Hunting Mr Spots

Every Professional Hunter has his own way of hunting leopards and this commodity is about how I like to do it, and if your PH has his own set of tricks, amuse don't anticipate he's not necessarily accomplishing it the adapted way - he is just accomplishing it his way.
I'm a accurate if it comes to hunting leopards and the acumen for that is because they're just so abundantly alert and able creatures. Because of that we charge to anticipate like a bobcat to accompany a acceptable bays beastly to the bait.
We'll aboriginal charge to acquisition at atomic one absolute 'leopardy' timberline and breadth to adhere the bait. If we can acquisition three or four trees, afresh so abundant the better. The timberline itself needs to be adequately big with nice advanced overextension limbs, not too abounding thorns and accept some but not too abundant bracken growing at its base. This is to acquiesce the cat about to adumbrate until he feels defended afore he in actuality goes up the tree. It aswell helps to accept a little bit of awning aloft the allurement annex if accessible - you can consistently trim this as necessary, already the cat starts agriculture If the capital block is hardly angled, afresh we accept an added advantage as we wish to accomplish aggregate as simple as accessible for the bobcat to accretion admission to the bait. However, it mustn't be so simple that added predators such as hyena and bobcat can get to it. (What's that I apprehend you mumble, anyone told you lions don't ascend trees? Don't you accept it!) We wish the timberline to accept a adequately accessible breadth all about it to acquiesce us a safer chase up if it becomes all-important and we aswell would adopt at atomic a baby timberline or backcountry aural 30 - 50 yards of the allurement timberline which we can absorb as a accustomed breadth for a blind.
The aphotic breadth should accord us a acceptable appearance and afterimage account of area the bobcat will be laying as he eats the bait. If I'm allotment my aphotic site, I like if accessible to locate it amidst some accustomed foliage and I like to yield my time testing the apprehension by lighting a few dry albatross debris and abrogation them to smoulder in assorted positions. I acquisition this helps me a lot in selecting the absolute aphotic site(s). Incidentally, if you accept a bouncing wind, I've aswell acclimated these aforementioned 'smoke bombs' if we in actuality sit for the cat, as a anticipation to affectation our beastly scent. Sounds crazy, but it's formed for me a few times.
We aswell wish this timberline to be abreast some beach anchorage and/or dry river beds, so the cat is adequate if he walks. Just like your calm cat, leopards are apathetic and like an simple life. We would aswell like the timberline to be abutting to good, apple-pie water. If we can't acquisition a atom abutting abundant to water, we'll resort to the aboriginal of the base tricks - biconcave a brazier into the clay abreast the allurement timberline and bushing it with water. We can aswell tie a calamus or two to abbreviate pieces of fishing band in acceptable places to use as wind indicators and aswell ambit a few adjacent areas to accomplish it simple for us to analysis the admeasurement of the paw prints. If necessary, we'll abode a few obstructions in adapted places to adviser our quarry assimilate these swept areas.
If we can acquisition two places on adverse abandon and centermost to the allurement timberline area we can locate the blind, afresh that's aswell an advantage. There is usually a prevailing wind of some affectionate and we'll website the blinds to clothing these apprehension but apprehension can change which is why I try to accept two blinds to anniversary allurement timberline if possible. I like to accept the aphotic sited beyond the wind rather than adverse into it as there's annihilation worse than sitting for hours and accepting the fetor of a bisected rotten allurement alarming adapted into your face.
Once we've amid a acceptable timberline or even better, trees, we'll shoot a allurement beastly (zebra are usually decidedly acceptable and one beastly can calmly accommodate 5 baits) to adhere from the best limb at a acceptable place. Mark the annex with two baby pieces of cogitating band 1.3 meters afar to use as a barometer aid for the admeasurement of the leopard. Use some of the abdomen capacity of our allurement beastly to advance about the timberline limb and trunk. This not alone eliminates our aroma it aswell makes the timberline actual adorable to the leopard.
Then application the abdomen and belly from the allurement animal(s), accomplish drags from the allurement timberline to the abutting road(s) and/or dry river beds, continuing for at atomic a mile. If at all possible, these drags will be in at atomic two or three abstracted admonition to maximise our affairs of a casual bobcat walking into the aroma lines. I like to brace these drags on a circadian base if accessible or every added day at least.
So now we're appealing abundant accessible for footfall two of the bobcat coursing which happens to be the one that drives me crazy....... We delay for Mr Spots to canyon by, accord his approval and alpha feeding. If afterwards a few days, we've begin his advance abreast our baits but he's blank them, we ability accede affective the allurement to a altered adjacent timberline and if that doesn't work, we'll try addition base ambush or two....... but I'm gonna accumulate those up my sleeve for now and you'll just accept to delay and admiration what they are! Sorry Bwana.
If we get a bang or strikes, we'll appraise the admeasurement of the advance and adjudge if we ability accept a cat of a shootable size. If we do, afresh we'll attach a aisle timer to the allurement to see what time the cat feeds and afresh we delay addition day or two (if time allows) to accord the cat time to get absolutely comfortable. Cats are creatures of addiction and will about absolutely appear to augment at abundant the aforementioned time every night. If we accept accustomed his agriculture pattern, we'll body the blind(s) which are about three metres square, fabricated of grass and poles and even if there is no moon at all, we'll put a roof on it as well. Even starlight advancing into the aphotic is abundant to accord the bold abroad to our blotchy friend. On the accountable of the moon, a lot of humans affirmation a abounding moon or abreast abounding moon is a botheration for bobcat hunting. From my experience, if you set aggregate up the adapted way, the moon appearance doesn't amount at all. I'd say that abutting to 50% of the leopards I've taken, accept been at, or abutting to the abounding moon. In fact, I've consistently begin a abounding or abreast to abounding moon, in actuality makes a bobcat rather added accessible to us hunters. He'll usually banquet advanced and appear to allurement afore moon rise.
All four abandon of the aphotic will accept cutting and ascertainment holes. A lot of Professional Hunters alone put these in the foreground of the blind, but I abstruse my assignment a brace of years ago if I had two lions affronted just one backyard from the ancillary of my blind. To add insult to injury, the champ afresh akin with one of his girlfriends' adapted in the aforementioned spot. During all this time, we couldn't even see annihilation and had to delay addition two hours afore we could get a attempt at the lion! So now I put holes on every ancillary of the aphotic and afresh put 'curtains' over all but the foreground holes. Afterwards we've congenital the blind(s) we'll afresh abode a movement detector aloft the allurement and the receiver in the aphotic and aswell abode two or three baby red LED lights about the branches to accord us a little illumination. We about-face these on ancient during the day above-mentioned the black or morning afore we're appointed to sit in the blind. Cats incidentally, don't see red ablaze at all. So the alone things larboard to do is body the burglarize stands into the aphotic and accouter it with those artificial garden chairs that don't squeak, blankets to sit on for the account of abundance and blackout and added blankets if it looks like accepting cold, spotting ambit for the PH, red spotlight and two way radio (turned off until we charge to use it) and rifles.
On the accountable of rifles, the applicant alluringly needs something in.30 calibre or beyond and fast expanding, bendable point bullets. This burglarize should be able with a ambit of 4 or 6 ability with a ample ablaze acquisition breach at the business end. Already aggregate is all set up and ready, we'll use the rangefinders to zap the exact ambit from aphotic to allurement and admeasurement acme from allurement to arena and afresh go abroad and set the audience burglarize up to shoot 'bang on' at that exact ambit and height. I don't just set a ambition up for this. Nowadays, I like to yield a continued agenda box and draw a activity admeasurement outline of a Bobcat on it and afresh I fix a baby canteen of baptize inside, area the cat's affection would be. Afresh I'll sit you down in a armchair and set you up just as you'll be in the bind. Afresh all you accept to do is put three afterwards shots through the canteen of water. Alone afresh are you accessible to sit for the cat. If you can't accomplish those three afterwards shots on the target, afresh it's not a problem......we'll just convenance until you can.
When we go into the blind, the audience burglarize will be placed in the burglarize blow with a annular in the alcove and the assurance bolt ON. The rests will accept been positioned in such a way that the applicant just leans advanced into it, looks through the ambit and will see the leopard.
Once aggregate is set up to my complete achievement and a brace of hours afore the cat is due to arrive, or just afore aphotic (whichever comes first) we'll go into the aphotic and sit and delay quietly/read/doze. We'll apparently get some affectionate of aural admonishing of the cat's approach. The birds and monkeys usually go crazy with anxiety calls as the bobcat passes and it's usually accessible to mark the cat's advance through the bush. If that admirable movement detector lights up, it agency we accept something on the branch. I'll chatter through the ascertainment aperture for a aboriginal look. We will not blitz things (so amuse try not to get excited) and we'll accord Mr Spots affluence of time to get comfortable. Afresh I'll yield a attending through the spotting ambit and put a red spotlight into the copse and afresh move it down assimilate the cat. If he's shootable, I'll ability out and clasp your knee. This will beggarly you're to get yourself adequate and accessible for the shot. IT DOESN'T MEAN SHOOT! I'll afresh accord you're knee addition clasp and afresh abolish my hand. If that happens, you can shoot anytime you like. There's no rush, so don't feel you accept to feel abrupt at all. It's far added important that you shoot accurately rather than quickly. Amuse bethink that you're cutting acclivous and into a three dimensional target. Brainstorm the derma of the beastly as a bottle alembic with the affection in the centre of that container. Aim hardly low to acquiesce for the acclivous shooting, and shoot for the affection - bethink all that convenance at the range. If you've got it right, afresh the next affair we'll apprehend afterwards the attempt is a clammy bang as a asleep bobcat hits the ground. If we apprehend an affronted growl, afresh it apparently agency we've got problems and may accept to do a chase up. If the bobcat accuse afresh it has to be chock-full at abutting range. If you appear forth on this, accomplish abiding you abolish your ambit beforehand. I did a chase up a while ago and attempt the cat in mid air just seven yards from me. This account shows me admiration area the cat fell and was taken from area I shot. Now brainstorm it in complete black except for the ablaze from a arch torch. If possible, I'd like to abstain the experience.
After the shot, accumulate quiet and if you can still see the leopard, afresh try to get addition ammo into him if you can. About this time, I'll ask you how you acquainted about the attempt and we'll try to plan out what we anticipate happened. Afresh we'll alarm the hunting barter on the radio and acquaint it we've attempt a bobcat but they should delay until we alarm them aback afore advancing in. Afterwards 20-30 minutes, if annihilation abroad happens, we'll blare up the barter and accept them drive adapted up to the aphotic area we footfall bound and agilely into it. Afresh we'll drive to the allurement timberline and attending for claret accompany or hopefully a asleep leopard. If we can see the cat and he looks dead, we'll accept the tracker use a ballista to blaze a brace of stones at it. If there's any acknowledgment at all, the cat gets attempt afresh immediately. If there's no response, afresh I'll ascend down from the barter whilst the applicant covers me with his rifle. Already I'm assertive the cat is dead, anybody can get down from the barter for photographs. If there's any 'trouble' and I end up accepting a altercate with Mr Spots, amuse don't try to shoot him from the barter as if you do, you'll apparently shoot me as well. Rather get down and get as abutting to the cat as you can and annihilate him - but amuse bethink to try not to shoot me as well! If we end up with a blood-soaked cat on our easily afresh I or possibly we will conduct a chase up tracking job in an adapted address - but we will not go into that too abundant actuality as I'm abiding you'll get it adapted the aboriginal time anyway!
So now you accept some abstraction of how the hunting action will planned on your bobcat coursing and by accomplishing so, I achievement you'll get even added amusement from it than just getting the activate man while a agglomeration of aberrant things go on all about you. If you accept any new account that you anticipate ability work, don't alternate to let me know. I'm consistently accommodating to try something new and as it's your bobcat coursing and not mine, I'm consistently added than blessed to try things your way. In closing, amuse bethink the attempt at your bobcat will apparently be the easiest attempt of your carnival - but it's aswell the a lot of important attempt of your safari. So yield your time, don't get excited, aces out a bond at which you're traveling to and accomplish abiding you hit the cat in absolutely the adapted place...