Choose a jaguar gun

[RobertJ.]

I've read that jaguars have more biting power than any other cat, and are the third largest, after the tiger and the lion.

I had always been under the impression, mistakenly apparently, that they were just South America's version of the African leopard, with the occasional black one. Not that there's anything wrong with being a leopard...

Learn something new every day!

 

[Texas Star]

Robert-

Leopards top out at roughly 200 pounds. A really big jaguar may weigh twice that.

A jaguar's jaws can break open turtle shells!

But the leopard, Panthera pardus, is a true survivor, able to take all manner of animals to maybe the size of sable antelope, although they usually go after impala or smaller. They sometimes live in the outskirts of quite large cities, the only clue to their presence being the number of pets that go missing. They love to eat dogs.

If one gets into a flock of sheep or lambs, they kill with wild abandon, far more kills than they can eat. They seemingly enjoy the killing. Rooikats (Caracal lynxes) also do this and bluefish eat until full, then throw it up and slash again into schools of baitfish. Bluefish are also dangerous to humans in the water. Those animal lovers who say that only Man kills for pleasure ought to look further. Anyone who's seen a cat play with an injured mouse should know better.

I'm a great admirer of leopards. But they're among the worst man-eaters. They can be very bold and are very strong for their size, but retain most of their caution around humans, unlike most lions or tigers. The Panar leopard that almost got Jim Corbett had a KNOWN 400 human kills! The leopard of Rudraprayag had only 125, but had a huge reputation, as so many deaths were of Hindu pilgrims enroute to a shrine. It got more publicity.

I don't know of any specific jaguar kills of humans, but don't doubt they happen, most among remote Indians who don't have much contact with civilization.

The first full mount of an animal I ever saw was of a jaguar, at the Ft. Worth Museum of Natural History. I was about 8, and turned a corner in the museum and saw one out in the open. Took a moment to realize that it was not alive. I got out my Cub Scout knife in a flash and was scared that it was about to leap onto me. It was one of the worst scares that I've had, and there have been a few since.

 

[Rule3]

If a JagUar is going to get you, I doubt you will have any time to shot it with anything! Plus don't they stalk around at Night?

 

[les.b]

Texas, I had no idea. I have been reading the above posts, and just realized that the jaguar was as big as it is. Perhaps I need to go back and revise my initial response!!! I don't know why, but I always thought that the jaguar was smaller than the cougar. My mistake. Maybe I'd better research this a little more!!!

Best Regards, Les

 

[BearBio]

My sole experience with jaguars in the wild was when one followed us for an hour or so in the jungle in Tikal, Guatemala.

Jaguars are supposedly not too hard to kill but are large. I'd opt for a Glock 20 or a Glock in 357 Sig (revolvers: a 45 Colt, 41 mag or a 357)

 

[Old TexMex]

They hunt from trees as well, and are known to ambush from trees overhanging trails, so "look up, point man".

 

[Texas Star]

Texas, I had no idea. I have been reading the above posts, and just realized that the jaguar was as big as it is. Perhaps I need to go back and revise my initial response!!! I don't know why, but I always thought that the jaguar was smaller than the cougar. My mistake. Maybe I'd better research this a little more!!!

Best Regards, Les

Les-

Cougars are more leopard size.

You may have been thinking of the jaguarundi. There are two color phases, reddish brown and gray. It was also known as the eyra. Or the ocelot or the margay may have been on your mind. Also see the oncilla.

The jaguar has impressed native peoples where they live, the Aztecs having had a jaguar knight society.

I read an account of a jaguar eating a man in a hammock one night, to the horror of the man in the next hammock. He said he could hear bones being broken. Probably the stuff of recurring nightmares...

 

[da gimp]

pistol would be an original S&W 686, 4" .357 magnum.. with good hi viz night sights... and possibly a lanyard loop....

shotgun would be an Ithaca 12 gauge or 20 gauge model 37... or possibly a proven Rem 1100, any of the 3 would have a 20" rifle sighted barrel ...with sling swivels & sling on it...The shotgun used would be loaded with number four buck & slugs alternating...

... since semi-autos/full auto are not to be had/owned by civilians in much of the cat's range... I'd choose a Winchester 64 in .30-30 to get a little more range than my ..357mag would afford me....ammo should be easily available just about anywhere...Sling would be mandatory on the rifle too.

 

[rwsmith]

Believe me.....

Read the prior posts. But you underestimate. Sasha Siemel was a big man and wrestled for a living before he became famous as an author, lecturer and hunter. He was originally a Latvian or Estonian who went to Brazil. Spoke Latvian, Russian, English, and of course, Brazilian Portuguese.

I have his book, "Tigrero!" He was also profiled by Peter H. Capstick in one of his books, I think, "Death in the Silent Places." BTW, I wrote one of the reviews excerpted in the paperback edition of that book. I called Peter , "the primary chronicler of safari lore today." And he was. I miss him. He was just as funny and macabre in person as he was in print. A real wordsmith.

Anyway, Siemel stood pretty tall by any measure.

...I'm not taking anything from Siemel. I'm just more familiar with this one jaguar story as opposed to tons of lion, tiger and other dangerous animals. I have several of Capstick's books but I don't know much about 'Tigero!' I'll keep a look out because I eat up any good hunting story whether danger is involved or not.

 

[amazingflapjack]

If they hadn't exploited the wild animal, he wouldn't have "menaced people"-leave them in the jungle. The love of money...

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Don't forget- there is a Jaguar in the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona.
I guess you Arizona boys can just use your bear gun.

 

[chaparrito]

Don't forget- there is a Jaguar in the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona.
I guess you Arizona boys can just use your bear gun.

He's the only one known to be in that area. I almost wish there wasn't so much news about him. Some fool will need to prove his machismo by hunting him.

 

[rwsmith]

Criminy...

Don't forget- there is a Jaguar in the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona.
I guess you Arizona boys can just use your bear gun.

I'm torn between how cool it is to have a powerful animal like that in the states and being glad that they aren't like coyotes that have close contact with people. If he stays away from people I'm sure not going to go looking to shoot him. MAGNIFICENT!!!

How big is this fella???

 

[rwsmith]

Don't put out word......

He's the only one known to be in that area. I almost wish there wasn't so much news about him. Some fool will need to prove his machismo by hunting him.

Don't put out word that their whiskers, testicles and bones are good 'folk medicine' like the tigers in Asia. There are only a few hundred Sumatrans left.

 

[rwsmith]

Where i did I read the story.....

+1 .....Yes and they don't hesitate to prey on big snakes and good sized caimans....
And forget to jump in water trying to escape them...., they love to swim !

A notorious killer tiger SWAM AFTER a boat, 'boarded' it and ate somebody.

 

[Texas Star]

A notorious killer tiger SWAM AFTER a boat, 'boarded' it and ate somebody.

A tiger, not a jaguar, tigre?

Was that in the Sundurban region of SE India? Man-eating tigers are somewhat aquatic there and often aggressive.

This raises the issue of why Spanish and Portuguese explorers called the jaguar, El tigre, the tiger. The early Dutch in South Africa called the leopard a tijger, too. These Europeans should have known what both tigers and leopards looked like. I can see them mistaking a jaguar for a leopard, but a striped tiger?!

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

I'd just use a giant laser pointer and shine it into a cage, then trap it.

 

[old bear]

My choice would depend on several variables. The caliber of revolver I could carry and any restrictions on bullet type, as well as the conditions I would have to carry the revolver under.

For all around carry, my first choice would be a 2 1/2" model 66 loaded with a 158Gr. hard cast .357 Magnum round. Second would be 4" model 66 loaded with the same round.

If I could not carry a .357 Magnum round, I'd opt for either of the above revolvers, loaded with the Underwood brand 38 special +P "Keith" load. If I remember correctly its' muzzle velocity is 1,200 FPS producing 550 foot pounds of energy. This round is really a low end .357 Magnum power.

If my choices would not stop a big cat, well call me cat chow

 

[da gimp]

okay... Here's one for the brainiacs here... how close genetically are jaguars and leopards ? Did they develop entirely separately.. or was the main type started before the continents broke apart... I always wondered about this...

 

[rwsmith]

Yeah, Tiger in SE India.....

A tiger, not a jaguar, tigre?

Was that in the Sundurban region of SE India? Man-eating tigers are somewhat aquatic there and often aggressive.

This raises the issue of why Spanish and Portuguese explorers called the jaguar, El tigre, the tiger. The early Dutch in South Africa called the leopard a tijger, too. These Europeans should have known what both tigers and leopards looked like. I can see them mistaking a jaguar for a leopard, but a striped tiger?!

It was a tiger in India. Just pointing out that these aren't house cats that loathe water.