I pack into two bags, as airlines have screwed me on recent hunts, hoping at least one bag will make it to Jo-Berg. In my carry on is all camera gear, rangefinders, binos and one extra change of clothing.
I've been so busy at work I don't feel the usual "Rush" while heading out on a hunt, seems I left some things undone. Oh well I'm off!
Morning finds me shooting the Mission bow, it's been setup for Leopard hunting with a single 20 yard pin and light. All other light is blacked out, an oversized peep with gaps in string above and below peep blacked out. Arrows have lighted nocks and are tipped with the Rage Extreme.
Since I was going to use the Bowtech for "Bait" shooting I will have no choice but to use the Mission for both. I decide not to move my pin or alter the set-up in any way, but instead will "hold-over" or just get closer, if possible.
I'm shooting out to 45 yards with no issues.
Good luck with Mr Spots. You sure are a persistent guy which means that you will most certainly get him sooner or later. Hopefully sooner!!
Keep it coming. Rich
An hour of "Truck-Prep" and we hit the border, only to see hundreds if not thousands in line ahead of us. We are pounced upon by locals claiming they can get us thru with no wait for a "small fee"!
Being bored and a smartass I begin to take photos of the locals, even though I was told photos weren't allowed.
Damn! I slowly put the camera down on the seat of the truck and tell him it will stay there, sorry! He's satisfied and a truck pulls up, he loads the AK on the back rack as I snap a photo of it! I'm a bit slow!
Hein reveals to me he's never made this crossing before and really not 100% sure where we are going! The adventure continues!
By the grace of god we find our turn and begin an epic ride on washed out gravel roads! Over 12 hours since we left Hein's house we arrive at camp!
Warm meal and fire await us!
I dont know how to translats 'Voetsek' in to Shona ;-)
I love the Nike swoosh on the back of the white truck. Even in Zimbabwe...
Bait is first and foremost on the list. Impala will be our target, little time so the .375 is the harvest tool.
I whiff the first shot, but go 6 for 6 after! All Rams all zero tracking required.
First bait we check is Payton's Place, a Leopard was shot there by you guessed it Payton! It is hit an entire Impala has been consumed by a large male. We decide to rebait and not sit that night, but see if he comes back.
We check the rest of the baits, no hits but find two more bait locations. We now have 8 baits.
Mission complete!
#6 is hit a very large male found it late in the morning, ate just a bit. We set the blind, hang lights/microphones and trim shooting lanes.
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Really great that you are sharing the experience and photos.
Please keep us involved and wish you the best of luck on "your" quest! GET IT DONE!
If anyone needs a spoiler I could be bought for the right price!
Keep it coming Tim, love the photos!
--Jim
Bake
Good stuff, keep it coming.
Long as you keep the nudity to a minimum I'm good with it....not like I'm still 13 and this is National GeoGRAPHIC.... =D
Well? (I don't want to owe any of these guys no matter how cheap it is....heheheh...)
3 large men all in a tent, chairs are arranged to give me a clear shot over my left hip. I don't like to shoot facing forward, between my legs. First 3 hours, no issues. I must move a bit and my chair pops, I'm being a load hunter I'm told. Brent moves his chair pops, Damn chair is too noisy.
We sit until 10pm. We call the truck in and as we are waiting I'm thrown under the bus, "if you can't hold still we'll never get a cat in the tree!"
The trackers come and tell us they heard the Leopard roaring a mile away all night. He wasn't dining with us after all.
No sitting tonight, we hunt bait in the afternoon.
What a great story Tim can't wait to hear the rest of it.
Where you hunting at Lamco ?
This pizza is loaded with all kinds of mature audience substances...some of it could be used as a cover scent.
keep it up tim
Ken Yes!
I sit over a waterhole, even though there's water every where a bachelor herd of Impala have taken procession of this area. The Impala are in full rut, if you've never heard an Impala rutting it would shock you how load these guys are!
The Rage broadhead is opening working well, but penetration is an issue. Still no animals are making it out of sight.
Next day we are now well into the double digits in the Impala body count. But only seem to be holding our own on the bait. Lions, Hyenas (both Brown and Spotted), flies and female Leopards are consuming the bait at a steady pace. I'm thinking Zebra again to put us ahead.
We pass by a herd of Zebra,, they seem calm. We stop a couple hundred yards past them and stalk back. I really want a Stallion and Brett tells me to look for a straight back and big neck to identify a male. I get 35 yards on the herd pick up the male and he's down in seconds. Brett and Hein begin barking at the running herd, they return and a large female comes in broadside at 25 yards. She's down in seconds as well. Bait problem solved!
While checking the baits Brett sees a drag mark across the road. We stop and follow it, 400 yards later we flush a Leopard off a fresh killed Wildebeest! This is great! We move the Wildebeest a few yards into a tree that suits a setup for a bow blind! Hopes are very high!
We check the rest of the baits, we get to #7 the Cat walked under the bait after we left! We add another perch log to make it wider thinking he will be more comfortable feeding???
More Lions on the Fence bait!
Other baits still have the Female with cubs, 2 walk byes and Lions on the River (although we hung the bait high enough they couldn't reach it.
We arrange #7 lower and cut a shooting lane under the tree, freshen it up (and all baits) with Zebra. We find 2 other sites for baits we now have 10.
Tonight we sit at #7 again, if he's under the tree we have him!
Alphonso say's we will kill tonight!
You just had to post a picture of a snake didn't you. I will say this the story would be alot better with an appetizer of crawfish nachos followed up by a t rex pizza :).
Regardless of the photos, keep the story coming. I am enjoying it.
If you would have claimed full penetration on anything bigger than a springbok everyones bs radar would have went off. Mine is a little more sensitive than most...maybe too sensitive.
Great post! Cant wait for the rest of the story
I was at Lemco with Antonie back in 2008 on a Leopard & Buffalo Hunt what a great place , we went through that same border crossing what a nightmare , we saw Black Mamba every day that place is loaded with them.
Can't wait to see the pictures !!!
Best be something soon.... JTreeman keeps raisin' his prices....he's one of the few I can pay off in axis....
We are settled in to #7 and everyone "feels" tonight is the night. We are quite (chairs have been fixed with electric tape, no popping), at last light I see smiles!
30 min after dark I hear something on the roof of the tent, Mamba making his way thru the trees, using the tent roof. As Ken said this place is loaded with them.
Then we hear the Leopard roaring 400 yards out! By the time I hear him again he's cut the distance in half, coming up a dry riverbed, from or left. I'm a bit concerned as winds are light and swirling.
He's less then 40 yards when we hear him but he's not in the riverbed, he's on our side of the bank! All quiet for way too long. He's behind us now, not far, too close. I hear a strange sound, I know I've heard it before but can't seem to place it. Then it hits me, he's licking himself maybe 8-10 yards directly behind us.
In the morning we discuss, Hein never heard the Leopard as he had headphones on listening to a microphone set at the baitsite. Brett and I did, and have different theories as to way the Cat didn't come in. Mine is the wind, Brett seems to think I was loud? I wore a Black UnderArmor shirt, worn it a lot in blinds but this time it was too loud??
William (head tracker) tells me the Cat is just too smart. When we get to #7 in the morning, we see "His" tracks. The Cat was everywhere, even back over our tracks and then pissed on the blind! William tells me "See, I told you, too smart!"
William is the man!
The mood is low but we must press on, 2 more Impala are stalked (Impala count is now 18) and we seek new baitsites. We drive to an area that used to be a lake, the Damn was cut and the locals netted all the fish years ago. So much for land stewardship.
The area has a pool of water and a large male has been using it, we look for a bait area. Jo-alingo (the tracker supplied by property owners) comes running towards us, he's speaking in Shona but I know by his demeanor it's good news.
He's found an Eland in a snare, the male was eating on him just hours ago. The Eland is removed and an Impala is put up near with a gut drag to pull the Leopard in. Hopes are high again, "Broken Damn" bait is now the odds on favorite.
I sit in a custom built tree stand that afternoon and take a Warthog. The stand is not for the faint of heart.
I'm distracted, should I shoot a Honeybadger? Giraffe? Sable? I sleep on it.
In the morning, at breakfast I tell both PH's, lets do whatever it takes. I shoot 2 more Impala, we will free-spool them. Lions and Hyenas might get them but it seems the Leopards are shy to our set-ups we have 3 days.
Females don't destroy the foliage we cover the baits with, males do. This bait looks like a Hurricane has hit it!
The Zebra quarter in the tree is old and almost gone, we set up a blind and William fetches one of the Impala we set out. Tonight we sit!!!
We get in the blind early, it's a perfect setup, 23 yards from the bait, wind is steady and has been all day. At dark the night creatures come out. At 7 I hear something walking the riverbed, not a hooved animal. His steps are fast and erratic, Hyena! Leopards move slow and purposeful.
At 9 it happens and happens fast the Cat jumps the tree I see him even with out the light, he's shredding the bushes to get to the Impala. The Impala is a toy he's throwing it around in the tree with little to no effort.
The light is on the Leopard backs up a bit his vital obscured by a branch. I know he's a male but must wait for Brett to give me the ok, a huge fine awaits if we take a Female.
Oh man how I've waited to hear these words! The release is on string. I raise the bow and draw in one motion. The Cat is standing, he's HUGE, facing to my left. I follow up the front leg, settle the pin on the lower third of the body. The bow goes off and falls foreword, I see the green streak of the nock headed to my intended target. As the arrow makes contact it turns right and then "shakes"! SHOULDER!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Hein I must see the video did I hit near should or offside?? I know in my heart I just blew it, but maybe just maybe??
Hein I didn't press record. We call the truck in, find the arrow, 5 1/2 inches of penetration. No one is speaking to me, not sure I want them too. We track a ways the sign in very light, and the Cat is walking again. None of this is good. We drive around for an hour in the truck with spotlights, nothing.
Morning comes, seems to take forever, I feel like I've been put thru a meatgrinder. We head out to track. As I'm putting water bottles in my pockets Brett tells me I should stay in the truck. I've gotten along with Brett but man that's not what he should be telling me now.
F-off! I paid for this trip, wounded the Leopard and you will not deny me the follow up! I have no rifle for you, he replies!
So what. At this point I firmly believe I would tale a Leopard bite to get my cat!
We track, it's VERY intense. I know To stay back so I don't step on spoor, I act as the HUB, sitting on last sign as the guys fan out. At one point we lose the Cat, I move forward and find a smear of blood on a blade of grass. Small victory, William smiles.
We get to an area that's thick with cover and the Fraklins are sounding off. Is the Cat just ahead of us? William and I move in, he told me earlier in the hunt that he's a bad MoFo, I believe him now!
Brett calls us back, too dangerous, we circle the area and gain the high ground on a Koppie. We throw rocks into the grass, nothing happens. The birds quiet down, w wait 10 min and move in. We cut his track it's fresh but not sure how fresh. Tne Cat has licked his wound and is no longer bleeding. William is on his hands and knees, he seems to have morphed into the Leopard.
I have no plan for this! Brett seems frantic.
My plan is to stick my head into every likely spot and you shoot the Leopard with your 10 gauge when he comes out! I'm the frantic one!
NO! We will circle the Koppie and see if he has come off of it! Sounds reasonable. Off we go, an hour later, we find ourselves back at track leading up the Koppie. He is up there somewhere.
Everyone is walking towards the truck, I must face reality! I BLEW IT!
Hein wakes me for dinner, I slept thru lunch. Somethings not right.
We drive to Jo-Berg in the morning. I board my flight to London that evening, by now I'm shaking, cold to the bone. I wrap up in 4 blankets, 30 min alter I'm sweating my nads off.
My left arm is sore, glands swollen. I roll up my sleeve. and see it. African Tick Fever.
Would I have used a different broadhead, yes!! Hein (who has seen more Leopards shot with a bow then anyone) insisted I use a Rage, The plan was to shoot him mid-body, liver or even gut with a Rage, He guaranteed we would find him. I spent 14 days I the front of the truck with Brett, he brought up questions of ethics and putting he and his staff in peril by "gut" shooting.
I decided to "Kill" the Cat, wrong tool for the job, but really it all comes down to shot placement and mine was not right.
I will kill a Leopard with my bow before I leave this earth, that I promise! I'm nothing if not stubborn!
I'm over the fever and am looking forward to my next hunt June 17th, Gator in Florida with Clutch!! Won't want to be a Gator!!!!
From the sounds of the get together you are feeling better from the tick fever. Glad to hear that.
Knowing you I bet you are already getting ready to plan another trip for mr spots. I know TBM will die when I say this but Turkeys are my nemisis and looks like leopard. I know big difference, but you will be successful.
By the way if you need someone to tag along to shoot those pesky hyenas, other cats and honey badgers let me know :)
Brett believes he lived but will be unable to hunt for a while, he had another hunter arriving the day we left. He is baiting for him, good chance they kill him, I will get a Photo and a slightly used broadhead back!
Cub,
Thanks Man!!
I wish you well on your next adventure!
Have a great bow hunt. BB
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Next time for sure.
I too have felt the pain of a shoulder shot on a Leopard and to tell the truth I'm still not over it. Someday...
We have a rhinehart leopard target at our club we shoot for leagues and I always have a tough time picking a spot on it. It 's my least favorite target.
You first fly 2000 miles, lose $1500. In equipment, drive to an unknown location through a boarder crossing filled with thieves and lowlifes. After having a POS put a rifle in your face, you drive another ridiculous amount of time and have to pay a government theif for a broken tag light. Then you break a dental appliance, hunt for 2 weeks and get one shot at an overgrown pussy cat? Y'all kill a huge MAMBA, and are surrounded by other MAMBAS? Then on top of that you get a disease?
I respect your grit. I worry about your sanity. Thanks for presenting another GREAT adventure on bowsite. Mike
Be sure to do a story about your gator with clutch another one on my bucket list!
What an encredible adventure. This is one of the greatest post I have ever read on Bowsite.
To borrow a few words from William Faulkner, "I believe that man will not merely endure. He will prevail". I truly believe that this is how the final chapter of your quest for Mr. Spotts will end. You will prevail.
Stay focused and you will succeed. Thanks for taking us along and sharing your adventure with us.
Thank you and good luck on your next adventure, Now onto the swamp lizards!
PLEASE save the anaysis. I know you are next level......lets just leave it at that.
Tim
Thank you for sharing the adventure. No doubt you will get it done. Many of us will be following when you do. I have a feeling it wont be long......
Steve
Nobody here is interested in your opinions. BPM gave it his best. Your attempts to prove that you know more than everyone else are tiresome at best.
BPM, Good effort, sometimes things don't go our way. Just think how much you'll appreciate Mr. S when you finally get him!
TBB
Best of Luck, Jeff
What an adventure. I'm speechless. Well, almost speechless....=D
In the "real" world it's all about results.
In the heart and soul it's about the effort and experience.
Can't tell you how much I enjoyed and appreciated bringing us along on this adventure. Tough as it was. Respect doesn't even start to crack it....
Thanks buddy, and.... well....as we all know.... next time....
I was surprised that the PH insisted on a Rage. I know that the people who like them, love them, but they certainly have their detractors. What will you be shooting next time?
I still think about the giant WT I choked on last fall rather then the moose, bear and other deer I shot in that same period.
Good news. It will make that fire burn even hotter.
Tough break but it was an unreal adventure that is for sure. I am sure that it has only added fuel to the fire to get Mr. Spots on the ground. Thanks for sharing with us and best of luck to you on your future hunts.
The PH didn't recommend a Rage...he recommended a Rage+. Many times in hunting or anything else there is a combo of this + that + something else+ etc+... This can apply to making pizza or sandwiches. Toasted bread + mustard + mayo+ Turkey+ bacon= a pretty good sandwich but the second you substitute peanut butter in place of turkey then things go south in a hurry and you have to backup and start over if you want it to work. Unlike most animals we shoot, a cat is put together in a way that allows for his legs and all the bone structure associated with the legs to extend rearward as in the crouched position and cover the vitals. They are also different in that they don't have the tenacity to take a shot in the midsection and cover mile after mile. The Rage is one of the top gut shot heads on the market...therefore a cat + Rage+ gut shot = a dead and very recoverable cat in the opinion of the PH. A mechanical placed high in the midsection of a Turkey is a good idea...if you change to a head shot then the mechanical is not the best idea. The second the decision was made to shoot tight to the shoulder then the Rage was not the best and another head should have been substituted. It still could have worked... probably a 50/50 proposition and this time the pizza landed on the topping.
resist resist resist resist resist resist
resist resist resist resist resist resist
resist resist resist resist resist resist
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TBM you are such a jerk.
TBB
I don't think anyone who had an ak stuck in his face, tracked a wounded leopard without a gun while enduring tick fever will sweat over a few comments on bs...espicially if there designed to help those who are fortunate enough to go on such a hunt.
Now All Time 3rd Place behind White Raven (#1) and Elkman (#2)
Great story Tim...love the faith in oneself to get the job done (with bow)
Mike
Absolutely pointless
Best of luck on your gator hunt! Can't wait for that story. I've been scouting some big lizards in hopes that I draw a tag this year.
TBB
U.S. citizen visitors have been detained under suspicion of operating as journalists without accreditation for photographing cultural sites and areas that may not immediately appear to be sensitive. Tourists may also be subject to harassment or arrest for photographing police, roadblocks, occupied commercial farms, and government buildings or military installations, official residences or embassies, including the president’s palace. Get prior written permission from the appropriate government office before taking such photographs. It is not always immediately apparent what the police deem sensitive. Police have detained U.S. citizens for photographing any subject they view as sensitive no matter how innocuous it may seem to the photographer. You should be very aware of your surroundings and seriously consider the risks of taking any pictures outside game parks and known tourist areas
Glad you survived it!
I was beginning to think I was the only one getting hassled by cops and airport workers. Seems to be epidemic in Africa. Maybe other places too.
Looking forward to your next great adventure. Best of luck.
Mike
You're SO close Tim...Keep at 'em.
Shooting accurately with virtually no natural light is never easy, especially when a large leopard is the target! My good friend lost one exactly the same way in Namibia shooting a recurve. (very costly hunt) I do hope you can get back someday soon and finalize the deal on one.
Have you thought about a hunt using dogs? My other buddy shot his leopard at 22 yds while it was making mince meat of a hound... pretty exciting deal for him, but they ended up losing two dogs to injuries that day. He said the adrenalin rush for him was hard to describe. Sounds like you might be reconsidering who you book with next time too. Of course your PH was mostly interested in your safety but having "no plan"... really?? That is not very comforting to hear anytime let alone in a situation like that. They should have gone back in while you were laid up with the fever and retrieved him for you.
Glad to hear the tick fever is now past and by all means, good luck to you with the gators!
If one guy reads this and it helps him get over a hunt that makes him consider giving up bowhunting, well it's worth sharing.
This is a great comment. I wounded an antelope a couple of years ago and was so torn up about it that I almost quit bowhunting. If it wasn't for a buddy and the fact that we had one more day left to hunt I think I would have been done. I made a good shot the next day and it totally revitalized my love for bow hunting. Your perseverance is to be commended.
Hats off to you for telling it like it is, great adventure and story, enjoyed reading every word you wrote and hope someday you get your leopard. You certainly deserve one after all you have endured, not sure I would make it past the border after the AK in my face!
XMan
Very sorry about the leopard.
You made a heck of an effort and sometimes it doesn't happen.
If you're going to give it a try, I recommend contacting Thierry Labat.
He is an excellent PH (was the Zim PH of the year 2 years ago) and I believe he is the BEST leopard guy in Zim.
He has also bowhunted (and killed leopards) with his clients.
I killed a leopard with him two years ago and am are returning to Zim in two weeks for my 4th hunt with him.
I can't recommend him enough.
Message me if you want more info.
Many thanks for the honest, fantastic report.
You'll kill Mr. Spots next time!
GREAT story. Great adventure glad you are feeling better. Nasty stuff that is
resist resist resist resist resist resist
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resist resist resist resist resist resist
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Help me out again, TradbowBob.
find your happy place
find your happy place
hang tough Bou!
KS flatlander handled it perfectly
TBB
TBM, go piss up a rope !!!
the adventure continues!
But this story is the perfect definition of "leopard luck" that some are all to familiar with.
Good luck on your future hunts. I do know that most people who stick it out and beat leopard luck are typically rewarded with a trophy of many lifetimes.
Thank you for sharing
I truly enjoyed the recap and felt your pain after the shot. I can only imagine the pressure and mental stress one might feel when drawing back on a leopard with stick and string...
I appreciate your dedication and look forward to a future leopard endeavor from you!
>>>>-------->
I look forward to the next edition.
I'm saving for a leopard hunt now and already dread that moment when it is time to shoot.
It is not spending all that money and then missing that keeps me awake at night. It is worrying that I will make a bad shot and someone will be killed or hurt that eats at me.
At least you were able to get a shot and nobody was hurt in the end. 90% chance that cat is still out there doing what cats do.
Congrats on the hunt and I really look forward to your next one. Buff
