What Broadhead for Leopard?
Equipment
Say you have a baited Leopard hunt. What Broadhead would you use and why?
LEOPARD,,, WOW, ain't touching that, afraid to get scratched...8^)
Seriously though, personally would probably use a big 160+ grain Snuffer, something that'll kill quick... Since they're not heavy boned, something like the big, wide cut on contact 3-blade Snuffer...
Site owner Pat killed one with an arrow:
https://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/features/LIVEHUNTS/Leopard2011/
Say you have a baited Leopard hunt. What Broadhead would you use and why?
One of Ricardo’s converted brown bear arrows. Bearman can be contacted for details
Probably an Iron Will wide. Tough, super sharp, good size cut flys great.
The one that flies the best on my arrows and is or can be made the sharpest.
The best flying produces the best penetration. The sharpest imparts the most damage.
You’d better hit it good. I’ve read many accounts from a lot of PH’s concerning leopards. Hit it right, it’s gravy. Hit it wrong and you quickly become the hunted. Good luck brother.
I'd just use my impossible to get sharp 3 blades over a mouse pile.
NAP original Spitfire 3- blade 1-1/2” wide mechanical. Same as I did on a polar bear, elk, Canada moose, 2 caribou some black bears and deer over the past 7 seasons. Accuracy (excellent flight) and cutting area combined with adequate toughness will just plain work in my experience. Blood trails will be decent too.
Just watched a Lusk video testing the NAP 3 blade and it did ok but after watching the penetration and durability for use on a dangerous cat I’d pass on that one.
The one that flies better with your bow/arrow set up The cats skins in not to tough, so you better concentrate in shoot placement I will use my old Muzzy 100grains.
Talk to Sylvester. He'll set you up right. Unless you want to make a mount later.
Spike, I'd take accuracy, excellent arrow flight and good blood trails for dangerous cats (or bears) over "bone breaking" spiral two blade wound channels. But you do you and I'll keep doing what has worked effectively for myself and some friends here in BC and we'll all be happy.
Lusk's tests in steel and concrete are just that. They aren't reflective of results I've seen on moose ribs, black bear shoulder blade penetrated followed by cutting into the spine. Spitfires were all shot from a bow generating 78 Ft-lbs of energy (475 gr arrow @ 272 fps) 6' from the bow. The Spitfires withstand that energy level without issue in my experience.
Leopards are small thin skinned animals (that will kill you faster than you can blink).
debating a large cutting diameter mech for blood and fast kill, or say a regular fixed if the shot angle is not perfect and may need to shoot through shoulder (quarter too shot?)
Leopards don't come easy and may only have one chance and not enough time to wait for the perfect angle.....
Same broadhead I would use on a mountain lion shot placement is key
Kurt, if it works for you keep on using it. I’m talking flying all the way to another country and shooting at a dangerous game animal with a broadhead that has movable parts and thin blades attached with tiny pins. Maybe you never had a malfunction but to fly all that way and risk it hell no. I want a no fail tough as nails broadhead for that task. All this talk of accuracy is garbage with todays broadheads. Most compact heads fly just as good as mechs do.
Leopard are only ~200# animals, so I would think whatever you use for deer should work fine.
Did you ask your PH what he suggests ? I am guessing he has a lot of experience with archery leopard and should have a good idea what works. Just my two cents. I used fixed blade on my MT. Lion hunt
Spike, the polar bear I shot with a spitfire was down in 6 or 8 seconds, travelled 1 yard. Inuits said they hadn't ever seen one die any quicker via bow or rifle. And the trip was about like going to Africa for time travelled without including the 11 days on the ice.
I would shoot either a 175 gr VPA wide 3 blade or a 175 gr Iron Will solid 2 blade with bleeders. Both fly extremely well for me, can be sharpened to be very sharp, penetrate extremely well. will not deform on bone but will split it and usually put animals down in sight. I think that the VPAs leave a better blood trail but I doubt if that the blood trail is a big issue as PH will probably have a dog. The Iron Will will penetrate better so that would be my first choice.
Fun!!! If you can’t scam up some free grizzly sticks, just use whatever you use for whitetails. I shot a big mountain lion a few years back - nothing special 125g Montec on an 450g arrow … and I don’t think that arrow even slowed down (quartering to and level shot)
