant trunk cutlets. Although I rather feel it might be sometime before they have any in stock :lol:

Are you planning to revisit the Dark Continent again? I have not been back for about 4 years, as the last two years I have been at the other end of the climate scale in Finland.

I hunted late October last year and the temperature dropped to -23, little bit parky!! Nice people the Finns, mad on hunting and saunas.
 
Sex, sex sex and saunas! Is that all you think about Malcolm? I've read that the Finns have developed the Mosin Nagant into a rather excellent hunting/sniping rifle. They found them in the snow after the Russians aborted invasion during WWII. The Finns natural hunting and field craft abilities in the harsh weather made them formable adversaries!
 
Hi,
When hunting Leopard always look up because they like a high point. They like to store kills in trees.Also listen to the baboons they tell you if a Leopard is in the vicinity.
Morena
 
Back
Top