Sean Grant, Wayne's brother, survived a terrible leopard
mauling described in Wayne's book, Into the Thorns. Both
Grant brothers are hard working professional hunters. The
hippo served as bait for the leopard hunted in the story, and
as food for many of the natives. The hippo attacked the boat
after being initially shot, and was shot three times by Sean
with a .416 at point blank range to finish him off.
cross-legged reading a book and had previously given strict
instructions for the blind - no talking, no sniffling or coughing,
no clearing your throat. All sandwich bags, water bottles and
zippered compartments had been previously opened so we could
ensure silence. I tried to read a waterlogged book but realized I
was simply scanning words and not comprehending the content.
I stared at the kudu bone as darkness approached, and felt
optimistic about the conditions. If I were a leopard, I would get
moving after the terrible storm and have dinner at dusk.
I began planning the safari two years previous to the actual
hunt after reading Wayne’s excellent book, Into the Thorns. I
tracked him down as I liked his style of hunting, his voice of
conservation for the leopard species, and he appeared to be a
genuinely interesting guy. Let’s face it; if you are going to spend
two weeks with someone in the bush and countless hours sitting
in a blind, they need to be interesting.
Wayne is a leopard specialist. He started hunting them
almost accidentally after leaving the Rhodesian armed forces
where he served in the elite Rhodesian Light Infantry, Fire Force
Battalion fighting terrorists at a time when most Americans
only associated the word ‘terrorist’ with foreign countries far
from home. Wayne likes to focus solely on the leopard while
on safari, and recommends no shooting for other game or bait
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