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Thanks for relating your experience. If you enjoyed your hunt, found it exciting and worthwhile for you. It's your hunt and money.

I am of two minds.

Firstly I would do a Tanzanian or Zimbabwean, Zambian, possibly Mozambique wild free range like. 1000% more before a captive bred high fenced lion hunt. I've seen how farm bred stags act even a year later. And that fence is always an impediment to escape and fair chase hunting.

But from a conservation point of view I think the captive bred lion hunting industry may provide a better means of lion survival than in the wild. Greedy invading humans and especially goats and cattle are too great a competition with big wild cats. Tigers in India should be established into a captive breeding hunting proposition as well. We might see twice as many tigers then as currently in the wild.

Personally I doubt I will ever be able afford a true lion hunt. If a high fenced lion was longer fending for itself in the wild, able to wild up a little. The fenced enclosure larger. And using something requiring close hunting such as my 10-bore might spice it up a bit.

I am not a trophy collector but a hunter. High fenced hunts have always been dis-satisying compared to true open free range. Sometimes the high fenced hunts have been harder. The game constantly harassed.

A true open fair chase lion hunt, what a dream it would be.

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Reading the responses reminded me of several things that happened on my lion hunt with Ian in Zim. But this one probably sticks out the most on this trip.

One day after checking baits we cut a reasonably fresh lion track and decided to track for a bit.. It was mid afternoon, ,we had been tracking for several hours when the lead tracker very slowly dropped down to his knees looking straight ahead in the high grass.. Directly ahead of us were 2 lionesses looking directly at us.. slightly off to the right was a younger male.. we were about 15 yards from them.. could very distinctly make out the shape of their face and see their eyes staring directly at us in the tall tan grass..It was a Mexican standoff for several minutes..when finally both lionesses got up and started walking away at about a 45 degree angle to our position.. one let out a serious snarl shortly after getting up.. was a slightly intense situation at the time..

We had a similar experience with a leopard one day as well.. also checking baits.. had one walking in while we were there.. he was above us on the hillside.. calling... ended up being a younger male.. he was a bit further however.. perhaps 30 yards or so..

This was the same trip we got charged by a tuskless cow as we were sneaking into a blind for hyena about a half hour before daylight... she finally quit charging at 8 yards..

It was a very eventful trip..