This past
season I had the privilege of hunting with Scotty Searle and Kent Chandler. On
this hunt we happened to get a number of great trophies, one being a great
Leopard. Some past clients may recognize this cat, as he would have given you a
few early mornings and late nights!
As we sat
in the little grass blind observing the big Leopard, (hereafter referred to as
big Tom), a cold July morning well before dawn, with the wind whistling across
the Serengeti plains, chilling our bones, I was looking back over the last few
days, thinking of how we had come across ‘our’ big Tom. Nearly
shooting him out of the big sausage tree with its large grotesque branches, a
perfect leopard tree, while returning from an exciting buffalo hunt in thick
cover. Since that day we had seen and heard him a number of times during the
early mornings and at sun set as we sat silently in the blind waiting for the
right moment. This was a smart Tom who had played this game many times. In
fact, he had become a legendary leopard.
The full
moon silhouetted the big Tom on the branch as he fed. Our bones ached, as we
dared not move. Just before dawn a pack of Hyena found the blind and began to
sniff and growl, at the blind! I could hear Kent’s breathing increase and
he froze to his chair as one Hyena sniffed at his foot through the grass wall.
However, Chui (Kiswahili for leopard) continued to feed totally undisturbed by
the commotion of the hyenas.
As the
first rays of light started to appear the big Tom left his tree. I could only
just make him out at the base of the tree as his spotted coat blended perfectly
in with the surrounding grass in the African dawn. Kent rested over his Dakota
375 win mag. searching for the leopard but unable to make him out through the
scope. Suddenly Chui disappeared into the surrounding grass. A cat’s sixth
sense?
Our
hunting vehicle arrived but I waved it on as I decided to sit in the blind a
couple of extra hours. This cat was not going to be far away and he had fed
during the day, two days previously. Shivering in our seats we heard the
leopard grunting a fair distance off as he moved down to the river to drink.
All was silent.
Just
after 8 ‘o clock I heard the shriek of a francolin and the warning call of
a nearby baboon. Another half an hour passed without a sound. The scrapping of
claws brought me back from daydreaming about a 50” buff. There the big Tom
stood on the branch in broad daylight! It was a perfect set-up!
The Tom
looked straight at the blind. Still he just stood there not letting us move a
muscle. Satisfied, the Tom looked away giving us the chance we had waited for.
Kent lent over his rifle and made a perfect shot. It was 8:45 in the morning
and Kent had gotten lucky!
Well
done, Kent! A perfect shot and a memorable hunt of a legendary leopard!
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