Bigbore rifles for the world's largest game have long fascinated riflemen. In years gone by, when there was a lot more elephant hunting, gallons of ink were spilled over the nuances of quite similar cartridges and equally similar solid bullets. In today's world even greater volumes of ink have been spilled over the right rifles and cartridges for hunting buffalo, primarily the African variety. I have personally used up at least many quarts of this ink.

The author has yet to have an opportunity to try the new .375 Ruger on either cats or bears, but he has no doubt it will be an excellent choice. Somewhat faster than the .375 H&H, it will hit a bit harder and expanding bullets will expand a bit faster.

It seems to me that the other dangerous game, the thin-skinned varieties, have gotten short shrift. Fulfilling that obligation, this piece will touch on the bears, but I'm going to spend much more time on the great cats: lion and leopard. Both present unique situations, both are extremely dangerous, and both deserve significant care in choosing the right armament, as do the bruins.

Leopard hunting is actually an anomaly. Every other animal I can think of that might bite, claw, gore, toss, trample or eat you is at least somewhat dangerous all of the time. The leopard is not. He is a wary, crafty and extremely skilled nocturnal predator, but despite historic instances of man-eating, when you are deliberately hunting leopard you are usually in no danger at all. The leopard is non-confrontational, especially in daylight hours, and he will go to great lengths to avoid you.

On the other hand, if you provoke him enough he is the most likely of all the dangerous game to hurt you. This is because he is the smallest and fastest, and he wears the best camouflage. His charge is likely to come from the closest quarters, and because of his size and speed he is the most difficult to hit.

The most common provocation--and it is definitely enough--is to fail to hit him properly with the first shot. Not all wounded leopards will charge, and not all will even lie in wait, but I believe the percentage is far higher than with any other dangerous species.

Both lions and leopards are often taken from blinds, which should be the easiest shot in the world--close range, steady rest, etc. Add pressure and low light and it's harder than it looks.

Wounding a leopard is not the only adequate provocation. Tracking hunts--once common in the Kalahari region--are unusual today, but a high percentage of them end in charges. The leopard, like all cats, is short-winded and somewhat short-tempered. You will only jump him from so many patches of bush before he has had enough, and then he will come.

Dog hunting--very popular a century ago--is once again readily available in some parts of southern Africa. This, too, offers enough provocation. Some leopards run and others tree, but many fight the dogs on the ground. The dogs are the immediate menace, but when the hunters approach, the leopard often seems to understand the source of his real troubles. Eye contact can and often will trigger a charge like a bullet.

I have seen this. In fact, I've seen two leopard charges. Both were fast, frightening and extremely noisy. A leopard on the charge roars like thunder, a series of deep-throated thunderclaps all the way in. The sound alone is enough to make you turn and run.