Leopard Hunting with Hounds

[Brent Sinclair]

I had a few members aks me for some information on hunting Leopard with Hounds and was unable to access my emails or login so I had to reregister.
For those of you who wanted some of the info on the hunts you can email me or PM me here again.
Thanks
Brent

[d_j__c]

That is a rad looking cat.

[patch]

that would be the best nice cat

[Mike Leonard]

Brent,

I know we have discussed some of thise privatey but I think the public would like to hear a bit about your experiences in various areas how the trailing conditions and type of dogs compares with what you have seen in the US and Canada.

Folks as much ground as Brent has covered already in his life hunting would wear out two or three normal hunters. You gotta be tough Amigo.


thanks for sharing!

[Big Mike]

I too would like to hear about the type of dogs most are using on Leopards. Ive been told that leopard hunters have been buying a lot of the bobcat dogs from the south to use on leopards. Is this true? all ive heard is 3rd and 4th hand info?

Do Leopards bay or tree more? are they hell on dogs like jaguars?
Do you cold trail them long distance or more off of bait type stuff.

Just curious on all this stuff.

Maybe someday I will get to see first hand. thanks

[sourdough]

Great photo's Mr. Sinclair,

I have read many stories about African big game hunters and their hunts as well as their tails of the most dangerous game that occupies the continent of Africa. I to would love to hear some stories about the type of conditions one encounters in Africa? What type of hounds you use? Does the African lion come into play when trailing the Leopard? The leopard deals with other large predators by hoisting their prey in to trees as a way to protects their meal and themselves. How do they react to dogs? Do they stand and fight or go to the trees? Do leopard from different regions act differently? There are a million questions that could be asked and I could stay on this computer all night and drill you about the cats of Africa but any information that your willing to share would be great!!!

sourdough

[bency]

Right on! Thats double cool!

[Brent Sinclair]

Well fellas...you have some real good questions...I am by no means an authority on hounds used for hunting Leopard or leopard for that matter but I guess I can share what I have experienced and have seen with both hounds and cats in Africa from my past few years of hunting with one of the Best Houndsman on leopard that I know.
First I'd like to say it's because of fellas like yourself that I have had the great opportunity to have made a living guiding and outfitting around the country, I have gotten alot of good leads to various outfitters and areas from listening to guys and have persuied those leading to some pretty incrediable travels......

First off, I sent Mike Leonard a few photos of some of the country I have hunted in Zimbabwe and S.Africa for cats, and it sure does resemble many areas of the Southwest as he commented it did....
The Kalahari ( Namibia ) the Save Valley (pronounced Sauv) the Motobo Hills in the Matabeleland areas of Zimbabwe and the East Cape region of South Africa are all unique in there ways.
All of there places will make a "true dry ground lion hound" earn his keep.
The Kalahari is a desert, sand, rock, grass and scrub brush, The Save Valley Concervency is a mixture of dry brushy plains with sandy rocky soil in places to under growth so thick along the river run one can not penitrate it. Huge saucage pod and bayobab trees grow amoung the mupane forest and along the Save River itself.
The Motobo Hills are a rugged rocky set of low rolling hills with deep cuts littered with caves and brush choked ravines ( even a few black maumba's)..The East Cape region of South Africa is much like northwest Montana around Helena and some of the Snake River country of Idaho.
Grass slopes with brush and rocky outcrops everywhere...

What type of hounds do we use? well , believe it or not any good hound that will hunt is capable of becoming a good leopard hound.
In the packs I have hunted we have Walker, Walker cross, Black & Tan, B&T blood hound cross, Fox Hound cross, Bluetick even the Big Fox Terriers .....you name it.
This is a photo of what we used on several of our leopard this past season
Most well bred dry ground lion hounds from the US will make it as a leopard hound..
The trick ..... get them there as puppies, let them grow up in the area they will be hunting AND they have to have what it takes to stay focused on the leopard track made during the night in DRY conditions that has been walked on for the past few hours by every critter you could imagine , from a troop of baboons as large as 50 in the bunch to an elephant....
Most of the areas we hunt are sandy and rocky, with mupane trees, brush and scattered grass cover,as well as creek washes and ravines where cats like to travel.
The ground is either a very fine dust with grass cover or sun baked rock hard mud, some areas are a very course crystal type sand with alot of rock.
The Save Valley is different, it has alot more moisture than the Motobo Hills or the Kalahari becaues of the river.
The thick heavy lantana under brush holds scent alot better than the dry grasses,however there is still very dry fine sand and dirt with alot of grass where the hounds have to work to stay with the leopard.
One other BIG factor as asked..there are lion prides right where we do the leopard hunts in the Save Conservency... and we have had a couple of situations where the hounds were on the lion where it crossed the track of the leopard that had been made earlier that night
Listening to a big male leopard sawing as they call out it in the pre dawn light is something one will never forget.
Lions roaring off in the distance and hearing elephant a few 100 yrs to the side of your position as you follow a big track all within minutes of each other is an amazing experience...

I'll take time to answer everyones questions and post a few more photos in the next few days, so don't go anywhere..
I'd like to hear as well if any of the members have done a Leopard Hound Hunt and hear there experiences

I will continue this soon, I have a lion hunt in the morning and a 4am call is no fun at all for a guide that needs his rest....
Till next time Good Huntin.
Brent

[Brent Sinclair]

I too would like to hear about the type of dogs most are using on Leopards. Ive been told that leopard hunters have been buying a lot of the bobcat dogs from the south to use on leopards. Is this true? all ive heard is 3rd and 4th hand info?

There have been alot of good dogs purchased in the US and sent to Africa for leopard hounds, however, now there are several outstanding hounds both male and females hunting cats there that most houndsmen are breeding their own

Do Leopards bay or tree more?

Every cat and situation is different, alot depends on the area where we hunt, more open areas and big trees will surely give a better chance for a cat to tree but that is not always the case,
Even when a cat it treed his chances of comming down after a short time are very high, they will only tolerate the hounds for so long and most always jump if you can not get to the tree within a short time...personally I have not been on a hunt where we were more than 10 -15 minutes behind the pack when they put the cat up, on one occation we could see the leopard from about 60 yards away treed in a tall acatia about 50 feet up , he wasn't happy about all the comotion under him and within a minute or less of us getting to where we could see him he was out and hit a dog on the way down... from that point until the client got there, he faught the hounds on the ground in the tall grass.

are they hell on dogs like jaguars?

They can be, and when a cat fights the dogs there is sure to be a few that get hit or bitten, most of the time it is not real serious but they require some vet care and looking after...I have only had one hound get bittin bad enough that we had to put her down

Do you cold trail them long distance or more off of bait type stuff.


Again, it depends on several factors, if we hunt in an area where there are lions or Hyena, it is difficult to bait, they get claimed by these other carnivors and in some cases the trackers and game scouts even return after you have hung a bait and THEY take it !!!!!
I have been on hunts where we started a cat at dawn and trailed it until 3;00 that afternoon never closing the gap between it and the hounds,
On another hunt we had a bait in a dry wash and went to check it a bit to early as you can push the leopard off if he is feeding, and that is what we did.... it was about an hr or so before light so we waited, when we put the hounds on the track after waiting I still had 4 on leash when I heard the rifle shot about 60 yards ahead, the cat had gone no more than 100 or so yards from the bait in that hour and treed.
The program is to get up at 3am or so and drive roads or trails where you know and have seen a big track or to check baits if that is how you are hunting.
Finding the track as early as you can in the morning is important ..this allows for the hunt to start at first light.
After you have checked the area and determine that where you want to start the track is likely the freshes point that is where you put 1 or 2 hounds on it to work and figure it out ....that is where years of track hunting and your dog handler/tracker is as important as your hounds!!!

One thing I should point out..you have to decide before you turn out on a track that you have found if it is that of a mature trophy male and what size the cats is 7'2" 165???
You DO NOT go to the tree and catch your dogs to tie them up and decide at that point if you want to take the cat.
Chances are if he sees you he will either jump and run or if he is on the ground bayed up he's likely going to come looking for you, it will be a lightning fast all out charge and you will have to kill the cat...
EXPERIENCE both in estimating the cats size from it's track and keeping yourself together in front of a charging leopard should that happen are two things few PH's are capable of doing consistantly.... it takes years of being in the field, and I am glad I have had a PH with that experience between me the dogs and the leopard on a couple of occations...

Good Huntin
Brent

Just curious on all this stuff.

Maybe someday I will get to see first hand. thanks

[Big Mike]

Thanks for your insight. Good to hear from someone who has first hand experience.

Never thought about all the different kinds of off game, I could see how that would present some challanges.

Sounds like way too much fun!!!!!

[ChasinTail]

...Never thought about all the different kinds of off game, I could see how that would present some challenges...

Yeah, nothin' like having your dogs "trash" on a 400lb african lion!

That could be a rodeo!

[liontracker]

There last rodeo I would bet.

Good stuff here.

[Brent Sinclair]

There last rodeo I would bet.

It may be hard to believe, but not so long ago, big mature lions weighing in excess of 500 lbs have been taken with the use of hounds..
But the cat must be alone, two or more cats in a pride and it's likely that rodeo will happen.



Good stuff here.

[sourdough]

Mr.Sinclair

I guess from what you are saying Tri-Tronics come in very handy in the African bush. I will bet that a troop of baboons could be pretty rough on a pack of trail hounds as well as a wort hog and from what has been written about ancient times some of the plains game when cornered can put up a pretty good fight. Please keep posting pictures and stories from your African adventures as most of us on hear will never have the chance to see it and can only think of what it might be like.

Thanks again

sourdough

[liontracker]

Brent, do you trail wounded lion with hounds?