Hunting Methods
The one tried and proven method of hunting these cats is to set up a bait and wait over the bait in a well-concealed blind. Simple. No, not as simple as it sounds. Hunting a leopard is a process and a carefully planned strategy.
It begins with establishing whether leopards are present and active in a particular area or not. It is pointless baiting for leopards if there are no leopards in the area. Once the presence of a leopard has been established, the next step is to look for a suitable spot to place bait and erect a blind. Erect the bait / blind setup reasonably close to a road or track. You will be going back to your vehicle in the dead of night, and on a dark night, it is easy to become disoriented and lost.
The approach to the blind should be concealed from the bait area and areas of dense cover where the leopard may be lying up or resting. An elevated blind will give you a good view of the surrounding area.
The bait must be placed up high enough in a tree where lion or hyaena cannot reach it (see Figures 1 and 2). A vertical trunk (which makes it difficult for a lion to scale) followed by a horizontal branch is ideal. The horizontal branch should be at right angles to the blind so that the leopard will present a clear side-on shot when it comes to feed on the bait. If possible, the bait tree should be in close proximity to a well-travelled game path, as this will be a likely route for a leopard to follow.
Tie the bait firmly to the tree so that it cannot be easily dislodged when the leopard feeds on it. If it falls to the ground, it will be carried off by hyaena or other scavengers, and without something to feed on, the leopard will soon move off. Having the bait suspended slightly below the branch will make it more difficult for the leopard to feed and will keep it distracted and occupied. Minimize human scent by wearing rubber galoshes or standing on sacking, which will be removed once the bait is in place.
Never allow anyone to urinate in the vicinity. Leafy branches can be packed lightly over the bait to avoid it being seen by vultures, who will soon devour it. A whole impala or warthog makes a good bait. Parts of a larger animal can also be used, such as a zebra’s hind leg. Baboons, which are not one of a leopard’s favourite prey species, may be used as a last resort.
It is important to lay down a scent trail leading to the bait to lure the animal in. Lay the scent trail along game paths and interconnect the game paths with scent trails. Place the offal of the animal shot for bait in a sack and pierce holes into the bottom of the sack to allow juices, blood, and small pieces of offal to run out as the bag is dragged around the bait, as shown in Figure 3.
The bag of offal can then be tied up in the tree next to the bait, where breezes can waft scent into the surrounding bush.
Correct placement of the blind is very important, and the most important thing to keep in mind is to erect it downwind of the prevailing breeze. If the hide is upwind of the blind, the leopard will smell the hunters and will generally not come to the bait. From inside the blind, the hunter should have a clear and unobstructed view of the bait. Make sure that there are no twigs, branches, or grass in the way that could obscure the view or deflect a bullet. The blind should be dense enough to prevent any movement inside it from being seen from outside. Shooting ports should be as small as is practically possible and lined with grass, a small sandbag, or cloth to prevent noise when a rifle is rested on it (Figure 4).
The blind should be erected as close to the bait as possible, bearing in mind that if it is too close, the leopard may be suspicious of it and may be reluctant to approach the bait. If at all possible, the bait should be placed in such a way that the background behind the bait is clear sky. Leopards are usually shot at last light or sunrise, and being presented as a silhouette against a background sky will make the shot easier. A blind may be anywhere from 40 – 70m away, depending on the prevailing conditions.
For bowhunting, it would have to be a lot closer, 25 – 35m, but this reduces the chances of the leopard actually coming to the bait. The entrance to the hide should be from the back and should be concealed. Hunters should be in the blind well before last light or well before dawn and should maintain absolute silence. Communicate only by pre-arranged signals and gestures. Any noise or talking will immediately put any leopard on high alert and prevent it from coming to the bait or send it running away from the bait if it is already on it.
Try to void bladders and bowels at camp before entering the blind. Keep a sealable bottle in the blind if the need arises to urinate. Avoid eating or smoking whilst waiting in the blind. Exercise patience. The hunter may be forewarned of a leopard’s approach to the blind by the alarm call of vervet monkeys, baboons, bushbuck, or birds. If a leopard is successfully lured to and feeds off a bait and does not present a clear shot, all hope is not lost.
Even if it moves off after feeding, it may well return the following day if it was not disturbed on its initial visit. Modern “critter cams” – cameras designed to take photos when a beam is broken or when motion is detected are ideal tools to scout an area for suitable leopards. Although the quality of images in early “critter cams” was not too good, the latest models are excellent and can take good-quality pictures even in the dark.
Some may question the ethics of hunting an animal by luring it to a bait, but realistically, this is one method that does work. Leopards are also hunted using dog packs, but this method is likely to come under even more severe criticism. Hunting over a bait does increase the chances of success because the shot presented by a leopard on a bait facilitates good shot placement and reduces the risk of wounding. In the end, this should be the aim of every ethical hunter – to dispatch his quarry quickly, cleanly, and humanely and minimizing the risk of wounding and suffering.
Many professional hunters will not advocate taking a shot at a leopard when it is lying down, feeding on a bait, as the vitals are “squashed” and it is difficult to then place a shot accurately into the heart/lung area. The advice would be to wait until the leopard is sitting or standing, at which time the vital areas would be more clearly exposed (Figure 5).
In dry, sandy terrain, leopards may also be hunted by tracking them. They will eventually stop to rest, and that is when the hunter will get an opportunity for a shot. This is, however, a very difficult way to hunt them because they have excellent eyesight and hearing and will detect the approach of the hunters and move off before they are spotted.
Recommended Calibres and Bowhunting Equipment
Calibres suitable for hunting this species include but are not limited to .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum, 7 x 57mm, 7 x 64mm, 8mm Mauser, 9.3 x 57mm, and .375 Holland and Holland (Figure 6). Make sure you comply with the country’s legal calibres for hunting dangerous game.
Bullets should be fairly light (130 – 165 grain for the light to medium calibres and 230 – 300 grain for heavier calibres), relatively low sectional density, thin jacketed soft points that are fairly fragile and “upset” quickly once having entered the animal so that they cause extensive damage to the heart and lungs. Leopards are thin-skinned and have relatively light bone construction. Super premium quality soft points, expanding solids, and solids travelling at high velocity are likely to pass right through the animal.
A quality 4-power scope that has good light-gathering capability and a highly visible reticle is recommended.
If leopard are to be hunted on foot and a close encounter confrontation is likely, an express sighted side by side in 9.3mm x 74R, .375 Flanged Magnum (with 286 or 300 grain soft point bullets), English double in one of the .450-400 configurations (with 400 grain soft points) or a .500-.416 nitro Express (3 ¼ “) with 400 grain Woodleigh soft points would all be good choices.
Hunting of leopard with archery equipment is not permissible in South Africa, but in countries where it is a bow delivering 60 – 70 foot pounds of kinetic energy would be recommended, a momentum of 0.5 lb./sec, and a TPI (Tissue Penetration Index) of 40. Because leopards are thin-skinned, there are many fixed-blade and expanding broadheads that would be suitable. In terms of reliability fixed fixed-blade broadheads are advised.
Figure 7 illustrates some of these. Arrow speed is important for leopards as they have lightning-fast reflexes. Arrow velocity in excess of 300 fps is recommended. The arrow and broadhead weight would have to be kept down to achieve speed. Total arrow weight should be in the order of 500 grains. It is important that all steps be taken to make the bow shoot as quietly as possible.
Trophy Measurement and Current Records
Figure 8 shows how measurements are taken for SCI and Rowland Ward records.
- The minimum score for inclusion in SCI records is 14 (rifle) and 12 (bow).
- The minimum score required for inclusion in Rowland Ward records is 15 3/8” (Record 19”).
Shot Placement
For trophy purposes, the high heart/lung or shoulder spinal shot (through the centre of the shoulder blade) is advised (Figure 9). Take note that the heart lies low and further back than is the norm with most African antelopes and other animals (giraffe excluded). With a firearm of suitable calibre, frontal chest, side on, and quartering away shots are all possible, but only side on or quartering away heart/lung shots should be attempted with bow and arrow.
In most instances, shots will be taken from a blind when a leopard is feeding on a bait or lying at the bait. If the leopard is lying along a branch, a heart shot is very difficult as it will be squashed down and may even be obscured by part of the branch. It is advisable to wait for the leopard to sit or stand before taking the shot. (Figure 5).
If a shot misses leopard usually runs away silently, whereas a wounded animal will grunt with each bound as it makes off into the undergrowth.
If a leopard is wounded, it should be considered highly dangerous. It would be advisable to carry a 12-gauge shotgun with SSG loads. If a leopard charges, a head shot should be attempted to hit the brain. The animal charges low and with tremendous speed, and it will be a very difficult shot. Bear in mind that if it were to charge from a distance of 20 meters away, it would take 1.2 seconds to reach you. Dogs are sometimes used to track and bay a wounded leopard.
REFERENCES
- Cheney, C.S. (2013). The Comprehensive Guide to Tracking – Safari Press
- Mellon, L. (1975) African Hunter –Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York and London
- Robertson, K. (1999). The Perfect Shot – Safari Press
- Robertson, K (2007). Africa’s Most Dangerous – Safari Press
